Has it been a week already? Wow, there is something about time down here that is surreal. Like it passes so slowly and you can savor every breeze, chirp, glass of wine, tortilla and conversation but look up and days have passed. I am totally in lurve with this city. Guanajuato is a small college town with beautiful theatres, gardens, statuary and multi-colored houses. Oh, and I can’t forget the churches. It is a walkable city. Indeed it would be a pain to have a car here because (like all college towns) you’d never find a place to park.

I went for a run (okay, a long walk*) yesterday morning TRYING to get lost, and couldn’t manage to do it. Now for anyone who knows how geographically challenged I am that should tell you how navigable this place is. Noone is in a hurry, noone pays me any special attention, noone expects me to be anywhere at any particular time and I can spend hours absorbed in thought, The Chronicles of Narnia or listening to Floetry and Outkast on a bench in center of the town (La Jardin Union). Actually that isn’t true. I started my Spanish class on Saturday so I have to be there a few times a week or Maestra Marisol might have a few things to say (that I probably wouldn’t understand). I decided to go the Hostel route because I know that if I stay in a hotel I would be less likely to venture out and meet people. I found a nice balance at La Casa del Tio which is run by women and is brightly painted and decorated with textiles, plants and music coming from the central sound system most of the day. The hostel I stayed at the first night was adequate but definitely had the feel of being run by a man (sorry!). He has an amazing green thumb but I couldn’t lock the door when I went to bed for the night, the rooms have navy blue accent walls and although I didn’t mind the HUGE picture of Jesus hanging over the bed, it was a little gloomy for my taste. When I moved over to Case del Tio, I compromised by getting my own single room ($12-15US/night) so I have the best of both worlds. There’s free purified water, free internet, a small kitchen w/ fridge and microwave, a little washing machine and free coffee and tea daily AND satellite TV! The hostel isn’t at all packed right now so actually meeting people, remembering names and feeling at ease with introductions and hanging out have been amazingly easy. Everyone has a story to tell and I love hearing them. Like this guy.

I have been trying to think of what I’ve been doing for a week and all I can come up with is drinking hennesey with Blaire (24, Maine) and eating Bratwurst at Bar Ocho. Playing pool with Gaby (24, Mexico) at Caronda, Jibber-Jabbing with Sabine & Andrea (both 24, Swiss) and trying to hack our way through Spanish class with Yoko, Mina and Yuriko. More pool with Carlos (30, local artist). I have been kind of lazy about taking my camera out with me, but there is always something to see. Gaby and I wandered around over the weekend and never got bored. There is a nightly comedy show on the steps of Teatro Juarez. It is mostly physical comedy so even though I can’t follow most of the words, I get the jist of the jokes. If you are in the crowd then you are fair game for the comedians to pick on (always good natured) and there’s alot of crowd participation. There’s also a group of minstrels that roam the streets at night playing instruments and the thing to do is grab a drink and a friend and follow along, so towards the end of the week the crowd can be pretty large and you can hear it from a mile away. The experience is only better from the terrace of the hostel or from the patio of Bar Ocho.

In day to day news, I bought some new kicks (shoes) so I can be more stylish and I’m hooked on my daily breakfast of Huevos revueltos con queso y Tocino (Scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon). If you are looking for me, I’ll be in the Jardin de Union trying to conjugate some verbs.

*I need to run/walk because of this and this.