Arrival and adjustment to life in Oaxaca

Hola a Todos!

This is my first blog, and for now it will be in english for your benefit.  I'm not sure anyone will read this, but it will serve to let people know how and what I'm doing in Oaxaca, as well as keep record of what I did so I can remember when I am old and can't remember things.

I am writing this on my third day in Oaxaca after I have adjusted a little to life here.  At first I wanted to go to someplace like Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, etc. because Mexico is so close to the United States and isn't as interesting.  I now know better.  Oaxaca is more diverse and unique than any other place I've visited, and I'm glad I chose Oaxaca as the place for my studies.  First of all, I am down here primarily for language immersion.  I was tired of taking spanish classes and not internalizing the language.  I want to be a missionary doctor some day, and I felt that I needed a aprender el Español.  Many other spanish immersion programs offer classes in spanish, but this program is TOTAL immersion.  There is almost no English spoken here, and we are not supposed to use any English at all in our conversations.  Sometimes that rule gets broken, but only in special cases.  My host mom and dad are very patient with my spanish riddled with grammatical errors, but they stand fast and use no english.  (They only know a few phrases anyway).

Life here is very different than the US.  Everything is very compact in the city and the streets wind every which way and dont seem to have any pattern to them.  Directions are hard because the streets are not arranged into blocks or are named in any order.  My house is about 20 minutes from the ICO (Instituto Cultural Oaxaca), so I get a lot of walking in each day.  During the the first part of the day, I have a class called Intensivo (Intensive), in which I study the spanish language.  At one we have a break (siesta)  and resume classes at 4, when I take a Salsa dance class.  I have only taken one class, but it is a very fun dance.  I hope to get better, but If I went to a discoteca now, i would definitely stand out if I tried to dance the Salsa.  ¿Qué mas?

Oh, the food here is amazing.  My mom stays in the house all day and so my food is prepared very well. A typical breakfast (desayuno) consists of fresh cantaloupe (melón) or papaya followed by some type of tortilla dish, usually with a delicious cheese called quesa fresca and beans or mole.   I also get a cup of freshly ground homemade coffee.  My family buys the beans from the market and roasts them in the oven, to produce an amazing cup o' joe.  Today, I tried chapulines at a restaurant in the Zócolo, the town square.  Chapulines are fried grasshoppers which were surprisingly good.  My house here is very nice for Oaxacan standards and I feel very spoiled.  I have my own room and bathroom, with a big bed and hardwood floor.  I have a TV, but I don't watch it.  The house itself is built in the colonial fashion, with archways and a patio.  I'm very blessed to live with such high standards.  Thank you for following my trip, and keep me in your prayers!  Letters, postcards, packages, etc. are always welcome here!  If you need my address, just write me or post a comment.

~Bryan

P.S. I really like oatmeal cookies :)