Sweaty Sunday.

Blogging is like writing a message in a bottle. Someone may read it, maybe nobody will ever see it, but I sure get a kick out of it.

First off. I miss Bart. I promised this won't be an "I miss Bart" blog. But let's be real. I love that man, he's pretty wonderful. I'm so grateful for Skype and the chance it gives us to still talk. Although his letters are possibly the greatest things I could ever ask for. He's such a great support to me and I am the luckiest girl alive.

Secondly. I don't know what it is about being in Mexico, but only certain of my music is playable in my iTunes. Also, Pandora doesn't work in Mexico either. So my music for the past three weeks has consisted of Disney and Christmas music. For some reason that is pretty much the only music on my iTunes. I'm a little outraged. But hey, life moves on, right?

Have I mentioned how sticky hot it is here? I woke up from a nap sweaty. I haven't done that for a real long time, and it's disgusting.

Spanish is coming along. Slowly but surely I'm gleaning a little bit here and there, words and phrases are starting to come together. I would say I understand about 85% of what is said around me. But some people just talk so fast. I think everyone does, just some people slow it down for us gringos. I love listening to Elisa talk to us after dinner or lunch. We usually have sweet discussions on education or marriage and family or morals. Our host family aren't members of the church, but they are such rock stars. They have such high values and they just get it. They get how we're supposed to live our lives. She always has such good insights and I love it when she just starts talking and we just get to sit and listen. One of my favorite things she has told us was the first night we were here (I'm almost halfway through already, crazy). We asked her why they decided to host exchange students, this is their 7th time hosting extranjeros, her answer blew my mind. She said it was to teach her girls, Elisa and Ximena, that there are different people everywhere you go, but they are all good people. She wanted her girls to see that from all parts of the world there are good people and they don't need to be afraid of people that are different from them. I love it. She also said she has adopted family all over the world, well most of the students she has hosted have come from the U.S. or Canada. She still keeps in contact with most of them and she always tells us that when we start having kids, we need to come back and visit so she can meet our babies and spouses. She always tells us to say hi to our family and boyfriends for her. She is just such a great person and I hope to uphold the things she has taught us: marinating chicken and pork is the best way to prepare it. No, I've definitely learned more than that from her. She's just a great lady, real nice. Maybe one day I'll write a blog just on the fam. They are all so great and I love them all.

We went to the Zoo on Friday.

A. It's FREE. I asked how they are able to take care of the animals and everything if it's free. Apparently the government is in charge of zoo upkeeps. Pretty cool.

B. When they told us it would be free, I wasn't expecting a whole lot. But it was sweet. They had jaguars, Bengal tigers and hippos, oh my. They had all sorts of awesome animals. I was wondering if they would have any animals that threw me off by being in the Zoo. And boy did it. Raccoons. They had raccoons in the zoo. We all had to laugh. Those things aren't only not rare in the states, but they're impossible to get rid of. I was telling Elisa about how they would come and eat our cat's food then wash their mangy little hands in her water dish. Elisa thought it was crazy. The ones they had in the exhibit were just as shifty as the ones back home. Their cage things was only about 4 feet high, easily escapable. They kept looking up at us with those scheming eyes of theirs and they just looked pissed. They wanted to rob me, I just know it.

C. I stayed outside the snake exhibit. There was no way I was going in a 6 foot tall 4 foot wide enclosed tunnel lined with glass cages of snakes on both sides. I'll hang outside and look at the cute turtles and birdies, thank you very much.

I was missing my family hard core today. In church today there were a couple of little kids that were cuh-razy. It made me miss my dad because I know he would have gone nuts. Crazy as in playing the piano during Sacrament meeting and a drum set during Relief Society. I'm not saying my nieces and nephews are like that at all, on the contrary. I love how great they are. Eva, Whitney, Annabelle and Emily. Man those girls are precious. And the boys of course. All of them. Man. I can't wait till I get to see them again.