Supposedly there is this thing called culture shock. Less of a shock and more of a clash really…A clash of your home culture and the one in which you are visiting. Supposedly it exists. Supposedly. And if this is true, then, in the next day or so I will start a downward spiral of frustration and annoyance of everything having to do with the Yucatecan culture…supposedly. To be honest, there are many things that I miss about home. I miss my family, friends, church, school, and my girl friend, whom I miss oh so much. But to go through a period of disliking the Yucatecan culture seems unlikely at this phase. Maybe it’s because I’m in the honeymoon phase of living here, or maybe I just fit so well here in Mexico, I don’t know. But as of now, things are going well. It is really fun to see how quickly my ability in the language improves daily. After studying Spanish for 6 years, such drastic improvement in just a couple of days is very encouraging. I’m to the point verbally where I can sit down and have an intellectual discussion over just about anything there is to discuss. For example tonight during la sobremesa, the period of time after dinner where the family sits and talks, my host parents and I discussed the differences and similarities between the Mexican and American public education systems.

I’ve decided which classes I will try to take. They are as follows (hopefully):

-Racism and Discrimination (Extra interesting because both are a big part of this

Culture)

-Cultural History of the Mayan Area

-Latin American Culture and Mindset, a Literature class

-History of Mexican/United States Relations

All of these classes will be in Spanish with native students. I’ll also be in an advanced Spanish class with a few other Americans that are in the same boat as I am.

One last thing about Mérida. It is probably the safest large city I’ve ever been in. The population is about 1 million, but they take pride in the security of the city as well as the way they treat foreigners. I feel completely safe, as well as the embassy here tells me I’m safe, walking through the streets alone at midnight. Something that you wouldn’t expect in Mexico.

Hasta