Sept. 16th

This past week was full of fun activities as it was a holiday week- Last Saturday I went to a party to celebrate the anniversary of the union at the tech. I’m obviously not part of it but the teachers wanted me to go. They said it was going to be a luncheon type party so I figured I would go for an hour or two and then go back home. Needless to say, Mexican parties are just a little different than the ones back home! I arrived a little after 2 and didn’t leave until 8:30pm! Most parties here are like that, some go until 1-2am. There was a live band playing music- they started with older songs while we ate and then after dinner they started with the banda and salsa music. Everyone got up and danced in a big circle- they taught me a new dance as well, not sure of the name in Spanish but it uses stepping moves, almost stamping your feet in a pattern, sometimes going in circles around your partner. It was really fun actually. The funniest part of the party was when, I kid you not- the band started playing Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart” but singing it in Spanish and everyone started doing a mix of the electric slide and line dancing! It’s always funny to see a Mexican twist on something very American like line dancing. Especially when they are better dancers than we are! I met most of the teachers and administrators in the course I took over the summer through the tech and have become good friends with a few of them. They are all very nice and easygoing; some of them are hilarious pranksters too.

On Wednesday Mexico celebrated the 199th anniversary of Independence from Spain. The celebrations actually began Tuesday night in the plaza and continued into Wednesday! We went to the plaza (the center of town- they have plazas in every Mexican town with landscaping, benches, a pavilion and the downtown surrounds them) they had a short ceremony where the mayor gave a speech and then everyone yells “Viva Mexico!!” Fireworks and shouting follow and everyone goes out to celebrate. It was pouring during this ceremony so there weren’t as many people and we got entirely soaked! I was determined to get it all on film though! Afterwards I went to one of the local bars with some friends where I stayed until 3:30am. There was a live band playing at the bar as well and it was very chill.

The next morning I had to get up early to go see the parade. Every school marches in the parade along with some other organizations like the Red Cross and some local agriculture organizations. I was supposed to march with the tech but I wanted to watch the festivities as it was my first independence day here. When the parade finished, a group of us got together to cook out in a park in Tinguindin- a town about 45 minutes from here. It was a beautiful day and we cooked on the grill and of course had the staples- refried beans, tortillas, salsas, guacamole, cheese, tostadas and of course Corona! They celebrate much the same as we do- most with their families and they cook a big meal and relax all day.

On a different note, work is going well. I got hired part-time at the local high school as well so I teach some mornings there and head to the tech in the afternoons. Most teachers here split their schedules here and some work at as many as 4 schools to supplement the income. The high school is private and pays much better than the tech college but the catch is you have to put up with adolescents!! So far I’ve only taught one group, I start the full schedule this week so we will see. My classes at the tech are going really well so far. I like the students a lot and the environment is great. It’s a small technical college- there are roughly 400 students total and only four different careers. It’s nice though, most faces are familiar now and the only problems I’ve had are the students occasionally asking me out or whistling when I walk into the room. It’s strange, I still haven’t completely become accustomed to the cat- calling here; it’s a cultural thing and here it’s a compliment to women to be whistled at or cat-called on the street. I’m more used to giving the finger if someone is rude enough to whistle at me in the U.S.! My students don’t mean any disrespect doing it and I try not to pay attention to them. None of them have gone overboard or needed any disciplining so I usually just ignore it.
That’s all for now- still no complaints about my Mexican life!! Miss everyone back home- feel free to come visit me!