Sooooo...yesterday wasn't my day. First of all, I bought headphones and within 1.5 hours, they broke. I went to return them and got into a verbal, Spanish fight with the girl because she wouldn't give me my money back. Like hell!! Finally got dem pesos and went down the street to buy new headphones. Bought some. Walked all the way to the laundry place because I was missing my towel (and I only have two so this was a big deal.) Got there in the nick of time because she was basically about to give my pink towel away to some lucky bitch. Like hell (again!) On my way out, realized that I was missing my cell phone. F***. F***. F***! Basically ran to my house to try to put my stuff down quickly before going back to the headphone store to find my cell phone. Couldn't get in because my key wasn't working. Ugh...I'll figure this out in a minute, was my thought, as I grabbed all of my things and booked it to the electronics store. Upon arrival, I see my cell phone underneath the glass shelving thing in the front of the store. Excuse me? Is that my cell phone for sale??? Like hell!! Got it back, thank g, and went back to my house.
My key still wouldn't work.
I tried everything I could think of, twisting and turning and pushing and pulling, and in my rage, I broke the key in the lock. As in, my hand was holding was half of the key, and the lock contained the other half. I didn't even know I had the ability to do something like that. After laughing to myself for a solid 2 minutes (I must have looked like a freak to passers-by,) I called my boss, who advised me to go get a locksmith. Duh. I walked 2.5 blocks to the closest cerrareria where the man walked back with me to my house to try to unlock the door. Fail. He ended up having to take out the entire lock. Of course. So I had to sit at my house for 2 hours with a giant hole in my door, just playing the waiting game. Finally he came back and told me that he fixed the lock and that somehow, we had been using the wrong keys for the past 3 weeks? Not 100 percent sure how that is possible. Either the keys and locks in Mexico are seriously screwed up, or my Spanish sucks and that is not what he said at all. Regardless, 4 hours and 190 pesos later, I got everything sorted and hopefully I won't have any more locks and keys problems for a while.
All of you with your stupid garages and codes and easy access into your houses....thank your lucky stars!!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Oño??
So this week, my kids were making SO much fun of me because I was trying to explain to them what an "oven" is and I thought I knew the word is Spanish, so to make it easier, I wrote, "oño" on the board underneath "oven." They were like..."What? Oño? What is that teacher?" And I'm like uhhh...I thought it was oven! Finally, one of the girls realized I was trying to say "orno!" Close, right? For some reason, they thought this was the funniest thing ever and now they call me,"oño" and it is a big old joke. My Spanish may not be as good as I think!!
Also, on Friday, we made "Kindness Collages" which was really fun and wrapped up our 2 month unit on kindness. (Although some kids still pronounce it, "keendness" and still ask me what it means, I am just going to let it go...breathe...breathe...) Here is evidence of the project:
This weekend was fun...we discovered the closest thing to a "pub" here in Tehuacan, called Buffalos, and after eating on Friday, we went there to have some giant beers and listen to some live music. It was really fun and the waiter, Aldo, was awesome. He hooked me up big-time, and despite his extremely fast Spanish, he was fun to talk to.
On Saturday, we went to the Mole Caldenas festival in the Parque Ecological. A bunch of people from Oaxaca came to Tehuacan to sell their mole, which is a salsa typical to the region, as well as other salsas and nuts and meats and whatever. It was really cool and we got to sample a bunch of stuff so that was fun as well! We went to lunch at the Jitomate Romantico, which is apparently the best torta place in Tehuacan. I 100 percent believe it: delish!
We also walked around the Zocalo because there was a craft fair happening. It was very cool: lots of Oaxacan art and typical Mexican crafts like ponchos, pottery, etc. Of course, just my type of thing and I loved it. Although, the only thing I bought was a pair of coronita bottles that had been severed at the top to be drinking glasses. Strange choice. At night, we returned to Buffalos to eat and to hear a conglomeration of bands play some sort of concert. It was really amazing!!
Today was lesson-planning day. Back to work tomorrow!!
Also, on Friday, we made "Kindness Collages" which was really fun and wrapped up our 2 month unit on kindness. (Although some kids still pronounce it, "keendness" and still ask me what it means, I am just going to let it go...breathe...breathe...) Here is evidence of the project:
 | ||
| Cute, verdad? |
This weekend was fun...we discovered the closest thing to a "pub" here in Tehuacan, called Buffalos, and after eating on Friday, we went there to have some giant beers and listen to some live music. It was really fun and the waiter, Aldo, was awesome. He hooked me up big-time, and despite his extremely fast Spanish, he was fun to talk to.
 |
| Guess which one is mine? |
On Saturday, we went to the Mole Caldenas festival in the Parque Ecological. A bunch of people from Oaxaca came to Tehuacan to sell their mole, which is a salsa typical to the region, as well as other salsas and nuts and meats and whatever. It was really cool and we got to sample a bunch of stuff so that was fun as well! We went to lunch at the Jitomate Romantico, which is apparently the best torta place in Tehuacan. I 100 percent believe it: delish!
We also walked around the Zocalo because there was a craft fair happening. It was very cool: lots of Oaxacan art and typical Mexican crafts like ponchos, pottery, etc. Of course, just my type of thing and I loved it. Although, the only thing I bought was a pair of coronita bottles that had been severed at the top to be drinking glasses. Strange choice. At night, we returned to Buffalos to eat and to hear a conglomeration of bands play some sort of concert. It was really amazing!!
Today was lesson-planning day. Back to work tomorrow!!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Heyo,
First and foremost, let me just say that all if my kids, except for 3, passed!!!! That is a pretty damn good statistic if you ask me. And once I curve the grades, I think they should ALL pass! Gracias a Dios! They all got huge hugs and lollypops and it was like rainbows and butterflies in my classroom on Friday. Whoop-ee.
Anyway, on Friday night we all went out for Zaid´s birthday. It was a lot of fun...we went to this sort of Arabian-inspired bar and drank and danced and practiced our Spanglish. At around 2:30 we decided to hit up another spot....but alas, everything was either closed or empty. Such is Tehuacan. (As a sidenote, everytime I mention that I live in Tehuacan, people say, Ay, muy tranquilo. So there you have it.)
On Saturday, I walked around the city on my own for a few hours. I always like to just amble and see markets and shops and things, but being one of maybe 10 foreigners in this whole city kind of makes me stand out and the people here are certainly not shy about staring at me or giving me a serious up-down. Some of the more creepy sort call out strange comments which definitely put me on edge, even if it is only 1 in the afternoon. You would think one would like being called ´bonita´or ¨guera´ but it is actually quite uncomfortable. Once my feet got tired, I stopped to get a coffee and ended up chatting to this older woman for a good two hours. She was really cool and I think we made a date to get dinner some time? Apparently 50ish year old Mexican women are my jam. Not sure what that says about me....
In the evening, I met up with the gang and we went to eat dinner at an Argentinian place. It was superb: steak, chimmichurri, cheesy potatoes, the works! During dinner, I was talking to the mesero and I was telling him how we were a group of people from the USA, England, Scotland, Australia, and Slovakia living in Mexico and eating Argentinian food. Yikes!!
After dinner, we went to the circus. Yep, you heard me. The circus. I wasn´t really sure what to expect because I don´t recall ever going to the circus as a kid, but if I had to guess, this was a typical Mexican circus. Meaning it was slightly ghetto, slightly dirty and slightly sad. There wsd an unbelievable amount of animals: horses, camels, monkeys, zebras, tigers, elephants, lions, llamas, and even a hippopotamous. There is something realllllly wrong about allowing 10 Mexican children to climb on top of an old and slow hippo for a ride. I don´t think I could hide my disgust at the situation. Needless to say, I don´t think I am a fan of the circus. And I don´t think the Mexicans are the most animal-friendly bunch. Ayyayay. Besides the animals, there were also trapeze artists, Spiderman, Asian-Mexican Elvis who did a sort of balancing act (and on whom Brandon developed a serious crush, no big deal) as well as an innumerable amount of strange and not-funny clowns. It was definitely a circus!
On Sunday morning, the plan was for Brandon to meet me at my house at 6 am so that we, along with Anjulie could take the 6:30 bus to Puebla because we wanted to go to a futbol game there. I was up and ready at 6 am waiting for Brandon. 6:05, still waiting. 6:10, no Brandon. Finally it was 6:25 and I called Anjulie who was already at the bus station to tell her that Brandon never showed! We decided to forget him (obvs) and caught a 7:00 bus to Puebla. When we got there, we went to the Estrella Roja window at the bus station to ask if we could purchase tickets to the game there (Brandon´s idea.) Of course, since they are a BUS company, they said no and that they had no clue where to purchase those tickets. Great. (Strike 2 for Brandon.) Being the problem-solvers that we are, we took a taxi to the stadium, where we bought tickets (only 30 pesos a pop!) and then took a bus to the center to eat and chill until the game. However, in another strange turn of events, Anjulie started getting super sick and couldn´t walk or eat or be normal. After only being in Puebla for many 2 hours, she decided to get back on a bus back to Tehuacan!! I was like um....ok??!! I had been trying to get in contact with two friends that live in Puebla all morning, to no avail, so after Anjulie left, it was just me and the streets of Puebla.
I was en route to the stadium once more when my friend, Kassa, finally called me back!! I immediately told him to come meet me at the stadium, which he and our other friend, Elizabeth did. Thank g! We watched the game (Puebla won!) and then walked around the city and saw all of the cool markets and food stands that Puebla has to offer. We also went to a movie and saw, Moneyball. Or in Spanish, El Juego de la Fortuna. Good stuff.
I took the bus back to Tehuacan at around 8:00 and actually met a really sweet Mexican girl on the bus. We talked the whole way back to the city and she even walked me to my house from the bus station when we arrived. Que linda. Then it was straight to bed to be bright eyed and ready for my ninos today!
Adios!
First and foremost, let me just say that all if my kids, except for 3, passed!!!! That is a pretty damn good statistic if you ask me. And once I curve the grades, I think they should ALL pass! Gracias a Dios! They all got huge hugs and lollypops and it was like rainbows and butterflies in my classroom on Friday. Whoop-ee.
Anyway, on Friday night we all went out for Zaid´s birthday. It was a lot of fun...we went to this sort of Arabian-inspired bar and drank and danced and practiced our Spanglish. At around 2:30 we decided to hit up another spot....but alas, everything was either closed or empty. Such is Tehuacan. (As a sidenote, everytime I mention that I live in Tehuacan, people say, Ay, muy tranquilo. So there you have it.)
On Saturday, I walked around the city on my own for a few hours. I always like to just amble and see markets and shops and things, but being one of maybe 10 foreigners in this whole city kind of makes me stand out and the people here are certainly not shy about staring at me or giving me a serious up-down. Some of the more creepy sort call out strange comments which definitely put me on edge, even if it is only 1 in the afternoon. You would think one would like being called ´bonita´or ¨guera´ but it is actually quite uncomfortable. Once my feet got tired, I stopped to get a coffee and ended up chatting to this older woman for a good two hours. She was really cool and I think we made a date to get dinner some time? Apparently 50ish year old Mexican women are my jam. Not sure what that says about me....
In the evening, I met up with the gang and we went to eat dinner at an Argentinian place. It was superb: steak, chimmichurri, cheesy potatoes, the works! During dinner, I was talking to the mesero and I was telling him how we were a group of people from the USA, England, Scotland, Australia, and Slovakia living in Mexico and eating Argentinian food. Yikes!!
After dinner, we went to the circus. Yep, you heard me. The circus. I wasn´t really sure what to expect because I don´t recall ever going to the circus as a kid, but if I had to guess, this was a typical Mexican circus. Meaning it was slightly ghetto, slightly dirty and slightly sad. There wsd an unbelievable amount of animals: horses, camels, monkeys, zebras, tigers, elephants, lions, llamas, and even a hippopotamous. There is something realllllly wrong about allowing 10 Mexican children to climb on top of an old and slow hippo for a ride. I don´t think I could hide my disgust at the situation. Needless to say, I don´t think I am a fan of the circus. And I don´t think the Mexicans are the most animal-friendly bunch. Ayyayay. Besides the animals, there were also trapeze artists, Spiderman, Asian-Mexican Elvis who did a sort of balancing act (and on whom Brandon developed a serious crush, no big deal) as well as an innumerable amount of strange and not-funny clowns. It was definitely a circus!
On Sunday morning, the plan was for Brandon to meet me at my house at 6 am so that we, along with Anjulie could take the 6:30 bus to Puebla because we wanted to go to a futbol game there. I was up and ready at 6 am waiting for Brandon. 6:05, still waiting. 6:10, no Brandon. Finally it was 6:25 and I called Anjulie who was already at the bus station to tell her that Brandon never showed! We decided to forget him (obvs) and caught a 7:00 bus to Puebla. When we got there, we went to the Estrella Roja window at the bus station to ask if we could purchase tickets to the game there (Brandon´s idea.) Of course, since they are a BUS company, they said no and that they had no clue where to purchase those tickets. Great. (Strike 2 for Brandon.) Being the problem-solvers that we are, we took a taxi to the stadium, where we bought tickets (only 30 pesos a pop!) and then took a bus to the center to eat and chill until the game. However, in another strange turn of events, Anjulie started getting super sick and couldn´t walk or eat or be normal. After only being in Puebla for many 2 hours, she decided to get back on a bus back to Tehuacan!! I was like um....ok??!! I had been trying to get in contact with two friends that live in Puebla all morning, to no avail, so after Anjulie left, it was just me and the streets of Puebla.
I was en route to the stadium once more when my friend, Kassa, finally called me back!! I immediately told him to come meet me at the stadium, which he and our other friend, Elizabeth did. Thank g! We watched the game (Puebla won!) and then walked around the city and saw all of the cool markets and food stands that Puebla has to offer. We also went to a movie and saw, Moneyball. Or in Spanish, El Juego de la Fortuna. Good stuff.
I took the bus back to Tehuacan at around 8:00 and actually met a really sweet Mexican girl on the bus. We talked the whole way back to the city and she even walked me to my house from the bus station when we arrived. Que linda. Then it was straight to bed to be bright eyed and ready for my ninos today!
Adios!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Can´t stop eating...
Hello everyone!
So since my last post, I have settled quite nicely into the mansion style of living. I have a king sized bed all to myself and have been enjoying using the kitchen as much as I want and hanging out on the terrace(s). Not a bad life. This week has been hectic for the kiddos...its exam week! They have all been walking around in a sort of frenzied daze and I think emotions are running high; yesterday, someone cried in 3 out of my 4 classes so it is pretty clear to me that they are stressing hard. Luckily, tomorrow is the test and afterward, I promised everyone candy and free time, so that should be fun.
In other news, last Sunday I was invited by my friend, Zaid, to go have tacos with her family and her for breakfast. Her mom actually makes the corn tortillas by hand and makes all these amazing fillings to go in them: meat, chicken, mushrooms, corn, lard (ha) and tons of great salsas. She also makes the sweetest little memelitas which are like tiny Mexican pizzas. I literally just kept eating and eating and eating; every time I thought it was over, my plate was refilled. It was crazy! Her mom is so sweet as is her sister and they took me to their house afterward in which I was surprised to find two tucans, a parrot, an a guinea pig along with the dog. The Mexicans love their slightly obscure animals.
Anyway, yesterday was Zaid´s birthday as well, so she invited all of us to have basically a feast at the bar that her parents own. Her mom made cerviche and these things called tclaudas (sp?) which are GIANT tortillas with cheese, beans, salsa and meat on them. They are a serious challenge to eat but totally worth it. I also made her a cake, so everyone enjoyed that as well. There was drinking, eating and dancing so a good time was had by all.
I think that is all for now, miss you all!
So since my last post, I have settled quite nicely into the mansion style of living. I have a king sized bed all to myself and have been enjoying using the kitchen as much as I want and hanging out on the terrace(s). Not a bad life. This week has been hectic for the kiddos...its exam week! They have all been walking around in a sort of frenzied daze and I think emotions are running high; yesterday, someone cried in 3 out of my 4 classes so it is pretty clear to me that they are stressing hard. Luckily, tomorrow is the test and afterward, I promised everyone candy and free time, so that should be fun.
In other news, last Sunday I was invited by my friend, Zaid, to go have tacos with her family and her for breakfast. Her mom actually makes the corn tortillas by hand and makes all these amazing fillings to go in them: meat, chicken, mushrooms, corn, lard (ha) and tons of great salsas. She also makes the sweetest little memelitas which are like tiny Mexican pizzas. I literally just kept eating and eating and eating; every time I thought it was over, my plate was refilled. It was crazy! Her mom is so sweet as is her sister and they took me to their house afterward in which I was surprised to find two tucans, a parrot, an a guinea pig along with the dog. The Mexicans love their slightly obscure animals.
Anyway, yesterday was Zaid´s birthday as well, so she invited all of us to have basically a feast at the bar that her parents own. Her mom made cerviche and these things called tclaudas (sp?) which are GIANT tortillas with cheese, beans, salsa and meat on them. They are a serious challenge to eat but totally worth it. I also made her a cake, so everyone enjoyed that as well. There was drinking, eating and dancing so a good time was had by all.
I think that is all for now, miss you all!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
La Gente esta muy Loca
Hi all,
Sorry for the serious delay in blogging. It has been a crazy 2 weeks. Just a quick catch up: (sorry Elise, I know you hate when I play catch up haha)with regard to school, I have been really busy with planning midterms and reviews for my kids. The next few weeks are exam weeks, so I had to write tests for all of my students. I even have to give my 5 year olds an exam! Mexico means business.
Last weekend, I went to Puebla to check out the 4th biggest city in Mexico, and the closest big city to Tehuacan. It was really fun! There are some other Heslington teachers living and teaching there, so we stayed at their apartment and hung out with them which was nice for a change of pace. On Friday night we went to Chalula which is a little bit outside of Puebla and is essentially a whole strip of bars and clubs. There was longass lines for all of the clubs, but when the bouncers saw our American faces they told us they would give us a deal to get bottle service and a table (only 400 pesos for a bottle and all the mixers!) Considering we were all used to American prices for VIP status, we were completely down. It was definitley a good time. We spent all of Saturday walking around Puebla and seeing the sights (and eating of course.) There is a lot more to do and see in Puebla than in Tehuacan (there is 365 churches!!) including a whole little section of vintage furniture shops so it was fun just to amble and relax.
Now...for the nitty gritty. On Tuesday of this week, my apartment was broken into and 3 computers stolen (mine included.) I was in my 2nd grade class when I saw from the open door of my portable Justine, Alan and Beverly walking toward me with such a purpose I knew that something was up and that it wasn´t good. Justine told me what happened, and went back to the house to see what was going on with the police and whatnot. I, on the other hand, had another hour of annoying 8 year olds to teach while completely preoccupied. It wasn´t easy. By the time I got home, the police had left and it was essentially a waiting game. An investigator and lawyer came to check out the damage, but as we all know, no one takes burglaries super seriously, so I don´t have much faith that they will find the perp. However, we decided that we needed to move apartments because that one just wasn´t safe anymore. As much as I love Ms. Tere and all of the kids, I have to look out for myself in these types of situations. So we started packing. I had stripped my bed and filled most of one suitcase when I realized...we have no place to go.
Long story short, we ended up spending Tuesday night on the floor of a school that Heslington owns on these thin little mattresses with cocoroaches and the like. We were basically squatters because we had to clean up our bedding and stuff in the morning so that they could have classes in those rooms. It felt a little suspect and strange, and needless to say, we didn´t get the best night´s sleep. The next day, I was certain it was going to be a no-news kind of day and was mentally preparing myself for another night on the floor. However, at around 6:30 at night, Rachael came to see me at school with a huge smile and some incredible information.
She found us a place! No, not just a place. A MANSION. Owned my the former mayor of Tehuacan. Ummm...what?? Apparently Rachael´s friend (Jose Juan, a strange name even for Mexican standards) has a sister who is married to the son of the ex-mayor. So by some stroke of luck, we got to rent this place!
We moved in last night, and not only is it in a sweet location, but it is realllllly nice. We may even get our own rooms! Holla! There is a huge outdoor terrace on both the upstairs and downstairs and beautiful antique furniture. There are even these old vintage sewing machines in almost every room. I guess the ex-mayor of Tehuacan was into making his own clothing. Anyway, I think the woman who owns the house is coming this weekend to move out a lot of her things, but no matter what, we are settled and happy. Although I can´t get my computer back (I am right now at a cyber cafe) at least we are more safe and secure and not sleeping on the floor. The whole thing was a pretty intense ordeal and I am still upset about it, but don´t worry or fret for me. I won´t let this taint my view of Mexico or its people...these things happen no matter what country you´re in and I refuse to let it break my experience. What it does mean, however, is less pictures and probably less frequent blogging, but alas, worse things have happened.
This was one long and hectic week, but the good news is, tomorrow is Friday! Have a great weekend everyone, and maybe make it a point to buy an external hard-drive and back up all of your shit. Just sayin´.
Sorry for the serious delay in blogging. It has been a crazy 2 weeks. Just a quick catch up: (sorry Elise, I know you hate when I play catch up haha)with regard to school, I have been really busy with planning midterms and reviews for my kids. The next few weeks are exam weeks, so I had to write tests for all of my students. I even have to give my 5 year olds an exam! Mexico means business.
Last weekend, I went to Puebla to check out the 4th biggest city in Mexico, and the closest big city to Tehuacan. It was really fun! There are some other Heslington teachers living and teaching there, so we stayed at their apartment and hung out with them which was nice for a change of pace. On Friday night we went to Chalula which is a little bit outside of Puebla and is essentially a whole strip of bars and clubs. There was longass lines for all of the clubs, but when the bouncers saw our American faces they told us they would give us a deal to get bottle service and a table (only 400 pesos for a bottle and all the mixers!) Considering we were all used to American prices for VIP status, we were completely down. It was definitley a good time. We spent all of Saturday walking around Puebla and seeing the sights (and eating of course.) There is a lot more to do and see in Puebla than in Tehuacan (there is 365 churches!!) including a whole little section of vintage furniture shops so it was fun just to amble and relax.
Now...for the nitty gritty. On Tuesday of this week, my apartment was broken into and 3 computers stolen (mine included.) I was in my 2nd grade class when I saw from the open door of my portable Justine, Alan and Beverly walking toward me with such a purpose I knew that something was up and that it wasn´t good. Justine told me what happened, and went back to the house to see what was going on with the police and whatnot. I, on the other hand, had another hour of annoying 8 year olds to teach while completely preoccupied. It wasn´t easy. By the time I got home, the police had left and it was essentially a waiting game. An investigator and lawyer came to check out the damage, but as we all know, no one takes burglaries super seriously, so I don´t have much faith that they will find the perp. However, we decided that we needed to move apartments because that one just wasn´t safe anymore. As much as I love Ms. Tere and all of the kids, I have to look out for myself in these types of situations. So we started packing. I had stripped my bed and filled most of one suitcase when I realized...we have no place to go.
Long story short, we ended up spending Tuesday night on the floor of a school that Heslington owns on these thin little mattresses with cocoroaches and the like. We were basically squatters because we had to clean up our bedding and stuff in the morning so that they could have classes in those rooms. It felt a little suspect and strange, and needless to say, we didn´t get the best night´s sleep. The next day, I was certain it was going to be a no-news kind of day and was mentally preparing myself for another night on the floor. However, at around 6:30 at night, Rachael came to see me at school with a huge smile and some incredible information.
She found us a place! No, not just a place. A MANSION. Owned my the former mayor of Tehuacan. Ummm...what?? Apparently Rachael´s friend (Jose Juan, a strange name even for Mexican standards) has a sister who is married to the son of the ex-mayor. So by some stroke of luck, we got to rent this place!
We moved in last night, and not only is it in a sweet location, but it is realllllly nice. We may even get our own rooms! Holla! There is a huge outdoor terrace on both the upstairs and downstairs and beautiful antique furniture. There are even these old vintage sewing machines in almost every room. I guess the ex-mayor of Tehuacan was into making his own clothing. Anyway, I think the woman who owns the house is coming this weekend to move out a lot of her things, but no matter what, we are settled and happy. Although I can´t get my computer back (I am right now at a cyber cafe) at least we are more safe and secure and not sleeping on the floor. The whole thing was a pretty intense ordeal and I am still upset about it, but don´t worry or fret for me. I won´t let this taint my view of Mexico or its people...these things happen no matter what country you´re in and I refuse to let it break my experience. What it does mean, however, is less pictures and probably less frequent blogging, but alas, worse things have happened.
This was one long and hectic week, but the good news is, tomorrow is Friday! Have a great weekend everyone, and maybe make it a point to buy an external hard-drive and back up all of your shit. Just sayin´.
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