a wee bit nippy.

i can't believe i am actually writing this. but, its true. i am cold in mexico.

let me clarify: it is not actually all that cold, but compared to the summer heat, the slight drop in temperature has hit me hard. PLUS, with the concrete floors, outdoor concept of the school and lack of insulation, you feel every degree drop. the switch happened in a second. i could barely believe that i was in the same place! all the teachers from last year kept warning them that i would be cold, but i didn't believe them. winter, in mexico? i thought. not possible! i walked to school in capris and a short-sleeved blouse yesterday morning, and even broke a sweat. however, by 8:30, when i walked out into the hallway, there had been a distinct drop in temperature. the kids were whining: "mizzz. i am soooooo cold." i told them it wasn't so bad, and shushed them. "it is only because you are from canada!", they said. now look at me. 24 hours later and i am bundled up under my duvet.

in other, less woe-is-me, news...

-things have been REALLY busy at school the past few weeks. i am over my hatred of teaching and am back feeling motivated and inspired. i get the feeling this is something i am going to have to get used to in this profession. we have started new units in all subjects this week, report cards are coming up in two weeks and i just finished up my first official assessment by my principal. i was at work until 10pm tonight, but that is still a rarity. i can't complain, because in how many jobs do you get to hear: "well, with this teacher i really learn things".

-people seem to be gradually getting out of their funks (including me!) and resurfacing back into the world of the living. i feel like i am making inroads on my spanish (finally) and my guitar has even been improving. i have discovered the physical pain of body combat at my gym and now the trainer knows my name, so i have no excuse not to pump it up.

-things in mexico seem like they will be really difficult until you finally just try... usually it ends up being much more accessible then you intially thought. in that spirit, we tried a ton of new things this weekend. on friday, my friend ally and i sought out a driving range in the dried up river bed and actually discovered we could rent clubs and hit a ball of buckets for about ten bucks! some good practice for south padre island in two weeks. we also really uncovered the wonders of the international culture FORUM which is in monterrey for a full three months. artists, dialogues, exhibits, music... anything you can imagine, from all over the world... has taken over a large park downtown. it is incredible! the city has done a ton to shape up for the exposure, and there are a ton of free things to do. i think i was there every day this weekend seeing shows, listening to dj's, wandering, visiting bookfairs and artisan fairs, and soaking up a world of culture. we will miss it when it is gone, but take advantage of it while its all here.

-our little drama club of fourth and fifth graders has been a great change of pace. tash and i don't kill ourselves to plan for it, we just go with the flow and have fun with the kids. i am really enjoying the older kids... they are slightly wild, but the work for it doesn't feel like a burden. AND, i generally just get to laugh for an hour!

-saturday evening three of the girls who work at the high school hosted the most stellar party. bollywood themed: their place was decked out! they had rented furniture for their rooftop patio, had a live dj, cooked unlimited indian food, played bollywood films on the wall and encouraged people to dress up. loads of people were invited and brought mexican friends, so it was nice to mingle with some non-teachers. (not that i don't love them!) it was a late night, but ginny and i made only good choices. we even joined the late-nate crowd at the local taco stand before crashing, which was the best, most delicious decision of all!

-and the greatest, most hilarious news of late is certainly.... the avril lavigne concert i attended on sunday! i would never, in a million years attend an avril show back home in canada, but when we discovered she was visiting monterrey, we felt we needed to represent! we sat in the back row but brought huge canadian flags and made our presence known. mexicans were actually taking pictures of us! (ha. the closest i'll ever feel to a rockstar) the most unbelievable part was that i actually knew the words to a ton of her songs, and actually really enjoyed the show. she's done quite well for herself to have a ton of mexicans singing along to her hits. yaH little old canada.

now, off to bed. cross your fingers for the return of heat to my life.