Lesley`s Mexico Rotary Youth Exchange

Thats right people!!!
Guess whos back Guess whos back Guess whos back na nana!!!
i am now in CANADA!!!!!
The wonderful, chilly and exhilerating GREAT WHITE NORTH is where its at!!!
i arrived into canada at 11:00pm vancouver time (1:00am  my time in mexico!) adn got to see my parents at around 12:00ish.  I was soo happy because the nice people at Mexicana airlines didn’t charge me for my extra weight!!!! it was awesoem!! but then getting both of my bags by myself was kinda a hassel!! Since they both weigh over 23kilos each (over 50 pounds each). But i did it!!!!

I shall be arriving home late night on the 14th soooo YES!!!
I am feelign a little wierd about being in canada. it kinda feels surreal but i thik my LONG drive home might fix that! so see you all soon!!!!!!

So I am now into my final weeks here in Mexico and I am having mixed feelings.  I can’t decide whether I am happy to be going home soon or sad about it because I feel both of these emotions.

I really do love mexico and my families and all my friends here. The4 friends I have from school as well as all the friends I have that are also on exchange!! I want to stay here and see them and talk to them and have fun like we do now but I also feel that it has been soo long since I have seen my friends from Canada.  And I miss them and I do want to see them and hang out with them and make memories but I almost feel like I want them to come here to mexico not me go back to canada. I don’t know if its the thought that i will have to go back to the ways i was before or that i’m going to be losing hte person i am here.

i don’t really know anymore but i do love both mexico and canda so i guess it’ll work out eventually.

Well this will be my second to last report. Yet again no meetings or anything to do with rotary except fro my trip to Acapulco with all the other exchange students.  Our good-bye trip!! It was kinda sad. Before the group of canadians stood tall and proud, we had 7 exhcange students from our country. But now there are only three canadians remaining (actually now just me, everyone else left). Tom, Megh, and myself were all that were left! we also felt like idiots when we did our walk with all the oher exhcange students with our blazers and flags, and we didn’t have a canadian flag!! All the Canadians who had had flags (Vanessa, Alina, Caitlyn, and Taylor) all had returned home. So we put on our very best smiles , and our bright red blazers and walked with our heads held high. After the walk a picture was taken, and it is not dificult fo see where are the canadians (reference to “Where’s Waldo”) but you will not be able to find our grand flag.
  As for health well…… I have recently had a stomach infectio. I was bitten by a bug too, and yet again I needed to get 2 MORE injections into my bottom because my lag was swelling and hurting. my leg looked like I had a pussing tumorfro about 2 weeks.It was soo gross how I was able ot tough it and…. I wont get into that.
  Anyhow I am doing well at the moment so I’m happy. I’ve been wearing sunscreen everyday (on my face spf15) so that I wont get burnt (again) and drinking LOTS of water so I wont get almost-sunstroke (again).
  As for one very important thing I found out taht if my FM3 (visa) was not registered, my host parents would have to pay $2000 pesos when I leave the country! So when I went to complete my FM3 last week (all I had left to do wassign it and put my thumb prints on it) I asked the immigration officiers if I needed to come back and register but he said that since I had completed my FM3 in Mexico , I was already registered!! I was so happy to find out I wouldn’t have to go back to the immigration office again and that my host family wouldn’t need to pay the $2000 pesos.
So I’m doing well and having fun, see you guys soon!!

SOOOO…..

2 of my very good friends are now gone. Kenzie left to Alaska last Thursday and Alina left this morning.  It’s kinda depressing but I guess I’ll get over it.  I still have Kenzies last twighlight book “Breaking Dawn” and her sandles and I have Alina’s book “How to be Canadian” so I plan on sending them those along with some mexican goodies to cheer them up.

By the looks of the news lately (they say that mexico is no in a declining stage) I might actually go back to school on Wednesday. I’ll get to see all my friends again!! The last time I saw a lot of my friends I had gone over to Maria’s house for a little meet up last week and got o see Maria, Carito, Yordi, Gelo, Gelo’s brother (can’t remember his name), and the guy who could drive (I can’t remember his name either). It was kinda interesting. A little short ‘cause I had to be home at 9:30 and I had gone there at around 8 with Carito and it was only Carito, Maria, and I for about an hour maybe an hour and 15 mintes.  Anyways Isometimes juststart feeling awkward at these things because I don’t know what to do, what to talk about, and all that jazz but I guess I’m holding my own if I get invited to these things.

My new host family is AMAZING!! They are soo nice!!  They live right by the Molino, a private sprts club with 1 cement volleyball court, 1 sand voleyball court, 2 basketball courts, 4 outdoor tennis courts, 2 squash courts, 1 pool, 1 soccer field, a trail to jog, and in hte change rooms are showers and steam saunas!! So I like going there and now that I haven’t done any serious training I REALLY am slow and can’t do too much with out feeling tired, so I will have to try and get back into shape. My cardio is orrble and I ca’t run as much as I used to be able to. But back to my family, My host dad is the president for one of the other rotary clubs in my town, my host mom cooks and cleans all the house because she doesn’t want to hire a maid, and my host sister on exchange is my age and she is in France, my other host sister, who is younger than me and is in the other private school not my one, is realy nice and kind and we will watch movies together adn stuff.  She helps me with my spanish.  I think she is around 13.

My family has 2 dogs both blonde labradores.

My turtle Pepe is stil alive and din well.  Now that my host parents said that he can live in my room but only as long as his bowl stays clean I can take better care of him.

I was happy to heaer from my family yesterday. I gotto speak to one of my brothers fro the first time in a very long time. Well that may not be right, we spoke about a month agobut only saying hi and then he had to go because the connection was bad.  But this is the first time in a LONG time that we have actually really talked to each other. We are probably going to have to give each other the spanish inquisition once I’m home but I wont really mind, I have many questions to ask right back.

Now I just need to call up my other brother or maybe I should Skype him? Hmmm.. I should probably Skype my parents too.

Maybe that’s how I’ll keep in touch with my friends that are leaving!! I’llsend them stuff, postcards, e-mails and I‘ll Skype with them!!!

Hasta la vista.

Well at the moment everything just seems to be getting crazier and crazier.
Numerous flights are being delayed and canceled through out The Republic of Mexico.
Kenzie is going home on Thursday. She is from Alaska.
Alina is going home Monday. She is from Québec.
Caitlyn is going home Saturday. She is from BC.
Vanessa said she would be going.
Kali is highly considering it.
All the rest of us talk everyday with our families and check the news often through out the day.
Its getting a little intense.
My friend Maria said that they are considering sending us to school during the summer instead of now as a compensation for all the school we may be missing.
We are being told by tv ads, parents and the news to stay home if possible.
Saying hi the mexicna way is now out of the question. (where you do a kiss on the cheek/shake hands)
I’m a little worried but my host parents believe with protection and care we will be fine fro the most part. But the flu has aleady reached Puebla and I later found out that it is my city too. Actually a boy in the grade above mine may have caught it (they aren’t really sure) and so for the whole day he was at school he may have contaminated someone who may have contaminated someone else who may have contaminated someone else…. And so on.

Well most of my day is spent lazing around, with there being no school and all I get bored easily and spend my time watching the TV and such. But today I got up EARLY and did my laundry at 6:30 ( I actually only got up that early because I wanted to go to the Molino in the morning but I didn’t make it so I plan to go tomorrow morning and afternoon. Also today I made fudge with my little sister (she’s only a few years younger than me but we get along Great!!!) and then we went into town to get some new movies. When we got back we got scolded by my host father because we ad forgotten to wear face masks when we had left and we couldn’t find a single pharmacy that had any (we checked at least 5 pharmacies). And we didn’t have any hand sanitizer.
She bought “camp rock” the new “Hannah Montana movie” and “The Jonas Brothers in concert”.
I bought a new magazine which I LOVE!!!! It’s called INFASHION.
I’m also finding my addiction to music is coming back but It’s hard to satisfy because I can’t use iTunes or Limewire. So I’ve signed on to you tube to ease my addiction.
I believe I shal have to recomened some songs and fro what age groups and what occasions I recommend them for.
Well tootles for now, voy a escribir mas manana. Hasta luego.

Well currentley me parents are in mexico!!! It’s wonderful, fabulous, and great! I can show them tons of things that they have never seen before. I can speak about them right in front of them and they don’t even know what I’m saying! Those kinds of things!
I have introduced my parets to a tiny little part of mexico but it is a part I have come to LOVE!!!  Hahaha  Well i am now going to places I have nevre really been to before and looking through thier eyes at how everything they see is different and interesting.  My dad may become obsessed with mariachi bands but that i maight be able to handle  We have not really traveled but I’m fine with that.  We are trying to get in as much culture a possible ( that does tend to mean less shopping but I guess I can live with that). 
My parents have already bought me a dress and sandels (gladiators! I love them!!!!) So i can live with out shopping for the moment.
I’ll wrie a bit more a little later on with details and such!

Well I know i haven`t written in a VERY long time and I am sorry about that!! So here is a bit of a catch up on things that have been happening in my life recently:
I went on my Rivera Maya trip
I got REALLY sick
I am in hte middle of a heat wave
Well that just about covers things! But I really should elaborate more on some of this!
Well I traveled soo much on my two week trip through the Rivera Maya! We went to San Christobel de las casas, Cancun, Xcrate, Playa del Carmen, and others!!!!
I got to see this amazing canyon with crocodiles and brids and monkeys and it was soo beautiful!
We also went to beaches and I got to swim with the fishies and do snorkeling in the open sea water in the Gulf of Mexico!  We had an amazing Time andI got to go to see some really interesting places! Sandy beaches and cool clubs!!
But in those final days of travelingback to Puebla and then on to Tehuacan I got REALLY sick! We were in Tabasco and i got really dizzy from just a littl walking so tehy took me adn Constance (she is from france) to the hospital and we both had toget shots and pills and syrum!!
I had a horrible cough (still do actually  ) and I was feverish and dizzy and they (being the doctors) said something about bronchile tubes and then i forgot what the ysaid after wards.But I eventually had to get another shot ( both of these shots having been in my glutious maximus!!).
Now i`m doing better but i am still greatlly affected by the things that go on around my and weather adn my emocions.
If I get too excited or angry or frustrated  my voice begins to sound like i`m going through puberty! But I am getting better slowly but surely I am gettign better!

My oh my! what have i done.  I seem to have gotten into more thatn i can handle and have now done something that I wsh had not happened. A mistake, a flaw in my control and judgement.  Uggh. If only turning back time could solve everything. But it can`t. Becasue i need to learn from this, I need to remember what happened, and i do remember; and learn from it.  What i shouldn`t have done, and what i shouldn`t do.  Mistakes are learning curves thrown at you to be the best lessons, you really should only think of it as a mistake if you don`t learn from it i guess.  well if you have any thoughts on mistakes let me hear them.

Well today i was supposed to play 2 games of soccer. So we wre told to show up at teh field for 10:30 and prctice before our game at 1 but hten we waited and waited and waited but no team showed up so they were put as forfeit and we automatically won our first game.So we then had to wait, outside on one of the hotest days in a very long time to find out that we had another game later on.  We lost this game, i was ut in net which i haven´t done in a VERY long time and i haven´t had any practice, adn i stayed out in the sun for 5 hours with out sun block.
Now i feel like a cross between santa and rudolph, red rosy cheeks and a red nose too! It actually hurts a bit to smile and make other facail expressions! and around my eyes my skin is normal, white so I look dead! UGH!! So i need to put on cream every half hour or so t stop my face from ffeling like it might melt of my bones!
The goal was filled with hard, dry ground and rocks so i scrapped up my arm a bit but that wil heal in time.

Well lately i have found that i will be speaking english and suddenly forget the word the i want to say adn so i will say it in spanish instead! Isn´t that wierd!
Also today i talked to Deklan, my friend on exhcange in france! We haven´t talked to eachother (voice wise) in about 6 or 7 months! So it was great to hear from him and find out how his life has been! He has been lucky (i think so at least) in that he will be going skiing!!
But I will be traveling the Ruta Maya in about 3 weeks time sooo i guess i´m pretty lucky too! And MOMMY AND DADDY ARE COMMING!!!!!  yeah my parents decided to come visit me easter weekend in april! I´m really excited about it!

LAso i have a challenge tomorrow! My friends were soo confident in my volleyball skills (which aren´t all that good they just happened to be watching me play three on one) that they bet with my gym teacher that one other preson and myself could win against him and our prefecto!!! And the loser has to buy tortas!! so i have to win tomorrow!I don´t want to pay!!! So me and my friend Gaby are gonna play tomorrow!

Also this weekend i have 2 soccer games! And i will FINALLY get my jersey!! i´ve been requesting one for soo long! YAY!!! so i´m quite happy about that and my jersey for volleyball should be coming soon! But my fitness is really doen so i hope i hold up since coach wants me to play the whole game.  Here i´m defense, htey wanted me to be goalie but then the defense was too weak so they put me in d.
Soo right now i´m faring pretty well. goign to be takign ome salsa classes aswell as volleyball nad hopefully going to the gym more!
thanks for reading!