It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside…

Nope, no parasites… not that I know of. I’m talking of the blend of homesickness mixed with senioritis. I’m wrapping up my time here in Mexico and starting to look forward to the next thing. But the good news is if there was ever a place to be in idle it’s here. There is still the beach, unexplored taco stands, and new things to learn. For example, right now I am learning how to give pap smears. Yes, that might be an over share. I don’t know if that knowledge will ever come in handy but it is interesting.

These last couple weeks have been full of adventure. My friend Caitlin came and visited me for two weeks. It really felt like vacation for both of us. The high light was a trip to Guadalajara. The continental Mexico is where the fun is. Guadalajara is a beautiful colonial city with a tradition of the arts. While there we went to a Folkloric Ballet. The outfits and dancing were a much jazzed up version of the annual “Fiesta Cultural” held at my elementary school.

Speaking of fiesta cultural, last weekend was indeed very cultural. My coworkers invited me to Tepic the capital of Nayarit. (Short geography lesson: Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco. Jalisco’s capital is Guadalajara. I work north of Vallarta in the city of Mezcales which is in Nayarit. Jalisco is one of the richest states and Nayarit is starting to boom as developers head north of Vallarta.) Tepic is very very country. We even went further to the country for a celebration in a neighboring city. The celebration included a parade starting at midnight – only in Mexico. Then we carried our cooler full of beer around to different bands playing Banda music.

A note about Banda, before moving to Mexico I thought that some people listened to Banda/Ranchera – the Mexican sounding polka/marching band music. (here’s a link to one of my favorite songs http://www.yupimusica.com/videos-de-julion-alvarez/video-de-la-cancion-las-mulas-de-moreno-de-julion-alvarez/.) I’ve found that actually the majority listen to Banda around here. Furthermore, I have yet to meet a man who knows how to dance salsa – perhaps a cause of my homesickness? While men here do not salsa, they do the “hug, jump, and whirl” to Banda. So, this last weekend included a lot of “hug, jump, and whirl” while drinking Modelo, riding around in friends’ pick-up trucks drinking Modelo, and oddly enough, nausea. I can safely say I have gone where no gringa has gone before.