Foreign Films

Last semester when I found out we had to watch a movie in Spanish I wasn't too excited about it. I had never watched a movie in Spanish and I didn't want to have to read subtitles. Yo estaba muy sorprendido. The Motorcycle Diaries was SO good. It got to the point where I didn't even realize I was having to read the subtitles because I was so into the movie. This semester I was excited about getting to watch a Spanish movie again. Tenia muchas ganas de ver Volver. It looks like it would be a really good movie. I was kind of skeptical about watching The Devil's Backbone, but it is turning out to be really good too. Me gusta mucho el cine espanol ahora. I am an avid movie watcher and will now add a new genre to my interests!

I need a vacataion...

Necesito unas vacaciones. Malo. My best friend is getting married this summer and told me the other day that they are going to Puerto Vallarta for their honeymoon. I am so jealous! I have never been there so I did a little research and it looks like a pretty amazing place to visit. Yo quiero planear un viaje alli. The beaches, from what I can see in the pictures, are beautiful. Just sitting on the beach reading a book would be perfect for me but there is a whole lot more to do there. Tal vez pueda ir despues de la graduacion. I doubt my parents will get me that for graduation, but it would be nice!

Friendly whales!

Me encanta el mar! I have been many times and my favorite part was getting to see all the cool stuff in the water. Once, when I was in the Cayman Islands, I got to swim with and feed stingrays! Tiene miedo al principo. They were friendly little things. We fed them squid and got to hold one. They are so smooth. I read where a whale in Mexico swam up to some people in a boat! They even got to touch it! como loco? That would have been awesome to see! Hopefully I will get to experience something similar some day!

The worst kind of flood...

Esto is grave. I would hate to have my home flood in the first place, but to have it flooded with raw sewage? Sick! 200 casas fueron afectados por este. There were no fatalities of the 500 hundred people involved but there were a few minor injuries. They are hoping to have this taken care of by Sunday. Es olor tiene que ser horrible. I can't imagine how it is going to be for those people who have to go back into their homes after this type of disaster. There is no way the smell can go away any time soon.

Fires in Mexico

Mexico esta muy caliente! Just like here in the U.S., fires are breaking out every where. Fire officials in Mexico had to call for back up from the U.S. Thousands of acres have been burned because of this wildfire. Bomberos podría dejar que el fuego quema. As of now there aren't any structures in danger so the risk of letting the fire burn, while also being contained in a way, will more than likely be the easiest route. Sondidos de miedo para mi! I wouldn't want to be anywhere near those fires!

Easter in Mexico

Pascua no es sólo un día en México. Easter celebrations last a whole week in Mexico. It is to celebrate what they gave up for lent, Christ's life, and many other Mexican traditions. Muchas personas tienen grande fiestas. Others put on a play about Christ's life. It isn't a small play either. La mayoria de prepararse para un ano entero. I didn't really realize that there were so many Easter traditions in Mexico. Domingo de Ramos también se está viendo hacia arriba. It should be an exciting time in most hispanic families and cultures.

Bad things just keep on happening...

It was reported that 59 bodies were found on a ranch in Mexico yesterday. Mas cuerpos se espera encontrar. Authorities discoverd 8 mass graves on the ranch. When I read this it made me think of some of the things that happened during the holocaust. The thought of a mass grave is mind blowing. Como puede la gente ser tan terrible? Killing just to kill is pure evil. Los responsables deben ser torturado. Hopefully the authorities will find the people responsible and have the worst kind of punishment waiting. Some believe the killers were part of a drug ring. It wouldn't surprise me if that was true.

Missing from a disney cruise

Going on a cruise was one of my most favorite vacations ever! Los barcos son enormes. It was very easy to get lost on the ship. A Disney cruise ship reported one of their crew members missing from the ship when she didn't show up for work one morning. ¿Dónde podría estar? I can't imagine how the crew member's family must feel. Investigaters have searched the ship and have yet to find her. They are still investigating, but have yet to release the name of the missing woman. No creo que ella está en el barco. It would have been really easy for someone to tiss this missing woman over the side of the ship. It is scary to think about but very possible.

Kids and the drug wars...

I can't even imagine growing up in a place that has so much violence that parts of Mexico has today. Estos chicos han visto cosas horribles. No me gusta que para ellos. This article that I read is about a competition that kids in Mexico could enter about drawing their interpretation of the last 200 years since Mexico's Independance. Instead, it turned out that the main entries were of what these children see everyday in Mexico. These drawings were of killings and bombings and dead bodies they would see lying in the street. Es dificil de imaginar. You can read more about it in the article, but it is a crazy story.

No Go Mexico

Otra advertencia de no viajar a México. Carnival Cruise decided to suspend travel to Mexico for a while. There is so much violence going on these in Mexico these days that I am getting the feeling that no one is safe there. Yo tendría miedo por mis hijos si yo fuera un padre. I even saw where WT sent out an e-mail warning students of the dangers in Mexico for Spring Break travel. Es triste que las cosas están tan mal. I sure hope Mexican officails can get some sort of handle on this situation. It is getting to a point where there is probably not much that can be done to prevent random killings and what not. Hopefully those who are brave enough to travel to Mexico go to safe places and have no troubles.

Service Activity

Me encanta estar con los niños de primer grado hoy! Those little kids were cracking me up! Martha and I read our story to them and I think they really enjoyed it. The students were really involved and asking and answering questions. Creo que realmente le gusta. Sé que le gusta recibir dulces! Martha and I did our lesson over the colors. Some of the students already knew what some of the spanish words were but many of them did not. One of the kids said he made a verde light saber. Ha! All and all our lesson went really well. They seemed to enjoy having us there. Teaching is what I am in school for so I was pretty much in my element. It was fun!

Mexico: A Spring Break No-No

Me encantaría ir a México para las vacaciones de primavera. Me broma. I think I will be staying away from Mexico this year. I read an article that said DPS is advising travelers to stay away from Mexico this spring break. The drug wars are in full force and there is no telling when they will end. Innocent people are dying everyday because of these drug wars. Me gustaría tienen miedo todos los días. It worries me to think about the families that are living through all of this. I would never let my kids out of my sight, if I had any. Estas guerras de las drogas no es necesario. Hopefully things will be under control sometime in the near future.

Golfing in Paradise

Me mucho gusto la playa. Yo estado en las playas en México muchas veces. I also love playing golf and have actually gotten to play at a golf course when I was in Playa del Carmen. The PGA Tour is currently there and Chris Stroud, a 29 year old golfer, took a 3 stroke lead with 63 earlier today. If you don't know much about golf that is kind of a big deal. Tener por lo menos puntos es el mejor. He hasn't won yet, obviously, because there are still more games to be played. But if he has a few more days like he did today, he will probably be able to win the PGA Tour. I am definitely not good enough to play professionally, but playing in paradise wasn't so bad!

Still safe to travel to Mexico?

According to Matt Reed from the Associated Press, Mexico is still a hot spot for Spring Break travel this year. Las reservas no han sufrido esta temporada. The most popular places being booked for Spring Break are Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Cancun. As long as guests stay in a resort area there should be no danger or harm near. La guerra contra las drogas están más cerca de la frontera. Even though they say these places are perfectly safe for tourists and what not I still don't think I would let my child go down there for Spring Break. I wouldn't even want to go there right now. The reason for so many people making plans to head that way for vacation is because of fairly inexpensive prices to stay there. La economía está creciendo lo que los precios son razonables. I have been to Cozumel a few years ago and it was beautiful and such a fun time. It is amazing how quickly things can change from year to year. I'm sure it is still beautiful, but I just wouldn't feel very safe.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

This past weekend I went to Albuquerque with a couple of friends. No hicimos mucho, pero tuvimos un buen momento. We ate at two restaurants that were on the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Los dos estaban deliciosos. One night we ate at the Monte Carlo Steakhouse and the next day we had lunch at the Standard Diner. Each one had such different atmospheres but were equally a good experience. Yo recomendaría a nadie, estos restaurantes. Needless to say we had a good time in Albuquerque this past weekend!

Taco Soup!

Me encanta cocinar. Ya que ha sido tan frio de los ultimos dias decidi hacer una sopa. I have made taco soup before but I wanted something new. I looked up some recipies and decided on a slow cooker taco soup. Estoy totalmente de cocina sobre la fácil y fácil de limpiar. The good thing about a recipe like this is you can prepare it in the morning and by the time you get home from work or school in the evening, supper is already done! Stay warm and make you some taco soup!

Mexican Drug Wars

No puedo creer que la intensidad de estas guerras de drogas en México. Estas personas involucradas son despiadados y harán cualquier cosa para conseguir lo que quieres. There is always something in the news about the drug wars and how another group got caught, people died, and so on. I watch a show called Weeds. It is one of my favorites but I never really thought that the things that happened on that show could actually be true. There was one episode where some guys involved in the drug war killed a man and put him in acid so there would be no DNA. Curiosamente, acabo de escuchar en las noticias el otro día que en realidad hacer las cosas por el estilo. Here is a link if you want to read more about some of the stuff going on. Drug News