Monterrey so far!

Well, my first official entry! I decided to start this blog to keep friends and family updated while I am in Monterrey Mexico for my semester abroad, so that is just what I am doing!
So far, I have been here since January 6, so that is a little less than a week. It doesn't seem like it has been that long! Our week has been so busy that it has just flown by. We have had meetings and orientation, but that's the boring stuff! I will try to summarize as best I can what I have experienced this past week:

First of all, the beauty of Monterrey is absolutely breathtaking. The mountains are everywhere you look. They are covered in trees or bushes, and at the base are many houses. It's almost as if these houses are the poorest and most rundown, but at the same time, they have the best spot to live in the city! At one of our orientation meetings they mentioned different trips the international students can go on, and one of them is to climb the mountain. As soon as I got here, I kept thinking, "I want to climb the mountain!" And now I probably can!

We also went to el centro, or the downtown area. Basically it is a few streets of a lot of shopping. The stores are relatively cheap, with relatively decent quality clothes. And almost every other store is a zapateria, or shoe store. It's heaven for a girl! We also explored the barrio antiguo, or the old neighborhood, which is cobblestone streets lined with old buildings. Later in the night we went back for a club. It is completely different at night..a completely changed atmosphere. In el centro the plaza has many statues and fountains which I think are worth visiting. It seems like a nice place to walk during the warmer months. I know there must be more to the city, because I have read about the museums and other attractions, so next time we go we will have to find them.

Other than the usual exploring, nothing really interesting has happened yet. I have been meeting quite a few international students at the orientation meetings, and they are really nice people. I think tomorrow when we start classes I will be able to start meeting some Mexican students, which is what I really want to do. It is fun hanging out with the international students, and I really like my room mates, but I want to speak more Spanish. We speak almost completely in Spanish with Sylvia, our host mom, but with a lot of the students we speak English.

I think for now, I have summarized my so far brief stay. I am sure as this next week finishes, I will have a lot to say about classes and other things I have experienced, but for now, SO LONG!