Homestay

Time has been flying by, so I figured I'd catch up on some posts so you know what I've been up to. Oct 13-30 I went back to the US of A for work and play. I had a great time in MD with some family and friends and exploring Fredericksburg, VA, before heading to WV for a global team meeting which was great, too, except for the 12 hour sessions. Always nice to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.

Here are some highlights in pictures:

Catching up with YV Alums. (Me and Gudrun)




Celebrating Watson's visit (Saxy, Maura and Prabs, Watson and Cay)



The view from the place where we had our global team meeting in Harper's Ferry, WV.


The pumpkins we carved at staff training in Shepherdstown, WV

Home Stretch

Here's the current status of my business school applications:

Michigan - done
Maryland - done except my career goals essay needs a final polish
Stanford - almost there. Need to fix my "what matters most" essay and finish a short answer
Berkeley - on the way. Need to write my career goals and one short answer, then polish the rest

I am still waiting for the last of my recs to roll in, but this is home stretch, though I have very little time left before I head home. I hope I can finish these up by Thursday.

Oh yeah, I'm coming to MD on Friday, Oct 13. I'll be around until the 30th, though I've got a bunch of work and play already packed in. Hope to see you soon!

Huejotzingo

Last friday I went to Huejotzing, Pue. for the town's annual fair.

Since the celebration coincides with rainy season, I was surprised how many people braved the torrential rain, streets-turned-lakes and overall cold to party hard.

The fair was an interesting mix of drunken stupidity (people drinking 40s looking to fight) and innocent fun (24hr church visits and carnival games). We basically wandered around, watched some bands, then got our eat on. What I love most about small towns is the food -- yummy assorted tacos and drinks. We managed to feed 7 hungry people (including 4 big guys, mind you) on $12. Here is a picture of Daniela and Sagrario chowing down.

Next up, we found our way to the fireworks. When I mean to the fireworks, i mean a few feet away from where they were lighting them! While I feared for my life and for the lives of those around me, nobody even blinked. To add to the excitement, two men consistently risked their lives to climb the scaffolding and light the fireworks display (see pic). I did see a few worried looks when poorly-fastened fireworks came flying into the crowd, but overall people were having a great time.

Afterwards, we headed back to Omar's house for more drunken debauchery.