Beards, Shirts and Setbacks

What do you do when you have a group of students that is full of energy but empty of attention?  Act crazier than them!  Instead of getting frustrated at trying to control behavior, I decided to join in.  I gathered my hair underneath my chin, put a hairband around it, and wandered around stroking my newly formed “beard”.  The kids thought it was hilarious and actually listened to me the rest of the period!

Size of clothing is another difference here.  The school has provided two white polo shirts for teachers.  Making the false assumption or being the same size in shirts here in Mexico as I am in the States, I ordered large.  Unfortunately, a large is more like a very small medium.  I find it terribly difficult to be professional when I look/feel like a hoochy-mama.  Showing tummies may be ok for some people, but I like to keep the mystery alive (advice of a dear friend in CO).  I think I will have two shirts for my youngest niece after washing…

Today I was walking past the Tienda to meet one of my mentees when my principal called me over and said, “You’re going to kill me”.  It turns out she volunteered one of my classes for some kind of story activity.  Not only did I lose an entire class period with my lowest class, but the next teacher lost half of her class as well because the story activity ran longer than expected.  I also lose another 15 minutes with the same class tomorrow for a presentation from the school orchestra… I could choose to be upset over these setbacks, or I could just say, “TIM” and move on.  I choose the latter.

It's Time for Another Good Idea/Bad Idea

Good idea: driving aggressively in Querétaro. 

Bad idea: creating your own lane and then cutting off a bus 10 times bigger than you, clipping the front of the bus, and then driving off because you know it’s your fault.

This morning on our typical jerky bus ride to school, we came to a screeching halt because a car hit our bus in an attempt to pass us in a non-existent lane.  The car didn’t even stop but took off like a rocket.  The front of the bus was scraped, and the plastic guard around the wheel broke off, but no serious damage.

After experiencing paradise last weekend, the adjustment back to work has been rough.  Students no longer feel the need to follow directions, planning time is used for everything but planning, and my bug bites are driving me crazy! Despite these frustrations, the only thing I can control is my attitude.  I cannot control student behavior, administrative decisions, or lack of resources, but I can decide how I will respond to these ever-changing elements.  I just need reminders to help me remember!  My goal for the rest of this week: maintain a positive attitude. 

Journey to the Jungle

So far with this blog I have discussed the diversity of culture and people without focusing on climate or environment.  Allow me to change gears (fitting turn of phrase for a country inundated with manual transmissions).

This past three-day-weekend I had the privilege of traveling with four other adventuring souls to a few key destinations in San Luis Potosí: Xilitla (pronounced Hee-leet-la) and Ciudad Valles.  Jenika and her boyfriend Fernando organized the trip, and Melanie, Jenna and I jumped on board for the journey of a lifetime!  We started the trip with having to switch vehicles because the hood of the car wouldn’t latch shut, but at least we had the option of another car.  Jenna being the most petite was seated behind Fernando (who had the seat almost all the way back), Melanie and I switched being squished in the middle, and Jenika was copilot.  The road through the Sierra Gorda and Sierra Madre mountains was breathtaking—not only in its beauty but also in its windy roads along steep, unprotected cliffs.  Fernando’s driving succeeded in making a few passengers car-sick, but more importantly, his driving enabled us to arrive at our destinations safely!

Our reason for visiting Xilitla was to see Las Pozas, a tribute to surrealist art built by Edward James.  Because of our delay in Jalpan over slow “gringo” service and terrible food, we were only able to spend about an hour and a half wandering through peculiar structures, of which we only saw a small portion.  While the humidity threatened to drain my body of all liquid, the pure beauty of the structures and the jungle preserved my energy.  Never having experienced a jungle before, I was enamored by the lush and dense nature of such an environment.  Everything was incredibly thick and heavy, from the air to the foliage.  The sheer weight of beauty and mystery was overpowering.  After speaking with one of the tour guides, Fernando learned that we still had about a three hour drive to Ciudad Valles, so we crammed back into the car like sardines and sped off into the hills again.

Arriving at our destination, a small campground along the Micos River run by Huaxteca.com (pronounced Was-teca), we found quaint huts with beds and electricity, and dinner waiting for us.  There was even a bonfire after dinner complete with pop music and marshmallows!  It was difficult to sleep that first night because of the humidity, but the sound of the river lulled me to sleep.  The next morning we loaded onto a bus to go raft the Tampaon River—a majestic turquoise river through the lush jungle.  Our rafting guide explained the safety rules for rafting and then told us we were going to practice being flipped out of the raft.  Immediately my mind started racing and telling me that the whole point of rafting was to stay IN the raft.  My experiences with rafting have been in freezing snow-melt rivers—staying out of the water is a good thing!  But the water of the Tampaon River is warm.  In fact, I spent more time outside of the raft floating down the river than inside the raft paddling.  There were only a few rapids and nothing over class II along the 15 kilometer river.  Whenever there weren’t rapids, I took to swimming, climbing up rocks, and jumping into the warm water—it was glorious!  Two-thirds through the trip we had to get out of the raft to traverse over some rocks and then splash down (literally because we had to jump off a 15ft cliff to get to the other side) to the other side.  They gave us a granola bar and some ice tea and then we were back in the boat headed down river.  At the end of the trip, they fed us a large comida (big meal usually eaten around 3pm) of traditional Huaxtecan food, which was delicious!  Most of us napped on the 1.5 hour bus ride back to camp.  Around 7pm that evening we drove into Ciudad Valles in search for some food because we couldn’t wait until the meal at 9pm at the campground.  I ate some delicious empanadas with a coke.  Upon returning to camp, we all headed to bed, exhausted from a day of rafting, swimming, and relaxing.  The next morning we packed up the car and met our guide for our trip to one of the fourth largest waterfalls in Latin America.  After driving about 40 minutes, we were given the option of walking down to the river or riding in the back of a sketchy pick-up truck—we chose the latter.  None of us realized that we would have to paddle a long wooden boat up stream about 5 kilometers to see the water fall.  It was a lot of work, and we had to get out and walk while our tour guide and river guide pulled the boat along the shore through rapids we weren’t strong enough to paddle through.  We stopped at a large rock in front of the waterfall to take some pictures.  Afterwards, we paddled a bit down-stream and then our guide reminded us of the “river position” and told us to get out of the boat and float through the rapids.  This experience was both terrifying and exhilarating!  After two rapids we swam to shore and walked a ways to a pool in a cave, complete with flitting bats.  The cool water was sweet relief after paddling so hard in the humid heat.  We had a snack there too and then headed back to our starting point where we changed and ate another fabulous Huaxtecan meal.  Satiated for the moment, we crammed back into the car and headed towards Queretaro.  On the way we encountered a closed road with no detour signs, but Fernando managed to get us on the right road.

Despite the length of this entry, I feel I have failed to describe the incredible nature of this trip.  Many random and funny incidents have been left out (probably to relief of my fellow travelers!), and I am not able to communicate all of the emotions and thoughts that swarmed my being this weekend.  I am overwhelmed by the enormity, splendor, and beauty of the God of the Universe and that He chose to lavish His love and blessings on me through this trip.  Plus I got to know some pretty awesome people!  I’m counting down until the next long weekend… now if I can just endure this whole working thing… :) 

Sushi, Fortunes, and Adventure

God answered your prayers in giving me a better day today.  My lesson went well today, I met with two of my mentees, Sarah and I planned Ultimate Frisbee teams for tomorrow, I finally got a pair of JFK pants to wear during my Optativa, I received an encouraging letter in the mail, and I was able to spend some quality time with a new friend.  Funny how little things thrill me!

Sarah took me to her favorite sushi bar after school and introduced me to the dish she orders every time: beef and cream cheese rolled in seaweed and rice and dipped in chipotle mayonnaise.  I really enjoyed to food, but even more-so the conversation.  Quality time is one of my primary love languages—it’s how I feel loved, and it was nice of Sarah to take time out of her hectic schedule to love me in this way.  We talked about family, friends, and work.  I am not alone in my frustrations with students or the administration, which is comforting. 

After returning home, I opened the fortune cookie that came with the meal and found the following message: “You should be able to undertake and complete anything”.  Thanks to my dear friend Stephanie, I am unable to read a fortune without adding the slightly inappropriate tag ending… But for this particular message, I decided to add my own tag ending of “in Christ”.  I know I can’t undertake or complete anything on my own, but as Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.”  And I think I am beginning to grasp the concept of being happy with whatever I have.  I have a long way to go before I master it, but I have to start somewhere.  Thank you for your prayers in this area, and in the area of school as well!

Tomorrow is Mexico’s Independence Day (El Grito), and I have the pleasure of joining a group of people in San Miguel de Allende to celebrate.  After that, I’m headed for a weekend of white water rafting, waterfalls, jungle, and relaxation.  I’ll let you all know the outcome of this adventure upon my return!

Drenched Trust

While I pride myself in my use of vocabulary and eloquence of writing, there is no other way to say this: being a girl sucks sometimes.  I am fully cognizant that women were/are made in the image of God, but did we have to get all of His emotions?  In the midst of blurred vision and blubbering sobs, my mind traverses a tricky course full of dark allies and ridiculous detours.  In the past hour I have raised many questions to God and received one answer: “All that has been in my life up to now/ It belongs to You/ You are still holy.”

Kim Hill’s song, “You Are Still Holy” continues to break down my preconceived notions of life.  Life is not about me or my abilities (or lack-there-of).  My triumphs, my fiascoes, and everything in between belong to God.  The weight of the world does not rest in my incapable and unqualified hands, no matter how much I feel like it does.  God is bigger than my failed lesson plans, bigger than my raging hormones, and bigger than my out-of-control acne. 

The specific cause(s) of this most recent explosion of emotion can be traced to three stimuli: 1) epic lesson plan failure, 2) being a woman, and 3) lack of time with God.  Reliving the failed lesson plan may bring about nightmares, being a woman is explanatory enough (especially for my male audience members), but I’ll elaborate upon the third stimulus.  By the time I return home, I’m done for the day except to check FB, email, and stream Alias (I’m on episode 8 of season 4…).  Mornings and I do not get along, and all of my “planning time” at school dissipates without my realization of where it goes (my speculation is that it somehow correlates with the water cycle and returns to the sky, but I digress).  So when I do I find time to meet with God?  I usually don’t.  The days I do find time to read my Bible I find it difficult to focus or there is some kind of catastrophe later in the day that negates any lesson learned from the reading.  My conversations with others about God and/or what I’m learning are non-existent.  This is a huge area of concern and one for which I desperately need prayer.  As strong a person as people perceive me to be, I am incapable of handling everything on my own, let alone the plethora of changes around which my mind is currently trying to wrap itself. 

In the midst of my many questions and self-doubt, I cling to the fact that God has brought me this far; if He wanted to get rid of me I think he would have done it a long time ago and saved Himself much trouble.  The good, the bad, and the ugly (of which I am currently occupying the latter) belong to God, and I trust His plan.  My trust is just sometimes drenched in tears.

Work and Play

Since nothing bad has happened recently, there hasn’t been much fodder for my blog!  But I’ll recap the last few days and emotions in the most exciting capacity possible.

The honeymoon is over and the students’ true personalities, as well as the teachers’, have surfaced.  There is a lull that accompanies this break-through every year; a void in which equilibrium must be achieved in order to find a routine to establish the course for the rest of the year.  After spending last year teaching 8th grade, I find that I must take a step back to remember that 6th graders do not listen or follow directions well.  This has caused a division and frustration in the classroom.  About 75% of my students are capable of following directions the first time.  The other 25% either choose not to listen or have absolutely no idea what I asked them to do.  Some may argue that this is the case with any grade level, but I believe the percentages are slightly different the older students get.  In moments of utter frustration, I forget that it is my job to teach students how to listen and follow direction.  My subject matter is important, but in 6th grade it’s more important for me to teach my students how to be learners and how to make the most of their education.

On class in particular, just like every year, is more challenging than the rest.  After reviewing papers and test scores, my suspicions were confirmed: my C class contains some of my lowest scoring students.  Either because of language acquisition or cognitive development issues, this group of students has a difficult time learning.  Earlier this week I had to remind this class, in a firm voice, that their habit of talking while the teacher talks is totally unacceptable, and I had to have them practice coming into class and getting started on the warm-up twice before they got it.  Yet apart from the irksome nature of this class, the students are precious.  I just need to remember and hold onto that that!  I also need to make more time to stay at school to accomplish all the planning and grading I can’t seem to accomplish during my planning periods…

The remainder of that week wasn’t too terribly exciting apart from playing soccer and tetherball with some of my students.  I did get to meet with two of my mentees; I’m looking forward to getting to know them better throughout this year.  Since I have 12 students, I hope to meet with each one once a month just to check in and see how life is going.

 
Last night I hung out at La Encrucijada Rock House with some other teachers from school.  Before that, some of us gathered at Sarah’s house (she lives within walking distance of the bar) and visited for about an hour before walking to the bar at 10pm.  This bar is kind of two in one.  There is a front section and a back section (separated by a little courtyard) and both have live bands.  My group of friends was in the front, and I was really impressed with the band which started playing at 11pm.  They played rock music both current and past, and it was fun to sing along.  Everything they sang was in English, but then when they talked it was in Spanish—it was kind of bizarre.  The female vocalist in particular had a great voice.  At about 2:30am Danielle said she was going home and offered to take Jo and I home.  I can’t remember the last time I stayed out that late without almost falling asleep!  I had so much fun and am definitely interested in going back!

What's in a Name?

Names carry significance to a person’s identity, even more so in Mexico.  Not only are both parents represented in a person’s last names, but a nickname implies great meaning as well.  People look for a way to shorten your name or give you a nickname.  Take Kari for example:  most people here have taken to calling me Kar.  I don’t have a problem with this, but no one outside of my family has ever called me that in the States, not even close friends.  Mau is short for Mauricio (which makes me think of China every time I say it), Pato for Patricio, Dani for Daniela, Gabo for Gabriel, Nat for Nathalia—if there’s a way to shorten or combine names, Mexican people figure it out.  Some nicknames are reserved for close relationships only, which is not that different from the States.  I don’t reveal my family nickname of Karbear to just anyone.  Because of the difference in names here in Mexico, I am fascinated with them.  I love being able to call my students by their nicknames; I feel as if I’m being let into an inner-sanctum.  I’m also embracing being called by my first name because of the same reason.  In the United States, it’s a sign of disrespect to be called by one’s first name in the teaching field, but that is not the case here in Mexico.  First names, nicknames, open a door to relationship and familiarity—the soul of this country.

Today I met my mentees for the year (minus two who were absent).  I have two 6th grade girls, one 7th grade girl, four 8th grade girls, and four 8th grade boys.  We played a series of icebreaker/team building games to get to know each other—of course the 8th graders were too cool to fully engage.  I’m looking forward to meeting with each student individually, to break them away from the mob mentality.  I hope to be able to meet with each of the 11 students at least twice a bimester, but I’ll have to see how things work out schedule-wise.

I also started Spanish lessons today after school.  Our instructor is the SWAS (School within a School) instructor for Spanish—kids who don’t know any Spanish see her to learn.  This afternoon she was learning where each of us were in our knowledge of Spanish, and I was able to get a sheet of paper that shows how to conjugate verbs in the past tense.  I’m feeling more confident in the knowledge I have already and what I will be able to learn with this class.  DEBTET!     

Life's a lot like that...

Today I had a "Life's a lot like that" moment.  Those of you party to the old days of ACBC when my father led Prayer and Share time know what I'm referring to; for the rest of you, you'll understand after I explain. 

I love Willow Tree figurines--I love how each figure expresses such clear emotion without facial features.  Some of you may be creeped-out by this design feature, but I adore the statuettes.  One of my favorites is titled "Happiness" and portrays a girl with shoulder-length wavy hair, face pointed towards the sky, and outstretched arms on which three little blue birds perch.  This girl displays such freedom and wreckless abandon in such a simple gesture.  Unfortunately, I have witnessed this figure break three times; twice as a result of my previous (and dearly loved) cat, Gabby and her affinity for watching things fall, and this last time as a result of moving my desk for internet installation.  As I was gluing the hand back on for the third time, I thought, "Life's a lot like that."  Despite the number of times this figure has been broken, her face and gester remains the same (minus a hand or arm), and when the pieces are all glued back together, that same expression of happiness shows through the cracks.  I empathize with this figurine, especially these past few weeks.  Every week something has gone wrong: no electicity, no running water, no internet, no working phone, Montezuma's Revenge, punctured foot, no frisbees for my Optativa, and now a head cold.  Yet in the midst of all these trials and frustrations, so I still exude the same happiness as I did before for brokenness?  It hasn't always been pretty, but God continues to fit the broken pieces back together, and I continue to try and project the same stance as my beloved Willow Tree girl, only with a few more cracks than last time.  My AP, Danielle mentioned how I have maintained a positive attitude despite all of the junk and bad luck that's been thrown at me. 

I hope and pray that this positive attitude will remain whatever may come my way.  

No Bus

Wednesday morning I limped the two blocks to where the bus picks us up every morning.  The bus normally comes about 10 minutes earlier than its scheduled time, but it was 6:50am (scheduled for pick-up at 6:55am) and the bus wasn’t there.  Shortly after, Maia received a call from Luke (who gets picked up before us) stating that the bus wasn’t coming and we’d have to take a taxi.  Apparently one of the staff members who rides the bus is very good friends with the driver who called to tell him he couldn’t drive the bus that morning.  That guy in turn asked Luke if he needed a ride, and then Luke fed that information to a few other teachers.  Embracing the “TIM” philosophy (This Is Mexico), I just laughed and started looking for a taxi to flag down.  The group I was with was too big to take just one, so we found two taxis after a bit of walking and made it to school 10 minutes earlier than normal.  The school was kind enough to reimburse us for the fare, so all turned out well in the end.

This morning I awoke with a slight sore throat and stuffy nose—first cold of the school year!  I was hoping I was immune since I’ve been working in the school system for five years, but apparently not…  I hope to make it to the store tomorrow to purchase some cold meds, but until then I’m pretty snotty.  Some good news is that my foot is doing better.  It’s scabbed over and doesn’t appear to be infected—YAY!  Also, today was the start of Optativas (electives) and I got another teacher to join me in overseeing Ultimate Frisbee (no one signed up for her class L).  Unfortunately the frisbees have not arrived, so all we could do was tell them the rules and where we will be playing every Thursday—not very exciting for the kids.  Our area for frisbee is the sand volleyball court…sounds like a great playing area, huh?  There are four polls that run the length of the field in the middle, and there is only enough room for one game to be played at a time.  I have 30 kids for this activity, enough for four teams, so Sarah and I are going to have to be creative in what we do with the two teams that can’t play a match.  We’ll figure out something, but kind of frustrating.  At least I do not have to wrangle 30 kids on my own!

After school today a bunch of us went to Costco.  Differences between Mexican Costco and US Costco:  Here, they don’t really care if you have a card to get in the store or not; when checking out, they don’t care if the card belongs to you or not—you can just pass it down the line and it doesn’t matter how you pay for your purchases; when buying a hot dog and drink (which is outside the store), you have to show them your card; when leaving the store, they look at your receipt and purchases very closely, examining your cart to make sure you aren’t trying to sneak out other items.  Anyways, I purchased a 2-pack of pillows, and I’m stoked to use them tonight!  The pillows the school provided were ok for a little while, but they are virtually flat now and do not stay in the pillow cases.  Costco is also the only store I’ve found so far that has a different kind of bread other than Bimbo brand (very similar to Wonder Bread), so I treated myself to two loaves.  Cheese, salt and pepper pistachios, and precooked/sliced chicken completed my purchase.

My motto remains TIM, and somehow that makes all of the inexplicable occurrences more humorous!