4 January 2007

Currently I am in the United States – I have been here for almost three weeks, which means that my return to Mexico is just a few short days away. It has been an interesting and almost difficult time back in the United States – there is so much that I love of the US and so much that I have missed – from finding things easily at the store to enjoying the plethora of options of everything. But, I can’t shake the feeling that it is just strange to be here – it is strange to drive on smooth and clean highways, it is strange to ask for things in English, it is strange to look around and note the absence of an extremely large population; it is strange to be back in my “old” life with my old regular “ways” when my life – my current life in Mexico – is so different.

You know you are “media-mexicana” when:

1. You think you’ve just made a big mistake throwing the toilet paper in the toilet.
2. You no longer feel famous because no one is calling out “güera” when you go out.
3. You’ve almost forgotten how to drive
4. You think your family is strange for driving from one end of a parking lot to the other just to go to another store (come on guys, it’s closer than Comercial!).
5. You get nervous to eat unsanitized fruit.
6. You bring a cup of water into the bathroom so you can brush your teeth – and then realize that the water is the same from the kitchen sick as the bathroom sink.
7. Any time your friends ask you something and you think for a second, you say, “es de…”
8. You agree with someone and they ask you why you are exercising your finger like that.
9. You can’t help but mix some Spanish words in with your English – even if you are talking with people who do not know any Spanish (“Yeah, it was really great pero I didn’t feel well,” – oops).
10. You give someone the “Thank you” wave and they think you are making an obscene gesture.

There are just some things that I’ve experienced that seem so normal that no one else here is accustomed to. The first day I was driving around my town, I kept asking, “Is there something missing? Did they knock down a building here? Weren’t there more buildings on this street?” and my brother suggested intelligently that it probably just looks really empty because I had been so used to walking down streets with high concrete walls all the way down on both sides.

There are lots of things I could complain about in Mexico, but I am finding that my heart is in so many places – with my family, at school in Chicago, in Mexico… It’s just strange to be divided así, but I know that I need to embrace the day that I am in and continue loving life.

La media-mexicana/americana

3 October 2006


Some days I don't feel as excited to be here as others, but today was not one of those days. I had such a relaxing afternoon, which was much needed after a long weekend and knowing that I won't have a day off until maybe November 2nd. My very talkative class is getting better trained as each class goes on. Next week I will be giving quarter tests to all my classes - they are required from every teacher and there is an exam schedule and everything. And the test grade that they receive is worth 40% of the poor little students' grade. I always have lots to do or lots that I could be doing, but it really amazes me how prepared I am for the upcoming week - it is nice not to have to worry about what I am teaching tomorrow, or the next day, or the following day. I am always worrying (usually) about what I am teaching for the next week.

Another thing that I am just tickled by is how I have surprised myself as a teacher. I NEVER thought that I would teach middle school and said that it takes such a special person to teach that age, but I absolutely love these little kiddies! They are so precious and so malleable, pliable, and impressionable. Which, I suppose is usually thought of as a negative trait for junior high, but I see it as such an advantage - I pray that they can become molded after Christ as I am their teacher. However, on the other hand, I think I am blessed with having darling 7th graders...

Well, this past weekend I had planned on doing several big things, neither of which actually happened. I was originally going to go to Guanajuato, which is in another state, but that fell through and I wasn't able to get a ride. So, I got invited to go to a very big soccer game with Guadalajara's team playing against Mexico D.F.'s team, but the person that was supposed to have the tickets ended up not having them. So, I had a rather quiet weekend - Friday night I went out for coffee with a friend (I was ORIGINALLY that evening supposed to go to this colima in the city which overlooks the city, but it started pouring rain in the afternoon and therefore had to settle for a coffee outing). Saturday mornings are usually always reserved for sleep, cleaning, laundry, planning, sunbathing, and/or going out to breakfast with friends - which is all of what I did during the day. Saturday evening, since I wasn't able to see the soccer game live at the stadium, I went with a group of friends to a restaurant and watched the game on tv. It was actually interesting, and I never enjoy watching games on tv. After the game we just hung out on the large Glorieta that was outside the restaurant and I listened to my friends tell lots of jokes in Spanish (Half I didn't understand a few key phrases, and most of the other half I got but usually didn't find them as incredibly hilarious as some of my friends did. I think the most interesting was watching to see my friends' responses to the jokes they thought were most funny). Oh yes, a glorieta, if I haven't explained before, is like a round-about, or a circle if you are from Tallmadge, Ohio, or a square if you are from any other normal small town. But, it is circular, and there are usually benches, a plaza or fountain in the middle, and a walkway around the edge. Some Glorietas are small and are maybe 25 meters around, and other glorietas are very large and might be 300 meters around.

Sunday I tried a new church and really enjoyed it. It has two services and there were probably 300 in the service I went to. It is difficult to choose a place to go... there are so many good places to go!

Yesterday some of my students had a basketball game and they invited me to go, so I took a bus to an all-boys catholic school, where the game was held. The school was an enormous and immaculate campus. It was incredibly beautiful and massive. There were BUSH sculptures! It was almost the size of a small college. I was so very impressed. I wish I had gone to high school there! But, I guess that wouldn't be possible anyway, since it is all-boys. Anyway, I think my students really enjoyed me coming. There was only one mom there with her daughter and then me, and I had brough two other teachers with me and two of my girls students.

I wish you all could come see where I live, where I shop, the streets I walk down. Every time I walk through my streets, I am completely filled with wonder as I pass high wall after high wall, as all the houses have extremely high, thick, concrete walls, usually covered with beautiful ivy, climbing plants, abundant flowers, and gorgeous trees looming over the peaks of the walls. I always try to peak in through barred fences or garage doors, and these estates are just incredible. You would never guess what is beyond the wall, but it is usually always astonishing.

Earlier I was on the roof and wrote this in my journal:

"It is so beautiful here today. I'm just looking out over our massive back yard under the light of the seven o'clock sun. The sky is a cozy aqueous color and meets paler tones closer as the sun reaches out its arms toward the earth. The coral clouds are trimmed with a pearly white as they leisurely float through the blue expanse - changing shape like a content amoeba. Several bird are bidding goodnight to each other, whille a handful of crickets are beginning their salutations within the colony of Las Fuentes."

So that is the recent update on life in Guadalajara, Mexico!
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ABOVE: This is the only picture I took this weekend - during el partido de futbol at the restaurant. This is me and Fernando.

24 September 2006

The weeks are going by so quickly, and with that, the weekends are flying by even more quickly. My schedule at school was much better last week after having the major rearrangement of classes. This Friday is teacher in-service, so there are no classes, and I am looking forward to that. I am already looking forward to my first “holiday,” which is one entire day off, October 12^th. One exciting piece of news that I received the other week is that my Christmas break is extended from beginning on January 3^rd to beginning on January 8^th (and I’ll only have to teach middle school classes) and beginning on January 15^th for high school!!!! That is one schedule change that I am very excited about.

Since Friday is just meetings, I was invited to go to the city of Guanajuato this weekend with a British teacher and her family for the weekend. She has lived in Mexico for 15 years, so she knows her way around quite well. I am very excited to be vacationing for a weekend with some ‘locals’ =) I believe Guanajuato is in the state of Nuevo Leon, and is about 3 hours away from here.

This weekend wasn’t super busy, but I did go to this place called El Bosque de la Primavera, which is a national forest kept up by the government and is about an hour away from the city. It was the first time in 2 months that I had been outside the Guadalajara area, and it was soooo nice. I went with 2 new teachers (a married couple) and 3 teachers that have been here for a few years. Now, this forest isn’t anything like Rocky Mountain National Park, but it was pretty, and there is a hot spring, which was our purpose for going. I’m including a picture below of Elizabeth, Grace, me, and Bekah on the ‘shore’ of a little part of this hot river. It was interesting, I had never been to a hot spring before. Watching the water trickle by, you really think that it is going to be cool and refreshing, but it is SOOOOOO hot. My feet were like red red.

My coordinator told me this week that there might be a possibility of me getting a student teacher from Bethel University in the Spring – how crazy! But exciting at the same time.

Well, I have a few things to tie up before tomorrow morning. This past week I went to a hair salon and highlighted my hair (a redish-brown and an orangeish blonde – very fallish) to tide me over until I can find some semi-permanent hair dye (because it doesn’t exist here). Also, one of my Mexican friends found me a lanyard! =) I am very excited to have it.

Take care my loved ones!

ABOVE: This is me and Becca, a teacher for pre-first kiddies - she lives in my house - Today was her birthday and we celebrated by going out to eat!

ABOVE : This is Elizabeth, Grace, Me, and Bekah next to the hot-spring river

ABOVE: This was on our drive home from el bosque to Guadlajara - this is the typical scenary of where I live!!!! Mountainous/hilly!

ABOVE: This was inside el Bosque - in the left hand corner is a little bit of water, and then a nice big boulder where we threw all our junk

El Grito de Independencia!

This evening (Friday evening) I went to a nice colony in Zapopan (or maybe it is Guadlajara… I never really know for sure). The 16^th of September is the Independence day for Mexico, and they kick it off here on the 15^th with fiestas in all the main plazas. I went to a place called Chapalita, which is like a very big round-about, and they closed off the streets and had spinny fair type rides and games and food! It was lots of fun.

One of my guy friends here is always asking me what kind of new Mexican food I have tried, and I always tell him the same things. But, this evening I had elote con crema y queso – it was corn-off-the-cob in a plastic cup mixed with a type of cream (kind of like sour cream but a little bit thinner) and cheese – it was so good! And I also had churros, which is kind of like a cinnamony funnel cake…almost.

El grito (the shout) happens all around the country in the evening of the 15^th. At chapalita it began at 10pm. Everyone gathers around the kiosko (like a bandstand – all colonies/cities have one) and they say, “Long live the heroes of our history!” and the crowd responds “Viva!” Then, they go on to say other people’s names and the crowd responds the same way. Then, they say, “Viva Mexico!” and the crowd shouts “VIVA!” and they repeat that several times.

After the shouting, there were fireworks, and it was very interesting because there was like this firework-pole, with things that were spinning and giving off sparks.

Below I am including pictures of the evening, and also another foto from the fiesta that we had in our house the other weekend.

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ABOVE - This is the quiosko in which the grito was led.



ABOVE: Me posing as a Mexican chava!


ABOVE: Me and the other teachers that I went out with - aren't we festive looking in our green, white, and red!?!?

ABOVE: This is me and a police officer at Chapalita...


ABOVE: Me and Cinthia - we are spelling out "V-I-V-A" as in VIVA MEXICO!!!

11 September 2006

I’m not going to lie, today was a pretty terrible day – at least until the noon hour. I think God is testing me to see if I really AM as flexible as I say, and I don’t think I stretched as far as I should have. For one, the school is short several teachers, so some teachers took on new classes this week, and my schedule got changed all around. I am still teaching the same subjects and students, but the times are all completely different. And, I just found out Friday and had to teach first period today, which I wasn’t prepared for at all, and the printer that I have to use at school didn’t get turned on until about 2 minutes before class, which means that I didn’t have time to even make copies for ANY of my classes today (since we have to get every copy approved by our supervisor, turn it into the resource room, THEY copy it, and you have to return several times to inquire if your one copy is made).

But, praise the Lord I survived the day, even as seemingly tough as it was. And, another praise to the Lord, Glenn, the school director, just told me that they bought a printer for the “Big house” (our house). I swear, the only thing that is difficult for me is that resource room. So, when you pray for me, pray that I have patience and don’t want to kick the resource room.

I will have to include my new daily schedule on here, but I don’t feel like writing it out tonight…

On a hApPiEr note, today was one of the girls’ birthdays – so we celebrated by going out to eat. We went to a Chinese restaurant (which I wasn’t too excited about), but it actually turned out to be very scrumptious. The fried rice isn’t so…fried-y. And there were lots of crisp veggies.

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I am tacking on some pictures from this evening.
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Above: My amiguita Cinthia and me outside our front/side door

Above: This is me, Jacque, and Charla after celebrating with some Mocha-chocolate cake from the neighborhood bakery, Jeffery's. Mmm Mmm! Charla is my fellow science teacher - she teaches 2 sections of 8th grade, 1 section of 7th grade, and 12th grade Ecology.

Above: This is Cinthia, she was just too cute not to take a picture of. She is the Mexican chavita that lives with us and is superb.

Above: This is me and Cinthia in front of our side door before going out to dinner.

Above: Ready for a potentially rainy walk to the chinese restaurant. Look! I am wearing my new shirt that I bought yesterday!!! (This picture is for Dana, my fashion consultant)

Above: This is our neighbor and fellow teacher, Joy - practicing with the chop sticks

Out on a Saturday Night - 09/09/2006

This week, Glenn, my director, asked the new teachers what the most difficult think was that we were dealing with here in Mexico. People are always asking me weekly, “How are you doing with the culture shock???” and I always have answered, “Just fine!” So, I am just waiting for some major culture-shock crisis to happen, and it makes me a bit nervous that it hasn’t happened yet! But, then again, maybe it won’t – because Glenn told us that it usually happens within the first month, and I have been here for almost 6 weeks… so does that mean I am in the clear??? I guess only time will tell.

But, I will say, that in contemplating the most difficult thing that I have encountered, I racked my brain and think that availability of items is probably the most difficult thing for me to deal with. The fact that all the stores SHOULD have key rings but every store in the country happens to be out of them (humorously) drives me nuts!!!!

So, for all my Spanish-speaking or learning friends, some fun/useful phrases that I have learned are:

¡Güacala! – (pronounced wa-ca-la) this means – GROSS! – which we use often in the house with each other, like when Cinthia puts mayonnaise on her broccoli, or when we talk about how creepy people are looking at the group of güeras. Oh yes, this word means gringa, or white-foreign-girl.

¿Qué me ves? – this is said in an almost shouting tone, it means, “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?” – used when people do 360 degree turns just to look at the pack of güeras walking down the street. – Oh, note to all – the staring here is not NEARLY as bad as what I faced in Spain. I have not personally used this phrase, except for in jest with my silly housemates. The looks we get are more just of curiosity I think.

Es fresa – he/she is snotty. I guess these people just exist everywhere…

¡Cansalado! – Just kidding! - a very useful phrase. I get tired of always saying, “Estoy bromeando” or “fue un chiste!”

¡Óyeme! – means, like, Qué te pasa? Or, ‘you got a problem with that?’ These phrase are all generally just used for fun in the house. Great, you all are going to think I am mean or something. Nahh… you all know I am not mean!!!!

Safo – No way (as in, don’t even think about it)

¡Estás BuEnO! – You are Fiiiiiiinnnneeeee, boy! – (that sounds more like me…)

A Mango is a hot guy… (mmmm – me gusta la fruta! jaja - cansalado!)

And, finally...

Más te vale – ‘You'd better (do it)!’

SO, add those to your vocabulary list, because… well, they are fun!

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Last night wasn’t too crazy of an evening – we originally planned to go out to a movie, so we went to the mall and decided nothing looked good. We just grabbed something to eat (I got Gelato) and then went to a billiard’s place where one of the Mexican guy’s brother was playing in a band. So we just did the Mexican thing and had an evening of chatting!

I have decided to go to this church called Fuente de Vida, it is about 15 minutes away by car, and there are several people in my neighborhood area that go there, so it is pretty easy to get a ride. I really like it – the music is very contemporary, like the music that we sang in chapel at Olivet. And the pastor is very energetic and funny. I actually have his son in my 7^th grade biology and chemistry classes. It feels very comfortable there, and I am starting to be able to figure out how to get there on my own. I actually have several of my students that go to that church. I would say there are about 200 or so people? Maybe 250.

I went to church with another guera from the house, and we realized that we were only several blocks away from the mall, so we just stayed at the mall to eat and shop. The mall that is here is called Galerías and is absolutely phenomenal – it is huge and is almost a little too designer-ish for me. There is this three level department store called Liverpool, and it is all designer stuff. Right outside the mall entrance is a round-about (called glorietas here) with a fountain, and there are palm trees everywhere, and the entrance is all glass. Today as I was walking out, I felt like I was in Beverly Hills or something. It is very high class. I think I am so happy here in Mexico because it really doesn’t take too much to be better than Marshall, Missouri. And this mall is only about a 30 minute bus ride from the house (and that includes walking to the bus stop and taking an EXTREMELY slow bus like we did today).

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Time for pictures!
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ABOVE: Here is me and two other güeritas that I live with, Megan and Jacque (this is last night - we were at Galerias trying to decide on a movie). Megan's bedroom is right across from mine and she is my lovely bathroom mate. She teaches in primeria, in 6th grade. Jacque teaches kids that are in pre-first grade (after kinder, before 1st grade - so all the kids in school here are 1 year older that those in the USA. For example, now, my 7th grade students are actually the same age as 8th grade students in the USA)




Above: This is the Tortilla soup that I ate last night. We ate at a place called Super Salad, and it was quite scrumptious. Megan and I went there to eat at Galerias after church today (again) and I got the tortilla soup again! Now, I know it doesn't look very good in the picture, but it looks and tastes much better in real life!



ABOVE: This is our message board that we have that we write what we are doing or where we went etc. The first few days it was up, some of the girls wrote some funny and crazy things. Mine is supposed to say that I went on a date with "jugo de naranja," which is a nickname we gave to our handyman (his name is Hugo), and he read it one day when he was here!!!! Jacque was the one that wrote it - tsk tsk.




ABOVE: Me, Megan, and Jacque at the Billiard place. Typical picture of me, huh?



ABOVE: This is at night right after it rained at sundown - out the window of one of the girl's rooms.

Well, I have decided to make a blog to record all the events and thoughts that are going through my almost-Mexican brain while I am here in Guadalajara. However, as I just taught my 7th graders about your body's response to stress, I must say that creating this whole blog thing has been stressful!

I have decided that I will go ahead and cut and paste my email messages that I have sent out thus far, just so I have an accurate track record of Rachel's travels. But, I will go ahead and do that at the very end of this post.

As I say just about every time I update everyone on my life here, I am still loving every minute of Mexico (unless I am trying to create a blog, then I get stressed!). Additionally, like I always say, planning is getting smoother and smoother - and I am just finishing up the third week! If it keeps improving at this gradual rate, I will be flyin' high throughout my career as a teacher. But, then again, I am sure as I incur Chemistry information that I'm not QUITE familiar with, or I am starting some new-crazy lab, maybe I won't be so optimistic. I guess I am just hoping that it continues to improve.

I think one of the biggest keys to success here is FLEXIBILTY. It is important to be as flexible as flubber. My school here is just completely different than anything in the US. Today I taught a literature class because our literature teacher (who isn't even an English teacher of any kind - she is the counselor and is filling in until we find an English teacher!) was sick. Benefit # 1 of being a sub for this particular class : I had them normally the period just following Literature. Benefit # 2 : Our discussion was over Jonathan Edwards' sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Thank goodness I took American Lit in high school, and thank goodness I actually remembered reading that sermon. And, finally, benefit # 3 : maybe we didn't get into a big discussion on literature and terminology, but I was able share with the students the characteristics of God, the gospel, and some personal testimony! And there are several students in that class that are searching for their faith.

Well, to give you an idea of how my day at school goes, I will include my schedule below. Each class that I teach is either an entire grade or half of a grade:



Monday 7th grade Chemistry 8:52-9:37
10th grade Chem 9:55 - 10:40
11th grade Biology 11:35-12:20

Tuesday 7th Chem 8:52-937
9th Chem 955-1040
11th bio 1135-1220

Wednesday 7th Chem 852-937
10th chem 1045-1220 (yes, 90 minutes)

Thursday 7th Bio 852-937
11th Bio 1130-1220

Friday 7th Bio 852-937
9th Chem 1045-1130
11th Bio 1135-1220

Do you see the strangeness in the schedule? And the school day ends at 230. It might look like I have lots of free time, but it flies! Especially when I have to get a signature from my supervisor every time I want to make a copy or get tape/tak/scissors (ANY supplies).

Well, as for life in Las Fuentes, Zapopan, I am feeling like a real resident. Neighborhood stores, shops, and restaurants recognize me. My colony has a small town feel. I am learning the unmarked bus routes - the closest Wal-Mart is a 30 peso bus ride away (which is 3 bucks) or a 15 minute bus ride. I also attribute my native skills to my dear amiguita, Cinthia, who lives in my house. She teaches me many things! For instance, don't just settle on a price with a taxi driver, ask him to use the taxi meter. THEN, you have to make sure the meter is put on the daytime rate (number 1), because it is cheaper. So, I have watched Cinthia do this a few times and had to implement this system on my own when 2 other gueras and I went to Wal-Mart yesterday on a sunny afternoon and it an hour later it was a torrential chaperon. Yes, we decided a taxi was worth it. So, we got in and I asked to use the meter, and the driver was like, "Well, where are you going?" (because they like to settle on a price), and I said,
"Las Fuentes." And he said,
"Oh, well, I charge at least 50 pesos (5 dollars)"
"Well, can you use the meter or no???!!!? (as in, you better or you won't get my business)"
blah blah blah "I guess so" (as in, it is going to be cheaper if you just take my offer)
...then I saw it was on the expensive nighttime rate...
"Can you please put it on the day rate?"
"Well... there are 2 tarifas. One is for when the driver picks you up right in front of the store, and the other one is cheaper, when you actually hail the cab off the street." he sputtered out. Riiiggghhht, I'm thinking.
"Listen, I LIVE here in Guadalajara, I'm not just some guera.. You need to put the day rate on."

And, to finish the story, he did, and it cost about 30 pesos! I felt kinda bad for being assertive, but when I told Cinthia, she said GOOOO ME! I shall be a Tapatia soon enough...

I initially thought at the beginning of this week that the rainy season might be ending, but, lo and behold, we have had 2 days of heavy rain. Last night, I was actually frigid lying in my bed! Note to
family: I want to bring either my portable heater down here or my electric-blanket matress pad.
Oh yes, one more random thing, I have been looking for a lanyard for like 3 weeks and they are no where to be found, and I lost ALL my keys (yes, like, all 20 of them) yesterday!!!! If I had just found a stinking leash for those keys, maybe I would still have them... ahhhhh.

Okay, previous emails below! - okay, just kidding.
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