Bienvenidos Blogalajara

On the eve of American Independence I arrived in Guadalajara unable to reach my landlord, Juan Jose. Fortunately, the airport taxi service provided me an escort to the center of the city to 'Mision Carlton,' an absolutely fantastic hotel complete with bar and discoteque. Although wonderful accommodations the highlight of the late night was my first encounters with the Mexican people. My taxi driver had an excellent taste in music as he blasted his favorite tune, Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." I found a great deal of comfort in such a party anthem and being able to convey my appreciation for the experience in my barely elementary Spanish. Once checked in around midnight I found my place at the all but deserted hotel bar. The owner of the bar, having lived in Anaheim, CA spoke nearly perfect English and was very helpful and informative on the various types of tequila y cervezas available and allowed me to sample a plethora of both (I came to find out much later that these samples were anything but free). Through his encouragement and a bit of liquid courage I was able to practice my Spanish with two waitresses and I gathered a bit of confidence in my skills in the language that would carry over into the next day's cab ride to find my home in the neighborhood of Zapopan. I now have an extremely reliable source of transportation in Miguel Infante. My great appreciation of 'futbol' has been my ice-breaker and along with some extremely helpful flash cards acquired from the NYU bookstore I not only have a chaperon in Miguel but also an amigo.