Jeff won´t let me buy a machete. WAH.

Can´t a girl buy a big scary knife when she wants? Perhaps it´s punishment for last night. We went out to dinner with Mateo, a fellow student, and while at the restaurant we enjoyed a lot of loud hispanic music. It was good music, but then I got the idea to request songs - there was a DJ, it´s not my fault - DJ´s call to me. But surprisingly there was no Jay Z, Luda or Timbaland, so we just said yes to musica americana. Oooops.

For the next half hour we listened, LOUDLY, to some Richard Marx, Poison, Seanad O´Conner, that Don´t Worry Be Happy song. UGH. Needless to say we cleared most of the place out. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.

Salsa lessons were great the other night! Per the teacher Jeff and I were doing a really good job although the turns are a bit tricky. I believe we get to go again this week so we can practice more. Very fun.

Then we went to a glass factory on Friday and although all the workers were gone, we got to watch a sweet video on how they make all the glass bowls, cups, etc. The other students said on Monday they went to a chocolate factory that also happened to be closed and they watched videos...I´m starting to wonder if this is a scam. Just kidding. Kind of. On Saturday, however, the volcano was open so no video that day. Just a LOT of uphill walking. Clearly I´m way out of shape, but at the crater of the volcano was a lake and we walked around that. Very beautiful (see picture above). There were some great views of other volcanos and the walk down was much more pleasant than the walk up.

We also found ducks in our family´s backyard - so a dog, a parrot, a fish and ducks. I still don´t want to touch any of them but the Parrot, Thomas, won´t be quiet unless you give him some tortilla so I have had to do that once or twice. I don´t get any closer than necessary - he likes to bite. Ew.

The food is pretty good and our family switches it up every day so that´s nice. The only food I didn´t like so far was some soup with nasty legumes in it. But I ate it - I´ll eat whatever they put in front of me and give it to jeff when they aren´t looking if need be. We have only eaten out twice with students, otherwise we prefer to eat at home (its free there). There´s also a GREAT bread place called Xelapan (xela is the town we´re in and pan is bread in espanol). Yummy cookies and breads. Down the street there is a billboard for Taco Bell and so help me I will find where they are hiding that Taco Bell. You can´t tease me with a billboard and not give me beans!!

Adios for now!