daniela, emily, and i

daniela, emily, and i
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

at LA BUFA... (see pic description again, por favor!)

mexico at its best

mexico at its best
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

forget the cerveza, just gimme guacamole! loooooooooooooots of it!!!!!

teatro juarez

Leisha 188
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

this is where basically everyone and their mother and sometimes even dog sit and hang out or meet other people. hoorah for teatro juarez.

mariachi man

mariachi man
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

hola, mariachi hombre. ¿quieres ser mi amigo?

en la casa

gals
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

see description of pic, por favor

this one`s for mom

this one`s for mom
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb... i know, really impressive. i know.

me with my favorite estudiantina

me with my favorite estudiantina
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

chyeah, REPEL!

chyeah, REPEL!
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

in my element...

in my element...
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

so i haven´t gotten to tell you all about my sunday adventure. the majority of the multi-country group went up to la bufa, the main mountain here in guanajuato, or just outside of it. took about a couple of hours to climb, and when we got to the top, there was an awesome view of guanajuato. from there, we repelled a bit, and then hiked back down. seriously, it was sweet. makes me wonder even more what camelback is like. i`ll make it there soon enough.

yesssssss

:)
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

alas, veto and i.

clase de actuación, take one!

i think i might have the coolest dad in the world. i told everyone to holla back, and he holla´d!!! holy cow, now that´s sweeeeeeet. thanks for the holla, dad!!!! (and no, there´s no veto-ing veto! please, no! actually... i think you guys would absolutely love him if you met him! even if you all can´t understand spanish, b/c his english is enough to make you laugh... really hard!)

in response. yes, i do have time to miss people... ok so i really don´t... but that doesn´t keep me from missing people anyway! don´t worry, i´m not forgetting about anyone. however, yesterday at lunch, señora linda, my hermana mexicana diana (isn´t that awesome how that all rhymes?... i let her know it at least 5 times daily, how cool i think that is, hehehe), french sista gael, and shawnna, were all planning my boda/matrimonio/wedding. yes. let´s just say that it was such a funny conversation that i actually spewed some homemade limonada out of my nose while laughing. it was, indeed, a good time. but really now...

i accompanied veto to his clase de actuación (acting class) yesterday at the university. he performed three works, and others performed works, as well, all in groups. afterward, there were critiques of each performance. drama, theatre, in spanish. yeah, sweet! i met a few new people (all of them were really cool!!!) and they all asked if i´d be coming back soon. veto said he´d see me on wednesday, when the work he performed with the guys will be ¨even better!¨so, apparently i´m going to the class again. no, really... i don´t mind. it was incredible practice for my spanish, to listen soooooooo much... i really understand a lot of it... and even had the opportunity to act with the others, myself (i didn´t do it, but maybe i´ll do it before i leave???). AND, it was really cool to be there with veto. not sure as to what our status really is (not that it even matters since i´m leaving soon), it was cool just to sit there and laugh and joke around with him, like... wow... i´ve got a really awesome friend here in mexico. seriously, he was a great actor (he should be, that´s his passion above all and that´s what he wants to do with his life as soon as he´s done paying off school loans). and, when he critiqued the other performances, he was like a professional, just going at it, ... he seriously sounded like he knew what he was talking about. intelligent usage of words... which helps me a lot... we talked a bit while we were there, like he´d ask me questions and stuff, and the few times i didn´t understand, he´d always be patient and repeat it or say it in another way. his patience is great to the point where I think to myself, why in the world does he even bother? (i know what some of you may be thinking, as he IS a mexican hombre... yes, am gonna bust out that stereotype... he knows i´m not a piece of arse, and if i were, i don´t think he´d be as interested). so... besides that... his friends sort of become my friends when i´m hanging out with him, and that´s really cool, too. (so how do you all like my usage of ¨cool¨over and over again? what can i say? study abroad is just really... cool! and so is this veto guy! and again, there will be NO vetoing of veto! and stay tuned for pics... i know i say that a lot... but really! stay tuned! there will be some good ones up here.)

so, in class this morning it was CLASSIC. we had día del maestro, where the teacher becomes a student and a group of actual students pretend to be the teacher... so basically, the group decides what the class does. well, the group today had us spend the hour on a digicam photo hunt... we had a piece of paper with about 10 different proposed pictures we were supposed to get, and we went out through the streets and just talked it up with the locals in spanish. it was far too fun, and shawnna and i got some crazy fotos. stay tuned to those, as well. (leisha hitting her head on a very low tree branch, leisha doing a cartwheel in the middle of the street, leisha building her career as a professional fountain piece... just you wait!)

it´s an absolutely beautiful day here in guanajuato, once again. always beautiful days. i can´t believe we leave in a week and a half, though. sigh......

¡pues, hasta luego!

enamored much, ¿no?

so, the guy, veto?

yep. 4 or 5 hours of chatting yesterday evening........

and it looks to me like leaving guanajuato will be so much difficult than what i already thought it would have been.

todo estaba bien, muy bien. cuando nos encontramos en las escaleras del teatro juarez, llevó con él un libro de gandhi. haber... puedes imaginar de la que hablamos... gandhi, la paz, el amor, la religión (eso fue increíble).

sigh.

was a good day... and the days will continue to be good... actually, great.

holla back, familia y amigos!

pelìculas and a DATE! :)

i`ve seen two movies in the past two days, here in guanajuato. the first, el luchador (cinderella man). loved it. everyone should go see it. the second, almas malditas (the gathering). didn`t love it so much. in fact, struggled to like it. maybe everyone should stay away from it, unless you`re obsessed with christina ricci looking like she did a bajillion years ago when she was in casper, or if you`re as excited about people randomly getting ran over by large trucks in movies as i am. seriously, just like brad pitt in meet joe black. that was definitely worth my 22 pesos (2 bucks and 20 cents for a movie, in a nice theatre, not tooooooo shabby you know!). yep.

last night brought about more dancing, chatting with locals and hanging out with all the gals from my house sans señora linda, and an invitation for an upcoming date with a local named veto (that`s his nickname of course, pronounced veh-to for all you special nonspanish speaking people... i love you all anyway, though). yes, you heard me right, a date. we`re going dancing at el bar (he said, are you familiar with el bar? i said, are you kidding? i could own the place. hehehe), meeting on the steps of the teatro juarez just like everyone else does here in guanajuato (gotta love it), and heading to el bar. (just a few steps away from, well, the steps.) now for you worryish folks out there, no worries, no worries. i`ve met him a few times... he actually works in bar santo (where we gals spent most of last night)... and we`ve chatted a lot there (and laughed a lot too... apparently he thinks my american accent and inability to roll my rr`s like a mexican is hilarious... gosh, thanks, veto). soooooooo... that was last night, and tonight when shawnna and i were taking a very relaxing stroll through el jardin union, i said to her, ¨wonder if we`ll run into veto?¨guanajuato is a small place and you do tend to see everybody and their mother or dog on the street at any given time, day or night. well, what would you know, almost instantly, there was a tall, handsome local with a great big smile on his face... dressed in a velvety cape outfit... carrying a guitar... so WE HAD NO IDEA HE WAS AN ESTUDIANTINA!!!!!!!!! ok, so. estudiantina is a very popular musical group here in guanajuato. they roam the streets of guanajuato always with followers, playing for individuals, groups, basically anywhere and everywhere. they sing, play instruments, laugh, have fun... and people have fun watching them. they are very talented musically, seriously! so... there he was... and could you just imagine the look on my face. so we chatted it up. and got pics. (you bet i`ll be posting them soon.) i even stole his guitar and pretended to play it a little bit... got a pic of that too... thinking of you, mom!!!!!! (him: you know how to play guitar? me: no, but my MOM does.) hehe. ;) so, yep. talked some more. he´s 23, and finished college about a month ago. studied communications. now has 3 jobs (am unsure as to what the third one is, though). as shawnna and i have said, ¨mom and dad, meet your future son-in-law.¨:) so yep, be looking for pictures soon.

got plenty of homework done today, bright and early. tomorrow is an excursion to la bufa, a mountain that i have a view of from my window and balcony. we are going to climb all the way up it, and repel back down it. am most excited about that!!!!

tonight... ¨a bailar!¨¨

love and miss you all. again, don`t be strangers! (please stop making me say that!!!)

i miss you, family!

i miss you family!
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

mom, dad, andy, scott, grandma cruwell, grandma and grandpa reynolds, tracy, emily,........ jody, amanda, bekah, dawnielle, etc etc etc........ i miss you all!!!!!

international amigos

international amigos
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

hoorah! amigos!

exámenes

90 on history, 95 on grammar. excited about the history grade, but not so much about the grammar grade. guess i messed up a little bit on the voz pasiva. next time, next time!

i sent out a bunch of postcards recently... maybe you´ll be one of the lucky recipients... keep a look out!

i absolutely cannot believe that it´s almost the end of september. didnt summer just get started or something? study abroad is already almost 1/3 finished with. strange, very strange.

i have a confession to make. i like siestas, a lot. i also like mexican food, a lot. perhaps too much, for both. argh. say a prayer or two that i might like them a little bit less in other places. on another note, i am going to have the tightest legs and bum in the mundo when i get back home, or at least when i get to argentina. tons of walking, and a miniature killer hill each time we head to the university. so that´s good. blah. anyway.

been listening to my ipod a lot lately to songs that happen to fit my mood pretty well. recent frequently played canciones: some say i´m running, let me love you, the first day, trip around the sun, it all comes down to you, black balloon, if you´re not the one. among many others. i have the bad habit of getting in a mood... thinking about something, or someone... and then listening to a song that fits that mood, or reminds me of that thing or person, and only enables me to STAY in that mood, which normally isn´t exactly what i need. but my fingers just arent able to click to a more upbeat or happy song. anyone else ever feel that way?

mucho mejor

(translation: much better)

my salsa instructor just said that i´m MUCHO MEJOR! yahooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! :)

p.s. me encanta bailar la salsa!!!! y esta noche voy a practicar mucho más, wheeeeeeeeeeee!

cah-poh-air-a, yep

took my first class of capoeira tonight, and it was....... toooooooooooooooooooo cool (actually, it got pretty darn hot).

never heard of capoeira? i hadn`t either, until i got here to guanajuato. it`s a brasilian martial art, and it rocks. that`s all i`ll say. look it up on the ´net, y`all!!!!!!!

(oh yeah, and after capoeira, i went with veronica-- my roomie from germany-- and a couple of other cool capoeira gals who are REALLY GOOD!!! to bar fly, the really sweet hippie-ish bar, and had a JUGO DE NARANJA!!!! yeah, orange juice, represent! those people there probably think this gringa is crazy, always ordering stuff like SPRITE and JUGO and VIRGIN PIÑA COLADAS. i mean, what`s THAT??? so anyway, i looked hott, standing there with the gals, sipping on my little straw which was in my little glass of jugo natural... ahhhh natural orange juice, yes, thankyouverymuch... while they were sipping on their beers... ok but doesn`t it seem a little ODD, the idea of working out then going to have a BEER???... i guess i`m the only person here in méxico who seems to think so... so when it came time to SALUD!, or rather, give cheers, i`d already finished my little excuse of a glass of orange juice and so i held up, what would you know, yes, my SUPER AWESOME GREEN NALGENE BOTTLE!!!!!! which i hold by its fabulous little green carabiner which you KNOW should NOT be used for climbing purposes, and said, SALUD!!!!!! chyeah............... right on, that`s what i`m talkin`about! saluuuuuuuud!!!!!!!!!!! and viva el jugo de naranja natural!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) ..... )

phone calls

i received TWO phone calls from family this weekend... TWO!

hooraaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!

also, i´ve received two cards from grandma in the mail, and one from the ´rents.

double hooraaaaaah!!!!!!!!!

yay, i (heart) my family!

thank you, everyone!!!!!!!

¡mari!

yes, a restaurant at 3am, a place which just so happens to be open until 6:30 am. also, imagine little taco vendors (street-side) selling, well, tacos, at 4am. only in mexico. seriously, this is a craaazy place.

aaaaaand..... yes, it`ll be just as cool when you`re here!!!!!! :)

outrageous... VIVA MEXICO!

ok, last night was tthhheeeeeeeee craziest night. if we think there can be some pretty big things happening on the 4th of july at home in the states, we`re wrong compared to what happens on independence day here in mexico. wow. the fun just goes on and on and on and on and on.......

soon i hope to have pictures posted. until then, some favorite quotes from the night:
1. ¨this is the craziest fourth of july party i`ve ever been to.¨(etienne, whom i call steve, who is from canada, commenting on mexico´s independence day.)
2. ¨i am multi bilingual.¨(daniel, from england, who really only speaks, well, english, but he can bs his way to make it sound like he`s good with other languages.)
3. ¨so where are you from?¨ ¨philadelphia, you?¨¨kansas city.¨¨oh, i`m sorry.¨¨yeah, i bet, you`re short, too.¨(conversation with new little friend, eric, who is from philadelphia, as you can see here.) then... ¨i never would have known he was gay.....¨(me, to daniel, when it was way obvious... i mean this guy was flaming.)
4. ¨so what brings you to mexico?¨¨emily, she´s trying to turn me straight, but it´s not working yet.¨
5. ¨(something about chinese people, i can`t remember)¨¨yeah, we all have a little chinese in us. i know i´ve had some chinese in me.¨(conversation with emily, from california, who´s traveling around mexico for a little while and... umm... getting to know a lot of locals. after she said this, i think i about died. whoa, down, girl.)
6.¨i think i`m drunk.¨(me, after a single sip of daniel´s sol cerveza.)
7. ¨leisha does NOT need to drink. she is already... OUTRAGEOUS.¨(daniel... and imagine him saying OUTRAGEOUS with an amazing british accent... heck yesssssss!)
8. ¨i think leisha´s cardigan shrunk.¨(daniel, commenting on my half-sweater, which is supposed to be like that, by the way.) ¨crap, i may have to talk to my señora about the way she´s washing my clothes.¨(me.)
9. ¨i`m really not trying to bum money off of you guys.¨(me) ¨we know how you are, leisha. the moment we first saw you, we thought, she`s in this for the free... quesadillas.¨(¨steve¨)
10. VIVA MEXICO!!!!!!!............. of course.

this has been a crazy, fun time.
summary of last night:
8pm... fiesta at the don quixote language school for veronica (the whole host fam was there)
10pm... ran into daniel and ¨steve¨
10:30... met guys, walked to the alhondiga for the big shindig thing at 11
11... big shindig thing, tons of VIVA MEXICO´s, about a bajillion people packed into a tiny little surface area, shoving and pushing as though ¨it`d speed things up a little.¨
12... to los lobos to see a mexican ska/reggae band
12:45... to el bar, for salsa-ish dancing, a great virgin piña colada (at a reduced price; yay for having the bartender be my buddy!!!), more dancing with locals, seeing some friends from the multi-country group
1:30... to bar fly, my first time there. a hippie bar if you`ve ever seen one, sans marijuana. hung out on some cushions on the floor, talking until about 3am, me with some pop (can you believe it???), the guys with their beer, lots of laughs and lots of quoting monty python and the holy grail...
3ish... went to a little restaurant and had quesadillas. ok, what kind of restaurant is open until 6 am... and PACKED at 3am!?!?! sweet........... and sooooooo cheap.
3:30 home, time to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!!!!!! no classes por la mañana, woohooooooo!!!!!!!!

feliz dia de la independencia, VIVA MEXICO!!!!!!

el cielo

el cielo
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

have been thinking a LOT of two different places lately:
arizona
and nicaragua

this picture only makes me think of the places more.
ahhhhh, mi corazon.

roomie and me

roomie and me
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

la casa donde vivo

la casa donde vivo
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

el grupo en guanajuato

el grupo en guanajuato
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

the 17 of us in guanajuato...

to andy and erica

andy: how observant you are! :P

erica: you should SO be traveling... RIGHT NOW! take off work and come join me! :)

when in mexico

an entire week has passed since i´ve journaled, which means things have been buuuuuuuuusy. i think the same is the case for my friends and family, as i´ve not heard from anyone in QUITE some time. hmm....

i will try to expel briefly what has gone on in the past week.
first: classes. gave my first presentation in historia on friday. have another on wednesday. am not a fan of that class, but at least i´m not the only one who feels that way. basically everyone else does, too. it´ll be ok.
second: salsa lessons. i´ve only taken two formal classes, but i´m already ten times better than what i was.
third: using what i´ve learned from those salsa lessons. yes, leisha has gone out the last THREE NIGHTS. who would have ever thought it??? the first night brought about tons of dancing... and with locals, nonetheless. what a BLAST. salsa, kumbia, merengue. sort of flying by the seat of my pants and the locals lead me (ok, just two of them... luis, who i would rather call Señor Suave, and eduardo, a professional something or other here in guanajuato who i definitely ran into the next afternoon in the jardin area and tried my best to avoid... unfortunately, my attempts to blend in were useless... must be something about the hair and blue eyes... and i got a hello within no time... but i continued walking, lol. he was a good dancer, but that was about it. when we danced, after i said to him that i was tired and couldnt dance anymore, he said, ¨por que, ¿no tienes GANAS de bailar conmigo?... yeah, man... i lack the GANAS... that´s it, pal! anyway... luis was a whole other story, and a hilarious one, at that. two different bars, several dances into it, he probably thought he´d be getting a piece of arse by the end of the night... which happens all too often with american chicks all though i´m not sure why the girls would want to subject themselves like that to the dirtiness of the locals here, particularly the men... anyway... he was satisfied with kisses on the cheek, which like just about every other country in the world, except the usa, is nothing more than a symbol of friendliness and cordiality. this guy, though, was the biggest showoff in the world with his dancing. i was like nothing more than eye candy to accompany his bad boy salsa moves, but hey, i apparently looked good doing it. read on.)
the second night started out in capitolio, which really lacks the typical mexican feel to it. more rap and hip hop than anything else, a few of the girls and i were dancing around when a guy came up to me and said, ¨you... last night... el bar... you dance really well!!!¨then, introductions. marcus, from montreal. later, he said they were going to head to el bar, and that they´d see us there. and they did. talked with him and with his friend daniel who was from york, great britain (what an ACCENT!)... danced a bit with marcus who lacked, well, the ability to dance, but that didnt stop him (my kind of guy! do it anyway!). more talking, more dancing, we decided we´d all meet up at el tres later. we did. more dancing, more talking (with the both of them). decided we´d meet up again the next night (last night).
so, last night. went to el bar like i said i would, and they werent there, like they said they would be, but everyone else was, and WHEW, everyone else could DANCE! (TONS of locals go there, as its where i danced with luis and ernesto... and those locals can daaaaaaaaaaaaance, wow!) anyway. eventually left to head to bar fly where some of my roomies were, and ended up getting stolen by some isa students who said they were going to capitolio. ok, i will go, too. on the way there, sitting at a table at a cafe in the street, was marcus and another guy from canada. basically, i ended up sitting with them for the next hour, talking, laughing, ripping on the united states (ok, to make it closer to even, a little on canada, as well). no dancing for us though... they had decided they didnt want to drink that night (whereas they really had the night before..... argh!). fine with me, i really enjoyed the convo, as sitting at a cafe having convos is a way i love to spend my time. so anyway. we decided we´d meet the next night at 9 to hear a great music group right outside of the teatro juarez. that´s tonight, and i´m looking forward to seeing him again, but i hope dan shows up this time! i have marcus´email addy already, but not dan´s, and i want it, because he´s already said that i could visit his family when i go to GB in january, and he could show me how to cook (he was a chef before he started traveling recently), only if i teach him spanish (he´s funny enough with him english accent, i can´t wait to hear him speak spanish!!! lol). so... new friends. from around the world. i am LOVING it!!!!!!!!!!
fourth: visited san miguel de allende on saturday, less than 2 hours from guanajuato. waded in the natural hot springs (wow!!!), and then shopped around the town which was a very beautiful, very authentic place. spent a little more than i´d anticipated, but all for great authentic mexican sorts of things (mom, think CLASSROOM!!!). was a good, brief excursion.
fifth: slept in until 11 this morning. the first night i´d gotten more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night in almost a week. it felt good.

so that´d be it, in a nutshell. i still have a mean cold but it could be worse. (i know, i know, if i have a cold, then why would i be going out at night. blah. no me digas.)

time to get back to the house, and prepare for church which is at 5.

yucky cold

i think i've caught a cold... not so much fun.


also, i found out that mike and carla valet just had their second child... a baby GIRL... the first girl in the family since, like, forever. exciting times for them, but i find myself really missing the whole valet family. two years ago i got to hold darien just a week or so after he'd been born. this time around, it doesn't look like that'll be happening, obviously. argh. valet family.


might i take the time to say that i hate history class.

and i am hungry. here we go, 3:00 lunch.

pray for me, it's a sort of sick and sort of emotion-filled sort of day. (homesickness, don't even think about creeping up on me! i don't need you!!!!)

oh but on a happier note, i'm wearing my cool green skirt from spain. (hey, had to say something positive before i got off of here.) hasta luego.

adios, poco

just got the final word from dad:

poco, great friend of our family, has been put down.

:( rest in peace, good buddy.

mexicanos know how to work it

oooooooooooooooook so here i am again in the ISA office (for those who are unaware, the International Studies Abroad office is the home of all of us crazy study abroad kids... we come here, grab free oreos and free agua and/or pop (or soda, or coke, depending on which crazy state you are from), get free tutoring, watch spanish movies, talk in spanish... a lot (or else try to muffle the sound of the constant english speaking, or should i say, american speaking), stand on the balcony and observe the guanajuato scene, and disobey the signs on the computers that say ¨please limit your computer use to 15 minutes.¨ good stuff, it really is. the only place i can get online for free. otherwise, i pay about 10 pesos per hour, which is only a dollar, so even that`s not too shabby. yep. so.

i just did one of the coolest things in the whole wide mundo: joined the gymnasio here in guanajuato. indeed, leisha joined the gym, for about 35 dollars for the entire month, with full access to weights, spinning, steps, latina, abs and glutes, taebo, pilates classes and more more more........ basically however many classes i want per day........ and i just got done with my first class. it was steps. and.......... WOW!!!!!!! those mexicanos know how to WORK IT!!!!!!!!!!!! that was THE hardest hour of mi vida. no joke. it was an hour long class, and after 20 minutes i was hoping the hour was over with. lets just say that i definitely made an arse out of my unable-to-move-it-and-shake-it self, but there were lots of laughs and smiles...... and lets not forget the sweat. chyeah. i cant wait to go again. the best part of ALL of this? short of the students who are studying abroad here in guanajuato, EVERYONE at the gym is a local. which means, instant insight to the way people really are around here. guanajuato, straight up. as much as i hate to use a mcdonalds slogan, ¨im lovin it.¨

clases started today. i have advanced gramatica from 9 until 10, and then advanced conversacion from 10 until 11. then, a break, and historia de mexico from 1 until 3. then, racing home to eat la comida because youd better believe that im absolutely starving to death by that time........ lunch at 3:30........... good grief. pero asi es la vida. both classes went well. historia isnt my forte, but itll be fine... puedo hacerlo! im just trying to look at it as... well... ¨a good learning experience!¨ yep. indeed.

mexican food is seriously going to be the death of me. forget argentina and spain, and the familias there, i´m taking linda (mi señora) with me. she´s sort of short, so maybe i could smuggle her by means of my kelty packpack. tons of vegetables, sopas, some meat, the BEST guacamole in the world (mom you´d go CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!), quesadillas, TONS of mango y frutas.............. ahhhhhhh............. be jealous of me, be very jealous of me. hehehe................

que mas.

there are about a bajillion and ten bars in guanajuato. some with american music, many more like salsa bars, merengue, etc. i´ve been to about 4 of them, strangely, all in one night. (side note: i am not EVER going out again with a big group of americans. i should have known better beforehand, anyway, but ¨we wanted to spend time together.¨good grief. there were absolutely no surprises there and just about everyone got trashed or something like it.) i got so much crap for ordering water everywhere i went. and it was expensive water, goshdarnit, but i´m still the same ole leisha... enjoying my water a whole lot... although i admit i took a sip of victoria, the most popular beer in mexico (i think i can say that for sure, at least it´s one of the most popular). it didnt make me puke, or gag, surprisingly, but that doesn´t mean i´ll be trying it much more. agua. mucho, mucho agua. le doy gracias a Dios por el agua. yep. anyway. leisha has a goal, and that´s to actually look like she´s halfway capable of busting out a salsa move before she leaves here. how will she accomplish this? dance classes, baby, dance classes!!!!!!! i´ll keep you all informed.

things are excellent with my roomie, shawnna. isa did a great job of pairing people up. she's about the same speaking level as me, except she pauses and slurs her words a lot more. it drives me crazy at times but i have to remember that she´s learning too, just like me. besides that, she´s great. a very intelligent, level-headed person. sweet as can be. as excited about everything mexican as i am. last night she and i went to a streetside cafe and had mexican hot chocolate. (side note: the hot chocolate here is CRAAAAAAAAAZY rich. basically, its chocolate, straight up. not something you should chug. i know this from experience.) we talked for like two hours, sitting there. it was great. great conversation, great view of the locals walking by, great everything. now that´s my kind of evening... spent in a cafe.

should probably get going now. the oficina is about to close, and i have homework to do, as weird as it feels to say that.

love you all........... miss you all............ keep in touch!

guanajuato, mexico

am currently in guanajuato, mexico.

classes started this morning for us crazy multi-country people.

the family i`m living with couldnt be any more awesome, as well as the food... yes, the food might very well be the death of me.

yes, my mouth is drooling as i currently write this short update.

doing great. speaking and understanding more and more spanish every day.

the weather is a very pleasing 65ish daily.

not much time now... later, friends!

i´m still alive!

yes, friends and family, leisha is still alive!!!!....... just not around a computer, ever......