you know you're in mexico.

when...

-ginny is the the whitest person everywhere.
-there is a pinata store at the end of my street.
-drivers believe stop signs (and red lights) are only suggestions.
-pedestrians are always a nuissance.
-you try to use french, and they stare at you blankly.
-there are more taco stands per capita then gas stations.
-blonds are always from the bottle or from out of country.
-backstreet boys and brian adams are still playing on the radio.
-soccer is the only acceptable extracurricular activity (and the only religion besides catholicism)
-children believe texas is a country.
-chili powder is the new salt and pepper.
-i am taller than every man in the country.
-loud talking is considered a quiet whisper.
-hair gell is a personal staple.
-tequila flows like water.
-you arrive at a party on time... and there is no one there.
-first communions are a bigger deal then weddings.
-you can sit outside on an afternoon in march and be hot!

better late than never.

i meant to post some pictures of puerto vallarta awhile back. here is our long weekend in photos!

on the plane:


eating delicious fresh fruit from a street vendor:


out for dinner at oscar's. my first tortilla soup experience!


a traditional taco stand:


some descent surf at desiladeros beach:


away from the crowds:


a little polynesian-style village called yelapa:


ginny and i at a waterfall near yelapa:


potted plants! love them.

live. work. play.

travelling through a city is much different than actually living in it for three weeks. no longer a tourist, i have being living a fairly regular life. i am still constantly exploring the city, but i have also had to figure ot how to do 'normal' things like grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy. the language barrier is obviously a challenge, and everything in mexico seems to happen in its own (very slow) and unique way.

here is a bit of a window into my day-to-day life here in monterrey:

living: ginny's apartment is a looong three minute walk from school, and has a beautiful view of the mountains. the housing is larger then i expected - we are certainly not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination! we are in an apartment building where the majority of the other tenants are students as well, giving a sense of first year in residence all over again.

here is a shot of our apartment building:



the view every morning of the mountains on my walk to school:



working: a world apart from the public school world i have lived this year so far. the elementary campus is much older than the middle/high school campus, but it is still incredible. they have resources, literacy coaches, specialist instructors, sports equipment and even plants in the hallway! the pictures simply don't do it justice.

one of the soccer fields (check out the view!):



we have old school desks, but it is where we call home:



playing: working long days means that we appreciate our time off even more! ginny has taken me to one of the ritzy malls and to a movie theatre where you get to sit in recliner lazy-boy style chairs and order food for delivery. unreal. but, the highlight so far has certainly been hiking in chipinque national park. only a few minutes' drive from the school, it feels as if you have entered another world. the loud city floats away for a few hours while we hike the mountains and are witness to some stunning views.

the view of the city from the mountains:



towards the end of our first hike at chipinque:



not too shabby, eh?

say yes to everything.

this past weekend was a long weekend in celebration of the birthday of benito juárez, a famous mexican president and national hero. in international teaching terms a long weekend equals take-off-for-the-weekend. some teachers took overnight buses to san miguel, others flew to acapulco, and others went shopping in texas. in canada, when presented with a long weekend, i would have slept in, and enjoyed some extra time to get some errands done. not here! every long weekend is another travel opportunity not to be missed.

ginny and i set off to puerto vallarta on friday evening, along with the advice from a friend: say yes to everything. so we did.

say yes to...

dodgy airlines. viva aerobus is a new mexican budget airline which is a godsend to weekend travellers like us. however, they consistently overbook flights and do not make seat reservations! so, you have to arrive at the airports hours before your flight takes off... luckily, we had a makeshift travelling band as entertainment on friday evening in the waiting area!

minimal amenities. we pre-booked a budget hotel in the zone romantica in the middle of the action of downtown pv. i knew it was cheap, but what i did not know was that we would not even have a closet! i guess minimal amenities in mexico really is minimal. luckily ginny and i are fairly laid-back, and the character and location of the hotel made up for any lack in luxury.

fruit from the street. one of the best parts of each morning was the HUGE bag of fresh fruit you could buy from local street vendors. for only a dollar fifty, you would get a heaping pile of watermelon, mango, papaya and cantaloupe. each day, it was an adventure to find the fruit vendors, but it was always worth the wait. mexicans sprinkle chili powder on their fruit, but we politely declined.

strange concoctions. one of the best things about experiencing new cultures is the culinary adventures. mexicans enjoy very... shall we say.... interesting mixtures of flavours (that is probably an understatement)! odd combinations that i witnessed being prepared were: tortilla soup with chilies, avocado, onions and cheese; a cup of corn topped with a pile of mayonnaise and chili; jellied mango; carrots sprinkled with lime and chili; and apple flavoured coca cola. also, did you know that true quesidillas have only cheese? and that fajitas are tex-mex and not a national staple? so much to learn.

sleeping in until 9. ginny and i did not set our alarms one single morning. it was divine. we had a full energetic weekend, but never felt taxed or tired. very rejuvenating.

romantic dinners. puerto vallarta has some incredible restaurant locations. eating in a palapa restaurant on the beach, sitting on a patio overlooking the ocean or surrounded by live music and lush folliage, pv certainly knows how to whoo the romantics. the colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and village-feel probably help as well. even though ginny and i did not have men in hand, we still wanted to feel the love in the air. we discovered a restaurant named oscars which was in the ideal location: on a little island in the middle of downtown, next to the rio cuale (river), overlooking the ocean with live music in the evenings. we had impecable service, could hear the waves lapping only metres away and dined on fresh mahimahi/vegetarian crepes. yum.

strangers' advice. lonely planet mexico did not cover off the beaten path areas around puerto vallarta, so we had to get advice from the locals. we really wanted to find a more deserted beach outside of the city centre, and had no idea where to go! on the first evening, we talked to our cab driver, who told us to 'take a local bus to punta mita'. we clarified that with a waiter on saturday and ended up on a local bus (for only two dollars!) heading an hour up the coast. what we realized after being on the bus for quite sometime, was that we didn't actually know where to get off! but, as luck would have it, some canadian and american travellers got on the bus and told us we absolutely had to accompany them to desiladeros beach. the perfect advice! desiladeros was one of the most beautiful, pristine, tourist-free beaches i had ever been to. a perfect day lying, playing in the waves and soaking up the sun.

sailing around the world. i was very intrigued by the three families we met on the way to desiladeros beach. they had each left jobs, sold houses, packed up and set off on sailboats. such a cool lifestyle, but something that i can't even imagine. living with your entire family and all your belongings on a 35 foot boat! one of the families had a little six year-old named isaac, also known as mr. incredible. i felt so young again when he invited me to come and play in the waves with him. what a different childhood for him: home schooling, being socialized mainly around adults but getting to see new places almost every day.

stiff mojitos. clearly, the best kind. we accidentally stumbled upon a funky restaurant called uncommon ground while trying to find something else. well, lucky for us! this place was just awesome. two women from new jersey moved down in august and opened it up: a cafe/bar/restaurant/boutique serving natural, healthy salads and wraps. the atmosphere was inspired by asia/india/far-east and included an eclectic mix of momentos from around the world. the ladies were incredibly welcoming and i tried blueberry and raspberry flavoured mojitos. highly recommended.

flying high. on our last day, we took a water taxi to yelapa, a small village accessible only by water. we did not realize that chicho's water taxi company also provided a 'tour' of yelapa... aka making sure that chicho's palapa restaurant got a monopoly on business! after a short 'hike' to the local waterfall, we were treated to beach chairs right next to the parasailing dudes. now, i have already jumped out of an airplane, but ginny has never done anything of the sort! somehow (with extremely good convincing, or perhaps the margarita we drank on the beach) she made the spontaneous decision to fly through the air attached by a rope to a boat. once she decided, it all happened very quickly... no time for nerves! the next thing i knew she was in the air. will have to post pictures to prove it.

jewellery vendors. an accessory-lovers dream! silver everywhere. i restrained myself to only one ring and a few gifts for friends. but 'cheap' silver is still not quite cheap enough for me... at least until i start getting a regular paycheque.

with that, our long weekend came to an end. i only wish i could have said no to going home!

mizz fleming.

"miiiiiizzzzz. miiiiizzzzz. MIIIIZZZZZ."
the voices you hear a million times per day as a teacher in mexico.

boy, do these kids know how to whine! they interupt conversations, demand immediate attention and are extremely impatient in waiting for help. however, they also worship the ground you walk on, give you hundreds of hugs per day and laugh at all your jokes.

teaching mexican children is very different than teaching canadian children. they have different routines, habits, academic standards and ways of looking at the world. they are (for the most part) privileged children who have not had to do a lot for themselves, living in the bubble of monterrey, completely unaware of the various religions and cultures around the world. in fact, it goes beyond being unaware - they cannot even comprehend the fact that life is different for other people.

here are my top five blessings and curses that my lovely children bring...

the good:

-they are incredibly touchy-feely. while in canada you can be put on trial for touching a child, in monterrey, they hug you, touch you, stroke your hair, hold your hand... after knowing you for only five minutes! today i was teaching the boys how to place their hands to dance with girls. it is actually considered an insult if you do not hug, kiss, and cuddle in return.

-teachers are valued. there is a constant debate as to whether north american teachers are properly valued and respected, but in monterrey, there is no question. we are looked upon as knowledgeable, professional experts in child development, discipline, language acquisition and child psychology. it is really quite an honour! almost all parents respect teachers and support us whole heartedly. we had parent-teacher interviews today and i was amazed at the parental support, involvement and general respect for teachers and their opinions. they really trust our opinions.

-they think the funniest things are cool. because anything 'different' is always cool, international teachers gain 'cool' status fairly quickly. i told them that when they are with miss. sarah they have to make sure they have their thinking caps on... and now anytime they hear the word 'think' they pretend to put their imaginary hats on. soo funny that something so potentially lame was a great success.

-outdoor education. literally. the school is all open concept, with hallways and courtyards open to the outside. when it is sunny it brings warmth and light into the school and when it is cold, apparently it gets really cold! the classrooms are not open to outside, but it is refreshing to have real plant life and gardens in the lobby.

-as a general rule, they take pride in their handwriting, and attempt to keep their work neat and tidy. their organizational skills on the other hand.....

the bad:

-these kids are enormously disorganized. they never know where their books are, they never have sharpened pencils, they always forget their homework (and have terrible excuses). it is important for them to take ownership and responsibility for their own actions, but this is not always a lesson they are learning at home.

-they are chatty cathy's. ooh boy. a room full of 20 talkers! they have little impulse control (both in spanish and in english) and they literally talk all the time. this is going to be a tough habit to break!

-the tortoise and the hare. coming from canada, i am fast-paced, energetic and move quickly during transitions. however, i teach a class full of turtles. it takes them forever to move anywhere, and switching from language to math seems to take 20 minutes! time is more fluid in mexico, and i don't think they have any concept of 'rushing'. i started a challenge with them today where we time how long it takes during transitions with a stop-watch, and it was the first time i have ever seen them run!

-they are very needy. before they properly read the instructions, review the questions or attempt to solve a problem on their own, i hear them continually calling "miiiiizzzzz". however, they have not developed the patience to wait for anything! at home, many of them have drivers and maids who they can boss around so they are not accustomed at school to have to wait their turn. we are going to aim towards more independence and being pro-active problem solvers.

-their food schedule. mexicans eat a late lunch, and a very late dinner. we give the students a break for lunch, but none of them actually use it to eat! they eat an unhealthy snack (chips, candy, pop), giving them just enough energy to jump off the walls in the afternoon... but they don't eat a balanced lunch until they get home at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. not exactly conducive to quality learning.

but, as per usual, through the good (a kid finally writing a small moment narrative), the bad (a kid standing on his chair to get my attention), and the ugly (cockroaches in the classroom), i adore them all the same.

90210.

first impressions are one of the greatest parts of seeing new places. the initial feelings you feel towards a place, whether it be a scent or even a fleeting image all greatly impact your travel experiences and the opinions that you leave with. they say a job interview is either won or lost in the first 5 minutes, so perhaps the same goes for love affairs with cities as well.

my initial feelings towards monterrey, mexico have been mixed and full of odd dichotomies. just when i think i have figured out how i will describe it to my friends and family at home, i am struck with an impression that is impossible to properly articulate. considering I have been offered a job to teach in monterrey next year, the pressure was on for me to like it, or at least find it interesting enough to call it home.

here are some of my first impressions of monterrey from my first two days:

1. we’re not in mexico anymore. seriously. my experiences in monterrey thus far have been largely contained to san pedro, a wealthy neighbourhood bordering the city. in theory, san pedro views itself as autonomous from monterrey - it has its own mayor and police officers. while i know that i am in mexico, san pedro does not feel like mexico. yes - spanish is the primary language, you can get tacos on street corners and drivers do not stop at stop signs - but there is also a louis vuitton and a large american-stlye grocery store 10 minutes from our apartment. in fact, it has a reputation for being the beverley hills of monterrey. i have gone whole hours almost forgetting where i am! people have told me that it is very easy to stay in san pedro… but with my adventurous spirit i already know that i will not let that happen to me.

2. the airport was slick and modern. as ridiculous as this may sound, i never expected to arrive to a beautiful spotless airport. the stereotypical view of a small dirty mexican airport was certainly shattered for me. i am sure i am not the only person that is guilty of making generalizations -- but who am I to say that monterrey is not the real mexico? (yet, it is still my hunch that it is not.)

3. the view. the mountain vistas are absolutely spectacular, and you can see them from all over the city. they tower as high as the clouds, and stand there sheltering (or perhaps guarding?) the city all day every day. the saddle and the m shaped mountains are overpowering and always provide a quick orientation if you are lost. i can’t wait to get up there for camping/hiking/climbing!

4. maid quarters. in every apartment or house, there is an extra (very small) room and bathroom that was designed to be a living quarters for the family maid. but this is not a practice solely from the past -- many children still have personal maids who tend to their every need. no wonder they have entitlement issues! a child literally told me that his maid had forgotten to put his homework in his bag… sorry, no sympathy here.

5. constant helicopters overheard. many families live in the mountains, and rather than driving, they have themselves lowered to the city in private helicopters. by the way, one of my kids just got dropped off for tutoring in a gorgeous sports car. by a driver and a maid. classic.

6. mexico time. if you live or travel in mexico, you simply have to accept that nothing happens on time or early. we went out for dinner at 8 o’clock on saturday night and we were practically the only people in the restaurant! time is slow down here, there is little sense of urgency, and it is near impossible to get the children to move quickly. my mom would fit in perfectly - she would never be late again!

7. houses and properties are not visible to the street. the majority of properties in san pedro are hidden by unattractive stucko walls with a door or a garage door built in. however, if you get to take a peak inside, you can see the wealth in the manicured gardens, grandiose architecture and large properties. i guess you can never judge a book by its cover.

8. my students could not believe that i wasn’t married. they saw my large black ring and were convinced that i had a mexican husband. uhhhhh, no. they were shocked that a woman would wear a ring only for decoration!

9. every time i walk down the street, it looks like there will be 800 accidents, but somehow there never are! parking lots are crowded and impossible to navigate, drivers don’t really stop at intersections or stop signs and Mexican drivers definitely don’t value pedestrians. in fact, i think they hate them.

10. i ran in a race through san pedro on sunday morning, and as entertainment they had traditional mariachi bands playing next to louis vuitton and fendi stores. the dichotomy of traditional versus modern/extravagant provides a very interesting mix. billboards for american restaurants such as chili’s and pizza pizza are posted next to local taco stands. very strange!

from my first few days in monterrey, i feel like the city contradicts almost everything i previously believed regarding mexico. however, this only intrigues me more -- i have so much to learn and explore within san pedro, around monterrey and throughout mexico more broadly. good thing i have three weeks!

in transit.

my grade four placement came to a screetching halt today with a fast-paced chaotic last day. with march break only inches away, the kids were on edge, the energy captivating and throwing off any potential for normalcy. our medieval feast was a great success: the kids ate themselves silly, performed for one another (mostly swordfights... ooops) and we had the whole classroom cleaned up in under 10 minutes flat. the feast was a perfect cumulative activity for medieval times, but it was a HUGE organizational feat. it was not something that we could do every day. parents sent loads and loads of food, but it wasn't prepared or ready to be served. SO, while trying to organize the kids, keep them calm and set-up desks, i was simultaneously cutting up veggies, fruit, bread et al. mutlitasking to the max!

i raced home after school, finished packing and took a 6:30 via train to toronto. i was really tired, but i could only get an aisle seat, which is unfortunately not conducive to sleeping! it was also really cold (partly my fault because i had dressed in capris in preparation for mexico sun... i jumped the gun a bit on that one). i did quite a compact job of packing, but i had an extra small duffel bag for all the goodies i was bringing down for erin and ginny.

the loveliest part of my stopover i toronto was that my good friend steve picked me up at union. i hadn't seen him in months, but whenever i go through toronto, i try and give him a call. his parents essentially run a b&b for all his friends that pass through the city. i honestly think i could stay with his parents even if he wasn't home! i got to catch up with him and bri, door to door service to the airport in the morning (thanks a million steve), a fresh pot of coffee and the most comfortable pillow in the planet. i don't know what it is about the pillows at steve's house, but i adore them! i think they are laura ashley pillows, but i haven't been able to find identical matches. if you EVER get a chance, you must sleepover at steve's house if only for the magical pillow experience!

the plane trips worked without any significant hitches. there was no luggage lost, no delays, no turbulence and no confusion. in fact, i even made some new friends! i arrived in toronto to absolutely NO line at check-in, customs or security. when i made it to the gate, i actually happened to sit down next to two other girls who are in the faculty of education at queen's on the way to their own alternate practicums in mexico - how random! one girl was actually heading to monterrey as well, the other to mexico city. we bonded over lunch in chicago, discussed living norms/taboos for living in mexico and generally had a great day. whenever i travel i am always prepared for a quiet day on my own, but i was pleasantly surprised to have some lovely company.

i arrived in monterrey to-the-minute at 5:50 saturday afternoon. i flew past customs without ANY questions, and pressed the traffic light button which indicates whether your bags will be searched or not. (phew. i got green!) ginny and jen arrived to pick me up a few minutes later, and i haven't stopped since. but more on that later.

yesterday i had breakfast in canada, lunch in the us and dinner in mexico. quite the day!

troublemakers.

i have just started my fourth week teaching in a grade four class in ottawa. with the reputation of being one of the toughest classes in the whole school, i knew i was going to have my hands full. i have always been more hesitant about teaching junior grades because of their emerging attitudes - but what i didn't expect is that i adore them! through their anger, sass and denial, i have developed quite a fondness of them. they certainly are a really tough bunch: high needs behaviourally, academically struggling and highly impulsive and talkative. for some reason, i don't find their attitudes discouraging, i am only MORE motivated to develop a positive rapport with them. i figure that if i can work in this classroom and still walk out at the end of the day smiling, then i can work almost anywhere!

it would be impossible to fully capture the personalities in my class, but i will give it a try.

1. "miss. fleming, will we be invited to your wedding?"
2. "i am going to sue this school. and everyone in it. especially YOU."
3. "i don't have time to put my homework in my bag. you don't know my routine. i have to get up, have a shower, eat my breakfast and watch my show."
4. "can we have real darts and jousting and duals in the classroom?"
5. "we have to write in full sentences? WHAT? i hate this school."
6. "ummm. miss fleming... my tooth is stuck in a caramel..."
7. "i need a pencil? i don't know... what is this??"
8. "do i still get a point if i did my homework but i left it at home?"
9. "miss fleming... you should be principal. we would never get in trouble."

that's what they think....!