Los primeros dias....

Well, I made it! After a night of not much sleep, we headed to the Appleton airport bright and early. I was very happy to discover that my suitcases weighed less than 50 lbs. and that I would not have to pay the extra $80 fee. My shoulders were sore by the end of the day from carrying two full and heavy carry-on bags, but it was worth it since I was able to bring pretty much everything I had wanted. I arrived to the Guadalajara airport ahead of schedule and flew through customs. When I walked through the glass doors, I was excited to see my friend, Gaby. When I walked through the doors, however, I saw many Mexicans, but none of them Gaby. I didn´t panick since I figured he would be a couple minutes late (he typically functions on ¨Mexican¨ time which is always a few minutes behind ¨American¨ time). When 25 minutes had gone by, I began to get a little nervous. I started planning out how I would ask a friendly face to help me find a phone card so that I could call him from a pay phone. Before I had time to set off on my first adventure, however, I saw him walking toward me. He helped me load my suitcases into the back of his truck, and he, his friend, Diego, and I started the hour and half trek from Guadalajara to La Piedad. I was excited to be back in Mexico but still hadn´t fully processed that I had arrived and would not be headed back to the U.S. for at least 4 and a half months. A few minutes into the drive, we made a stop at an OXXO (a very popular convenience store that can be found throughout Mexico) and I bought a bag of Cheetos and a big bottle of water (I had to include that fact for Kristi - I´ve been addicted to the Cheetos here ever since I studied abroad three years ago). As we continued driving, I began to remember all the reasons I love Mexico. The crazy driving, the trucks full of armed soldiers, the ridiculously expensive tolls to pay. When we finally arrived to Gaby´s house in La Piedad, I didn´t know exactly what to expect. Most of the houses in Mexico aren´t very large or elaborate. As the gated entrance opened I was somewhat in awe as I saw a big in-ground pool, jacuzzi, and three motorcycles parked out front. When I walked through the front door I continued to be impressed. The house was very large and very nicely decorated - not at all typical of Mexico. Gaby lead me upstairs to what would be my own room with attached bathroom - again, better than what I had expected. We then ate some lunch (which was delicious of course) and sat and talked with other family members. Later, I went to the city center for an ice cream treat. I ended up getting a ¨paleta, pina con chile¨¨- a pineapple with chile popsicle. We then met up with a couple of Gaby´s friends, had some tacos al pastor for dinner and then called it a night. Today has been a pretty relaxed day. After going out to eat some tacos for breakfast, we went back to the house and I swam and laid out by the pool for awhile. We then went out for lunch, sat around talking at the house for awhile, and now I´m at an internet cafe while Gaby goes to the gym. This evening we´re planning on meeting up with Memo (another friend from Tequilas) to go have some micheladas (beer with lime, salt, and chile). It´s kind of bizarre to be seeing people I´m used to seeing in La Crosse in a place so far away. Tomorrow Gaby and I are going with a couple of his friends on a day trip to Guanajuato. I´m excited since it´s another place I´ve never been. This has been an extremely long and detailed account of my first 28 hours and while I can´t promise that all my posts will be like this, I will promise to do my best. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone already and can´t wait to share all my crazy adventures. Un abrazo grande para todos!!