It's Christmas in Mexico....

Friday, December 3, 2010

Just got back from the lighting of the lights in my town and it was really cute. They had a little concert and then the junior high did a play of the nativity and then opened up the school for the community to walk through and see all the lights and a miniature very cute nativity scene. The play was really funny, from what I could understand. I learned a lot more about the birth of Christ tonight. Apparently there were about 20 shepherds wandering around, including 2 drunk dudes, and they weren’t just guided by an angel, they were actually enticed by a devil as well, but because good has to defeat evil they chose to follow the angel to attend the birth of Jesus at the Inn and they brought gifts like caged birds. Who knew?

Recapcito...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I am sitting in my freezing cold room beneath 4 thick Mexican blankets at 8:45pm and everyone in the house is in bed. This is a typical night although I have to admit I am a little bit disappointed that because of the work my host father has had this past week, the cable has been turned back on. I wondered why there were so many tvs in the house when no body really watched them, but I was glad because since I’ve arrived I’ve had so many opportunities for great conversation sitting at the dinner table well past everyone’s last bite just talking. Tonight, the night ended with some woman killing some other woman on a telenovela. I guess there goes my happy campo image.

Who knows when I’ll be able to put this post on the world wide web, but I figured I’d write anyway, seeing as though I have plenty of time on my hands. My feet are finally starting to warm up as they are wrapped in 2 pairs of socks and beneath previously mentioned blankets. Today, I woke up and had egg, ham, and cheese tacos with a cup of green tea. Then I decided almost 3 weeks later, that I should officially unpack my bags (because we are technically allowed to leave and find our own homes by next week, but I’ve decided to stay with my host family) so I made myself feel at home and lot more organized. 1 ½ year old Dilan, one of my nephews (I’ve been adopted into the family so I now have 3 nephews and 1 niece) played in my room while I put away my things so when I was all done we went outside to play. So I chased Dilan and Gisel (3 years old, another family member) around in the grass for a while and then we made mole azul out of dirt. It was quite a busy afternoon. When Alondra came home from school I played cards with her and Mari (Itzel’s sister) until comida at around 3pm.

For comida we had fresh tortillas from my Aunt Juanita’s tortilla store (which we have with every meal), noodle soup, string beans and eggs, & black beans. It was all delicious of course. Then we all went outside to play jump rope and then volley ball. Hung out for a while and at around 7:30ish we sat down to a light dinner of bread and hot chocolate. I have become accustomed to hot milk most nights so when we run out of milk I turn into a spoiled child and can think of only one option – I will buy more milk. Tonight it was to my benefit that my host father also wanted bolillos, these delicious rolls from the panaderia, so I hopped in the car with my host brother, his wife, and his sister and took advantage of the ride to the tienda. Oh yes, I would have my hot chocolate.

Which brings me to where I am right now, in my office – well okay, really my bed. Eventually I plan on getting a little desk, but for now this will have to do.

And here’s a little recap on what I’ve been doing the past 3 weeks:

Lindsay and I have had the opportunity to get to know the municipal president, who is kind of like the mayor and we’ve gone on little outings with him and his colleagues to deliver efficient wood burning stoves and to meet people in the communities that would be given bathrooms and cement floors (of which they do not at this moment have). He seems to be a very good man and the people seemed touched that he actually follows through with what he promises.

Our compañeros at the park have taken us on little hikes and acquainted us with the various programs the park has in place to support the local communities and where we will fit in. The only sticky point really is that because it’s the end of the year, all the money has been spent, so it’s our job living in the communities to meet and listen to the people to understand what projects will be the most beneficial next year. (This might sound a little complicated, but for example the support this year was spent on green houses, and wood burning stoves).

We both have really hit it off with our families and to show our gratitude (and perhaps longing for some good old-fashioned American comfort foods), Lindsay and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for about 30 Mexicans. We made absolutely every Thanksgiving dish you could name and then some. It was a total success, and in my host mom’s words has earned me my own estufa in my room.

From Left to Right: Alvaro, my mom Susana, aunt Juana, Luz Clara, Pati and Said, & Sheli

Lindsay's Fam

I know you, mysterious non-existent reader, will get confused reading my blog with the many different names I will mention, so I will try to break it down as best as possible:

Angel (dad) & Susana (mom)

5 kids:

Sylvia, Alvaro, Analleli, Pati, & Alondra

Sylvia I have not met yet, but she lives in Pachuca with her husband and son

Alvaro lives in this house with Ana Itzel (his wife) and his baby, Said (Syeed)

Analleli lives in La Estanzuela (the community where Lindsay lives) with her husband and daughter Irlanda

Pati lives in Carboneras up the road with her husband Luis, and son Dilan

Alondra is 10 years old and lives in this house

You will also read about the following family members:

Mari – Ana Itzel’s sister. Has 2 daughters, Gisel 3 years old, and Alison 5 months. Her husband’s name is Juan.

Tio Capi is Angel’s brother and Tia Juanita is Susana’s sister. They are married and their daughter is Luz Clara, and she is over at the house all the time.

Pati’s in-laws are also regular visitors: Her sister-in law Lucero and her mother–in law Doña Carolina

That should be it for now, but just know that this is just a small percentage of the people and family I have met over the past few weeks. Imagine the next 2 years…

Eat, drink, and find satisfaction in your work...

...has never meant so much to me as it did these past few days as I woke up to the roosters and the sunshine and watched my host dad, Angel begin to wheel barrow cement into the kitchen and my host mom, Susana washing the dishes in the sink outside preparing for breakfast. The whole day revolves around the 3 solid meals that Susana prepares and Angel stops his house work to join the family for food. The household consists of Angel and Susana, Alvaro (their 24 year old son), his wife Sheli, their baby, Said, and Alondra (10 year old daughter). Angel and Susana also have 3 other daughters that live in the area with their husbands and babies. The whole town seems to be related since everytime I'm introduced to someone, they are a primo or tio. Angel is one of 12 children, and I got to meet his mother who is now a proud great grandmother of who knows how many kids.


A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. 


This beautiful family is filled with joy. As Angel said, "dondé hay niños, está Dios," - "where there are children, God is there." They are all hard workers, whether they were doing house work (renovating the kitchen) or working on their cars, they were busy at work. Of course they will always take a break to laugh at something funny or to make a joke on someone else's behalf. Living in the moment is an understatement. I began to feel a little useless yesterday when I had no work to do and everyone around me was busy with cooking or baby or building. I realized how much we find value in our work even if it's not the typical job that you and I would imagine.


I have learned so much more in the past few days than I could ever have imagined that I have no idea what the next 2 years will bring. I can only hope to be as kind and hospitable of a community member in Carboneras as this family has been to me.

my room

view from our house.

Dia de los Muertos and such

October 31-November 2nd, Mexico celebrates Halloween, Dia de Los Muertos, and All Saints Day. A lot celebration and a lot of death. It's actually a lot less morbid than it sounds. It's more a remembrance of loved ones lost and the legend is that on these days, the dead come back to hang out with their families. Hence the parties in the cemeteries... Literally no falta of mariachi bands or cerveza.

Querétaro's famous drag queen, Erik De Luna dresses as "La Catrina" each year and puts on a show reciting poetry, dancing and singing. 

Tradition to buy Calaveritas for friends and family

The grave we cared for. 

You are also supposed to leave food for the dead and legend has it, that when the holiday is over, the food has no flavor because the dead obviously partook of his/her favorite food. 

We swear in this Wednesday and leave for our Future Sites on Thursday. So we've been living it up. Hasta pronto!

Tehuacan - Cuicatlan Biosfera Reserva

Just spent 5 days in the Tehuacan - Cuicatlan Reserva with our Sustainable Livelihoods group, meeting various artisan communities and learning about their small businesses and their processes that they've maintained for generations, some date even back to BC (like the pottery people).

We had an absolutely amazing time singing in the van, being treated to pan dulce day and night by the best chef in Mexico Don Antonio, eating the best food we've had yet, shopping til our hearts' content for palm jewelry, and of course the productive part giving a presentation on some general business practices entirely in Spanish.

Here are some fotos:

As time in Querétaro comes to an end...

I just wanted to share with you what I've been up to in the lovely city of Querétaro, Querétaro, México for the past 3 months.

Everyday, I wake up like this:



And I go to school to learn Español for about 5 hours, where we try our best to converse about topics such as comida, cultura, tradiciones, política, la guerra de narcotrafico, imigración, y anecdotas de vida en los Estados Unidos. Yeah, we've been talking about things I rarely discuss in English and probably all sound like 3 year olds voicing their opinions on the next presidential election or the war in Afghanistan.

Then we have comida. Which usually consists of something incredibly deliciously greasy and fattening or what is most commonly referred to as "Vitamin T" : Tacos, Tamales, Tortillas, Tortas, Tequila (not during school of course), and Tostadas.

After comida, we are enlightened in lectures about health, safety, land ownership in Mexico, the history and political situation in Mexico, and environmental awareness. On our sector days (which just means we don't have Spanish class) we have gone to land fills, recycling collection centers, Indigenous communities, and botanical gardens to learn more in depth about environment and small businesses.

Then I go home to my familia to possibly do a little homework / studying, have cena, and watch "Soy Tu Dueña" .

On the weekends, I generally start my day at my favorite little cafe, Sucre Sale where I have my only Mexican friend besides our teachers and PC staff, Alma. We talk about all sorts of things like her favorite movie, Amelie (which she named her daughter after), interracial dating, and how life in the city is so different than in the communities but she believes that God takes care of everyone. If I come at night, she gives me free bread too.

And then most weekends have been filled with day trips to pyramids, hot springs, wineries and mountains or tours around the city of Queretaro. We have a cultural passport that is supposedly meant to transform us into Mexican citizens in which we have to complete at least 17 activities that include going to cultural events, making Mexican food, and basically taking advantage of everything we can while we're here, so that has made us all get out and explore the city and surroundings.

All in all, I know we are all getting antsy and anxious to be done with training and start our official Peace Corps experience in all of our respective sites, but I really can't complain too much about the past few months, because even though I am fatter and super tired at the end of each day, it has so far been a great start to our time in Mexico. 

Is this real life?

 Just got back from our future site visit and I feel bit like I'm watching my life just as I watch my dreams while I sleep; disconnected - as if it's too good to be true. We came back to Queretaro yesterday and today spent most the day hearing about everyones' future site visits. Some are excited, some nervous, some scared, some still without real emotion or words to express the many thoughts and feelings streaming through them. I am out of touch. I have already disconnected myself from training life in Queretaro, because in my mind, I just left my home in Hidalgo to visit Queretaro for a little while longer. I don't want to miss out on this last month because my head is somewhere else, so I have to make a conscious effort to be present which is a challenge.

That being said, let me tell you a little bit about what the next 2 years will look like for me. Lindsay and I will be living in/near the National Park El Chico in the state of Hidalgo only about 30 minutes from the capital city, Pachuca. The park is the oldest "nationally protected area" in Latin America and was named so in 1898. It offers, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, many ziplines, camping, and pretty much any other outdoor activity you can think of. 

Our potential projects will include (but not be limited to) helping with a mountain hostel, commercialization of handicrafts, help with greenhouses, trail building, ecotourism in general, and marketing. 

Here are some pics:

My Homestay for my first month

My Community: Carboneras

Lindsay & me 

Our office in the park

My Home in the Mountains

El Parque Nacional El Chico

MORE PICS HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/FutureSiteVisit# 

& OTHERS HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/TimeInQueretaro#

P.S. Please take note of the mail message I've updated. Mail is a pain, so if you are so brave as to send something, please advise...

¡Viva Mexico!

So this post will be short because we've talked about Dia de Independencia en español until we were all blue in the face, but for any of you at home that are actually reading this blog, I'm sure you'd like to know about the festivities. In addition to the fact that it was their independence day, it's also their 200 year anniversary, so we were here to celebrate El Bicentenario!

the countdown

Monday, September 13th: Saw the Parade of Los Concheros

This was an amazing parade and dance. It's a tribute to all of the native people that were living in the area during and before the time of the Independence from Spain. It was incredible! I'm sorry I'm not that great of a photographer because some of the outfits were fantastic and all the dances were great; very colorful and lively. 

Wednesday, September 15th: El Grito

At 11pm the gobernador comes out and gives a little tiny speech and says a few phrases, such as "¡viva Miguel Hidalgo!, ¡viva la revolucion!, ¡viva Mexico!" and after every phrase the crowd shouts "¡¡VIVA!!" and right after the vivas, fireworks shoot out right over the crowd, so close that the ash falls into your eyes as you look up in amazement like you've never seen fireworks before. It was much freaking fun. We were all laughing and screaming and so incredibly excited to be in Mexico. 

September 16th: Dia de Independencia

A day to sit around in our pajamas and watch TV all day!

And that was it. I had a great weekend too. We went to Pueblito to see a local Pyramid from the Toltecs and also got to go on a walking tour of Legends and Myths of Queretaro where they take you through old houses in el centro and tell you all ghost stories and fun facts about who died there and how it happened. 

We changed classes in Spanish so we're all adjusting all over again, but it's a good challenge and I've decided I need to make some Mexican friends so I can practice my español. 

Love you all. Here are some more pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/TimeInQueretaro# 

My PCV Visit Homework

I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone by blogging my Peace Corps Volunteer Visit Homework.

John and I travelled to Tlaxcala to visit volunteer Debbie Reid from PCM 08. (I'm in group 9) and had the opportunity to see what life as a volunteer is "really" like.

1. Tlaxcala is the capital of Mexico's smallest state, Tlaxcala and is a very important historical site. Pre- conquistadores, it was home to the Olmecas. Because they were in opposition of the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes used them as an alliance to defeat the Aztecs and thus Tlaxcala became a staging ground for Spanish advancement. Today, the colonial architecture remains.

And the Huarache is a typical food in Tlaxcala: tortilla on the bottom, covered with beans, then your choice of meat (or not), cheese, and nopales (cactus).

2. New Spanish expressions (not necessarily in the workplace or volunteer context, but we did learn these from Debbie)

• ¿Quien sabe? - who knows?
• microcuencas - micro water basins, Debbie's new project
• ¿Hay una posibilidad a...? - Is there a possibility... (this way you can get out of conjugating verbs)
• No ya - not yet (Angel says this is not correct but apparently is used in the communities)
• Cuerpos de Paz introduccion - Peace Corps introduction. VERY important. Learn it. 

3. Recommendations about integrating:

• Attend community events (ex: on Friday night, we went to a dance in the Zocalo, where Debbie goes semi often and has met some friends and dance partners)
• Say Yes to invites when you can (ex: we attended a fiesta that the ex-senator of Tlaxcala invited us to)
• Make yourself a "regular" (ex: Debbie frequents the same panaderia, restaurants, carpenteria, and many other shops where people now know her and she knows them)

4. Job Challenges

• Commitment and interest from the community might not be what you hope or expect
• It may be difficult to be on the same page as your boss and/or counterpart regarding funding and planning on community projects
• Not having a lot of man power; so having to start a lot of research from scratch.

5. Culturally appropriate behaviors in the workplace

• Saludos: pay attention to each person, because they are all different in the way the greet you - be prepared to shake everyones hand and give a few besos
• Get to know your coworkers. Debbie has taken the time to get to know everyone in the office and knows at least something about their personal life. It seems common to spend a few minutes chatting with each person in the office even if not work related. 
• Stay professional

6. Strategies for collaboration 

• Collaboration between SEMARNAT, CONAFOR, CONAGUA (government agencies). Debbie has really pressed to be able to have meetings with people from these different agencies to be able to work together. We had the opportunity to attend one of these collaboration meetings

• Attend conferences and meetings in your field to gain more knowledge and meet the experts
• Working 24-7. Networking with everyone you meet, because you never know who they'll know or what their professional background is. (ex: while hiking La Malinche on Saturday, we met 2 grad students from Yucatan who study exactly what Debbie is researching)

7. Collaborative / participatory planning process

1. Meet with the office about project ideas and get feedback
2. Meet with the community to find out their needs and get feedback about project
3. Start project and constantly reevaluate

8. Secondary project ideas for Debbie

• Earth Day in April
• Microcuencas

9. Gender roles

• Varies by community - some women are more involved than others
• Did not seem to be a problem in the workplace

10. Other

We had a really great time and this trip probably made me more excited about my PC service than I've been yet. We got to see Debbie's cute apartment, enjoy some culture and outdoors, and got to venture out to see all the projects she is currently working on. She was a great host and a very inspirational volunteer. As she said, she's had her challenges and probably had higher expectations than she should have but she's a "raging optimist" and her positive outlook has really helped her to be successful in all her Peace Corps goals. 

Here are some more pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/TlaxcalaTrip

Trip to San Luis Potosi - an Intro to our lives for the next 2 years...

Dia 1: Gogorron - On Monday, we started in Gogorron where we were given a tour of a beautiful Hacienda where the movie Zorro 2 was filmed and had our first introduction to an ejido. There are what seems like hundreds of ejidos in Mexico which are basically plots of land given to communities all over the country with the responsibility to take care of the land. The government will pay them to take care of the land and is slowly but surely teaching the people how to do this. This particular ejido is in charge of desert land. Cattle run free through this desert and eat fruit right off the cacti. There is a mountain within the bounds of the ejido as well and the ejido owners take a trip up the mountain a few times a week just to make sure everything is in tact.

Dia 2: Comunidad km 58 - Tuesday we had the pleasure of visiting this mountain ejido, community kilometer 58. It has it's name from an old train passage; it was 58 kilometers from San Luis Potosi (the capital of the state) on the old train at the beginning of the 1900s. The train eventually stopped running but because there was a train station in this area, the people remained; except now without any transportation to their jobs and without a station to maintain. So what to do? It seems as if they've been trying to figure that out for the past 50+ years and just in 2000 decided to start reforestation with help from the federal government and start some other farm projects. This picture is of our guide Don Antonio who was very passionate about his land and the people of the ejido. He is worried because many people leave to go to the city or the US for jobs and he wants to create jobs in the area so people will stay. 2 volunteers from our group will be working with this small mountain community.

Dia 3: Medialuna & Agenda 21 workshop
At the beginning of the day, we had a chance to swim and have some fun for a minute. The ejido in Medialuna has the luxury of having this natural spring right on their land, so over the past 7 years, they have been developing tourist wonderland and people come from all over the world just to visit this little spot.

Later in the day, we got to go to a workshop in a town called Progreso (another ejido with a lot less to offer in terms of tourism) where current volunteers gave a presentation on sustainable development. The idea of sustainability is foreign so they started with the simplest and most direct questions: what would be the ideal community for you? What are the top 3 problems you face as a community? The following workshop will be a followup and will ask the community what they can do about it? It was really good for us trainees to hear what is important to the community and what moves them, not to mention the volunteers did a phenomenal job and are something to aspire to.

Dia 4: Desert in the middle of nowhere - La Montonera. This day was a change of pace. Instead of having a bunch of head honchos from an ejido tell us everything great about themselves and their ejido, we met one humble man and his family who live in a community of about 70 people. They have little resources and a hard time even getting water. Their biggest project is the cultivation and reforestation of an agave plant which has many uses which they hope to be able to commercialize in some way. The picture above is the elementary school.

Also on this day we were surprised to be treated to a feast by a neighboring community. Goat meat with mole. Delicious. We then heard about their project, a fish pond in the middle of the desert. They've been trying to get this thing going for the past 10 or so years and have run into quite a few stumbling blocks. The man in charge made it clear that they need the proper training to make this thing successful. They were very kind people and unfortunately we do not have any volunteers assigned to this site, so hopefully soon they will get the training they need. 

Dia 5: A Cactus Cooperative near Matehuala. Friday, we got to meet these wonderful women who nurture these beautiful cacti. They have tons of varieties in different colors and sizes. They expressed their need for business help and appreciated all the gringos buying tons of cactus. They said a part of them was going home with us. They were so sweet and like the fish guy, I hope they get the help they need. 

In conclusion, it was a fantastic trip. I did not mention this but we also got to see a couple SEMARNAT offices which is the branch of the federal government in charge of all these projects. So we got to see small communities like most of us will be working in as well as the offices to which we will most likely refer. If I had to sum it up (which is challenging to do) I would say that the people in these areas are more than grateful for our help and even for our visits. They love their land and the work they do and just want to learn how to do it better. 

dios mio, I might never come home.

Somethings of course get lost in translation, and I'm glad they do, because there are more surprises this way. I got a knock on my bedroom door a little before 9 and my little sisters asked me if I wanted to go somewhere. Whatever they said, I just said si and changed into jeans and grabbed my purse. I had no idea I was in for the best freaking open mic night in the world. That's not really what it was, but I don't know how else to describe it. There's this great little multipurpose cultural center right on my street se llama la casa de faldon and earlier today we went to a little magic show for kids that was pretty cute. The concert / open mic night was picnic style like the hollywood bowl - bring your own wine and cheese (we brought popcorn), except way way way smaller and more intimate than the hollywood bowl. Performers from the community played guitars & santoors, sang, and recited poetry. The audience danced in space left between tables, sang along, and clapped. The space was what you might imagine architecture in Mexico to look like, the old Spanish style with yellow and orange paint. It was an outdoor room with shade covering from wall to wall. There was one man that might have been like 150 years old who sang beautifully acapella and recited poetry and I was so moved by how well loved he was by the audience.  They also of course sold delicious food and this whole night cost me 20 pesos which is less than 2 dollars. Because of my lack of a cellphone I pretty much bailed on the other trainees in order to hang out with my familia but I hope they forgive me because I had a much more culturally enriching evening than tomando cerveza until wee hours of the morning. It was absolutely lovely.

Last night the language school, Ole had a welcome party for us which was actually really fun. Our familias provided food potluck style and we were able to meet everyones new moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, and siblings. There were traditional mexican dances as well as salsa lessons. I took my little twin sisters and we had a great time. I went out afterward with some friends and it was really hard to wake up this saturday morning for another round of Spanish classes.

This week has been as they say here in mexico, pesado (or heavy). It's been full of classes and trying to figure our way around the city. We have class everyday from 8-6 which leaves little time to get a few chores done because we're also supposed to be home for dinner with our families at around 8, plus I am so beat at the end of the day that even though I may be running low on toothpaste, I'd rather wait until I'm desperate than to go to the store right after school. We already leave for our first field trip on Monday and we'll be gone all week to San Luis Potosi, a state very close to here, to see national parks, rural life, and the capital city. I'll write next week when I get back to tell you all about it.

I drank the water...

... and I'm still alive. That must be a good sign. The water was filtered but from the tap nonetheless, and of course the family washes their dishes and fruits and veggies in the regular water. At some point you just have to throw your hands up and say what the heck! I'm not going to die from the water just may have been a little sick and I really haven't even been sick. But I do feel like that will become a common saying or thought in my life here, to just say the hell with it and go for it; whatever "it" is.

Aside from the water (which I know you all feared for me), everything is good. Since the hacienda, we arrived in Queretaro city on Saturday to meet our host families. We also found out our job assignments on Saturday, so the past few days have been exciting and exhausting.

We'll start with the job assignment. I'll be working in el Parque Nacional el Chico helping to administer a "mountaineering hut" program. Everything is still a little vague (as I beginning to become accustomed to in this Peace Corps life) but it sounds like I'll be living and working in the mountains helping to maintain and create trails and huts for backpackers with the hope that this will create a sustainable livelihood for the people in the surrounding area. I couldn't be more excited. It's like this job was made for me. As one volunteer said, it's hospitality at the most basic level - helping to provide shelter. I start this job mid-November.

My host family is awesome: mom, her BF, 16 year old daughter, and 9 year old twin girls. I went to a boy's first communion on Saturday which was just like all the birthday parties I attended from friends at Il Fornaio, bounce house and all. On Sunday, I went to a Baptist church with the family and the service was almost 3 hours long! We ate some delicious chicken for lunch (which does not happen until like 3pm) and then mom and daughters took me on a tour of el centro. Queretaro is the safest and cleanest city in Mexico and the people are very proud of this. The city has a colonial influence and most of the architecture from the 1800s still stands.

Today was our first official day of training which consisted of 3 hours of Spanish, a big lunch, training in our sector (mine being the environment sector, the other technology), and a lesson on culture shock that I probably could have taught. Tomorrow we have 5 hours of Spanish and some other stuff. It seems like this might be a long 12 weeks of training, but I do appreciate how well the Peace Corps is taking care of us and at the end of the training we will be way better prepared to serve Mexico for the next 2 years.

Pictures will come slowly but surely. Love you all.

La Hacienda del Castillo

We arrived on Wednesday and in the past 2 days we have had lessons in safety and security, emergencies, allowances, and a lot of Spanish. We've also eaten way too much and had the luxury of staying in this gorgeous hacienda on an organic rancho. Today we had a little tour of the ranch.


Traveling was long and exhausting but I'm sure it would be far worse if we were going pretty much anywhere farther than Mexico so I can't complain too much. BUT, we had to meet in the hotel lobby at 1am to finally arrive at our hotel at around 6pm. Lots of hurrying up and waiting. But here we are. Aqui estamos.

I'm really excited about meeting our host families tomorrow and starting real school on Monday. Tonight we have salsa lessons and a bonfire!

I tried to put pics online but there are 38 other PCTs (I'm practicing the Peace Corps acronyms - Peace Corps Trainees) online so internet connection is not the best. Will update pics later.

Here are the pics I promised http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/LaHaciendaCastillo?feat=directlink

It's always better to write on no sleep

All packed with 80 lbs plus carryon luggage and ready to go. I'll get to DC sometime this evening, spend Tuesday at Peace Corps orientation and fly on Wednesday to Mexico. From Wednesday to Saturday, we'll be staying in a hotel and we'll get to meet our host families on Saturday. 


This summer has been a crazy but great summer. It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster getting ready to leave and say goodbye, but right now I am ready. I packed in every bit of goodbye parties I possibly could and if you are reading this and I did not get a chance to personally say bye bye to you, I'm so sorry and I will see you soon (...in 2 years). It was the perfect summer of camping, visiting friends in PA, partying, hanging out with my family and friends, and of course some wonderful dates. 


So family and friends, as the Von Trapp family would say, "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye," and come visit me soon. I'll keep you updated as often as I can. 


Hasta la vista!

The Peace Corps Invitation

Hello Family and Friends, 

Thank you for your prayers and support. I'm writing this email to let you know that I have just accepted my invitation to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. 

Here are the details:

• I'll be in Mexico, somewhere around the city of Querataro
• I leave August 17th, 2010 and can accept visitors 6 months after that. 
• Training is from August 18-November 10 and after training I will move to my volunteer site (where I do not know yet)
• My job title is "Small Business and Community / Group Organizing Volunteer" and I will be working with the National Park Service or in an Environment and Natural Resources state office. 

I will be keeping a blog (the same travel blog I've been keeping since my semester in Argentina)www.beccaviaja.blogspot.com so you can refer to this page for more updated information as I get closer to leaving and when I arrive. 

Thank you all and please look for more info on a Party in the beginning of August!! Love you all