I am typing this post in my Tec de Monterrey dorm room, so after taking three flights, one of which we were unaware until this morning, Kristina and I have reached our destination! Kristina is a wonderful traveling companion, and though it was a long day, it was an enjoyable one. We exchanged traveling stories, taught each other games, and even practiced our French a bit.
We did almost lose each other at one point, though. When we were boarding the flight from Houston to Puebla, I was allowed through, but Kristina, right behind me, was held back. Apparently they had filled the plane’s tanks with more fuel than usual and were concerned about exceeding the weight restriction, so I was the last passenger allowed to board. For several minutes it seemed as if I would be required to fly to Puebla without my traveling buddy, who in turn would be forced to remain in Houston until the following day. Thankfully, however, there were several small children on the plane, so in the end it was determined that the weight restriction would not be exceeded if Kristina and I boarded together as scheduled. What a relief!
Upon arriving in Puebla, we were met by Paco, a friendly young gentleman who drove us to our temporary home and showed us the surrounding shops, including Wal-Mart and Starbucks (Puebla is much more commercialized than I expected). He also introduced us to the two security guards who monitor the entrance of the residence building in which we’re staying. Though everyone we encountered in the building seemed very friendly, it quickly became clear that we stick out like a sore thumb here – if our appearance does not bring us enough attention, our lack of Spanish vocabulary certainly does. It will be interesting to see how this translates into the classroom!