El Hornito

I just got back from El Hornito (the lil oven), a restaurant down the street that's quickly turning into my go-to. It's completely open to the air, and since it gets pretty cold here in the mountains at night, the servers could tell that Enya, Alex, and I were a little chilly. So they brought out three blankets and laid them across our shoulders. Needless to say we left a solid tip!

Seriously, the people here are the best. Anything I've needed, even if I haven't asked for it, has been graciously provided. Since I'm taking three classes in Spanish, my professors have offered aids to help me through. And everyone I talk to (especially the ones that have to endure my fumbling Spanglish) greets me with a smile... and if they're female, a kiss on the cheek. It just seems to be the pace of life here. And it's something that I really love.

Out of my four classes, there is one in particular that I want to write about today: History of Contemporary Mexico. It's less of a history class, and more of a politics class. More specifically, contemporary Mexican politics, and the history of how the country became what it is today. The class is taught by Dr. Eduardo González, who many consider to be the best professor here. And while the course isn't easy, I'm learning exactly what I came here to learn: what exactly is going on south of the border? It's not all pretty, believe me. But it is exposing me to the true soul of this country.

AND NOW LOOK AT MY PICTURES

Lago de Chapala

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta (big ol' rocks)

Chapultepec

Climbing gym wit da homies

Tlaquepaque

Sergio Bustamante Art Gallery

Me squinting into that fire Mexican sun

First days and impressions

"Hola wei!"

Those are the words I always hear walking down the street and through our beautiful campus. Mexicans really are some of the most friendly people I've ever run into, and it has made my transition here in Guadalajara much easier!

I'm all moved into the dorm now, which is located right across the street from campus. All of my roommates will be Mexican (they haven't moved in yet, I had to arrive early for orientation), so I'll have plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish in my apartment.

Here are some of my first impressions of Guadalajara: it's HUGE, has a lot of soul, but is still in a state of development. There is an interesting mix of beautiful colonial architecture and newer, but sometimes just dirtier, buildings in between. Here are some of the beauties:

Palacio de Gobierno de Guadalajara 

Teatro Degollado

There's also a ton of street art, here's a lil sample:

So all in all, despite a bit of culture shock (the city is much more crowded and LOUD than I'm used to), things are going well! The international students are all good cookies. Most of them are from Europe, Southeast Asia, or Australia, which I guess makes sense, but I was very surprised to find out that Alex (my friend from USC studying here) and I are the only Americans! Kind of cool... This is the first time in my life when it's felt special to be from the US. But for whatever reason, everyone I meet thinks I'm German! Tall and blonde hair, that's all it takes.

Something that I found interesting: Tec de Monterrey conducts random drug tests for all students throughout the semester. I've never heard of a university doing something like that before, but I guess given Mexico's struggle with drug trafficking, it makes sense. 

More to come! Stay tuned folks.