Hortensia la escritora

HORTENSIA SULEEMAN
JULY 3, 2006
I just realized this morning, when I was in my host mom’s car, that FUERTE is exactly the same as the musical term/Italian word “FORTE”. I cannot believe that I just realized that. It is because I heard her say something (in Spanish but I don’t remember what it is in Spanish) like “the thunder last night was FUERTISSIMO” I thought, “wow. That word sounds familiar. “OH! IT IS LIKE FORTISSIMO!!!” and that is when I realized it. For a long time I have had a hard time figuring out what the word “LOUD” is in Spanish. Now I don’t even have to think. It’s just like FORTISSIMO. Okay. So……….

Last night, I watched the TV in my room, and the anniversary of the LIVE8 concert on mTV. All through the weekend, I have put the list of channels that have American TV Shows that aren’t dubbed. I have discovered recently that the TV in my room has CABLE. And also a bunch of American shows that are in English with Spanish subtitles. I was so excited then. Here are the shows that I watch on my Mexican TV: LOST, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, to name a few. There is also Laguna Beach, and the OC, and Dawson’s Creek, and also Smallville, but I don’t really like watching those shows. I have also recently discovered that The Bachelorette 2, with Meredith, is going to air. I am happy now that I get to watch American TV shows. Last night, I watched the FRIENDS Marathon on the Warner Channel (WB), the last four episodes of the last season. Then, I watched the 3rd Rerun of According to Jim, the same episode. And also the WILL AND GRACE last episode… twice. I have never watched that one before so I was so happy. Last night, I fell asleep and woke up and the TV was off. Then I started to think if I turned it off or not. I realized that I never did. Then I thought that the house might be haunted… first it was that time when I ate lunch with my host mom and then her older daughter was cooking, and her younger daughter and her boyfriend were washing the dishes. Then, suddenly, knives and forks came flying towards our table. It was scary. KNIVES. No one would admit that they did it. They were like, “No fui… No fui…!” That is why last night I thought that it was pretty scary that the TV got turned off… when I never did turn it off. Then this morning my host mom asked me if I heard the rain and thunder. She said that the power went out. I was like, “THAT’S why…”

SOOOOOOOO yesterday, on Sunday, I watched movies with my host sister. Scary Movie 4, Dr. Dolittle 3 (I think), and Yours, Mine, and Ours (Tuyos, Mios, y Nuestros, dubbed in Spanish. It wasn’t that great.)

Today, for comida, I ate this red bean soup, I forgot what it’s called, but it was soo good. It was red bean broth soup with strips of fried tortilla and fresh mozzarella cheese (I think). It was soo good…. Especially when I added the hot sauce. I ate while watching “Ghost” in the Kitchen. I can’t believe that show aired on mTV.

Then I left for La Casa, and waited for Thomas on the corner for like 15 minutes. But he never showed up… so I called his host dad. He told me that he left. When I checked the time, it was 4. So my older host sister took me in her white, old version of the VW Bettle. It was my first time ever being in the old version of the VW Beetle. I was pretty happy. Just kidding. Anyways, when I got to the teachers’ apartment, Ms. B told me that I missed Galnadgee’s piñata (shaped like a star) and Galnadgee’s cake.
Then we went out to El Centro to interview people for our documentary. We interviewed 4 people.

OH YEAH. I ran out of my $40 US dollars that I exchanged because I had to buy gifts in Patzcuaro and Santa Clara. We went to Tzintzuntzan, and then Patzcuaro and then Santa Clara. But I exchanged $20 today. So I’m safe, but I’m waiting to exchange my other $20 because my first twenty dollars had a 11.15% thing added.

Anyways, I need to go to the movies on Wednesday. I’m going to watch Click, or Just My Luck, or The Break-Up. I watched Poseidon with Daniel, David, Thomas, Lizbeth, and Manuel last Wednesday, because it was 2 for 1. $22 pesos, which is $2.20 US. SOOO cheap. It was pretty good.

I miss Berkeley, and I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET A COMMENT FROM MR. HALPERN. I MISS MR. HALPERN TOO.

*TO MR. HALPERN: Did you know that today, when we interviewed people, that I saw your handwriting on the sticker on the camcorder battery in purple, for like the battery number? I was so happy to see that.

Anyways, I also miss my iPod. I was writing a bunch of titles of songs that I heard on the Live8 Anniversary that I need to download. It turns out that Daniel does the same thing too. OH and today we went to try samples of Rompope. It was weird. It was like, condensed milk with rum and something else. On Saturday, I bought a $12 Pesos Nieve, the Tequila one. It was just Tequila ice cream, and it wasn’t that good, just rum. I have to go now………..



I’ll write more later.
MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE,
HORTENSIA.