internship, etc.

So I started working here in Mexico a few weeks ago, on May 15th to be exact. It has certainly been an experience. We (Jared, the other IMBA with the internship) and I started the first few days at Solectron watching a series of on-line videos, complete with tests at the end. We had three chances to pass each test, and there was a particular course that I did not pass. The Spanish was worded funny and so I had to go to the IT office ( a little shamefully) to get this test refreshed and try to take it again. That was kind of embarrassing. We also had about 10 live courses in Six Sigma practices. Some were interesting, but others I feel like I could have skipped. The last one was this past Friday and I found my mind wandering and thinking about what I was going to do that weekend. Then the instructor asked me something and of course I wasn't paying attention and he thought it was because I didn't understand his Spanish and so he asked in English.

Anyway, I am making a lot of friends at Solectron and many of us eat together every day. One of them is taking her Black Belt test this weekend and we are probably going out afterwards to celebrate. I am learning a lot of interesting Spanish words and phrases that they didn't teach us in school, a lot of slang. People in my office are also asking me a lot of questions on English slang. The other day, while I was drinking a bottle of water, someone came up to me and asked what a shrink was, because they heard it on TV. I thought I was going to choke on my water, and laughed pretty hard before I answered. I am not used to the long hours, though. We work from 8am-6pm, with only 30 minutes for lunch. Sometimes we are expected to stay longer. By the time I get home, it is usually 7pm, and then I go running and eat, then sometimes head to the cafe to work on the Internet. I have been going to bed pretty late and my body is starting to pay for it.

One thing I am really looking forward to is my upcoming trip home. I am going home for my dad's 60th birthday party July 4-8, flying into St. Louis, where my cousin is picking me up, then we are driving to my parents' house in Paducah, Ky, a few hours away. I am so looking forward to just hanging out with my cousin, her fiance, my parents and sister. My parents live next to two really large lakes, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, and we are probably going to go out on the boat for an afternoon. Good, because I had this nice tan going here in Guadalajara and find that it has been fading away since I started at Solectron. I hope to get that back for a while at least. Then, back to St. Louis on the 7th for the party, and then I fly back to Guadalajara on Sunday. I am getting a case of homesickness and that's why I am already talking about this trip a month out. I can taste my mom's margaritas and chocolate chip cookies 3,000 miles away.

Other than that, not much else going on. I did not get to take the trips before the internship started as I had planned because there was too many things going on in regards to our work visas and I thought it best not to leave the country. Plus, I my wallet was stolen during that time, and I really couldn't go anywhere without credit cards and ID. However, I am going camping tomorrow about an hour from Guadalajara with some of my friends from here. It will be awesome just to be with good company and get away from the city. Hopefully I will have pictures to post with this trip soon!