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Sherry blogs: 

 

The bus ride from the airport took two hours. Once outside of Mexico City, we started climbing toward Cuernavaca. I had forgotten that the area actually had quite a few trees (mostly pines) and didn’t look quite as dry as Oaxaca, Guanajuato or San Miguel. It felt good to arrive in Cuernavaca and see things that were familiar — or at least a little familiar.

I was able to catch a taxi right away in front of the bus station. I gave the driver the address, and although he didn’t seem certain that he knew the exact location, he said he knew the colonia (neighborhood) and assured me we would find the house with no trouble. As we arrived in the colonia he asked me if I recognized anything, but I had never been there. I had talked with Martha from my new host family several days ago and she had given me some instructions to her house, so I gave them to him. They were a sketchy shorthand (my fault, not Martha’s), but apparently they were clear to the taxista. We chatted as he drove. When I told him I was returning to Cuernavaca to continue studying, he complimented me on my Spanish. (I have complimented people on their English when I could barely understand it as a way of encouraging them. So, while it is really nice to hear and it makes me feel good, I don’t get overconfident with this type of compliment). When we arrived at a point that he thought might be the location, we saw a metal gate with a list of Casa numbers. Number 10 was one of them, so he assured me he would wait to be sure and even got out of the car and walked up to the guard posted at the corner of the gate. We were both relieved to hear that I was in the right location. I paid the nice taxista for the ride and the guard opened the gate for me and pointed me to a large house straight ahead.

I was welcomed at the door by Martha, a member of my new host family, a tall, sandy haired woman around my own age. We chatted (her in clearly pronounced, fairly slow Spanish) and me in — well, me in my version. She showed me around the house and offered me something to drink. The house is very large and attractive. There are large glass sliding doors covering one whole wall across from the kitchen that open into a large, nicely landscaped (and completely private) garden area complete with heated swimming pool. After a little while, Martha showed me where my room so I could get settled and asked me if I would like to eat soon, which I accepted.

My room is large and very comfortable. I have a queen sized bed, a small table with chairs by the window (perfect for homework), a small desk-sized game table with a chessboard on top, a dresser with a mirror, another tall one for my clothes, a couple of night stands, a TV (complete with lots of cable channels) and a fan. I also have a private bathroom with a shower, which I have come to prefer over sharing one with other students or the family. Martha said that there is a larger room and she will move me in there after the current student, Trudy leaves next weekend. I am very comfortable here, so I might ask to just stay unless the room is just too spectacular to resist. Everything is very beautiful and comfortable here, but the best thing is they have a WIFI connection and I can use it in my room! No more mad dashes to a cafe with WIFI to call home on Skype! Life is good.

I upgraded my accommodations since my last visit with Universidad Internactiónal. I was perfectly happy with the host family (she was terrific), but my room didn’t have a desk, I shared a shower and (mostly) I grew tired of the food, since she wasn’t vegetarian and didn’t know much about cooking for vegetarians.

Around 3 pm Martha invited me down to the kitchen bar to eat. Two women were there in front of the stove, preparing my meal. Martha and I chatted with one or the other of them shyly offering me one thing or another during my meal. Later in the evening, Martha came upstairs and invited me to go to a BBQ next door at the home of their friends of 25 + years. She warned me that the host was from Argentina and there would be lots of meat, but assured me that her friends were wonderful and I would be welcomed. So, I accepted and Martha and I and her husband, Rodolfo walked next door. We entered a private gate that opened into a beautiful yard/garden with another pool. The house was large and beautiful and there were at least 20 people sitting at two long tables. (Guys at one table and the girls at another). I was introduced to everyone, one at a time and assured that I would not be expected to remember everyone’s name. Some were from foreign places, Germany, Argentina, New York. Almost everyone offered to speak English, but I assured them that, while I couldn’t understand everything, I preferred to practice my Spanish.

Martha was right, there was lots of meat. It looked and smelled wonderful. (I am not a vegetarian because I don’t LIKE meat). There was also salad, French bread, roasted vegetables and wine and a vegetable strudel and coffee for dessert. Several men and women were serving and offering food to the guests constantly — never allowing a plate to be empty. I wasn’t hungry, so I just opted for a small glass of wine and settled in while everyone talked at once all around me, occasionally asking me a question and including me in the conversation. They told me that they were all motorcycle enthusiasts (I never would have guessed!) and that last May they rode their ‘bikes’ from Cuernavaca to Toronto. Wow! They said they followed the Naches Trace Trail in the south and then picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway in the east and followed its end. They said it was a wonderful trip that lasted 30 days. After about an hour or so, I started getting tired and my comprehension fell to almost zero, so I asked Martha if I could go back to the house. Everyone said goodbye and as I left and went back to the house to relax. My computer wasn’t connected yet, so Martha let me use a laptop to do some emails. While I was doing that, their big black lab,
Dansca kept bringing me a large green limon and dropping it at my feet as she ran in anticipation of catching it. I played with her a little while and then headed upstairs. Around 9 or so, Martha and Rodolfo returned to the house. A little while later, Trudy came in from an excursion to Taxco. Martha had warned me that Trudy was a Spanish beginner, but she was also exhausted, so she spent a few minutes with the deer in the headlights look as the family asked her about her day. Afterwards, I introduced myself, but it was obvious she needed rest, so she headed off to her room. Martha and Rodolfo, in the meantime, informed me that they were going to drive to Mexico City (2 hours away) for dinner with their friends. (More food????). I, on the other hand, went to bed.

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