Preparations

So. I'm off to Mexico in... about... 28 days, 15 hours, 55 minutes, and approximately 21 seconds. And I got the brilliant idea of making a blog so that I don't have to email everyone I know updates about every little thing (ex: I just said "Hola" and someone responded! I just ate a tortilla! Oh my god, Olivia just fell on her ass!). I can just write in the blog and people can come read it if they want.

So, I guess we should start with some background information... I'm studying abroad in Mexico for almost 4 months with 9 other students from my school and one of our spanish professors (Violeta Ramsay- spanish-speaking bad ass). We're traveling all the way to Oaxaca, located in the southern part of the country. Here, I'll even find you a map!

Yeah, there it is, Oaxaca! It's pronounced wa-hawk-a. NOT oh-ax-a-ca. I'll pummel Tyler if he says that again ;) . We leave on February 6th at 6:30 in the morning, and we have to be at the airport at 4:30 am. FOUR-THIRTY!! I'm afraid Olivia and I won't make it to the airport from our hotel we're gonna get the night before. I'm afraid Olivia will be like, "ASHLEY OHMYGODOHMYGOD where the hell did I put my straightener!?! It was right here behind the coffeemaker last night! Did I drink it?? NO oh my god I'm retarded, we're gonna be late! And we're gonna miss our flight and everyone is gonna be wondering where we are and they'll all hate us and we'll be mugged by bad people and then we'll die!" And this will all be said in under 10 seconds. And then I will take her face in my hands and say, "OLIVIA! SHUT UP!" and she will and then we'll pack and move out and make it to the airport on time, just as I knew we would.

Anyways, preperations I have to make for this trip include getting my passport (check), taking my global seminar class about Oaxaca (check, and passed), seeing if I need to get any shots before leaving (oops...), registering with the government, probably some other stuff that i've forgotten, and figuring out what to pack. Apparently we're not supposed to wear shorts in Oaxaca, because it's like, slutty and whorish. So skirts it is! At least I'm going to Mexico where it'll be hot, as opposed to my friends Claire and Katie, who are in Ireland (still super awesome, but freezing their butts off). And while they'll be drinking Guiness in a pub and eating potatoes, I'll be sipping on some margaritas in the sun and eating... Oaxacan food, which I hear is pretty great, and spicy. That'll take some getting used to, but oh well!

I found out about my host family a couple days ago, I'm living with Doris and Remigio Leyva. Doris is a homemaker and Remigio works in Finance and Securities. They don't have any kids, which is a bit disappointing for me as I would have LOVED to have host-brothers and -sisters, but oh well. It says they have a housekeeper and that their mother-in-law visits 2 months out of the year. Olivia and I deduced that our families might be related, as they have the same last name, AND they live in the same neighborhood!

"I thought Ramsay wanted to separate us..." Olivia said to me over the phone. Ramsay did indeed make a little joke at the brunch we all had before the last term ended, about how everyone would be separated into different groups when we go places, including Olivia and Ashley. "Everyone, try to support them while they go through this hard time..." She said, smirking at us. We sat like children with our arms crossed, defiantly stating that we did NOT spend every moment together.

"I can't believe she said that!" Livey said after the brunch.

Charlotte looked at us and snorted. "Psh, I can, I was expecting it."

"Me too!" Ally added. And then they laughed.

Anyways, it looks like we're living very close to each other anyways. :)

So now I'm simply waiting for this month to go by, spending as much time as I can with my family and my boyfriend before we depart on this GRAND ADVENTURE.