Homestay

My homestay had been going very well. I only have a few complaints. My first complaint is that the 4 large labs never stop barking. Taking a nap is not easy with continuous barking. The dogs also live right outside my window, therefore my room always wreaks of wet dog....yum. My next complaint is hotdogs for breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I love hotdogs over a campfire, but for breakfast not so much. My house is about 12 minutes from campus, so I will get a lot of exercise in each day. So by the time I get to class I am drenched in sweat. My host dad works in development in the poor part of Merida know as Colonia. My host dad invited me to attend a reflextion on the past six years. He has helped develop a community center for this community. There are many classes offered to children and adults. It is a safe place to be at for people not living with the best circumsances. We are all truely blessed and some times are not pleased for what we do have. After breakfast at Colonia, small groups formed to discuss what has went well, what has not, and goals for the future. I just helped watch kid. I also helped the kids paint a tree out of their hand prints to symbolize hope. I met this nice girl from Chicago who had been living in Merida for 9 months and has been working at the Community Center. She was my translator, but most the time when we talked she made me speak in Spanish. It was a great day in Colonia and I plan to spend some time there each week for my service learning project.
On Sunday night we were all feeling pretty wore out, so me played ultimate spoons which consisted a hiding spoons in ceretain rooms up stairs and running up the stairs to find them. It was so much fun. On my way home that night, 3 ladies were trying to figure out how to jump a car. I do not know much about cars but I was able to help them. Dad, you would be proud. They told me I was their hero. It was really funny.
So my class schedule is really rough. I do not have class till 7 at night on Mondays and Wednesdays and my on Monday my dance class was cancelled. On Tuesdays and Thursdays my first class starts at 10:15. To top off the sweet schedule on Fridays we go on all field trips. I am taking Latin Dance, Intermediate Spanish, Art and Architecture of the Yucatan, Mexican Civilization, and Service learning out in the community. I had my first official day of class today. I am in way over my head in intermediate Spanish.....o well. It can only get better. Well I should get to bed. I hope you are all doing well.

Note to self: If a local says that they will be there in a minute.....it will be ten. Our friends that live here call it the Mexican minute.