Ohh, Mexico

Getting some closure (with a little help from Moctezuma)

2006-04-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose this blog wouldn't be complete if it didn't include at least one last entry having to do with the status of my health--i.e. I'm leaving Mexico in a few days and yes, diarrhea has struck once again. And I thought I was in the clear. Oh, no. Moctezuma had other plans. So where was I this time when that awful, all-too-familiar rumbly feeling struck my tummy? Why, in San Miguel de Allende, of course.

Here's what happened: my new-found friend Sue, a girl about my age from England who I met staying at the same hostel as me in Guanajuato, invited me to go to San Miguel with her on Saturday. I had mentioned that San Miguel de Allende was on my list of must-sees before I leave the country and that I was planning on heading there after Guanajuato, but she was making a day trip on Saturday with a couple other people from her university where she's taking Spanish classes, so I of course I was excited to have the chance to go for the day and check it out. Well, as everyone had said it would be, San Miguel was absolutely picturesque with all of its colorful buildings, gardens, plazas, and I can see why so many gringos come here to retire--San Miguel is known for its large ex-pat community. However, my stomach was feeling a little funny from the minute I had woken up that morning, and as the day progressed, it wasn't getting any better.

The group--there were five of us altogether--decided to stop at a Chinese restaurant for a late afternoon lunch. Torston, our German tour guide who's been living in Mexico for 5 years and teaches Spanish at Sue's school, had recommended it. You might be thinking, Why on earth would anyone opt for Chinese food when traveling in Mexico?? But believe me, after 3 months of eating Mexican food, which basically consists of tortillas, meat, beans, rice, and more beans, Chinese was sounding pretty good. Or so I thought. As soon as the food arrived at the table, I took one look at it, took a bite, and booked it to the bathroom. When I made it back to the table, I tried another bite, but even just the site of the food was making my stomach rumble, and not in the hungry appetite sort of way. I had to spend the rest of the meal sipping my 7up and averting my eyes from everyone's food.

After our late lunch, while everyone else browsed the crafts market, Maura, another one of the students also from England, stayed back with me to hang out close to the public pay toilets. And though one might think that since you have to pay to use these toilets, your 2 pesos would be going towards helping keep them clean, but obviously you've never used a public restroom in Mexico. There is never a toilet seat, the garbage can is always full of dirty TP (since you can't flush it here), and just the mere sight of one of these bathrooms would make someone who is otherwise perfectly healthy feel a little ill. Needless to say, this wasn't exactly one of the sites I wanted to be spending my time seeing in San Miguel. Maura was absolutely lovely and happy to wait outside the restrooms and people watch while I took my needed time in the bathroom. Apparently, she had just gone through a bad spell of traveler's diarrhea a couple days earlier, so that left her with a bit of a soft spot and felt sympathy for me.

Fortunately, it was close to the end of the day and I knew the trip back to Guanajuato would only be an hour, and I felt like I could make it. So after being given automatic shotgun once we got back to the car, I was feeling pretty relieved, until I remembered all the cobblestone streets we had driven on our way into town. Bumping up and down in the car, my stomach was feeling about twice as bad as it had before, and I was beginning to miss the quality time I had spent with the pay toilets. Finally, Torston dropped us off back in Guanjuato and I made it to the hostel, thanking God that I had payed the few extra pesos a night to have my own private bathroom.

I ended up staying almost the entire next day in the hostel, only making it out to see a couple sights and getting to mass on Easter Sunday. As I was out and about, I realized that when you've got a serious case of Moctezuma's Revenge, that's all you think about. Everywhere I went, it was, OK, where's the closest bathroom? Any street vendor who approached me, I thought, Not now, can't you see I've got diarrhea? And especially whenever I heard the usual cat call or whistle from a guy, especially when one tried to stop me to take a picture with him as a "souvenire," I felt like decking him. My original plan was to head on to my next city on Sunday after spending 3 nights in Guanajuato, but the thought of spending 3 or 4 hours on a bus was enough to keep me another night.

On Monday, I was feeling a little better but decided to make my way back to San Juan to re-coup for a day or so. Between the way I had been feeling and the lack of clean laundry, I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to make my way to another new city. But it turned out OK, because by Tuesday, I was already feeling a lot better, and my friend Emmanuel happened to stop by the house and took me to see La Peña de Bernal, this huge rock form-type monolith that's not too far from where I've been living. This was another place that I had heard about and been wanting to see, so it worked out perfectly that I was back in town for the right day when he could go.

Yesterday morning, Wednesday, I packed up my backpack once again and decided to head to Pátzcuaro, this little picturesque town located a couple states over from Querétaro. A few people had recommended it to me on individual occasions, so after transferring buses 3 times, I finally made it hear yesterday late afternoon. This town is very quaint with all of its white-washed adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs (rooves?) and it's also right by a lake. Yesterday, I checked out a couple museums and today I took a boat trip to one of the islands on the lake. This is definitely a very relaxed, peaceful town which has been a nice change from all the crowds of La Semana Santa craziness that I experienced in Guanajuato.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to San Juan for one more night. The group of friends I've made want to take me out for some drinking and dancing in form of my "despedida," or send-off. I'm excited at the chance to go out with everyone one last night before I leave Mexico, because I really will miss the people I've met here. Saturday morning, I'm going to hop on my last bus-ride and head to Mexico City, where I'll stay with Lorraine for 2 nights before I fly out on Monday.

Overall, despite the diarrhea spell that put a little dent into my travels this week, this has been a great last week or so of getting around Mexico on my own. I'm really looking forward to my last weekend here and feel like I'm going out on a high note, which is amazing to say considering how after the start I got off too, this experience has really turned around. Right now, I'm going to see if there's any live music that I can stumble across like I did last night, so I suppose here is where I'm ending the blog. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I'm sure there will be more to come--I'm definitely feeling inspired to get back to Mexico again soon!

Saludos,
Rachel F. Wenzke

On the road again

2006-04-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last blog, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing just fine. The trip with Mom and Dad was great--sort of a whirlwind, too. We spent time in Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest and a very cool city, stopped through Tequila (yes, there's actually a town in Mexico called Tequila and we did visit the Tequila museum), and spent the week in Nuevo Vallarta, a beautiful resort-type place on the Pacific coast. We made it to Puerto Vallarta several times, which is a really cool city just south of where we were staying. After a week of soaking in the sun, we made our way back east and stopped in Morelia for a night, which is this really interesting colonial city that made it feel like we had traveled back in time. Finally, we made the last stretch of the trip back to Mexico City, went to Teotihuacán for the day to see the Aztec pyramids, and finally after that I saw Mom and Dad off to the airport and made my way back up to San Juan. Whew! So that's the really abridged version of our trip, but there are pictures. And one more thing, my advice to anyone who rents a car in Mexico--please know that you're gonna get lost, you might have to bribe a cop or two along the way, and more importantly, don't ever, EVER attempt to drive in Mexico City.

Some of you already know this, but I am officially on my way back to the US at the end of my 90 days. I'll be flying back in less than two weeks, April 24th, and I'm really excited. But, before I go, I decided I needed to take the initiative, hop on a bus, and do some traveling on my own before leaving Mexico. Right now, I'm writing from Guanajuato, which is this amazing colonial city with all these crooked cobblestone streets surrounded by a setting of mountains. I had heard from numerous people that this was a place I needed to check out before leaving, so here I am, and I'm so glad I did. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the idea of traveling on my own. This is something I've never really done before, especially not in a foreign country. But the family-run hostel I found is really great, and I've already met a couple other foreigners. I think tomorrow I'm going to be making a day trip to San Miguel de Allende with a British girl I met also staying at the hostel.

Anyway, so this is what I plan on doing until I come home, so stay tuned because I'm sure I'll come across some pretty interesting things along the way. And I promise, I will have pictures. You just have to see my in person in order to look at them! I'm off to check out what's happening in the centro--have a wonderful Easter weekend, everyone!

Goodbyes and new beginnings

2006-03-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this blog entry today with a lot of stuff on my mind with what this week has been leading up to. My parents are flying into Mexico City today (in fact, they should have already landed and are now probably smack in the middle of the sort of traffic you'd expect to find in the 2nd largest city in the world only to Tokyo), and they are going to meet me here in San Juan this afternoon/evening. I am so excited for them to get here. Tomorrow we're going to head to Guadalajara, the 2nd largest city in Mexico and also the birthplace of Mariachi. And on Saturday, we're on our way to Puerto Vallarta for the week. I can't wait! I feel like I've been cooped up in one place for too long and I'm dying to break out.. and seeing the ocean is always the perfect remedy for this.

Anyway, this week has been strange because I'm starting to say my goodbyes and I always have so many mixed emotions when it comes to transition time and moving onto the next step in my life... especially when I'm not entirely sure what that next step is. But I also feel like I have done my time here, even though it has been shorter than what I had expected, but I guess that's part of the freedom that goes along with buying a one-way plane ticket.

Yesterday and today I have been thinking a lot about my lasts here, and last night I had to say goodbye to Carlos and Fernando, the 2 brothers from Tequisquiapan (a neighboring town to San Juan) that I've been working with since January. They were the first class Carlos gave me when I first arrived here, and I feel like I've learned so much from them. I decided we had to do something fun for our last class, so yesterday I printed up the lyrics to the Alan Jackson song "Where I Come From" and brought in the music for them to hear it. We did a unit on music a month or so back, I had told them that before I left, they would learn something about country music, and they seemed to like it! (Though maybe they were just humoring me.)

I will definitely miss the students I have been working with. It has been a challenging experience not only being my first time really teaching in a classroom, but also because the attitude towards school and the importance of education is just different here than it is in the States. It took a lot out of me to get used to the fact that my students hardly ever showed up on time, if they showed up at all, and that they rarely came to class prepared. But I know they all have so much potential and I'd like to think that by being the first foreigner they've really known, I gave them an experience that they won't soon forget, becuase I know I definitely won't forget them.

Aside from teaching, I'm also beginning to think more about the friends I have made here and that I know I'm not going to have too much more time left with them. Shannon, René, Frederique and Chantal have all been great people to know and I feel like each one of them has come into my life for a reason. Maybe this makes me sound a bit too much of an idealist, but I really do believe that everyone you meet you can learn something from, even though many times you don't realize this until after they've already come and gone. But I began thinking about this last night when René and a friend of his picked me and the Frenchies up just to hang out by the river and look at the stars. As we drank Pulque, they began to play the guitar and sing, perfectly comfortable in our company. There are so many beautiful things about the Mexican culture, and despite how difficult this experience has been and at times all I wanted was an out, I'm so thankful that I have seen an intimate side to these people and a look into their lives.

And of course there's Carlos, Mariela, and Desi. If it weren't for them, I would not have lasted here for longer than a week. And unlike my stay in Ecuador, I feel like through knowing them, this is the first time I've really held a deeper understanding into the lives of another family, another culture, another way of life. They truly are amazing people and have done so much for me since I've been here, that I feel like I have experienced first hand the kindness of Mexican hospitality that many only read about. I know that leaving here, I can only hope to ever be able to return a favor to show the amount of gratitude I feel towards them.

It might sound like my experience is ending here, but I know I have so much left to do before I think about getting on a plane and heading back home. So as in the words of a good friend of mine, I plan to leave here and move on with my head up, eyes wide open, and conscience clear.

Enough about the serious self-reflection stuff. I get to see my parents today and soon we'll be beach-bound! Peace out.

There's a light at the end of every tunnel

2006-03-27T16:37:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a blast. It didn't start out too exciting because I stayed in Friday night, but it was nice to relax and have a movie night with well, myself. When it comes to getting quality me-time, I've definitely had my fair share of it since I've been here, which is OK by me because I think I make pretty good company. But by Saturday, I know I would be going crazy if I didn't get out of the house, so I made plans to meet up with Fred and Chantal. The Frenchies and I spent the day in San Juan, which was nice because they are living with a family really central to the city, so I got to see a few things that I didn't already know about this small town. We walked around, went to the market, ate some really good Mexican food at a restaurant they had heard about, and took some coffee at a local café. All it took was a couple hours, and I feel like I know this place inside out now... which is a good feeling because I'm getting ready to move on.

After going back to the house to relax for a bit, René and a friend of his picked up the Frenchies and me and we went to this dance club. I hadn't heard of it before and was surprised to see how large and nice it was, and it's really close to where I teach in the center of town. It seems that everyone had stayed in the night before, so we were all feeling pretty ready to go out and get our dance on. The Frenchies and I stuck out like a sore thumb of course, but it was a great time. I love dancing and it's something I hardly ever do, so I always forget how much I like it until I go out and experience a dance scene like that. I think dancing is one thing that I love so much about Latino culture... practically everyone you meet learned how to dance from an early age and it plays such a big role in family and social gatherings here. So needless to say, I definitely got showed a move or two Saturday night, and it was great being out and really just feeling totally carefree for the first time since I've been here (but to those who this might concern, don't worry... I didn't get TOO crazy.) :)

I have a feeling this week is going to be a total whirlwind. Mom and Dad are flying in on Thursday and driving up to San Juan and then we're off to Puerto Vallarta. After not going to Acapulco the other weekend (LONG story that involves lots of car trouble and hours spent in the car) I cannot express how excited I am at the idea of spending a week on the coast. Mexican beaches, here I come! (And please take it easy on my white, white skin.) This is also my last week of working for Carlos' school. There are no classes the first 2 weeks of April anyway, so this felt like a natural time for me to leave. I've finally come to the decision that the best thing for me to do right now is explore some other options of what I want to do with the rest of my time down here. So for now, I'm going to be traveling with Mom and Dad and possibly my group of friends when I get back from Puerto Vallarta, but most importantly, I'm going to do some traveling on my own. I think it's important for me to do this, so enough talking about it--it's time to make some plans and do it.

One more thing before I go... thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of me and what I'm doing down here. Your phone calls and e-mails have meant so much to me, and even just the occassional blog posting has really helped me keep myself in check. I'll keep you all posted on what I get myself into this next month, once I find out for myself!

Just some thoughts

2006-03-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

OK, whoa, well... where to begin? Lately all these thoughts have been circling around my head and yesterday I actually found myself tearing up on the bus ride back home to Carlos and Mariela's house while listening to my iPod. "Fix You" by Coldplay came on, and that song always gets me. Anyway, between being here in Mexico on my own and having a lot of idle time, I have been doing so much self-reflecting and taking personal inventory, which I know is healthy, but to an extent. As in the words of Jon Stewart, sometimes when you go for that long car ride by yourself, at some point along the way on the open road, you begin to feel like you've wronged every person who's ever come into contact with you. It sounded much funnier when he said it, but I think there's an element of truth to this.

So I guess I've been feeling pretty down lately and closing myself off from people and in turn, have been shutting out the experience of being here. I even called Erika the other weekend in tears telling her that I'm coming home. I remember before leaving to study abroad in Ecuador, we were told that we would experience really high highs and low lows. Here I feel like it's mostly been low lows. But I also know that these moods can be tricky and it's usually best to get a good night's sleep and clear your head before making any drastic decisions.

What I guess all this rambling is leading up to is the fact that I don't know that I am going to make it for the 6 months I originally planned on staying here. Now as I said, this is not some drastic decision that I've made and I don't have a plane ticket home to guarantee that I will be back in Ohio next month. But I have been doing a lot of thinking about what has led me up to this point in my life and what brought me here to San Juan del Rio. I guess the fact that the family I was supposed to live with bailed on me once I got here is something that I have not gotten over, and maybe I won't until I leave this place behind me. Living with my boss's family has not been the most comfortable situation for me, and I can't help but feel like I owe them so much for taking me in. Honestly, Carlos and Mariela have been sharing their room with Desi, 7 year old daughter, so that I can have a bedroom of my own. And I also feel like I've exhausted every other option I can possibly think of for another place to live. The fact of the matter is that San Juan is a small town and I can't help but feel like it simply does not have the opportunities that I'm looking for.

I hate to feel like I'm writing off this place like it has nothing to offer. But it has been two months now and I think I'm just now beginning to realize that maybe I've been looking at everything with tunnel vision... if I'm not happy where I am right now, why do I have to limit myself to this one particular town in this one particular state in this one particular part of Mexico? The fact that I had a contact in college who had lived here and that he knew a family here that wanted to take me in is what brought me here. Since that didn't exactly work out, why do I need to limit myself and not look elsewhere? A lot of it has to do with fear of the unknown. Maybe the problem isn't the place; it's me. After all, I've always believed in the saying "Wherever you go, there you are." Another fear has to do with pride. I'm really scared of the thought of coming home and feeling like a failure, that I had talked up these plans of coming to Mexico for so long, and I couldn't even make it for more than a few months. However, I'm also beginning to realize that I need to make more of an effort to spread myself around and really get to know different parts of this country while I'm here. Otherwise, I know that if I just pack up and leave and call it a quits next month, I'm going to look back on this all with a lot of regrets.

I've been talking to my Mom and Dad a lot lately, which has been doing a world of good for me. I'm really looking forward to their visit here and getting to show them around the few places I do know and travel to new places together. I've also let them know that I really am considering coming home next month at the end of my 3 month tourist stay, instead of extended it for an extra 90 days. And part of me was really tempted to buy a ticket to fly back with them. They'd be on their way to the airport anyway, right? But I know that this is not what I want and that I really need to do some traveling first. My Dad said something to me the other night that really stuck with me. When he was in school, he really struggled with the feeling of always being "behind" everyone else. He found himself feeling like there was some arbitrary timeline that he just couldn't keep up with. I can't even put into words how much truth this rang to me. I have always measured myself by how I compare to others, and being the youngest in a family of 6 very smart and successful siblings, this hasn't exactly been good for my self-esteem. But now I'm beginning to look around with open eyes and realize that the opportunities out there are endless. I just need to step up, take some initiative, and go find them because they aren't going to come looking for me. I feel like I'm here for a reason and I'm not going to be ready to leave until I figure out what that reason is.

So where do I leave off from here... I may be home next month because I have decided that I can't go on doing what I've been doing since I got here. But, once my parents have come and gone, I'm going to map out a route of places that I want to see before I leave here and who knows what I may find. There's a lot to see out there and I feel like I'm just getting started.

Feeling a little Irish today...

2006-03-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

Happy St. Patty's, everyone! It feels a little strange not really being able to celebrate today (er.. ok, by celebrate I mean drink green beer) but this morning at the pre-school we did talk about St. Patrick, leprechauns, and rainbows with pots of gold at the end of them. Definitely got some mixed reviews from the kids. Anyway, I just thought I'd send out the ol' Irish blessing your way...

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Drink a green one for me, people! Meanwhile, I might try to find a 3 leaf clover and explain the Holy Trinity to some Mexicans. Peace out!

Americans should seriously reconsider the concept of vacation time...

2006-03-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've been a bit of a slacker on the blog front lately. Nothing much has happened since the last time I wrote, but I've got some exciting news... I'm having my first visitors come in 2 weeks! If all goes as planned, Mom and Dad are going to be flying into Mexico City the last weekend of March and staying through the first week of April. I have 2 weeks of vacation coming up because La Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the week before that, there are no classes. Mexicans sure now how to celebrate Easter! Sometimes it's a kinda crazy because I feel like I'm not working too much doing the week to begin with, and then when you add in all the vacation time, well, I can't help but feeling like a bum. But hey, I've always been told that you're going to spend the rest of your life working, and that while you're young, why not travel and do the things you can't as easily do once you're settled, right? At least that's how I've learned to rationalize it. :)

Anyway, we're in the process of planning the trip right now, and I'm totally excited just thinking about all the different places we could visit. Part of me is a little nervous too, because I definitely don't know my way around this country as much as I'd like to, and I keep picturing us being somewhere in BFE Mexico, in the rental car, totally lost. But between my ability to speak Spanish and my parents' sense of direction, being the roadsters they are, I'm sure we'll be able to get by just fine... fingers crossed. Once I have a better idea of what exactly we're going to be doing, I'll be sure to let write more about it. But for right now, I'm really excited for their arrival and think that this will be a great time.

Other exciting news... I'm going to experience the Mexican beaches for the first time this weekend! Carlos and the family are going to Acapulco for a long weekend, and they've invited me to go with them. You know how I've consistently mentioned Mexicans enjoying their holidays? Well, I really wasn't kidding. Tuesday is a holiday because it's the first day of spring. So no work/classes on Tuesday means, well, we might as well take off Monday too while we're at it, right? That's the Mexican mentality I've grown to know and love. So the fam and I are going to be leaving San Juan del Río tomorrow evening and stay in Acapulco until Tuesday. Carlos has a friend who owns a vacation house there, so that's where we'll be staying. I just found out about these plans yesterday, so I really don't know too much about what we're going to be doing, but I'm just excited to get out of San Juan and see another part of Mexico. Should be a good time.

Yesterday we had the first thunderstorm here since I've been in Mexico. I was really excited about it, because although I love the weather here, it was nice to see something different from bright sunshine for a change. I think growing up in Ohio has made me so used to weather extremes from season to season, and I would be lying if I said I did't miss the occasional thunderstorm. Anyway, time to go write some lesson plans!

Mexican sushi = ¡Delicioso!

2006-03-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Just a note before the weekend.. it's been a while since my last entry. Lately I had been getting a little tired of Mexican food, and there's a little sushi restaurant near the school that I've been tempted to go to but totally apprehensive about trying at the same time. I mean, Mexican sushi? Do I really want to gamble with the risk of inviting Moctezuma over for another visit after this last recovery? Well, today being Friday and Lent (I'm trying to practice the Catholic belief of no eat-meating on Fridays, which will prove to be considerably difficult in Mexico because all the eat is meat) I decided to give this place a chance. Shannon and I went after I finished up at the pre-school and we got to talking to the owner, and it turns out that he spent 6 months in Japan studying the art of sushi-making. And it turned it to be some of the best sushi I've ever eaten. Great sushi in San Juan del Río--who knew? The funny thing is that I learned that Mexicans tend to really dislike wasabi and you have to specifically ask for it, which I think is so ironic because every other frickin' thing they eat sets my mouth on fire! You'd think they'd be all about wasabi!

Anyway, this week has been a bit of a stressful one because I have exhausted myself out on the apartment search front, basically got into a fight with Miguel, and I feel like I'm still at square one. But I've decided that this weekend is going to be all about just going out and having a good time and not worrying about all this stuff. Honestly, today I discovered not one, not two, but THREE grey hairs! A little scary considering that I'm 23 years old. So enough with the stressing out. Tonight I'm going to meet up with the Frenchies and my few but faithful Mexican friends para jugar billares (play pool) and tomorrow we're going to head to the geyser and camp out for the night. I've been needing to get away from the city smog that looms over San Juan, so this weekend should be good for me. Keep postin', people!

Thank God for Bobcats

2006-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Man, talking to friends in times of need always put things into perspective. I decided to sign on to my old AOL instant messenger screen name, something I haven't done since I graduated from OU basically, and got to talk to a few old friends from school (one being my gurl, Kimmy J). I'm beginning to realize how even though my situation down here might seem so different from what my college friends are now doing with their lives post-college, we essentially have all had to go through the same thing. We've had to move to a new city, whether it be close to home somewhere in Ohio or a different country, and had to start from scratch. Getting to know your way around the city, getting used to a new daily lifestyle, and meeting new people are all things we've had to do all over again. Sometimes I miss Athens like crazy, that oasis in the corner of Southeastern Ohio where I couldn't walk for more than 5 minutes down the street without seeing at least 10 people I recognized, stopping to catch up on what classes we're taking, what we did on the weekend, etc. But now that we've graduated, we have all had to do some growing up, leaving that comfort zone we created over 4 years, and moving on to our next step, whatever that may be. When I look back to my freshman year, I never in a million years would have seen myself moving to Mexico for 6 months, but here I am.
This weekend has been fun, but a little frustrating at the same time. I did go out Friday night, which I think is becoming more and more important for me, because when I stick around the house, I end up dwelling on all the people and things I miss from home, making myself depressed. So René and a couple of his friends picked me up and then we went to get the Frenchies, and the 5 of us went to a bar. Before we went out, I got to meet Chantal's family who was in town visiting her for the weekend. I have to admit, I was a little jealous because she's been here a week and her mom, dad, and brother flew all the way here from France to see her. Anyway, they were heading back to the hotel, so our group left for the bar...this was the first bar I've been to in San Juan, and I didn't really know what to expect. At first, there was this band playing, and they weren't too bad, but they played mostly covers of American music. When they finished their set though, karioki night took over and this older Mexican wearing a cowboy hat and all took over the stage and sang a bunch of Mexican songs, mostly sappy love music, which was highly entertaining because the whole bar sang along. All in all, it was a pretty fun night, and it was good to see everyone again since last weekend.
Yesterday I didn't really have any plans to do anything, and I have been feeling bad like I haven't been spending enough time with Carlos' family lately. I know they are happy that I am finally starting to meet people here, but sometimes I just feel like this visitor staying at their house to sleep and eat meals with them occasionally. So yesterday when they decided they were going to Querétaro for the day, I decided to go with them. But I'm beginning to realize that they're idea of enjoying the weekend is going directly to a mall, where we ate lunch at the food court and remained for the rest of the time we were there until we returned to San Juan. I hate malls, and I especially don't like being there when I have nothing in mind that I need to buy. So I was a little disappointed because I was hoping we would spend more time walking around the city. But, there did end up being this Capoeira performance going on at the mall, which was really cool. I had heard of Capoeira before--it's this type of sport, martial art almost, that originates in Brazil where two people will almost fight with each other, without ever making contact. With all the kicks in the air and moving around to the beat of the music that accompanies it, it's almost more of a dance. This was going on in the center of the mall, so we hung around and watched for a while. Being the American I am, all I could think about was the quote from Zoolander, "They're break-dance fighting!" Ah, good times.
Today I got up and went to the local mass here in La Floresta (the neighborhood I'm currently living in) which was at the central park. The mass was held underneath this gazebo in the middle of the playground, and I was really glad I went. I think this may have been the first outdoor mass I've ever really been to. At first I was a little intimidated to go by myself, but it was really neat to see all of these Mexican families gather together to pray. I've learned that they're really strict here about receiving communion, that you're really not supposed to until you have been to confession, so since I can't remember that last time I've been to confession, I've decided to respect the custom here and not receive communion. It's interesting to me to see the division between people who do receive communion and those who don't, because it's about half and half. I feel like one of the sinners who is not cleansed enough to take the eucharist, but hey, that's that old Catholic guilt kicking in full force! I've also learned that women do not cross their legs inside a church, which i something I constantly forget, so between that and not receiving communion, I wouldn't be surprised if I get kicked out of the next mass I go to!
Today Anne Sophie is having a cook-out, so I need to figure out first of all where she lives (she has moved since her last apartment), what I'm going to bring, and how the hell I'm going to get there. Should be interesting!

New month, new chapter

2006-03-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

OK, so as you all already know, today is March 1st. Unfortunately, I forgot to make sure that "rabbit, rabbit" was the first thing I said this morning (something I've been doing since I was a kid on the first day of every new month to ensure good luck for the entire month) but I'm feeling optimistic. Last month presented a lot of challenges and major adjustments that were all sort of thrown my way at once, and there were a lot of times when I just wanted to call it quits, pack up my stuff, and leave Mexico behind me.. but I managed to stick it out. This month can only be better, right?

I started another job yesterday. Three days a week, Mon Wed and Fri, I'm going to be working with pre-schoolers, and though I knew these kids were going to be smaller than what I'm accustomed to being around, when I walked into the school yesterday, I was freaked out. I mean, these kids are small! I'm talking, 2-3 years old, very fragile-looking, and I had absolutely no idea how capable they are of doing well, anything. But they are also freakin' adorable, and I think they're going to end up teaching me a lot more than I can only hope to teach them in English. I mostly observed yesterday, but today I jumped in there a little more. It's going to be a lot of playing games, singing songs, teaching them names of things (this week, animals) and in general, keeping them entertained but also putting them in an English-speaking environment. It's crazy because I feel like I'm doing it all.. working with pre-schoolers, grade-schoolers, teenagers, and adults. And I don't even think I want to be a teacher! However, this is all going to be such a good learning experience for me, and I'm excited to be trying different things.

Not too much news on the house-hunting front, though Sylvia, the owner of the pre-school, mentioned that she has a house in San Juan that she and her husband have been trying to sell. They now live in San Gil, the place where I was originally staying when I first got to Mexico. So right now, I'm trying to work out the possibility of her holding off on selling it and instead renting it to me and the Frenchies, who are all also looking for housing. She sounded interested in the idea, so maybe we will be able to arrange something. It seems a little too good to be true right now, but as they say, new opportunities just sometimes land right in your lap when you're least expecting it.

I also need to mention Shannon again, the American I met last week. I've gotten to know her a little better and will continue to since we'll be driving to the automotive company together twice a week, taking over Carlos' spot. She is nuts. Shannon kind of makes me think of how I can see myself being when I'm a little older (she's 30) but much more amplified. She totally has the artist mentality and constantly talks about how much people need to pursue their passions, and has the total "you go, girl" attitude. I feel like she's my personal cheering section when I talk to her about what I'm doing down here. (Though sometimes I have to wonder if being from Ohio has something to do with people being surprised and/or impressed that I'm down here.) Anyway, she's really nice, totally crazy, and I think she's really excited about doing anything she can to help me out, and in a way, take me under her wing. There are a lot of qualities about her that I like to think that I have, though I guess I've always strived to stay a little more grounded than she is, because come on, sometimes you just come off as kinda creepy otherwise.

Well, as always, it's a beautiful day here which leads me to feel a little guilty when I'm inside typing away on a computer. Like Gretchen, I mean GD's better half said, start posting, you blog-reading free-loaders. I want to know what's going on up there, too. And another thing, I'm down here for 6 months so I better get some visitors, so open up those calenders and wallets and figure out when you're coming to visit yours truly. Did I mention the great weather?

¿Por qué no?

2006-02-26T13:04:00.000-08:00

Yay! I'm finally starting to meet people down here! This weekend was a lot of fun because I met up with Anne Sophie and her 2 friends from France, Frederique and Chantal. And through Anne Sophie and her boyfriend Hugo, the 2 Frenchies and I met a couple Mexicans around my age, René and Emmanuel. At first I was kind of nervous at the idea of spending time with 3 Mexicans and 3 French people, being the minority twice removed, but it ended up being a good time. Friday night was when I met everyone, and we spent the night hanging out at Anne Sophie's apartment in the centro of town, drinking a little tequila, and talking.. basically, everyone was just getting to know each other. And it's true that when you get together a group of people who all speak different languages, it's amazing how much time you spend talking about the fact that you speak different languages. French, Spanish, English... all in one room. But it was great because everyone was speaking in Spanish for the most part, and hearing the mistakes that Fred and Chantal were making in Spanish made me feel like I have made a lot of progress in how much I'm able to communicate in a foreign language.

Early Saturday morning, I had a teaching English workshop to go to in Querétaro that was arranged through Carlos, even though he ended up not going. Instead, a got a ride from a friend of Carlos who I just met last week. Her name is Shannon and she's American and has been living in San Juan for 5 years now. She's from Florida and her husband is Colombian, and they met while in school in the states. Now they have a 2 year old daughter, and I was absolutely fascinated as Shannon told all about her life and what brought her here to Mexico. She's really nice and seems really willing to help me out with anything I need down here, and through her a met another woman at the conference who is just starting a bilingual pre-school and is looking for a native speaker to work for her. I ended up talking to this woman, Sylvia, about my situation here and how I'm looking for another job since I have so much free time in the mornings, so I think we're going to meet this week, maybe tomorrow (I haven't heard from her just yet). Anyway, this conference turned out to be totally boring and I was a little disappointed because it was more about trying to sell this new line of textbooks and I was hoping to learn some teaching tips. BUT, it did prove to be a great networking experience for me and I'm glad I went.

Since I knew I was going to be in Querétaro, I mentioned this to my new found friends Friday night and they decided to drive up to the city to meet me when I got out of the workshop. The 5 of us, Emmanuel, René, Chantal and Fred and I spent the day in the city, which was a total blast. We spent the day walking around the city, checking out the outdoor market, went to a history museum, eating tacos and fresh fruit, and in general, just seeing everything there is to see in Querétaro. It was funny because at times, Chantal and Fred would have to ask me to translate things for them so they could speak with Emmanuel and René, so we basically had things going from French to English to Spanish, but the conversation was there.

It was really good for me to see how Chantal and Fred are adjusting to being here since they flew in on Wednesday. Although they're only going to be here for 2 months altogether, I could see that Chantal is having a little bit of a difficult time, so I found myself talking to her a lot about how important this experience is for her, that some days will be great while others will be really difficult, that her Spanish will improve so much, etc. etc. when I realized that this is exactly the kind of advice that I've been needing to listen to.. in this case, my own! Fred and Chantal both want to do a lot of traveling while they're here, which is exactly what I've been wanting to do more of, and Emmanuel and René seem really happy to show us extranjeros (foreigners) around. So it was not only great meeting people closer to my age--everyone in the group is about 21-22--and having people to hang out with on the weekends, but also knowing that I'm not so alone here. I almost decided not to go out Friday night because I was feeling tired, but I'm so glad I did.

Today I've been thinking about how much I want to move onto my next step here, finding an apartment, and how this week I just have to do something to make this happen. Shannon seems really willing to help me out, and has even offered for me to stay with her for a while, though I think she understands that that's not what I'm looking for. I'm going to do everything I can to hunt down Miguel to see if his friend that he mentioned is still interesting in having me as a roommate, but if this doesn't work out, I'll move on to looking for something else. Wish me luck!

Oh, Moctezuma. What did I ever do to you?

2006-02-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

Crikey. I have definitely been to hell and back this week, all the while riding on a toilet. And if hearing about this kind of stuff isn't exactly what you signed up for, then you shouldn't be reading my blog about living in MEXICO. Basically, on Tuesday I was not feeling up to par, and I ended up having to skip out on teaching my second afternoon class. Good ol' Moctezuma has haunted me several times since I've been in Mexico, but this was definitely the worst. Let's just say that I was extremely relieved to discover that the internet café I happened to be in Tuesday afternoon did have some restroom facilities.. thank God. After all was said and done, I was left feeling pretty weak and dehydrated, and I know that I wasn't looking too good, either. Desi was quick to point out that I had some pretty dark circles around my eyes, and all in all, I was just feeling pretty crappy. Usually when this kind of stuff happens, I'm quick to call Mom, but in this case it was comforting to see that Mariela was concerned and fixed me some rice and toast (anti-diarrhea essentials). Carlos gets a pretty good kick out of the new phrase I've taught him, "Moctezuma's Revenge," and doesn't understand why gringos have these sorts of problems in Mexico. Hmmm... I have no idea. Could it have to do with pig brains?

That said, I'm feeling a lot better now and have had a pretty good week, altogether. Tomorrow I'm going to meet these two other foreigners who just got here today, a guy and a girl both from France, that Anne Sophie knows. We're all supposed to do something tomorrow night, and I'm pretty excited to actually have Friday plans. (God, how I miss college. *tear*) I don't know much about them yet, but apparently they're going to be living here in San Juan and are also looking for an apartment. I don't know if I would necessarily want to work out sharing an apartment with them, which I think Anne Sophie might have in mind. All I can say is that I really hope that they speak Spanish since I don't know a single word of French. But, it'll be nice to meet some new people and who knows--they're extranjeros (foreigners) too and maybe they'd be interested in doing some traveling on the weekends to get to know other parts of Mexico, which I am just dying to do.

One last thing before I head out to do some exploring around the city.. I have to comment on Mexico's bus system--I love it! This might sound crazy because the bus drivers are generally crazy and drive way too fast, and they tend to open the doors while the bus is still moving at top speed. I've also learned that it's not a big deal when they "bump" into another bus. This I know because it happened the other week when the bus I was riding hit the back of another bus in front of it, causing all the passengers to fling foward a little bit. The bus driver then pulled up to the one that he had just hit, and the other driver just sort of laughed about it, like "whoops, you just bumped into me, amigo." But this is what I like about it. All the bus drivers seem to be friends with the others, and you never know what the bus you're going to be riding will be like. Some are really nice and others look like they're about to fall apart at any minute.

What I think is interesting is that the drivers seem to get to decorate them however they want, oftentimes with black lights or tons of religious decorations, like a giant crucifix in the center of the front windshield. And then there's the music. Each driver usually has some type of stereo set up where they play all of the CDs that they want to listen to, and in turn the passengers have to listen to too, whether they like it or not. Usually it's some type of salsa with a strong beat, so you can imagine me the "guera" sitting among all these Mexicans on a bus, bumpin' along down the road. I think this is great because if these drivers have to be driving around these buses all day long, they might as well be listening to what they want to hear. One more thing, a bus ride only costs 4 pesos, which is less than 40 cents. Can't beat that!

Enough time in the café for today. It's a beautiful day outside. Keep posting your responses, people! Nos vemos..

Correction: It's February and I HAVE a sunburn!

2006-02-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

Weddings, mimes, and geisers... ahh, a typical weekend in BFE Mexico. And to those of you who don't know what BFE stands for, you're obviously not from the Midwest. So this weekend started off with going to a wedding with Carlos, Mariela and Desi (their 7-year-old daughter) on Saturday. We were late, of course, but in Mexico, that's the norm. I have to admit that Mexican time is one thing that I am not adjusting to very easily. Honestly, so far I've eaten pig brains but I just can't get over how annoying it is to constantly be waiting for people. And I know that I'm in the minority and therefore it's my problem, and I've been told that we Americans depend far too much on our watches, but I just hate being kept in waiting. It takes me back to the days of Sunday mornings growing up and trying to get a family of 8 to church on time.

Anyway, the wedding was in the main church in the center of town and was a nice ceremony. Nothing too different than any other Catholic wedding I've been to, except maybe a little more traditional and a lot more kneeling for the bride and groom. Carlos knew the bride because she used to take care of one of his students, and here in Mexico, I've learned that it doesn't take much to consider someone a good friend, like you've known each other for years, which is kinda nice. One thing that did catch me a little off guard was the rice throwing tradition they did afterwards as the bride and groom walked out of the church. I was pretty excited about this when someone handed me rice because this is something I've only ever seen in the movies. However, when the groom and bride walked out, I was all prepared to do a nice under-hand toss with my handful of rice when I saw that everyone else was absolutely chucking it at them! I swear, I thought someone was going to take an eye out! Nevertheless, I can still say that I got to partake in a Mexican wedding rice ambush.

After the wedding, instead of going to the reception which I believe was the original plan, we ended up going to Querétaro, the capital of the state of Querétaro, which is about 30 min north of San Juan. Even though I was a little bummed because I had wanted to see what a Mexican wedding reception would have been like (lots of tequila drinking and dancing, I'm sure), I was excited when they told me that this is what we would be doing for the day because I've heard good things about the city and had been wanting to go there. And what I had heard was right; Querétaro is a really pretty city set in a valley with mountains in the backdrop, with lots of big plazas filled with fountains and surrounded by trees, art galleries, restaurants with outdoor seating, and a big market that gets set up every weekend. The most interesting thing that we encountered was some street performers that were set up in one of the plazas. Now, to be honest, I've never been a big fan of clowns, and mimes are no exception. Nonetheless, this mime picked me out of the crowd so that he could stage a dual between two other dudes from the crowd. The two guys had to pretend they were in an old Western sort of quick-draw, and they ended up killing each other so the mime could walk off with me, the prize, apparently. This was pretty interesting, to partake in this mime's act, but a little terrifying at the same time and I was glad when it was over.

Today, the fam and I went to this natural hot springs place, not too far from San Juan, where there is this geiser that Carlos had been telling me about. The drive there was pretty neat because the landscape here is just so different from anything I've really seen before, and seeing all the brown dunes and cacti, combined with the really intense sun, really made me feel like I was in the heart of Mexico. When we got to our destination, which more than anything seemed like an oasis in the middle of nowhere, there really was this geiser that realeased big gushes of steamy vapor, which had a pretty strong smell of sulfur to it. It was a pretty intense feeling getting blasted with all of this hot steamy air, and at times it was so strong that you couldn't see anything around you. There were also these hot springs where the water was almost too hot to bare, but as I've come to realize, everything's hotter in Mexico. I ate a piece of gum the other day that I thought was strawberry flavored, but oh no, red hot chili pepper flavored! My mistake. As I had predicted the other day, no matter how much sun screen I put on today, I definitely got fried, but had a great time being outside in the sun all day.

This weekend was definitely a good chance to get away from San Juan for a bit and everything that's been so upside down since I first got here. I'm still feeling somewhat unsettled here, but I'm also realizing how almost a month has already passed since I first got to Mexico and that I just need to give it more time. I really appreciate the time I've been spending with Carlos' family, but I'm getting anxious to work out a new living situation with a roommate in an apartment. Hopefully, that's not in the too far distant future... Man, this sunburn is going to be hurting tomorrow!

It's February and I'm getting a sunburn!

2006-02-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

Just have to mention that the sun in Mexico is insanely intense, and it's only February--what is July going to be like?? I can't believe that I'm on the same continent as Ohio right now. But one major perk about being in a country with such hot weather is.. BON ICE! That's right, friends. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Bon Ice is a brand of popsicles that my fellow OU students and I became obsessed with while we were in Ecuador. It goes without saying that I was extremely pumped when I discovered that Bon Ice also exists in Mexico. It's really not as exciting as we made it out to be because they're basically freezer pops that come in a bunch of different flavors, but the thing that makes them so great are the Bon Ice vendors. These people walk around in their bright blue, pink, and yellow Bon Ice outfits and bright blue hats with their matching bright blue coolers on wheels where they keep all of the freezer pops. And as soon as they yell "BON ICE!" the crowds come running.

I know that anyone I was in Ecuador with who may be reading this right now is dying with jealousy. Yay for Bon Ice! Hopefully a little Bon Ice will ease that sunburn that I know is inevitable.

Long time, no blog

2006-02-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last update because for some reason or another, the past few days have been really difficult for me. I felt like I had gone back to how lost I felt when I first got here with all the moving around and not knowing anyone in a foreign country; in general, just feeling pretty lonely. I didn't want to post anything for fear that I end up writing something that I regret (so I've saved that for the venting I've done in e-mailing my family... sorry, Gretch).

BUT, today is a beautiful day and I feel so much better and altogether more back to my optimistic old self. I've been making a point to explore the center of town a little more everyday, taking different routes just to get myself oriented around here and know the city better. Today, for example, instead of going back to the house for a few hours before my afternoon classes, I decided to stick around town and discovered this amazingly beautiful, peaceful park that's literally two blocks away from the school. I had no idea it even existed! It's on the other side of the river and is surrounded by bunch of really fragrant eucalyptus trees, and inside there are basketball courts, skating ramps, shelters with picnic tables, and all these paths to walk along. I think that today I realized just how much I miss being outside all of the time, which is one thing I tried my best not to take for granted while I was working for Camp Kern. The traffic and pollution in Mexico can be pretty awful, so it's really reassuring to know that there are places to get away from it and take in some fresh air--and it's within walking distance of the school!

I'm taking on another class this week, too, so altogether I am teaching 3 classes in the afternoon at the school, plus going to the automotive company twice a week. I'm still not keeping as busy as I'd like, but I think tomorrow I'm going to a school for kids with special needs to see if there's any sort of volunteer work I can do there in the mornings when I don't have anything else going on. Carlos and Mariela have a neighbor whose son has Down's Syndrome, and so this is who will be taking me to the school. I told Carlos that I've been thinking about wanting to do some volunteering while I'm down here, and this was his suggestion, so we'll see how it goes. I'm excited to meet the students of this school and see if there's anything I can do to help out while I'm here.

I think that I'm going to be staying with Carlos and Mariela for about another month (through the end of March) and will then make plans to move into an apartment with Anne Sophie, the French teacher I've been talking to about the possibility of living with. I was pretty disappointed at first that I have to wait another month and a half before we can do this, but she has family coming to visit her from Africa next month for like 2 weeks, and she was planning on giving up her apartment so they won't have to get a hotel, so it wouldn't make sense for us to set up something until after they've come and gone. But, now I think that this might be for the best because it will give me some more time to save up some money and get to know my way around here a little better before leaving Carlos' and Mariela's house to live with her.

That's about all the updates I can think about for now. Things are looking a lot brighter down here (as they should, the weather is beautiful!) and I know that it's going to take some time and patience, but I'm feeling confident that I can make everything work while I'm here. I've come this far, and there's no going back now...

¡Fiesta!

2006-02-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

After some feedback on some of my previous blogs, just thought I had to mention the fiesta scene in Mexico... Last night my Mexican "cousin" Ingrid took me out, so she and a group of her friends picked me up from Carlos' house. I was under the impression that we were going to a disco, but it turns out we went to this massive outdoor party. It was pretty interesting. First, we picked up some beer along the way and of course everyone, including the driver, was drinking in the car. Ah, it's like Ecuador all over again.

We stopped by some friends' house where this group of people were having sort of a band rehearsal, and they were actually really good, playing music that was unlike anything I'd really heard before. I hope to learn a lot about different types of music while I'm down here. From there we drove to this party, and at first I thought it was somebody's house but it was basically this big outdoor park where Mexicans of all ages get together to drink, dance, and live it up. It was pretty fun.

My only complaint that I need to vent about is that I'm getting a little tired of all the special attention I get for being an American. I'm happy to talk about the States and what I'm doing here in Mexico, but it's just a weird feeling having it constantly pointed out to me that I look "different." I guess I just have to get used to being called a "guera," and really it wasn't too different in Ecuador except that they used the term "gringa." Anyway, I know that since in the States I'm in the majority, it's a good experience for me to know what it feels like to be a minority. I guess all of this has definitely inspired me to work on getting a tan... honestly, leaving Ohio mid-winter to come here has left me looking like a ghost!

Today I'm off to meet with Anne Sophie, the French teacher, about being roommates. I hope this all goes over well because, even though I feel extremely welcome in Carlos and Mariela's home, I'm ready for my next move.

One other update on my life down here... Moctezuma's Revenge is now officially into full effect. Awesome!

I ate brains?!

2006-02-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

So something that happened the other day that I feel I should mention... apparently, Carlos tricked me into eating pig brains. That's right. And I thought that nothing could top eating guinea pig in Ecuador. What happened was after the long weeked in Mexico City, I hopped on the Metro and cabbed it over to meet up with Carlos and Mariela and their families so we could head back to San Juan on Monday. That afternoon, though Carlos told me we would get on the road around 3:00 and ending up leaving at 6:30 (gotta love el tiempo mexicano) Carlos and I were hanging out for a bit in front of Mariela's family's butcher shop, right by their house, so I could meet everybody. I've been a little weary of the meat that's eaten here in Mexico, even though I'm sure it's a lot more healthy for you than all the processed garbage we eat in the States, but still it just appears a little too reminiscent of the animal that died to feed you for my taste. Anyway, Mariela's sister offered me a quesadilla, which I thought I had figured out consisted of nothing more than cheese wrapped up in a tortilla, but oh no, not this one. It contained some type of weird meat so I asked Carlos what it was and they just kept saying, "probalo! probalo!" which means, "just try it!" So being polite, I ate it and basically had to choke the whole thing down, mostly because I was suspicious as to why Carlos had a big grin on his face. I found out as soon as I was done eating, I had just chowed down on "sesos," or ground-up pig brains. Augh! It made for some good entertainment though for Carlos and the rest of the family working at the butcher shop.

So today I had my job interview to see about working for another language school here in San Juan, where my friend Mike from OU actually taught, and I think the interview went extremely well and I will most likely be offered the job. However, I'm not sure if I want to take it. Actually, I'm pretty positive that I don't. It's not that I've been unhappy working for Carlos' school, but I guess one big thing that was pushing me to find a job somewhere else is that I know this other school provides housing to the foreign teachers. But I found out today that basically if I got this job and were to begin in March, I would be replacing another American who's leaving and there won't be any other teachers living there. I'm not thrilled about the idea of living alone because I actually like having roommates. It's what I'm used to.

Another thing about this school is that the hours are not ideal whatsoever. Classes are held early in the morning, 7am Monday thru Thursday, and until late at night, 9pm, with a big gap in between in the middle of the day. Fridays are off, but I would have to work every Saturday morning from 9 to 1, which doesn't sound so bad, but 4 straight hours of teaching 1 class would be exhausting! Also, I could kiss my weekends good-bye, which I hope to spend traveling to different parts of central Mexico. So this job isn't sounding so ideal to me anymore.

I am going to meet up with Anne Sophie, the French teacher from Carlos' school, on Saturday to talk about living together. If we decided to do this, I imagine we'll spend part of the day most likely strolling around the city to look for apartments. I really hope this works out because, even though I've only talked to her a little bit about this, she seems pretty cool and I think it would be interesting having a French roommate that I could only speak Spanish with. She must be pretty independent too if she is 21 years old and is here for both her studies and to teach classes, and has been living by herself. Hopefully, we can work something out. I talked to my mom for a long time about this on the phone today, and it was great talking to her and getting her take on my situation. I'm sure she'll be supportive whatever I end up doing.

I think tomorrow night I'm going to my first disco here in San Juan with Ingrid, my 17-year-old Mexican "cousin." She's been wanting to take me out since I moved out of her grandparents' house, so it should be a good time. If it's anything like the dance clubs in Ecuador, I will stick out like a sore thumb but nevertheless, have fun watching other people dance salsa and try to teach me, the "guera," a move or two. Hasta luego.

What to do...

2006-02-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

After feeling pretty trapped with my present situation here in Mexico, i.e. my original host family falling through, the other family I stayed with temporarily not working out because they lived too far away from the school, and now staying with Carlos (my boss) and his family.. I find myself with a few options opening up and not knowing exactly what to do.

I'm interviewing for a job tomorrow at another school where I would be guaranteed a minimum of 40 hours of classes a week and a place to live with the other English-speaking teachers. I definitely need to work more than I am right now because 14 hours a week is just not cutting it. I've never done well with too much idle time.. I just get anxious and feel like I should be being more productive. I like the sound of a house to live in where I would have very little expenses, but do I really want to live with other Native English speakers? A big reason for me coming down here was to improve my Spanish, and I worry that if I'm going to be teaching English all day and then going home to English-speaking roommates, my time here in Mexico will do nothing for my Spanish. But I figure I'll at least check this out tomorrow and hopefully get a lot of things cleared up in the interview and see if I even get a job offer and if I should be worrying about all of this in the first place.

I'm also considering the possibility of getting an apartment with another teacher who works at Carlos' school because she's been living here alone and is looking for a new place to live, and I think she told Carlos that she liked the sound of having a roommate. I've only met her once but for very briefly. Her name is Anna Sofia, and she's actually French. She's here teaching French classes at Carlos' language institute. Living with her would definitely be interesting because I don't speak a word of French and I don't know how her English is, so we would probably end up trying our best to communicate in Spanish. But who knows... I'm supposed to meet with her today to talk about all this, so hopefully I'll get some questions answered.

I feel like I'm getting more accustomed to being here after a very difficult first couple of weeks. There are a lot of charming things about Mexico, most of all being how nice the people are here. I feel like I'm this strange foreigner that so many people have been willing to welcome into their home, no questions asked. I've talked with Carlos and he knows that I'm going to be interviewing with this other school tomorrow, so it's good that everything is out in the open between us. He knows that my time down here has not been what I've expected, so I think he's understanding. He and Mariela keep insisting that I'm welcome to stay with them, though I think they understand that living with roommates, not a family, is what I'm accustomed too. It's a lot different here than it is in the states where Mexicans value family so much that it's normal for a 23-year-old to still be living with their parents, but like I keep saying, I need my independence.

Time to run to get a lesson plan together before my even classes.. I'm trying to to stress out so much about lesson plans because I am still a little terrified by them, but honestly, I only have 2 students per class! Nothing to worry about, but still, I want to do the best job I possibly can and teach these kids something.

I promise I'll have more interesting things to write about once things get a little more settled down here, to whoever's reading this! Nos vemos..

What's a blog?

2006-02-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

So, I'm jumping on the blog bandwagon. Yep, that's right. I figure that since I gave up a cell phone when I left for México, I've got to pick up some other past-time to ensure that I still remain a product of society. Besides, my e-mails have a tendency to turn into novels, which can be both exhausting and time consuming, so hopefully nobody will take any more offense to checking out my blog than receiving a mass e-mail. Ahhh, technology. Stay tuned until I figure all this blog stuff out, considering I am a rookie and all of the directions are in español...