I am listening to music and sipping on tea. It's quite nice. My eyes are burning from studying though.

Classes began at Universal Language school yesterday. I was a little bit, no, I was very nervous after the first 15 minutes of class. I could already tell that I had selected a class that would be way below my level. But, when I had to choose the class I was in my first quarter of 200-level Spanish at SU and wasn't sure where I would fall in the curriculum of 2nd-year (200-level) Spanish as it operates in the semester system which I am enrolled in through Augsburg at Universal. Did you catch that? Basically, I have taken the equivalent of 3/4 of the first semester of 200-level Spanish, so the class I selected would have been mostly review. Luckily, I discussed my concern with the advisor and my professor at Universal and then with our coordinator here for Augsburg and the all agreed to bump me up the second semester of 200-level Spanish. I attended this class today and feel like it will be a good fit for me. I did not want to waste a second of my opportunity to learn Spanish here. With only three weeks to cover a semester's worth of material, every day counts. Plus, I REALLY want to be as fluent as possible when I come home in May. I like my professor and the long days of round-table discussion and learning she facilitates for four students and myself. The workload is a little boggling, but I've been through worse.
A little glimpse of my morning routine: I wake up at 6am so I can walk at 6:30 and catch sunrise. Then I start studying at 7 or 7:15 and am embibing coffee by 7:30 when my "decaffeinated headache" begins to seize my brain. I sit in the little study room underneath the dining room, so I can hear when the pan dulce delivery comes as the bell rings in the kitchen to signal their arrival! Breakfast time! I study, check e-mails, and then go to class which starts at 9am.
Class lasts until 1pm. We have 3 breaks. I usually either walk around, play ping pong, or check e-mails during the short one, but Vinnie and I like to study together out-loud during our thirty minute break.
After class anything is possible, but right now I am flooded with homework. I have two SOCW papers due on Friday (which really equates to Thursday because we are leaving to go to Mexico City to visit the U.S. Embassy immediately after class at 12noon Friday) and a Spanish exam. I enjoy this though. I like the material and am still finding time to be present to the culture, city, and my fellow classmates. Today I went to the gym with Vinnie, which was a workout in itself going uphill for 30minutes on foot. Unfortunately, once we found the place, we were told we needed ID to enter (for security). Some good came out of it though:we were able to see the place and he told us we could have a student discount! oh goody. We also stopped at a store for dark chocolate...another one of life's necessities ;) I also caught local students and student bands from the neighborhood schools having a parade down our street. They stopped in front of our house to play for us.
Although I called my mom fretting about my future career choice (and lack of clarity regarding the issue), in general I must say that I am pretty happy to just BE while I am in Mexico. I am doing my best to live in the present and to not think too hard about why's, what if's, and how's of my future. I am pretty sure that I can not forsee what this experience will make of me, or how I might be transformed until much later in the process. So, I am just "rolling with the punches" so to speak and taking life one very long day at a time. I still do as much as possible, but I feel like my life is fairly well-balanced. That in itself is a new experience for me. I've always wondered what it felt like...so far, so good.

All my love.