Before I get into sharing the few strange events of the day I would like to take the time for a few shout outs.
To my family: I would like to thank my mom and dad for always having faith in me and telling me to have faith in myself. They support everything I do whether it be summer camps where I go caving in Kentucky, to changing majors from engineering to international affairs, to deciding "hey it's a good time to study abroad in Mexico." Whatever it is they are there. To my extended family I thank you for all of your prayers and support throughout the years and specifically for my trip to Mexico. I greatly appreciate all that you do for me.
To my friends, family friends, and previous co-workers: Today a co-worker from my most recent internship with Cooperative for Education skyped me and said they enjoy reading the blog and learning more about me. It is awesome to know there are all kinds of people following this blog - friends, family, work mates. My family friends have supported me just as much as my family has and I am thankful for that. To my friends, thank you for following and I hope my experiences will inspire you to travel and/or study abroad at some point in your lives.
Now for the unfortunate events:
1. Today I did not have class until 1pm so I lounged around and took my time getting ready. I arrived at the bus stop right before 12pm, probably not enough time before class, but hey I should be fine right? After waiting a little bit I think to myself "hmm, I bet the bus will pass me today," random thought I know. Sure enough the bus passed me and another lady waiting with me because it was on the opposite side of the road and would have had to pass 2 lanes of traffic...As a bus driver wouldn't you ride near the curb lane to pick up passengers? Oh wait that is common sense. The other lady and I had a brief conversation in Spanish, which was more like her talking and me responding in few words as possible... The next bus stops for us and we hop on..a little down the road the bus driver passes a woman waiting by herself then passes another woman waiting by herself. Ironically he was riding in the curb lane and still did not stop for them, but he did stop at a stop past them that had a lot of people waiting at it. We round the corner and ride up to one of these sort of shady check points that men wait at all day to time stamp each bus driver's route. Who pays these people? One guy I see everyday mans the check point in a deserted street and his huge black SUV is parked behind him with the decal "Hecho en Mexico" diagonally plastered on his hood...I tell you. Oh and earlier on in the bus ride I realized the driver is the same guy who ripped me off on my first bus ride with Blanca. Seriously what are the odds?!
2. I have an agreement with the Salsa class teacher that I will show up every Wednesday for class because I cannot make the Tuesday part of the class due to my Philosophy course. A girl in my Spanish class told me Salsa starts at 4:30, but everything else I've seen says 4:00. I decide to wait in the gym near the classroom a little before 4. Nobody came around 4 so I waited for 4:30. Still no one...I run upstairs to check the cultural course board. The proper classroom is 9001 and I was waiting at 9101!!! Ugh! I run all the way from the top down to the bottom floor almost killing myself because I tripped going down the stairs. I find the classroom and see that they already started...I decided not to walk in because the class already started, the door was at the front of the class, and after all of my confusion I'm not sure if the class is at 4 or 4:30 and at this point it was 4:35...So basically I'm a chicken!!! After all of that I walk out the building with my head hung low and feeling down because I was so excited for Salsa today.
3. Luckily Alma text me during my Salsa confusion letting me know she will meet me at my house so we can go pick up my gift for my host family that I had framed down the street. I head to the bus stop and I wait an unusually long time. Once on the bus I kind of zone out on the ride home. I see the aqueduct/los arcos which is near my house. I get prepared to get off. I press the button and walk to the front of the bus to make sure I get off at the right place....and we pass my stop! Why America (in a Bernie Mack voice, R.I.P.)?! I told him a qui/here and he tells me no, I will let you down out there (there=a whole block away). He dropped me off right in front of Alma's job. I call her hoping she is still at work. She already left work, but told me to stay there and she was coming for me. Thank goodness!
4. Alma and I pick up the frame and go to Soriana, which is the equivalent to Kroger until I saw I lady getting her hair colored in the middle of one of the large aisles in a Wella station. Anyway, we get back to the car and I open her trunk to get my book bag out and the trunk door falls down and hits my shoulder...Again, why?!
After a weird day it was nice to come home to a meal and conversation with Blanca. I told her about my woes using my terrible Spanish and we laughed. But better than that I am in the comfort of my own room safe from the craziness of today's world and hopefully from my crazy brain activity or lack there of I guess...*sigh* I crack myself up.
This is the frame I had made for 3 prints from a local Cincinnati artist, Joanne Honschopp. I chose views that exemplify Cincinnati - Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, downtown skyline, and the fountain in Fountain Square. Luckily, the pictures were a good choice because my host family collects magnets and ceramic plates from their travels. This should be a nice addition to the other artwork on their walls...I just gave it to them and they love it! Blanca said she has to think of a special spot on the wall for it.
