Normal hum drum of Mexico

So last week was what I consider to be a fairly normal week in Mexico. I get up around 7:30 when Alan leaves for clinic, eat breakfast and then go to Spanish classes for about 3 hours. Then I come and play in the internet cafe for 30-60 minutes. The afternoon hours vary. Sometimes I just stay home, watch TV, do my homework, blah blah blah, and sometimes I venture out into the city. Last week I was feeling rather ¨homebodyish¨so I stayed home most afternoons. On Saturday evening we had our ward Christmas party. After tramping around Guanajuato Saturday morning looking for a gift for Alan´s clinic gift exchange, we hopped a bus and 45 MINUTES LATER we made it to the church. Mind you this is the longest it has ever taken to go 2 miles in my life. The streets were very crowded with people, cars, horses, dogs, you name it, it was probably there. Once we arrived at the church, we helped make pozale and atole. The first thing is a type of soup, and atole is a hot drink. We also had poncha which is similar to wassil, but about 50 times better. Don´t worry I have all the recipes and may attempt to make them when I am back in the states. The pozale wasn´t my favorite, but I can make adjustments right? It can be Julie´s pozale. After dinner we had the opportunity to see 4 piñatas get wailed on with a giant stick. The first piñata was for the primary age kids, the second for the teenagers, the third was for the women, and the fourth for the men. I am sure you can guess which piñata had the least hang time. Needless to say the best moment occured during the first piñata. The little boy who had hit it, managed to break it open and most of the candy had begun to fall out. However, he knew there was more candy and continued to beat up the piñata. Amongst him swinging a large stick all of the kids, teenagers and adult woman (yes, I wish I had recorded this as a movie) had dived for the candy. I am laughing hysterically because, most of all the adults diving for the candy, but also because Alan is YELLING ¨Grab the kid, grab the kid¨in perfect English which only I, Alan and the gringo elder understands. Said gringo elder is also laughing at Alan and the situation. It was a classic Mexico moment. Then again maybe you had to be there. I did get the chance to hit the women´s piñata, but I was the second hitter and did do some damage, but didn´t break it open.
This week is a short week for Alan in clinic. He only saw patients Monday and today. Tomorrow (Wednesday) he and the other interns are helping Dr. Page get ready to go back to IU with orders, and generally straighten up the office mess that is clinic right now. I am taking classes again this week, but must admit I really only like 2 of my 3 teachers. The 3rd is okay, just not my favorite. Last night I decided to withdraw my ban on resturants and we went out with our roomies and Hector. Hector is the lawyer friend who lives across the street. After dinner he began teaching us Spanish swear words because Mary and Alan started asking about the ones they knew, and wanted to know how bad they were. I would say it was an enlightening conversation, but I basically tuned it all out. I couldn´t even really recognize which words were the swear words.
Tonight I get to go with2 other sisters in the relief society to visit a less active sister and give her some food. The trip should be interesting. The two sisters know no English, and I have very limited Spanish. I am kind of excited. The sister (Juanita) that we are going to visit lives quite a ways away, and so I am pretty stoked for the bus ride. Alan get annoyed with the buses sometimes (I do too,) but I also throughly enjoy the opportunity to see parts of Guanajuato that I normally wouldn´t get to see. The only bad part is taking pictures from the bus is next to impossible, but I will try.
Well, that is all I have to say today. Happy 6 days till Christmas!

Julie