Buen Noticas (Good News) more or less week 8

Friday night, I was chatting in Spanish with my host senora, Esmeralda. She says to me, extremely unexpected by me, "your spanish is so improved since you first got here"! WOWOWOOW, I was so surprised and shocked to receive such a nice compliment. No one ever says my Spanish is any good!! I hear other people get compliments all the time by the teachers at school, but it is never me. Esmeralda is a retired high school history teacher and is a non-nonsense kind of person, so when she said that to me I believed her. In fact, she went on to tell me, that she wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true!!! Of course, the entire conversation was in Spanish.

Later on the the evening we were chatting again and once again, she told me how improved I am and then went on to share, how "terrible" my Spanish was when I arrived. Hows that for honesty!! I just sheepishly responded, "that is the process of learning", she agreed.

So I thought I would share me good news....I am learning and improving and YES I do speak Spanish!!! I appreciate how the young people I meet here have no qualms about saying they speak English, when I know full well their English is about as good as my Spanish. So I need to have as much confidence as they do!!

Other interesting thing: At my internship, I got to cook last week. It was really interesting. We took this plant, called "huazontles"
which is also the name of the dish. If you all saw the plant you would think it was a weed! But anyways, we washed it, took only the bud part of it, squished it up, stuffed some cheese in it. Meanwhile, whipped up some egg whites, then added the yolks, whipped more. Rolled the cheese stuffed buds in flour and then rolled it in the whipped eggs, then fried them. More or less, it is a chile rellano, just no chiles. Then we made a sauce which is drizzled over the giant fried plant rellano. I was unsure about eating this plant thing but it was very very good. Maricarmen called it "poor people food" or comida pobre! Meaning, out in the countrysides, then can just pluck this plant from the fields and cook it up.

6 days till I see my husband and girls!! Yeah...and vacation!!!

adios

Week 7-

My big excitement this past week was going with my director at my internship on trip to a little town to promote Unarte. It was a very enjoyable time for me and a day to practice my Spanish. Maricarmen doesn't speak any English, so I got to do a lot of practice. Sometimes though, we would laugh so hard at our miscommunications. She knows a few words but that is about it.
We visited 5 different schools. Basically she would stand before a class of seniors and promote Unarte. At one of the schools, once she was done with her 10min speech, then kids were filling out a information form, and the next thing I know is that Maricarmen is telling me that they want me to speak English. It was such a funny feeling, never in my life have I had a skill or ability to do something that was worth a request! I had a trick, I could speak English!!  It felt very awkward but I managed to say a few things to them. They wanted to know about Houston. I told them Houston is hot! Well, I forgot, in Spanish, there are two kinds of hot, 2 words, one for heat hot and one for  sexy hot. By my staying Houston was hot, they though sexy hot! After a good laugh, Maricarmen explained it was weather!!! 
The rest of the day wasn't quite as exciting but still enjoyable. We got back to Puebla about 5:00pm and so we chilled at Maricarmens home for a couple hours, then we went to a art exhibit opening. 2 professors at Unarte and about 7 students had their art on display. It is pretty cool stuff, very abstract but cool. Going to art opening was just as I imagine. All kinds of beautiful and interesting people sipping wine, snacking on hor'devores to sweet live jazz music in the background. A grand day.

Over the weekend I took a bus to the fiuqa (fi-u-ka) which is a huge market place that sells just about everything under the sun. It was very crowded so I didn't stay long. I was just please I found it via the bus without any problems.

Mostly I just did homework. This whole week (first part of March now) is just about all homework. Next week I have 2 large tests.

Paul and the girls will be heading down in less than 2 weeks so I am very happy about that!! I can't wait to see them. I am meeting them in Queretaro, a town north of Mexico City about 2 hours. We will be there for about 2 days, then we head to Acapulco for 3 days, then to Puebla to bring me back. Paul is bringing me lots of supplies and clothes for warm weather. Then I can send home with him what I am not using here and all my winter clothes. Hopefully that will really lighten up my luggage for when I get home.

Weather here is still spring like, although, we did have two days that we actually had a rain shower in the evenings. Very rare I hear, it only lasted a hour or so.

Adios till next time!