Hannah Montana

Spring break went really well and we have been back in full swing for a couple weeks now.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit a friend's family in a town about 3 hours south of where I live. I was so excited about the chance to leave the city, see more of this country, and meet a good friend's family.

We, one of my roomates and I, met our friend early on Friday morning (our weekends are Friday and Saturday). We then headed to the bus station to get our tickets and set out on our adventure. Upon arriving at the bus station we had to pay for a token to enter the station and then find our way to the right place to buy a ticket. Also, my roomie and I not being nationals here, had to get a special paper so that we could travel. This special paper ended up being just a piece of scratch paper with our names, the dates for travel, and, of course, that official stamp.

Once we aquired this very important slip of paper, to which we held as secure as possible, we went on to get tickets. A few minutes later we were handing our backpacks over to put in the bottom of the bus and boarding. The bus ride there was not as bad as I had expected. The bus actually had A/C that worked! I was almost cold on the trip... They served us water, unfiltered naturally, and cookies and mango juice. There was also an on-board movie. It was one of those d-list 80s rated R movies- not a good combo. I was shocked- it was in English with subtitles but the language was terrible, a ton of violence, and the subject matter was completely culturally inappropriate. My roomie and I looked at eached other and once again realized why these people have such a bad stereotype of Americans. Just as we were exchanging glances we heard a loud explosion. Yes- we blew out a tire. So the bus pulls off the paved road and into the desert, the bus now leaning terribly. All the men rush off the bus to help and the women stay on. About 45 minutes later we were back on our way.

We arrived in the town about an hour later, grabbed a taxi, and headed to our friend's home. The taxis were different than in the big city where I live though. They were a newer type of car and all of them were red rather than yellow. Our friend's family was so nice. All but one of her siblings still live at home and are not married. So we got to meet her 3 sisters and a brother and her mother and father. They were even more hospitable than we expected. It was so quiet and relaxing being out of a big city even for just a day and a half. They made us some wonderful traditional food, we went to a party, and we slept on beds out in the courtyard under the stars. Not only was it cooler temperature wise sleeping outside but the stars were GORGEOUS! We also got the whole cultural experience while staying with our friend's family. Complete with the hole in the ground type bathroom, bucket shower, and mostly their language being spoken. I really enjoyed being able to see this way of life compared to the modern way that a lot, not all, but still a lot of people lead in the city.

On Saturday we ate more and got ready to head out. We visited a couple tombs and then headed to the bus station. We had to go earlier than we wanted to because so many people travel on this day and we wanted to make sure we got a ticket back. When we got to the station the three of us got some of the last seats on a bus just in time. Within minutes we were headed out back to the city. This bus was not as nice as the first one though. We were sitting in the very back of the bus, right by the engine, which by the way was leaking gas and oil. The smell was awful!!! Finally, about halfway through the trip they stopped to check the engine. When they opened the cover, with the engine still running, I could see it squirting out. They fixed it with a wrench, threw 2 pitchers of water over the engine, and on we went. The smell got a little better but it was still there. In all it was a great trip though.

Last night I went to a student's birthday party. She is from the states as well and it was a Hannah Montana party! I got there early to help set up and help her mom with getting other things done. It was such a neat party- especially for here and I think the kids really enjoyed it. She invited all the girls from her class at school. They made bracelets, did makeup and nails, relay races, kareoke, etc. At the end they got to go to the "store" with the "money" they had earned doing things and buy stuff- sort of like their party favors. At the end, before everyone left, her mom wanted to take a picture of the girls with "Hannah". They had all these Hannah Montana things that the grandparents had sent over for the party, including a Hannah wig. So she had me go inside to put on this wig for the picture. She did not mention to me that there were several men outside with her husband that were not American or that she was going to pump them up like it was concert or something. All of the sudden I hear the girls chanting "Hannah, Hannah!!!" and then telling me to sing! Had the men not been there I would have totally gotten into character but seeing as they were it was not quite culturally appropriate. I have to admit it was a lot of fun and I know the girls loved it- from me being Hannah Montana to putting makeup on me...pictures to come ;-)