Learn Spanish in Guanajuato: First Week

By Laura K., Guest Blogger who wants to learn Spanish in Guanajuato, Mexico

Hola. It has now been one week since I arrived in Guanajuato. I feel much more at home now as I am in a routine. Every day I wake up at 745am and eat breakfast at 830 with my house mom and my roommate from Japan. We eat a plate of fruit covered in yogurt, usually melon, papaya and mango. I never liked papaya before, but now I love it! It's supposed to be very healthy for your stomach too. We also eat toast with jelly. One thing I found is that peanut butter is incredibly expensive here compared to the US, but it's one of those things that makes you feel more at home.

I also feel more at home now because I have girl friends from school and no longer have to go places alone all the time. Today we took a city bus an hour outside of town to the world's second largest Jesus statue, Christo Ray. It was a good experience and there was a very nice view of the surrounding mountains. The photo above is of the church in San Miguel de Allende, La Parroquia de San Miguel Archangel, at night. There was a wedding going on and I was was lucky enough to be outside as a bride and groom were saying goodnight. A mariachi band was playing beautiful traditional music as they made their exit. Mexico is a place where religion is omnipresent, which is much different than where I live in Denver. I am excited for tomorrow as new students arrive every Monday. I can't believe how fast this week has gone.

Some things i have noted about life in Mexico either funny, frustrating, enamoring, or otherwise are: "machismo" in the men takes a bit to get used to, and it's best to completely ignore. It is especially hard to camouflage when you have blond hair and blue eyes. There are "Perros de la calle", stray dogs, everywhere! They are generally friendly but I wouldn't pet them! Things run on a slower time schedule, or none at all. Things will happen when they happen, it's best to slow down and enjoy life. A ham sandwich with mayonnaise for breakfast is totally normal, and it is always a good idea to have small change if you are in public and need to use a bathroom, toilet paper's not free! I am having a great time and look forward to going to the mummy museum this week. Hasta luego!