The final stretch has officially begun, and it is tangible in the air. 3 weeks from tomorrow, I will be flying back to home soil. Mixed feelings; but mostly excited. I will be sad to leave Mexico, but I am certainly not leaving empty handed.
This weekend we wonderful; it was so great to have Dad here. Friday night we went out to dinner with Rita, Rubencito, and Andrea to VIPS, the trendy Friendly's-esque restaurant that my mom just thinks is so cool. It was fun to chat in Spanish with them; I think it was really good for Dad to mee them and them to meet Dad. Afterwards, we went to Italian Coffee so he could meet Camila. We both hit the hay around 11 to get up early for Cuernavaca. We left Cuautla at 7, and arrived in Cuerna around 8:15...it was a speedy trip. We had an elegant breakfast at Las Mananitas, a fancy hotel complete with cloth napkins and parrots chirping in the background. We enjoyed watching a couple planning their wedding....always a fun people watching experience. Next, we headed to Jardin Borda to stroll through the gardens of Borda/Maximilian. Unfortunately, they weren't running the boat rentals, but we got some sweet pictures with some big Day of the Dead figures of Maximilian and his mistress. We checked out the cathedral, and hit up the big artesania market, where we made some good purchases. We decided to head to Tepoztlan after realizing how far Taxco was going to be. After looking up at the cliff that is the pyramid in Tepoztlan, Dad decided we could stay down below, walk through the market, and eat some lunch. It was really fun to catch up with him and share all of my thoughts about Mexico, capitalism, etc.
Saturday night when we got back to Cuautla we met Hilary for a coffee in "La Cafecita", our favorite place for Concha (sweet bread) and capuchinos. After, we went to Barry's and met up with Lauren and Isana and Dad got to sample the best tacos of Cuautla. From there, we went to dad's hotel, the luxurious Villasor, and had a coffee and some dessert. It was really nice to chat with him, and I was sad to say goodbye.
Right now, I'm sitting in my kitchen chatting with my mom and sister, waiting for my chocolate chip cookies to be ready. Dad brought me some chocolate chips, so now everyone can try the deliciousness of chocolate chip cookies. I had to improvise a little bit with the measurements, but hopefully everything will turn out ok. It smells good, at least!
My UNILA project is going very well, and I'm starting to write the 20-25 page final. I have done a bunch of really interesting interviews with students and teachers, and can't wait to put everything together. I only have 3 more classes with my students!!! And so much more to teach! Now I understand how easy it is to get behind in a class. This experience has certainly helped me appreciate the difficulties of teaching....
In other news, I'm going to URUGUAY in a month. The whole world seems slightly annoyed with me, but there are times in life when people have a responsiblity to themselves to be selfish, and to do what they know will make them happiest. Of course, I am sad that I won't be home for a long time at Christmas, but honestly, would you pass up the chance for a free trip to South America? I really loved Germany with the Edelmans, so this just seems too perfect to refuse.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ohhhhhh Mexico
This is the week Dad (hopefully) comes to visit! I am so excited!!!
We only have 3 weeks more of classes, one week of presentations, and then a few days after before I come home! I am still super happy here, but also starting to get very excited about coming home, seeing everyone I have missed so much, and celebrating Christmas in VT!
Today I had no class at UNILA...it's some Mexican holiday. And we were supposed to have class with Andres at 12:30, but he never showed, so we all left at 1:30 and now I'm home waiting for la comida at 3. Tonight at 5, we have our first Mexican film class, and we're watching "Los Olvidados", which is apparently about some troubled youth living in a barrio of Mexico City. It should be pretty depressing, but hopefully still interesting. Tomorrow we have literature class, Goyo's class, and I go to UNILA for my class. This past weekend I did some interview with a bunch of my students to get started on the final project. We have to write a 20 page paper about our projects, so I'm getting more information about my students and how they feel about English. It was really interesting, and fun to chat with them about other stuff too. I think it was fun for them to speak with me in Spanish, because they saw my weaknesses, just like I see theirs with English everyday in class.
This weekend was a blast; Friday a bunch of us went out to a bar called Resa-K (resaca means hung-over in Spanish). We ran into Justin's sister and some other friends there. The music was good and we danced for a long time. Saturday night Leah's family was having a graduation party for her sister and they invited all of us to come. It was great; food, dancing, socializing. She has some really great siblings and cousins that we have all gotten to be good friends with. Her host dad is so cool; he is a very-powerful socialist politician, and when you talk to him, it's hard not to feel intimidated. But he's really interesting. Yesterday morning we got up early to go to Puebla, which is 2 hours northeast of Cuautla. We all went together via bus, and when we got there, divided up to explore the city for the afternoon. I walked around with Hilary, Isana, and Justin, like normal, and we visited some churches, a museum, and, of course, the market. Justin and I ate lunch together and had to try the mole poblano that Puebla is famous for. It was pretty good, but I still prefer the mole in Oaxaca. I really hope they have mole at La Mexicana in Richmond, because I will miss it a lot when I leave. We all slept on the bus ride home, especially because we were still tired from dancing at Leah's the night before. When I got home last night, my mom and I chatted a bit and then when to pick my sister up at work.
Next week, we have Thanksgiving to look forward to! It should be really fun...we're all going to cook something and then meet at Casa Sol to eat together. I can't wait!
We only have 3 weeks more of classes, one week of presentations, and then a few days after before I come home! I am still super happy here, but also starting to get very excited about coming home, seeing everyone I have missed so much, and celebrating Christmas in VT!
Today I had no class at UNILA...it's some Mexican holiday. And we were supposed to have class with Andres at 12:30, but he never showed, so we all left at 1:30 and now I'm home waiting for la comida at 3. Tonight at 5, we have our first Mexican film class, and we're watching "Los Olvidados", which is apparently about some troubled youth living in a barrio of Mexico City. It should be pretty depressing, but hopefully still interesting. Tomorrow we have literature class, Goyo's class, and I go to UNILA for my class. This past weekend I did some interview with a bunch of my students to get started on the final project. We have to write a 20 page paper about our projects, so I'm getting more information about my students and how they feel about English. It was really interesting, and fun to chat with them about other stuff too. I think it was fun for them to speak with me in Spanish, because they saw my weaknesses, just like I see theirs with English everyday in class.
This weekend was a blast; Friday a bunch of us went out to a bar called Resa-K (resaca means hung-over in Spanish). We ran into Justin's sister and some other friends there. The music was good and we danced for a long time. Saturday night Leah's family was having a graduation party for her sister and they invited all of us to come. It was great; food, dancing, socializing. She has some really great siblings and cousins that we have all gotten to be good friends with. Her host dad is so cool; he is a very-powerful socialist politician, and when you talk to him, it's hard not to feel intimidated. But he's really interesting. Yesterday morning we got up early to go to Puebla, which is 2 hours northeast of Cuautla. We all went together via bus, and when we got there, divided up to explore the city for the afternoon. I walked around with Hilary, Isana, and Justin, like normal, and we visited some churches, a museum, and, of course, the market. Justin and I ate lunch together and had to try the mole poblano that Puebla is famous for. It was pretty good, but I still prefer the mole in Oaxaca. I really hope they have mole at La Mexicana in Richmond, because I will miss it a lot when I leave. We all slept on the bus ride home, especially because we were still tired from dancing at Leah's the night before. When I got home last night, my mom and I chatted a bit and then when to pick my sister up at work.
Next week, we have Thanksgiving to look forward to! It should be really fun...we're all going to cook something and then meet at Casa Sol to eat together. I can't wait!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Everything is good. The last 2 weeks since vacation have actually been very laid back, with the exception of the paper we wrote for Howard.
We started new classes; a few are basically the same as before (grammar/writing/reading/conversation), but we have also started a literature class with Felix, which has been great so far. He is a very calming presence, and when he reads, you feel like you're listening to a book on tape. We started out by reading Aura last week, by Carlos Fuentes, which (gracias a dios) I had already read in high school. It was a nice review to read it with a better level of Spanish. Now we're going to be reading some short stories. We are also taking a lecture series with Andres Barreda, a brilliant political economist from UNAM who is essentially socialist. He thinks capitalism is the root of all evil, and that the world is in the midst of about 8 grand crises (he's right...). He can talk and talk and talk, and you never really get bored. Friday night we had class with him 5-8, today 12:30-3, and we have 2 more sessions with him. We will also be starting a film class with Norma soon, but I think we only have that a few times.
It's nice because the course load is less, since we're spending 10 hours a week in our projects. My class is great, but now I have to start thinking about the final 20-page paper and 30 minute presentation. I am going to write about my students, and their process of learning English. I am planning on conducting interviews with them this weekend, and it should be really interesting to see what they have to say. I am also serving as an assitant, and sometimes substitute, in other classes, which has been a great way to get to know more teachers and students. Today I had a class that was supposed to have 10 students, but only 2 showed, unfortunately. It was really hard because the grammar was simple past vs. continuous past (ex) I was running when I fell), and they didn't understand the difference in Spanish, so it was hard to teach in English without that foundation. I tried my best...
This weekend was really fun because I went with my family to DF (Districto Federal) for a baby shower. The niece of my mom is 7 months pregnant, so I got to meet my mom's brother, sister, parents, and lots of cousins. It was the first baby shower I had ever been to, and it was really fun to play all the games associated with babies and giving birth (they hired a party-planner to run everything). The only bummer is that my mom feels like the black sheep of her family, because she doesn't have as much money as her siblings, so I could feel some tension. It was really fun to be together with all of my 4 siblings though, and to see how they all interact in a group. Camila and I spent the night with Andrea (my oldest sister, Stew's age) in her apartment. It was a good opportunity to get to know her a little bit better. She is a computer engineer, so we don't have a ton in common, but she's still really fun. The highlight of the weekend had to be watching America beat Monterrey in fútbol yesterday. The whole family was super psyched.
Oh! I forgot Dia de los Muertos! The weekend itself wasn't that full of excitement, just because my family isn't really that into the holiday. BUT Monday, we went to the cemetary, and it was AMAZING. It was just like all the photos. We chatted with a bunch of people about their loved ones who have passed away, or about the tradition. They think it's very weird that we don't celebrate the dead like they do, and I agree fully. People were super friendly and open, and lots of kids wanted us to take their picture.
I am mostly excited about Dad coming to visit in a couple weeks! I can't wait to show him around, and for him to meet my family! I just can't believe I only have 5 1/2 more weeks! Time is flying!
We started new classes; a few are basically the same as before (grammar/writing/reading/conversation), but we have also started a literature class with Felix, which has been great so far. He is a very calming presence, and when he reads, you feel like you're listening to a book on tape. We started out by reading Aura last week, by Carlos Fuentes, which (gracias a dios) I had already read in high school. It was a nice review to read it with a better level of Spanish. Now we're going to be reading some short stories. We are also taking a lecture series with Andres Barreda, a brilliant political economist from UNAM who is essentially socialist. He thinks capitalism is the root of all evil, and that the world is in the midst of about 8 grand crises (he's right...). He can talk and talk and talk, and you never really get bored. Friday night we had class with him 5-8, today 12:30-3, and we have 2 more sessions with him. We will also be starting a film class with Norma soon, but I think we only have that a few times.
It's nice because the course load is less, since we're spending 10 hours a week in our projects. My class is great, but now I have to start thinking about the final 20-page paper and 30 minute presentation. I am going to write about my students, and their process of learning English. I am planning on conducting interviews with them this weekend, and it should be really interesting to see what they have to say. I am also serving as an assitant, and sometimes substitute, in other classes, which has been a great way to get to know more teachers and students. Today I had a class that was supposed to have 10 students, but only 2 showed, unfortunately. It was really hard because the grammar was simple past vs. continuous past (ex) I was running when I fell), and they didn't understand the difference in Spanish, so it was hard to teach in English without that foundation. I tried my best...
This weekend was really fun because I went with my family to DF (Districto Federal) for a baby shower. The niece of my mom is 7 months pregnant, so I got to meet my mom's brother, sister, parents, and lots of cousins. It was the first baby shower I had ever been to, and it was really fun to play all the games associated with babies and giving birth (they hired a party-planner to run everything). The only bummer is that my mom feels like the black sheep of her family, because she doesn't have as much money as her siblings, so I could feel some tension. It was really fun to be together with all of my 4 siblings though, and to see how they all interact in a group. Camila and I spent the night with Andrea (my oldest sister, Stew's age) in her apartment. It was a good opportunity to get to know her a little bit better. She is a computer engineer, so we don't have a ton in common, but she's still really fun. The highlight of the weekend had to be watching America beat Monterrey in fútbol yesterday. The whole family was super psyched.
Oh! I forgot Dia de los Muertos! The weekend itself wasn't that full of excitement, just because my family isn't really that into the holiday. BUT Monday, we went to the cemetary, and it was AMAZING. It was just like all the photos. We chatted with a bunch of people about their loved ones who have passed away, or about the tradition. They think it's very weird that we don't celebrate the dead like they do, and I agree fully. People were super friendly and open, and lots of kids wanted us to take their picture.
I am mostly excited about Dad coming to visit in a couple weeks! I can't wait to show him around, and for him to meet my family! I just can't believe I only have 5 1/2 more weeks! Time is flying!
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