my classes

It occurred to me that I have not written about my students here in Los Reyes yet. I really like my schedule here; I teach two classes from 8am-10am every morning and then have a break until 4pm. I teach from 4-8pm every night. During my break I usually go to La Unidad to run, sometimes I go to the market as well to pick up some fresh fruits or veggies. Sometimes I pretend I’m Mexican and I take a siesta in the afternoon so I have the energy for my students in the afternoon. Life here is very relaxed and slow paced!
My first class is beginner English with only one semester of English behind them and I have four students from the ages of 14-20. It is a quieter group with two girls and two guys but they participate in the activities and I can’t really hold being quiet at 8am against them. My next class is a little more advanced but I only have two students, a 16 year old girl and a 19 year old guy. The guy, Federico, rarely comes so oftentimes it is just Claudia and I.
When I go back at four, I have a class with three 8 year old girls in it. Up until last week it was just two girls, Ashanty and Aril. They get along very well, both very outgoing and smart. Jocelyn came into the class last week but she is very quiet. It is kind of a struggle to get her to participate and the other two intimidate her. It threw in an odd dynamic to have a shy quiet girl thrown in with two girls with the same personality who had been in the same class for 2 weeks already.
The next class is my young kids. I have seven 4-6 year olds. Five boys and two girls and that class takes a lot of energy! It is one thing to babysit and chase around a bunch of kids but quite another to try to make them sit and learn or even all participate in the same activity. (God Bless you Aunt Sherry!) It has been going very well so far, my Spanish commands are becoming much better! I have only had to remove one of them from the class and make her sit outside as a timeout. It is a fun class, sometimes I’ll say something in Spanish and one of the kids will give me an odd look and then correct my Spanish and tell me how to say it correctly. Who is teaching who? One of the students in the class is a handful; just a total boy and at 5 years old think he knows everything already and loves to get up out of his chair. Thus far he has found the word “Puto” which translates into something similar to bitch written underneath the table, (he of course had to tell the whole class what the table said), has taken gum stuck under the table and put it in his mouth and has also attempted to glue my window shut. He now sits right next to me. I’ve discovered they listen much better to English commands. I can repeat “Siéntete” over and over and over and nobody listens but I say “sit down please!” and they sit and look at me like, “what else is she going to say?” If anything else at least they will know how to say quiet, sit down and listen in English at the end of the semester!
My class at 6pm has five teenagers in it. They are all 13 or 14 years old and are fairly advanced in English. It is a very fun class to teach, all of the students get along really well and all enjoy talking. We laugh a lot in that class. There is only one boy in the class and he at the moment is dating one of the girls so we will see what happens if they break up. They started dating right after Valentine’s Day but I think it is the type of relationship where they say they are dating but don’t really do anything together.
Finally, the last class of the day has a variety of students. I have a 12 and a 13 year old girl, a 19 year old guy and a 24 year old girl. They have only had about a semester of English behind them, although the two young girls still get English class in school so they do a little better. Surprisingly they all get along really well and have a lot of fun.
I have actually seen many of my students out on weekends here in Los Reyes too, Mexican laws are more like suggestions and nobody really notices whether they are followed all the time or not so oftentimes 13-14 year olds are able to get into the clubs. It is very strange to be a few drinks in dancing to Katy Perry’s “I kissed a girl” and see your 13 year old student across the dance floor! Awkward situation to be sure. They always make sure to come over and say hello too! Other than that it has been a good semester so far and I’m enjoying teaching!

bday weekend!

Before I left for Mexico, I was worried about my birthday being a little over a month away and being in a foreign country with friends and family so far away. I shouldn’t have worried at all. My birthday was actually very fun. Most of my classes threw me mini parties so we played games and they brought in food like chips and cookies and we just had a fun day. Two of my students even bought me presents- one a hair clip and some candy and another brought in a cookie in the shape of a heart on a stick.
After classes were done we headed back to the house. A few friends we have met while we have been here came over to the house with a bunch of beer and we turned on some music and had a little party at the house. We had all intentions of going out to the bars as well but ended up just staying in and hanging out. We played some card games and hung out on the roof for awhile. 3 of the guys who came over knew no English either so we all practiced our Spanish quite a bit.
When we all rolled out of bed on Saturday and cured the hangovers, Sandy, Angela and I caught a bus to Uruapan. It is about 2 hours from here by bus and sounded like a fun weekend trip. The guys, Jay, Brian and a former teacher, Ryan were going to catch a different bus later that afternoon. They never ended up coming- we called them at like 10pm after exploring the city a little bit and getting ready to go check out the night life, and they had decided to stay here in Los Reyes. So it ended up being a girl’s weekend in Uruapan and a guy’s weekend in Los Reyes.
The nightlife in Uruapan would have been decent had it not been Valentine’s Day. I think anyone reading this blog knows me well enough to know I have never been a fan nor will I ever be a fan of the holiday. It just received another mark against it. Mexicans love the holiday- all of the stores for the past 2 weeks have been selling any type of candy or flower or stuffed item you could ever dream of. When we arrived at the first bar in Uruapan we were startled to see it all decorated for V-day and the tables all reserved. Apparently the big thing to do here is quite the opposite as we do in the US. Mexicans go out with their significant others to the bars on Valentine’s Day. Here we were, expecting to go to the bars and have it full of the singles who didn’t find a date and we were surprised by couple after couple holding hands, making out and getting all dressed up to go to the clubs and bars for a lovers rendezvous. Ugh! We were very disappointed. We grabbed the first taxi and told him to take us someplace popular and fun where we could dance. He took us to a bar that resembled a ranch on the outside and it was called Casablanca. It was huge inside and had a giant stage with a live Banda band. It would have been fun except the dance floor was absolutely packed with 40-50somethings dancing to Banda. Again…all couples. At this point we were starting to get more than a little annoyed with the whole Valentine’s Day scheme ruining our night.
I had looked through Jay’s guide book on Mexico and had read about Uruapan before heading out there and told the next taxi driver to take us to a bar called BarRio, which had been in the guide book and had been given good ratings by younger people. We got dropped off and at the entrance the bouncer asked us for our membership cards. I started laughing; we just couldn’t catch a break! I’m still not sure if he just took sympathy on us or if it was because we were three good looking gringas, but he let us through anyway. (It’s amazing what you can get away with here with blonde hair!) This bar was still packed with couples but had a decent atmosphere and a big dance floor. We even did the YMCA! It had been an old water treatment plant and the basement was converted into a bar. There were still old pipes along the walls and on the ceiling so it made for a really different and interesting atmosphere.
On Sunday, we checked out of our Hostel and went to Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart. It was actually really fun to just go someplace familiar. (Believe it or not we tried McDonald’s first but they were still serving breakfast at noon). We explored, got some things we needed and couldn’t find here in Los Reyes, bought some food from the deli and had our own little picnic outside of Wal-Mart. In the US, you may say white trash? Here in Mexico- Chafa. After Wal-Mart, we headed to the National Park. All of my students had told me about the park in Uruapan and how beautiful it is. I’m not sure how many acres it covers, but it was 12 pesos for the day (just under a dollar) and we explored a good portion of the park. It has many natural waterfalls and some places look kind of like a jungle. A lot of the water has been diverted into man-made fountains and waterfalls and as cheesy as that sounds they were actually quite beautiful.
All things considering, it was a splendid birthday weekend!

Feb. 5th

As I was eating my comfort food of choice last night-a grilled cheese sandwich, I was thinking that I flew out here exactly a month ago today. For the most part, it feels like much longer. I have settled into my routine as a teacher and have definitely made some lifelong friendships with my roommates. I am thoroughly enjoying living in Los Reyes and down here it feels like another world. I was feeling a little homesick this morning however when I woke up and on my way back from classes this morning I was pondering the fantastic aspects of Mexico, Los Reyes in particular.
The obvious ones aside; the weather is fantastic (around 80-85 every day, 55-60ish at night)and the pace of life is so much more relaxed. Los Reyes is a bustling little city, about the size of Oshkosh people-wise. There is plenty to see and do, just yesterday Angela and I walked to the fresh market and picked up fresh fruits and vegetables for mere pennies. I bought about a pint of strawberries for 8 pesos (about .60cents) and a head of lettuce for 6 pesos. Cheeses and meats cost a bit more, but still well under what we pay in the US. The best part is, none of it has been trucked in from hundreds of miles away, most of it is from little farms surrounding the city. The farmers get up early, pick their fruits and vegetables and bring them to the market to sell. Anything and everything you need or could even think of is found there. I love it!
Some of the other quirks or cultural differences that keep me enchanted with this country are that the people are unfailingly polite...always. Rudeness is not accepted here and is offered by very few. Even children are brought up to smile, say "Buenos Dias" or "Buenos Tardes" (good morning/good afternoon) to everyone as you walk by. People get into the combis (the small 70s style volkswagon "buses") and immediately say, "Buenos Dias" without exception. Everyone responds. Businesses are very people oriented, I have yet to find one here that is only after making money. They are at your service the moment you walk in the door or stop in front of their store and will endlessly answer question after question and give you honest answers! Smiles are always found and many people love to just sit and chat with you about where you are from, what you are doing, whether you like the city etc. The entire feel of this culture is so relaxed and enjoyable, it's hard to walk around and not smile. They are solely and completely invested in their families and relationships, nothing else.
Family and friends will always be placed above and before businesses or money and the way the families take care of each other is actually quite heartwarming. Older children helping their mothers or grandmothers walk down the street to the store, whether they need physical assistance or not. Many of my students spend all day on Sundays visiting with their grandparents. I've said it before, people in the US could learn a lot from Mexico.
Other quirks that simply make me smile is the obsession with cleanliness here. There is a common misconception in the US about the fact that all of Mexico lives in rural, dusty, country pueblos with small little huts and dirty kids running around. In the extreme country you can find this, however in small towns like this they have very nice houses with Spanish style architecture, enormous cathedrals in every town, big and small, and many of them drive nicer cars than I do. They sweep and mop the area in front of their houses or businesses daily and there is almost no litter on the sides of the roads. It was quite odd to see little old women out sweeping the street and mopping the sidewalk when I arrived, but everyday it is done.
The vehicle of choice here in Los Reyes? 4-wheelers or scooters. Hilarious to see a Mexican mother in high heels driving a 4-wheeler down the middle of the road with two of her children riding on the back. Little motorized scooters as well are everywhere and you can often find 10 year olds giving their siblings rides to school on them.
There is a water truck that comes by and rings the doorbell every day, obviously nobody drinks the water in Mexico, you would be hard pressed to even find a Mexican who does. The water man brings by 20 liter jugs of water (much like the culligan water dispensers in offices). We exchange the empty jugs for them to reuse and they deliver a new one right into our kitchen for 18 pesos (a little over a dollar). Gas is the main source here for stoves and water heaters and there are many gas trucks driving around. Most are pickup trucks with big green gas containers on the back- they play the tune of Jingle bells very loudly so you know they are coming(why jingle bells year round- I'll never understand). The other type is a big tanker and they play a tune that makes me want to do an Irish jig and when the tune is over the speaker says, "El Gaaaaaaasssssssss". Very entertaining at first, not so much when you sing Jingle Bells in your head all day.
There are taco stands and torta stands on every corner and sometimes in the middle of the blocks. They are usually on wheels with gas powered grills to cook up the meat. Some of them are quite good, although I've only tried the ones with cheese! They love their meat down here and vegetarianism is not the way to go in Mexico. Corner stores are also literally on every corner, usually about 4-6 corner stores on every square block. Chips, soda, candy, water, snack foods, a lot of them sell fruits and vegetables as well, basics such as bread and milk etc.You don't have to walk far in this town to find everything you need.
The plaza is definitely the center of the town. Almost every Mexican town or city I have been to has a center square that they call the plaza. The one in Los Reyes is beautiful- fountains in the middle, lots of trees and and flowers surrounding it, many park benches usually occupied by old men just observing. All of the stores surround the square and the cathedral is also usually located in the plaza.
Ok so enough of my descriptive ravings about Mexico, after a month I'm starting to get past the honeymoon phase of cultural shock and starting to settle in. I still really think I was a Mexican in a past life!