Alexandra's world: Living abroad

Hey guys,

let me tell you something: being sick is not funny at all! I have been tied to bed for several days now and it has got more annoying with every day that has passed... the only steps I have taken were from the bed to the livingroom, back to the kitchen to grab a cup of tea, heading back to my cosy bed and falling asleep again immediately. Thank God, the worst part is over and I'm starting to feel better again.

That's why I thought of continueing my Living abroad post - since the best is still to come!

Well, as I already told you in my last post, Venezuela didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. Many things went wrong in every possible way. I guess the worst parts really were, on the one hand, returning without having learned any Spanish at all, on the other changing a lot during the months I spent there.
But let me continue with a period of time I would call the best of my life!

When taking the plane to Mexico City, I was a little frightened. I didn't know what to expect. Especially because I couldn't really handle the information I was given before leaving: the reason why I could go to Mexico that quickly was because two Austrians were sent home due to acting improperly while being there. I didn't know what that meant - and I also didn't want to spend any moment on thinking about it. Anyway, it couldn't get any worse than in Venezuela.

My host parents were already waiting for me at the airport, taking me home to a town with about the size of Graz and three hours South of Mexico City. It immediately felt like HOME! Admittingly, my first host family had a rather difficult time living with me, getting me to go out and all that because of all the things that had happened in Venezuela.
I started to go to school and was lucky enough to join a class of only eight other students. I was one of the first exchange students to go to school there, meaning that I was standing out like a sore thumb. At first, I didn't really know how to react to that, since I wasn't used to being someone "special" and being someone everybody wants to talk to. It felt strange at the beginning, but after a while I got used to it.
My classmates were adorable too. I had a fun time going to school, studying together with them and all that stuff.

After two months I had to change my family due to my exchange programme's rules. That's where everything started to work out perfectly! My host dad was the best I could ask for, always joking and inviting me to drinks (considering that he himself was breaking one of the "4D rules - no drinking, no driving, no drugs, no dating" implemented by the exchange programme, I always had to smile whenever he offered me something), taking me wherever I wanted - just like me dad here in Austria! Both my host dad and mum were giving me what I had hoped to experience in Venezuela: having quarrels and discussing them if necessary, but they always made me feel not only welcome but part of the family.

What I have completely missed out: my fellow exchange students. For being a relatively small town we were quite a lot who where living there, I think we were ten if I remember correctly. There was one guy from Germany and you know what I loved most about him? Right from the first meeting he told me not to talk any German with him because he was there to learn Spanish. First, I was a bit astonished, but it was the best thing he could have said, because throughout the whole time we spent together we hardly spoke any German. My host family also forced me to learn Spanish and were not willing to talk to me in English, even if I had difficulties understand certain things at school. To sum up, the best thing that could happen. Otherwise, I wouldn't have learned it I guess.

Much of talking about Mexico, let me show you some of my favourite pictures. Most of them were taken during my vacations I spent there in 2005 and 2007. Each picture is followed by a short description.

Have fun!