Hasta luego....not adios!

To all of my precious chickens (Harvey, stop rolling your eyes... I know that's what you're doing):

What a WONDERFUL trip! It was such a blessing to spend that last two weeks with such fantastic young people & Harvey. Though it feels good to be sitting at home on my couch with my doggies, I already miss all of you TONS!

I wanted to say thank you to our students for choosing to spend part of your summer vacation on an adventure in Mexico with us & thank you to your parents for trusting us with their children.

Please stay in touch with us. You can find me at heather.anderson@millsaps.edu / 601.896.7971, & you can find Harvey at harvey.fiser@millsaps.edu. We definitely want to hear from you!!! Let this be hasta luego (see you later) not adios!

Warmly,
heather
a.k.a. Mama Chicken

PICS!

Random Picture Morning!

Feliz a Cumpleanos a Hailey!

Well, we made it back and have had a blast! How about we start with the last things and work our way back! We just finished "gutting" poor miss Hello Kitty, the Mexican pinata for Hailey's birthday. We even have some minor war wounds of which Hailey is quite proud!

O.k., rewind now: Yesterday morning we embarked on our adventure to WAY RURAL MEXICO..the Millsaps reserve, Kaxil Kiuic...First we stopped by Ticul, a city known for shoe manufacturing and pottery making. During that stop, Samantha, Hailey, Harvey, and Heather had their experience with the worst Mexican bathroom EVER...but moving along...after a short shopping experience, the van ACCIDENTALLY (on purpose) left Chelsey and Heather in the ceramic store while the rest toured a few blocks of Ticul while it started raining. After a nasty phone from Heather, the group conceded that we should rescue them from the storm.....(under threat of calling Assistant Dean Kim Burke on Harvey)....


Moving along to Oxcutzcab (pron. Osh Coots Cob - often referred to as Osh blah blah..since we really aren't sure how to pronounce it anyway)..... Headed out to the fruit markets in Ox...blah blah...

Oxcutzcab:
1. Wilbur, Katie's new pet (the pig)-what a bargain at $30!
2. The butcher shop smells like puppy breath.
3. We saw Wall-E and Indiana Jones, the new one...on DVD...uh...not legit!
4. Getting heckled by guys in the street ....ladies....
5. We rode taxi bikes (Harvey and Heather's butts wouldn't fit).
6. Harvey tried to "jack" fruit from the China Lima lady!
7. Pig's head on the table....mmmmmmm...dinnner.
8. Mayan babysitter....a hammock with a kid in it...tied at the top!
9. We finally at THE poc chuck and THE guac!
10. Hailey and Katie ACTUALLY asked to go to the bathroom IN SPANISH....and finally used the real words!

Adventures at Kiuic:

1. Finding the hog nosed Yucatecan pit viper (THE most poisonous snake in the region!)
2. She was all....and then we were like ....shut up Adam...and they were like.....all..you know...(describing the fire tower...we think)
3. Toilet full of ants!
4. Harvey took us down an off limits trail.
5. Climbed a 15 meter fire tower (and yes, Katie screamed all the way up.........and down)
6. Samantha fell out of the largest hammock on earth! (seriously....like 6 people could fit in that and she managed to bust it)
7. The loudest thunder clap on EARTH!
8. Hey...there is something in my hammock with me!
9. Wait, I am scared of the windows...move your hammock closer to mine....yea..mine too.....
10. Hailey tries to take out Harvey coming down the hill...but he checked her!
11. We stood on a 6 foot phallus!
12. Heather busted her pirix'! (Mayan for .....something)
13. At some green Mole stuff....AWESOME!

Dinner and Hailey's B'day Celebration:
1. Dinner at Flamingos! Seafood....with some strange giant chicken nugget that Samantha couldn't wait to order (complete with tenticles inside).
2. Homemade strawberry ice cream
3. Embarrasment numero uno: the waiters singing to Hailey!
4. Harvey took us to the mall to buy custom Mayan tshirts...too bad it was the wrong mall! Though we did make it to the correct mall eventually.
5. Embarassment numero dos: Hailey was serenaded by a marriache (we aren't really sure how to spell that one) band in el centro de Merida!
6. Embarassment numero tres: a Hello Kitty pinata for Hailey.... complete with a Mexican cumpleanos cake. FYI: Harvey nearly received a parking ticket at the bakery. Ask for details when we get home.
7. At this point, we are too tired to blog any further...

Tomorrow's agenda: the cenotes in Cuzama. We'll award a bag of Mexican candy to anyone who can find that town on the map :).

Buenas noche!

BACK IN MERIDA!

After a GREAT trip to the reserve....we have made it back to Merida with 45 minutes to spare (i.e. shower and dress) before going to the Amercian Consolate. So, I wanted to let you all know we are back in the city and getting ready for quite the celebration! (Hailey's 17th b'day is today). After the Consolate, we are headed to the beach to eat dinner at Flamingos (a GREAT seafood restaurant with homemade ice cream), then back to Merida for a traditional mexican birthday, including a fudge tres leche cake!! More to post later tonight when time permits...sorry for the rush! (oh...and they don't know the plans yet)

Monday and Tuesday

FYI: We are headed south of Merida to Kaxil Kiuik, Millsaps' Biocultural Reserve tomorrow morning early! So....we will likely be off blogger until Tuesday evening when we hope to have great pics and stories for you!

The great thing about the timing of our trip is that we will be leaving northern Yucatan right as the rain comes in and coming back right as the rain leaves! Perfect timing!

WOW, WHAT A DAY!

Today, we ate the fruit that we bought in the market, the little bananas - plantains, and mangoes were good. Then we were off in our white panel van to Uxmal (Ush Mal). On our way, we passed farmlands and on the way out we also saw a police truck with the doors held shut by handcuffs - Harvey had to "chase" it down to get a picture of it!

When we got to Uxmal, and looked at the Mayan pyramids. We also learned that they had an obsession with the numbers 13 and 9. 13 being for the levels of heaven and 9 for the underworld. After a lesson in Mayan math, we walked up to the more "modern" buildings built in 900AD where Turtles adorned the temple and proved Katie's point that they were of utmost important.

We climbed the great pyramid to take group pictures and coming down them was really scary because you thought you were going to fall. At one of the main temples, if you stand in the right spot, you can clap and hear a bird noise resonate from the temple.

Then we got back in our white panel van and went to lunch at a local restaurant. (The gucamole was good but not the guacamole.) And most of us had pebil pastor (Yucatan BBQ) The pork was wrapped in banana leaves and was buried underground with charcoal for 1 1/2 hours. And then it is taken out and cooked for another 1 1/2 hours.

When we got back to Merida and played at the main square. It was date day today because it was Sunday and everyone walked around the square. We got churros and shopped at all the little booths. We also saw a man who had an iguana as a pet, he had it on a little leash and used it as a girl magnet. Chelsey bought a traditional Mexican camiseta (shirt) while practiced her Spanish by bargaining for it. Thats all for today, we just finished eating out Street Tamales and are off to watch Batman in a Mexican v.i.p. movie theater.
By Samantha, Stuart

LATER IN THE DAY...............

Theatre - PLUSH! Not much more to say....we went to the VIP room to watch Batman: The Dark Night....complete with electric reclining barcaloungers! GUEY! (DUDE for non-slang spanish speakers). Oh....and the waiters completed the experience! The movie.....16 thumbs up! GO SEE IT!

O.k....so after the movie, the group started shouting out the favorite things of the day (and some random quotes):

WHO SAID: (FYI, want the answers.....give us some feedback with your comments!!!)
1. Pretending to be a Mayan person and walking around the ruins
2. Dancing to human beat-box by blondie bear in the mall parking lot
3. Does he have pants on...wait, tell him to go put pants on! (Yes, he had pants on)
4. The ruins/tied with Batman
5. Heath Ledger
6. Singing the theme from Rocky while running up the pyramid steps
7. Standing on the top of the pyramid and only seeing 6% of Uxmal
8. Stuart, you are a shop-a-holic!
9. Eating the Pibil Pork (a.k.a. that banana thingy from under the ground)
10. My excellent nap in the hammock (with my nose poking out through the bottom)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. Discovering the Mexican reserved pregnant parking space...
2. Making it to the bathroom by carrying on a conversation in Spanish...and never using the word Bano (don't know where the accent key is...sorry)!
3. Being able to hold down my lunch while students complement Heather....
4. Actually catching a police truck and getting a picture of the handcuffs holding the door closed
5. Riding shotgun
6. Filling up my camera memory card
7. Driving through Mexico SANS la Mapa!
8. Drinking Da Bomb!...and Burn!
9. Climbing the Pyramid
10. Naming our dog..forgetting the name..remembering the name...(Balchec pron. "ball check" - means animal, also name for drunk Mayan)
11. Ate homemade street tamales....and survived (don't worry, Harvey kinda knew they were safe)
12. Ate churros!
13. Saw a smart car...a pet iguana (aka - chick magnet)....and some car with a lion logo....
14. Samantha's rash cleared up...whew...we were starting to wonder if we were going to have to quarantine her!
15. "Another bug bite"...."wear bug spray"...."oh no, it doesn't smell good!"
16. I didn't pee my pants when I saw the iguana...

POSTED BY ALL!

Our First Full Day

Our first day started off with a breakfast of cereals, fruits, and assorted protein bars. (The mangos were the best by far.) Afterwards, we went to the centro and main square. With Harvey leading it was more like a jog or sprint than a walk. We did our best to see historical sites without being run over.We also visited an awe-inspiring cathedral as well as an open air market where we saw a range of price differences from the prices at Wal Mart. The same item could be purchased in the local market for half the price it would be at WalMart. We also saw an adorable puppy :). Katie and Hailey want to adopt it. (AKA, buy it and make it a Merida House Puppy....oh....and there was a long discussion of how to get it through customs...only time wil tell if it makes it!)

Afterwards, we had lunch at La Parilla where we enjoyed some Mayan cuisine. There was Guinea Pig on the menu. (at least that is what Harvey says...[from Harvey-is it true or not?])Katie and Hailey unknowingly ate it. After lunch, we went back home to change for the beach. The beach was an enjoyable experience, with many sights and sounds. There was an unusual amount of traffic leaving the beach because at the other end was a carnival, which would have explained the amount of police and tourists. When we got back from the beach, we had some down time and time to clean up for Mexican Night. La Noche de Mexico was a cultural experience. With market vendors selling all types of Mexican and Mayan art, there was certainly enough culture to go around. Heather even ate some pig skin in a taco!

Samantha was injured by her beloved pineapple, which she purchased in Merida's local market. It fought back before she could eat it. Due to one benadryl & a good scrubbing with soap, she has enjoyed a miraculous recovery.

Katie says to remind her family to feed the guinea pigs!
Samantha's turtle needs feeding. "Bailey FEED HIM!!!"

Blogged by Stuart with a little help from the folks at the breakfast table.

WE'RE HERE!!!!

After a loooooooooong wait in the Houston airport and the obligatory airplane delay/repair, everyone made it to Merida safe and sound! Just thought you might want to see some of em:

On the Plane...

Well...just got a call...they are on the plane and ready to go!

In Houston!...oh and Merida!

Well.......everyone is sitting on go! Reports are that all are in Houston....waiting...and waiting...and waiting.... With a REALLY long layover, they have become masters at UNO, snacking, ipods, texting last minute messages, napping and just hanging out in airport seats (what better practice for the business world!) I am in Merida and the house for the crew....come on 9pm!

Miscellaneous Day

We kicked off our day with breakfast in the Caf then went to an intense workshop with the Mississippi Development Authority. We learned how to dress appropriately in business settings & about local customs in Mexico. For example, in Mexico, it is rude to arrive early or even on time to someone's house. It is also rude to eat everything on your plate or else they feel like they didn't give you enough food. You're expected to keep your hands above the table & elbows off of the table.

After class, we had tasty red beans & rice at lunch with Karen from the Admissions Office & Jane...and we bid our farewell to Harvey until we see him in Mexico. We miss him!

Dr. George Bey was our afternoon speaker. Dr. Bey has been digging in the Yucatan since he was our age. He speaks Spanish & Mayan & English. Dr. Bey talked to us about the Mayan people, their food, fascination with chocolate, hallucinations, art, & architecture. We learned about the rise & fall of the Mayan civilization.

Fun was had by all in the laundry room. We lucked out because laundry was free...we didn't even need quarters, though we didn't figure that out until after we had each entered $1.25 into the washing machines...oops! Everyone read their books while they waited for their clothes to wash & dry.

Once the clothes were clean & the bags were packed, we headed off to Keifer's for an amazing dinner. We had the most efficient waiter ever, if you weren't paying attention, your food would fly off the table. After supper, we visited the Barnes & Noble in the Renaissance Mall & then went to WalMart. See photographs below. All photos were taken prior to our being scolded for breaking the un-posted "No pictures in Walmart" rule.

We stalked Adam, a very elusive creature, so that we could blog his WalMart experience. Below is never before seen footage of our dear friend, Adam, in the Madison WalMart.


THE MUFFIN (also known as THE DEATH TRAP). I (Hailey) was viciously attacked by a stray muffin. I didn't notice it till it was almost too late. But at last second, I averted the muffin by stepping away from the muffin while screaming "There is a MUFFIN on the floor!" Katie, Chelsey, & Heather responded by laughing uncontrollably while photographing the vicious muffin.

Thank goodness! We all survived our trip to Wally World. Goodness help us in Mexico...BUENO!
Blogging courtesty of Hailey & Katie.
The text in this blog post is dedicated to Harvey "Gue" Fiser.

We love baseball...

...and Katie & Hailey love baseball players! Though Harvey & Heather would not allow them to jump the wall & chase the cleats, they still had a most excellent time at the Mississippi Braves game.

Photography courtesy of Kathryn Frances Phillips.
The game was not the only thing being watched. We also people watched and saw verrrry adorable kids. Adam made a friend. They had an intense discussion about baseball.
Tonight's blog is brought to you by Katie Phillips.

Harvey's Class at the Fondren Beverage Emporium

Today, Harvey taught his "South of the Border Justice / International Law" class at the Fondren Beverage Emporium.

Bowling at Old Fannin

Day Two Pics

IBAP students chat with Professor Harvey Fiser about their afternoon session.





























Students outside of Murrah Hall which houses the Else School of Management at Millsaps

Today, students kicked off the day with breakfast in the Caf' before attending their morning session"Speaking the Language: A Crash Course in Spanish" with Ramon Figueroa, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages. We ate lunch at CS's, a local dive with the best hamburgers in Jackson (in our opinion)! Students spent the afternoon with Dr. Ray Grubbs discussing the impact of culture & community on international business.

Day One

We had an eventful first day at the Millsaps College International Business Advantage Program (IBAP)! All of the students settled into the residence halls on campus in Jackson, Mississippi, & we had a great lunch with their families in Millsaps' cafeteria, affectionately known as the Caf'.

Students enjoyed a campus tour before heading off to their first official sessions. Harvey Fiser & Jane Collins answered questions students had about the week, gave an overview of the program, & assigned research assignments. Mathew Cox, Dean of Enrollment Management, spoke with students about the college admissions process & ways they can make their application & resume stand out within an applicant pool.

After class, we went to Blockbuster to grab movies for the week, to dinner at Pizza Shack & Marble Slab. Students watched a movie & chatted in the hallway until we retired to bed around midnight. We are looking forward to another busy day today as students work on their Spanish skills with Ramon Figueroa, a professor from our Modern Languages Department, before sitting in on a college class of their choice.

A little more than 48 hours...

Harvey & I are getting SO excited about the students' arrival on campus on Monday! We thought y'all might like to see some pics of our lovely casa in Merida.