Queretaro

Pictures: Top- view of Queretaro Middle- Sunday market in Mexico City

Bottom- Madelynn at a park in Mexico City

We arrived in Queretaro on Sunday. It was pretty overwhelming getting there and arriving. We took a taxi from our hotel to the bus station, bought tickets to Queretaro (about a 3 hour bus ride) and then once we got to Queretaro, had to take another bus to our casa. It was a little overwhelming for me to see all of the extreme poverty in Mexico City and on the outskirts. Canals full of raw sewage, crumbling buildings, trash everywhere in empty lots. Although one thing I have noticed is that everyone I have seen here dresses very nicely. Makes me feel downright frumpy with as nice as everyone looks! Queretaro is so different from Mexico City.
The air quality in Mexico City was pretty polluted and it's hard to comprehend how big it is. Queretaro is much smaller (500K people vs. 28 million people) and the air is so nice and clear here. It's really hot, but our casa stays pretty cool during the day. Queretaro is beautiful! Our senora showed us around the historical colonial district yesterday, and it reminded us a lot of Europe. Very beautiful. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, so next time we go there, we'll get pictures. We did get a gorgeous dress for Madelynn, in the traditional style of the region. It is hand embroidered.

Each day, speaking and understanding Spanish is becoming much easier for us. It's amazing how fast we've been picking it up. Madelynn doesn't seem to care what language anyone speaks- she just wants to smile and flirt with everyone. The people here are wonderful, and the food is so good. I had one of the most amazing meals I have ever had in my life yesterday at a restaurant in the central historical area. All of the families and students ate a big meal together for comida (like lunch, but usually about 2-3 pm instead) Getting used to eating the big meal of the day in the afternoon is a bit of an adjustment, because we're so used to dinner being the big meal, but it's all good. We are living with our Senora, Patricia, and her son, Ricardo, who is a law student. Her sister, Lupita, comes over a lot, too. She's our Tia. So far, we are really enjoying our experience here, even though it's only been a few days!