We've been in Tlaquepaque (a neighbor of Guadalajara, in Mexico) for just over a week now. Our host family is very nice and talkative and Silvia's food is amazing...although the cat, Boris, did pee on our bed when he got the chance to enter the room. (We don't let him in anymore.) We get up around 8:00, have a huge breakfast (Silvia won't let us get away with any other kind), and then get to school by 9:00 for a two hour class followed by a half hour break and another 2 hours with a different teacher. My classes have 2 other students right now (the newest started today) - a 27-year-old graduate student in history, and a maybe 40-something counselor who lived in Guadalajara 10 years ago. They're both very nice and we have fun conversations in class. Our two teachers are Alejandra and Miguel (these are Jay's teachers this week too, though in the opposite order) and the classes are strongly conversation based. Alejandra's classes have a bit more grammar and structure, whereas Miguel's classes are almost entirely conversations based off of tangents of tangents. I love the combination, and we're all getting a lot of conversation time.
The program at the school offers almost-daily excursions and outings including dance classes, tours of Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara, wrestling matches, and trips to nearby cities. We tried the salsa class but didn't like it (more flair than partner dancing); went to Chapala, Ajijic, Guachimontones and Tequila (yes, THE Tequila); and this week we will probably see a wrestling match, go for a hike, and take a weekend trip to Guanajuato and/or Queretaro.
We're also getting to know Tlaquepaque and the people in our program a bit better. It's amazing to see the age range of students - within the regular group classes, we're the youngest and the oldest couple right now is somewhere between 60-70 years old. Though most are from the States or Canada, there are a couple Japanese girls who came today, a girl from Holland, and 2 girls who take private lessons (and are studying ceramics with our host family!) from England and Australia. I say "girl", but again, there's a large range of ages with 19 being the youngest and the oldest maybe late 20s or early 30s. Everyone comes from a different background and it's fascinating to learn more about the travels and experiences of our classmates.
One week flown by, 3 more to go. Many more updates (and photos!) to come, but I'll add information about Tequila in another entry... Jay will tell you about the other trips.
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