Week one is a wrap!

My first full week of pre-service training is complete, concluding with today's "Mission Impossible" exercise that involved my first local bus ride in Mexico, a visit to the large Terminal de Autobuses, and a scavenger hunt with two other volunteers to find different landmarks in the city.  We had a grand time navigating our new home and met a chef who introduced us to a popular dish, enchiladas queretanas, and offered us a free meal!

 Sunset over a church in town. 

 Amazing architecture.

Los Arcos - the aqueduct. 

I'm getting to know my new city and really enjoying the historic streets, open doors and gates on the sidewalk that let you see into the lovely courtyards and homes hidden from street view, the many statues and squares, and the daily sunsets over various church tops.

 Interior courtyard view. 

 Sampling of daily street views. 

One of many beautiful fountains in town. 

 Amazing statues. 

 Another lovely statue. 

I take 3.5 hours of language and culture classes every day and live with a family that primarily speaks Spanish, so my language skills are slowly improving.  My host mom introduces new foods (and words!) to me every day and she is an amazing cook!  I love having fresh fruit, like papaya and pineapple, every morning for breakfast and finding out what's different and what's the same compared to home.  Even though we have a language barrier, we manage to communicate enough to share lots of laughs and make sure I know how to use important things, like the washing machine. It was a proud moment when I could ask someone at the store where the laundry detergent was and I am very grateful to come home to such a warm and friendly family every day.

 Downtown streets. 

Another statue downtown.

I also have internet and TV at home which is not a luxury everyone gets, so I am super grateful for that!  It means I've been able to communicate with family using my Google Voice number (free calls for both of us!) and to access important information for homework. I've also been lucky to see many hummingbirds, other birds and bees - some of which are huge! - and enjoy great, warm weather in the past week.  And of course, any time you come across a Harry Potter reference (especially one as good as this), life is good!