Arriving to Merida, Mexico

By Jeremy Carter - Guest blogger traveling in Merida, Mexico. Greetings from Mérida! Even after being here for 24 hours, that still sounds odd, as it's hard to believe I'm spending a month in one of my favorite cities. Every part of this trip has been perfect so far, from the flight to the homestay to the school itself. Thankfully, my greatest fear -- that every bit of Spanish I know would escape me as soon as I set foot on Mexican soil -- didn't materialize. In fact, being immersed in the culture has provided exactly the jump-start my language skills have needed. My Spanish is far from perfect, but the people have been incredibly accommodating and are enthusiastic to help out, gladly repeating things and helping me when I'm searching for a word. And the school itself has been fantastic. Everyone -- from the directors to the administration to the instructors -- has made us all the students feel at home. One of the most interesting aspects of the trip so far was flying in on the day México was electing a new president. It's been a crash course in Mexican political history, as the election has, of course, been the main topic of many a conversation. Which of the two main candidates, Calderon or Lopez Obrador, won still isn't known and probably won't be until Wednesday due to the closeness of the race, but both men were on TV within minutes of each other last night claiming their victory. And Mexicans are anything but ambivalent about elections, with each person having very passionate opinions about each party and its candidates.