Cuernavaca and Buena Vista

Hello there everyone! Here I am again, finally able to use a computer. I had to wait in line, and again there's a line behind me, so this won't be quite as long as I'd like. We only have one computer and there's 14 of us!

First, a couple things I forgot to mention before:
-Have you ever heard a locust? Holy crap! Those things are loud and annoying and they sure don't sound like an insect.
-It's weird to throw your used toilet paper into a trash basket rather than the toilet.
-There's this weird bird that chirps RIGHT outside my window every morning at 6:30am. It's the strangest sound I've ever heard!

Monday evening:
Honestly, right now I can't remember anything that happened on Monday, except that we ate dinner at a very nice restaurant. I ate vegetable lasagna and a "flaming" dessert - strawberries jubilee.

Tuesday:
We went to Buena Vista, a rural community about an hour south of Cuernavaca. What a ride! I should've taken a Dramamine. We went through some more mountains. (Misty, you might not believe this, but these mountains put the Smoky's to shame!) In the town we visited a school for disabled children. It was closed for cleaning, though, because of a scorpion infestation. (Nice, huh?) Then we visited another elementary school and got a tour. We caused quite the disruption in the classrooms when the kids saw us. They all loved having their pictures taken, which was good because we had fun taking their picture! They sang us a song and then they wanted us to sing to them. We were caught off guard a bit, but ended up singing "If you're happy and you know it," motions and all. Of course, they had no idea what we were saying, so I think they thought we were a little goofy.

We also visited a factory that makes Dockers brand pants. Wow. It's interesting to see how things are made, especially things that are relatively expensive. I have lots of pictures to show. We visited a leather shop and watched a man making things out of leather. Misty, I bought you something here. :) Then we went back to the Cemanahauc school in Buena Vista and we made our own dinner - homemade tortillas and quesadillas and tamales. In case you're wondering, I'm not starving and I haven't had to eat meat yet. I've been taking pictures of the food I've eaten.

We were all totally wiped out from Buena Vista. It was incredibly hot and we did a lot of walking. The roads are so bizarre; they are not flat. They are either uphill or downhill, some are dramatically uphill and downhill! It was built in the side of a mountain, though.

Wednesday:
Today we did a walking tour of Cuernavaca. We visited a church, a palace, and a museum. We saw a huge mural painted by Diego Rivera. (A very famous artist, in case you don't know.) This afternoon we had some free time. This evening we have a lecture and then we can go back into town again for dinner. Many of us are just going to stay at the hotel. I haven't been feeling well (intestinal issues), so I'm going to rest.

I've had a lot of fun reading and hearing Spanish everywhere. I understand a lot of what I see and hear, although speaking is whole other ball game. People understand me, but I know it's not perfect.

Mary, in case you're wondering, Odelet is behaving herself for the most part. I don't know if I can say the same about Anita, though! :)

I know there's much more to say, but I can't think of it now. I'll try to write again before the trip is over. Hasta luego!