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!
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, 5 February 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
jan 28
So, a lot has happened this week. We finished up our classes in Periban and turned in all of our materials to Geno on Friday night. All of my students were sad to see me go and not at all excited for the other teacher, Wilma to come back. I felt kind of bad for them and I know a lot of them will not return to continue taking classes. We left early Saturday morning to bring all of our suitcases and things to the house in Los Reyes before catching the bus to Guadalajara.
Guadalajara was amazing as always. I have really missed the city and it was very fun to go back to all my old favorite spots. The first night we went up to Santa Maria del Oro; it is a small town about 1 ½ hours from Guadalajara. We went with Pepe and one of his friends- German (pronounced herman) up to a lake. Apparently this lake was a volcano crater from thousands of years ago. (Don’t worry Mom- it’s extinct now!) We spent the night up there and went boating on the lake the next day, Pepe and German taught me how to wake surf. They shorten the rope on the boat and then you try to get up on a surfboard and surf behind the boat. I succeeded surprisingly enough. It took me a few tries to get up and a few more to stay up but it was great fun. This lake was absolutely gorgeous. Imagine a lake up in the mountains, surrounded by the peaks and then looking around the lake and seeing palm trees! We had an absolute blast basking in the sun, getting tan, wakeboarding and boating around the lake blaring music from the boat. Ok, so enough rubbing it in for all you back in Wisconsin! :)
We returned to Guadalajara on Sunday night and spent the night in a hotel. Monday morning we walked down to the Centro to find the Hostel we wanted to stay in. The hostel was much cheaper than the hotel so we dropped off our things there before heading to the plaza. The hostel was actually very nice; we met some girls from D.C. who were spending a few months traveling Mexico. We spent the better part of Monday walking the Mercado Libertad which is the open air market in Guadalajara. Angela loved it! It is literally three stories of a flea market. You could never cover all of it in one day. It is about a square city block and just a massive amount of vendors selling anything and everything you could ever want. They sell pirated movies and CD’s, jewelry, blankets, purses (tons of knockoffs- I was in heaven), there is a food court and a vegetable and fruit market, electronics, touristy items etc. It was very fun to go back. For dinner we also went back to my absolute favorite restaurant in Providencia, Savoras. I lived about 5 blocks from this restaurant when I studied in Guadalajara and we went about twice a week. It was as good as I remembered! We had to catch the bus home on Tuesday afternoon back to Los Reyes.
We finally got to move into the house in Los Reyes. The other guys have left so it is Jay and Brian (the two world travelers I mentioned earlier) and Angela and I. The house was cleaned before we got here so we just had to do minimal cleaning of bathrooms and such. I think it is going to be a very fun semester! The secretary here is very organized and on top of things. She is also very nice so I think it will make things run a little smoother to have someone who actually does their job! Today we just unpacked our rooms and we did a little promoting at a few secondary schools here in Los Reyes. Tomorrow will be more promoting and such. We don't actually start teaching again until Feb. 3rd but they wanted us back here to "work" because they are still paying us for this week. They just try to come up with some things for us to do but I think today only took 1 1/2 hours of "work". Oh well, I am not complaining at all! More to come on the adventures of Los Reyes soon!
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Moving!!!
I was informed that I haven't updated this in awhile! Thanks Miss Duffy! This week has been very busy, it is the last week of the semester. I have been busy busy with tests and grading and trying to fill out report cards for students I have only known for two weeks!
We are moving on Saturday to Los Reyes so today was spent repacking all my stuff. Angela and I are dropping our things off at the house Saturday morning and then taking a bus to Guadalajara for four days. I am very excited to go back to my old stomping grounds! We aren't sure yet if the two guys will even be out of the house on Tuesday yet so we may be crashing on the couch for a few days but we are ok with it! There has apparently been some miscommunication (surprise surprise here!) about the moving situation. The guys were informed they could stay until the end of the month in Los Reyes while we were informed that we had to be there next Wednesday for teacher meetings and evaluations of students. Who knows what next week will bring!
Angela and I are just excited to get out of Periban. It is definitely a very closed community and it is quite uncomfortable to walk around as the foreigner. We are excited about everything in Los Reyes; it's bigger and warmer, has more restaurants and shops, a nightlife, more people our age, a full kitchen in the house! (I'm very excited about that one). We still get a few curious looks from people when we walk around but that I am ok with. It's the conversation stopping, staring and odd looks that make me uncomfortable here. In Los Reyes, everybody doesn't know everybody else so it is a bit easier to blend in if that is at all possible with blonde hair in Mexico!
I wanted to tell you guys about a few of the funnier things I have seen down here. When I was taking the bus here to Periban my first day, a big burly pot-bellied man got on the bus and he was wearing this tight white t-shirt that said "Tommy Girl" on it. I couldn't help but laugh as he probably had no idea what the t-shirt said. Also- today on the combi (the converted volkswagon vans from the 70's that act as buses here) there was this little old Mexican man half asleep next to me wearing a baseball hat. The hat had two naked obese people embroidered into it facing each other with their bellies touching. The man was scratching his head and looking at the woman. On the hat it said "Mission impossible". Angela and I were just cracking up when we saw it. The words are very similar in Spanish so I'm guessing the little old man was perfectly aware of what his hat said.
On a different note, I have told all my classes by now that I won't be coming back in February to teach here in Periban. It actually raised my self-esteem as a teacher that all of them were disappointed! (Not sure at this point if they are going to actually miss me or if they just really don't like the teacher who is coming back to Periban!) Even the teenagers have warmed up to me and are talking and having fun in class. Half of them still don't show up for class but I would almost prefer they not come at all than come and talk or sit and stare blankly at me. The ones who come now come nearly every day and they are a pretty good group. They still need to be yelled at a lot but its more good natured than anything else. They talk to each other in Spanish a lot and sometimes forget that I understand most of it. Sometimes I have to laugh when they suddenly remember I understand the swear words in Spanish and they probably shouldn't use them in class!
I have had to make some cultural adjustments in running the classes. Most students do not show up until quarter after the hour, which shortens the class considerably. It is common in Mexico to be late for everything which is very different from the US. They also tend to take it easier in classes- they get very flustered when I try to push them too fast and they like to take their time learning the lessons. Even the adults get very anxious when I move through the lessons too fast, even when they understand all of it and are doing well. The general routine of the class is they show up late and we talk for 5 minutes or so before starting the material. It is essential to all ages for this little warm-up routine. Then we do anywhere from one to two pages of the book and some activities associated with what they are learning. The last 5 minutes of class is often games or talking again. Total teaching time in a class is usually only about a half hour. This bothered me the first week until I realized that it was actually good practice to just sit and converse with them in English for 10 minutes out of the class. It is actually kind of nice; I have always liked the slow pace here. Nobody is rushed or stressed about anything. People in the US could learn a lot!
Anyways, all for now, I probably won't be able to update until next week as we will be in Guadalajara until Tuesday! :)
We are moving on Saturday to Los Reyes so today was spent repacking all my stuff. Angela and I are dropping our things off at the house Saturday morning and then taking a bus to Guadalajara for four days. I am very excited to go back to my old stomping grounds! We aren't sure yet if the two guys will even be out of the house on Tuesday yet so we may be crashing on the couch for a few days but we are ok with it! There has apparently been some miscommunication (surprise surprise here!) about the moving situation. The guys were informed they could stay until the end of the month in Los Reyes while we were informed that we had to be there next Wednesday for teacher meetings and evaluations of students. Who knows what next week will bring!
Angela and I are just excited to get out of Periban. It is definitely a very closed community and it is quite uncomfortable to walk around as the foreigner. We are excited about everything in Los Reyes; it's bigger and warmer, has more restaurants and shops, a nightlife, more people our age, a full kitchen in the house! (I'm very excited about that one). We still get a few curious looks from people when we walk around but that I am ok with. It's the conversation stopping, staring and odd looks that make me uncomfortable here. In Los Reyes, everybody doesn't know everybody else so it is a bit easier to blend in if that is at all possible with blonde hair in Mexico!
I wanted to tell you guys about a few of the funnier things I have seen down here. When I was taking the bus here to Periban my first day, a big burly pot-bellied man got on the bus and he was wearing this tight white t-shirt that said "Tommy Girl" on it. I couldn't help but laugh as he probably had no idea what the t-shirt said. Also- today on the combi (the converted volkswagon vans from the 70's that act as buses here) there was this little old Mexican man half asleep next to me wearing a baseball hat. The hat had two naked obese people embroidered into it facing each other with their bellies touching. The man was scratching his head and looking at the woman. On the hat it said "Mission impossible". Angela and I were just cracking up when we saw it. The words are very similar in Spanish so I'm guessing the little old man was perfectly aware of what his hat said.
On a different note, I have told all my classes by now that I won't be coming back in February to teach here in Periban. It actually raised my self-esteem as a teacher that all of them were disappointed! (Not sure at this point if they are going to actually miss me or if they just really don't like the teacher who is coming back to Periban!) Even the teenagers have warmed up to me and are talking and having fun in class. Half of them still don't show up for class but I would almost prefer they not come at all than come and talk or sit and stare blankly at me. The ones who come now come nearly every day and they are a pretty good group. They still need to be yelled at a lot but its more good natured than anything else. They talk to each other in Spanish a lot and sometimes forget that I understand most of it. Sometimes I have to laugh when they suddenly remember I understand the swear words in Spanish and they probably shouldn't use them in class!
I have had to make some cultural adjustments in running the classes. Most students do not show up until quarter after the hour, which shortens the class considerably. It is common in Mexico to be late for everything which is very different from the US. They also tend to take it easier in classes- they get very flustered when I try to push them too fast and they like to take their time learning the lessons. Even the adults get very anxious when I move through the lessons too fast, even when they understand all of it and are doing well. The general routine of the class is they show up late and we talk for 5 minutes or so before starting the material. It is essential to all ages for this little warm-up routine. Then we do anywhere from one to two pages of the book and some activities associated with what they are learning. The last 5 minutes of class is often games or talking again. Total teaching time in a class is usually only about a half hour. This bothered me the first week until I realized that it was actually good practice to just sit and converse with them in English for 10 minutes out of the class. It is actually kind of nice; I have always liked the slow pace here. Nobody is rushed or stressed about anything. People in the US could learn a lot!
Anyways, all for now, I probably won't be able to update until next week as we will be in Guadalajara until Tuesday! :)
Monday, 19 January 2009
Angela and I went to Los Reyes to get the scoop on the switch that is taking place this next weekend. Only Chris was there- the other three guys went to Uruapan (a bigger city about 2 hours away) for the weekend. When we asked Chris what was happening he became suspicious and asked us what we had heard. We just told him Cecilia had just emailed us and said we were moving and that Ryan was being transferred to Sahuayo. Chris apparently was on probation for just not being a good teacher I guess, he said that Cecilia never gave him any feedback but put him on probation. Initially Ryan was going to get fired and Chris was going to Sahuayo but he didn't know what happened to that plan. So Cecilia informed us we were moving to Los Reyes but did not inform Chris that he was fired yet. I felt really bad- he was pretty bummed but I told him it should be easy enough to get another english job down here. They are in pretty high demand. Still not sure exactly when the move is taking place but it will for sure be by next Wednesday. Yay!
On Saturday, before we left for Los Reyes, the secretary and two of her friends came over for lunch and she made us some chicken enchiladas. It was a fun afternoon until they decided they didn't want to leave and we did! We had told Geno that we wanted to leave around sixish to head down to Los Reyes... 8:30 rolls around and they bring out the tequila. Angela and I just decided to get ready and leave them here. When I went up to shower, I turned on the water and noticed something trying to crawl up the wall. I remembered a conversation with Daniel- Angela's Mexican friend about scorpions here. They have a small class of scorpions here- they call them aracanes and apparently they are quite dangerous. I remembered him telling us those are the only things to look out for here. Anyways- one decided to make my shower his new home. They are very small, I think they get to 2" max- this one was probably about an inch long. I stood on the other side of the shower chucking a brush at the thing until I was sure it was dead. The people I have asked about them say they are very fast moving and their sting sends you to the hospital. It causes you to hallucinate and can cause temporary paralysis. Usually requires medical attention and they give you the antivenom or whatever for it. I felt creepy crawly all day!!!
On a different note, Angela and I have been taking power walks everyday just to get out of the house and I need to get back in shape! Today we walked past this shop that sells t-shirts and I saw one that said Oshkosh!! It had a guy playing soccer on it but had Oshkosh in yellow letters. Apparently Angela has told her students where I'm from and many of them know of Oshkosh B'gosh. Small world.
I think I am finally starting to win over some of my teenagers! Just in time to leave for Los Reyes... Today was a good class, the ones who showed up were the ones interested in learning and are fun. They joked around with me a lot today and actually tried at the activities. When I told them I was being transferred to Los Reyes they joked that they were going to rent a combi (thats what they call the little 70s Volkswagon vans converted to buses that run from Los Reyes to Periban and back) everyday and come take English classes in Los Reyes! yay! It's still kind of a struggle with them but it is getting easier and easier and I think little by little they are accepting me. It's quite the process!
I'm heading to bed early tonight- not feeling the greatest today so hopefully a good nights sleep will cure whatever it is my stomach hates me for right now :)
On Saturday, before we left for Los Reyes, the secretary and two of her friends came over for lunch and she made us some chicken enchiladas. It was a fun afternoon until they decided they didn't want to leave and we did! We had told Geno that we wanted to leave around sixish to head down to Los Reyes... 8:30 rolls around and they bring out the tequila. Angela and I just decided to get ready and leave them here. When I went up to shower, I turned on the water and noticed something trying to crawl up the wall. I remembered a conversation with Daniel- Angela's Mexican friend about scorpions here. They have a small class of scorpions here- they call them aracanes and apparently they are quite dangerous. I remembered him telling us those are the only things to look out for here. Anyways- one decided to make my shower his new home. They are very small, I think they get to 2" max- this one was probably about an inch long. I stood on the other side of the shower chucking a brush at the thing until I was sure it was dead. The people I have asked about them say they are very fast moving and their sting sends you to the hospital. It causes you to hallucinate and can cause temporary paralysis. Usually requires medical attention and they give you the antivenom or whatever for it. I felt creepy crawly all day!!!
On a different note, Angela and I have been taking power walks everyday just to get out of the house and I need to get back in shape! Today we walked past this shop that sells t-shirts and I saw one that said Oshkosh!! It had a guy playing soccer on it but had Oshkosh in yellow letters. Apparently Angela has told her students where I'm from and many of them know of Oshkosh B'gosh. Small world.
I think I am finally starting to win over some of my teenagers! Just in time to leave for Los Reyes... Today was a good class, the ones who showed up were the ones interested in learning and are fun. They joked around with me a lot today and actually tried at the activities. When I told them I was being transferred to Los Reyes they joked that they were going to rent a combi (thats what they call the little 70s Volkswagon vans converted to buses that run from Los Reyes to Periban and back) everyday and come take English classes in Los Reyes! yay! It's still kind of a struggle with them but it is getting easier and easier and I think little by little they are accepting me. It's quite the process!
I'm heading to bed early tonight- not feeling the greatest today so hopefully a good nights sleep will cure whatever it is my stomach hates me for right now :)
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Los Reyes!
Cecilia- the director of CulturaLingua just sent an email to Angela and I yesterday that we were being transferred at the end of the semester (Jan 23rd) to Los Reyes! Los Reyes is the town about 20 minutes from here with the four male teachers. We are not yet sure what happened to one of them as she didn't mention him, but one is moving to Sauhuayo and she is transferring another teacher from Cotija to Periban. A little confusing but end story- Angela and I are going to live in Los Reyes with Brian and Jay- the two world travelers! Maybe they can hook me up with some travel buddies (or become my new ones :) ). We are pumped about this- Los Reyes is much bigger, has a nightlife and although I'm going to have to be my mother for about two days and clean the crap outta that house; it has a full kitchen with a microwave and an oven and a stove! We are moving up in the world of Mexico! It is also much much warmer in Los Reyes as the elevation isn't as high. I'm going to miss a few of my students and I have no idea who my students will be, but it will be a new semester. The school is also separate from the house. It is about three blocks away and I think we get done teaching at 8pm instead of 9pm. Anyways- more news as this story develops! It definitely made our day yesterday though! :)
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