Wrapping It Up

So there we were, three American women and a German man, standing on the corner in the pouring rain looking for a taxi. Unfortunately, due to the rain, all the taxis that passed us were occupied. And then he showed up. His name was Angel, kinda ironic now that I think about it, and out of the kindness of his heart he offered all four of us a ride to the restaurant for our closing dinner.

 

This isn't the first time that something like this has happened in Puebla. Maybe it's because we're foreigners, more likely it's because we were young women, but whatever the reason I am constantly surprised by the hospitality of the people here. During our ride we started talking about our program here in Puebla, and Angel actually asked whether I was a teacher in the school. For all of you who keep asking how much my Spanish skills have improved and whether I am fluent yet, I guess this shows that I can handle talking with a native. What a great compliment for one of my last nights here. Little did I know that I was going to receive another surprise that would be the icing on the cake of my learning experience.

 

During the closing dinner there are two awards to be won. The first is an onyx elephant from the excursion to Tecali. The director of the program writes a number and then all the students who went on the excursion pick numbers. Last month, I won the elephant by choosing the correct number, my lucky number 19. The second award is an award for the person who speaks the most Spanish throughout the month. All of the students get one vote and write down the name of the person they thought spoke the most Spanish throughout the month. Last month, I told one of my friends that I wanted to win the award in the following month, and this month I did.

 

I can't think of a better way to end the program, confident in my skills and ready to return to the US.