Life in Chiapas

To the many people who contact me about working at ASFC

2011-03-20T11:30:00.002-06:00

I often receive emails from teachers who find my blog and want to know about the American School Foundation of Chiapas. I kept school politics out of my blog because the families of some of my students read the blog. But what you need to know is that even though the children were wonderful and their families were wonderful and Chiapas is beautiful, working at ASFC was a total disaster. A slow motion train wreck. I can not emphasize this enough. Feel free to contact me with questions, but I will probably try to convince you not to work at ASFC. I can not, in good conscience, recommend this school because it was plagued with problems and the school does not sound like it has changed based on what I have heard from students and teachers that worked after me. If you wish to know more anyway, email me at glennfromx2@gmail.com.

Last Post

2007-08-28T18:14:00.001-06:00

This will be my last post since I don't live in Chiapas any more. Stay tuned though, I intend to have another blog or two going soon (links posted here soon).

After a year in Chiapas, I have grown to love many things (and dread a few). I thought I would include a list of things that I will miss.

Things I Will Miss About Chiapas
The students and their families. My students worked hard and learned a lot of English. We shared a lot of laughs and some tears. And we did a lot of workbook pages (AMCO). I was welcomed into many families' homes and given many beautiful gifts. I will never forget the generosity of my students and their parents.

My friends Juan, Yeysi, Antonio, Francisco, Sixto, Abram, to name a few. In each case, I will miss them, but I will also miss joking around with them. Juan and Yeysi - giving them a bad time as a customer in their restaurant. Antonio and Francisco - hanging around their produce shop teaching them English slang and names of produce in English (The latter always sent them into hysterics, but I never knew why.) Sixto - Trying to get him to repaint the school in pink or electrocute my students with the electric fence. Abram - locking him out or getting locked out or trying to get him to supply the school with draft beer rather than purified water.

My neighbourhood, Colonia Teran (pictured above).

Dr. Simi, a well meaning, impossibly energetic pharmacy mascot who straddles the fine line of creepy and friendly. He is often posted outside local pharmacies and is usually engaged in subtly brainwashing young children into becoming consumers of the Similares health food products and medicines by giving them lollipops (laced with who knows what mind-altering chemicals).

The food, although I won't really be missing it that much as I will be recreating it at home. Some of my favourite dishes and drinks include:
Pollo con Mole, Enchiladas en Salsa Verde, Quesadillas con Carne Asada, Gringas (not American women), Empanadas con Pollo, Chile Rellenos, Tostadas, Ceviche de Camarones (even though it gave me salmonella once), Sincronizadas, Tacos de Pastor (made with real pastors?), Tescalate, Horchata de Coco, Carne Asado con Nopal and much, much more.

Marimba Park - the heart and soul of Tuxtla. For a couple of days I was so inspired by Marimba Park that I was contemplating taking Marimba lessons. This was short lived as I realized four of my handicaps would be in effect simultaneously:
1 - NO rhythm (a big one)
2 - Difficulty following verbal directions
3 - A hearing impairment when there is background noise (dance instructions stated over music)
4 - Trying to understand Spanish (very early in my stay there)

Colectivos - These are sort of like a poor man's roller coaster that transports you to your destination. See my post in August for more detail (It is called, La Vida en Tuxtla - scroll down).

Haircuts for 25 pesos or $2.50 CAN. Movies in a theatre for 31 pesos or $3.10 CAN. Enough said.

Things I Have Learned in Chiapas.
Today, while I was looking for a recipe, I found an old post with the above title. I thought I would repost it and add a few other things I have learned since then.

Things I Have Learned in Chiapas
1. All definite plans are tentative (unless it's a deadline I am facing).
2. Start times are similarly indefinite.
3. Read the label of food you are buying.*
4. If it can be put into a blender it can be turned into a refreshing drink.**
5. If edible, it comes with tortillas (even soup).
6. Similarly, if edible, it can be served with chiles (even popsicles).
7. If a vehicle can go faster, it will.***

* I thought I was buying marinated vegetables at Exporganicos. It turned out that I bought pickled quail eggs with vegetables (they looked like mushrooms). All's well that ends well. They were quite delicious even if it was weird to think that I was eating eggs from the strangest birds in the Blenkinsop Valley.
** See previous post about strange beverages: Strange Things I Have Eaten III
*** You would rather not know the details of this revelation (or series thereof).

Other Things I Have Learned in Chiapas
8. Volume is controlled by a button, not a dial (meaning the sound is always full volume).
9. The term "simple task" is an oxymoron* in Chiapas.
10. Nearly every problem is viewed as unsolvable**.
But the most important one probably is . . .
11. Look BOTH ways before crossing a one-way street. OR Rules are a little more flexible in Chiapas.

* Case in point: Ordering supplies at the American school. You simply fill out a form and turn it in by Thursday with the list of supplies. It will take between four and five weeks to get basic materials such as white board pens. (You will be told they ran out even though Office Depot and other large chains have enough to supply the school for several years.) If you try to order something unusual, meticulous detail in Spanish will will not be enough to get you the correct materials. You will need to remind the people in charge of your order between six and ten times. Eventually your students will offer to buy the materials for you (true story).
** You will probably be told, "Nimodo" which is an expression that means something like, "Well, what can be done?" (implying nothing).

Conclusión
Looking back on the year, there were many highlights. Ultimately though, I chose to return to Canada after only one year. From a teaching point of view, I was required to teach a curriculum that required only two skills: rote memorization and copying. I could no longer pretend that I was teaching. The wonderful children I taught, the friendships I have, the richness of the culture, the incredible beaches, nature reserves and ruins all worked to convince me to stay. Unfortunately, the frustration of not being able to teach, the noise, the pollution and garbage, the difficulties of living in a foreign country and other things overwhelmed me and I decided that one year was enough. I feel that my time in Chiapas has enlightened me and I hope that my blog may have done the same for you on some level.

Thanks for reading.

Glenn Kachmar

PS: I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at the following email:

glennfromx2@gmail.com

More Happy Chickens!

2007-08-08T06:37:00.000-06:00

And now back to our regular programming.

A couple of posts back I mentioned the phenomena of happy chickens in the fast food restaurants of Tuxtla. The first restaurant I feature obviously doesn't believe in subtleties. It is literally called Happy Chicken. Although I never ate there, the sign reassures me that their chickens die in a blissful state, knowing that by sacrificing themselves for my nutritional needs, these chickens attain the highest level of Pollo Heaven.

The chickens of Pollo Campero have open arms suggesting a welcoming sentiment. Little do they know, although these chickens may be the welcoming committee today, unfortunately, tomorrow they'll be the nuggets.

These two photos were taken from the window at Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC also has the name "Chickylandia" on their signs. I suppose it is because their usual promotions don't compare to the competition on the Happy Chicken Scale. So, KFC has taken it a step further by painting some of the chicken's preferred activities on their windows. A chicken driving a car goes a long way to explain the quality of the driving here in Tuxtla.

La Boutique del Pollo is a nice combination of French and Spanish. The concerned staff of La Boutique are clearly also fighting for chicken's rights to drive motorized vehicles as you can see from their signs. Obviously, Chiapas is a very progressive place.

My neighbourhood, Colonia Teran, has a slightly different take on their perspective of chickens. This restaurant has chosen a political theme. I suppose one way to strike back at Bush, Cheney and the rest of the neocons is to PRETEND THEY ARE CHICKENS AND EAT THEM!

Actually, due to the placement of the apostrophe, it must be a chicken belonging to an American (since they are meticulous about the finer points of English grammar on signs here in Teran). I have no fear that anyone will steal and serve my chickens. When the subject of 'gringos' comes up, people are quick to point out that as a Canadian, I am not a gringo.

* I should note that the idea for this post came from Heather. As far as I know she never posted anything about Happy Chickens on her blog, but I feel she deserves some credit.

In Other News

About a month ago, I was sleeping in after a particularly late night (4:30 AM) and I heard an extremely loud crash. This is nothing unusual. My coconut palm rains death down upon me every time there is a little wind and the height of the tree results in a crash comparable to two or three bunkerbusters. After a few minutes, I noticed a lot of shouting and people banging on my door. My fuzzy state of mind was eventually brought to the realization that coconuts wouldn't bang on my door or call my name. I answered the door to see two workers trying to help a bloodied and dazed Gilberto (he had fallen from a ladder while cleaning the roof). My brain switched to high gear and I immediately began to help get him to a car. Weeks later, he is still recovering from dislocations and fractures, but he is in much better spirits. As I was enjoying some pineapple homebrew with them (seriously), his wife asked me if I knew what his job is at Coca-Cola. I replied that I didn't. "Seguridad de Trabajadores" - In other words, he is responsible for the safety of all the workers at the Coca-Cola plant. I laughed uproariously and blurted out, "¡QUÉ IRONÍA!". Besides being an expression (How ironic!), it is also a major promotional campaign for the beer company that makes Sol, a very popular brand. The look on Gilberto's face was a combination of trying to look annoyed and trying not to laugh, especially as his wife and kids burst out in laughter as well.

Today, I held a garage sale. It went quite well and I met lots of really nice people while getting rid of the vast majority of my things. One group consisting of a young man and three young women came three times and I got to know them a little. When they had finished bartering with me the second time, Lenin (really, that is his name) offered to trade me his younger sister or friend for my computer. He might have been in more hot water with her had I not taken the pressure off by suggesting it would be a deal if he threw in an extra hundred pesos. Hell hath no fury . . . . Later they came back to buy more stuff and he made a second attempt this time offering his pregnant wife with the words, "dos por uno" or "two for the price of one." Eventually he had offered me all three of them. I am thinking of coming back with some laptops and starting a business.

But the last bit of news as my five, faithful readers may know, is that I am leaving Chiapas. On Tuesday, I fly out of Tuxtla for Mexico City. On Wednesday, I will be on a flight home to Victoria. Thus my blog will soon come to an end. If I am not too busy, I will post once or twice more, perhaps reflecting upon my time here.

I will probably begin a new blog. When that happens, I will post a link on this one in case you are interested in see what kind of trouble I can get into in tranquil Victoria.

Last Day

2007-07-06T14:21:00.000-06:00

Today, July 6th, was my last day at The American School Foundation of Chiapas. Trying to sum up the whole experience would almost certainly bore you. For me, the highlight of my time at the school was definitely the kids. So I put together a slideshow of some pics of the kids. Enjoy!

Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.

I also posted a picture of the new building as an update since I previously blogged the "progress" of the construction (Construction by Snails? - January 20th). I have been told that the teachers will be working in this building in August. I find that very hard to believe. These are the same people who predicted it would be finished last October. I told my students that it should be finished in time for their grandchildren to use it. They thought I was kidding.

In other news, we had an earthquake yesterday. My friends say it was 6.2 on the richter scale, but I think we were not at the epicenter, because it wasn't that bad. The doctor says that I will soon become accustomed to the artificial limbs, but I remain skeptical.

I am returning to Victoria on August 15th. If you know of a nice apartment in or near Saanich, drop me an email.

Happy Chickens

2007-06-29T18:29:00.000-06:00

Generally I try to stick to my own photos and experiences as I write this blog. However, when Kris told several of us about this, I begged him to send me the photos and let me blog it. We all decided that it was "so Mexico."

In case it is not clear, this is a photo of a man in a chicken costume tied to the front of a car.

I spent some time reflecting about why we all felt that this method of promotion is Mexican in nature. My ideas are in no particular order.

1. Anthropomorphism as Promotion - There are chicken restaurants everywhere and the chickens are always smiling and happy. I always think to myself, "Don't you know what is going to happen to you? Run for your life!" (Yes, I know that I need to get out more.)

2. Pervasive Advertising - Advertising is everywhere here. Cars drive around all day with loudspeakers blaring their various wares and promotions. To be noticed, advertising needs to be out of the ordinary.

3. Risk Aversion, or Lack Thereof - Let's just say that Chiapas (and possibly the rest of Mexico) is not a very risk-conscious society. Driving down Belisario Dominguez, the busiest street in Tuxtla with only a couple of cords holding you to a car seems a little optimistic to me. Colectivos, taxis and other vehicles routinely drive at speeds exceeding the measuring capacity of the speedometer.

4. The Element of Surprise - Just when you think that you have seen everything here in Chiapas, that nothing more could astound or bewilder you, a gigantic, smiling chicken drives by strapped to a car.

There may be more reasons buried in my subconscious, but I will stop here for now.

PS: Thanks, Kris for sharing your photos. If any of the teachers can think of another reason why seeing this brave chicken is a uniquely Mexican experience, email me and I will add your reason to my list.

Beach House in Puerto Arista

2007-06-25T21:14:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I went with two friends to Puerto Arista. This time the accommodations were a step or two up (actually about twenty). A family of one of my students offered me the use of their beach house. Another family had a standing offer of a vehicle which I finally got the nerve up to request.

The second picture doesn't show the ocean very well due to the back lighting, but it is there. The gentle roar of the breaking waves never stops and I can't think of a more relaxing sound. We were also blessed with some spectacular weather including a lot of rain and lightning. Having lots of room outdoors to play under the covered part of the house, I didn't mind the rain at all. In fact I spent very little time inside despite the allure of the air conditioning.

Hats!

This shot is of the crab that somehow ended up in the pool. He did not seem to be able to scale the steps and might have been there a long time. People always tell me animals don't think, but I figure he must have seriously wondered what was wrong with the water. We rescued him. I suspect the crab had quite a story to tell.

Everything about the beach house is gorgeous, but my favourite thing about the house is the way the house is built around this tree.

Humor, once again

2007-06-10T21:07:00.000-06:00

As we approach the end of the school year, my students know me very well. Of course, I know them better than they realize. Everything just seems funnier now.

This story took place in a recent math lesson. My students are not allowed to speak Spanish in my class at all, but they frequently have to ask what words are. I was asking my students how to subtract some numbers and Nicolas raised his hand. He asked me, "How do I say prestar?" (This is the word for borrow and my students are always asking me this when they need pencils and erasers - a frequent situation.) I was in a goofy mood from too much caffeine or not enough sleep or both, so I threw him an eraser without knowing if that's what he needed. He said no, so I threw him a pencil, a pencil sharpener, a stapler, my water bottle and eventually everything else I had in reach. The students were howling at the spectacle of it, but Nicolas really brought the house down when I finally asked what he wanted to borrow. He was answering my question and wanted to borrow from the tens column. Everyone understood what he'd said and we all lost it.

Their written work often contains nuggets of humor to get me through the boring hours of marking. Here are two recent examples:

In an attempt to write a sentence using the word genius, Carlos wrote, "I is a genius." It brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. Carlos is pictured on the right.

Another recent gem came up three times by three different students. In response to a question about which church the Queen is the head of, three students wrote, "The crutch of England." Although it wasn't always spelled correctly, it was still a striking coincidence especially given that the described the church has sometimes been described as a crutch.

Science Shows

2007-05-27T22:05:00.000-06:00

Recently, I went with Shelly to the school that the Morales kids go to (Shelly's blog about the kids). Shelly paid a visit to donate playground equipment, teaching equipment and school supplies purchased with money people sent. I took advantage of the visit to go and do some science shows. Actually, I thought I was going to do one show, but there were five classes and I couldn't stand the thought of ignoring the other four classes. Things like science shows don't happen very often in poor neighborhoods (almost never).
Once again, I expected the children to be fairly wild and difficult to deal with. And once again, I could not have been more wrong. Their politeness and good listening was unparalleled outside of monasteries. When I had finished and the kids were leaving, I realized that I want to come again to see these kids again very soon. Making children happy is addictive.

Of course, I had to do the shows in Spanish. These children do not speak English. It was tough, but I pulled it off. I had encouraged Shelly and the teachers to correct me or explain further when necessary, but they did not need to do this very much.

Shelly took the pictures. Of course, I was a little busy.

Something that is different about a school like this is that each classroom has a mix of ages. You are in grade one if it is your first year and you're in grade three if it is your third year. The grade one class had a mix of kids from ages six to twelve. This would result in some very different and possibly, challenging classroom dynamics, I would expect.

The Beauty of San Cristobal de Las Casas

2007-05-14T15:46:00.000-06:00

Photographically speaking, San Cristobal offers so many photogenic opportunities that I can't resist just walking around with a camera and no goal in mind. It occurred to me that these three days were more like a 'traditional Glenn travel adventure' than my life usually is these days. When I left Tuxtla, I realized I had no plans for the time in San Cristobal at all. I hadn't even thought about what I might do. Does one need a plan to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of an ancient city? Some would think so, but I don't.

However, the question makes me wonder what beauty is and why is San Cristobal endowed with so much of it?

Ancient Colonial Architecture

Setting aside political implications of colonialism, there are some spectacular churches and buildings in San Cristobal. Having said that, one goal this weekend was not to take a single picture of the cathedral. I failed.

This is the interior of the hotel, Casa Vieja, one of the oldest buildings in San Cristobal. I did not stay there.

Simplicity

Even the most carefully arranged produce department in a major supermarket can never be as picturesque as a simple fruit stand on the street. Spotless, stainless steel and photoshopped promotional posters somehow just don't compare to wooden crates and pyramids of mangoes.

Perspective

I think the old masters were on to something. But who am I to say this?

Vibrant Colours

Chiapas breaks all the rules when it comes to colour. It makes me want to buy a house in the suburbs and paint it really bright colours (well, almost).

A note about the second photo. I spent many hours scouring San Cristobal for amazing doors to shoot in order to make a mosaic of doors using Flickr Tools. Despite finding over thirty interesting doors, I was not satisfied and will make another trip simply to photograph more doors. The best ones always had an ice cream truck parked in front of them.

No, I am not a perfectionist. Yes, I am in denial.

Nature

The old section of San Cristobal does not have a lot of nature, certainly not by Canadian standards, but what there is, adds to the impact.

No, I did not stay in this hotel either.

Cultural Beauty

Whenever I am in San Cristobal, there are musicians doing outdoor concerts, street performers dazzling the crowds (mimes underwhelming handfuls of children), dramas and much more.

These Fire Dancers performed to the drumming and playing of a small band of dreadlocked musicians, but their performance was so mesmerizing that I barely noticed the musicians. OK, I was a little wrapped up with the photography as well.

I shot over a hundred photos of the Fire Dancers and developed a following in the first few minutes. I had a cadre of future photographers - four young boys between three and six years old who were so thrilled with seeing the photos appear on the screen after I shot them, that they kept pushing closer and closer to see the photos until I could no longer see the screen. They were nearly as entertaining as the Fire Dancers. I wish now that I had taken their photo.

Today is the Beginning of the Future - OLPC

2007-05-13T10:28:00.000-06:00

I would like to do something that I have done once or twice before. That is to depart from the goal of this blog*.
(* to share my experiences in Chiapas, not to bore my mother and three friends as you were thinking).

After reading an article on Digg.com about the first village to receive laptops from the project called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), I felt it was more important to share this historic moment than to ramble on about my mini-vacation in San Cristobal (I'll do that later). The first village is called Cardal and it is in Uruquay. I won't write too much as I did not personally experience the moment. Here is a link to the blog where I read the article: olpc-ceibal.blogspot.com. The OLPC project is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those who live in poverty by providing laptops to children for free. I have been following this project for years. Here is a link to the OLPC website: http://www.laptop.org/index.en_US.html.

Osama Bin Laden Spotted in Colonia Teran!

2007-05-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

Given the present level of paranoia in the Excited States of America, I can't help but wonder if posting a blog with such a title won't result in me ending up on some CIA watchlist. If the absurdly conical head didn't give it away, this is a comical caricature of the infamous, exiled son of Laden. I found him anxiously awaiting his next opportunity to raise his wannabe AK47 at the crowd and riddle the audience with a harmless spray of water. A few pesos and a good shot is all it takes to bring on Osama's wrath and a whole lot of laughter especially there are unsuspecting people standing near him.

Of course, you can also opt for the miniature Mexican band. A well placed shot can also start up the Tigres and their tinny music.

What more wholesome father and son activity could there be than shooting? The family that shoots together . . .

Even if I am too old to get on the carousel, it always makes me happy to see one. It must be a fun job to work the carousel. To make children happy every day. What more lofty goal could anyone have?

Tribute to Swan Lake

2007-05-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

For those of the four of you that don't know, I used to volunteer at a nature sanctuary in Victoria. The full name is Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. When I reflect on the many places I have worked over the years, to say that my time at Swan Lake stands out is an understatement. Because I helped teach the kid's programs, the people I worked most closely with were Ann (Scarfe) and Margaret, but everyone else at Swan Lake contributed to the inspiration I felt working there. By the way, if you are interested in knowing more about Swan Lake, here is a link to their website: http ://www.swanlake.bc.ca/

One of the things I love about Swan Lake is that when any animal more remarkable than say, a mallard, shows up, everyone drops everything and goes to observe it. Even in the middle of school programs timed carefully to include many concepts and activities, we always managed to find time to check out a great horned owl, a hawk or a cougar*.

*OK, I made up that bit about the cougar, but my dark side is amused by the idea of taking a school group to view a cougar up close.

In case you haven't guessed, the pictures are a variety of nature shots taken here in Chiapas. They are meant to parallel the beauty of Swan Lake. Perhaps Swan Lake does not have waterfalls, but it is probably the biggest jewel in Victoria's crown.

This last one is for Willie who shared his fond memories of San Cristobal de Las Casas. Not that I doubted you at the time, Willie, but WOW, when you're right, you're right. San Cristobal is magnificent.

By the way, I look forward to seeing all of you when I return to Victoria. That will probably be sometime in July. I probably should have sent a postcard, but they seem so old school.

Mangoes

2007-04-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

People often wonder why I keep going off to live in foreign countries. That is because they have never tasted the mangoes in mango season. Mangoes are truly a magnificent fruit. Besides being delicious, they are healthy and often free. The school has tons of mango trees and mangoes are all over the playground.

In this photo, I have five different kinds, but I can't tell you their names even though my friends Antonio and Francisco keep teaching me the names. My brain files words like this into the circular file for some reason (names of types of mangoes not being necessary for survival perhaps). What amazes me is that each type of mango is different in some subtle way. I would try to describe them, but my vocabulary is insufficient to describe the differences. Suffice it to say they are food for the gods, so to speak. When my father came, I introduced him to mangoes and my parents are now regularly buying mangoes for their breakfasts.

PS: Did I mention that I just got hired for a position at the Mango Marketing Board?

En Mi Vecindario V

2007-04-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

It has been a long while since I blogged about my neighborhood. A new candy shop just opened in my neighborhood. Those of the four of you (there are four readers now!) that know me, know I have a sweet tooth. Much to my chagrin, dulce mania, opened not far from my place. Although I have a sweet tooth, I have been cutting down on sugar and candy due to the many stories I have heard about people I know getting adult onset diabetes. So it was with mixed feelings (joy and trepidation, to be precise) that I entered dulce mania, determined to not buy anything. The powers that be didn't equip me with enough resistance and I left with a box of my favorite, watermelon taffy. 9 pesos ($0.90 cdn) for 25 pieces of taffy. I was also taken up with the excitement of loud music and a clown (who wouldn't be), so I started taking pictures.

Two of the kids wanted me to take their pictures and so I obliged them. They were thrilled when I was able to show them their picture on the screen of my digital camera. I vaguely recall the pre-instant gratification days of film cameras, or was that a dream I had. I am no longer sure.

PS: I finished the 25 pieces of taffy in three days. In case you are not encouraged, this is an improvement over the first time I bought taffy. I ate the whole box the first evening and proceeded to finish the other two boxes in the next three days.

In other news, I am practicing my Spanish for two Bubble Shows I am doing at an orphanage tomorrow. I have been doing 'science shows' since 1990 and the Bubble Show travels well, so I often find excuses to fit a show or two into my busy schedule.

My Father's Visit

2007-04-10T13:38:00.000-06:00

Besides being very busy with my Dad's visit, I haven't posted for a while because my camera refuses to communicate with my computer. I circumvented the problem by purchasing a card reader. Thanks for the advice, Kai.

On the evening of the 30th of March, my father's visit got off to an inauspicious start. Besides having a lot of difficulties finding the right gate and having a boarding pass in his actual name, my Dad's difficulties were not over when he was on the plane to Tuxtla. The plane had to ascend at the last minute (20 metres above the airstrip) as the airport's power went out during landing. I watched the plane pull up sharply from the pitch blackness of Tuxtla's modern airport. Thankfully that was the last major problem he had during the trip.

Having spent close to seven years of my life overseas (at times quite literally 'overseas'), I can't emphasize enough how incredible it was to be able to introduce my father to various aspects of my life in Chiapas, as well as some of the more interesting aspects of the culture here. Having never visited a foreign country before, I wasn't sure how well he would do with a barrage of changes . I actually thought that we would be eating at Appleby's after about three days of Mexican food. Much to my relief, I was dead wrong.

Since I am catching up on about ten days and want to avoid turning this entry into a boring list of activities, I will describe a few highlights.

El Zoologico
Just two days after I took my forty-two grade three students to the zoo, I returned with my father. Although I am philosophically opposed to the idea of animals in captivity, I realize it is not a black and white issue. Zoomat in Tuxtla has animals that only come from the state of Chiapas, is well run, is well designed and seems to treat the animals properly. The enclosures are an appropriate size and the animals seem to be fed the kinds of food they would normally eat. Zoomat is also the most beautiful site I have seen in Tuxtla.

First Communion
One of my students, Gabriela, had her first communion during the vacation. I felt honored to be invited when her mother informed me that Gabriela wanted me to be there. My father and I delayed our travels a little to be present. Finding the tiny church was a chore as it was actually on the site of a golf course (I didn't expect that). We were expecting Bishop Samuel Ruiz to perform the service and as he is thought to be the head of the Zapatista* movement, I was looking forward to meeting him. (*Garth if you are reading this, yes, I was ready to sign up.) The Bishop was unavailable, but it was a very interesting service anyway. My Spanish was sufficient to understand what was going on as the priest strove to speak at a level the kids would understand. The party at Gabriela's house afterwards was fantastic. To be able to spend time with the parents outside of the school setting and be introduced to traditional foods in their homes is my idea of a perfect evening. I think I also managed to steer my father's conversation away from embarrassing stories of me when I was young. He did inform Gabriela that she was to contact him if "Glenn isn't behaving himself" which got a huge laugh out of normally shy Gabriela.

Bus Travel
I was unsure of how my father would deal with so much bus travel as he is used to driving, not being a passenger. As it is a favorite pastime of mine, I was delighted that my father was enthralled to watch out the windows for countless hours on end. My dad took this great picture out the window of the bus. I love the look on the woman's face. You can't beat candid photography for capturing the atmosphere of a place. I remember the moment when he snapped the picture. Ironically, I was thinking it wasn't anything I would take a picture of. It's good to be humbled once in a while.

San Cristobal
Tuxtla and San Cristobal have very different weather to say the least. After about four days, my father was having a tough time with the heat in Tuxtla and wanted to make sure that our hotel in San Cristobal had air conditioning. I tried to tell him that it probably wouldn't be necessary. In the end not only did we choose a hotel without AC, but our room had a heater and we had it cranked the whole time. In fact my father was so cold at one point that he went to bed with his clothes on. I am sure he appreciated my suggestion just then that we should have found a room with AC.

Palenque
A trip to Chiapas would be incomplete
(unthinkable!) without a visit to Palenque.
To be within five or six hours of 3000 years of history is an incredible opportunity, not to be wasted. True to this spirit, my father showed incredible pluck climbing up the slippery, wildly varying stairs of the palace despite having a few too many years and football injuries behind him for such strenuous activities.

Agua Azul
A few times on the trip I had to 'encourage' my father to go somewhere he would have given a miss had I not strongly encouraged him. Agua Azul (blue water) was one of those places. It did not take him long to realize that he would have missed a spectacular place had we stayed back.

We met Cesar, a great guy from Cuernavaca, on the afternoon trip to Agua Azul. He later sent me this photo of the three of us* posing at Agua Azul. Despite cooler than usual temperatures, Cesar and I got out and swam in the falls. Had to happen.

* By the way, my Dad is wearing a neck brace as he had some severe pain after sleeping funny. When I took my father in to see a doctor in San Cristobal, she conducted the entire appointment in Spanish and I translated unaware that she spoke English. At the end of the appointment, she wrote him the instructions for the medication in English. Luckily for me I don't try to fake it when I don't understand as she would have busted me. She told my Dad that I translated what she said correctly.

Sumidero Canyon
Although we only saw one crocodile*, I was thrilled. I love the element of danger that crocodiles add to any boat trip. The idea of falling out of the boat and instantly being devoured by hungry crocodiles makes any trip seem much more exotic. Anyway it is better than getting smushed by a bus which I how I have long imagined that I will meet my end. My father made a comment about my falling out of the boat after the trip since I kept getting up to take pictures. It hadn't occurred to me that this was dangerous. Actually I still don't think it was, but he is my father so he must be correct.
* Sadly although I have zoomed in and captured the crocodile in a natural setting, he was actually looking out over a vast pile of floating garbage. Everyone in Chiapas talks about how beautiful and precious the natural beauty of Chiapas is, but nearly everyone I know throws their garbage on the ground without a second thought. Tragic!

Humour and a kitten

2007-03-28T18:57:00.000-06:00

My camera has decided to stop talking to my computer. So I will post a picture of this cute kitten I saw one day on the way to school because everyone loves a picture of a cute kitten. I had other pics in mind, but the camera refuses to give them up.

My father arrives today and I may not have a lot of time to post new entries. Not that I have done so very often recently anyway, but it could become even more sporadic.
Consider yourself warned.

If I wrote only about the funny things that happen here, I could easily have enough material for this blog. I laugh a lot here.

While marking books I am often amused by the things the kids write. The children had to finish a sentence about the bluebird of happiness. One sentence came out this way:

The bluebird of happiness flew from [his] nest to eat Mr. Glenn.

Getting eaten by the bluebird of happiness does seem like something that would happen to me. What surprises me the most is that I didn't think my students understand irony, but this one must.

Better yet was this sentence about Plains Indians:

Running Bear was pleased because he had helped to father the whole tribe.

The funniest thing I saw this week was the cap worn by my timid student Maria Eugenia (Maru). Maru's cap read:

Mi mujer está de buen humor. (My woman is in a good mood.)

I was amused by this statement but almost fell over laughing later when I saw what was written on the back of the hat:

VIAGRA

The kids in my ESL group all wanted me to explain what was so funny. I declined.

Creatures in Puerto Arrista

2007-03-23T23:05:00.000-06:00

I know my posts have become infrequent as of late. I have good excuses. I have been bogged down with the exam/report card process. I have been sick. I have had an overactive social life lately. And lastly I am still a workaholic. This latter excuse on its own would be enough.

Last weekend was a long weekend here in Mexico. I went with a friend to Puerto Arrista for a few days of relaxation with seafood and cervezas. Like my previous visit, Puerto Arrista did not disappoint.

We spent a lot of time in the water, mostly body surfing, of course (after a day or two, I stopped finding sand in my ears and water stopped pouring out of my nose when I put my head down). I suspect that I consumed my body weight in shrimp ceviche. Besides the usual activities though, there was something about the weekend that made it different. Creatures! It all started with an extremely low (roughly 0.000001 %) vacancy rate that resulted in the first day's stay being in a prison-like "cabaña rústica" (rustic cabin). I had never really thought of rustic as a selling point before. The very first visitor of note was a scorpion! I was rather disappointed that he didn't stick around long enough for a photo. My friend - not so much. There were cockroaches (cabaña rústica), geckos, lizards, ants and more. Almost as exciting as the scorpion were the marine animals. The beach was brought to a near standstill at one point as dolphins played in the waves. Pelicans coasted gracefully in formation over the waves looking for fish. Later, I spotted a shark's dorsal fin. Sadly, no one vanished leaving behind a dark pool of blood. That would have been exciting!

In case you are curious, after one night we were able to find clean, critter-free accomodations in a hospedaje right next to the beach. It wasn't an adventure, but air conditioning is nice.

Darling If You Truly Love Me II

2007-03-14T19:57:00.000-06:00

The last blog described a crazy game we play in my grade three classroom. I said I would post a video of it if I could figure out how. Rick, one of my three faithful readers, responded the next day telling me how. Rick also reminded me that it brought back memories of us playing the game at camp. I had forgotten that the first time I played the game was at camp twenty-two years prior. In fact it had been at a camp staff reunion. It brought a flood of memories back for me too. The reunion was around Halloween and we were in costume. It happened that Rick was dressed as a priest (this is funnier if you know Rick) and the staff member who he had a crush on was dressed as a nun. I can still picture Rick on one knee pleading with her to smile for him.

It gets better. I had just received the email from Rick and a few minutes later went down for our weekly flag ceremony. With the memory fresh in my head I kept starting to snicker. My not very well suppressed laughter caught the attention of one of my students who proceeded to give me my own signal for calming down (a first). The fact of being shushed by one of my own students was funnier than the memory and her signal had the opposite effect. I had a very difficult time trying to be serious after that.

Darling If You Treely Love Me . . .

2007-03-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I introduced my students to a game I thought they'd like. I couldn't have guessed how wildly popular it would be. The game is called DARLING IF YOU TRULY LOVE ME . . . . The students go up to another student and say, "Darling if you truly love me won't you please, please smile." (or some variation of this) The student who is being propositioned must not crack a smile or laugh and needs to respond with the words, "Darling I truly love you, but I just can't smile." The variations that the kids come up with (both on purpose and by mistake) are endless and hysterical.

Daniela pronounced the word truly as 'treely' and won by cracking up her victim. Soon everyone was saying treely. I am afraid they will forget the word is supposed to be truly. Gilberto began by referring to his victim as 'dolphin' instead of darling and that was comedy gold as well. I have a video of Gilberto leaping through the air to land on his knees and slide up to his victim who immediately burst into laughter. I will post it if it can be done.

Other moments of humor

On a recent vocabulary exam I marked, one girl had drawn a line from the word 'vibrate' to an unexpected answer: 'to make a person feel better.' Although I am a literalist, I marked it wrong.

On a science page my students were being asked which two civilizations discovered magnets - 'the Geeks and the Chinese.' As an answer, this seemed quite plausible as I could easily imagine some guy with his glasses taped together saying, "Hey did you notice that this rock is sticking to things?"

In other news . . .

In other news, I am planning to return to Canada this summer. My contract expires in July and although I love many things about living here, I need to teach in an environment where the curriculum I use contains only the concepts I am required to teach. I need the freedom to teach creatively and spontaneously. My philosophy of teaching (and a lot of the research out there) doesn't support the idea of regular exams and daily homework in grade three. I have benefited richly from the time I have spent in Chiapas and at the American School, but expect to be on my way home in the summer. But you never know. I keep watching for a dream job somewhere else in Latin America.

Las Ruinas en Tabasco

2007-03-04T16:04:00.000-06:00

I spent the weekend with my friends Juan and Yeysi in a small town on the border of Chiapas and Tabasco. Juan's parent's town is called Herradura. As you may have guessed, we also visited some ruins. The ruins at Malpasito belonged to the Olmec civilization.

Although the ruins were not extensive, they included two stadiums (one of which I am about to land in - Juan's idea). Clearly sports were important to the Olmecs. Not much has changed.

The following photo shows the first stadium and the stairs/seats overlooking it. The hut in the background is actually a bath house or steam room, presumably for the athletes.

The bath house has two rooms, but the far wall has a chamber behind it in which a fire would be lit. This would make the wall very hot and water could be thrown onto the wall to produce steam. I assume that the bath house had some form of cover. the present cover is probably just to keep rain from filling the bath house.

The last picture is one of Juan and Yeysi. Her name is actually pronounced 'Jaysee' but that spelling would produce a strange name in Spanish. They also have a restaurant a few blocks from my place in Teran. I am a regular customer. Like myself, they are passionate about food and we are always discussing (and often consuming) our favorite foods.

¡Carnaval en Ocozocuatla!

2007-02-22T18:59:00.000-06:00

I am once again faced with the dilemna of wanting to describe an amazing experience and feeling like no words I could conjure would do it justice.

Disclaimer aside, I will humbly attempt to describe what I saw of the carnaval.

I went to Ocozocuatla on Sunday afternoon as my friend Tomas told me he is dancing in the carnaval. While still on the bus, the streams of people heading toward Centro told me that this is a serious event. I was not mistaken. The main square was thronged with people and processions of spectacularly costumed 'para chicos' who danced around to the festive music of those oversized wooden zylophones (see previous post). Before I get to the costumes, I need to set the scene. In the crowd, many people were flinging talcum powder, confetti or other substances wildly onto everyone near them (Visine should have been the official sponsor of the event.) Others had cans of that fake snow which they were generously spraying into the crowd or the faces of total strangers. Fortunately I had cleaned my glasses just before coming.

And then there were the 'para chicos'. No one I know seems to be really sure what 'para chicos' are, but they are part of every parade and celebration in this area. The costumes ranged from breathtaking to completely surreal. Every square centimetre of their bodies were covered in some garish but beautiful decoration. They had layers and layers of brightly coloured material, bells, flowers, necklaces of chiclet boxes and of course those unbelievable masks that are both effeminate and disproportionate. Accessories included guns, alarm clocks, dead animals (stuffed, I think), telephones, whips and my friend Heather's used lufa (really - I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried). The complexity of the costumes and the fact that they could somehow dance around in them for hours was astonishing, but what left me speechless (a rare occurrence) was the set of para chicos in Snow White costumes. Salvador Dali would have been shocked. I actually don't have a picture because I was rendered unable to move at the sight of them (true story).

The part of the events that I witnessed seemed to be a series of parades of the various groups of para chicos. There were booths with food and games and probably many more things I didn't see, but I enjoyed myself immensely. After a couple hours of being at the event in Centro, my friend Mauro invited me to his place for lunch and we hung out there for the afternoon. Mauro presented me with a para chico mask as a momento. Even without it, I am sure that the days events won't be forgotten anytime soon.

The final picture is one of Tomas, a PE teacher at the school. He is the one carrying Heather's lufa. She discarded it several months ago and he retrieved it from her garbage and has had it ever since. This is actually the second blog it has appeared in and it seems as if Andy Warhol's fifteen minutes of fame is coming true for discarded shower items.

By the way, the entire event takes place to honour a saint in the Catholic Church. No one I spoke to knew who he was.

Semana Cultural

2007-02-18T10:11:00.000-06:00

This week was Culture Week at ASFC. Each grade chose a country (or as it turned out, a region of Chiapas) and the teachers taught about the country while the parents organized a booth with food, photos, displays and more. There were different workshops, a play, a book fair and other events during the week. A dance group and a choir concluded the event on Friday afternoon.

If you hadn't guessed yet, Rocio and I chose Egypt. Actually I wanted to chose some obscure country like Kazakhstan, but everyone thought I should do Egypt as I had lived there.

The 'type A' side of me (OK, it is most of me when I am teaching) kept wanting to get back to teaching the curriculum as I am required to complete one book every month and it is difficult even when I don't lose a whole week. But it was a nice week and I am sure the kids were happy to have a break from the routine.

Puerto Arista

2007-02-11T21:25:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was a long weekend and I made the long awaited trip to the ocean. It was a very peaceful time and I will find myself back there again very soon. The most spectacular feature of Puerto Arista was actually the sand. To coin an instant cliche, it was as if God was an overzealous kindergarten teacher with an unlimited budget for glitter. The sand sparkled beautifully and every wave left behind a line of sparkly sand only to be washed away the next time.

I will try to sum up my time spent in Puerto Arista with a point form list because nothing I could write would do the time justice anyway.

long walks on the beach
chasing crabs that do an incredible jump through the air to turn
body surfing / getting pummeled by massive waves
ceviche de camarones / cerveza
seeing about one quarter of my students
body surfing / getting pummeled by massive waves
ceviche de pescado / cerveza
trying (unsuccessfully) to photograph glittery sand
BBQ with families from my class at a gorgeous beach house
body surfing / getting pummeled by massive waves
more ceviche / cerveza
teaching some teenage guys how to body surf (get pummeled by waves)
other kinds of seafood / cerveza
and much more

** I have been extremely busy with work and ESL groups as well as much more active socially lately. This is why I am not posting as often. I will try to find more time for the blog.

A Mystery

2007-02-02T21:32:00.000-06:00

These guys that are posted outside a relatively ubiquitous branch of pharmacies are a mystery to me. Ninety-eight percent of the time they are dancing furiously in a repetitive fashion that is vaguely robotic. The repetition, speed and unceasing nature of their dancing has always made me think the are just big mechanical dancing machines made to look like overweight pharmacists. Now and then they seem almost as if there is a person inside and I was thinking about that today as I approached another one of these crazy, overweight, dancing robot pharmacists. It blew me away by seeming to give me his full attention and then putting his hand out to shake mine. There was no room for doubt. This one clearly had a person inside. When I went back to take a photo, it posed. The nightmares will begin in three . . two . . . one . . . .

In other news, we had another parade in my neighborhood. I am sure it was probably honoring yet another saint (there seem to be a few), but I forgot to ask someone the significance.

San Juan Chamula

2007-01-28T22:20:00.000-06:00

I finally made the trip to San Juan Chamula. I have been meaning to go since before I knew what or where it is. Allow me to explain. There are two churches that I had seen pictures of and have wanted to go see, but I hadn't known where they were located. *

The church with the spectacular door is actually not a Catholic church. It is a hybrid of the the pagan beliefs and of Catholicism resulting in a bizarre ritualistic church that is unique to this area. I wanted to go in but apparently tourists have to buy tickets from a tourist office and I never saw it. I was also a little intimidated as I know that they are very sensitive to tourists and I do not want to offend anyone. I also have heard so much about this church, that I also didn't feel ready to go in.

Not many churches these days openly slaughter chickens as part of their rituals, not to mention drinking coke and/or beer as part of the process of releasing evil spirits. I did not spend enough time or even go in, therefore, I do not feel qualified to describe the scene I witnessed. For a much better description of San Juan Chamula and it's rituals:, cut and paste this URL into your browser's address bar:

http://www.philipcoppens.com/chamula.html

San Sebastian was a church but it is now ruins. I heard that about a century ago the Tzotzil people killed the Christians and buried them in the churchyard. I have yet to confirm this story, but you know what they say, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." I will go back and when I have some time (summer?), I will try to research the history.

* If you are one of my three faithful readers, you may recall that I posted a picture of the door of the church in Chamula. The picture was 'borrowed' from Flickr as I didn't have a camera yet.

Construction by Snails?

2007-01-20T09:27:00.000-06:00

When we started at the school in August, we were told that the addition would be completed in October, possibly as late as January. Well it is late January and now next October is starting to look much more likely given the pace at which things are not moving. The slow progress is not necessarily typical of Mexico as I have seen other buildings in town go up in lightning speed.

The second picture is (obviously) a closer look. There seems to be enough rebar to put up four floors. We were told it would be three. At this point almost nothing would surprise me (seven floors?).

I considered having a 'Guess the Project Completion Date Contest' until I realized I will not likely be around to see its opening.

As an aside I just realized that every school I have ever taught in has had an ongoing construction project at some point.

One of My Strangest Lessons Ever!

2007-01-18T17:18:00.000-06:00

Before the men in white coats come to get me, I thought I'd post one last time. Recently I taught a lesson from our curriculum that was about producers and consumers including some questions about a family of dairy farmers. I felt the lesson was a little dry. I enlisted the aid of our principal, Michy and she designed the body of a cow and I gave the cow the ability to give milk.

Alejandro showed promise as a dairy farmer.

Michy was helping the kids to squeeze as it took a strong grip to milk this 'cow'.

Tomorrow the kids vote on a name for the cow. (Of course, we are voting with secret ballots.) The suggestions have been narrowed down to Wanda the Cow and Click Clack Moo. The latter name refers to one of the funniest children's books ever, Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type.

Science Center

2007-01-11T19:29:00.000-06:00

Although it may not be very interesting to the non-teachers out there, the Science Center that I made for my students feels like a significant part of my life as I spent several weeks planning and shopping for it and more than two days making it. Having made a very popular Math Center in the fall, I decided it was time for science. There are various games and toys related to science and I made a few things like a wave machine, a pressure diver, a bubble station and much more.

Alejandro, Eddie and Andres have discovered the spinning tops.

Gabriela, Maria Jose and Eunice seem to like the bubble station.

Amado has mastered the slinky.

Daniela is experimenting with static electricity.

Happy Belated Three Kings Day

2007-01-07T22:29:00.000-06:00

Now I understand why the Three Wise Men were hanging out in the mall AFTER Christmas (previous post). I thought they just hadn't gotten a calendar last Christmas, but as it turns out they were getting ready for their big day. January 6th is Three King's day in Mexico. Apparently kids open some of their Christmas gifts on this day which suggests that Mexican children are more patient than I thought. You also eat a kind of cake similar to shortcake. It has a small plastic figure cooked into it. The figure is hidden in the cake to symbolize Baby Jesus being hidden from King Herod's army. If you get the figure in your piece and you manage not to choke to death, you have to throw a party on the 2nd of February.

I have long thought that Mexicans are remarkably skilled at coming up with new reasons to have a party, but this one has all the other plans beat. Not only is Three King's Day a huge party, but then somebody is sure to find the baby Jesus figure and then they have to hold a party. Am I the only one or do you see a pattern here?

After a movie with a friend on Saturday, I got some pictures of the the fair downtown for Three King's Day.

Classic Tuxtla

2007-01-03T21:21:00.000-06:00

This picture pretty much sums up up Tuxtla for me. Yes, it is one of the three wise men checking messages on his cel phone. Tuxtla is the modern face of a state that feels somewhat ancient outside the capital.

I took this photo today in a shopping mall. The best part was that my camera flashed and the wise man looked up quite guiltily and tried to put away his cel. Several bystanders were watching amused, none more than myself, however.

Chicken Buses!

2007-01-02T12:23:00.000-06:00

Much of my travel in Guatemala was done on what are commonly referred to as 'Chicken Buses'. Besides being vastly cheaper than first class tourist buses, chicken buses are an awful lot of fun, that is, if you don't mind a little discomfort. You can end up standing for an hour or two on the most windy roads or you can be squished between people and realize that personal space has no meaning. You become well acquainted with G-forces as the buses make sharp turns at high speeds and your body tries to keep moving straight. Newton would have had a field day on these buses. I have to admit that I left Guatemala feeling disappointed that despite all the time I spent on chicken buses, I was not accosted by chickens even once. In fact no one even brought a chicken onto the bus. But it's a great name for a type of bus.

I am not sure if you can read the name of the bus, but it says "Huehue Mesilla". I thought that I had to become quite familiar with the names of the towns on my way to La Mesilla so that I did not take the wrong bus and end up in the middle of nowhere. I was wrong as it seemed that (literally) everyone was looking out for me. Other passengers would ask where I was going to be sure I had gotten on the right bus. Once I had missed a turnoff where I had to change buses. Having seen a sign indicating that my destination, Panajachel was down a different road, I realized first, but everyone around me immediately helped to get my backpack down and people whistled to get the drivers attention. I felt a real warmth for Guatemaltecans after this.

The Mayan People

2007-01-01T16:09:00.000-06:00

I am back in Tuxtla and reflecting about my time in Guatemala. The first thing that comes to mind is that I think the Mayans are the most beautiful and dignified race of people I have ever come across (and that's a few). However, they are very resistant to being photographed. The children selling souvenirs insisted on receiving a tip if you wanted their picture and others were not much easier to convince. Paying 14 cents to have someone's photo isn't such a bad deal anyway. There is a story behind most of these photos.

* I admit I cheated on the above photo. I was looking at a pyramid and surreptitiously snapping a picture of this family having a Christmas Day picnic at Tikal. I knew they would not let me take a photo.

* This is Pablo Culum. He informed me that he is a school official trying to raise money for a school in a small town on Lago de Atitlan. Naturally I was suspicious but his notarized documents stating these facts certainly gave him some credibility. When he was stumped by my question about what the name of the school was, his credibility took a real hit.

* The Mayan kids I met have much more responsibility than kids at home in Canada. Often they are looking after a baby or selling souvenirs all day without any kind of supervision. It is rare to see them smile. I stopped asking them to smile for photos because they didn't seem to have a lot to smile about. Why should I make them smile for posterity if they weren't happy to begin with?

* I met this little guy in the market in Solola. he seemed quite interested in who I was and where I was from. He wasn't working and I am guessing he is not from a poor family.

* Cindy couldn't have been more than five or six and worked from morning until night selling little fridge magnet dolls. She was very persistent and after three or four attempts to sell me a doll, I finally coughed over the paltry sum of 5 quetzales (thinking she wouldn't keep trying to sell me stuff). Of course she kept appearing trying to sell more dolls. She would never remember that I had bought one from her. Even after I pointed out this out, she insisted I buy more. I suggested that if I had bought one hundred dolls, she would still come to me asking me to buy one more. She looked reflective for a moment, smiled sweetly and told me, Yes (she would). Fortunately she was not too cycnical and burnt out to smile for the camera.

* I met Rius in Parque Central in Antigua. She was quite determined to sell me some weavings, and was willing to accept payment in pesos. She was very friendly and interested in who I was instead of just getting my money and I quite enjoyed talking to her. The vast majority of vendors (children and adults alike) just saw us (tourists) as faceless moneybags. Ruis was different and I was happy to have met and talked with her. I purchased a beautiful weaving similar to the one she is holding.

** PS: I finally was able to add the photos that I tried to post on Christmas day. If any of the three of you are interested, the post is called Feliz Navidad from Guatemala, Tikal. It now has a few more photos than it did.

*** By the way, Feliz Año Nuevo.

Lago de Atitlan

2006-12-29T09:13:00.000-06:00

I have now arrived at my final destination before I headback to Tuxtla - Lago de Atitlan. Specifically I am staying in a town called Panajachel. Lago de Atitlan is a spectacular lake and like Antigua, it is surrounded by volcanoes. I will spend a day or two here and then I will head back to Tuxtla.

As you may have guessed, there are a few tourists here.

Antigua es bonita

2006-12-27T18:40:00.000-06:00

I arrived somewhat blurry-eyed in Guatemala City this morning (5:30 AM) and after seeing a bit of it, made my way to Antigua which by comparison is utterly divine. Framed on three sides by volcanoes, Antigua's cobblestone roads and colonial archictecture is breathtaking. I think I use the word breathtaking a lot, but I have good reason. I am in a spectacular part of the world.

There are a lot of ruins of cathedrals here. Earthquakes have usually been the cause of the devastation, I believe.

Alas, for kids all the stunning archictecture and scenery still pales in comparison to the allure of a hand-held videogame.

Feliz Navidad from Guatemala, Tikal

2006-12-25T17:57:00.000-06:00

Well there was no mistaking the moment Christmas began in Flores. At 12 midnight the fireworks started going off from I would say nearly every house in Flores and Santa Helena. The building next to us had a couple of pyromaniacs setting off all manners of fireworks most of which did not launch out of their mostly closed in area, hence they kept firing them down their hall and needing to run from the mess they created. OK, I was jealous; I'll admit it. Flores which is surrounded on three sides by Santa Helena and houses on the other shore of the lake was an unbelieveable sight. In every direction where there were homes, beautiful bursts of explosives filled the air. I wanted to be able to look in all directions at once. Suffice it to say sleeping was postponed considerably.

Tikal

Spending Christmas in Tikal was magical. The dizzying heights of the pyramids, the misty weather and the constant din of howler monkeys, parrots and a myriad of other animals created an atmosphere that was almost overwhelming. Fear of heights combined with some of the steepest ladder/stairs I have ever seen occasionally completed the overwhelming feeling, however I climbed every ruin that we were allowed to climb anyway. And I loved every minute of my time there (7 hours). Tikal is stunning as ruins. As a functioning city, it must have been on a level with Cairo and Rome. I always find myself wishing I could go back in time. Just to see ruins is not enough for me. The photo on the right is a view of the Gran Plaza.

Looking out of a temple window or door.

Bajar - Translated directly it means "down", "descending" or "go down down here", translated more accurately it means - "IF YOU MAKE ONE FALSE MOVE WHEN YOU GO DOWN THESE SHEER, SLIPPERY, NEARLY VERTICAL STAIRS, YOU WILL PLUMMET RAPIDLY TO YOUR DEATH EVEN THOUGH YOUR FALL WILL BE BE MOMENTARILY SLOWED BY YOUR VARIOUS EXTREMITIES IMPACTING THE WALLS OF THIS PYRAMID ON THE WAY DOWN! Have a pleasant day." (My Spanish is improving.)

Later when returning to Flores, I saw this man walking around with a sign that says "HUGS FREE". I figured he, of all people, would not mind my taking his picture. Of course, he smiled from ear to ear, posed for the picture and then gave me a hug.

Lago Peten Itza

2006-12-24T19:54:00.000-06:00

Having booked transportation to spend Christmas Day in Tikal, a friend and I rented a canoe and headed out to explore Lago Peten Itza. The lookout on the peninsula across from Isla Flores turned out to be breathtaking. We almost didn't go, but that would have been a huge mistake. Besides having a great view of the island, there were spectacular views of the lake in several directions. Other highlights of the day were swimming off the dock of a local park and visiting Petencito, a 'nature reserve'(read zoo here).

A bridge to part of Petencita.

The Island of Flores seen from the lookout. It is a very tranquil place.

A sunset and beer on the patio.

In Through the Back Door

2006-12-23T20:53:00.000-06:00

After an exciting day of travel by various methods, I am in Flores, Guatemala. Most of the transportation consisted of travel in vans on paved roads with stunningly beautiful scenery in Mexico and brutal, brain-jarring gravel roads with nice scenery in Guatemala. The trip on Rio Usumacinta, however, was more exciting. We took a launch from a middle of nowhere town in Mexico to a middle of nowhere town in Guatemala. I particularly enjoyed telling my companions who were all wearing bright red lifejackets* that the bright red lifejackets help the crocodiles to find them if we sink (* old habits die hard - I never wore lifejackets on the SALTS boats). Scott the Australian seemed to be the only one other than myself who truly enjoyed the (scant?) humour of this comment.

Some observations:

In Mexico they have a habit of holding up a rope to stop vehicles on the road (one person on either side). I have even seen children doing it when they want to sell some mandarin oranges to people in cars. It seems to me if anyone decided not to stop, this method would quickly backfire.

There are white heron-like birds that seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the cows. I have often seen them standing next to or even right on the heads of cows. Sometimes they seem to be doing something such as removing bugs, but it is hard to be sure from the window of a speeding van. It may not be symbiotic, but I can´t think of the other word (not parasitic, the other one), so we´re going with symbiotic.

The guys in the Guatemalan immigration office were having two very serious air conditioners installed. The very expensive kind. This is strange because there was a huge space open between the walls and the roof. Any attempt at air conditioning would have as much effect on the temperature outside as it would inside.

Having left Mexico from a tiny town in the Lacondan territory, traveled down the river on a thin launch and entered Guatemala in another tiny town with more dogs than houses, I commented to one of my traveling companions that it seemed an odd way to enter a country. He remarked that it felt as if we entered through the back door. Indeed we did.

Guatemala is my 47th country (more of a fact than an observation).

!Palenque, Misol Ha and Agua Azul - Increible!

2006-12-22T19:31:00.000-06:00

I do not feel up to the task of trying to describe how beautiful Palenque and the two waterfalls
Everything I think of to say seems insufficient.

Today as I was walking through palaces and temples in Palenque knowing that almost 2000 years ago, people were being sacrificed on the stone slabs I saw and that Mayan royals lived in the rooms I was walking through is an unbelievable experience. And then you are brought down to earth by the sight of a guy mowing the lawn.

The first two pics are in Palenque, of course.

The waterfall shrouded by foliage is Misol Ha. The second and most spectacular waterfall is Agua Azul (translates to Blue Water). If you think the falls are nice, multiply by three and you will get a better sense of the scale of the falls. I intend to return to Agua Azul and go in the water to takes picture from a better angle. Having the passport and work visa documents on me meant that I was a little reluctant to leave them anywhere or swim with them. I will return to take more photos.

In Palenque!

2006-12-21T19:22:00.000-06:00

I am in Palenque and staying at a fascinating cabana in the Jungle apparently near the pyramids. The sound of running water, frogs and insects drowns out the live music plazing at the restaurant where I ate dinner - Mono Blanco (White Monkey). I am looking forward to sleeping to the sounds of the background jungle music.

The day was a series of amazing luck/timing. Connections just worked out for me all day. In the town of Palenque, I literally stepped out of the bus station into a colectivo that took me directly to Panchan where I wanted to stay. When I arrived at Margarita and Eds, there was one cabana left.

I would post a pic but I am working on an ancient computer that doesnt have a USB port. In fact the computer is loaded with a German version of Windows. Yes, I am in Mexico. Life here doesnt always make sense. In fact, it rarely does.

More Christmas Program Pics

2006-12-17T09:05:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post more pictures of the kids in the Christmas Program. So here they are. Not a lot else to say today as I am working at school on a Sunday marking books and doing my report cards.

The kids in the shiny outfits are from Kindergarten 3. They did an Elvis Christmas song. I can't remember what it was called.

Kris's grade 2s were fantastic as well. Here they are doing Little Drummer Boy (of course).

The girls and and the boys drummed. I am sure there were a lot of proud parents!

And now I conclude with the cutest kid in the Christmas program.

Feliz Navidad

2006-12-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

For my faithful readers, I am sorry that I am not writing more often. It reflects a lack of time, not a lack of enthusiasm for blogging. There are three days of school left and I leave for Palenque, Agua Azul and Guatemala immediately after that. Before I leave, I have to finish marking all my student's books and submit my grades to the administration, not to mention, teach.

Feliz Navidad

My students have been practising songs for quite a while now. 3A did The Twelve Days of Christmas and 3B did Silent Night in English, Sign Language and Spanish. The students were magnificent and made me very proud.

Michelyn, our fearless leader, was the secret to our success as she spent a lot of time helping us learn the songs and motions. Of course she would deny that her role was significant, but we couldn't have done it without her.

Kermesse!

2006-12-10T16:50:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, The American School held their yearly festival called Kermesse. It is a fair in which the parents club raises money for their various projects. There are various kid's games, basketball and football matches, a train for the little ones, booths selling different products, dances (of course), food (Mexican, by some strange coincidence) and because I was involved, a table with science experiments, of course.

The event was quite well run, and I have the impression that it was very successful. However I spent the entire day in my booth, so I saw very little beyond my visitors, the bunnies and pollitos (chicks) that the neighboring booth was selling and the intermittent silly string/foam battles that raged in and around my booth.

Although I had four experiments, the Magic Mud and the Mountain of Bubbles were by far the most popular experiments.

In other news, I am writing from San Cristobal once again. If you are one of my (three) faithful readers, you are probably wondering if I saw a parade. Actually I literally lost count of the parades (well actually, processions to be accurate) that I saw today (but if I had to guess, I would say it was over 30). The processions are in honour of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. Since I am at an internet cafe on Avenida Insurgentes (a major road), a procession goes by every five minutes or so.

This is what wikipedia says about the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe is a Marian apparition and a 16th century Roman Catholic icon. Guadalupe is also Mexico's most popular religious image. Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12th-- a day which commemorates her appearance on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from in 1531. Her popularity and cultural significance are multifaceted: while Catholics honor her as the manifestation of the Virgin Mary in the Americas, she is also an important symbol of Mexican nationalism. Guadalupe is also frequently interpreted as a syncretic manifestation of the indigenous goddess Tonantzin. Finally, some theologians see the Guadalupan event as signifying a special relationship between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Catholic Church.

Today I saw several Mexican flags with the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe substituted for the eagle and the snake, so I can confirm the nationalist symbolism.

Most of the processions had people walking or running with torches (including all the way to San Cristobal) and many of them had people holding palm branches and flowers. There were also two purified water truck parades. Yes, I am serious - PURIFIED WATER TRUCK PARADES! Really, do you think I could makes this stuff up?

Sixto

2006-12-03T14:05:00.000-06:00

One of the most remarkable people we have on staff is Sixto. Conversely a few teachers and most of the students and parents don't even know who he is because he works behind the scenes after hours. He starts work around four and is here all night. Sixto is our security guy (and he has a gun!), he mows the lawn, paints, cleans our classrooms if someone is away, fixes things and he recently helped me move. In fact, he was the only one of my three helpers who actually worked hard. The other two mostly fielded calls on their cel phones. I am convinced that he works harder than almost anyone in the school. I like this photo because it is pure Sixto. When you need help or want to ask him something he drops everything to do what you need. Sixto is a good argument for cloning!

My only compliant about Sixto is that he has yet to let me actually shoot his gun. Although I am generally a pacifist, a little target practice on the football field has definite appeal for me.

In other news, I have finally moved to my new apartment in Colonia Teran. Compared to the palatial apartment I had on Belisario Dominguez, the new one is much more humble, but I like it a lot and am looking forward to buying a hammock and enjoying some BBQ and a few cervezas in my new patio. I will have to remember to watch for falling coconuts which seem to have the amazing to fall exactly when I am not expecting it and when I am concentrating on something, thus exponentially increasing how much I am startled. The limes are a little less perilous. A blog about my new neighbourhood and my home home will be forthcoming soon especially as I also have a new camera.

Feria Chiapas

2006-11-29T15:55:00.000-06:00

Having been told by many of my students that the fair is very exciting, I decided to check it out. I was expecting a fair in Mexico to be very different from a fair in Canada. In this I was disappointed. In fact I spent most of my time at the fair searching desperately for (culturally significant) differences between a fair here and the Saanich fair, for example. I was quite pleased to get a picture of a mini-roller coaster with laundry hanging to dry between the tracks. I am quite certain that I have never seen that in Canada. Another nice discovery was the carousel with a dog whose expression suggests rough treatment in a secret CIA prison. Beyond these two examples, only the food was really different. Although it was consistent in the sense that the food sold at the fair was of the fast-food and deep fried varieties.

Babel!

2006-11-25T19:51:00.000-06:00

My life is strange (but you already knew that). I went to the movie Babel. It was pretty amazing, but what was really strange about this movie was that as the scenes switched from Mexico to Morocco to the US to Japan, my brain had to keep switching gears to follow the languages.

Although the scenes in Morocco had dialogue in a Moroccan dialect (or at least was supposed to be), I found I could understand much of what was said as this dialect is apparently a mix of French and Arabic. When I couldn't understand something, my brain would switch gears and read the Spanish subtitles, most of which I understood. In both the U.S. and in Morocco when the Americans were speaking, I understood without thinking about it of course, but my mind immediately wanders to the Spanish subtitles to compare the translation to my understanding of the language. I have learned many new expressions from the movies. Some of them I can repeat at school. Of the Japanese, of course, I understood nothing, but found it easy to follow the subtitles. When the Japanese girls were communicating in sign language, I found myself even remembering a few signs from the summer I worked at QA (1990!). The scenes in Mexico were not subtitled at all, but also easy to follow as they were scenes of a family at a wedding and not people discussing complex issues.

Perhaps the most surreal moment took place when Amelia, the Mexican nanny, was shouting help (in English) to get the attention of the (American) border police, but my brain assumed she was speaking in Spanish because she is Mexican and I was wondering why they subtitled this in Spanish ("Auxilio") because I was still thinking she said it in Spanish then I realized that she must have said it in English because they wouldn't subtitle a Spanish phrase in Spanish for an audience in Mexico and that is when I remembered that I live in Mexico therefore she must have said it in English. I suspect all this thought took place in the period of time between the first time she said "Help" and the second, although I am not sure about that. I may see the movie again, just to find out.

In case you haven't been paying attention, I am kind of interested in languages.

* I realize the picture is weird. I just like to accompany text with a photo of some sort. I tried to put some Arabic on it, but Photoshop wouldn't tolerate Arabic characters. I consider this a high-tech form of computer racism. Had I more time, I would have 'shopped them in as a graphic. Alas I am too busy.

Another Parade in San Cristobal!

2006-11-19T11:53:00.000-06:00

In case you are getting suspicious, I am not recycling my photos. There happened to be another parade in San Cristobal today. The coincidence is not as unlikely as it might seem as both times I stumbled upon parades were Sundays of a holiday weekend.

Once again, I did not know there was going to be a parade, but as I was exploring the city, I could hear music from a long way off and walked in the direction of the music until I found the source. Today´s parade was a small affair. There were about fifteen or twenty vehicles, six of which were what we would call floats. The floats had an odd variety of themes: hula girls, angels, musicians, and girls in traditional dresses. Some of the vehicles were trucks with bands playing what I would call 'parade music' (¿what else?). Of course there were the monsters dancing along and making funny for the cameras. The other vehicles were decorated with balloons and were along for the ride. Now and then loud explosions would unexpectedly occur (generally disrupting my ability to focus as they had startled me). Based on the sounds, I believe rockets were fired off as well, but I am not sure as I never saw one. The kids on the floats were throwing candy and I was quite amused as at one point I was about to pick up a lollipop that had been thrown directly to me and a young man beat me to it. The girl on the float made a point of throwing me another. Although I like candy, I never buy these, but it was a nice gesture.

I meant to ask someone the signifigance of the parade, but I forgot and my Spanish may not have been up to the task of understanding the explanation. It really depends on the person. If they think about the fact that I am a foreigner and avoid expressions or uncommon words, I would probably understand them very well. An aside here is that the better educated a person is, the easier they are to understand. I noticed this in Egypt as well. But I digress.

Note that this little monster is hungrily devouring a Bon Ice freezie! Just as one would expect a little monster to do.

I would have expected to see revolutionaries in this parade as that is reason for the holiday. But I did not.

Small World

2006-11-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

A young man in Comitan saw my picture of Parque Central and asked for permission to post it on his blog. His email was a curious mix of English and Spanish that made more sense than it should have. I saw no reason why I should not let him post the photo. Here is the photo I took and in case you are interested in checking out his blog, here's a link:

www.hoyencomitan.blogspot.com

In other news, I am once again in San Cristobal de Las Casas. It is a long weekend due to the revolution and I am taking advantage of the time off.

¡Viva La Revolucion Mexicana!

2006-11-14T07:28:00.000-06:00

The grade three's wowed the teachers and students of the American School yesterday. For three weeks they have been preparing some dances and a song in remembrance of the Mexican Revolution. It all came together quite spectacularly and while the dance was happening, it was hard to remember that these students who sometimes have trouble sharpening their pencils, finding their lunch kit or doing subtraction were up on stage doing dance steps that I am not capable of. Fortunately I was working a videocamera so I didn't have time to reflect too much. I surely would have had a tear in my eye were I simply watching. When I can get a digital video up and running I will post it (or a link to it) on the blog. Wait for it, the dances were truly amazing. It might take a while. My video camera was not digital. Enjoy the pics!

Be sure to note Brenda the Revolutionary Chick with the lovely dress complete with rounds of ammo!

¡Adios Amigos!

Very Foony!

2006-11-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

I feel like I laugh more here in Tuxtla than I do at home. It would be hard to measure this, but a lot of funny stuff happens.

The first thing that comes to mind is one of my students, Alejandro. I teach him during the day and after school in an ESL group with four students. At one point he announced, "That is very foony!" (The u takes an oo sound in Spanish, so this would seem a logical pronunciation for the word funny). Besides being a delightful kid, Alejandro is a great sport and I still periodically tease him by suggesting that something is foony. The other kids in the group occasionally describe something as foony as well. He never forgets the correct pronunciation of U now.

Kids funny answers on tests and in their work.

Name one animal that lives in the forest - SQUIRTLE (How the kids found out about that mad scientist interbreeding squirrels and turtles is beyond me.)

Name one animal that lives in a desert habitat - JELLYFISH

"When I get home from school, my mother likes to" - SNEEZE

The Classroom

I love to make jokes in the classroom. When giving a spelling test, like most teachers, I say the word, make a sentence and repeat the word. For years I have departed from the format a little. I say the spelling word, make a harmless sounding sentence, pause and add something to the sentence to change the meaning. Then I repeat the word.

A few examples (Keep in mind they are much funnier in the classroom - you have to be there!)

PRAISE - Mr. Glenn likes to praise his students . . . once a year, whether they need it or not. PRAISE

LAMB - Mary had a little lamb . . . and then she had a little potatoes and salad, too. LAMB

Life in General

A great thing about speaking a foreign language is that very few people expect you to joke around. If you say something weird, they assume initially that it is because you are a foreigner and foreigners are strange.

Recently I was about to order some food in a restaurant and I noticed that an employee was standing with a few others and he had a tray piled high with coins (that he was intending to count). Because he was standing where you order food with this tray of coins, I went up and stated in my most polite ordering voice, "Me gustaria un orden de monedas, por favor!" (I would like one order of coins, please) Initially all four of their staff stared at me and their expressions were a mix of stunned surprise and 'what do I say, this guy is a complete idiot'. After a very long few seconds, one saw through my mock serious expression and started to chuckle. Then the other three all burst out laughing once they realized I was putting them on. We said nothing more after I ordered my food for real, but now and then one of them would look over and smile.

Proud to be working at an American School!

2006-11-09T20:16:00.000-06:00

Today I am truly proud to be working at an American school. Generally I am more or less neutral in my approach to working at an 'American school'. This fits well with the school's approach as the school is completely apolitical. After reading that the American people have voted in a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, I can say that I am proud to be working in an American school.

In other news, I have added a few photos to this file for my three faithful readers. You may recall that I promised to post a few more photos of the parade I saw in San Cristobal last Sunday. Here they are.

And no, I did not stop to ask any one the significance of the floats or the parade. My Spanish is not yet subtle enough to convey the signifigance even if I had.

Comitan, Los Lagos y San Cristobal de Los Casas

2006-11-05T17:09:00.000-06:00

As you may know if you are one of my three regulars, I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Comitan (and San Cristobal where I am presently writing from). Besides the fact that a change of routine is very welcome after working seemingly non-stop for three months, The places I have gone to are incredibly beautiful. Starting with Comitan, it is a picturesque little town with a downtown that is peaceful and has an ancient feel to it. This year is Comitan's 450th anniversary as a town.

The first picture is of one side of the main square, possibly the most beautiful main square I have seen anywhere in Mexico.

On Saturday I took a colectivo to get to Los Lagos (the lakes). Despite the almost non-stop rain, I was thrilled to see five of the many lakes in this area. Being a nature-lover at heart, it felt good to hike on forest paths again and to be surrounded by the sounds, smells and sights of lakes and trees.

This is Agua Tinta - I don´t know why the lake is this colour. It is not glacier-fed, that is for certain.

I got this shot by a combination of finding an obscure trail and bushwhacking (not a political term). I climbed to the top of quite a high hill, but it was pouring, so the visibility was not that great.

The next one is a picture of the main cathedral in San Cristobal. I asked several people and they decided it is just called the Cathedral. The other ones have names though, so I suspect this one does too.

The best part of my decision to visit San Cristobal today is that I arrived just as a parade was going by. Apparently it is the end of an eight day fiesta remembering some saints.

The last two shots are pictures of the floats. I may post more later this week as I took a lot of photos and it was a fascinating parade.

More photos - Día de Los Muertos

2006-11-04T20:14:00.000-06:00

This is a hopefully temporary workaround to post photos despite uncooperative blog websites. Although strangely the site is now letting me post more than one photo.

The first shot is a phot of one of the altars the kids and teachers set up at the school for Día de Los Muertos.

The second shot is a great photo of some 'skeleton borrachos' (drunkards) because nothing shouts respecting your deceased relatives like skeleton barrachos!

The third photo is a shot of some candy coffins complete with a skeleton inside. I bought some, but haven´t eaten one yet.

Día de Los Muertos

2006-11-01T16:16:00.000-06:00

My favorite traditions in Mexico are the ones surrounding Día de Los Muertos. Wikipedia puts it better than I can.

Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an ancient Aztec celebration of the memory of deceased ancestors that is celebrated on November 1st (All Saints Day) and November 2nd (All Souls Day). Though the subject matter may be considered morbid from the Anglo-Saxon perspective, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as Halloween, the traditional mood is much brighter with emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life.

My students and I celebrated Day of the Dead on Wednesday with time spent making an altar outside, crazy games, consuming sweets and much more. At first I was very worried about adorning the room with so many skeletons and death-related decorations. One of my students just lost her father a month ago and the assistant that cleans my classroom lost her daughter about three weeks ago. I did not want to remind them further of these losses. But it was explained to me that it is comforting to those who have lost loved ones to be able to remember them in an altar and put food out for them.

The first few shots are photos of the sweets they sell in the markets. These sweets are for the altars and for consumption by the living as well. I also posted some photos of the altars the kids (well, mostly the teachers) made at school.

* I have a whole bunch of pictures to share with you, but either these internet cafe computers (set not to accept cookies) or blogspot is not cooperating. I have gone through the rigmarole of uploading photos seven times now, but only the first photo went through. I will just write several posts with one photo in each until the problem is sorted out.

** By the way, I am writing from a stunningly beautiful town called Comitan. More pictures and blog entries are sure to follow soon.

Strangeness

2006-10-24T06:09:00.000-06:00

One of the great things about living in a different country is that all manners of things happen that are very different from home and they would probably seem normal to people here, but are very strange to me.

For example:

Recently I went with some of the Spanish and English teachers out for Karaoke (safe in the promise that I did not have to sing). What was strange about Karaoke here is that it was not one person singing and everyone else making fun of them like at home. Instead the song lyrics were scrolling across a TV screen and everyone (except us three foreigners) was singing along heartily fueled no doubt by cerveza and tequila. Had I known the melodies and had I more energy, I would have actually sung as everyone was singing badly and no one would have even been able to pick my voice out.

While checking out new apartments (more on that below), a clean cut young man in board shorts (rare here outside of my apartment) stopped the landlady and they began an involved discussion about the outside wall of the potential suite. Since the wall was covered in graffiti, and they were talking about painting over it (as far as I could tell), I thought the young man was going to repaint the exterior. As we were leaving, he took out about six colours of spraypaint and proceeded to paint his own new design over all the others. (When I get around to taking a picture of the wall, I will repost this.)

One of the odd things about Mexico is seeing shops that are new businesses that have opened, but haven't received any of the products they are going to sell. The business is open and the employee is faithfully sitting in the desk surrounded by walls with bare shelves. Occasionally they have a small fridge with soft drinks and that is all they have to offer even though the business is meant to sell cel phones or shoes or whatnot else. Yet they are open anyway. When I asked someone why a shop would open with nothing to sell, he looked at me in surprise. Apparently it is self-evident why the shop would open.

A recent strange experience took place yesterday as I walked past the airport in Col. Teran (an area next to where I live). Looking out over the airstrip, I realized that it is the airport I first spotted on Google Earth when I checked out Tuxtla Gutierrez for the first time. It was strange to look at a real life example of something I only saw as a virtual image before (though at the time I knew it was real). This is not unlike the weird feeling I had when I first located my home in Cairo on Google Earth and could identify individual trees that I remember on the Ramses College property.

It turns out that Tuxtla, a relatively obscure state capital, actually has three airports, more than any other city in Mexico.

* By the way, I have not posted much as I am spending almost all of my spare time searching for a new place to live. My beautiful apartment with its lovely pool not only has very high rent, but we found out after a month or two that it has absurdly high costs for pool maintenance, security, water, electricty, gas and other services. Perhaps I will blog about the excitement of trying to find a decent place to live in a language that I am not exactly proficient in yet.

Things I Have Learned in Chiapas

2006-10-18T15:11:00.000-06:00

These are some of the things I have learned about living here.

1. All definite plans are tentative (unless it's a deadline I am facing).
2. Start times are similarly indefinite.
3. Read the label of food you are buying.*
4. If it can be put into a blender it can be turned into a refreshing drink.**
5. If edible, it comes with tortillas (even soup).
6. Similarly, if edible, it can be served with chiles (even popsicles).
7. If a vehicle can go faster, it will.***

* I thought I was buying marinated vegetables at Exporganicos. It turned out that I bought pickled quail eggs with vegetables (they looked like mushrooms). All's well that ends well. They were quite delicious even if it was weird to think that I was eating eggs from the strangest birds in the Blenkinsop Valley.
** See previous post about strange beverages: Strange Things I Have Eaten III
*** You would rather not know the details of this revelation (or series thereof).

Exporgánicos

2006-10-15T15:28:00.000-06:00

As you may be aware, I have a slight interest in food, particularly Mexican food. Exporgánicos took place in Tuxtla this weekend. As you may guess from the title, it was an exposition of organic products (or non traditional products as the official name went). Thirty states in Mexico were represented. Some examples of products are coffee, cheese, quail eggs, produce, venison, sweets, liqueurs and much more. Of course, I tried samples of almost everything. Having purchased tens of thousands of dollars of food in Latin countries when I worked on the SALTS boats, my vocabulary for food is the most developed, so I was able to understand most of what was going on around me. Although I did use my (lack of ) Spanish as an excuse to get out of a few sales pitches.

Note that the 'dried flowers' are actually dried fruit arranged as flowers. Some people have too much time on their hands.

Strange Things I Have Eaten So Far IV

2006-10-13T18:49:00.000-06:00

This time I didn't eat something strange because I was trying to be polite or because eating it would be so strange I'd have to try it. I tried barbecued cactus because it was offered in a restaurant owned by some people from the school. They said I had to try it and that was all the encouragement I needed. The dish is a combination of barbecued nopal (cactus), queso panela (a kind of cheese), carne asada (BBQed beef), jalapeño and cebollas fritas (fried onions). To say that this dish is delicious would be a profound understatement. The taste of the cactus is the perfect complement to the cheese and the beef. They are improved further by roasted jalapeño, fried onions and their own salsa habanera (which is easily the spiciest thing I have eaten outside of Thailand). Of course, all of this goes on hot corn tortillas. By the way, this is a traditional dish found in the state of Aguascalientes. When I eventually come home, I may have to have fresh nopal airlifted into Victoria.

In other news, tomorrow I am going to an expo of foods from thirty different states in Mexico. Tomorrow I will probably be 30 pounds heavier, a few hundred pesos poorer, but very happy. I will keep you posted

Nietzsche Family Circus!

2006-10-11T15:23:00.000-06:00

OK, I realize that I am departing from my normal (as much as the word can ever be applied to something I do) routine of writing about life in Chiapas. However I live here and this is something I experienced here. Anyway, it is my blog so I have made up my mind.

I have found a website through Digg.com (http://www.digg.com/view/all) that combines Nietzsche quotes randomly with Family Circus cartoons and the result is unbelieveable. The odd combination of the normally banal Family Circus cartoons with Nietzsche's profound writings is both shocking and ironic, not to mention highly entertaining.

Here is a link to the website if you want to randomly create your own. Don't forget to go to bed tonight! The link: http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/

Enjoy!

Mystery solved!

2006-10-09T18:27:00.000-06:00

One of the joys of living in another country is finding things out the hard way. For example - shoelaces. First of all to know where to find shoelaces, you should first look up the word in a dictionary. But of course you didn't think of that before you left home and now you have to make an idiot of yourself by pointing to shoelaces in a shoe store and asking "What is this?" Then when you have acquired the word (agujetas - pronounced a - goo KHET us), you need to ask them if they sell agujetas. Of course they don't because if they did you would wake up to the alarm clock or you would be back at home and thus not having a riveting, multicultural adventure. In fact after a few weeks, you begin to think that no one in this city of one million people seems to sell agujetas. When you point out that seeing as everyone wears shoes, it seems logical that shoelaces would be sold somewhere the employees in the shoe stores smile sympathetically and wonder how many hours until they get to go home. Eventually you find out that shoelaces are sold in "Centro" (downtown). Now in case you think that means in a shoe store down, you would be sorely mistaken. In fact if you ask for shoelaces in a shoe store downtown, they will look at you as if you have asked for muffin cups or enriched uranium. They will politely point you in the general direction of agujetas and when you continue to not find them, you will begin to suspect that the entire city is in on the conspiracy to prevent the Canadian from purchasing agujetas. The idea that an article appeared in the paper about the extrajero (foreigner) who has spent three weeks looking for agujetas and still hasn't found them starts to seem reasonable after circling a few blocks in centro looking for them. In one store that sold string and related items (except of course, agujetas), I had the impression I was close as the lady told me they were just outside the door of the shop. Although suspecting the grand agujetas conspiracy once again, I tried to look convinced and walked out to see a veritable WALL OF SHOELACES! A street vendor happened to be selling belts and agujetas and I think that the look of joy on my face at so many kinds of the much sought after item probably called to mind pilgrims finally reaching Mecca after a harrowing journey. No doubt he wrote off my eccentric behaviour as that of a typical foreigner. Perhaps one who comes from a country lacking shoelaces, I will never know. Well, the mystery is solved and I must be off as I am now looking for enriched uranium. (enriched with 22 vitamins and minerals)

¡Muy Delicioso!

2006-10-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

Try this. Go out and buy corn tortillas. Cut them into rectangular strips. Fry them in corn oil until they are crispy, but be careful not to let them get too dark. Drain the the chips on paper. Do not just buy tortilla chips. If you do, I will hunt you down and . . . (I'll leave the rest to your imagination).

Make guacamole. Here is the best recipe I know. It is not a Chiapanecan recipe, as the following recipe is much better than any guacamole I have had here in Chiapas.

2 large ripe avocados
1 large tomato
3-4 tbsp. onion diced very small
1 serrano chile chopped fine (if you dare)
1-2 garlic cloves chopped very fine *
2 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
salt

Peel and mash avocados, but keep the pit. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and salt to taste. Serve immediately. (Put the pit in the guacamole to keep it from turning brown.)

* The garlic is my own addition to an otherwise authentic Mexican recipe. I strongly believe it improves the taste of the guacamole. Perhaps they use garlic somewhere in Mexico, so maybe it is still authentic.

Tutoring

2006-10-06T05:38:00.000-06:00

For those of (the three of) you that don't know, I have begun to tutor four students after school. I work with them on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for an hour. It is a combination of ESL and helping the kids with their homework (I am required to give homework). We do a combination of fun, language-intensive games and some exercises that would resemble work if I didn't give away stickers and such. I will also start to tutor four other children two days a week. In case you think I am going to burn myself out (as I did) by doing too much, I actually find the tutoring to be very rewarding because I am not required to teach the school's curriculum. I can teach what I want in the way that I want to. I find that I look forward to tutoring, even after a day of teaching.

¡Los Niños!

2006-10-02T16:48:00.000-06:00

Some of you have been asking me in emails about the kids I wrote about that were not going to school because they could not afford to. Shelly and Heather had more than enough donations to pay for their schooling, their uniforms and supplies. There are many more details (than I have time to write about) on Shelly's new blog specifically about the kids. Here is a link to it and I will add a link to this blog on my homepage as well.

http://bellasninos.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned. If there are other needs or other children who cannot afford to go to school, we would like to help them.

In other news, I am starting to work on translating my science shows into Spanish. When I am ready to do the shows completely in Spanish, I will go to some of the orphanages around here. I have heard that some are very poorly funded. If you want to help them out, I will let you know how you can do that.

Technical difficulties are over!

2006-10-01T15:28:00.000-06:00

As you may know, my blog was wiped out by a well meaning helper. We thought all was lost until I got an email from an intrepid staffer at Eblogger who goes by the unlikely name of "Danish". I suspect that Danish works in a cubicle somewhere and this moniker is a nickname representing his or her favorite food item. In honor of Danish's brave rescue of my blog, I encourage all of you (that is all three of you) to go out to a local restaurant and order a danish. I will too, but I doubt I will see one on the menu anytime soon.

In other news I have been working like mad this week to mark all the exams and prepare all the marks for our MONTHLY exam period and report cards. Oh and I have been sick with the nastiest head cold ever. Of course I continue to work, tutor and to study Spanish.

In other, other news I will be adding photos to my flickr page as well since it is now October.

Multisensory Fireworks!

2006-09-17T18:16:00.000-05:00

Judging by the fact that the decorations started going up for Independence Day two or three weeks early, I knew it would be quite a party. I was not disappointed. If I had four hours today (I don't), I couldn't describe all the stands, vendors, musical acts, games and types of food there were in Tuxtla's Central Park for the "Grito de Dolores" (the name for cry of the people of Dolores who rose up to take up the fight with Spain for independence). I will describe only the fireworks display as it was a most unique experience.

There was an area cordoned off and well guarded by police. When I finally decided to ask, the policeman informed me that the fireworks would start in three minutes. Rarely is anyone that precise about start times here, but he was dead on. He also warned me to move back as the fireworks are "muy fuerte" (very strong). This turned out to be the understatement of the century. I was about 12 or 15 metres away, but should have been about 30 metres away. I have always had a certain appreciation for a little danger and thus chose not to move very far away. Each time the fireworks exploded, I was pounded by every shock wave and my eardrums experienced them as well. The air was rich with the smell of the burning chemicals. I loved the fireworks much more than usual as they were not just exploding above me, but all around me. I was hit by various wads of plastic and lots of sparks. Everyone around was enjoying themselves as much as I was and many were shouting, "¡Viva Mexico!" I guess it was like a combination of a huge party and the bombing of Dresden.

Mis estudiantes

2006-09-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of my students. I have two classes of twenty students. A morning class and an afternoon class, both grade three. The kids are very sweet. Initially I had some behavior challenges until they learned that I have eyes in the back of my head and that after a warning, any misbehaviour will result in extra homework or missing a game. Now their behavior is (usually) excellent.

Social Studies - 3B is working diligently on land forms.

3A is not on task quite as much, but it is the afternoon and it's hotter.

The back row is working away, but Miguel has been waiting for the camera.

We have several inside jokes. As the windows on both sides of the classroom are glass slats that are always open, wasps often fly in. Whenever one flies in I tell the kids that it is my friend Pedro. Now the students tell me when Pedro has come to visit. Surprisingly, this somehow keeps them from their usual reaction (freaking out) when they see a wasp.

I often draw pictures on the whiteboard and I always I brag unabashedly about my incredible talent as an artist. By 'incredible talent', I actually mean basic ability to draw stick people (a new phrase may need to be coined - false vanity). The students do not hesitate to point out that I am actually quite bad at drawing.

I do not speak Spanish in the class. In fact in the beginning I told them I didn't really speak Spanish (mostly true). Now and then one of them hears me speaking in Spanish on the playground with another teacher and questions me about this. I always insist that I don't speak a word of Spanish. Only a few gullible students still believe that I don't speak a word of Spanish after being told this in Spanish.

* By the way, today, Friday, September 15 is Mexican Independence Day. You can safely assume it will be a fairly huge fiesta in Parque Central today. I will be there, of course.

¡Hormigas!

2006-09-12T18:29:00.000-05:00

Ants are a regular part of life here. They are just about everywhere. They really caught my attention when my roomate, Kris, pointed out that there are a long line of them carrying pieces of leaves a long way down our street (most likely leafcutter ants). I often check them and they are always carrying leaves. I wonder do they always work? Does an ant ever say, "Hey guys, I'm gonna take five, my thorax is killing me!" Do they take long weekends off? Celebrate birthdays? Somehow I doubt it. Their life is endless toil from morning until night. So next time you complain, think of the ants.

Two days ago, I saw a beautiful, but massive beetle with irridescent green armour plating turned upside down and being attacked by a platoon of ants. The beetle seemed to be without a friend and so I held my shoe over him. The beetle immediately grabbed on and was rescued from the vicious attack. In fact, I was hard pressed to get him to let go when I was trying to deposit him on the ground a good distance away.

Ants constantly search our apartment for food. They check all the rooms without seeming to notice that the kitchen has the highest chance of having food scraps. Fortunately Kris and I are very tidy, so the ants have very little luck finding food. We even keep our cereal, sugar and other non-perishables in the fridge to keep our persistent friends from sharing our food.

There are also very tiny little ants that are so small I am not sure they are ants. But they move like ants, so I am assuming that's what they are. These ants are so small they can get in jars and ziploc bags that are closed.

The proliferation of ants is one of the perks of living in a foreign country. Sometime I will discuss millipedes which I like even more.

Strange Things I Have Eaten III

2006-09-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

Although not as strange as eating caterpillars, it still seems weird to me that some of the drinks I have tried here are random veggies and grains blenderized with sugar. Even stranger is that they are always very refreshing.

Some of the drinks I have had:

Horchata - a drink made from pulverized rice
Avena - a drink made from oatmeal
Agua Pepina - a drink made from cucumbers
Jamaica - a drink made from hibiscus flower petals

Who first thought to themselves that it might be really tasty to grind up rice, add sugar, ice and water? I can't help but wonder if some Mexicans made a bet to see who could think of the strangest drinks and then they made them. And then they caught on. I'll keep you posted on new and exciting foods.

* In this picture, jamaica (pronounced 'ha MIKE a') is on the left and horchata is on the right.

** Note that I reposted the blog from Saturday with a picture.

Student bloopers

2006-09-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

I literally spent the whole day marking. So this won't be very inspired. Actually I am just going to post some of my students' funny comments or mistakes.

From interview questions:

Q - What is your favourite subject?
A - "the recess" (Marie Eugenia)

Q - What is your favorite food?
A - "the cat" (Robert)

Q - What is your favorite animal?
A - "rabid horse" (Mercedes)

From questions involving a story they read:

Q - What was wrong with his socks?
A - "sneezing" (Alejandro)

That is all I have for you today. A day of marking has given me fairly serious writer's block. Not to mention that I am still at school and it is 8:10 pm.

Hilarious new activity!

2006-09-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Although nearly dead after the football match on Friday, I joined a group of about a dozen English and Spanish teachers and we went to La Pachanga to celebrate my friend Rafa's birthday. La Pachanga is a huge palapa bar with a stage for entertainment (music, comedy or both), delicious antojitos (appetizers) and, of course, lots of cerveza. As always, we were joking and laughing constantly. Hernando inspired a lot of laughs as he was able to open beer bottles with his flip flops. We found out later that his flip flops have bottle openers built into the bottom. He informed us that they sell these flip flops only to "borrachos" (drunkards).

At one point in the evening, I told my friends that that the beer they drink (Sol) is meant for girls. I drink dark beer which I informed them is for men. Later, when someone ordered something, I said , "y una paleta por mi amigo (and a popsicle for my friend). The insults went back and forth like a verbal ping pong game. Someone pointed out that I learned Spanish so I could harass my friends. I think he might be onto something.

The highlight of the evening came later when a man showed up with some black machine with knobs, dials and two wires with handles. The next thing I knew I was holding one handle and everyone was joining hands. [DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, THESE PEOPLE ARE TRAINED EXPERTS!] Yes, the whole point was to electrocute us. We were laughing hysterically. At least once he turned the current off. Then some of us tried it individually and he tested us to see how much current we could handle. Juan told us that it is good for the heart. I added, "unless it stops'. Needless to say this crazy activity was the highlight of the evening. I believe they have a proverb in India that applies: "That which does not kill you makes you stronger." I hope this is true.

* Note that Juan is trying the electricity all by himself and I am pretending to pour beer on his hands which would increase his conductivity (I think). Yes, I tried this. Lots of fun.

Jardin Botánico Dr. Faustino Miranda

2006-09-03T08:46:00.000-05:00

While exploring recently, I found my way to Tuxtla’s botanical garden. Of course it is a remarkably peaceful and beautiful place to spend time. I am not sure whether I should be sad or happy that it seems almost not in use compared to the crowds that fill the shopping malls here. A lot of the former and a little of the latter, I suppose.

Another benefit of the garden is that the trees are labeled which allows me to learn the Spanish names of the trees. I have yet to find a Chiapanecan who can tell me the name of a kind of tree with any degree of certainty. Perhaps my interest in nature is seen as an eccentricity (as are probably a lot of other things).

I salute Dr. Faustino Miranda who had the wisdom and foresight to help found this space for future generations. Or, at the very least, lend his name to the cause.

Cultural Difference

2006-09-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

Coming from the left-coast of Canada, I am acutely aware of one vast difference between Mexican and Canadian culture. Political correctness is almost non-existant here. Take the picture for example. ‘GORDITAS’ are a kind of food, but it also means fat women. Many people here think nothing of referring to women walking right in front of them as gorditas. When I mentioned that I like Mexican food, some of my coworkers immediately asked me if I like gorditas. What followed was five or ten minutes of discussion about gorditas always described as if it were a food, but clearly implying the slang meaning. It takes a little getting used to. In a recent staff meeting, the foreign teachers were informed that one particular teacher does not come to get our students because “she is fat’.

As you may have guessed, Chiapanecans seem to love making jokes. That’s one reason (of many) why Tuxtla is such a good fit for me. Some of the jokes I make (and that I can repeat) are at the expense of my good-natured roommate, Kris, who is vegetarian (in a very non-vegetarian culture). At a recent fiesta, (I am beginning to mark time by fiestas) I informed Kris that the hot dog appetizers were “Salchichas de Plantas” - Glenn Spanish for hot dogs made from plants and mentioned that they have “savor de arboles” - tree flavoring. Since then my friends have referred to ALL vegetation as food for Kris and all meat as if it is veggy-based. “Pollo de plantas” - chicken from plants, for example. I am sure that none of this seems remotely funny at home, but we laugh uproariously at all of these jokes. Kris gets me back in a myriad of ways, often involving his far superior understanding of Spanish. I have ceased to ask him to tell me the Spanish for words I don’t know as he has started to mess with me by telling me the wrong words. In just one month, my friends and I have so many inside jokes that a discussion without some reference to a previous joke would be very unusual.

I should add that I have avoided mentioning the vast majority of the jokes my friends and I make as even having read about the differences between the two cultures, you would still be horrified at these jokes. Plus I am aware that my blog is family programming for some of you.

Get Thee to Una Escuela

2006-08-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

Heather and Shelly have 'adopted' three kids who come to pick up their garbage. When these kids found out that they are teachers, the kids asked if Shelly and Heather could teach them. It turns out that their mother can't afford the 150 pesos per month for school and the cost of the uniforms. Altogether it seems that it will cost $100 USD to send all three kids to school. They have paid the fees and several of us have offered to help cover the costs. If this family knows other children who can't afford to go to school and you are interested in helping cover their costs, email me at glenn_kachmar@yahoo.com. Or just email me to say hi.

I will also post links on my blog to Shelly and Heather's blogs, so you can find out more (and so you don't think I am scamming you). You also get a different perspective from their blogs than mine. Or maybe you have a life and have better things to do. Nah.

These are the uniforms spread out on the couch for the kids. The kids just love Heather and Shelly. Although it occurred to me that once they find out what school is like, they might not be as excited. (kidding)

Some Details for Those of You Curious About My School (ASFC)

School starts at 8:00. Monday begins with a somewhat militaristic drill (Canadian perspective here) in which we salute the Mexican Flag, sing the Mexican anthem, sing the Chiapanecan anthem and sing the Star Spangled Banner (I am now more tempted than ever to sing “Jose can you see”). The other days we just have an announcement or two and go up to class. After the morning drill, we head up to my classroom and I teach Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and Computer. Trying to describe the logistics of teaching two classes of twenty children these subjects in English, particularly when the kids actually know almost no English, would overwhelm you. In fact that is more or less the effect it is having on me. But in general I have a book that contains a section for each subject and there is a CD for spelling words and vocabulary. I work through the book with the students and include as many games, hands-on experiments and activities as I can, given the time and language constraints. Except for the occasional spare, I have the students until 10:50 at which point it is lunch. I always at eat the cafeteria. It has delicious food that is very affordable. It also happens to be my favourite kind of food - Mexican (what a coincidence). Lunch is over at 11:20. In the afternoon I teach the same subjects to the other class of grade three students. My morning group is then with Miss Rocio, my Spanish counterpart. Besides the language and time constraints, I now have to deal with the fact that it is hotter and the kids are very tired. (The difficulty just increased by a factor of four). All this probably makes it sound like I am not enjoying the teaching, but I actually like it a lot. I like a challenge. The kids are really nice. They are very friendly and we have lots of fun. At 2:15, the kids come down and we herd them into the foyer of the school. Given how many kids are crammed into the foyer, the use of the word ‘HERD’ is sadly appropriate. The primary teachers supervise the kids until the parents pick them up or 2:30, whichever comes first (2:30).

En Mi Vecindario IV

2006-08-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

Just three blocks from where I live there is a fantastic restaurant called El Calle Jon de Las Delicias. There is nothing that says “classy restaurant” like a satellite dish sign. Sarcasm aside, it is actually quite nice. The lady who runs the restaurant is always very welcoming and it is clear by the presentation and the quality of the food that the cooks have professional training. One time three of us showed up for dinner 45 minutes after they closed and the lady who runs it made us dinner despite the fact that her cooks were all gone and she was the only person left.

The second most important selling point (after how delicious the food is) is the fact that the verandah is a mini-botanical garden. More and more I realize how important plants and nature in general are to me.

Exploring Tuxtla

2006-08-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

Today I went exploring. I just looked at a map at home, chose a part of Tuxtla that I had never been to and headed over there. Tuxtla is too small to get lost in (only a million people). In Cairo I used to play mystery bus*, but unfortunately, transportation is too easy to use here to get really lost. One of the reasons I chose to come to Tuxtla is because Chiapas is known for its natural beauty. As you may know, I have not been disappointed.

I find Tuxtla to be a very nice city to live in, but Chiapanecans sometimes say that Tuxtla is “the ugliest city in Chiapas”. If San Cristobal de Los Casas and Chiapa de Corzo are any guide, that may be the case. Nevertheless, I still like it here a lot.

* Get on a bus with a number I didn’t recognize and see where it took me. This game always resulted in adventures in Cairo.

Preparations

Although Mexican Independence Day is still almost three weeks away, preparations have begun and shops are beginning to decorate in green, white and red. Knowing how well Mexicans throw a party, I am excited to see what happens.

La Fiesta en Mi Casa

2006-08-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

Encouraged to make a toast at the party at our place, I ventured, "¡A una semana!" (To one week! - as we had just finshed one week of school) Not long after that there was another toast "¡A una semana y una hora!" (to one week and one hour) and so it went until our toasts became (theoretically) specific to the second calculated by using various teachers' cell phones - "¡A una semana y cinco horas y 37 minutos y 23 segundos!" I have a feeling that we may be measuring the rest of the year in toasts.

My goals for the party were to celebrate the first week and to give the Spanish teachers and the English teachers a chance to socialize together as we are usually too busy for this at school. I suppose that it is kind of 'teacherish' to set goals for a party. (You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom out of the teacher.)

Actually the party is a memory that I think I will cherish for a long time. It is hard to believe that I have only been here for one month. The depth of the friendships I have already made and the number of inside jokes my friends and I have make it seem like I have been working at ASFC for a long time.

All is well that ends well.

La Fiesta en Ocozocoautla

I have reposted the blog about the fiesta in Ocozocoautla with the picture as I now have a scan of it. Here is a small pic of it, but a bigger shot is posted on the original blog entitled "¡Otra Fiesta en Ocozocoautla!"

The Walk To and From School

2006-08-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

One of my hopes before I left Canada was that the apartment the school found for me would be close enough to walk to school. Exercise is a priority for me and although I cycled everywhere in Victoria, I would not cycle on these roads with the “creative” drivers we have here in Tuxtla. My roommate, Kris, is planning to get a bike. His blood type is A positive. If you have this blood type, please donate a few pints and Fed Ex it to him. My prediction is that he will need it within three days of cycling Avenida Central. It was nice knowing him. But I digress once again. Actually, the walk is quite nice. Even though it is on a busy street, there are long stretches where I walk under veritable canopies of lush green trees that seem not to have suffered in this urban environment. It is quite calming to walk home, particularly after a day of active students and the pressure of teaching in a school that functions primarily in Spanish. Another benefit of the walk home is that I am beginning to know a lot of people in the shops and restaurants that are on my street. I often greet them and truly appreciate the genuine warmth they show me. I suspect we have lost this experience in all but the smallest towns in Canada. The 17 year old working at the convenience store in Victoria just doesn’t exude that same sense of community as the man that I see every day who is painting his pottery. I would guess he has been there every day for many, many years.

The Third Day of School

The experience continues to be intense, but also equally enjoyable. The kids seem to have resigned themselves to the fact that I won’t speak Spanish in the classroom, even when I know what to say. Initially I was telling them that I don’t know very much Spanish, but one of them heard me speaking in Spanish to the other grade three teacher and is convinced that I know more than I was admitting to. I informed her in Spanish that I don’t speak Spanish at all and apparently this did not help to convince her.

La Comida en Tuxtla

2006-08-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

Those of you that know me, know that I am passionate about food. I am especially fond of Mexican cooking, of course. I haven’t written about the food yet because it is so good, I wouldn’t have the time to devote to describe it adequately.

I will describe a meal I have made a few times. It is based on tostadas I have had in a couple of different restaurants here.

Tostadas de Frijoles

I will describe what I made for dinner and then write a ‘dumbed down’ version as supermarkets outside Mexico (tragically) won’t have the selection that I have here.

* starting at the bottom and working my way up *
Tostada – the base is a tostada (fried corn tortilla)
Frijoles refritos con queso and chipotle – refried beans with cheese and chipotle
Queso Chiapanecan – Cheese from Chiapas (like drier, crumblier feta)
Cebollas – diced onions
Aguacate Chiapanecan – Slices of avocado (locally grown)
Limon – Freshly squeezed lime juice
Sel – a little salt
Herdez’ Cinco Chiles Salsa - 5 chiles salsa (try and guess if it is hot)
Crema – Cream (like sour cream, but creamier and not sour)
La Anita Habanero Salsa – hottest salsa I’ve had so far (bright green too)

** In a restaurant here this would have a layer of shredded chicken or beef too, but when I cook at home I rarely cook with meat. Tostadas often come with lettuce, too, but good lettuce is hard to find here. These are also great with cilantro.

So here is my advice on how to make this in Canada or the US.

Tostadas – If you can’t buy these, buy CORN tortillas and fry them until they are golden and crunchy. Drain well.
Frijoles Refritos – Buy or make refried beans. Add some grated cheese to heated refried beans and add some Chipotle vinegar (or diced chipotle peppers if you are brave). Spread the finished refried beans on the tostadas.
Queso – You will never find Chiapanecan cheese at home, so just put a little mozzarella or monterey jack on the refried beans (yes, as well as mixing it in). I used a microwave to heat these and it seemed to have the added benefit of making the tostadas less brittle. You could also use refried beans straight off the stove to melt the cheese.
Cebollas – Put some diced onions on top.
Aguacate y Sel – Some avocado slices are a must. Salt the tostadas.
Limon – Some freshly squeezed lime juice on top is a must.
Salsas – Most salsas in Canada are full or tomatoes and corn and peaches and whatnot else. Salsa means sauce in Spanish. Most salsas in restaurants are what we would call hot sauce. I mentioned the two I used above. For the most authentic flavour, try to find “salsa habanera”. Be brave. Put as much on as you can handle.
(¡If you use ketchup, I will come back, hunt you down and force feed you salsa habanera!)
Crema – Put a little daub of sour cream on top. It is close enough to crema to simulate the taste. It also helps you recover from the picante salsas.

Make lots. The first time I made these, I made five and I had to make a second batch (four more) because they were so good. (I had to wait an hour because I was afraid to type on a full stomach.)

By the way, I thought of an analogy that gives you an idea of how much better the food is here. Eating (Mexican food) in Chiapas is like listening to a symphony orchestra in a concert hall. Eating Mexican food in Canada (due to the smaller selection of ingredients) is like listening to the same orchestra from underneath the water of a nearby pool. In other words, I have died and gone to heaven.

The First Day of School

Today, August 21st, was the first day of school. It was very exciting to finally meet the students. The fact that my students speak almost no English was a bit of a shock. Actually I think it might just be the fact that they have not heard or spoken English since the last day of school. It did cause some serious last minute changes to my plans. The kids seem really nice and they have already responded very warmly to me. I look forward to spending the year with them and vastly improving their English. In all honesty, I couldn't be happier. The school is fantastic, the kids are a lot of fun, the food is outstanding and life is an adventure once again. Stay tuned.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home

I went into a small shop to buy produce (as they have better produce than the supermarket where I do most of my shopping). I was the third customer in a row to give the guy a large bill - 200 pesos ($20 or so). He didn't have change, so I offered to buy something at the shop next door. He thought this was a good idea, so I headed over there. Of course they didn't have very much change so they sent an assistant over to get change from the produce guy. Life is strange, sometimes.

En Mi Vecindario III

2006-08-19T12:27:00.000-05:00

My intent is that you become nearly as familiar with my neighborhood as I am. Today I have a few photos from one of the plant shops I pass on my way to and from school each day. These photos are taken at this plant shop. It is called Aprilis. I have purchased plants from them. I recall that the guy working there seemed surprised to see Kris and I shopping for plants as tourists probably don't buy plants and all foreigners are tourists here. By now he would have seen us walking to and from many times.

Although I have loved the outdoors for many years, I have realized only upon coming to Chiapas how important nature is to me. I think it may have been the time I spent volunteering at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary that had the most impact on me. If you are in Victoria and you are reading this, drop everything and head straight over to Swan Lake. Then email me when you get home and tell me about it.

If anyone knows the names of these plants, post a comment with the info. I would like to know.

La Vida en Tuxtla II - Los Arboles

2006-08-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

Although I haven't yet discovered anyone with a passion for environmentalism here in Tuxtla, trees seem to have a special place in the heart of Chiapanecans. The (paved) road leading up to the school has two trees growing out of the middle of it. Another seems to be growing out of a fence and one has been incorporated into a guard hut. This type of care taken of trees during construction may not be universal, but it certainly is much more common than at home.

You may not be able to see both of them, but there are two trees growing out of the middle of the road.

This is some kind of ditch that runs next to the main road. Diamond-shaped structures have been made in the ditch to protect the trees growing out of the middle of it.
I pass several of these on the walk to school.

La Clima en Tuxtla

2006-08-16T20:18:00.000-05:00

As all Canadians are apparently obsessed with talking about the weather*, I feel it is my duty to report on the weather in Tuxtla. Now the weather report may say that it is 31 or 33 degrees, but don’t be fooled. That may not sound very hot, but the humidity is constant and makes it feel much hotter than it is. But I survived three years in Egypt. I can handle Tuxtla.

The most fascinating aspect of the weather here is that nearly every afternoon around five or six o’clock, the storm clouds move in rapidly, the winds pick up and you begin to hear thunder and see lightning. When it rains, the sky truly opens. In fact, it seems to go from sunny to flash flood in just ten or fifteen minutes. The other day I was walking around in my neighborhood and it looked like it was about to pour. I happened to be near my favorite restaurant so I headed in for dinner. As I enjoyed a delicious dinner on the veranda, small cars were being washed down the street. I chatted briefly with the owner, paid and by the time I stepped out, the sky was sunny again and there was little indication that it had just poured. I love the predictability of the weather and the intensity of the storms. I don’t even mind the humidity.

* How to Be A Canadian by Will and Ian Ferguson

En Mi Vecindario II

2006-08-14T19:24:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I find strange parallels between experiences I have had in other places and ones that I am presently having. Here is one. Three blocks from my apartment in Tuxtla is a Shisha Cafe/Restaurant.

Having spent three years in Cairo and feeling presently like I am as far removed from Cairo as I could possibly be, I was more than a little stunned to look up and see a sign using Latin letters for the Egyptian Arabic word for a water-pipe ( شيشه ). As expected, they indeed have shisha, but what turned this into a surreal experience for me was when the sight and smell of sheesha came together with the rhythm of a very Egyptian song, Habibi, Ya Nour Il Ayn. Were my heart not stronger, the shock of all my senses converging in such a way might have spelled the end for me.

La Vida en Tuxtla

2006-08-14T18:29:00.000-05:00

Colectivos are mini-vans with the seats rearranged so there is a bench behind the front seats and one on each side of the van. There is a side door that opens and closes at the push of a button (although it may be thought control - I have never actually seen the button). The most important thing about the colectivo is that they are driven by drivers carefully screened to ensure that each and every one has a death-wish. I am certain the test to be a colectivo driver is given at 140 km/hr in heavy traffic. You must kill at least two pedestrians and injure three or four passengers to pass the test. OK, perhaps I am exaggerating. It may only be necessary to kill one pedestrian. You get the idea.

When you get on, you sit down and pass the money (4 pesos) to the driver who makes change and then it is passed back to you. Anyone who says that men can’t multitask has never seen a colectivo driver talk on a cell phone, make change for a 200 peso bill and weave his way through traffic at speeds approaching the speed of sound. One positive aspect of colectivos is that they eliminate the need for caffeine.

PS: La Vida en Tuxtla (Life in Tuxtla) will be a continuing column like En Mi Vecindario (In My Neighbourhood), Strange Things I Have Eaten So Far and Funny Signs. If I am using Spanish and you don't speak Spanish, go to Babel Fish, cut and paste the Spanish Text in, select Spanish to English and click on Translate. Here is the link:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

¡Otra Fiesta en Ocozocoautla!

2006-08-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

Rafael picked me up and we headed to a town called Ocozocoautla (pronunciation guide - o€ak>!ÖzÆe-'ow¥¡! k^wow*t,l"æh) also known as Coita (pronunciation guide - coita).

If I’d had any doubts about the ability of Mexican people to put on a party, those would be laid to rest now.

Since I did not have a camera with me*, I will try to set the scene. Once we had picked up Thomás and Julio in Coita, we headed out of town to a ranch. Try to imagine a beautiful ranch set in a valley surrounded by verdant hills and imposing cliffs. Of course, for me the most dominant feature of the ranch was the five or six massive trees that dotted the property. Not only were they massive, but they spread out their branches so far as to seem as if they were embracing the whole crowd. But I digress. The eight thousand or so people also made an impression on you. The outskirts of the ranch had people riding horses and children riding ponies. There were tents or stalls everywhere and in these tents were food vendors selling a strange variety of foods, there were cerveza tents and strange Mexican forms of gambling (Loteria with dice, card games and games that involved marbles falling through a maze of nails and then into different slots). In the centre of the excitement was a stage with several different acts. Wandering through this teeming mass of humanity was any number of mariachi bands, other musicians, people selling candy, nuts, cotton candy, balloons, inflatable creatures and much more. Weaving their way through the crowd were young children picking up the discarded beer cans.

The first act on the stage was a singer and a keyboard player with two scantily clad dancers. Having learned many of the, shall we say, ‘ indelicate’ words in Spanish with the boys at the previous fiesta, I was rather surprised when the singer used all the ones I’d learned and a few others as well, judging by the crowd’s reactions. The dancing was a bit of a surprise too, as I guess I expected ‘ family entertainment’ and this seemed gear for a different demographic. To me the crude language and sexually suggestive dancing was the most obvious difference in our cultures I have yet seen. The second act was a huge group playing a type of music known here as Bandas. It has an incredibly fast tempo and sounds like a cross between big band music and ska with a Mexican flavour (yes, that flavour would be picante salsa). Bandas is also incredibly infectious and I find I love this genre of music already. I could probably even dance to it as it is so fast you don’t have time to be good.

It was amazing to me at one point to realize that I was almost certainly the only foreigner in that crowd of many thousands of people. I was thrilled to realize this actually.

* This photo was taken by a photographer Thomas knew. The guapos in the picture are (from the right) Thomas, me, Julio, Rafael (AKA, 'el Jefe') and Rafael's nephew whose name escapes me.

Strange Things I Have Eaten So Far II

Patas de Pollo - Chicken feet
I have always wondered why people eat chicken feet. Having tried them, I still wonder why people eat chicken feet.
Guasano - Caterpillars
These were fried, I think (as they were not squishy) and nicely seasoned. Coming soon to stores near you.

¡La Fiesta!

2006-08-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

If you have guessed that a fiesta at the school means a mariachi band, you have guessed correctly. After work on Friday, we all met in the covered area and partook of some amazing food and incredible music. There is nothing quite like a mariachi band playing and singing while they are right next to you and interacting with the group. I suppose the idea was to welcome all the teachers, although it just occurred to me that perhaps no one here feels a need to justify having a fiesta. Anyway, whatever the reason, I enjoyed the tender lamb used for the tacos and of course the various side dishes like black beans, rice with veggies and of course, the different salsas. A drink that is ubiquitous here is horchata. It is made from rice, sugar and there sometimes is cinnamon. It is strangely refreshing. I had copious amounts of it.

Of course, sometimes the best parties start when they finish. I had a bunch of the guys over to my place for cerveza afterwards and we talked and laughed for hours. My vocabulary in Spanish has swelled considerably, but since I was with the guys, it is safe to say that the words I learned probably aren't ones that I would be using around the school.

Here is an update on the excitement that took place a few days ago (Mucha Policia - Aug. 8). Apparently the overwhelming police presence was to arrest a guy who had been in a fight and when an officer came to arrest him, he had hit the policeman. Strangely, when Roberto told me this story, he used the same word the other guy had to describe the police presence - bastante. As far as I can tell it means sufficient. To describe 30 heavily armed policemen coming to arrest one guy and describe it as 'sufficient' seems absurdly inadequate to me. Of course, I am not even 20 feet away from a guy with a massive automatic rifle. He is probably guarding the bank that I am next to. He also looks like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I am not planning to find out if that is true.

Colores en Chiapas

2006-08-09T14:50:00.000-05:00

The way colour is used in Chiapas is exhilarating. Walking around Tuxtla and other towns in Chiapas, I feel as if I am seeing for the first time. One thing is certain, if I ever own a house, it will be painted very bright colours.

Mucha Policia

2006-08-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

I thought my start to the day was exciting as I woke up and noticed a millipede crawling up the wall of my bedroom. He had apparently wandered into my room through the window. I love millipedes and decided to name him Emiliano (after the revolutionary hero, Emilano Zapata). I went outside in my shorts, t-shirt and bare feet to get some soil for Emiliano´s new home. Upon stepping out of the courtyard I noticed that heavily armed police were starting to file past me in the direction of the other building. They had some rather serious looking automatic weapons and handguns too. Two officers were parking trucks to block the exit (clearly to prevent the bandidos from escaping). None of them seemd surprised to see me or made any attempt to get me to go back in and still a little stunned from having just woken up, I continued to walk over to get soil from the garden around the pool. As I started back to the courtyard, I noticed that more police were filing in and a number of police in full riot gear were in formation blocking the exit from behind their shields. And I thought a millipede was exciting. Sadly the excitement ended without any shooting as they waited about an hour and left as quietly as they came. Later the guy who opens the gate told me "There was a problem in the other building." He added that there was "sufficient police present". Apparently he is a master of understatement. A gang of bandidos with rocket launchers and a tank would have had a tough go at escaping our apartment complex. Although I had Kris´camera ready, I did not take a picture as it is generally inadvisable to take pictures of police in foreign countries. I figured I would get a few photos if they started shooting as they would not notice me taking pictures. There were too many police everywhere to be able to take a picture from the balcony without being noticed. In fact the guy at the gate told me there had been thirty police.

Emilano buried himself in the soil and I have not seen him since this morning. It was just another day in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Mi Casa es Su Casa

2006-08-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

In case you are interested, here are a few photos of my apartment in Tuxtla. My roomate Kris and I live in a very comfortable three bedroom apartment that is a twenty minute walk from school. We both feel quite spoiled as the apartment is close to everything and even has a pool. However the pool and the surrounding area was overwhelmed by a recent flash flood and we are reluctant to use it right now (still quite dirty and not draining). C'est la vie.

This is the front entrance of the apartment building.

This is our living room. Kris and I have no art or other decorations yet, but we are looking into various options. We will keep you posted. I bought some plants today and I think we will be going back for some more soon.

This is the last picture for today. It is not a great shot, but it is the view of the palm trees from our balcony. There is another kind of tree which may be related to a mango tree, but is somehow different. I never tire of looking out the windows at these trees. It is wonderfully peaceful sight.

Chiapa de Corzo

2006-08-05T18:03:00.000-05:00

I made another trip to a town near Tuxtla, Chiapa de Corzo. As I expected, it was beautiful. Chiapa de Corzo is the oldest town in the state of Chiapas. It was founded in the early 1500’s by the Spanish conquerors, I have read that they didn’t stay very long because of the heat. This seems plausible after spending some time there. However I beat the heat by having a little siesta under a huge tree next to an ancient church. Apparently the Spanish immediately moved on and founded San Cristobal de Los Casas up in the mountains.

Every town or city I have ever visited in Mexico has a municipal market. They are always interesting and always different. Often they are the best places to eat as I look for the places where Mexicans eat, not where tourists go. Today I gave it a miss however as the restaurants were quite close to the places selling raw meat. I am not going to go out of my way to get sick.

Cobblestone roads, brightly painted homes and lush green hills surrounding the town combine to create a very picturesque place.

"My door is always open"

2006-08-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

The American School Foundation of Chiapas is the lengthy name of my new school. The attached picture shows you the school, but what this aerial photo doesn´t capture is that from ground level, the school is surrounded by majestic trees and the natural beauty of the campus inspires you immediately upon arriving. More impressive however, is the welcoming attitude of the Mexican teachers. On our first day of work, every Mexican teacher made obviously sincere offers of help to the foreign teachers. "If there is anything I can do to help you . . .", If I can help in any way . . ." and "My door is always open" were some examples. At one point, the latter comment was even followed by, "Actually you don´t even have a door!" in the case of the secondary coordinator. Naturally this was met with gales of laughter. I am thrilled to say that after only four days with my new colleagues, there is nothing to indicate the welcome and offers were anything but completely serious. One other aspect of this staff is that jokes seem to be a constant part of our interactions as staff. One outburst of shouting and laughter in the cafeteria ended by a teacher getting water dumped on him. I have no idea how I will adapt to this jocular environment, but I will manage somehow.

En Mi Vecindario

2006-08-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

On the walk to school there is a fantastic, if slightly (OK, extremely) tacky pottery shop which consists of a massive yard with every manner of pottery animal yard and wall ornament one could conceive of as well as a number that almost no one could. To a photographer´s eye, (yes, I pretend to be a photographer) it is beautiful. I somehow find it much more appealing than most of the art I saw at the Louvre in Paris or the Met in New York. Perhaps individually it is tacky, but taken together it becomes greater than the sum of its parts. I am not exactly sure how. I love walking by the pottery shop and will surely purchase some crazy frog wall ornament or some kitschy bird to look out from our balcony.

When I first walked up to the man who was working away at an unglazed pottery sun and asked him in my polite, probably quaint Spanish if I could take pictures of his products, he grudgingly agreed. But now that we see him each day and greet him sometimes in the morning and afternoon, his face brightens. Perhaps he realizes that we were not simply tourists too cheap to purchase his art, but residents (too cheap to purchase his art - at least for now).

Flash Flood

After school today it rained like there is no tomorrow (avoid cliches like the plague!!!). I would not have been surpised to see cars washing down Avenida Central, the water was so deep on the roads. The wind which seemed as if it would knock down all the trees in our courtyard, was an added bonus, not to mention the hail. Our swimming pool is now under water. I was swimming just as the rain started and I suspect it may be a few days before I swim again. Oh the hardships of life in foreign countries! I suspect most of the cats in the neighborhood have washed most of the way to the Pacific by now.

El Cañon del Sumidera

2006-08-02T17:25:00.000-05:00

Today all the teachers from ASFC went to the spectacular El Cañon del Sumidera, just outside of Tuxtla Gutierrez. As you can see, the canyon is amazing. Watching birds (seemingly) as small as mosquitoes fly majestically through the canyon emphasized the grand scale of the setting. Of course I kept dreaming of the day that I take a similiar trip by boat through the bottom of the canyon.

I had long known of the natural beauty of Chiapas, but nothing quite prepares you for it. The various birds, insects and an astonishing variety of plants added to the magical nature of the setting. We spotted three bizarre forms of grasshoppers that looked as if they belonged on another planet. One had such incredible camouflage that it did justice to the theory of natural selection. Anything that eats this particular type of grasshopper has little or no hope of ever spotting one. I am not sure how we did.

One other aspect of the day's outing that made it a perfect day was the challenge from our principal, Michy, for each of us to take turns sitting next to different teachers of the opposite language. The various Spanish teachers I spent time with taught me a lot of Spanish. One group of female teachers have taken it upon themselves to teach me all the double (and triple and quadruple) meanings of various words in Spanish. I am now afraid to speak.

Finishing off the event was a traditional Chiapanecan dinner of Antojitos (roughly translates to appetizers) and drinks. About twenty of us sat under a palapa trying various traditional drinks and with each round of drinks came baskets of tostadas and an astonishing assortment of antojitos. There must have been at least fifteen dishes and every last one of them was delicious. Some examples are pozole (a kind of soup made with corn), ceviche made with ground beef, black beans with cheese and a dish combining liver and heart (surprisingly good). I can't think of anywhere I have ever been that has such tasty and unique food. Fortunately I have spent years becoming used to fiery dishes. Nothing I have had yet has been too spicy. Twice lately cooks have brought out hotter salsas when they have seen how much salsa I put on my food.

San Cristobal de Los Casas

2006-07-31T16:38:00.000-05:00

Other than to use the word breathtaking, I am not going to try to describe the city of San Cristobal de Los Casas. I have been walking around the city in a state of disbelief that there could be any place so beautiful. I don´t think anywhere I went in Europe even compares to this. If you don´t believe me, go onto Flickr and see for yourself. (http://flickr.com/search/?q=San+Cristobal+&s=int)

The following two headings will probably be reoccuring. Stay tuned.

Strange Things I Have Eaten So Far

Chihuahua·
Tacos el Pastor (when I think about some of the pastors I have met, this seems to be a reasonable use for them)
· actually a kind of cheese, but I prefer to think of it as the dog

Funny Signs

A very serious looking green RUTA DE EVACUACION sign posted on the wall of a tiny moneychanging business (evacuation route). The store was all of 12 feet wide with three walls and the other side was completely open. There was no other direction one could conceivably go in any situation. Fortunately the arrow was pointing to the side of the store that was completely open. I would hate to think of the confusion it could cause in an emergency if it were pointing in another direction.

¡Estoy aqui finalmente!

2006-07-30T13:49:00.000-05:00

Well after months of preparation and about 3 million email to the school staff, I am finally here. My bags, however, have decided to see a bit of the country first.

Right now I am in a Cyber Cafe on the busiest street in town. Cars are zooming by at speeds I had forgotten exist. A football match is on the TV (of course) and the sound of horns blaring serves as a constant reminder that I am no longer in Victoria. The heat and humidity would have taken care of that had there been no horns. But although it feels familiar after having visited Mexico three other times, Tuxtla Gutierrez is different. The moment I stepped out of the airport, I breathed a smell that was two parts jungle and one part mountain air. Or perhaps that was two parts needing to shower, it is hard to say.

Tuxtla is nestled in a valley surrounded by lush green hills and small mountains. Except for the palm trees, the foliage seems different than on the coast. The energy of a Latin-American country is the same, but the people seem nicer and a little stunned to realize a foreigner is in their midst. Although I am clearly a novelty here, no one has approached me to sell me anything or been pushy in any way. The lack of aggressive sales pitches at every turn is both refreshing and novel. I like the people already.

Now I am off to Centro in search of tacos and cerveza. And adventure too.

July 14, 2006

2006-07-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

Victoria, BC

Having traveled all over the place and having always kept a journal, I wanted to continue the tradition of recording my experiences. This time, I would like to be able to share my life with my firends who are scattered around the world. What better way to do this than a blog. I don't leave for two weeks, but wanted to get a start on the blog so I am an expert by the time I actually am in Tuxtla.