Estoy una gringa en Mexico

Today is my first official day on my own. Monday, I went to classes and checked out the MBA campus with Rob and crew, and Rob skipped class yesterday in favor of resting (he's been ridiculously sick...let's add this to the growing list of reasons that I don't plan to visit China, shall we?!).

I started off by heading to this adorable-looking coffee shop around the corner, and found that it's primarily a bubble-tea shop. The guy who worked there was rad and realized that my Spanish isn't the greatest. He helped me practice, and made an interesting concoction as my beverage: cold coffee and some caramel-y liquid heated up in the microwave, then tossed in a blender with God-knows-what, and poured over a bunch of those little tapioca bubble things. Odd, yes. Surprisingly good, yup. After a few minutes of conversing (and my asking if there were any Spanish language schools nearby - more on that later), I left feeling pretty good - and not entirely incapable of holding an elementary level conversation in Spanish.

my cafe, complete with a giant straw, for sucking up the little tapioca balls, I'm told...

I headed to the undergrad campus (a.k.a. ITESM - Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey...or something) to soak up some sun, be outside the apartment, and immerse myself in some language. The campus looks just like San Diego State's campus, so I'm immediately at ease there. The place has random wildlife roaming free: deer chewing up the lawns and peacocks that scream like cats.

damn, I need to work on my photo skills...although in my defense, it was full-on noontime sun

after screaming it's head off, the peacock totally chased a couple of cats away from their food, and started eating from the dish!

The style here is definitely LA-esque. I've seen jeans tucked into boots, those random lightweight scarves, funky sunglasses, Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts, Coach & Fendi bags, you name it...
(sidenote/rant: Missing, however, are emo-bangs. Specifically mine. I'm HATING these things right now...they're too freaking short and I look like a fourth grader. Grow, damn you, grow!)
Although I feel like I totally stand out, after taking a minute to really look around, I'm definitely not the only gringa here, even outside of the T-bird population...


Rob will be in class for another few hours, during which I plan to head to the local pharmacia & 7-11 in hopes of finding some delicious (non-taco) goodness to whip up for dinner. We have eaten out every night since we arrived, and it's getting old. We found a stellar hamburger/torta place, an expensive Italian restaurant, and have eaten more tacos than necessary. With WalMart a short, perfectly safe, 30P cab ride from here, I'll play it safe and not venture there alone (you're welcome, Mom!).

Spanish school: Okay, so in Antigua, Guatemala, there are Spanish schools on every cobblestone block. Seriously. I figured that, since Monterrey is growing exponentially in tourism popularity, there would be at least one here. I've asked the school that Rob's attending, the administration at our apartment complex, and just about every shopkeeper in a 3-block radius, to no avail. UGH! We're currently emailing people back home who have done business/Rotary work here in hopes that they can steer us in any direction. I'd KILL to be conversant, and will feel lame if I leave here without some mad Spanish skills.

I'll leave you with one final pic: Rob on the steps of our apartments...the window over his left shoulder is mine!