Wow. So, my first weekend+ has come and gone in Puebla, and I feel like I’ve been here forever! Thursday’s travels went smoothly, but to get from Bethlehem to Puebla seemed to take ages. At this point, I don’t even know where to begin, so I’m just going to roll with a quick overview of a few of the most notable/ my favorite things so far.

The city itself. Yeah. I’m a bit of a history nerd, so, while I don’t know too much about the history of Puebla yet (and my Spanish and memory capacity aren’t too grand either), I absolutely LOVE the buildings. The old, the new, the colors, the styles. This city reminds me aesthetically of Spain, but it has a whole different feel to it. I love it. This is not the palm-lined, beachy Mexico of the movies or tourist trade; it’s not the violent, gritty Mexico that the news so loves. It’s just a real place with real personality.

My family/ house. I feel so spoiled here. I’ve got my own room, a bathroom to myself, and there’s Wi-Fi! I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with them, and this weekend they took me to see a lot of the sights of Puebla! My Mom is so doting and caring; she’s constantly trying to feed me delicious food, which can be a catch-22 because the more I eat, the fuller I feel, and therefore the less I can eat. My Dad is very funny. He’s always trying to sneak English into the conversation so he can practice, too, and I love listening to him talk about the history of Mexico. My brother and sister are both great; they’re both very witty but also both very friendly and patient. Oh- and Benny the Chihuahua? Adorable!

I also enjoy (sort of) the fact that I am terrible at conversing in Spanish but it’s okay! Most of the time I just sit and listen to my family as they talk to one another, and I feel like I have a general idea of what’s going on. But then, of course, they’ll ask me something, and I’ll sit there like a complete idiot, trying to stammer out something- anything- that makes sense. I have the vocabulary of a four-year-old right now, but I feel like things are starting to register a lot more quickly even after just 4 days. I’m sure it will improve, but I wish it would improve faster.

We had Orientation at La Universidad Iberoamericana de Puebla today; it’s a lovely campus! A LOT smaller than Penn State, but it has plenty of lovely places to relax or study and lots to offer. I’ll be sure to take some photos and talk about it more soon; even though we had homework tonight, classes officially start tomorrow. I keep forgetting that I actually have to do work, but I’m sure with my lineup of classes, it will be interesting to keep up with!

Nos vemos! (PS: Photos, in order, are of: a street in downtown Puebla, The Cathedral of Puebla, another church– the name escapes mem sorry– next to the hotel we stayed at (and whose roof I was on), a view of Puebla from the highest point in the city, a Mejica dance in a park, a market close to the Bario de Artistas downtown)   

Location: Puebla, Mexico