First, I want to describe the plane trip to Mérida…so I got to the airport early and with plenty of time to get to the gate. I went through security and all of that fun stuff and then found a few others from the program waiting at the gate. We played some games and stuff as we waited. About the time we were supposed to board, the airline guy announced that they were behind schedule and would be boarding a bit late. Later, he announced that they were waiting for a flight attendant.
Finally, about an hour after our plane was SUPPOSED to leave, we began boarding. This is a problem because our layover in Houston was less than an hour. So a little worried, we boarded the plane where we waited for what seemed like forever. The pilot announced that we had to wait because a plane in Houston desperately needed a part and we were going to take it to them. So we waited for the part…for a long time. Luckily, the pilot was able to shave some time off of the flight so we arrived in Houston less than five minutes before our plane was supposed to take off. But since there were about 15 of us trying to make the connection, we thought they would wait a few minutes for us, right? Well, the gate we needed to make it to was really far from where we entered the airport. In fact, it was in a different building and we had to take one of the little subway trains to it. So we ran. I’m sure it was quite a sight to see. There were about 15 of us that are about the same age with similar study abroad backpacks booking it through the airport. When we got to the gate, we were about 10 minutes late for the flight. BUT, they hadn’t taken off yet so we begged the guy at the gate to let us in. He didn’t want to at first, but when we told him how many of us there were, he went to see if an exception could be made. It helped that we had this Mexican lady with an ATTITUDE also trying to get onto the plane.
It took a while, but they let us on the plane. We got on about 25 minutes after it was supposed to leave and it turns out they had been waiting for a part to arrive from Salt Lake City. So they had to wait for us to get there before they could take off. We got into our seats and waited for the mechanic to arrive. It took sooooooo long! People were getting super angry. One guy behind me told the flight attendant he was going to punch him if he didn’t get things moving along soon. His wife swore a few times and said, “Aw Jimmy, why did you do that!?!” Then, the flight attendant and a security officer told him he lost his seat on the flight. He argued for a bit and then they forced him to leave. Finally, almost two hours after we were supposed to leave, the plane took off and we were headed for Mérida! Our poor host parents had to wait for us for 3 hours at the airport. While on the plane, I sat next to a lady from Delaware who was going to visit her brother who retired in Mexico. She talked the entire flight about random crap and she spat when she talked. It was super gross. I had a hard time focusing on what she was complaining about because I was trying to avoid the saliva flying from her boca. That probably wasn't necessary to describe, but now you have a little insight to my two hour struggle on the plane. ;]
After 24 hours, things are great! But it is way hot! Think of what it is like to get into a car that has been sitting in the hot summer sun all day with the windows completely closed. That’s what it is like here all of the time. Except more humid. I don't think I have ever sweat so much! So that part is crazy but I kinda like it. Four other girls in the program live one block away and their mamá is super good friends with my mamá so today we explored Mérida with them. Our host moms showed us how to get to the university by bus. It takes about an hour and two buses. Our classes start at 7am so that is definitely going to take some getting used to but it’ll be good. :) The buses are interesting. They don’t come at regular times…so when you get to a bus stop, you don’t know how long you will be waiting. It costs 6 pesos (about 50 cents) per bus and you have to pay each time you get on a bus. They don’t do transfer tickets or anything like that. When you want a bus to pick you up, you just stick out your arm to signal the driver. When you want to get off, you yell “baja!”
After our bus excursion, we went home for el almuerzo (lunch) and ate some super amazing food! Here is a picture
The dark stuff is "frijoles refritos" which means “really” fried beans (not refried beans haha). Normally, I don’t like beans. But that stuff is GOOD! I’m not sure what they use to make the rice but it is definitely the best rice I have ever had. And the fried stuff is fish. They got the fish from the beach (about 30 minutes away) and made their own breading. My mamá talked about how it was just something she whipped together and didn't spend very much time making. Amazing. I officially declare food from the Yucatán as my favorite. :)
One thing that I thought was interesting is that you are not supposed to flush the toilet paper. They want you to put it in a trashcan that is next to each toilet.
Another interesting little tidbit is the fact that the tap water here isn’t safe to drink.
This afternoon, we went to el cine (movie theater) and watched Rio, in Spanish and in 3-D. The theater is in La Plaza, a local mall. After the movie, we explored the mall a bit. It was very similar to malls in the US…just different stores. I was surprised how much influence I saw there from the US. Many of the stores had English names and almost every store we entered played top 40 music from the United States. There are a lot of American businesses. I've seen Auto Zone, Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Sears, Sam's Club, and more!
Here is a picture of something I thought was funny…
It is a swim skirt that includes a hat and giant scrunchie. It's everything you could possibly need for a trip to the beach.
For dinner today, we had panuchos. A panucho is a homemade tortilla that is first spread with beans and then piled with lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, and turkey cooked in some super good spices.
The meal times are a bit different here. Breakfast is pretty much like the US but lunch is generally eaten a bit later…like 2 or 3pm and it is the largest meal of the day. Dinner is smaller and isn’t eaten until late evening such as 8 or 9pm. Or sometimes even later.
So things are going well! It's really hard to understand people but I think I am getting by okay. The people are super nice!
