Life back in the US of A

¡Hola amigos! Primero, necesito decirles "lo siento". Había mucho tiempo que no escribí aquí. Mi país es muy diferente ahora, o. . . soy un güero diferente. Jajaja. La segunda es la verdad. Ahora (después de mi tiempo en México) puedo ver todo en una manera diferente. Por ejemplo, ahora yo me da cuenta que los conductores norteamericanos son los peores del mundo. Jaja, o por lo menos los peores en la mayoría del mundo. Las calles aquí son muy grandes y todavía hay gente que tiene problemas. Pinche güeros, pero, soy uno de ellos. ¡Ay! Para ustedes que están leyendo este parte de mi blog, probablemente puedes identificar con el parte principal que está en ingles: la bondad y amistad autentica que existen en México. Muchos de mis amigos no pueden comprender lo que estoy diciendo en inglés (debajo de este parte) porque ellos no experimentaron este parte de la cultura Mexicana. Para ustedes que me comprenden (y todavía mi español necesita mucha ayuda, lo siento), quiero decirles que soy un diferente persona, un persona mejor y muchos no pueden comprender los cambios que ocurrieron en mi vida.

Hello friends, thank you for your patience. So much has happened since I left Mexico. First off was my flight back home. I'll make it quick, the flight was fine. I was excited to get back to the US, but at the same time tremendously sad to be leaving such a beautiful place filled with such warm people behind. I am very fortunate, first to be able to have this experience, but secondly because when I finally got off the plane in Columbus, my mother, father, sister, aunt, uncle, and 10 cousins were waiting to greet me. I don't know why, but I started crying. It was just the welcome that I needed. That brings me to a big point, thank you everyone who stayed in touch with me while I was gone. I was only gone 2 months, but it still meant a lot to me.

The next two weeks were extremely packed. I was home a total of two days. The first day being August 3rd when I flew in. I spent the night at home that night and then repacked because my family was camping. So, I went with them for a few days and then went to Columbus for a couple days to visit my friends. I was amazed at how much I felt at home being back at OSU. Up until that point, I felt like I was visiting another country, a country that was so familiar, but one in which I no longer fit. I was a little depressed that week (my first week back). The next week was worse though. Hanging out with my friends, unpacking and repacking, going camping, etc. all kept me busy which was great; however, my second week back started off kind of sour. We moved my sister into college for her freshmen year at Liberty University in Virginia. I had been feeling a little depressed, but mostly just isolated in that I would tell people about my trip or show them a picture or two, but I couldn't convey my actual experience. All I could share with them were facts, dates, places visited, etc. My program director explained it best when he said that when we see a picture from Guanajuato, we remember experiences, friends, smells, sounds, the weather, and a lot more; when someone else sees the same picture, they only see some colorful buildings or strangers in the picture. Anyways though, I already felt isolated and then we dropped my sister off. It was just weird. Obviously she was thrilled to be at college finally but a little sad to see her family leave. My parents and I are so happy for her and wish her the best, but I will not get to see her as often. I was having a lot of fun spending time with my sister before she left, telling her about my experiences, new friends, and hearing about her summer and her hopes and fears of college. And then she had to move to college my second week.

Again, I'm a very lucky person because I have an awesome group of friends who didn't fail to make me happy upon my visit to Columbus my second weekend. I think I will continue to feel isolated at times until I get back to my normal life when classes start on September 23rd or 24th. Also, some of the people on my program go to Ohio State, so I will be able to hang out with them and reminisce about our amazing and very eventful summer in the city of Guanajuato.

So how have I changed?

Well, all of my friends are saying that I am more laid back now. This is true, a lot of things that used to seem important to me (including be on time to a lot of things), no longer are. I will need to correct the punctuality thing though!

I no longer need to have plans with friends, but can rather just hang out. In Mexico, I spent three hours in a cafe, bored out of my mind with one of my Mexican friends. . . It was one of the most memorable three hours of my entire summer. Yes, we were bored, but we just enjoyed not doing anything and hanging out.

I now see exchange students in another light. I run into international students at OSU all the time and I've always respected them for overcoming a language barrier, but I had never thought about their adjustment to our culture, our food, etc. and their struggle to make friends. I guess I can better identify with what they are feeling by the 3rd week of being here in the US, a foreign country for them.

I think the last major change that I've noticed is my tolerance for closed-minded people. Being a student at The Ohio State University I've experienced the housing department's over emphasis on "Diversity" and I know that I should come back a more accepting person, but I haven't in one aspect. Before I left the US closed-minded people bothered me, but I would still hang out with them and it wouldn't be a big deal. Now, I can't stand to be around someone that chooses to be ignorant about every culture accept for their own. Growing up in a small town, I've seen ignorance at it's peak. I can handle this, because it is not their choice, but rather a lack of education or/and opportunity. I will admit, I am not a world traveler, I haven't had lots of opportunities to go abroad, but when I have had an opportunity, I went for (with my parents encouragement). I guess it just depends on how you are raised, but I know people from my hometown who have had the opportunity to travel, all expenses paid, but chose not to because they didn't want to leave the US.

I can't say how thankful I am that I have been able to have this experience. It was truly life-changing! I hope the people of Guanajuato, Mexico never lose their sense of community and ability to show love.

Lastly, I am going back to Guanajuato this December for 10 days. I couldn't resist! I will be buying my plane tickets at the end of September. If anyone wants to go down with me just shoot me an e-mail: stylerknauff@yahoo.com.

Estamos en contacto amigos!

I am still alive!

Hello amigos,

I will be updating this either tonight or tomorrow. I would like to do a few more posts about re-adjusting to the US.

My last day in Mexico

Hola amigos! I'm not sure what to think of this: my last in Mexico. Tonight, I'm extremely depressed about returning to the US; at the same time, I absolutely can't wait to see my closest friends and family. It seems like it would be perfect if I could go back to the US for a week, see everyone and then come back down here. My program director spoke to our group the other day about re-adjusting to American life. He said to expect depression, boredom, and a few other things. He said that while we may not realize it now, we have all changed a lot. I will agree, something is different, but I'm not sure what it is. I'm sure my friends and family will be able to peg it. I think they know me better than I know myself.

Something else my director told us was that obviously not everyone will be interested in hearing more than 2 mins about our trip. It will probably be like the first year of college thing where everyone asks "How's college going?" and all they really want to hear is "Good" from you. It's a part of our culture that I don't miss, but will have to become accustomed to again. Well, if you're reading this, then you are one of the very few who will actually be interested in hearing about things, although you've already heard the majority, and thank you for staying in touch! Obviously I had the creepy stalker thing installed on my blog so I can see where people are reading it from and little other facts like how they accessed the site. Whoever is in Lima, OH I would greatly appreciate to know who you are. The curiosity is killing me!!! I've really been surprised as to who has been following it and who hasn't. Luckily for me, all of my closest friends have kept in touch; I'm extremely blessed to have met the people that I have at OSU!!!

On that note, I would like to briefly talk about my roommate: John. We are complete opposites in I think every manner, yet we get along great. I've learned a lot from him though; because we are so opposite, he has presented the other side of things in everything: daily life, politics, poverty, religion, culture, etc. I am very proud to call him friend! How he puts up with me I don't know.

I'm EXTREMELY nervous to be seeing everyone again, and I don't know why. Especially nervous to see Corey and Sahil; I saw them everyday for the past year, and Sahil almost every day for the past two years. I've been gone for 8 weeks and haven't been able to talk to them on the phone very much.

This blog is pretty scattered, but it's because I have a million thoughts flying through my brain per second. I remember when I was getting ready to leave Tarangi told me that it would seem like I was only down here for 2 weeks. . . she was right. I don't know how 2 months flew by so quickly.

I've learned so much down here! One main thing though: I have a perfect life! I'm not bragging or anything, but from living down here and talking to so many other people, I really don't know more I could ask for. Things such as: having a house where every room has a theme and matches; having a good car; having job opportunities after college; having a cell phone; etc are all blessings now rather than expected. I think it was seeing the little children in the streets begging for money that really caused some change. There will be children of 4 years old just begging you for change or wanting to sell you some gum for a few cents. It's very sad! I can only imagine what their view of the world must be.

The picture above is of our dearest cat "Gato" sleeping in my bed again. Everytime our maid leaves our door open the cat finds my bed and decides to take a nap. Oh well, good thing I'm not deathly allergic to them or anything.

Well, it is very late and I'm going to actually get some sleep tonight! I have a TON of things to do tomorrow! I am going to keep updating my blog probably until school starts just so I can keep a journal of the changes I've noticed. Like I said, I am absolutely PETRIFIED to see everyone again. I feel like a different person, I think due to being away from everyone for 2 months. I'm thinking it may be that I feel more independent. Oh well, we will see shortly. I fly back in this Sunday at 5:30pm. I hope to see you all soon!!! I really appreciate you all keeping up with me and reading this blog, and yes, I know who most of you are based on your location, operating system, and how your accessing the site. Again, Thanks!!!

All my best,

Tyler

"Could I get some sal and limón please?"

Hola amigos! I don't know where to start for this week. I've done a lot, but feel like I've done nothing. I guess I've done everything but work on my final papers. Despite my procrastination, I've been able to see a lot of the city that I had not yet been able to tour yet. I've posted a ton of pics on Picasa, so you can click on the title of this blog and it will take you there.

This past 7 day period has been the first full week that I have not been sick since I got down here. I've been waking up everyday and telling Martha when I see, "Otra vez, no estoy enfermo hoy. No sé porque" (Once again, I'm not sick today and I don´t know why). To which she responded the other day, "¡Eres mexicano ahora!" (You're a Mexican now). Haha! I've been in such a good mood this week. I wish I could have adjusted to things a little quicker than 6 weeks, but better now than never.

I've done a lot of relaxing this week, in that my touring the city has consisted of going to certain points in the city to sit for a while and just chill and take pictures. I'm trying to put together a short video or powerpoint of my trip so I can summarize my 8 weeks in 5-10 minutes. That's what we call a short summary. Haha! I'm having problems running powerpoint with that many photos though -- it tends to lag. I'll figure out something.

I've posted a video below that I took today when we were trying to find a place to park the car. The video is pretty bumpy because there are very few paved roads here. They are all cobblestone streets which does not make for a smooth ride. The city is gorgeous for them though!


Today, John, Ray, Edgar, Belem, Mariana, and I went to the countryside for the afternoon. It was gorgeous, silent, and there was clean air! It was a nice change of pace and I've decided I would like to buy a house near Santa Rosa. The views and mountains are breathtaking! I'm thinking that land there would be pretty cheap as well. I asked Ray to check into it. Obviously I can't buy anything right now, but within 10 years, I would like to think I could.

I can't believe I only have a week left. Time has flown by -- I feel like I arrived two weeks ago. Although, by the end of my first week here, I felt totally comfortable and at home in the city and I'm not sure why.

I've made a few amazing friends down here and I really don't want to leave them behind. The friends that I went to Michoacan with have kept in contact and want to come to Columbus to visit me. They probably will too. Ray is the other Mexican friend I've made. We're a lot alike so it feels like I've known him for a lot longer than I have. I have at least 3 different homes that I can stay in when I return to Mexico. I really want to come back in December, but I also really want to go to India. Unfortunately, I will probably not have any excess cash lying around to do either. I am going to go on spring break this year, so I'm thinking that would be a great time to bring a few friends with me to Guanajuato (and maybe we could go to the beach for a weekend too down here).

Well, I fly in this next Sunday to Columbus. I'm thinking Chipotle for dinner that day. While I know that I should be craving a burger or something, I'm def. craving my Chipotle, and no, nothing down here tastes anything like it. Haha! Well, except for the strong onions, but I never get that on my burrito. Well amigos, I hope to see many of you very very soon! Cuidate.

Michoacan: Morelia, Patzcuaro, and Janitzio

Hello, I got back last night from Michoacan, again. Haha! This time though I was with my group. We only took a 2 day excursion, but they tried to fit too much into those two days. The first day we toured cathedrals and convents in Michoacan and parts of Guanajuato. It was quite boring because no-one could hear our professor talking because he liked to whisper. The two or three people that did hear him still didn't get much info; therefore, no-one knew what cathedral we were seeing, it's significance, or why we were even there. The cathedrals were pretty, but that's all we knew.

On a very different note, I had two full meals both Saturday and Sunday, had snacks in between, and was not sick. It was an AMAZING weekend in that respect. I got back home and my friends were like, "Why in the world are you so happy?" I explained that I am normally a happy person (although I may complain a little) but that when you are constantly sick and don't eat enough, you just aren't just as happy. Mondays and Thursdays are the days when I usually get sick and I am not sick now, so this week is looking pretty good!

It's about 80 degrees, sunny, and beautiful here in Guanajuato today. The sky is clear, so I think I may walk around a little and take some pictures of the city.

I'm starting to feel the crunch for finals next week. I don't have any final exams, but a do have a 10 page "Politica" paper to write by Thursday, and 3 more papers to write by next Thursday. The work load really hasn't been bad though, so I can't complain. I've had a lot of free time to explore and hang out with friends; however, everyone would still prefer a little less work.

Well, lunch is almost done, so I am going to go. I will be back in the US in 12 short days. It will be bittersweet. ¡Nos vemos pronto amigos!

Bar Fight and Toxic Pasta

Bueno, I hope you all are doing well! I will be going to Morelia, Patzcuaro, and Janitzio this weekend (all cities in Michoacan). Okay, so first I will clear up the bar fight, it really wasn't a bar fight. I got that gash by falling walking into my hotel in Uruapan, Michoacan this past weekend. They had a tiled patio, it was raining, and my shoes didn't have any traction. It's not really that bad, but it looks horrible, so I've been telling people I won in a bar fight. . . haha. . . no-one obviously believes me. So that has been a nice conversational piece when things get quiet at a table. The toxic pasta comes into play today and yesterday. Yesterday I had an amazing Spaghetti Bolognesa; however, it may have made me sick. I really don't know, but thinking about it makes me nauseous. Oh well, it was worth it! I had a Mu Tai Pan white tea with it. I can't believe I just found this cafe and I've been here for 1.5 months.

Yesterday John, Ray, and I went to La Presa (the dam) which is where I took the picture above on the right. It was peaceful and gorgeous! If you enlarge the picture you may be able to see the lighthouse on the mountain, about in the middle of the picture. There was also a garden near the dam. Well, that's about it for my week. My friends and I have gone out a lot this week, but we've had a lot of fun.

I can't believe that in only 15 days I will be back in the US. I'm very excited, but I'm really going to miss the city and the people here. I was telling my mom that I'm going to have to get accustomed to the rudeness of the US again: inconsiderately slow drivers, not saying hi to random people on the street, and not feeling extremely welcome in any and every place of business. I think I'll be able to adjust back again, but I have gotten used to holding doors open for people and being very polite to everyone I come across. OSU is I think the complete opposite. Haha! Well, I am going to Michoacan this weekend again, but with my group. I will probably post on here on Monday evening. Until then, cuidate!

Uruapan, Michoacan

Hola, I'm still alive! Haha! I went to Uruapan, Michoacan this weekend with some new friends. (Uruapan is a city in the state of Michoacan). My friend Erik invited me to go to celebrate one of his friend's birthday, Viridiana's. Everyone was extremely nice and wouldn't let me pay for anything: hotel, gas, food, etc. One of Erik's friends had a new H3 Hummer; I hadn't been in one yet, I thought it might be a little more cramped on the inside because it's a tiny version of the H2, but it was quite spacious, and rode very smoothly at 95 MPH.

The photo is one I took while we were probably going about 85 MPH. Yes, two cars passing two others at the same time. I really thought I was going to die for the first two hours of the drive, but after that I became accustomed to Mexican freeway driving. I couldn't believe how nice and considerate people are on the highways here. In the US, you will have someone driving 10 MPH under the speed limit in the far left lane, not thinking of anyone else in the world except for themselves, but here, when you approach a car from behind, they move over to the curb so you can pass them. I told Erik that when passing people in the US, sometimes the other car will speed up a bit. While this isn't the majority of cases, it happens too frequently, and ridiculously slow driving happens all too frequently as well.

But enough with my driving soap box. Haha! We stopped at a restaurant on Sunday afternoon to eat lunch/dinner (what John and I call "Linner"). The restaurant only had soda, pork rinds, and carnitas pork. I actually tried the carnitas pork, but I could barely get it down. I don't like pork, but the restaurant was the cleanest. It was in the open air, no hair nets, no gloves, dirty floors, a dog running around, and tons of freakin flies. I'm used to things being different, but between the pork and the dog and flies, I wasn't too hungry. Everyone was so kind and offered to take me to McDonalds, but I bought a banana at the store across the street and all was well.

It was very nice to ride in a car on a highway. It made me feel more at home; I guess because I love paying for gas in the US and feel the need to drive all the time. Haha! I really miss driving, and I never thought I would say that. This weekend was the first time I got really homesick, and I know why. I was away from everything familiar. I know Erik, but not as well as most of my friends; we were outside of Guanajuato; I had never met any of Erik's friends; there was no-one to help me if I got stuck with my Spanish; and I didn't have my computer, so I didn't have contact with anyone. I told Erik on Sunday that I was really homesick and he asked me how long I had been down here: 5 weeks. I guess I'm not doing too bad to have made it this far.

I always get hung up on how to say "I miss ____" in Spanish because it translates to "____ is very distant to me" or something near that. When I'm speaking Spanish I always have to pause before saying that. Haha! I learned a lot of vocabulary this weekend, including slang. It was an amazing feeling to go away for a few days with people who only spoke Spanish and not have any English speakers nor a dictionary nearby. I thought that I would be extremely intimidated, but everyone was extremely patient when I didn't know a word for something, like "stem" of a fruit. That's not a word I use often.

I'm now only 19 days away from leaving. I can't believe how fast time has gone. It seems like I've only been here for 2 weeks, but at the same time, it feels like I've lived here for years. I've become very comfortable in the city. I've made friends down here and am definitely going to come back down to visit! I've been fortunate to make friends with people from Mexico City, Irapuato, Leon, Guanajuato, and London (England), but Ray doesn't really count for an Englishman anymore. Haha! (Hope he doesn't read this).

Well, I am exhausted and am going to take a siesta. Man, I absolutely love many things here in Mexico and siestas are one of them. Too bad not everyone down here still takes them. Oh well, have a great week. I'm going to Michoacan this weekend, but with my group this time. It should be fun!

¡Estamos en contacto!