Monday - First Day of School

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I slept last night like I have not slept in years! My head hit the pillow and the next thing I heard was the roosters....they were in the distance and very quaint. Got up and headed out at 8:30 a.m. and ran into the casita owner, Pat. She confirmed that I was headed in the right direction to go to the Instituto Allende, where I planned to enroll in a Spanish class for 2 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. It's a beautiful day...sunny, a little breezy - perfect. As I headed down the colorful, cobblestone streets, I saw it...couldn't resist it....yes....Starbuck's. (We all have to ease into it at our own pace!) With my tall drip in hand - nothing fancy today - I continued on my way. My casita is only a few blocks from the Jardin, the center of town, hard to miss. From there, I continued on a few more blocks to the Instituto Allende. I enrolled in my "class" and it turns out I'm the only student! So I get one-on-one with Elvira, a fun, warm, 68-year old Mexican woman, who speaks fairly good English, although she's good at being strict with the Spanish speaking. Elvira is married but has no kids and lives 20 minutes beyond where I'm staying. For her, it's a 30 minute walk to the Intituto. She demonstrated walking and pointed out what good legs she has. She spent 2 hours with me and then showed me where the Bonanza is - which is for getting supplies like dish washing soap and toilet paper. That's as opposed to the mercado, or market, where you buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I feel really luck to have Elvira as my instructor, so I will try to be a good estudiante (student).

Had two visitors after I arrived home from the Bonanza - Becky and Loy, both American women, and permanent residents of San Miguel. Loy is looking for a place to rent, as she is currently not as central as she wants to be. Becky is the receptionist at the real estate office. My casita is an actual apartment that has been rented by the same woman for the past two years. She just moved out before I arrived, so presumably Pat, the owner, will be renting it again when I leave. Pat wasn't here when the women arrived, so they knocked on my door. I gave them a tour and Loy loves it! We wandered around as I pointed out the large dressing room, the extra closet, the two patios, and the piece de resistance...the kitchen! So my new friend Loy is going to call and/or visit again and Becky's going to call me the next time she goes horseback riding with her boyfriend from Mexico City or when she goes to the Taboada hot springs, where they have an Olympic size pool!

This is what I'm hearing as I sit in my kitchen....

Click here to listen to the sounds of San Miguel - Black-headed Siskin

And now I'm off to find some food and books for studying my Spanish...and hopefully to take some photos.