Rebecca @simplicityofsummer-blog - Tumblr Blog

Looking Forward (#7)

I am beyond excited to share a lot of things with my counterpart, Renata, when she comes to Phoenix. Some of these things include my closeness to my family and friends, my hobbies of running, skateboarding, and baking, my interests in seeing new movies, trying new food, etc. However, I am most looking forward to sharing my family with Renata. She is excited, yet anxious to live with my family. If you don’t know, I have quite a big family: 4 sisters and 1 brother. After getting to know and bond with Renata and her family a lot during my 3 weeks in Mexico, I am definitely positive that she will get along with my family, as we have many similarities. Although she has a smaller family(2 sisters), both of our families are really funny, easygoing, family-oriented, and have a strong Catholic faith. I am super excited for her to meet my parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. When I was in Hermosillo, I grew close with her parents and sisters, and also got to meet her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They were all very kind, caring, and welcoming. When coming to Phoenix, my counterpart should expect extremely hot weather, a lot of sweating, meeting my big/sometimes crazy family and friends, a lot of food/movies, and bonding with the other ambassadors we have not met yet. Renata has been to Phoenix a few times before to buy clothes and other goods, but she has not been fully exposed to our way of life, activities, culture and customs here. Therefore, I am excited to take her to places like In-N-Out, Cane’s, Dutch Bros, and show her around Phoenix. Renata is looking forward to meeting my family, friends, and the other counterparts from Phoenix and the other countries. I can’t wait to take part in the activities planned on the hosting calendar, like American holidays, escape room, Diamondbacks game, and Six flags. My time abroad in Mexico met my expectations and more. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Evan, Gaston, Corinne, Rebeca, Renata, and I all had so much fun. We hung out everyday and did everything together, from exploring and walking around the plaza, and getting tacos late at night, to going to Kino and San Carlos together, so I can openly say that I miss all of them so much already. When you are used to seeing someone everyday, 2 weeks without them feels like forever. We did not even have to do much to have fun. We could just text in the group chat on a random night and ask for the others to come over and watch a movie. One night after going to the plaza and balcony, we got little caesars pizza and brought it back to Rebeca’s to watch ‘Employee of the Month’ movie. The only thing that was different about my expectations abroad was my expectation of Renata. I thought that even though we got along over text(before I met her), that we wouldn’t get as close as we actually did. In the end, I wholeheartedly love Renata, Corinne, Rebeca, Evan, and Gaston. We have become familia.

#yaep2017

6/25: When we took a trolley around Hermosillo on the last night, it was interesting to see the different sights and historical places/stories around the city. However, one place was my favorite. For 5 minutes, we stopped by a little shop where they sell and make coyotas. These have become my favorite pastry of Hermosillo because they are so delicious and addicting. The pastry is a type of bread with brown sugar inside(piloncillo). The name "coyota" originates from mestizo, meaning "daughter of Indigene and Spaniard – sweet, dark skinned and full of grace." This was the name they would use to describe woman of indigenous and Spanish origin.

#yaep2017 #hermosillo #mexico #culture #food

Last breakfast and lunch together😢😢.

#yaep2017

FOOD FOOD FOOD😍👀. If you ever get the chance to come to Hermosillo, you will never be disappointed with their food. Some of my favorites are tostinacho, jamaica(hibiscus tea), tacos al pastor(pork/pineapple tacos), mango raspado/any other raspados(Mexican slushie), gorditas(bread with nutella inside), and churros(last pic). One important tip of advice I can give to anyone is: when you are in a different country than your own, remember to take part in and experience their culture, food, and customs as much as possible. This can be anything from trying a food that may not look as appealing to the eyes, to practicing their language through conversation, even if it means being laughed at by a native speaker.

#yaep2017 #hermosillo #mexico #culture #food

6/22: Museo de Arte de Sonora(MUSAS)🎨👁✨.

#yaep2017

Views from the cerro de la campana😍😍. This small mountain is a symbol of Hermosillo. From here, you can see almost all of Hermosillo. If you hit a rock against a certain part of the mountain, it sounds like a bell, which I thought was cool. It was amazing to watch this view as the sun was setting:)

#yaep2017 #hermosillo #mexico

Catedral de la Asunción

#yaep2017 #hermosillo #mexico

Over these past 3 weeks, my host sister, Renata, and I have grown so close. We have found that we are more alike than we thought we were. We both like to watch criminal minds, play the piano, bake brownies, dance, eat spicy food, and hangout with friends. We talk and laugh a lot. I am going to miss our daily criminal minds, car rides jamming out to regatón, and our taco adventures, but once she comes in 2 weeks, we can make more memories:)

#yaep2017

Familia❤️

#yaep2017

Most Memorable Experience (#6)

Throughout my time in Mexico, I have had countless memorable experiences, but one of them stands out. Our favorite spot to go was this balcony near the plaza Zaragoza. We only went there a few times, but those times came with the best memories. To get to the balcony we had to find a parking spot, walk through the plaza, and go up 2 flights of stairs. Here, at the balcony, we would talk, dance salsa y bachata, and just look out at the view. From the balcony, we could see the cerro de la campaña, the plaza, and the Catedral de la Asunción(well known church in Hermosillo). Although this experience is not the "typical" memorable experience one would think of, I loved it because it constantly reminded me of how we don't have to do much in order to have fun; as long as we're together and enjoying our time. This was probably my best day(s). I can't really think of a worst day off the top of my head, but I would say the worst day would be my last day. The day was great in itself, as we had tacos de cabeza y panqueques(pancakes) para el desayuno, ate at a seafood restaurant for lunch, went to the balcony one last time, and took a trolebús(trolley), but it was the fact that I knew the end was coming. I can honestly say that Mexico was an amazing fit for me. I love the people, food, and city. It was a perfect blend of hospitality and making the most of each day. I'm going to miss this experience so much.

#yaep2017 #mexico #exchange #culture

On Monday we went to a place called, "La ruina." At la ruina they have tons of food trucks with different types of food. Here, you can find anything from waffles and burgers, to burritos, tacos, sushi, paella(seafood dish), etc. Renata and I went with Corinne, Rebeca, Evan, Gastón, and their friend Denisse. There was so many foods to choose from, but in the end I decided on waffles and tacos. Both were scrumptious, but the tacos were great like always:)

#yaep2017 #food #culture #friends

❤️

#yaep2017

Last weekend we went to San Carlos. San Carlos is a beach town in the port city of Guaymas. It is s perfect example of a beach in the desert. Although the ocean is rocky here in comparison to kino bay, the view, town and food is amazing. It was also such a good bonding experience, as we swam in the ocean, ate at a restaurant called, "la salsa", and watched movies together. I will always cherish the memories we've made together these past 3 weeks, as we've become sooo close.

#yaep2017

Last Thursday was a lot of fun. We toured the los gallos bread factory. When we first entered, we received IDs and then watched a video about the history of the company. The workers there were very nice and informative. After watching the video, we put on these weird, awkwardly big safety hats and breathing masks, as well as hair nets to keep our hair out of any food. Once that was done, we toured the whole factory. It was so cool, especially in the sense that it had 4-6 floors with workers each for different purposes on each floor. We were shown the long process of how they make grain into bread/tortillas. It was really interesting to see how grain and other ingredients gradually grind into soft flour. This was done with many types of machines, each for a different purpose. Once we finished touring the factory, the best part came… we got to eat some of the final products!! These included bread and Mexican pastries like pan dulce, conchas, loafs, etc. The workers said we could grab as much as we wanted, so of course I took this opportunity to indulge. Of course, I my bag to the top lol. To conclude our tour, we went into their lab and were shown how they make sure that the bread ingredients are sanitary and eatable. Overall, this activity was very new, interesting, and a great learning(& eating!) experience.

#yaep2017

Last Wednesday, we had the cool opportunity to take part in a break dancing class. This took place in a type of small warehouse building. Although I expected it to be inside where it is cool, there was no air conditioning except for a few small fans, but this made the experience even more enjoyable. Our dance teacher was a really cool guy. He explained his program, “Amor y Convicción,” (love and conviction) to us. The program is all about avoiding drugs, addictions, or any bad habits through the art of dancing. Dancing is all about expressing yourself and having fun. You don’t have to be the best dancer in the world... what matters is that you try your best, practice, and have confidence in yourself. He also explained how he wants to expand the program to more young adults and teens in Hermosillo, so that when he goes back to the U.S. to return to his original job and life, the program can be run by teens and young adults here in Hermosillo. Although the class was a good 2 hours of sweating, we all learned a lot about break dancing(properly called “breaking” by the teacher). Breaking includes a lot of footwork between the left and right feet. You have to switch directions and levels in order to make the dance work. Breaking also includes feeling the rhythm, getting low, using the space that you are given, and moving your arms/legs/feet in opposing ways(aka dance in general). All in all, I learned that dancing has no limits and confidence is an essential element in dancing.

#yaep2017 #dance

I know I post too many pics of food, but let me tell you, the food here is amazinggg. We are always eating good. These are what they call "dogos," which are Mexican hot dogs. They are a lot different than American hot dogs in the sense that the bread is much thicker and they fill it with more, like beans, tomato, lettuce, cheese, bacon, peppers, etc. I am definitely going to miss eating these.

#yaep2017 #mexico #dogos

Antes ... después. Never would I expect one of us to get a haircut while abroad!! This just shows how close we've become to the point of convincing him to get a new haircut😂

#yaep2017

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Rebecca