I won't try to explain my lack of communication, mostly because I've been gone to long to make a descent excuse. So let's just move past our differences and go on to a brighter future. What do you say?
Although a lot has happened between then and now, so I can't pretend I'm going to remember all of it. The most important bits I can remember have all occurred in the last couple weeks. Some of your may remember the Ruta Maya from back before Christmas. That was financed by a whole bunch of people, my parents and I included. To my Grandpa R., my aunts and uncles, all sorts of people. Really, really bloody cool people. Now, there's a second trip, which goes (or rather, went) north through Mexico City and further. I was not going to be able to go because, frankly, I was broke. Than, miracle or miracles, my grandparents offered to pay for the whole thing. How cool is that, right? Of course, it was about this point when my right eye started to turn red and fill up with blood. After 2 weeks of the most painful sunburn I've ever had, swollen skin, high-fever flu and high-drama international fiasco, I finally made it to a specialist who diagnosed contagious hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. I was assigned 3 different eye medications, one in-eye cream (OW!), and a very stern order not to even leave the house, let alone the city. This was 2 days before the trip left. After 1 1/2 weeks of the most irritatingly severe boredome I have ever experienced, I was released. However, several things had changed. For one, I had completely missed the trip, and any chance I would have of seeing Mexico City on this trip (Side note: the money slated for the trip is going into savings for next spring, when I will be applying to study abroad for the summer semester in San Jose, Costa Rica. Very excited about that!). For another, I found out that the one thing that will really turn me hostile is locking me in a room without books or paper and expecting me to enjoy myself (or even 'hang in there'). I mean, I get honey badger nasty. And for a very wide variety of reasons, several of which I don't want to go in to, I'm coming home soon. I know, I know. I still had a month to go, and all that. But I'm not going to have much time back home before I'm leaving again, off to college, wherever that may be. There are things to do, people to meet, stuff to learn. All I have here right now is a non-existent social life, an unhappy home life, and a school consisting of overworked seniors desperately looking to the horizon for a prom and graduation I'll miss anyway (their school year ends in the middle of July).

So basically, that was your pre-show warning. Look out, U.S.A. Expect me soon.

Note: This is the first part of a giant super-post, but since it was so big I could barely edit it, I cut it in half and posted the two bits seperately. See the 2nd half above. This bit mostly focuses on Mexico, i.e. self-ish introspection.

How was your Thursday? Mine was spent...well, throwing up, actually. So, you know, got that workin' for me. On a related note, you should probably drop my mom a line to thank her for talking me out of posting a picture of the nut that came our of my nose. Pistachio ice cream? Not as much fun the second time around. And you can shut up know, all my immature male readers who've been tittering since the word 'nut'. An are now giggling about 'tittering'. This stuff? This is classy shit.
Anyway, life meanders on. My host mother is a little miffed that I have missed so much school. I've tried to explain that I'm sorry and I actually learn more staying at home anyway. I thought it was a Mexican high school thing, but I now realize it's more of a..high school thing. Yeah. I wish there was something cool to tell you. All I can say is, I realized this morning how much I am going to miss the birds here. You barely see them, but they are loud. And cool. They sound like the 'tropical island' track of one of those relaxation CDs you get from the Target (unless you're boycotting the Target). Except, you know, real.
The sad thing is, I know I am going to miss it here. Just like when I left home I knew I was going to miss it horribly, but it's sort of impossible to stock up on stuff you'll miss, to be ready. At the time, I couldn't imagine missing home, because I was going somewhere new and different and shiny. I couldn't imagine it, but I knew I would. And lo and behold, I do. Now, I'm sort of starting to get ready to get ready to go home, and I can't really imagine missing here. Okay, that sounds bad, but it's sort of in the same way. I like it here, but I live here. It's...normal..now. I miss home. I can't wait to be back. But, before you know it, I'll be complaining about how boring home is and wishing I was back here. Just part of the process. Sigh.
One thing though, I am definitely not the same person I was when I got here. I am now, according to the best experts, at least semi-fluent in Spanish. I've heard about 85% from 2 different sources, which, considering how much I sucked when I got here, and considering my future plans (see below), is a number I can live with. I've learned new customs, learned to handle myself in a new environment. Learned to occupy my time (very good at this one), learned to navigate foreign cities. Learned to play roulette, learned to repair a bathroom drain, learned how to trap a rat. I have new favorites, new likes and dislikes. I certainly have more funny stories to tell at parties.
But the thing that counts the most, I think (if not the thing I got most of) is character and perspective. I'll never think about winter the same way again, because now I know what it's like to live in a place that doesn't have one.My perceptions of things have changed forever: Trees, hiking, bikes, recycling. Fair treatment for animals. Selflessness, kindness, openness to strangers. The bonds of friends and family. Freedom of speech, bigotry and stereotyping. My family and friends are so much more important to me now, now that I see what life could be like without them. I see myself through the eyes of those around me, and if these are eyes of people who don't really know me, I can feel like nothing. It's not a fun sensation.
I'll never think of school as a chore again. I may be weird, but I rely on learning new stuff. Without it, my brain rots. I'll never take geeks for granted again. Nor getting a glass of drinking water out of the tap. Nor my dog. Nor my clothes. Nor Black Dog, nor The Courier, nor good pizza. Nor Hulu.

I don't know if you're getting this ad campaign in the U.S., but it's everywhere here. Sorry this inspirational moment is sponsored by Coca-Cola, but I found this on the back of my soda can in Veracruz City last week, and it was so cool I thought I should share it.

Text in Spanish: Otra razon para creer: Los idiomas pueden ser barreras que nos separan o puentes que nos unen. En la ultima decada mas de 3 millones de jovenes han aprendido epanol en Estados Unidos.
Text in English: Another reason to believe: Languages can be barriers that separate us or bridges that bring us together. In the last decade more than 30 million kids have learned Spanish in the United States.
(any mistakes are proof that I'm not one of those kids ;P )

Man, I really need to get a job as soon as I get home. I am totally broke right now, and I barely use money here. How am I gonna replace my computer and my phone? And remodeling my room? And getting a wardrobe that isn't so last year (<-that was a joke. Mostly). And replacing my Converse? And raiding the Ikea? And fixing up my bike so I can go touring (squee!)?
It's possible I should be thinking about how to pay for school too, maybe, as well. Maybe I should find a religion to join that's not...you know...buddhism.
Is there a Frequently-Rains-Money-From-The-Sky God I can believe in? Oh come on, this is the human race we're talking about. Of course there is.

Now that life has moved on and forgotten me, I am going to finally post the post you've all been waiting for...well, maybe not. But I'm going to try. First of all, sorry for the delay. It seems to happen ever time I want to do a post with a LOT of pictures. Because of the way I have to post pictures through Blogger, I have to do them as I come to them, or risk getting completely lost. To do this, I need an internet connection, and to get that, I have to stay hunched over a work bench with no legroom and a seat that is both uncomfortable AND too small for me. Which sucks. I am now thoroughly able to sympathize with the solitary hillbilly, out in the boonies of Kentucky, who still doesn't have wireless. Groan. Anyway, here's some of my life for the time being: I would like to wish my host brother, Louis Fernando, a happy birthday! I'm glad you liked the shirt so much. I want to once again extend condolences to the family and friends of Senor Herrera. If there's ever anything I can do, please let me know.
As some people may know, the last 2 weeks or so have been a little hectic, in a non-productive sort of way. Firstly, the power went out again for a day, and then the internet went out for another 2 (we don't know what happened, it thought it was working, but no-one could use it. Extra fun!). Also, I was supposed to be swapping to my second family. Let me slow down and explain some stuff here: Firstly, everyone here in this club has 3 host families. I didn't know this until last week, but everyone is supposed to have about 4 months with each family. I currently have almost 6 with this family. We were then supposed to swap on 4 January. Okay, I was nervous but excited, I spent a hellish day trying to get everything I own packed (not especially because I have a lot of stuff, but because I have a lot more than I brought with me, but nothing new to put it in). Then, that night, it turned out that for some reason, the other host families had delayed the process. They weren't ready to receive other kids, because everybody decided now was a smashing time to repaint the house, or go on vacation, or whatever, I don't know. So it got delayed until the 10th (after school re-started, because that'll make things easier <-this is sarcasm).
I again spent a whole 5 hours packing all my stuff, dragging it down the stairs, cleaning the room, putting all my sheets in the downstairs laundry, yadda yadda. Guess what someone finally remembered to tell me by 8pm, after I was done?
Yeah, I wasn't so pleased either. Yesterday was the 17th, obviously, and I FINALLY moved. Oh, BTW, I am typing this in school. I can't use the internet in the new house. So far, in the life of this irritating little machine (NEVER USING WINDOWS AGAIN! AAAAGH!), it has yet to function with the wireless in any private dwelling, here OR in the U.S. In Mexico, the only place I've been able to use it is in this school.
I like my room so far (pictures to follow, when I take them). It is significantly lacking in pink and dolls and little pink, doll-ish knickknacks (and a trash can and a laundry basket, but I'll live). It's definitely supposed to be a boys room (thank god), so it's blue and relatively Spartan. All the furniture got stuffed in there when they started construction on the back of the house, so none of the furniture is in a place where it actually fits, and none of the things that are supposed to be on the wall ARE on the walls. The whole room smells like wood polish (so now I do, which is interesting), and the bed is a twin, but too short so my whole body doesn't really fit on it, which is also interesting. I am so used to sleeping on the freaking giant King size bed, I need to get re-accustomed to the smaller bed. I don't think it will be that hard, I didn't like the big one. Also, the room has a giant window, but is significantly lacking in curtains. I don't mind so far, since I go to bed after the sun has set, and leave before it rises in the morning, but I imagine I will be annoyed by this by the weekend. One more week to go in the semester, and than SPRING BREAK (well, that's how it works here). 5 days to waste (i.e. sleep) how I please. Maybe. More to follow on the new house and, more importantly, the internet situation as it unfolds.
ALSO, mom managed to somehow get ahold of the Amazon.com folks and make them send me a new Kindle!!!!
I'm only telling you this so you'll have yet more proof that my mom is pure AWESOME.

For those of you following Chris's year in India (commented on in the last post), updates occurred! It was very interesting to find out that his experiences with the first week of college were glaringly similar to my time at my school. I try not to pay as much attention to the teachers as I did when I started out, simply because I don't understand what they're saying, but unlike the first week, I now know enough not to be completely flummoxed all the time. I can generally understand the general direction their teaching is going, but not enough to actually learn. For a knowledge-aholic like me, it's kind of like waking up at 6am every day to go spend 8 hours standing outside a really good chocolate store and never going in. It's a bit of a relief to know that if all the classes were in English, I would probably find a majority very boring. I look forward with baited breath to the unknowable time in the future when I can, once again, be bored with high school level Sociology.
In other news, I've come up with more evidence to confuse my previously mentioned worries about the whole 'End of the Honeymoon' thing (dear god but that sounds like a horrible movie, doesn't it?). The unhelpful papers mention that one of the things that defines the Honeymoon period is that everything seems new and exotic and different. While I am still in awe of my new second home, and I can still be easily surprised (mostly by things I see fleetingly in passing from the car, and by food, but there you are), normal things are no longer a novelty. Trying to take showers in carefully-measured bursts so as to save up enough water-pressure to get the shampoo out of my hair is no longer an adventure, it's just a mildly annoying necessity. Saying 'no' to offers of more food at the dinner table is no longer a worrying, possible rude thing, it's the only way to finish dinner in under 2 hours (and make sure whoever is doing the offering will finally sit down and eat themselves. I usually take whatever I am given to eat and wait until everyone is sitting and eating themselves before grabbing my glass and sprinting to the kitchen to get water, so no-one has a chance to follow me and help). Washing your clothes in the back yard in the specially made stone basins (built into the house for this very purpose), is...okay, it's still kind of fun, but I do tend to bring my Ipod down so I can break up the quiet monotony. When I sneeze and my nose runs, I now know it's not that I'm sick, it's just an unfortunate side effect of needing bad air conditioners to cool down the house to manageable heat levels at night. It's kind of annoying, but hey? Watcha gonna do? This is all part of life here. Some things are just different, that's how it is. But this hasn't lead me to negative comparisons like the paperwork says I should. I still want to be here. Does that make me abnormal? Or just better at adapting? Or weird? Who can say.
In the vein of differences, I would like to talk about shoes. Namely, the fact that no one, no one every takes them off. I was warned about this ahead of time by a lovely gentleman at the student conference in Grand Rapids a couple months back, whose job it was to 'culturally prepare' all us outbounds, god help him. Mostly, it was warnings about greetings (everyone hugs and kisses to say hello, whether they know you or not. One well connected, polite person entering a meeting can take a whole 10 minutes to finish helloing and sit down. I've seen this first hand); warnings about alcohol (just cause it's there and you'll probably drink it doesn't mean you should get plastered and pass out into your hosts swimming pool. Apparently that's happened before, too. This is kind of a non-issue for me, because I am both mentally, morally, and physically opposed to alcohol. Even mildly fermented things like Kombucha make me feel sick). And, warnings about shoes. He said the whole shoe thing was because of an odd Mexican belief that if you walk on the stone floors (no one has carpet here) in bare feet, the cold will come up through your feet and into your bones, and make you sick (or something like that). I haven't heard anything like that here, but I think it may be some sort of culturally reasoning to deal with a much more basic problem (that's not such a foreign idea, American's have lots of them too. Mostly pertaining to food, for some reason). The reason being, the floors aren't really as safe as they look. Leaving alone the whole 'dirt is everywhere if your house is relatively open all the time' and the 'nothing's really clean in a sterile sense if the only water you have to clean it is full of bad bacteria' issues, I have found a couple of other reasons to hold on to. 1) When you don't have shoes on, it is much MUCH easier for someone with slippery feet to, well, slip on the slippery tile (snigger) and break their heads open on the edge of the couch (or at least get some really painful bruising. Ahem.). 2) Since no-one really has vacuum cleaners, it is much easier to end up needing a tetanus shot without shoes if, say, someone were to drop a glass of the splintery sort on the way out of the kitchen (ahem, herm hm). And 3) without shoes it is much easier to accidentally step on something, like, for example, something that may or may not have been really freaking big cockroach on the way to the bathroom at 12am, and not be able to go to sleep until 2am because even though bugs don't really scare you, you're wide awake wondering where on Earth that cockroach could possibly have been living, and if there is a lizard big enough to eat it and if there isn't, where you could buy one, and if you did, what would you name him (ahem herm *cough cough cough* hm hrm). I could say more, but do I really need to?