Its Getting Hot in Here!

     I finally made it to Torreón and have access to internet again - yay! My experience getting here just made me even more sure that my decision to come was a good one. While I was in the Houston airport waiting to board the plane, I had two great encounters. One woman came up to me and asked if I was going to Torreón and if I was going to be teaching at the Colegio Inglés. I told her that I was, and she proceeded to tell me that she was the principal's mother and that if I needed anything that I could come ask her for help. It was so nice to hear someone knew I was on the plane and would be there to help me if I needed it when I landed. Next, a younger girl came up and asked me if I was a teacher and we had a great conversation about our teaching experiences and Torreón (her home town). She was going to start her student teaching in Houston this fall and then return to Torreón. She gave me her email address and told me that I could email her if I needed anything at all. This openness and helpfulness is something that I LOVE about the latino culture. I feel very comfortable here knowing that I have people ready and willing to help me when I need it.

     On Monday, I got to explore the city a little bit. Walking around the city, we did see a lot of police and a lot of men riding around with guns. I don't feel unsafe, but I wouldn't want to be out alone at night for sure. I had to stock up on groceries and, much to my dismay, Walmart was the place to go. It was a fun shopping trip though. Instead of going to the grocery store and having one isle with Mexican food, there was one isle with very American food. The prices were about the same as they are in the United States - maybe just a little bit cheaper. Other than groceries, I won't need to buy much. The house that I am staying in is stocked with pretty much everything. The main floor has two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room with a nice TV, and a kitchen with everything we could need. The upstairs has three more bedrooms, three more bathrooms, and a washing machine. The rooms are really comfortable and the closet is huge, which is good because I brought a LOT of stuff with me. 

    It is super hot here. We don't have actual air conditioning, but we do have an air cooling system in the house that runs off of water. It works pretty well to keep the house from being hot, but it doesn't get cool. Last night, the water pipes got plugged somehow and we had no water - and no air. It was SO hot. I woke up in a pool of sweat. So hopefully that doesn't happen too often...

     Tomorrow I start orientation at the school! I'm excited to hear about what I will be doing this year. All of the teachers that I have met are young, nice, and fun to be around. I think we will all get along pretty well. I will hopefully post some pictures up soon!