Adam is Old

I always wondered what my teachers did while the class was taking a test. Apparently I write blog entries. I feel like the internet must have revolutionized the use of this time.

Well, I guess I’m 25 now. I feel old, though nobody is really receptive to me complaining about it. My actual birthday was not so exciting since it was a Wednesday, which is a relatively calm day with the misfortune of being sandwiched between two 14-hour days in Santa Fe. We celebrated my birthday on Saturday, though, with a barbecue that the state of Texas could be proud of. The initial meat purchase (before guests showed up with even more) included over 2.5 kilos (almost 6 pounds) of burger meat, 40 hot dogs, and 18 chicken legs. I found a cowboy hat in my room and wore it the whole time. This day made me happy. So did the next day which began with my roommate banging on my door because someone needed to light the grill again. You can’t beat the smell of charcoal in the morning.

I just realized that my birthday was actually two weeks ago. The work weeks go by so quickly here. You just get sucked in on Monday and get spit out on the other end before you even know what just happened. I don’t really like this as I am not in any particular hurry to get to 26. I can’t believe that my sister will be here in less than two weeks. That should be crazy. I’m excited.

I cracked and signed up for cable and internet at the house. I need my sports fix. I need the NCAA Tournament. I need to watch Kevin Durant while he is still in a Texas uniform. My British roommates are excited about watching soccer. I don’t know if they realize that they will have to wait until after the March Madness subsides. I want to make them fill out tourney brackets.

My roommates have started calling me by my last name. I don’t think they understand how happy that makes me. It just feels more normal. I don’t have a problem with my first name. I’m just not used to having everybody using it. I also found a bowling alley near my house. That was a big find, though it is a little expensive.

Mexico has started to break things again. My tape recorder (yes, we inexplicably still use tapes) broke in the middle of a listening activity. A few days later, my newly purchased hair clippers died. Both have now been dropped from the roof several times. Things seem to break in threes, so I am being very careful with my computer at the moment.

I made the mistake of trying to eat street food again. I got used to it in Playa, but now I am cooking a lot, and it would appear that I have lost my tolerance. I had to cancel three days of classes. It was not so fun. I got some good medicine though, and now all is well. I have noticed that people get sick a lot here, and I am starting to realize that I have never really felt completely healthy during my stay. There is always something, be it dehydration, stomach issues, or allergies. I think that the only real cure is BBQ. Lots and lots of BBQ.