Debbie and me.. cont.

Hey!! That's really funny. I totally just got my hair cut today. AND I got bangs!! I thought you were going to laugh. haha. I'm not even going to tell you how much mine cost. I decided not to get highlights because I think it would be too much work for me. But I really like it. I think bangs are fun and I definitely look latina now. lol. But I made up the difference and bought some expensive shoes. Though I do feel guilty. Well, I went into a dance club last night and totally felt awkward because I was wearing tennis shoes (like the guy that let us in told me that next time I couldn't wear tennis shoes.yikes!) Well, I did because the flats that I bought blistered my feet and I wanted to dance. So I went and bought some nice "tacones" which means high heels. Hopefully they're better.. and hopefully I can dance in them. I learned the basics of Salsa and Merengue and Cha-cha. I felt so awesome I had a totally awesome time and was out until 2:30. That's a big record for me. It was really fun. Well, I'll ttyl. I like writing to you. I'll have to call you sometime and show you on skype. Love, Stephi

Deborah Lynn Mathias wrote:
That sounds cool. I got my hair cut for really cheap too. It only cost $5 because I had a coupon. And I got bangs. They are kind of long, and are meant to kinda be swept to the side. I like them. You should get some too. You should dye your hair blond too. I think it'd be really funny...I mean pretty. lol. Dying your hair any other color wouldn't look bad though, so maybe you should try it. When you get your hair done, you should post pictures.

A blast last night.

I had an absolute blast last night. I learned so many new things about dancing. The guy that invited me, Jaser, is a really amazing person. Don't worry, we don't like eachother, but I was just feeling really happy to have a guy be really nice to me and teach me how to dance. You know I've been feeling lonely since I've moved here. I'm a little annoyed that he's moving in a week. He's one of my closest new Mexican friends and he goes and leaves on me. go figure. haha. But I felt very pretty and happy because I love dancing. and he said that one of the most important part of dancing is to smile. I told him that one of my goals here in Mexico is to learn how to dance. Everyone here dances. My "cousins" all know how to dance and they dance together when the family has gatherings or despedidos (goodbyes). Anyway, when Jaser was taking me home, we were talking about how he was moving to try to start a new life. I definitely understood, right? I'm trying to become a better person, but lately I've felt like I haven't been living up to it. So maybe I need to write a gratitude list of things that I've learned or new experiences.

I am grateful to my Heavenly Father that:
-I can read scriptures in Spanish. And today it went very well, and I actually looked up the words I didn't know this time. Something happened before that too. I felt loved. It's not the first time since I've been here, but it was just really nice. It was the first time in a few days that I read before I got really tired. Whaddayaknow? same as in inglés. haha.
-I went dancing and had an amazing time.
-I have been drinking non-alcoholic pina coladas and they are AMAZING.
-I have been walking a lot.
-I have less "cosas" (stuff) to take care of and I want to show respect, so my room's actually clean on a regular basis. haha.
-I got a blessing in Spanish - and I understood it.
-My friends here from the US are really awesome. 3 of us don't drink! Kudos!!
-I love that Debbie and Katie e-mail me. It makes me really happy. I guess I appreciate them more.
-My spanish has gotten SOOO much better since I've moved here. I should be "una experta" when I'm done here.
-I have pictures of some of my friends and of the Savior and the temple in my room. I also just put up the stop sign that Brian made me forever ago that says Pray.
-I got bangs!! I finally did it. And I love them.
-Since I've come here, I have actually been more relaxed. Maybe it's because I'm not in the music school right now, that always invites lots of stress. Maybe it's because I walk everywhere instead of driving. But I'm hoping that it's because this culture is having a good impact on me in that respect. I could definitely use a little more type B in my life.

I am very grateful for my experiences here and just pray for me, okay? I'll pray for you guys. Miss you.

Oh, Rudi, I wanted to tell you that if I don't get a chance to write on your blog soon, thanks for writing earlier. I love you. Tell Emily hi and that I miss her too. At least I might be a little more neat when I come back! She'll appreciate that. :)
Love,
Stephi

Email me and Debbie.

Hey!! That's really funny. I totally just got my hair cut today. AND I got bangs!! I thought you were going to laugh. haha. I'm not even going to tell you how much mine cost. I decided not to get highlights because I think it would be too much work for me. But I really like it. I think bangs are fun and I definitely look latina now. lol. But I made up the difference and bought some expensive shoes. Though I do feel guilty. Well, I went into a dance club last night and totally felt awkward because I was wearing tennis shoes (like the guy that let us in told me that next time I couldn't wear tennis shoes.yikes!) Well, I did because the flats that I bought blistered my feet and I wanted to dance. So I went and bought some nice "tacones" which means high heels. Hopefully they're better.. and hopefully I can dance in them. I learned the basics of Salsa and Merengue and Cha-cha. I felt so awesome I had a totally awesome time and was out until 2:30. That's a big record for me. It was really fun. Well, I'll ttyl. I like writing to you. I'll have to call you sometime and show you on skype. Love, Stephi

Deborah Lynn Mathias wrote:
That sounds cool. I got my hair cut for really cheap too. It only cost $5 because I had a coupon. And I got bangs. They are kind of long, and are meant to kinda be swept to the side. I like them. You should get some too. You should dye your hair blond too. I think it'd be really funny...I mean pretty. lol. Dying your hair any other color wouldn't look bad though, so maybe you should try it. When you get your hair done, you should post pictures.

Much better

I am feeling much better today. Well, I've been relatively busy. I went to the immigration office to do stuff for my visa. It was quite a walk, but once we got there it was pretty much the equivalent of SOS, almost exactly, actually. then I went home and slept for a couple of hours (I was EXHAUSTED, and the new bed is actually comfy and I love that), then practiced but for only an hour which is not good. Thankfully, I've got all day tomorrow to practice. Then I ate lunch which was potato soup and fish and it was quite delicious. Then I went to Syntax class which is actually going pretty well. I'm understanding what's going on. Speaking of classes though, I've gotta go, so I'll ttyl!
Love,
Stephi

I'm going to write a little bit because I need it.

I had a really cool weekend. On Friday, my new friends from church invited me to go out with them.. We went to a restaurant and then went to sing karaoke and I impressed them with my knowledge of the Celia Cruz song that was on the CD Nick made for me - it's one of my favorite songs ever, so I did alright! :) Well, Jaser, the one that invited me, is super nice and so is Raquel and Abi, the gals that I also hung out with yesterday. I am really glad I have church friends. Well, I talked to Brian today and he made me laugh. I have really been missing him, but it's gonna be okay. Every time we talk or every time that I write, and when I read and pray, I feel like everything's going to be fine. That's a good thing. There are a lot of things that help me with that. My Heavenly Father helps me. I just need to listen to Him more, haha. Reading Jamilyn's blog reminded me of the goals that I have for myself, to become the woman I want to be. So I need to make my goals more specific so I can achieve them. :) I was homesick yesterday. I also miss orchestra. But everything's going to be okay. I moved into a new room today and I like it. it was semi-exciting. :) I also wrote a 1 page essay about my mexican family which was really fun to write. I am really having a good time but I needed to write to get things off of my chest to feel better. And it's helping. I also got a blessing yesterday. That really made me feel special. Well, I gotta go. I'll write more soon. ttyl. loves. Stephi

Talking with My Host Mom

Last night I was able to sit down and talk to my host mom, Lupita, about lots of things, well, mostly about my family. I thought that was really cool of her to listen to me and she really cared. I also got to hear some about her family. She was married at 25. She met Leon on the street, because back then, Queretaro was so small that everyone knew eachother. She had her kids about a year and a half later, each about a year and a half apart. Diana, then Leon Felipe, then Daniel. I didn't realize that Diana was the oldest. She looks so young! She looks a lot like my mom did. She's really short and pretty and is always smiling. And because my mom's half hispanic, she had some of the same features. I also gave Lupita a picture of when my family went to Mexico. It's really lame that I don't have a printed picture of all of my new family. But I did get to show her all of them on my first day from my computer.

Today, Nutrition class went a lot better. Yesterday it was awkward and I felt quite alone and lost. But today, I actually talked to some of the students before class. It's embarrassing to talk to them. But I'm sure they understand. I mean, none of them know english, so how can they make fun of me? haha. Well, it's still embarrassing to pick up things slower than anyone else. But they're nice. My new friend is Meli - she's kinda like a cool kid type and she seems like the leader of the class, like, all of the students in that class are nursing students, and she was one of the ones organizing the bienvenido - tomorrow at 9 in the morning they're having a welcome breakfast (except pizza party haha) for everyone in the class. And they invited me. Other students that I met are Ali (who apparently lived in Georgia for 7 years), Chucho (who really isn't chucho but nobody will tell me his actual name, haha), Iris and Monse who sat next to me today and helped me in class a bit, and told me about the bienvenido.

Only 1 more day until I get to hang out with my new church friends. But I still miss the branch and Dalton. I miss Jamilyn! I was thinking that last night. Jamilyn, I miss practicing orchestra music and talking to you about boys and about what a pain the professors can be sometimes, and seeing you play in orchestra with your yellow rainboots on. Hopefully we can talk soon. I might skype you sometime. :) And I never got a chance to get my foot and hand scrub. lame... haha. well, you can give it to Debbie. I told her to store it for me. :) haha

Well, I hope everyone's doing well!

Ttyl!
Lots of love and besos y abrazos,
Stephi

even more pictures

the room I'm staying in right now.

my first meal at my new home.. homecooked and SOOOO GOOD.

more pictures

poor Pablo... crying for his balloon.

Alec and my host dad.

Pablo and Alec. SOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alec loved the balloons too.

my first dinner.. my friend told me to take pictures of food.. haha.

Pictures for my first day.

Tessa, the grad assistant, her host mom, me and my host mom, Lupita

The view of the city from the UAQ.

WMU Querétaro study abroad group.

A building in El Centro

Another view in El Centro

My e-mail to Katie

My e-mail to Katie:

I was feeling really sick that day. I had to go home early and everything. I'm going to send you a really long e-mail because it's what I'm also going to put on my blog.. sorry it's so long! Okay, well, to answer your questions... No, I don't have a cell phone here. The one I have is local only to call my friends in Mexico. I'll try to call home and e-mail so I can talk to you guys too. I miss you lots. I love my new family. The mom is Lupita, and the dad is Leon. There are 2 brothers that are almost 30.. something like that. Their names are Leon Felipe and Daniel. Daniel is the one that drove me around my first days. He's pretty cool. He likes photography and has this really fancy camera. I don't know Leon Felipe that well yet because he works all the time, but he seems nice - he took us out to ice cream yesterday, which was pretty good. The daughter and her family were also visiting from France. How cool is that??? Her husband, Gotier??(i don't know how to spell french names), but he was really awesome. and they had 2 kids, Pablo and Alec, that were SOOOOO ADORABLE. The first day that I was there, they were celebrating Dia de los Reyes. It's like, instead of Santa Clause, they have the 3 wise men give them presents on January 6th, and Christmas is only a religious holiday. I kind of like that tradition because it takes away the distraction of the presents on Christmas. Anyway, the night before, they send balloons up into the stars (orion's belt - the 3 stars, is where they live). Attached to the balloons are letters saying what they want. Pablo, who's 5, was crying and crying because he didn't want to let go of his balloon!!! Aww... it was so cute.I know that was a long answer for one question. The Spanish is alright. I can get around just fine, and understand people. Sometimes it's hard and they have to explain things. I went to church today which was pretty fun - everyone was nice and I made some new friends. Thank goodness the relief society lesson was the one that I taught a few weeks ago - so I already knew all about it!! That definitely made it more easy to follow. The Sunday school teacher talks SUPER fast though.. every time he told us to look up a scripture my friends had to help me because I didn't understand which one. hahaha.. But overall it was fine, the spirit is everywhere you go and I know I have a lot to learn but I think in time I'm going to learn a lot. It's exciting. There's a fireside tonight, and my new friends invited me to hang out with them this Friday. :) The city is super cool. At first I didn't know what to think about it and wasn't too impressed, but now I like it. Everyone's laid back and happy, and the weather is AWESOME down here. It's like summer in Michigan.. only 100% more dry. I have to admit I'm not a fan of all this dry climate. In combination with the altitude (because it's pretty high apparently), it gives me a headache. :( But it is pretty warm - and I like that a lot. I heard you guys got a TON of snow.. hahahaha. I hope that school was canceled at least!Anyway, tell me about school and life and everything. How is the new semester?? I miss you too lots and love you. I hope that everything is going well. Take care and say hello and send my hugs and kisses to everyone, okay?

Love,

Stephi

ps. if you go to www.gratitudelistsandlife.blogspot.com, you can see pictures. :)

E-mails that I've written about Mexico. :)

'Don't worry.. I wrote about more than just my exciting flu. But I can't find the e-mail that I sent Katie. I'll post that soon. Love you guys and miss you!
Love,
Stephi

To Debbie Today:
Hey! Yeah, Mexico's great! It's really nice here. I love my family and I get along with all of the American students well too. Except today I got "el gripe" and it really stinks. one of the girls got it yesterday too but she was fine today so hopefully I'll be fine by tomorrow. I had no voice and bad stomach pains all night last night and today. I had to skip a class to go home and sleep and I threw up right outside the door. Then I slept for about 6-7 hours and didn't eat anything until like an hour ago - 3 crackers. I was so excited to finally eat something because I threw up everything that I ate this morning. LAME. lol. I'm sure that's so exciting for you to hear about. How's school? what are your new classes? how's the roommate situation? going well? Love ya, Stephi


To Justin Today:
Hey Justin,I'm finally sending you an e-mail on my computer - the one I used on Sunday had an international keyboard so it was all awkward to write. Well, i absolutely love Mexico. Querétaro is a HUGE city - about a million people - imagine that, Kalamazoo has like 100,000, so it seems so big. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about it, I wasn't too impressed. But now I really like it. Everyone here is relaxed and having a good time. It's a pretty safe city too. I'm in an "internet cafe" right now, minus the cafe, haha. It's pretty cheap to use. My family is really cool. In Querétaro, the mom is basically in charge of the family. The dad goes to work and the mom stays at home. A lot of the kids live at home until forever because living on their own is so expensive. The kitchen is the center of everything. After I go to bed I can hear everyone in the kitchen just talking and hanging out. It's especially cool because the daughter and her husband and their 2 little boys are visiting from France and they're super nice. It will be hard to see them leave in just a couple of days. I can only imagine how sad my host mom (Lupita) will be. The dad is pretty cool too, he's kinda like, retired, or he has an excuse from work or something. He's so laid back and kinda reminds me of a grandpa. Today, I got "el gripe," which in Spanish is the flu. it was really, really lame. So I've been sleeping most of the day. All I ate that stayed down was 3 crackers after sleeping for like 7 hours. I couldn't eat anything else the whole day. blegh... I had to skip class to go home. besides that, I've been having a good time. I'm only taking 2 classes so far, the ones for the american students. The rest start on Monday and that will be cool. I hope I make a lot of Mexican friends.

Un Dia Mas

Well, I am almost ready to go. Wow, so close to leaving, it's insane. in 12 hours I'll be on a plane to Mexico. So.. I've got some packing to finish up. So I guess I'll talk to you when I get there? Maybe I'll write again tonight. Pray for me! Tomorrow is fast Sunday. I might fast tonight because I had a huge dinner at Olive Garden with the Yangs. Oh my gosh, Kaylee was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ADORABLY CUTE! at first she didn't recognize me, but eventually we were like old friends again. That is so sweet that she likes me that much to remember me. Or at least act like she does. She's even saying some words. she said uh oh! when she dropped stuff and things like that. so cute. And Bryon and Lucy were as awesome as ever. They seem happy. And it was so nice to have dinner with them and spend time with them. I'll never forget them.

Well, I'm doing alright.. just getting ready to go. It's hard to say goodbye to everyone and everything that I love and miss here in Michigan. But it's a short chapter in life coming up. A time for discovery and excitement and learning and patience. And lots of learning, lots. :) I'm excited and I know it's gonna be great.. I'm just nervous anyway, can you blame me? :)
I'll see you guys soon! and I'll keep my blog updated!

Love,
Stephi