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March 26, 2009

Rainey Ratchford

We arrived! We were met at the airport by Margarita, then took a bus to Puebla.

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Our ride included a snack and a movie. Who knew Nicholas Cage was fluent in Spanish ;-) ?

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Pedro met us at the bus station, and we went home to enjoy dinner with our family. Turkey prepared with adobo (for the meat-eaters, not me), corn tortillas, rice, and the most delicious potatoes I´ve had.

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We went to the school in the evening for some special seminars for Health Week. We saw the kindergarten center which is for students ages 2 to 6. Some of the students were waiting for their parents to finish at the seminar.

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I understood some of the lecture on addiction, and the visual outline helped. I met Lourdes, who coordinates the English programs at D`Amicis school, and she and I discussed the international struggle of all high school students with Beowulf and Shakespeare.


These photos of our home show my bedroom and the courtyard view from my room. The large black barrel on the roof of the other building is a rain barrel. Most homes have two reservoirs (one a rain barrel, the other a cistern under the house) to collect water for washing and showers and such.

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¡Hasta Luego!

March 29, 2009

Adrienne - week one

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The first week, or half of a week was a lot of fun. When we arrived at the house we had our first meal with Margarita and her husband, Pedro Pablo. The first day we were able to go with Margarita to the school and take a tour and meet many of the staff and teachers.
We started with students right away on Thursday morning. I was placed with the fourth grade English teacher, Valerie. The fourth graders were very welcoming and I had a lot of fun just observing the lessons. The students speak English very well, much better than I speak Spanish. In the English lessons the students are not allowed to speak Spanish unless they do not know a word in English. I was quite amazed at their English skills. On Friday, I observed the class in the morning and then the students went to a conference/seminar for the rest of the day.

The students got out of school at noon on Friday. After school on Friday, Lindsey, Rainey, Mario, and I went to a plaza and a street market to shop. We also tried some traditional Puebla cookies. On Saturday, we all went to the Aztec pyramid in Cholula. Lindsey, Rainey, and I climbed to the top of one part of the pyramid. We also went to visit a church that is built on the top of the pyramid. On Sunday, Rainey and I went to a local church and then met up with everyone at a local flea market. We had a lot of fun shopping.

The first week was very fun and eventful. We did a lot at school and we were able to do some tourist things. I have been able to practice my Spanish a lot. I already love it here!

Lindsey Blare - Week 1

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A well-manicured lawn spreads out green and even between buildings. Parents drive into the front circle to drop their children off at school. Children play soccer and gather inside teachers' classrooms. Then a bell rings, and children flood out into walkways and head to their respective classrooms. It is not until Spanish words and phrases begin filling the air and one notices the smoking volcano in the background that one begins to realize that they are not in any United States school, but, instead, we are at D'Amicis School in Puebla, Mexico.

The school itself is different in both its physical and pedagogical design. It is surrounded by a brick fence with a security guard at the front. There is a full-sized soccer field, and several basketball courts with the backboards at different heights for different-aged students. The kindergartners have a rabbit cage and garden section, as well as a sandbox and playground. The upper elementary wing of the building (5th and 6th grade) have a full-sized science laboratory with steel lab tables, an anatomy skeleton, and walls of shelving full of science equipment. Also, each class spends half the day in Spanish instruction and the other in English, ensuring all students become familiar with and at the very least conversational in English.

My first few days at school have been very interesting. I am working in the English section of the 6th grade, and have approximately 60 students between the two classes. The similarities between this classroom and my 6th grade classroom in Watauga county are amazing. The class gets rambunctious at times. Students have specific personalities which make some of them more readily identifiable than others: shy Paty, talkative Yamil, hyper Viktor.

My teacher Nelly has been very receptive to me. Within 10 minutes of entering her class, I was reading a part of the textbook aloud to the students and helping to lead a discussion on personalities and self-esteem. She has also included me in a lab exercise in which every student and she used lemon juice in an experiment to determine if the individuals were introverts or extroverts. Nelly made sure that my name and results were also on the list.

The differences are immediately apparent also. The students call all the instructors "Teacher." They have to be reminded to speak in English when in that part of their day. Also, everyone (adults especially) greets one another with a kiss on the cheek. It surprised me when several of my students greeted me in this manner by the second day.

As for our out-of-school activities, we have visited Cholula, an ancient Mayan site with a pyramid and other ruins. At Cholula we found local vendors selling fried grasshoppers, which I discovered taste surprisingly like wood. We have also visited a local zocalo, or central park, and a flea market. Also, we have discovered sweet bread at the local grocery stores, and have made a quick run to the local Walmart-equivalent store. The Ruiz family we are staying with have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome, and I am sure they will make our stay in Puebla as comfortable as they can.

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March 30, 2009

Rainey--3rd grade

I had the opportunity to work with Miss Violeta. (So far, all teachers are called "Miss" followed by their first names, except for our host, Pedro Pablo, who is called "Profe," short for Profesor.) Miss Violeta has 32 students in each of her 3rd-grade English classes. She has the morning with one class and the afternoon with the other. The children line up in the morning and the girls greet her with a kiss, and the boys greet her by touching palms with her, then touching fists.

She has the class divided in 4 stations or groups, that sit together. These groups change periodically, and the class is often divided into different teams that do not follow the station. By doing this rearranging, Miss Violeta ensures that students learn to work with a variety of their peers. The photo below is of the captains choosing their teams.

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Much of the group work is conducted outside, with the team captains responsible for ensuring that the students in their group are actually focusing on their tasks. If someone is playing instead of working, the captain must let Miss Violeta know.

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April 6, 2009

Lindsey Week 2

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Volkswagons everywhere. Bugs, Passats, Pointers, Golfs...yes, all sorts of Volkswagons, and they are everywhere! The streets of Puebla consist of honking horns belonging to speeding cars, vendors selling knickknacks, and jugglers dressed as clowns at intersections. Everything and everybody moves, nothing stops, even for red lights.

D'Amicis School has continued to be a learning experience. I have remained in the 6th grade with the English teacher Nelly. I have been reading to the class and team-teaching since the first day in class. However, this week I taught several lessons by myself, with her serving as a monitor for the students. We have discussed self-esteem as it relates to an individual's emotions, defense mechanisms, and jobs that would be appropriate for introverts and extroverts. We have also given vocabulary and spelling tests on English words from stories they have been reading and studying. Lastly, the students took a listening test on their English comprehension from several recorded selections.

I have noticed several things about my classroom and students. Initially, despite the fact that D'Amicis is a private school, the government supplies the textbooks and notebooks. Also, the textbooks used are more like small reading books that students in the US use as supplements to a text. However, my students have several of these smaller books and not a single large textbook. Also, students must be picked up at the classroom by a parent or older sibling, and are not immediately released to do as they please at the final bell. As to the bells, students do not consider themselves released by the bell, but remain (relatively) calm until the teacher releases them. The differences are interesting.

As to our adventures in Puebla, we have had several more. We have gone to a large market in the zocalo with hundreds of vendors selling everything you could possibly imagine: food, clothing, jewelry, wind chimes...the list goes on. We have also seen two new movies in the theater (subtitled in Spanish). We also visited the world's smallest volcano in La Libertad, which we climbed into (it has been extinct for some time now). We have also been to several museums which displayed, respectively, religious art in a convent and photographs of the Maras gangs in an old hospital. Since we are officially on Spring Break, we have planned out a rough idea of things we will be doing over the next two weeks, to include more museums, pyramids, fortresses, a trip to Metepec, and pottery factory. It should be interesting.

On a side note, several of my teachers found out about the Army education, and as a result, I have taught the 6th and 3rd grades how to march. This was somewhat difficult as the commands were in English, and I do not believe the 3rd graders knew why they were out in the soccer field walking around. However, it was interesting.

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April 7, 2009

Adrienne week 2

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This week I was able to teach a few lessons with the students. I taught a couple of grammar and spelling lessons and a science lesson to both fourth grade classes. One afternoon the teacher I am working with got sick and had to leave. I was left in charge of the afternoon class that day. I think this really helped me to open up and come out of my shell with the students. I really think the students are starting to warm up to me. I have learned most of the sixty-three names of the students.

I’m really learning how to understand the students’ Spanish without getting confused at how fast they speak. I was also able to witness how much some of the students struggle with English and how well other students speak English. The students had a grammar exam on Friday and some of them did really well while a couple of students struggled. I also had a lot of fun getting to know the teacher I am working with. One really fun thing the students did this week was to create a dance to the song "Staying Alive." They had costumes and they showed the rest of the of the class. I took lots of pictures.

We did a few more tourist things too this week. Margarita took us to visit the world’s smallest volcano. It was very interesting because we were able to go inside of it. On Sunday we visited two museums. The first one we visited was an ex-convent that was known for having artwork featuring objects that seemed to move as you moved. It was very interesting.

The second museum had an exhibit on the well known gang, MS 13. It was very interesting to see photographs of people who have chosen that path for their lives. We also went to see two movies this week. We chose movies that were in English with Spanish subtitles. This was fun because it gave us a chance to hang out with Margarita’s sons who are also college students.

April 12, 2009

Adrienne week 3

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This week was the first of our two week Spring Break. We set up a schedule of all the interesting things we wanted to do. We had a few museums, pyramids and forts in mind when we made our schedule. We were able to do just about all of the things we wanted to do, but there were a few schedule changes and shifts.

Monday we decided to have a girls shopping day without any men around. We had a lot of fun going to Puebla's largest mall and then the shops around the Zocalo. We were able to buy a few things for ourselves and also some souvenirs for our friends and families at home. While we were out shopping, we had the chance to have someone show us how Puebla's famous Talavera pottery is made. The man showed us the steps and what they use to make the different colors. It was very interesting to learn about it.

On Tuesday we visited a fort that was used during the Mexican Revolutionary war. We learned a lot about the war and the people during that time. We wanted to visit another fort but we decided not to. We ended up finishing our day up spending time at a very cool bookstore/coffee shop. That day was a lot of fun and we took lots of pictures.

Wednesday, Lindsey, Rainey, Mario, and I took a bus to Cuernavaca. It took us about two and a half hours to get there by bus. Once we arrived in Cuernavaca we took a taxi to the Zocalo. It was very exciting for me because I had never been in a taxi before. In Cuernavaca we had lunch and did a little shopping before going to the museum at Cortez's palace. It was really neat to actually be in the house where Cortez lived. After going to the museum we visited the oldest church in Mexico. The church was very grand looking. We then went to have coffee and desert at this great little restaurant across from the church. After coffee and dessert, Lindsey and I went to do some more shopping and Rainey and Mario went to visit a famous garden in Cuernavaca. We had a ton of fun just soaking up the culture.

Friday we went to see some more pyramids. These pyramids were different from the first one we visited because you could not go inside them but you could climb them. We went to two different pyramid sights and were able to climb four different pyramids. The first pyramid was interesting because we were able to see the murals that were painted thousands of years ago. At the other pyramid sight we were able to learn about each pyramid and climb on three of the four pyramids.

On Saturday, the family invited their friends and family over for a big cook-out. We sat around and ate food while we got to know all the people in the family members' lives. Lindsey and I were able to climb onto the roof of the house to watch the sunset. It was beautiful because you could see the sun setting between the two volcanoes.

Sunday, Lindsey, Margarita and I went to the train museum. We were able to learn about the different trains that were used up until the 1970s. Lindsey and I did a lot of climbing onto the trains. We had a ton of fun but it was very exhausting. Sunday was the hottest day so far since we arrived in Puebla.

This past week was very eventful and fun. We learned a lot and we are planning on doing the things we were unable to do before we leave Puebla. This coming week is going to be a little more relaxing.

April 13, 2009

Lindsey - Week 3

Evacuation routes. Volcano erupts to the west, run the other way to the east. But, isn't there a small volcano in the other direction that is connected to Popo? Oh yes...well, then we must run south or north. But, both of those roads turn east....oh boy.

Aside from the escape plans hatched on a roof, this week has been full of adventures. After all, that is what Spring Break is for, is it not? Pictures, suntan lines, and making the locals think that we are, in every essence of the words, crazy tourists. Fun stuff.

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Our week began visiting an historic nuns' convent turned into a religious art museum.
There were all sorts of furniture and art work laid out in the building. Books, benches, paintings...everything a museum should have. Some paintings were done in such a way that they looked as if they were moving when you walked past them. Just a little creepy.

Later on in the week, we conquered Fuerte de Loreta (one of the two forts involved in the final battles of the Mexican Revolution, making Cinco de Mayo important)! We found one of the soldiers there, but he didn't want to talk too much. We even found some old cannons to play with, but apparently they'd make entirely too much noise if we shot them. It was neat in that the city is already preparing that site and its sister fort Fuerte de Guadalupe for next year's bicentennial of independence. Several areas are blocked from tourist traffic for modifications, and even the hedges had been trimmed into the shapes of cannons and archways!

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We also went to Cuernavaca and visited several sites. We went to the Hernan Cortez museum, and to the oldest cathedral in North America. It has several distinct forms of architecture so it is obvious that it was added to over the centuries. What I thought was interesting was the skull and crossbones over the main entryway. I'm sure the symbol meant something entirely different 400 years ago than it does now, but still, one gets the impression of a pirate church at first glance. There were also some local dancers in the zocalo (downtown center) that were dancing to a drum. They had shell noise-makers on their ankles, and people were joining in off the street.

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We also visited more pyramid ruins in Cacaxtla. Some of the carvings still had the original paint on them from 3,000 years ago! It was very interesting to see the building layouts, carvings, and statues at the different sites. There was also a site with four different pyramids used for different ceremonies. Each was a different size, shape, and location in relation to the main site at Cacaxtla.

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Finally, we had a barbecue with friends and went to a circus. The barbecue was where the volcano evacuation plans were hatched, sitting on the roof looking at the sunset. The circus was where a group of white tigers jumped around for their trainer. It is also where I got pulled into the ring to participate in the clown skit. I rode an imaginary motorcycle, and helped the clown jump imaginary jump rope. It was fun.

Next week will continue the saga of our adventures. Until then, hasta luego!

April 19, 2009

Lindsey - Week 4

Our fourth week in Puebla (and second week of Spring Break) was less eventful than the first week, but no less enjoyable. Our week began with a picnic in the yard where we met lots of new people. They were all very friendly, and we all talked and joked. There was also an amazing sunset that night, which we fortunately had a camera to take a picture of.

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We went on another adventure out in town, this time to the train museum. Adrienne and I climbed into and onto all sorts of full-sized train cars, from those built in the 1920's to some still in working condition. The train cars ranged in aesthetics from strictly utilitarian such as the car with the giant crane on it to the Executive Suite car with full beds, a kitchen and working toilet. Several of the cars were very rusty.We had lots of fun!

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That Monday, we went to a local resort in Metepec. This place was absolutely gorgeous! The halls were big enough to create an echo. There were both indoor and outdoor pools. They had a lake stocked with fish which would be caught and cooked by the staff. This place even had a ropes course and a heli-pad for helicopters! We spent several days relaxing, getting some (and just a bit too much) sun, playing pool, and being very unproductive.

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One side-note about Metepec Resort: This is the only place I have ever seen warning of and providing directions for evacuation in case of Earthquake, Fire and Flood...all on the same sign! This was very interesting to me.

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The rest of the week was spent hanging out at home recovering from the last Spring break of our college careers. We used aloe on sunburns, slept in late, and went to another cook-out/get-together for a family friend. Monday begins school again, and I can't wait. I miss my kids!

Rainey--week 2

Saturday was pyramid day, and we went through dark, breezy pyramid at Cholula. The Spanish missionaries built a church on top of the pyramid site, where several pyramids had been built on top of one another. These pyramids are older and larger than the ones in Egypt, based on the size of the base.

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Cholula also has girl scouts.

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On Sunday, Adrienne and I went to the Presbyterian church in Puebla while the family went to a park. The people were friendly and we were warmly welcomed outside by Eunicia and inside by Dora and Simon, who has worked at church camps in the United States. The children were presenting a musical so we were allowed to take some photos.

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We spent the afternoon shopping and then taught Luis, René and Mario how to play Crazy 8s.

Starting on Monday, I was with the high school group, called bachillerato. The students are in what we in the U.S. call 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. They are known as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades in the high school, which was confusing to my supervisor when I told her I had been with the third grade last week until we clarified that it was 3rd grade in the primary school.

One of my fellow teachers, Max Slaney, is from Great Britain, and much of the curriculum is based on the British practices with regard to punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

I spent most of my time this week observing the other teachers in the English department. These include teachers of ESL, literature, business, and U.S. History. These courses are taught in English. They are excellent teachers, and they use the same sorts of practices that we have been taught at the Reich College of Educaiton (e.g., activate prior knowledge, guided practice, feedback, etc.). Like other experienced teachers, they also use strategies that they have learned through years of practice, trial, and error.

I also met Laura, the math teacher, who also is an extraordinary art teacher. Although her students are clearly remarkably gifted, her teaching is evident as well. She has been gathering 500 student works for an upcoming exhibition, and the students have provided samples of a wide variety of media.

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Laura has offered to teach me how to paint/create art. We'll see. She also creates works of art out of sugar: sugar "cubes" in a huge variety of shapes (musical instruments, flowers, etc.) and colors.

Adriana, who teaches business and is one of my guides/teaching models, is also a budding artist. She works on her painting after school and during breaks.

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Rainey Week 3--Vacation

Well, we get two weeks of spring break. I was just sort of getting in the groove with the teaching, but it's difficult to argue with break. This will be a time for me to improve my Spanish, see my husband (coming for a visit), and get to know more about Mexico while visiting a few other states, cities, and pyramids.

We walked around old Puebla, peeked into courtyards, and admired beautiful fountains. The fountains make everything seem cooler, as the city is really heating up these days.

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Lindsey, Adrienne, Mario, and I took a bus to Cuernavaca. We spent several hours wandering the city, learning about the history of Mexico at the Palacio de Cortes.

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Instead of a railing, the museum used these flowers to keep patrons from wandering too near the edge of a balcony.

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Children seem much freer in Mexico, so these boys were playing outside the museum with no apparent adult supervision, yet all the adults were sort of keeping an eye on them as they played and had a good time.

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We visited the Recinto de la Catedral, one of the oldest church sites in Mexico, which has been built onto for centuries. Worship services are still held here.

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We took a break for dessert at an excellent Italian restaurant.

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It's great to have someone like Mario along to finish whatever we can't!


Rainey Week 3--More Cuernavaca and pyramids

Cuernavaca had lots more to offer: Mario and I explored streets that looked like Charleston, SC and saw doors that looked like those I saw in Ireland, with the doorknobs in the middle.

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We visited Jardín Borda, built in 1866, the garden of the house where Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota lived in the 1800s. Lots of beautiful flowers and fountains, and an exhibit of artwork that reminded me of the Holocaust in Europe.

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At the Robert Brady Museum, we saw even more flowers and artwork. Robert Brady spent much of his life traveling the world, collecting beautiful artwork and embellishing his Cuernavaca home.

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After the museums, Mario got a raspado (aka a snowcone in US), and then we watched the dancers and met the girls to catch a taxi to the bus station and back home.

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April 20, 2009

Adrienne Week 4

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This week was a little more relaxing and laid back. Monday through Wednesday we decided to go to a place that Margarita recommended, Metepec. It seemed to be a local secret which made it even more interesting. We only found three people who spoke English out of the entire staff. I liked that because it forced me to practice my Spanish. For most of the time, Lindsey and I hung out by the pool and laid out in our secret spot. We also did a little shopping and played some pool in the game room. I think the best part of that trip was going fishing at the man-made lake. I didn't actually do any fishing but Mario, Luis, and their friends fished the entire time. After they caught a few fish, the restaurant prepared them for us. It was really cool to be eating fish that had only been caught an hour earlier. I really enjoyed just hanging out and relaxing.

Thursday and Friday were completely uneventful. We all just decided to hang out at the house and catch up on some sleep.

On Saturday, we all went to Margarita's brother and sister-in-law's house for her sister-in-law's, Blanca's birthday. Blanca prepared a great meal and we met many of her friends. Again, I got the chance to practice my Spanish but a few of Blanca's friends spoke English. We sat around with good company and there was even some good old fashioned dancing. The dancing was neat to watch but I was too nervous to join in. Maybe next time I'll get the courage to dance.

On Sunday, we went to a local park which had a bird sanctuary. We went to see all types of birds. There were even Toucan's flying free within the domed area. We saw birds from all over Mexico and North America. It was interesting to see birds from home considered exotic here. I really enjoyed the park as well. They had everything from playgrounds to horseback riding and a bicycle track. The park seemed perfect for kids to come and entertained without getting into trouble. Every city needs a park like that.

I had a lot of fun, but I was really beginning to miss the students at D'amicis. I couldn't wait to get back to see them.

April 23, 2009

Rainey Holy Week

My husband arrived in Mexico City on Thursday, so I rode the bus to the airport to pick him up. We had dinner with Margarita, Pedro Pablo, their two sons, and Lindsey and Adrienne. Although the table was a bit crowded, what Margarita noticed was that Stephen jumped up and insisted on washing the dishes. Apparently, she is not used to men helping in the kitchen. And, she did agree to let Stephen help just as she lets me.

After a good night's rest, we set off in search of more pyramids, but as it was Good Friday, many of the churches had processions for the stations of the cross. This is not as common in Puebla (from what my students told me later) as it is in the smaller towns in the countryside. As we headed for Cacaxtla and Xochitécatl, we drove through a village and were able to observe and talk to the local parishioners. They told us that each family is responsible for a different section of the procession path. Some families began working at 7 a.m. to complete their section in time for the 1 p.m. procession.

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We had seen flower petals strewn on the streets preparing for the Palm Sunday procession, and for his section of the path on Good Friday, this man used flower petals to decorate as well as dyed sawdust.

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In addition to the procession preparations, we saw more of the lifestyle of the countryside.

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Rainey--Cacaxtla and Xochitécatl

On the way to the pyramids via several detours, we waited as Margarita consulted locals for the best route. One time we were parked next to this enormous prickly pear cactus (as we call it in the Southwest U.S.). My brother, in particular, was always a fan of the pears, especially in jelly as I recall. Here they are valued for their leaves, a vegetable called nopales, which are pan-fried, or also juiced.

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We finally arrived at the great pyramid site. From what my students tell me, not many tourists go to see the pyramids. Apparently they are more of an attraction for native Mexicans. We were fascinated and dazzled by the engineering and artwork, and as always, the food.

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April 26, 2009

Lindsey - Week 5

Before heading back to school, we took one last adventure. We went to a local park with an aviary (bird zoo, sort of) and all sorts of activities going on. You could rent a cart with two sets of bicycle wheels used for pedaling around the park. You could use paddleboats on the lake or feed the ducks. You could rent ponies, buy snacks, play basketball, or play on the playground. The aviary itself included lots of different types of birds. Some flew loose inside the giant mesh dome. They were still captive, but may have had the illusion of freedom until they got to the top. The other, more exotic birds were in cages with information plaques next to their cages. Most of the birds were native to parts of Mexico, with a few outsider species.

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My first week back from Spring Break was exciting! I had thoroughly missed my kids, and it was great to get back and hear all of their stories. Lots of them went to see family. Others went to do some of the same things we as tourists did: Cuernavaca, Cholula pyramids...all sorts of things. They were all very hyper on their first day back, and to tell they truth, they did not settle down much throughout the week. However, I suppose after two weeks away from their friends, I can't blame them. I would want to catch up too.

They had state-mandated subject tests on Thursday and Friday. These tests were administered by government proctors, and the class teachers (including myself and Adrienne) could not be in the same room as our students. Instead, we helped the librarian with cataloging books and labeling then with the Dewey system labels. We also helped to keep an eye on the students who finished their tests early and were burning off excess energy in the courtyard. Our students also practiced their class dances for the Mother's Day Festival.

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On Saturday, Adrienne and I spent most of the day at the mall. We had a very girly afternoon shopping and looking at all the variety of things at Angelopolis (yes, that's the name of the mall).

Adrienne Week 5

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This week was our first week back from break. I was able to teach more and work with the kids more. Both of my lessons this week were in grammar. I really enjoyed teaching the lessons because I think it helped the students see me more as their teacher. I was also able to have a lot of fun with the kids. Some of the kids bought a roll of bubble gum at lunch and the students decided to use it as a limbo stick. It was a lot of fun to watch them be normal silly kids. I was also able to help the students with their dance for the Mother's Day celebration.

On Thursday and Friday the students had their government testing so we did not have regular class. While the students were testing on Thursday I was able to go and work with the first grade English teacher. The students were very adorable but there was more of a language barrier because the students at that age were just beginning to really learn English. On Friday I was able to help the librarian out with cataloging books during the testing.

Friday evening, Lindsey, Luis, and I decided to drive to Cholula so Lindsey and I could try to finish our souvenier shopping. We had fun just weaving in and out of all the little shops. When we finished our shopping for the evening, we walked to the zocalo and were able to see some amazing musicians. They were playing different types of flutes and it sounded beautiful. Lindsey liked it so much she bought their cd. On Saturday, Lindsey and I spent the entire day at the mall just shopping and window shopping mainly. Sunday, after Rainey and I got out of church, Margarita took us three to the archeological museum in Puebla. There were a lot of interesting objects there. After that, we all decided to see an imax movie at the planetarium. It was interesting but not quite what we expected to see.

This week was much more productive but it was also a lot of fun. I am sad that the week to come is our last week here in Puebla and with our kids at D'amicis.

May 6, 2009

Lindsey - Week 6 Cut Short

Earthquakes. State Department warnings. Civilians in face masks. What was this, you ask? A plague? A riot? Ancient Aztec Gods wreaking vengeance on the irreverence of modern people? No. This was Mexico in the days following the outbreak of the H1N1 (or more commonly called, swine) flu. But, we'll get to that soon enough.

The beginning of what was supposed to be my last full week of school began with a shopping trip in the mall with Adrienne. We had heard vague stories about something happening in Mexico City that shut schools down on Friday, but since we had been in school, we dismissed it as rumor. We looked at all sorts of stores in the mall, with quite a bit more diversity in the types of stores they had compared to American malls. We ate nachos at the movie theatre before we left. The next day we visited the Regional Museum and Planetarium, which were preparing the national celebration of Dio del Ninos (Children's Day). And we headed home to prepare for one more week of school.

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Sometime on Sunday, reports of something called "swine flu" begin floating around. Numbers of people hospitalized and dead fill news stories. And somewhere in the mix of things, people began to panic. We heard on Sunday night that Mexican soldiers had been handing out face masks in the city to prevent airborne contraction of the flu. 6 million masks were handed out. However, in a city the size of Mexico City, that left 22 million without a mask.

Monday began with a different feel than usual. We saw people walking their children to school wearing face masks. There were fewer vendors on the streets. We began class as usual with an art lesson, and several students were discussing the swine flu that had mysteriously appeared. At school several teachers were wearing face masks, and just a few students. This made me feel a little anxious. The masks scared me a bit, and if the teachers were wearing them, then it made sense that it would scare the kids also. I didn't put one on until they were passed out to all of the students. Some drew faces on their masks, while some just kept fidgeting with them. And then, less than an hour later, we were told to take them off.

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Everyone was already on edge when the alarm went off. Students and staff gathered outside where we learned that an earthquake had hit Mexico City (we learned later that it measured 5.8 on the Richter scale). The principal then made the announcement that the government had decided to close all schools in the country, from day cares to universities, until May 6th. We then returned to class.

Please, answer something for me: If you were a 6th grader, what would be going through your head if you were told you had the next 11 days off of school, but you still had to remain in school for the next three hours? Yes, that is what my students did.

My teacher then announced to the class that, since schools were closing until after we returned to the United States, that it was my last day. My students hugged me and said they're miss me, and we took class pictures. As their parents came to pick them up at the end of the day, I got more hugs and the goodbye cheek-kiss (even though the CDC and State Department did not seem to approve). My teacher also hugged me, we exchanged addresses, and planned to meet again before I left.

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We had Tuesday off, and had begun to wonder what we would do with ourselves for the next week until our flight home. All of the tourist places had been closed down by the government. Stores were almost empty of people, and those that were open (movie theatres, Walmart) seemed a biohazard threat waiting to happen. Adrienne and I checked news websites, the CDC, State Department, US Embassy...everywhere we would think of to keep abreast of new developments on what was being called 'a potential global pandemic.' It was when the State Department website began to list the pros and cons of remaining out of the country, and the potential for border closings, that we decided it was time to come home. After an hour on the phone with airlines, tickets were changed, and Wednesday morning we were headed to the airport with our face masks on and hand-sanitizer at the ready.

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I was sad for my trip to end sooner than it was supposed to. We had more trips planned, and I lost a good deal of time with my students. However, it made sense to leave the country when we did, to avoid what could have been a serious disease. When we landed in Charlotte, we learned we were not allowed on campus for the 7-day incubation period of the swine flu, just in case we caught it at the airport. With that in mind, we did make the right decision, instead of returning as scheduled and missing graduation. I guess things work out the way they should sometimes.

May 7, 2009

Rainey--Holy Saturday

Margarita dropped Stephen and me off down at the Zocalo in Puebla. We walked around, enjoying the architecture, sampling the wares of 6 Poniente (I think--I just called it Candy Lane for all the dulcerias and cookie shops), and gazing at the glorious art in Puebla's amazing central cathedral.

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We also saw a vehicle that seemed to indicate a very rustic sort of lodging.

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We took a break from the sun in the crowded zocalo itself. It's much like the plazas in Italy, except it had lots of trees, as well as huge crowds for the holiday. Vendors were selling what we used to call "knickerbockers"--two resin balls attached to a string that you knocked together in a relentless, headache-inducing rhythm. Balloons and bubble makers were also popular. You could sit on a shady bench and have your shoes shined--but we were wearing sandals. We sat next to Jaime, an older man who had been widowed three years ago. His children were on vacation elsewhere, so he celebrated his Holy Saturday by watching the crowd and sharing his bench with us. He told us of Puebla's trees and climate, and taught us about the culture of central Mexico.

We watched clowns taking a lunch break, and enjoyed a few laughs with a dad trying to get his toddler to partake of a fountain.

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We had a great party on "Holy Saturday" with friends of the Gomez family. Cesar here is not only a great grill chef, but also a podiatrist and a folklore/culture teacher. One of his concerns is that the Mexican government literally changes history (as written in the textbooks) when it changes administrations. His focus with his students is on the truth of their own culture as revealed in song, dance, and all things Mexican, even when studying math and science.

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Fitting all these people into the garden was amazing! Cesar and his wife Connie have two sons (Uriel and Uziel) who are students. In the photo below, from the left, Uziel (who is also in the self-defense class with Mario) and Uriel joined Lindsey and Adrienne (and Mario, not shown, who is sitting to the right of Adrienne) for a rooftop view of the sunset over Popo (the volcano). There really was room for everyone on the ground, though.

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Margarita's brother, Mario Santiago, and his wife, Blanca, also came. Another friend, Lupita, and her daughters Daniela and Alejandra joined us a bit later. Ale, who sells real estate, lives in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. She suggested restaurants and offered to be our contact when Stephen and I planned to visit there. Cesar, Lupita, Ale, and Daniela gave us travel advice: Don't go through Oaxaca (city) to get to PE, they told us, better to go to Acapulco and drive down the coast (due to huge curves, much worse than the ones we had encountered on a previous trip).

Toward the end of the evening, we got to meet Pedro Pablo's family: his mother, Porfiria, his brother, Fernando, and his niece Karen stopped by on their way back from their travels. They shared with us some of the oranges that they had brought with them, so we had fresh orange juice the next morning after Adrienne, Stephen, and I enjoyed the 7 a.m. sunrise service on Easter Sunday at Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

Rainey--Metepec

On Monday, April 13, we went as planned to the resort at Metepec for a few days. Mario Gerardo (Margarita's son) went early in the day with Cesar and his family to fish at the nearby lake, Amatzcalli. The rest of us drove up in the van. The fishing was good. Stephen and I caught four fish, not really thinking about what we would DO with four fish. But we added them to the fish that Cesar, his sons, and Mario had caught, and we shared them with the group at a restaurant at the lake where they prepare the fish for you and serve it to you immediately.

This is Uriel waiting for one of the huge trout to get hungry.

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While Uriel and Uziel were still fishing, Cesar was overseeing the preparation of the fish, and the rest of the crowd were waiting...(l-r) Luis Rene, Pedro Pablo, Margarita, Lindsey, Adrienne, Mario, Connie, and Stephen.

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Here, left to right, Uziel, Uriel, Connie, and Cesar prepare to feast on the much anticipated Big One.

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The resort itself is a converted textile factory. The sounds from the hallway echo through the huge guest rooms. This is just the reception area.

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Nothing is air conditioned, but the windows really open, so the rooms stay cool. The restaurants were wonderful, and so was the elote (corn) sold from a cart near the indoor pool. I chose my elote to be on the cob, which is skewered, then slathered with mayonaise, white cheese, and chili powder. Not what I was expecting for my "healthy" evening snack, but very tasty.

The resort was originally opened for Mexican citizens who qualified for Social Security--you didn't have to be a certain age at that time. It has several pools, a ropes course, musical area, helicopter pad, and peaceful paths to walk among the trees. Stephen and I believe that the original factory must have had beautiful architecture to begin with, but the whole complex shows careful and diligent maintenance.

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The town surrounding Metepec has a variety of choices when it comes to finding a decent quesadilla. I went to the vendor recommended by Mario and Luis Rene.

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Some of the homes in the town were quite grand, while others were more indicative of a grand past, or a loving family.

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Although this looks like a melting Hershey's kiss, it's actually a reminder that Metepec in Old Mexico is like Roswell in New Mexico: known for its UFO sightings.

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Rainey--Veracruz

After we returned from Metepec, Stephen and I boarded a bus to Veracruz. Margarita had decided that Oaxaca was too far away (and she was concerned about us driving a car in Mexico--she was probably right). She recommended Veracruz, and we were so glad she did!

We made arrangements to stay at Hotel Bello, and enjoyed a taxi ride from the bus station. Our driver, a true Jarocho, as the natives of Veracruz are known, told us about the changes to his city since he was a little boy. The folks at Hotel Bello were very kind, and gave us an excellent room with a view of the ocean. Although few people that we met at the hotel spoke English, all were very patient with our limited Spanish. We shared the hotel with about 100 small children who were in town for soccer (futbol) tournament. We had lots of time to interact with our fellow guests because, we were going up and down the elevator with all the buttons pushed! (Another bit that transcends language and culture, apparently.)

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We enjoyed the air conditioning in the room because the drastic change from the dry air of Puebla to the very humid atmosphere of Veracruz was a bit of a shock. We had noticed the terrain changing--and the mountain drop-offs along the road (Yikes!), but didn't think about the humidity until we stepped out of the bus station.

Our visit to this city included important places, like the Acuario, the fort, and the Gran Cafe de la Parroquia. We also found time for relaxing in the zocalo, strolling along the beach and the malecon (the official boardwalk-type sidewalk), and visiting the mall for Rainey's haircut.

The fish at the Acuario were beautiful, and some were VERY large. We remembered those fish when we went swimming at the beach the next day. (Hmmmm...everything we saw in THERE is also in HERE with me....)

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We took a harbor boat tour, and in addition to being boarded by a "pirate," we passed the famous sites of the city such as the huge Pemex building, the Isla de Sacrifios, and San Juan de Ulua fort. We saw some of the Mexican navy (a Navy "residence" is here) in a group near the Pemex building. We also saw some truly enormous ships and watched a special crane transferring cargo containers from ships to waiting tractor trailers. Now that's skill.

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We had breakfast at the justifiably famous Gran Cafe. The service was impeccable, and the waiter who did not speak much English, was kind to me about my Spanish. I really enjoyed the black bean omelet he recommended for me, and Stephen was thrilled with his feast. The high point of course, was the cafe lechero, served in a glass with coffee and hot milk poured into it with great style. As enchanting as the food experience was, Stephen was delighted to be able to communicate with the waiter enough to learn that his dream was to someday visit the United States.

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As we walking or riding in a bus or a taxi, we saw several of U.S. fast food chains. Although the signs lead us to believe that they might be a bit different from what we've seen in the U.S., we were not tempted to partake. And yes, apparently Dominoe's delivers in Mexico too.

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Although we saw many people swimming in their street clothes (the beaches we went to were as much for the locals as for us), we did use just our swimsuits when we went swimming. As we lay on the sand, various vendors offered us their wares: mangoes and other fruits, raspados and gloriosas (snowcones and snowcones made with milk), cartoon figures made with pipe cleaners, and rubber chickens, just to name a few.

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On the bus back to Puebla, we saw large sacks of coffee beans for sale along the side of the road. Truly, the road back is lined with just the sort of geography that looks like it should grow coffee: fertile, green, and very steep.

Rainey Back to School--Week 5

When I arrived back at school on Monday, I was saddened to learn that one of my fellow teachers, Adriana, had miscarried over the vacation. She was unable to teach for at least a week, so Lourdes (aka Lulu) asked me to take the classes. Lulu and I planned to teach the classes as a team, which is my favorite way to teach. Although some of the classes were business classes, taught in English, we focused on building the students' fluency with tricky tenses that Adriana had identified as difficult for them.

The first step was to figure out which classes Adriana had when and with which students. At D'Amicis, this is much more difficult than in the U.S. schools where I've attended or worked. The system is that students have "their" classrooms. They mostly stay in one room, and the teachers move from room to room. However, for classes taught in English (U.S. History, Reading and Writing, ESL, and Business and Management), the students are shuffled into different groups based on their proficiency in English. Also, each day means a different class schedule.

So, on Monday, Adriana's schedule may be a 45-minute ESL class at 7:20 a.m. with 3rd-year students (12th graders in the U.S.), followed by a break, then a double class (90 minutes) of Business and Management with 2nd-year students, another break, and a 45-minute ESL class with 1st-year students. Each day is a totally different schedule, so the teachers in the English department often look at the schedule and exclaim, "Oh, I have a class now!"

This is a class of 3rd-graders (equivalent to 12th grade in the U.S.). The boy in the right front of this photo has been "called-up" by Mexico's version of selective service to be trained by the military every Saturday morning "to learn how to march." He also attends lectures on military procedures and hierarchies. Margarita's son Mario also was selected. Part of Mario's training was doing community service projects, building teamwork and responsibility.

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I was impressed with the students' proficiency in English, which is much more advanced than I remember experiencing when I took Spanish in high school and college. I was delighted to be of help to the department and to be teaching the students, as well as to be able to work with Lulu. Each day meant learning something new--even if it was a commonsense, simple lesson.

One of my lesson plans included a cultural exchange discussion, to help students polish their conversational skills. We discussed the cultures of Mexico, the U.S., and other countries that the students had visited. I learned about differences and similarities along with the students. I was amazed (as before) with the affection between the students and their teachers. I explained about how in the U.S., students are never to be left unattended by a teacher, even in the 12th grade, and that teachers and students do not regularly hug or kiss one another on the cheek as they do in Mexico.

They told me that in Mexico, there are no laws against littering, and they are considered adults at a younger age than in the U.S. Also, many young adults in Mexico live with their parents until they get married. This photo is of Remy (in the cap) and his small group working on their Venn diagram of cultural differences.

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The English office, where the teachers gather, meet, have their breaks, and prepare their lessons, is a busy place. Students come in and out throughout the day to ask questions, print their assignments, visit with the teachers, and turn in work. One student, Daniela, delivers salads. She's 15 and in the segundaria or middle school, which includes up to what would be the 9th grade in the U.S. One of her school projects was an "Impulsa," which is sort of a Junior Achievement project (as we called it when I was in high school).

She developed a business selling salads. Her mother provided her with a capital investment and still helps her with the administrative details. Daniela takes orders for her mixed lettuce salads. We can order them with olives, chicken, egg, cheese, bacon, croutons, balsamic vinaigrette, or a homemade cilantro dressing. And after buying 5 salads, we get the 6th one free. She delivers to the office and takes up the plastic containers to be reused. She's a very impressive young woman who took a school lesson and created a real-life business for herself.

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This photo is of another group working on their Impulsa project: lamps made with recycled materials. Lulu is on the far right.

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At the end of the day, diligent students take their materials and books with them to do homework.

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One afternoon I had a nice surprise. I was staying late in the English office to work on my lessons and create a rubric. I was excited to be going home on the bus with Pedro Pablo and glad to be able to work a few extra hours without distraction. At one point, a man who looked familiar came into the office, asked if Lulu had left, then came up to me and kissed me on the cheek before wishing me a good afternoon.

I realized that I had been introduced to him before--it was Gabriel, who oversees the diploma program (Lulu's boss). I was a little startled because I realized he would be like one of my assistant principals in the U.S. It was a kind and friendly gesture in Mexico, but very different from what my kind and friendly supervisors would do in the United States. (Max, a British man who teaches English at D'Amicis, said when he returned to England after 2 years in Mexico, he actually concluded a job interview by kissing his prospective employer on the cheek. He apologized, she was not offended, and he got the job!)

Friday was my marathon teaching day. Starting at 7:20 a.m., I had five classes (three or four preps) back-to-back with no breaks--not even transition time between classes, because one class ends at 8:05 and the next class begins at 8:05. So, I ran from room to room. Lulu was in meetings most of the day, so I was pretty much on my own, although she was able to help me with errands like retrieving the tape player from the office.

On Fridays, classes end at noon and students can go home. Teachers stay for training until around 3:00 p.m. Because the training was in Spanish, Lulu said I could skip the training--it was about Mexico's teaching standards (like our North Carolina Standard Course of Study). Instead, Alex took the time to show me some of the his artwork that would be included in Miss Laura's exhibition in June.

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Although I hadn't been assigned to one teacher or one class, the time I had spent student teaching in North Carolina had helped prepare me to step in and teach. In Mexico, I was involved in classes almost everyday, so I already knew most of the routines. The teachers were all quick to give me gentle advice and kind encouragement. Their modeling and feedback were a great help every day.

Adrienne Final Entry

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The last week was very short for us because it was only about three days including the trip home. Because of the swine flu in Mexico and the risk of flights being cancelled, we chose to leave early.

On Monday we said goodbye to all of our students because they closed the school down. It was very sad knowing that I wouldn't be able to see the kids anymore. We were able to take pictures with the students and I gave the students a way to keep in touch with me. I am definitely going to miss the students.

Tuesday, we just hung out at the house and read a lot of online news about the swine flu. Tuesday night, the CDC warned Americans that they may have to stay in the country until everything ended if they didn't get out soon so we decided to have our flight switched to Wednesday, April 29th. I was very overwhelmed and sad that we had to leave so suddenly but also glad that we had made a decision about whether or not to leave early.

We woke up very early Wednesday to get on the bus to Mexico City. Margarita recommended we wear our masks on the bus and while we were in Mexico City. We thought that was a very smart idea to make sure we didn't pick up anything airborn. When we arrived at the airport we check our bags and then bought food and spent the last time we could with Margarita. When we checked our bags and before we went through security, we had to complete a checksheet of syptoms.

Lindsey and I needed to finish up some souvenir shopping so we did that inside the terminal. After we our plane took off, some people took off their masks but I decided to keep mine on the entire flight. The flight was long but not bad, even though it was a full flight.

Coming home was very weird for me. I definitely experienced some reverse culture shock adjusting to everything at home. I really enjoyed my trip and will never experience the things I did in Mexico again. I learned a lot about the culture and the schools.

About Mexico

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to International Student Teaching Spring 2009 in the Mexico category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

Ireland is the previous category.

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