quest for curry.

some things are really hard to find in mexico.

for example...

the cottage cheese just does not taste the same.
lemon juice is non-existent. only limes exist to mexicans.
light brown sugar. only the grainy dark kind.
delicious milk chocolate chips are three hours away.
good peanut butter is impossible to find! thank goodness i thought ahead.
i can only find imported goat's cheese.
chewy granola bars only come in one flavour.
food without tortilla's, cheese or beans are rare.
i'll have to learn to live without mini wheats for breakfast. such a travesty.
curry paste does not exist in monterrey. trust me. i looked everywhere.

as i write this i am simultaneously packing for a weekend away and trying to deal with a huge water leak from my bathroom into my closet. wet suitcases. not ideal for packing. it is also almost impossible to find things that are fully functioning in this country. you just have to anticipate that something will go wrong.

embracing limes and the unexpected.

mexico mishaps.

all in a day's work:

mishap 1: i was invited over to santa catarina for dinner at mike and dean's house. i decided to make a delicious apple crisp for dessert, so i went shopping for all the ingredients and slaved in the kitchen all afternoon. (well, actually, about half an hour, but who's counting) i trekked all the way over to their house and then asked dean to put it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes... after talking for about 15 minutes, we noticed that the kitchen was starting to smell distinctly like a firezone. dean ran over to the oven only to discover that my crisp was truly a crisp - mostly because it had been cooked at 350 degrees celsius, rather than farenheit. BIG oops, considering that is almost 250 degrees hotter then it should have been! charred black apple crisp. yum.

mishap 2: ginny brought me a mini coffee maker all the way from canada so that i would be able to make myself coffee every morning. the first morning, i set it all up, drank my delicious timmy's and then went on with my day. the NEXT morning, as i picked up the coffee pot to pass it to my friend (also named sarah), it was still boiling hot. not only did i burn her hand, but i also have burnt coffee at the bottom of my coffee pot. not to mention the extreme fire hazard. what a way to go down. 'miss sarah burns down campus on the first day of school'. perfect.

mishap 3: for the first week, almost every day, i would forget about morning recess. i would be giving instructions, and then one of my kids would pipe up, "um. miss? um?" to which i would reply, "not now!" or something to that effect. when really they were only trying to tell ME that it was time to clean up for recess. oops. one time i also forgot to send my kids to p.e. i just got so excited about science! my kids think its hilarious... while their focus this week is to practice following directions, my focus is simply to start paying attention to my plans!

mishap 4: trying to order anything from the cafeteria. to my kids, this is more fun then free candy.

mishap 5: trying to tell the nice man who cleans my classroom that i appreciate all his hard work. i think he thinks i want him to build me a shelf, because he proceeded to show me everything in my classroom that he had built.

mishap 6: the other day, i was taking a cab on my own, and the cab driver was trying to chat me up with broken english, and i was responding in broken spanish. he told me he loves canadians, and he is so happy that i love mexico. do i love mexican tequilla, he asks? of course, i respond. and to my surprise, he reaches under his seat and swings his arm out holding a full bottle of tequilla. a shot, he asks? ONLY in mexico. what hospitality.

true colours.

red is the colour that THREE kids have already received in our stoplight discipline system. of course, the hope was that no one would ever reach red because they would be too busy behaving....

green is the colour of the nametags that the kids are busy picking off their desks. WAIT! i spent hours taping those darn things down.

brown is the colour of the old school desks that keep getting slammed shut.

blue is the colour of the carpet that kids think it is okay to roll around on during reader's workshop. uh, no.

brown is also the colour of my furrowed brow when forteen kids interupt me while i am conferencing with another student.

purple is the colour of the directions that i write on the board that are never followed. well, that is not completely fair. they are eventually followed, but the kids feel the need to tell me after they have completed each step.

orange is the colour of the bulletin boards i still haven't found the time to decorate!

yellow is the colour of the sun. we are starting solar energy tomorrow and i haven't even had time to read the curriculum.

so many times, when you are tired and overworked, it is easy to look at life with the glass half empty.

good thing i like to look on the bright side of life.

tied up in knots.

tonight i became a pretzel. in full immersion spanish. while sweating like a pig.

"you want me to put my legs where?" - i asked.
"aqui"
"where?" i asked again.
"aqui"

ok. clearly the conversation was not going to get anywhere.

ginny and jenn suggested that we go to yoga this evening. initially, this sounded like a great idea! do some stretching, sweat a bit and go to bed feeling great. of course, i forgot the whole class would be in spanish! i can't say i learned any spanish, but i certainly stretched my body in ways that i have never stretched it before. apparently yoga is tougher in mexico.

feeling energized the three of us returned to the apartment for our weekly 'family dinner'. this is supposed to occur on sundays, and there is only one stipulation: we must cook something that we have never cooked before. since i was stuck at work until after six today, ginny was nice enough to do the cooking for us. to go along with our healthy yoga kick, we had a quinoa/bean salad and cooked zucchini with onions. deliciosa!

on a side note: it seems that hurricane dean will only be reaching as far as tampico. it is expected that we get a few big storms and loads of rain on thursday and friday, but no hurricane winds. hopefully no more flooded playgrounds!

school-free zone.

it is sunday night. and i haven't thought about school for 48 hours! while this may have been a good thing for my mental state, it means i am going to pay for it royally when tomorrow morning rolls around. but i have decided that there is absolutely no point in making my job my life, because i know that will lead to several years of unhappiness. instead, i jammed the weekend full of a dozen social activities and i feel like it has been the longest weekend in history! friday afternoon feels like days ago, and i am good and ready to go back to school tomorrow.

here are the top eleven things to do on a sunny perfect weekend in monterrey:

11. jump on a trampoline in the middle of the night. with three other adults.
10. sleep in until 11. twice.
9. pick up starbucks on the way home from school. then go to the gym and get ginny to take you through a killer ab workout.
8. try to avoid hitting goats/cows/donkeys/taco stands/wild dogs while driving into huesteca canyon for a full staff evening bbq and campfire.
7. be pegged as the 'baby holder' at parties. mom's love us, and we get to give the kids back when they cry!
6. get cultured by going to the monterrey history museum and learning all about mexican history. for the big price of one dollar!
5. eating the famous monterrey baby goat. seriously. we ate half of one. kind of tastes like chicken?
4. spend all your food coupons in one grocery shop. and accidentally pay 9 dollars for imported goat's cheese.
3. dancing until the wee hours of the morning to a live ska band. like in 10 things i hate about you!
2. pay twelve dollars to go to a local hotel for full access to their pool and beach chairs AND a delicious buffet dinner. the greatest find. i may finally get that mexican tan i have been dreaming of.
1. go rock climbing in the mountains for REAL! and conquer the wall. what a rush.

if only every day was a weekend!

first day.

i survived one day. and as someone reminded me, only 180 to go....

the kids were super cute. and eager. and chatty. and silly. i had such a fun time with them! we have A LOT to learn, and a lot of routines to establish, but i am optimistic. i didn't feel tired until the chaos of dismissal was over, but when i sat down at my desk and looked at all the work i had left to do, i wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week. there is so much behind the scenes work in teaching. when you think about the day as a performance, being 'on', that takes preparation! and i am not the kind of person that is going to want to live at school every day. definitely a fine balance.

there was a full staff meeting after school, and the a-team (as the administration likes to refer to themselves as) presented all the new new teachers (as in starting our careers) with a photo of us with our class that they had just taken today! attached was an inspirational message welcoming me to teaching. gave me little warm fuzzies.

one of the assistant vice principals sent us an e-mail this morning that really struck me. he asked, how many nobel prize winners can you name? and how many of your teachers can you name from K-12? the answer is fairly obvious: while teacher's might not change the world, we become a significant part of memory/history for children who end up growing up and moving all around the world. and it is up to us how we choose to be remembered. food for thought.

3 memorable quotes from my first official day on my own in the classroom:

"miss, you MUST learn spanish, or you will not survive in monterreY!" (me: thanks for reminding me)

"miss, are you in love? you are in love!" (me: i wish)

"miss, you have a tattoo!" (me: oh shit.)

on becoming a mexican.

after the pta party last week, and the staff was sufficiently spoiled, work really cracked down. reality set in that this teaching thing really is a lot of work – particularly when you have to learn all the curriculum, policies and procedures of a private school. i was given more material to read then i could read in a lifetime, and was in more meetings than i could possibly count. i felt that i barely had two minutes to set up my classroom!

however, in typical sarah fashion, i found sufficient time outside of school to learn a little more about monterrey and take in the social scene. it is easy to stay at school until 7, because there is always more work that can be done. but when a cold beer and good conversation is calling, almost nothing can keep me away. last week, i attended my first salsa party (the dip, not the dance), found the only place to get locally brewed draft beer in the city (sierra madre brewing company... hellO 2 for 1 beers), ate tacos at the principal's house overlooking the city (again, free beer and food for the entire staff), danced in a house overlooking the city and successfully ordered empanadas and red wine at an argentinian restaurant. it seems that to become mexican, all you really need to do is drink a lot.

all jokes (and drinking) aside, i have also become more confident in using my butchered spanish. i feel less like an outsider. i am no longer shocked when CRAZY things happen on a regular basis. i am comfortable with the insanity of monterrey driving. i can navigate around san pedro and know the route to santa catarina. the sweat running on my brow and running down my back (all day, every day) is now a comforting thing. i have stopped taking pictures of the mountains, because i have finally realized that they will still be THAT beautiful tomorrow.

my other feats for the week included: directing two different friends through the jungle of streets to the gym at the high school campus. it is a miracle that i found the place with all these one-way streets, disappearing lanes, people jumping over medians and even a man biking a huge cart of garbage on the highway… in the slow lane, of course. i also found a key cutter and successfully signed that i wanted a copy made. AND i found a dollar store a block away from my house. i guess we aren't in siberia after all. i can even order my "uno grande latte con leche light" at starbucks without speaking english at all! little, by little, i am settling into life as a temporary mexican.

however.

there are some things i will never be able to get used to….

• miniature bugs on my toilet paper
• freezing and loud air conditioners
• children with maids, drivers and cooks
• getting up at 5:30 am
• dead cockroaches in the laundry room
• spanish television (sidenote: I watched it during dinner tonight, even though I did not understand one single word)
• cabs that honk to ask if you want to be picked up
• stop signs that are ‘stoptional’
• one-way streets… everywhere
• blocked traffic from lineups at the fast food restaurant pollo loco – ie. crazy chicken

i should end these reflections by saying that tomorrow is the first day of school. not only am i becoming a mexican, but i am also becoming a teacher! today the kids came by with their mom's to drop off their supplies (picture hundreds of kleenex boxes, post-it notes and sparkly pencils... where exactly am i supposed to store all of this stuff?), so i have met them all, but tomorrow it all begins. tonight i was at work until after after 9 setting up the classroom and putting my plans in place. this will certainly not be a tradition, but i don't think it is unusual for a new teacher during the first week of school. but you know what? even though i worked almost 14 hours today, i still came home, cracked a beer and chatted with ginny. carpe diem.

nothing on a small scale.

i remember reading ginny's blog around this time last year, and i would like to echo her sentiments. when people in san pedro do something, they really DO it. in capital letters. if they go for a run, they wear a matching outfit; if they plan a party, they have it catered; if they build a starbucks, they build 14 more (there will literally be 15 starbucks' in san pedro by december, last year at this time there were only 4). there is more money in every square inch of this place then i will ever have in my whole lifetime. it is so bizarre to me. teacher's know what is going on at school. the PTA really values us. if you have a problem in your apartment, they send a worker within 24 hours. this is a luxurious lifestyle that i will never live again. i can understand why people never leave.

last night, the parent's council hosted a welcome bbq to introduce new teacher's to mexican food and culture. first of all, the setting was spectacular: the backyard was under a huge canopy of plants, the tables were decorated with hand-made paper flowers and there was unlimited food and alcohol. the mothers welcomed us like family! we got to try:

-cactus cooked in a red sauce.
-chicken in a mole sauce. i quote, "there is chocolate in the chicken? this place is the BEST." - ellise
-hand cooked tortillas.
-margaritas.
-some sort of cheese dish. and a mushy looking beef dish.
-tamales.
-mushy refried beans.
-spicy peanuts.
-weird mushy candies... are you noticing a trend?

the thing about mexican food, is it looks incredibly unappetizing. the refried beans look suspiciously like vomit and the rest is all messy and mushy and gets all mixed together. while i DO understand why people don't like it - if you get over the look of it - you will discover the magical mystery of deliciousness. it is incredible! i could never eat it every day because it is too fattening, too spicy, too much.... but i am so glad it is here. good thing i am not in a picky phase.

you may think the greatest surprise was the catered dinner and free alcohol... but NO. it gets even better. mid-way through the meal, a 12-man mariachi band marched in and surprised the bejeezus out of us! in 'stylish' huge red bowties, heavy suits and incredible voices, they serenaded us for almost 30 minutes. now these guys can entertain! choreographed movements and all. apparently mariachi bands are not only for tourists, they are a legitimate part of mexican culture. if a boy has a crush on a girl, they will often have a mariachi band play outside her window. a girl can dream.

today was another busy day. we had a FULL staff breakfast (also catered) over at the high school at the beautiful luxurious huesteca campus. dean showed me his classroom and it looks almost new! it was a nice chance to see familiar faces, and then all the staff met in the auditorium for service awards. some people have worked for asfm for 25 years! i almost cried during his acceptance speech, even though it was in spanish and i didn't understand a word he said. the elementary teacher's came back to san pedro for more sessions, team meetings (there are 8 grade 2 teachers in total) and finally we got a few more hours in our classroom this afternoon. i went through a few moments today when i felt really underprepared for the kids to come... a week tomorrow! but luckily, ginny and everyone have been SO supportive, and i am realizing that not everything has to be in place for day one.

from the way we have been treated and valued by administration, i can't imagine not being able to pour my heart and soul into this school. i truly believe this is the first organization that i have worked for that has got it right. if you value your employees, make them feel special, and make their lives easier, then OF COURSE we will be able to work harder for students. by making our personal lives more enjoyable and efficent, they are only benefiting the school. they understand that teacher's need balance, and they certainly provide a work-hard/play-hard atmosphere here. over the next few days, i imagine i will be at school for long hours preparing my classroom, my library and planning. but i won't hesitate for a moment because i know in exchance, they are working hard for me.

monterrey musings.

i have been in monterrey now for five days. in some ways it feels like a lifetime, and in others it feels like 2.5 seconds. so far, i have been completely without internet -- not an easy thing when being 'connected' has become my fix (next to coffee of course!) so much has transpired over these last few days, and it seems difficult to put into words my feelings during such a big transition. mostly excited, never nervous or overwhelmed... i'm just taking it one day at a time. they have been keeping us busy busy busy, so it is impossible to feel homesick or worried, we just move the motions trying to find time to ourselves. i have been at school all day today, and at this moment, in my empty classroom, it has been the first time i have been by myself since i arrived. i should preface this potentially long entry by saying that i am really happy. walking around this morning on my way to school, i felt very at peace with the move and i know i am going to have a really exciting year, both personally and professionally. i juts spent all day setting up MY classroom. all MINE! no more student teaching. it is pretty cool. and it is hot outside. really really effing HOT. it is pretty much my dream come true.

rewinding five days...

dean and i woke up last wednesday in alice, texas. when we woke up and saw the hotel in the daylight, we realized it was a pretty sketchy joint. but luckily, all was well. we piled ourselves into the car for the last time (to dean's delight) and drove two long and painful hours to mcallen. i think because it was the home stretch, it felt like it was taking forever. AND, i would not say that southern texas is really known for exciting scenery... we arrived easily at la quinta inn, and seperated to run a few errands. i tried for about an hour to find the mail box store, and then treated myself to my first starbucks since ottawa. mmm mmm good. mcallen was much more lively then i expected, with lots of box stores and restaurants. it will definitely become a very good errand-running destination. in the late afternoon, we had a meeting with all the new folks who had driving down. looking back now, after knowing people for several days, my impressions of people seem pretty funny. everyone was incredibly nice: we had a girl who snorted at dinner... at least we got that out of the way; a guy who kept talking about how old he was (turns out he is only 28!); a super-nervous-worry-wort-compulsive girl and her laid-back-relaxed-go-with-the-flow husband and several other genuinely lovely people. after a sleepless night (terrible pillows) we hit the road convoy style. if you want a good time, you should definitely try crossing the border into mexico and driving all the way to monterrey while trying to keep 11 cars in line. i thought dean might have a hernia with all the white knuckle driving. it was really interesting to watch the scenery and vibe in southern texas transition as we got closer to the border. in some of the small towns in the south, there were more mexican license plates then american. the border was easy - even though we all got red lights - they waved us through quickly when they realized we were just silly gringos going to teach.

my first few hours in monterrey where hot, sweaty and slightly overwhelming. we were quickly asked to sign leases (in spanish), given allowances and sent to our houses. when we unloaded the car i was shocked that we had managed to fit so much into the car! the workout of the century was certainly carrying it all up a flight of stairs into our apartment. the place is so fun: colourful, bright, and really feels like mexico. ginny didn't arrive for a few days, so i arrived to an empty apartment. but luckily, the school had thought to stock our fridges with food basics and leave us welcome packages. everything has been so impressive and well thought-out. they certainly spoil us here. i spent a few hours unpacking before heading to a welcome dinner at the assistant principal's house. everyone looked wide-eyed... some people had arrived but luggage was still lost in space!

we woke up early the next morning to head up into the mountains for a two day training retreat. nestled at the top of one of the beautiful moutains that surrounds monterrey, the chipinque park hotel was our little oasis for 48 hours. aside from some room confusion (welcome to mexico), everything was amazing. the retreat was only for new asfm teachers, so it was a chance for us to socialize, bond and get all the information on school philosophies and curriculum that we could soak up. the sessions were really useful, and i feel like i now have a solid foundation in the vision that the school has for the year. the school philosophy is not unusual: teaching kids using best practices. such an incredibly huge goal, but they make it really accessible and achievable. along with training we got exposure to a cultural panel, some hiking, swimming, stunning views of monterrey at night and even a few guitars in the evening.

friday afternoon we came back to reality and had the weekend mostly to ourselves. i was SO thankful for this time because i felt i hadn't even had a moment to set up my life and get groceries! we were still busy the whole time with optional activities, sleeping, and social events each evening, but i managed to fit in a few meals with ginny's family, cleaning out the kitchen and even a visit to santa catarina (another part of town where the high school is located). ginny has a car here this year and is braving the insanity of mexico driving which is making life SO much easier and more convenient. i am so proud of her! the new teachers are an incredibly friendly group of people, and we have been doing so much together! on friday night, we had a little patio get-together; saturday we danced hard downtown in the barrio and sunday we had a house crawl over in santa catarina. we are certainly a sociable group, so i imagine we are in for a bit of a shock when work hits us hard next week.

today is our last new teacher training day and our first with access to our classroom. i am going to organize the furniture to my liking, and then tomorrow i will be hitting the ground running meeting the WHOLE staff. this evening the PTA is hosting a dinner for new teachers, so i imagine it will be an eventful evening.

so far mexico has been everything i had hoped for, and more. while it does take four keys to get into my apartment, there a million one-way streets and all women look like models every time they leave the house (particularly in san pedro, which i've been told has the highest per-capita income in all of latin america)... the good certainly outweighs the bad. countless people have stayed way longer then the initial two years they had planned, and built incredible lives here in mexico.

you never know.