Noche Mexicana and 16 de Septiembre!!

Hello!  Its been a really exciting past week/weekend.  Lots of noches mexicanas (which means lot of parties) and also 16 de Septiembre (Mexican Independence Day) celebrations all weekend and Monday!!  First I will start by telling you about Noche Mexicana.  It is a celebration where everyone dresses in either red, white or green (the colors of the flag) and you watch traditional dances, eat a lot of traditional food and drink tequila!  It was really fun... well you can see for yourself.

When we entered, all the ladies were given a flower.













BAILES FOLKLORICOS!

The dancers are dancing with glasses of water on their heads to show how well they can balance.  I asked Martin what would happen if one of those glasses fell.. he looked at me slightly confused and replied "someone would get very wet..."  huh.. why didn't I think of that!!  hahahahah

Also, in the video you see the guys dancing with machetes..  They are smaller machetes then the ones that Martin used when he used to dance the traditional dances in school...  don't question it, believe me... I heard ALL ABOUT IT!!  hahahaha  No, but the video is really cool and very fun to watch.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=594994769087

These guys were decorating our table... now they are decorating my bedroom!  They are made completely out of crumpled up paper of different colors. 

FOOD!!

The food was sooo good!!  We had taquitos, enchilladas, sopa de pazole (its like a chicken based soup with corn, rice and other meats) salad and lots of chili sauces!! 

Then after eating and drinking everything that we could, we danced and danced until 1am before we all went home.  It was really fun!!!

 16 de Septiembre!!!

After doing awesome on my final exam on the 15th of September, I decided to celebrate by going back down to Atotonilco and "re"tasting all the tequila... you know, just to make sure it was still good!  :)  The tequila companies come and build bars in the town plaza.  I'm not talking about here is a stand at the fair that is easy to put up and take down... I'm talking about BUILDING A BAR!

Brick, mortar and MARIACHIS!!!  What more could you ask for in a party!  :)  But first, before I start to get into the party and the amazing fireworks display, I think you need to see the AMAZING tacos that we had from a taco stand on the street. 

Tacos al Pastor!  So Good!!

Churros filled with dulce de leche.  So much sugar but I couldn't stop eating it!

Later during the fireworks display, we met up with some of Derek's friends and watched some of the coolest fireworks that I've seen in a long time.  They would be against the law in the US because sparks were flying everywhere!!

The video is on my facebook page because it was too big to fit on here.  One of the coolest things that you will see on it if you watch it is that there is a part of the top of the flower that flies into the air and whoever can collect it and bring it back to the officials running the fireworks at the end of the night gets $1000 pesos!!  Its kinda scary because you have to watch the sky and your head until you know where it lands...  the second night, it landed on the other side of the block from us. 


We made a new friend.

Stayed out and celebrated Mexico with el grito.  Which is when the governor of the area shouts and gives props to all things Mexican and everyone else responds by shouting VIVA!!  :)

More food... 

Gorditas de chicherrones.. nothing like you get at taco bell! 

After we ate breakfast/lunch and took our siesta, we decided to go down to the Charriata  (rodeo).  Getting there in and of itself was quite the adventure.  We couldn't find any parking so when we were finally able to find a spot that was semi legal, (it wasn't my car so I didn't care hahaha) we had about a mile to walk to get to the entrance.  Then Derek flags down this truck and we got into the back so they could drive us to the Rodeo.  When we were paying, the truck started driving away before we got our change, so I had to jump out, grab the change and tickets and run back down the road to hop back on the truck.  Thankfully no one way driving very fast.  :)

At the Rodeo when we finally got in, we saw the rancheros dancing with their horses. Then they were trying to lasso a horse and make them fall down.  They only did it a couple times and the horses always got up and walked away, so it didn't look like they got hurt, but I still seemed kinda mean.  I have one video of it, but if  you don't like seeing animals fall down then you probably shouldn't watch it.


After they were done roping the horses, they opened it up for people in the crowd to come down and try to ride some of the horses.  Almost everyone fell down which I thought was a lot more amusing, because those people volunteered to put themselves in these situations.  This video is very fun.  I don't know how the guy survived, but he got up right away and brushed it off.  hahaha..


Then after the people got done, they let in a baby bull and everyone tried to taunt the baby bull until it ran after them.  My favorite was the guy without his shirt on.  He had been riding the horses earlier and he did really well, stayed on for almost a circle and a half, but when the horse threw him off, he ripped his shirt completely down the side. So he took it off and proceeded to do the rest of the activities without a shirt on.

It was a lot of fun and getting back to the car in the dark was just as much fun as getting to the rodeo.  We asked very nicely to a guy who had a pickup truck and he let us hop in the back and ride down the road.  It was a very bumpy ride, but it was better than walking!  We went back in town and stayed in the plaza dancing, watching fireworks and having a blast until very late.  Then I had to wake up early the next day and get on a bus to ride back into Guadalajara.  It was a blast! 

Atotonilco el Alto and more!

So I have a lot of tequila to tell you about...... oops I mean I lot of events to tell you about!!  First off I have another Rotary Presentation to a group of English speaking jr high and high school students in Atotonilco (I had to use a little bit of Spanish for the jr. high kids, but all of them spoke really well and paid a lot of attention to the stories that I was telling).  Afterwards, my friend who teaches English at those school (the reason I was invited) decided to take me out on the town in the "small" town of Atotonilco where a majority of the tequila that we know is produced.  We started with a drink called Charazo which is basically tequila with grapefruit juice, lime and salt.  I might have gotten the name wrong because it wasn't really good enough to remember. Then, we had to try a Margarita....  :)  After that, we had this drink called Vampiro (which means Vampire).  It is kinda like tequila mixed with tomato/sangria with lime, salt, lots of chili powder and squirt to top it all off.  I didn't like it.  Then we had to try a few different types of tequila. 

       

After a long night of... I mean a long day of giving presentations and talking to students, I took the two hour bus ride back to Guadalajara.  It was really fun and I got to meet a lot of fun new people who have invited me back later in September for the Sept 16th Independence Day celebrations.  Apparently all the major tequila distilleries, there are about 10 different companies that are located in Atotonilco such as Jose Cuervo, Don Julio, 7 Lagunas, and Patron just to name a few, set up bars in the main plaza and it just becomes a huge party for the month of September.

Hijos Escalados -- a tribute to the people from Jalisco who have done exceptional things. 

Last Saturday night, after class got done I went to the Rotaract meeting where I met a really nice visiting Rotaracter from Hidalgo, Mexico.  We decided to have lunch together and walk around the market on Sunday before she had to leave to Colima... this is what we saw.

The steeples of La Catedral

The Catholic Church is the middle of town.  Basically the church that the city of Guadalajara was originally build around.  

There were a bunch of kids playing in the water in the fountain.  I don't think I would be brave enough to do that, but they looked like they were having fun.

And last but now least, for some reason Spider Man was there... Maybe he arrived in Guadalajara to help fight off the narcos!  :) 

Yesterday I gave my first presentation in Spanish!!!  I was super nervous, but everyone said I did really well.  I spoke to the Club Rotario Zapopan Lomas del Valle, they are my host club and they were really excited to learn more about me and why I am down here in Mexico.  They use nicknames a lot in Mexico.  Everyone has a "mote" and when I introduced myself and said I didn't have a nickname one of the guys in the club must of thought I didn't understand what a mote was... here is how the conversation went.
Me: "My name is Amanda Hermes, and I dont have a mote." 

Him: "Yeah but what do your friends call you?"
Me: "Amanda"
Him: "Ok but what does your family call you?"
Me: "Amanda"
Him: "ok yeah but what did they call you in school"
Me: "Amanda"
Him: "hmm.. well thats weird!"

I am sure my the end of the month, once they get comfortable having me around either the Rotary Club or the Rotaract Club will come up with some sort of nickname for me... you know... just so I dont feel lift out!  :) 

Finally, this morning I saw what looked like a scene straight out of the movies.  We have this big train that goes by our house.  It runs from Guatemala all the way up to the boarder of the US.  The people here call this train La Bestia which means The Beast!  Well today while I was waiting for the Beast to pass I looked down the tracks and saw a couple guys running after the train..  then all of a sudden they grabbed on to the railing and jumped!  It was just like a scene in the movies.  I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to get a picture of them in action, but as they passed I was able to sneak a picture and just happened to catch these stowaways, once they got comfortable, sneaking a ride of the Beast back down south towards Guatemala..  Who knows where there final destination will be!  

MAZAMITLA

Well I went on my first real MEXICAN ADVENTURE!!  To a small little town up in the mountains called Mazamitla.  I went with a few Rotarians and their families.  It so sooo much fun!!

I thought this picture was sooo funny, but everyone else in the car just thought I was weird!  lol 

The town church and the main plaza

We walked around the village, I heard about all the old Mexican traditions such as how they use to have big dances every Friday and Saturday night where all the young singles would meet in front of the church.  The girls would walk in a circle in one direction and the boys would walk in a circle in the other direction.  If a guy liked a girl he would ask her to leave the circle with him and go for a walk, if the girl liked him back she would leave with him, if not she would just keep walking.   

Steaks, poblanos stuffed with cheese and grilled onions!

We went to the open market to buy chilies and bread, we had a big barbecue.  I didn't think I was going to eat for a week!  

The quesadillas, which I helped with!!  :) 

The next morning, I was woken up early so I could have Chocomilk verdadero! The night before, Lulu made hot chocolate, and she used a blender for part of it so that it would get frothy and mixed really well.  Lili kept saying that the next morning I was going to have real chocomilk that didn't need a blender to get frothy... and boy was she right!!  Martin and Ramon woke me up early and took me to a farm where we waited for a few minutes until the cow was ready.  I was wearing sandals and everyone thought I was crazy because they thought it was freezing cold.  To be honest, I thought it was cold too.  The only reason I was wearing flip flops was because Martin didn't really explain very well what we were going to be doing and those were the only shoes I brought.  lol.  

 So once the cow was ready, we walked out to the pasture with the calf.  While one of the guys was getting the cow ready with the calf (apparently it is necessary to have a calf present for a cow to produce milk), we filled up 4 glasses with a little bit of powdered chocolate and about a shots worth of alcohol.  We passed the glasses to the guy sitting next to the cow and....  yes you guessed it, straight from the cow to the cup!  I will have to say Lili was right.. it was frothier than I would have imagined....

and actually pretty damn good! hahahaha. 

After that we had tamales, pan dulce (sweet bread) and chicharrones (the fried crispy part of the pig fat and skin) for breakfast. 

Just when we thought we weren't going to be able to eat anymore, we went for a drive in the mountains and then went out to eat lunch!!  Everyone said they were too full for lunch, but somehow all the plates were clean by the end of the meal.  I also got to try nopales (cactus) for the first time!!  It reminded me of the movie Tortilla Soup.  They were really good!  Who knew cactus would be something so delicious! 

 

All of us at the restaurant for lunch! 

Last but not least, before we left we took a little detour to visit the firetruck that the Rotary Club Zapopan Lomas Del Valle in conjunction with a Rotary Club in Canada donated to the town of Mazamitla.

GO DISTRICT 4150!!! 

 

Week 1: Immigration

As you all know by now, I arrived in Mexico on Sunday, Aug 12th.  Its been a week since I've been here and somehow, a lot has happened, but at the same time nothing at all! 

Sun, Aug 12: I had just landed in the Houston Airport, and my plane had just arrived at the gate right across from the gate that I was to be leaving from so there was barely any walking and to top it all off, there was a Jamba Juice right next to me.  So I got a small smoothie and I was happily sipping away when I we started to board.  I was walking through the aisles of the plane and suddenly the Jamba Juice cup breaks and spills smoothie all over me, my bag and a few splatters on some unfortunate women who happened to be already seated.  The entire smoothie just exploded in my hand!  It was so embarrassing.  Then the flight attendant made me put my bag in a plastic bag so that I wouldn't get the other passengers bags messy but it wouldn't fit.  So to summarize I was finally sitting in my seat smelling like fruit and slightly sticky with a bag full of clothes on my lap and my carry on halfway stuffed inside a plastic bag!  Finally we arrived and I got my suitcase from baggage claim, then it was an hour standing in line waiting to go through customs before I finally met Martin, my Rotarian host.  We got in his car and since I was pretty disoriented he took me to a hotel called "Hotel Hi" which is just a few blocks from the university and that's where I have been staying all week!  Bienvenido a Mexico!

Mon Aug 13: I took my first journey to the University.  I took a taxi there because I didn't really know where I was going but once I got there it started raining.  So I was walking around the campus in the rain until I ran into someone who finally directed me to the administration building.  I met the lady who I had been corresponding with via email/phone, Cynthia.  She was very nice, and gave me all the information that I needed in order start the process of getting my visa.  I walked back to my hotel, a 15 min walk in the rain and decided to take a trip into el centro de Guadalajara to the immigration office.  I arrived at immigration at 1:30pm only to find that they are only open to the public from 9am-1pm.  I walked around the city until later in the afternoon trying to look for a bank or a phone company but I didn't have any luck.  After I came back to the hotel I asked the front desk what there was to eat around here and I was told my only options were Dominos or take out Sushi.  I opted for something familiar... but was unpleasantly surprised to find out they put Ketchup  on their pizza.  Later that night Martin dropped off an old phone that I could use. The problem was, his was the phone number I had to call.  :)

Tue Aug 14:  I went back to the immigration office just to be told that I didn't have the right documents and I needed to fill out more paperwork.  It was a frustrating day, but at least I learned a little bit more about the process of being an immigrant and the amount of hoops you have to jump through.  I also went to my first Rotary Meeting.  The Rotary Club that is sponsoring me has 14 members.  They are just starting to introduce female members, mostly just the wives of the current members.  They meet at a country club in Zapopan and most of the Rotary members belong to this club.  They were all very nice.  They are doing a lot of really cool projects right now such as building a kitchen for a school that provides kids with breakfast and lunch who can't afford it.  I presented them with a flag and spoke to the president about me possibly giving a presentation in a few weeks once my spanish gets better and he said they would love that.

Wed Aug 15:  I went back to immigration with all the paperwork that I thought was correct... but it wasn't.  The frustrating thing is they tell you to fill out un tramite (a form) but they don't actually tell you which form is the correct one.  So I did a whole bunch of running around and now the only thing I need to do is pay my fee of $550 pesos and turn in a few pictures.  It seems like 5 pictures are required with every government document that you turn in in Mexico.  They really like to attach pictures.  :)  At the immigration office I also met a guy named Derek, another American.  I was helping him communicate with the immigration people because no one spoke english and we started talking.  He is a really nice guy and we became friends.  He lives in a town a few hours away and teaches English.  He asked me to come and speak to some of his classes if I had time after the summer vacation was over.  I think it would be really fun to talk to those kids and help breakdown stereotypes that they have about people from the US.

Thurs Aug 16:  I went back to the university to finish my paperwork and Cynthia gave me a tour of the campus so now I know where I'm going.  After that I went to look at a couple apartments.  The one that I saw that I liked was in a really nice neighborhood in Zapopan.  Pretty close to the university.  It would just be one bus ride away.  It was a nice size room in a house of all women.  The only thing that concerns me is that if I have friends come visit me that are guys, they wouldn't be allowed to stay over, they would have to stay in a hotel. 

Fri Aug 17:  Today I am going to look at a few more places before I decide which one I want to commit to and then I am going to a party with my host Rotarians.  I am really excited.  I think its going to be really fun.

Saturday I need to go back to the university to get pictures taken for the school and Monday morning I will be finalizing my Visa.  Everything is coming together, but nothing has actually happened yet.  Its only been a week, but I feel like I should have more done by now.  Maybe I'm being too hard on myself.  After all, it has only been a week.  If I'm still in this same position a month from now I will be a little bit more worried.  :) 

Back in the MIA!

I just finished my drive back down to Miami, and so far its been an adventure.  Not as much of an adventure as traveling with a packed car and only being able to use 1 out of three mirrors effectively, having a cat crawling around your neck and trying to jump out of the car at every gas station, but an adventure none the less.

I will be here for just a few days and then off to MEXICO!  
The plane leaves on Sunday afternoon... hopefully I'm on it!!  When I was packing for the trip, I ALMOST left my passport in Wisconsin.  I can just imagine that phone call to my parents, but thankfully that didn't happen.  The passport is in tact and with me ready to get a new visa stamped in it.

Until then however, I am trying to see as many people in Miami as possible.  I don't think its going to be a problem sleeping on the plane, because by that point I will be so sleep deprived that I will be able to sleep ANYWHERE!  Watch out Miami!!! I'm here to party!!!  :)  

The Dog Drinks Wine -- Original Music and Lyrics by Jef Allen

This is a song my dad wrote and recorded.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  Feel free to repost it if you would like to share.  :)  Its a humorous telephone conversation about drinking with man's best friend. 

I'm Almost There!!

A big obstacle presented itself yesterday when I called the university to find out if they could send me the letter again via mail for the visa...   Universidad Cuauhtemoc is NOT going to be offering a Masters in Tourism Administration during the fall semester.  They are postponing the course until February because they felt there weren't enough people signed up for the classes.

It took me a couple days to figure out how I was going to move forward after hearing this news but I think I will be moving forward the best way possible.  I will still be attending the Universidad Cuauhtemoc in August as planned, but I will be taking a semester of business courses instead of going straight into tourism.  I think this will be advantageous for a variety of reasons but specifically I am excited to get my degree and time in Mexico started.

I have a little over one week left in Wisconsin and about 2.5 weeks until I leave the US.  I am awaiting a letter from the university in order to get my visa straightened out, but that letter should be arriving soon.  I think I have a special guest that wants to stow away in my suitcase!!  :)   



Today I have to send an extra 100 pesos to Mexico in order to cover the additional deposit for the extra classes.  100 pesos might sound like a lot, but it actually translates to about $7.45!!

The Long Drive

As most of you know, I decided to drive myself up from Miami to Wisconsin to drop all my stuff off at my parents house before I left for the scholarship.  This weekends Rotary Scholarahip Orientation was super super fun and I got to meet some of the coolest people ever!!  :-).  AND my sister had her second baby this morning so I got to make up to a very exciting text message! 

After the orientation ended, i took an unexpected detour back down to miami to pick up my furry friend.  Shes doin pretty good....  A little mad at me but I think she will get over it.  Its been raining non stop because I just happened to be driving straight into a tropical storm... No biggie, right?!?!  hahahah.

Well Ive arrived at my first hotel to get a little sleep.....  It smells like smoke, but its clean...  I do think they need to get a new electrition though... Any takers???  :-).

PJ

All I'm going to say is plans changed.....  :-).

Rotary Scholar Orientation

Hey All,

So much has been happening and I am pleased to report that its mostly all POSITIVE!!!  I have almost completed everything that I need to do in order to leave as a scholar.  Here is the list I got from my Scholarship Coordinator of documents that I needed to turn in. 

          Language Exam Score (Berlitz testing information below)
          Proof of Admission to Assigned Study Institution
          Medical Certificate (see appendix of handbook)
          Certificate of Insurance Coverage (see appendix of handbook)
          Photocopy of the identification page of your passport (see appendix of handbook)
          Photocopy of your student visa (see appendix of handbook)
          Travel Option Form (see appendix of handbook)
          Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Bank Information Form (see appendix of handbook)
All have been completed and approved!!! The visa is still pending, but it might be ok for them to give me the first half of the money without the visa being completed.  I'm still working on it to see if I can get the visa from the Chicago Consulate instead of the Miami Consulate.  Cross your fingers!!  :)

I got a 4 out of 5 on my language tests which I was really happy about and it means that I don't have to take additional language classes!!  A 5 means completely fluent, 4 means proficient, 3 required additional classes taken and 1& 2 are failing scores.  Thank goodness for 4!  :)

 

I am currently moved out of Miami and have all of my worldly belongings in my car.  It is quite a site to see.  I would like to share with you what all of my worldly belongings mean for someone who is now planning to drive the length of this country... 

It took me about to days of bringing things downstairs to the street, packing and the bringing more things down, unpacking, repacking and bringing more things down, unpacking....  I think you get the point! to get my car to look like this.  I am also proud to say I got a few battle wounds along the way myself... 

The HUGE bruise on my arm!!

All I have to say is the trunk of my car is very VERY heave and it would have hurt a lot more if the latch on the trunk of my car would have come down on my back.  :)  Go arm, you saved my back!  Small sacrifice to the packing gods!

Currently I am in Tampa at the Rotary Scholar Seminar.  I arrived in Tampa late on Wednesday night.  I would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to David and Lisa for letting me into their home and for being so nice to me while I stayed with them.  I left their house this afternoon to come over to the University of Tampa for the Scholar Seminar.  We had a break from one of our meetings and I decided to use that time to come up here and fill you all in on whats been going on.  So far its been really good.  I will be going to Atlanta next but that won't be until Monday of next week!

I am still struggling to find a place for PJ, my cat.  If anyone would be willing to care for her just for a couple weeks I would really appreciate it.  Let me know if you are interested.

Talk soon!