Today let's talk about the roads...are you ready for a bumpy ride?
The main streets of PV are very nice. 4 lane divided with 2 "turning lanes" on either side of the main road. You will find the main roads like this going through town. And yes, I did mean to say "turning lanes on the outside of the main road." If you want to turn left, you must exit the main street into the turning lane. About every block or so there is an exit into the turning lane. Then you can turn left with the green arrow, across all lanes of traffic! Thus, in PV, one needs to go right in order to turn left!
When you get off of the main traffic streets, you come to the cobblestone streets. Quaint! Very quaint, you say? Bump,bump,bump. Cars can travel about 20 mph. Some do...and some don't! Taxis flying down the cobblestones are a familiar sight. Hang on! Also, since there are no sewers for the rainwater, when it rains (everyday during July, August, and September) water collects in the streets and much of it remains. Splash.Splash.
Next come the dirt roads. Mud, dirt, real dirt roads. With potholes that you could bury a small child in. The school is located almost 1 mile off the main road on the dirt road. I travel this dirt road twice a day.
And then there are the topes! Topes are speed bumps to the non-Spanish speaking folks. And such speed bumps you have never seen the likes of! Seriously, they are huge rock-type things across the road and every car literally stops, gets the front wheels across and then stops to get the back wheels across. The next tope might be 15 feet further down the road and another 30 feet on down. I am reminded of the old movies of the covered wagons, limping across rivers and mountains only this time, I am in the "wagon".
The huge potholes in both the dirt roads and the cobblestone streets collect water which has been there for as long as I have been here. But this is the rainy season. I have seen water covering the wheels of cars; in fact, every morning I ride to school with the elementary principal and she drives through water that I would never go into. I just hope we make it each day.
My house is on a cobblestone street and as you can imagine, in between the stones are large and small puddles of water. The people here just walk right through it like it wasn't there. When the sun comes out, as it does every day too, some of the smaller puddles dry up. It rains once, sometimes twice a day for varying amounts of time, and then the sun shines, cranking up that humidity!
As I said, I ride to school in a car but I come home on the city bus. Bus rides on dirt and cobblestone streets can set your head spinning! But that story is for another day.
Hasta luego.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The First Week of School
After the previous week of trying to clean up my room for the 2nd grade, I thought surely things would improve when the children came to school. Dream on! Monday morning came and I had not even seen the room that I would be teaching the 4th grade in. Everyone here says "Don't worry" so I am beginning to take that to heart and stop worrying!
I am teaching 2nd grade in the morning and 4th grade in the afternoon. The teachers must report to school by 7:15 and the students start arriving by 7:30. Classes are "supposed" to start at 7:45 although this week we had something special to do each day at 7:45 so we actually got started about 8:00 or a little after. I am guessing that will eventually change and we will start at 7:45.
I teach the 2nd grade from 7:45 until 11:05 and then change to the 4th grade and teach there from 11:05 until 2:45 when the students start to go home. There are some "special" teachers who come in for 45 minute classes scheduled throughout the week. For example, the children have P.E., music, artistica (i don't know what this is yet) and critical thinking, swimming and there may be another that I have forgotten. These classes are scheduled once a week. At least when the special teacher comes in, I have a few minute break where I can sit in the room with the students or go outside and sit in the sun and drink a warm Pepsi Light!
The man who controls the AC in each classroom turns it on about 7:30 and off about 2:45 so when I get there in the morning, I turn on the extremely noisy overhead fans in the 2nd grade room until the AC kicks in. In the afternoon, there are no overhead fans in the 4th grade classroom so when he turns off the AC, it gets extremely hot very fast.
On Monday morning the children came in as all kids do on the first day of school: happy and expectant. Many of the parents brought their kids in and introduced themselves to me. One parent told me that she hoped I stay for the whole year because last year her son had 4 teachers. I'm sorry but that tells me a whole lot about this school. This year one teacher quit before school started and now one of the 6th grade teachers is considering leaving due to lack of organization on the part of the school.
The classrooms are concrete with nothing to absorb the sound. The class next to mine is so loud that we often can't hear in our room. I mentioned to the teacher that they are very loud, and she said "Oh?" One day it was raining so hard that the rain on the roof and the noisiness from next door, my students couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear them. We just had to stop for a few minutes.
From 9:15-9:35 every day they stop for breakfast, or lunch, as they call it. Most of my children bring their lunch but a man comes into the room with a large tray of food on it and asks me "How many"? Since I have no idea what he is talking about, I just look around and see who doesnt have food and get enough plates for those children. I have 1 child who gets food from the school. I don't know if his parents paid for, like a month, or if he is on subsidized food. Don't know. No one to explain it to me. Finally on Friday, one of the other English teachers explained to me about the lunch so now tomorrow when I go back, I will have some idea of what I should do.
Going to the bathroom....the kids just ask to go to the bathroom whenever they feel like it. Well, that doesn't sit well with me. I am teaching a lesson and some kid decides he wants to get out of class so he goes to the bathroom. So now, I have organized the 2nd graders and i take them to the bathroom before the lunch and the 4th graders before their recess. I figure their bladders can hold it for at least 2 hours at a time and there will be no getting out of class for bathroom breaks. And don't forget to take the toilet paper with you when they go to the bathroom! My toilet paper sits on top of the big water bottle in my room. The children can fill up their water bottles from the big one when they need to.
Going home in the afternoon is a big circus! One cannot believe, that this is the 6th year for this school and they have such a mess in the afternoons. At 2:45 a man gets on the loudspeaker and literally shouts the name, grade and section of each child whose parent is there to pick them up. "Mary, primary, grade 1A" "Johnny, primary grade 3B" and so on for 45 minutes or longer. One day there was such a mess in the parking lot that no car could move. A few children ride the school bus, which are like vans, but most are picked up by parents.
On Thursday it rained hard all day. Since someone had taken my umbrella from the classroom the previous week, I found a plastic bag to put over my head to keep my hearing aids dry and went about my business! There was so much standing water on the concrete that I had to tip-toe through it to get to the next class. At 2:30, a man came to my room with little slips of paper which I was to give to each child. They decided to cancel school on Friday for a "rain day" (my words, not theirs). They said the weather bureau was expecting more hard rain on Friday. School for the kids was cancelled but the teachers had to report at 9am.
Friday dawned with beautiful sun! The primary principal had a 5 hour meeting! I wonder what she would have done if the classes had not been cancelled. Each one of these meetings opens with a game that the teachers play for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or more. I sure can't understand that! Anyway, not being able to understand anything that she was saying, I did get my hot glue gun working and put up the posters on the wall (for the 3rd time) and I hope they will still be on the walls tomorrow!
At the meeting on Friday, the principal asked us to evaluate the students---after seeing them for 4 days. Man, I didn't even have the going to the bathroom down yet and she wants to know if they can read and write in English. I had made up a diagnostic test and gave it to them on Thursday. I took the test questions directly out of the 1st grade book. None of them could pass it. I gave the same test to the 4th graders and a few of them knew some of the answers. My 2nd graders are supposed to be the advanced English language learners and the 4th graders are beginning English learners. I talk to them in English and they can't understand me. They talk to me in Spanish and I can't understand them. What fun!
So this is how the first week of school went. Really pretty rough. I can hope for some better days ahead. They have told us that these first 2 weeks of teaching is only about getting settled and that the "real teaching" doesnt begin until the first of Sept. I hope this coming week is a little better! I will let you know.
Hasta luego.
I am teaching 2nd grade in the morning and 4th grade in the afternoon. The teachers must report to school by 7:15 and the students start arriving by 7:30. Classes are "supposed" to start at 7:45 although this week we had something special to do each day at 7:45 so we actually got started about 8:00 or a little after. I am guessing that will eventually change and we will start at 7:45.
I teach the 2nd grade from 7:45 until 11:05 and then change to the 4th grade and teach there from 11:05 until 2:45 when the students start to go home. There are some "special" teachers who come in for 45 minute classes scheduled throughout the week. For example, the children have P.E., music, artistica (i don't know what this is yet) and critical thinking, swimming and there may be another that I have forgotten. These classes are scheduled once a week. At least when the special teacher comes in, I have a few minute break where I can sit in the room with the students or go outside and sit in the sun and drink a warm Pepsi Light!
The man who controls the AC in each classroom turns it on about 7:30 and off about 2:45 so when I get there in the morning, I turn on the extremely noisy overhead fans in the 2nd grade room until the AC kicks in. In the afternoon, there are no overhead fans in the 4th grade classroom so when he turns off the AC, it gets extremely hot very fast.
On Monday morning the children came in as all kids do on the first day of school: happy and expectant. Many of the parents brought their kids in and introduced themselves to me. One parent told me that she hoped I stay for the whole year because last year her son had 4 teachers. I'm sorry but that tells me a whole lot about this school. This year one teacher quit before school started and now one of the 6th grade teachers is considering leaving due to lack of organization on the part of the school.
The classrooms are concrete with nothing to absorb the sound. The class next to mine is so loud that we often can't hear in our room. I mentioned to the teacher that they are very loud, and she said "Oh?" One day it was raining so hard that the rain on the roof and the noisiness from next door, my students couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear them. We just had to stop for a few minutes.
From 9:15-9:35 every day they stop for breakfast, or lunch, as they call it. Most of my children bring their lunch but a man comes into the room with a large tray of food on it and asks me "How many"? Since I have no idea what he is talking about, I just look around and see who doesnt have food and get enough plates for those children. I have 1 child who gets food from the school. I don't know if his parents paid for, like a month, or if he is on subsidized food. Don't know. No one to explain it to me. Finally on Friday, one of the other English teachers explained to me about the lunch so now tomorrow when I go back, I will have some idea of what I should do.
Going to the bathroom....the kids just ask to go to the bathroom whenever they feel like it. Well, that doesn't sit well with me. I am teaching a lesson and some kid decides he wants to get out of class so he goes to the bathroom. So now, I have organized the 2nd graders and i take them to the bathroom before the lunch and the 4th graders before their recess. I figure their bladders can hold it for at least 2 hours at a time and there will be no getting out of class for bathroom breaks. And don't forget to take the toilet paper with you when they go to the bathroom! My toilet paper sits on top of the big water bottle in my room. The children can fill up their water bottles from the big one when they need to.
Going home in the afternoon is a big circus! One cannot believe, that this is the 6th year for this school and they have such a mess in the afternoons. At 2:45 a man gets on the loudspeaker and literally shouts the name, grade and section of each child whose parent is there to pick them up. "Mary, primary, grade 1A" "Johnny, primary grade 3B" and so on for 45 minutes or longer. One day there was such a mess in the parking lot that no car could move. A few children ride the school bus, which are like vans, but most are picked up by parents.
On Thursday it rained hard all day. Since someone had taken my umbrella from the classroom the previous week, I found a plastic bag to put over my head to keep my hearing aids dry and went about my business! There was so much standing water on the concrete that I had to tip-toe through it to get to the next class. At 2:30, a man came to my room with little slips of paper which I was to give to each child. They decided to cancel school on Friday for a "rain day" (my words, not theirs). They said the weather bureau was expecting more hard rain on Friday. School for the kids was cancelled but the teachers had to report at 9am.
Friday dawned with beautiful sun! The primary principal had a 5 hour meeting! I wonder what she would have done if the classes had not been cancelled. Each one of these meetings opens with a game that the teachers play for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or more. I sure can't understand that! Anyway, not being able to understand anything that she was saying, I did get my hot glue gun working and put up the posters on the wall (for the 3rd time) and I hope they will still be on the walls tomorrow!
At the meeting on Friday, the principal asked us to evaluate the students---after seeing them for 4 days. Man, I didn't even have the going to the bathroom down yet and she wants to know if they can read and write in English. I had made up a diagnostic test and gave it to them on Thursday. I took the test questions directly out of the 1st grade book. None of them could pass it. I gave the same test to the 4th graders and a few of them knew some of the answers. My 2nd graders are supposed to be the advanced English language learners and the 4th graders are beginning English learners. I talk to them in English and they can't understand me. They talk to me in Spanish and I can't understand them. What fun!
So this is how the first week of school went. Really pretty rough. I can hope for some better days ahead. They have told us that these first 2 weeks of teaching is only about getting settled and that the "real teaching" doesnt begin until the first of Sept. I hope this coming week is a little better! I will let you know.
Hasta luego.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Teachers--Don't Complain
Teachers, don't complain! You just don't know how good you have it! It has taken me a week to calm down enough to be able to write about last week and the preparations for the first day of school!
On Monday we had to take a sheet of paper, torn from a spiral notebook, and make a list of supplies that we want for our classroom. I put down pencils, a pencil sharpener, and pens, among other things that I copied from the other teachers since I didn't know the Spanish words for the different supplies. I got 2 pencils, 2 pens, and one of those little pencil sharpeners that the kids buy in the drugstore. The kind where you have to twist the pencil to sharpen it. The children here use spiral notebooks instead of notebook paper. After looking in many stores for some, I finally found a package of 100 sheets for $2.40 (US) and I found 1binder(that is one--not a whole shelf full of binders!)to put it in. The paper in the spiral notebooks looks like graph paper. This school provides a notebook for each subject and they are color-coded by grade. So a child may have 8 or 9 notebooks. This is not so great for 2nd graders who cannot read what the parent has written on the front of the notebook, such as: Mathematics, or Classwork, or Homework, so they show me every notebook and say "Is this the right one? There is no such convenience as saying "Take out a piece of paper and a pencil!"
There is 1 stapler for every 3 teachers and 4 lines of staples; a glue gun and 4 lines of hot glue; 1 small box of tiny paper clips; 1 box of colored pencils. Someone took my glue gun the first night it was in my room (along with my umbrella). I went to Office Depot on Saturday and bought a stapler and a glue gun along with other supplies.
There is a large bulletin board in each room, covered with a burlap-type cloth, a dirty light green. I had asked for crepe paper (because the others asked for it) and I got several sheets of regular long crepe paper. I cut it and twisted red,white, and blue and put it around 1/2 the board; and red, white and green around the other half. I hung a map of the USA on one side and set out to find a map of Mexico on the other side. That shouldn't be too hard, I think, to find a map of Mexico. W-r-o-n-g! I went to several papelerias looking for one and finally found a huge map, made of cloth, that the kids can color. At this point, that was fine. The choices here are usually one, not a whole bevy of choices.
Not having a glue gun until Saturday, I tried to hang the calendar, the Days of the Week, etc. with packaging tape, which I have used in the past at Tadmore. They fell off the wall. I asked to borrow a glue gun and the teacher asked me "How long will you need it?" I hot-glued the letters "A-u-g-u-s-t" above the calendar and overnight, 3 of them fell off the wall and the janitor threw them away instead of picking them up and saving them for me.
The floors of the classroom, the desks and chairs, were so dirty you wouldn't believe it. I have attended the church, associated with this school each Sunday (that will be a blog in itself) and last Sunday, the pastor asked the families to come to the school on Sunday afternoon to clean the school. On Monday, the floors had been swept and swabbed with a rag mop (the only kind I can find in this city) so the dirt had been moved around but was still there.
Although the classrooms have AC, they don't turn it on except during the actual school hours. The rooms have 6 overhead fans which move the air around and make a horrible noise while doing so. So I was working in the classroom, without AC, sweating buckets, which really put me in a foul mood! (However, I notice that the offices have AC all day long!)
I thought the school would clean up a bit for the students but I was wrong. To their credit, over the last weekend, they came in and slapped a coat of paint (school beige) on the walls of each classroom. Much of the paint dripped onto the whiteboard and onto the floor. Until today, when I finally got my new glue gun to work for me, each day that i go into the classroom, something else had fallen off the walls. Today I let the glue gun heat up for 1/2 hour before I used it and I hope, on Monday, the things are still on the walls! The other problem is that when you do have something, it does not work well, even new. (for example, i have not had a telephone, in the house, that works since the first day it was installed. I am still waiting for the repairman to come.)
So the preparations for the first day of school did NOT go very smoothly, to say the least. The administration told us that we had to decorate the walls but it was fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. I am amazed at what some of the other teachers have done with not much. I am so spoiled and not very creative, I guess, when it comes to figuring out what to do. They expect us to change the decorations every month but do not give us anything to use to change them. Thank goodness for the materials that I brought with me.
And so...enough complaining about last week. But just wait until you get the next blog about this week: the first day and the first week of school.
Part of what is so difficult for me is not knowing where I can buy things, where the stores are, and having to take a taxi (expensive) or a city bus (cheap) to get to the stores. This is all a part of "the learning experience" that I am living. I have learned something from this: if there is a new person in town, help them to learn the town. I can't speak the language well enough to even call on the phone to the stores and ask questions. It has been very difficult to say the least.
Hasta luego.
On Monday we had to take a sheet of paper, torn from a spiral notebook, and make a list of supplies that we want for our classroom. I put down pencils, a pencil sharpener, and pens, among other things that I copied from the other teachers since I didn't know the Spanish words for the different supplies. I got 2 pencils, 2 pens, and one of those little pencil sharpeners that the kids buy in the drugstore. The kind where you have to twist the pencil to sharpen it. The children here use spiral notebooks instead of notebook paper. After looking in many stores for some, I finally found a package of 100 sheets for $2.40 (US) and I found 1binder(that is one--not a whole shelf full of binders!)to put it in. The paper in the spiral notebooks looks like graph paper. This school provides a notebook for each subject and they are color-coded by grade. So a child may have 8 or 9 notebooks. This is not so great for 2nd graders who cannot read what the parent has written on the front of the notebook, such as: Mathematics, or Classwork, or Homework, so they show me every notebook and say "Is this the right one? There is no such convenience as saying "Take out a piece of paper and a pencil!"
There is 1 stapler for every 3 teachers and 4 lines of staples; a glue gun and 4 lines of hot glue; 1 small box of tiny paper clips; 1 box of colored pencils. Someone took my glue gun the first night it was in my room (along with my umbrella). I went to Office Depot on Saturday and bought a stapler and a glue gun along with other supplies.
There is a large bulletin board in each room, covered with a burlap-type cloth, a dirty light green. I had asked for crepe paper (because the others asked for it) and I got several sheets of regular long crepe paper. I cut it and twisted red,white, and blue and put it around 1/2 the board; and red, white and green around the other half. I hung a map of the USA on one side and set out to find a map of Mexico on the other side. That shouldn't be too hard, I think, to find a map of Mexico. W-r-o-n-g! I went to several papelerias looking for one and finally found a huge map, made of cloth, that the kids can color. At this point, that was fine. The choices here are usually one, not a whole bevy of choices.
Not having a glue gun until Saturday, I tried to hang the calendar, the Days of the Week, etc. with packaging tape, which I have used in the past at Tadmore. They fell off the wall. I asked to borrow a glue gun and the teacher asked me "How long will you need it?" I hot-glued the letters "A-u-g-u-s-t" above the calendar and overnight, 3 of them fell off the wall and the janitor threw them away instead of picking them up and saving them for me.
The floors of the classroom, the desks and chairs, were so dirty you wouldn't believe it. I have attended the church, associated with this school each Sunday (that will be a blog in itself) and last Sunday, the pastor asked the families to come to the school on Sunday afternoon to clean the school. On Monday, the floors had been swept and swabbed with a rag mop (the only kind I can find in this city) so the dirt had been moved around but was still there.
Although the classrooms have AC, they don't turn it on except during the actual school hours. The rooms have 6 overhead fans which move the air around and make a horrible noise while doing so. So I was working in the classroom, without AC, sweating buckets, which really put me in a foul mood! (However, I notice that the offices have AC all day long!)
I thought the school would clean up a bit for the students but I was wrong. To their credit, over the last weekend, they came in and slapped a coat of paint (school beige) on the walls of each classroom. Much of the paint dripped onto the whiteboard and onto the floor. Until today, when I finally got my new glue gun to work for me, each day that i go into the classroom, something else had fallen off the walls. Today I let the glue gun heat up for 1/2 hour before I used it and I hope, on Monday, the things are still on the walls! The other problem is that when you do have something, it does not work well, even new. (for example, i have not had a telephone, in the house, that works since the first day it was installed. I am still waiting for the repairman to come.)
So the preparations for the first day of school did NOT go very smoothly, to say the least. The administration told us that we had to decorate the walls but it was fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. I am amazed at what some of the other teachers have done with not much. I am so spoiled and not very creative, I guess, when it comes to figuring out what to do. They expect us to change the decorations every month but do not give us anything to use to change them. Thank goodness for the materials that I brought with me.
And so...enough complaining about last week. But just wait until you get the next blog about this week: the first day and the first week of school.
Part of what is so difficult for me is not knowing where I can buy things, where the stores are, and having to take a taxi (expensive) or a city bus (cheap) to get to the stores. This is all a part of "the learning experience" that I am living. I have learned something from this: if there is a new person in town, help them to learn the town. I can't speak the language well enough to even call on the phone to the stores and ask questions. It has been very difficult to say the least.
Hasta luego.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
And They Are Professionals!
Well, folks, I am extremely happy to report that I now have air-conditioning in my bedroom! You cant know just how happy I am! Now I don't "glow" at home any more!!
These were the hoops that I had to jump through in order to get the AC. After getting advice from many people on how to get a unit installed, last Saturday I went to the school and by chance met the man who actually knows about the ACs. He explained everything to me, including cost.
On Monday, a guy from the school, who speaks English, drove me across town to the AC company where I actually purchased the unit.
Then yesterday, the installers came to install the unit--two 20 year old guys who assured me that, yes, they had installed ACs before! They had to look at the installation and decide of it would be an "easy" installation (at the lower cost) or a "harder" installation (at a higher cost). Guess which it was! Not a hard guess, was it? So they called the company and the English speaking woman told me what it would cost and I said "do it!" Then they set to work.
They arrived at my house at 3:45pm and left at 7:30 pm. 3 and 1/2 hours of installation. But it was cool in my room when they left.
First, they brought in the unit, unwrapped it, and then one guy nailed the plate to the wall while the other one looked outside and decided that they would need some cable in order to install it. Guess what? No cable on the truck. So he left, drove back across town to the company and got the cable. While he was gone, the other guy was trying to get their cement drill to work. He tried the one electric outlet in my room; then he tried rewiring the drill. It didn't work.
When guy 1 returned with the cable, he worked on the drill for about 45 minutes. Then they both left and went to get another installer who looked at the unit, said it was the wrong unit and he left to go back to the company to get the smaller unit that I had purchased. While he was gone, both guy 1 and guy 2 rewired the drill YET AGAIN! Finally we had the correct unit and the drilling began. Through the concrete wall he drilled while the other guy worked outside on the roof doing whatever.
When they finally got it working, they were supposed to have a receipt for me because I would be paying cash for the installation. They couldn't find the receipt that the English-speaking lady at the company had given them! They tore apart their truck looking for it. I refused to pay them and told them that I would pay for the installation tomorrow at the school. They were ok with that. I wasn't about to give cash to those two yo-yos who might go out and have a beer with the money! These were the professional installers!!!
So today, I paid the man I talked to on Saturday and tomorrow he will have the receipt for me. I am sure he will come up with it! I know where he works!! Actually he is a very nice man. He is the marketing manager for the school and works with the AC company to install the ACs for the school. Also, I must thank DB, one of the founders of the school, who helped me out A LOT! The right word from him got things moving.
So after a week of getting advice, from many people, about getting an AC installed, it is now done and I will be cool. I will be able to sleep and every inch of my skin will not be wet the whole time that I am at home. I am very thankful.
Now, on to my next goal of getting Internet access to the house so I can use my laptop and not have to come to the Internet cafes. Will that challenge be any easier???
Hasta luego.
These were the hoops that I had to jump through in order to get the AC. After getting advice from many people on how to get a unit installed, last Saturday I went to the school and by chance met the man who actually knows about the ACs. He explained everything to me, including cost.
On Monday, a guy from the school, who speaks English, drove me across town to the AC company where I actually purchased the unit.
Then yesterday, the installers came to install the unit--two 20 year old guys who assured me that, yes, they had installed ACs before! They had to look at the installation and decide of it would be an "easy" installation (at the lower cost) or a "harder" installation (at a higher cost). Guess which it was! Not a hard guess, was it? So they called the company and the English speaking woman told me what it would cost and I said "do it!" Then they set to work.
They arrived at my house at 3:45pm and left at 7:30 pm. 3 and 1/2 hours of installation. But it was cool in my room when they left.
First, they brought in the unit, unwrapped it, and then one guy nailed the plate to the wall while the other one looked outside and decided that they would need some cable in order to install it. Guess what? No cable on the truck. So he left, drove back across town to the company and got the cable. While he was gone, the other guy was trying to get their cement drill to work. He tried the one electric outlet in my room; then he tried rewiring the drill. It didn't work.
When guy 1 returned with the cable, he worked on the drill for about 45 minutes. Then they both left and went to get another installer who looked at the unit, said it was the wrong unit and he left to go back to the company to get the smaller unit that I had purchased. While he was gone, both guy 1 and guy 2 rewired the drill YET AGAIN! Finally we had the correct unit and the drilling began. Through the concrete wall he drilled while the other guy worked outside on the roof doing whatever.
When they finally got it working, they were supposed to have a receipt for me because I would be paying cash for the installation. They couldn't find the receipt that the English-speaking lady at the company had given them! They tore apart their truck looking for it. I refused to pay them and told them that I would pay for the installation tomorrow at the school. They were ok with that. I wasn't about to give cash to those two yo-yos who might go out and have a beer with the money! These were the professional installers!!!
So today, I paid the man I talked to on Saturday and tomorrow he will have the receipt for me. I am sure he will come up with it! I know where he works!! Actually he is a very nice man. He is the marketing manager for the school and works with the AC company to install the ACs for the school. Also, I must thank DB, one of the founders of the school, who helped me out A LOT! The right word from him got things moving.
So after a week of getting advice, from many people, about getting an AC installed, it is now done and I will be cool. I will be able to sleep and every inch of my skin will not be wet the whole time that I am at home. I am very thankful.
Now, on to my next goal of getting Internet access to the house so I can use my laptop and not have to come to the Internet cafes. Will that challenge be any easier???
Hasta luego.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Sweat, Perspiration and Glow
My mother used to tell me that horses sweat, men perspire, and ladies "glow". Well, here in PV, I "glow" so much that I can light up half the city by "glowing"!! The heat and humidity here are unbearable. July-Sept. is the rainy season and altho every day is sunny and pretty, it will rain for an hour or so most afternoons or during the night, so the humidity stays high.
Regarding the rain...last Tuesday we had a cloudburst. May I set the scene for you. I was on a city bus with Aurora, (my roommate) who was carrying her grandbaby (age 1 year), her sister and the sisters grandson (age 8), a friend and her son (age 7). We were carrying a diaper bag, our purses, and several carry-out boxes of dinners from the school! We climbed aboard the bus at the school and it started raining while we were on the bus. Pretty soon it was pouring. It rained so hard we couldn't get off the bus near our house (dirt roads full of water) so went on to another neighborhood where we got off the bus and waited in a little Mom/Pop store for about 45 minutes to take a taxi home. Cars parked on the street had water up to the windows, covering the hood of the cars. When the bus drove through the streets, waves would send water onto the sidewalks and into the stores. Finally we got the taxi and went home.
When we walked into the house, there was about 1-2" of water covering the floor all over the house. The patio door was open and the water came up the drain in the patio and flooded the house. Aurora grabbed a broom and started sweeping the water out and I had a mop and pushed the water out the door as she swept it to me. Finally we got all the water out and the fans dried the tile floors. I was fortunate not to get anything wet except my shoes. I had just unpacked everything the night before and had not found a place for my shoes so they were lined up against the wall. They got wet but they dried out in a day and I Lysoled them to clean them. The water was so dirty and I knew there was bacteria everywhere. The next day I bought bleach and moped the floors. What a day!
I understand it has been very, very hot in GA, but at least there is air-conditioning everywhere. Our house has no AC and my bedroom has been 90 degrees every day. At night it "cools off" to about 86 degrees. I have decided that I will have to buy an AC or I wont be able to make it. Cars and taxis often have AC in them but they don't use it. They roll down the windows. (Don't ask me why!) And if a building has AC, only the main rooms are cool. We have been having teachers meetings in the church and while the main room is cool, the bathrooms are very hot. The people here must be used to it. They don't seem to perspire (or "glow"!) and just say "Hace calor"--"It is hot!
I told someone that Mr. Neat might come to visit me in September and they said "Don't let him come in Sept. That is the worst month for the heat. He might not want to come back." So I guess I have more heat to look forward to. They say it lasts until October before it cools off. Wonder what "cools off" means?
So my chore for the upcoming week is to get an AC installed in my bedroom. Every day presents new challenges and with the language barrier it is even more difficult. Learning how things work in Mexico is also hard because everything works so differently and the people just know about it and accept it. They are such a patient people. Perhaps I will learn some patience but I want it NOW!!!
Hasta luego.
Regarding the rain...last Tuesday we had a cloudburst. May I set the scene for you. I was on a city bus with Aurora, (my roommate) who was carrying her grandbaby (age 1 year), her sister and the sisters grandson (age 8), a friend and her son (age 7). We were carrying a diaper bag, our purses, and several carry-out boxes of dinners from the school! We climbed aboard the bus at the school and it started raining while we were on the bus. Pretty soon it was pouring. It rained so hard we couldn't get off the bus near our house (dirt roads full of water) so went on to another neighborhood where we got off the bus and waited in a little Mom/Pop store for about 45 minutes to take a taxi home. Cars parked on the street had water up to the windows, covering the hood of the cars. When the bus drove through the streets, waves would send water onto the sidewalks and into the stores. Finally we got the taxi and went home.
When we walked into the house, there was about 1-2" of water covering the floor all over the house. The patio door was open and the water came up the drain in the patio and flooded the house. Aurora grabbed a broom and started sweeping the water out and I had a mop and pushed the water out the door as she swept it to me. Finally we got all the water out and the fans dried the tile floors. I was fortunate not to get anything wet except my shoes. I had just unpacked everything the night before and had not found a place for my shoes so they were lined up against the wall. They got wet but they dried out in a day and I Lysoled them to clean them. The water was so dirty and I knew there was bacteria everywhere. The next day I bought bleach and moped the floors. What a day!
I understand it has been very, very hot in GA, but at least there is air-conditioning everywhere. Our house has no AC and my bedroom has been 90 degrees every day. At night it "cools off" to about 86 degrees. I have decided that I will have to buy an AC or I wont be able to make it. Cars and taxis often have AC in them but they don't use it. They roll down the windows. (Don't ask me why!) And if a building has AC, only the main rooms are cool. We have been having teachers meetings in the church and while the main room is cool, the bathrooms are very hot. The people here must be used to it. They don't seem to perspire (or "glow"!) and just say "Hace calor"--"It is hot!
I told someone that Mr. Neat might come to visit me in September and they said "Don't let him come in Sept. That is the worst month for the heat. He might not want to come back." So I guess I have more heat to look forward to. They say it lasts until October before it cools off. Wonder what "cools off" means?
So my chore for the upcoming week is to get an AC installed in my bedroom. Every day presents new challenges and with the language barrier it is even more difficult. Learning how things work in Mexico is also hard because everything works so differently and the people just know about it and accept it. They are such a patient people. Perhaps I will learn some patience but I want it NOW!!!
Hasta luego.
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Shoe Is On The Other Foot
I know how it feels to be the stranger in a foreign land. I speak Spanish but it is so very hard to understand people when they are talking. We speak our native language so rapidly, using idioms and words that are recognized by native speakers, but that one doesn't learn from a book. We don't realize how difficult it is for non-English speakers to understand us. It is the same here, of course. They speak so fast!! Sometimes I think I am improving in my comprehension and then I realize that I have no idea what they are talking about! The school has provided a translator for the (endless!) teacher meetings that I have been attending and that helps.
The school has 2 other teachers from the USA: one from Conneticut and one from Michigan. They are both very young women, having graduated only 1 year ago. They both lived in Mexico last year, one in Guadalajara and the other here in PV. She taught at the Colegio Mexico Americano last year too.
The school is a bilingual school. All students from preschool thru high school learn in English as well as in Spanish, so there are a lot of English-speaking teachers at the school. Several of them are new to the school this year, having moved here from Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Tepic. The English teachers will be teaching grammar, spelling, vocabulary and reading/literature. The Spanish teachers teach Math, Spanish, Social Studies, and all the other classes the students have. Each student has PE (Gym) class, Music, computer class, and swimming class. The school has a beautiful Olympic size swimming pool and the kids learn to swim.
This is the 6th year for the Colegio Mexico Americano (CMA). It began with 35 kindergarten students; year 2 they had 160 students; year 3 there were 182; year 4 increased to 660; last year there were 1130 and this year they are anticipating an enrollment of 1200-1300 students. Each year they are adding grades to the school. The students are registering for school now and are getting their uniforms and books. Each day that I am at the school, I see children, carrying their new things, and a big smile on their faces. They seem happy to be there.
The school tuition is lower (by a lot) than any other private bilingual school in PV. They are reaching out to the middle/lower socio-economic class of families here in PV. For example, if a parent can help the school in any way, their child is on scholarship. The man who air-conditioned all the classrooms has 4 children attending the school on scholarship. Hooray for him!! Give his kids a scholarship for life!!! You just can't realize how important the AC is down here. I am so very, very happy that my classroom will be airconditioned.
They are building 10 (I think) new classrooms to be ready for school when it begins on Monday, August 20th. I can't believe that they will actually be ready by then, but we'll see!
I will be teaching the 2nd and the 4th grades--half day with the 2nd and half day with the 4th. I got the textbook for the 4th grades already and it is one that I used my last year at Tadmore with one of my 4th grade classes, so it is familiar to me. I don't know about the 2nd grade text yet.
By the way, in case you haven't figured it out yet, "Maestra" means "teacher" in Spanish and all the students call every teacher "Maestra" or "Maestro" if it is a male teacher. It seems to be an important title here in Mexico. We'll see if it makes the students behave better in class!
Remember: speak s-l-o-w-l-y when you talk to an Hispanic person who is trying so hard to understand.
Hasta luego.
The school has 2 other teachers from the USA: one from Conneticut and one from Michigan. They are both very young women, having graduated only 1 year ago. They both lived in Mexico last year, one in Guadalajara and the other here in PV. She taught at the Colegio Mexico Americano last year too.
The school is a bilingual school. All students from preschool thru high school learn in English as well as in Spanish, so there are a lot of English-speaking teachers at the school. Several of them are new to the school this year, having moved here from Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Tepic. The English teachers will be teaching grammar, spelling, vocabulary and reading/literature. The Spanish teachers teach Math, Spanish, Social Studies, and all the other classes the students have. Each student has PE (Gym) class, Music, computer class, and swimming class. The school has a beautiful Olympic size swimming pool and the kids learn to swim.
This is the 6th year for the Colegio Mexico Americano (CMA). It began with 35 kindergarten students; year 2 they had 160 students; year 3 there were 182; year 4 increased to 660; last year there were 1130 and this year they are anticipating an enrollment of 1200-1300 students. Each year they are adding grades to the school. The students are registering for school now and are getting their uniforms and books. Each day that I am at the school, I see children, carrying their new things, and a big smile on their faces. They seem happy to be there.
The school tuition is lower (by a lot) than any other private bilingual school in PV. They are reaching out to the middle/lower socio-economic class of families here in PV. For example, if a parent can help the school in any way, their child is on scholarship. The man who air-conditioned all the classrooms has 4 children attending the school on scholarship. Hooray for him!! Give his kids a scholarship for life!!! You just can't realize how important the AC is down here. I am so very, very happy that my classroom will be airconditioned.
They are building 10 (I think) new classrooms to be ready for school when it begins on Monday, August 20th. I can't believe that they will actually be ready by then, but we'll see!
I will be teaching the 2nd and the 4th grades--half day with the 2nd and half day with the 4th. I got the textbook for the 4th grades already and it is one that I used my last year at Tadmore with one of my 4th grade classes, so it is familiar to me. I don't know about the 2nd grade text yet.
By the way, in case you haven't figured it out yet, "Maestra" means "teacher" in Spanish and all the students call every teacher "Maestra" or "Maestro" if it is a male teacher. It seems to be an important title here in Mexico. We'll see if it makes the students behave better in class!
Remember: speak s-l-o-w-l-y when you talk to an Hispanic person who is trying so hard to understand.
Hasta luego.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
This Little Piggy Stayed Home
Today I will try to describe the homes here because the houses are very different from those at home.
As I told you, I am sharing a house with Aurora, the manager of the cafeteria at the Colegio. She is a very nice, middle-aged lady who has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. Our relationship has started out very well and I hope it continues to be a good one. She speaks only Spanish so sometimes communication requires a dictionary, but so far, so good!
Our house is a one floor ranch type house located on a corner. There is a small living room/dining room combination, a small kitchen, a tiny bathroom and 2 nice size bedrooms. The house is furnished but I don´t know if the furniture is Aurora´s or if the house came furnished when she rented it.
Typical of the houses in Mexico, there is an enclosed, tiled patio in the back of the house with a "laundry room". This is a room, about 6X4 feet, with a laundry sink and there are clothes lines in the patio. Some houses have the laundry sink in the corner of the patio with no "room" to house the sink. Although some people have a washing machine, most do not and Aurora doesn´t have one.
In the front of the house, there is a tiled patio, enclosed with a wrought iron fence, and large enough to park a car. many people park there, by their houses, although I have noticed that in our neighborhood, many park on the street.
The houses are made of cement, walls and ceiling. The floors are tiled with 12" or maybe 16" tile. Most people do not have rugs on the floor and the floors are very pretty. Think about cement walls...no hanging anything on them unless you have a special anchor, thus most middle to lower income people don´t have much hanging on the walls. Each room has windows and all the windows have iron grating over them. This provides security as well as giving the "Spanish look" to the home that we are used to seeing in pictures. Our living room has large windows in the corner, the kitchen and bathroom have one very small window in each and each bedroom has a very nice size window with sliding glass and screens. There is a sliding glass door to the patio and the front door has a wrought iron door in front of the main door. The wrought iron door serves the purpose of a screen door and a security door, although there is no screen in it.
The living room has a sofa and 2 matching chairs and a TV on a stand. The dining area has a table and 6 chairs. The kitchen has 3 sets of cabinets, a very small sink, stove and a refrigerator. (Think "apartment size stove and fridge!)
My bedroom is a nice size, maybe 10 X 12 feet with a double bed and, what I call, a crendenza. nothing else. no tables, no chairs, no mirror, no nothing! The bedrooms often do not have closets in them so they make-do. This crendenza thing is very long, maybe 8 feet long. It has 3 drawers and under the drawers are 3 doors which open to a shelf. Above the credenza is a bar to hang the clothes on and in front is a curtain to hide the "closet"! You can bet I bought a lot of hangers, both regular and clip on hangers! No hangers are ever in the closet areas so a long time ago I learned to buy them right away!
The bathroom is the real challenge! Tiny, by anyone´s account, there is a rather long shower, (think 3 or 4 feet wide by 6 feet long) and next to the shower is the toilet. You have to crowd next to the toilet to open the door! There IS a toilet paper holder but no towel bars. Where do you put your towel while showering??? Also there is a wastepaper can next to the toilet. For those of you who are not familiar with the plumbing in Mexico, I really won´t go into what is put into the wastecan. But remember not to flush paper!!! Outside the bathroom door is the sink/vanity with a tiny mirror hanging on the wall. There is about 3" of space around the sink. Where do you put your makeup? There is 1 nail in the cement wall and Aurora has a hand towel hanging there. I use my clip hangers to hang my towels and washcloth so they will dry!! The 5:30 AM challenge is to remember to take the towel to the bathroom with you!
At least I have a nice place to live and the neighborhood seems ok. I am still learning how to navigate by taxi there and also by city bus. In time, I will learn all that. I live not too far from the school so will be able to take the school bus (a van) to school and there is a shopping plaza not too far away either. Also Walmart and Sam's are pretty close too so what more can I need??!!
I hope I have drawn a good picture for you of a typical home for the middle class people here in Mexico. The houses are very different and present different challenges for us who are used to so much more.
Hasta luego.
As I told you, I am sharing a house with Aurora, the manager of the cafeteria at the Colegio. She is a very nice, middle-aged lady who has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. Our relationship has started out very well and I hope it continues to be a good one. She speaks only Spanish so sometimes communication requires a dictionary, but so far, so good!
Our house is a one floor ranch type house located on a corner. There is a small living room/dining room combination, a small kitchen, a tiny bathroom and 2 nice size bedrooms. The house is furnished but I don´t know if the furniture is Aurora´s or if the house came furnished when she rented it.
Typical of the houses in Mexico, there is an enclosed, tiled patio in the back of the house with a "laundry room". This is a room, about 6X4 feet, with a laundry sink and there are clothes lines in the patio. Some houses have the laundry sink in the corner of the patio with no "room" to house the sink. Although some people have a washing machine, most do not and Aurora doesn´t have one.
In the front of the house, there is a tiled patio, enclosed with a wrought iron fence, and large enough to park a car. many people park there, by their houses, although I have noticed that in our neighborhood, many park on the street.
The houses are made of cement, walls and ceiling. The floors are tiled with 12" or maybe 16" tile. Most people do not have rugs on the floor and the floors are very pretty. Think about cement walls...no hanging anything on them unless you have a special anchor, thus most middle to lower income people don´t have much hanging on the walls. Each room has windows and all the windows have iron grating over them. This provides security as well as giving the "Spanish look" to the home that we are used to seeing in pictures. Our living room has large windows in the corner, the kitchen and bathroom have one very small window in each and each bedroom has a very nice size window with sliding glass and screens. There is a sliding glass door to the patio and the front door has a wrought iron door in front of the main door. The wrought iron door serves the purpose of a screen door and a security door, although there is no screen in it.
The living room has a sofa and 2 matching chairs and a TV on a stand. The dining area has a table and 6 chairs. The kitchen has 3 sets of cabinets, a very small sink, stove and a refrigerator. (Think "apartment size stove and fridge!)
My bedroom is a nice size, maybe 10 X 12 feet with a double bed and, what I call, a crendenza. nothing else. no tables, no chairs, no mirror, no nothing! The bedrooms often do not have closets in them so they make-do. This crendenza thing is very long, maybe 8 feet long. It has 3 drawers and under the drawers are 3 doors which open to a shelf. Above the credenza is a bar to hang the clothes on and in front is a curtain to hide the "closet"! You can bet I bought a lot of hangers, both regular and clip on hangers! No hangers are ever in the closet areas so a long time ago I learned to buy them right away!
The bathroom is the real challenge! Tiny, by anyone´s account, there is a rather long shower, (think 3 or 4 feet wide by 6 feet long) and next to the shower is the toilet. You have to crowd next to the toilet to open the door! There IS a toilet paper holder but no towel bars. Where do you put your towel while showering??? Also there is a wastepaper can next to the toilet. For those of you who are not familiar with the plumbing in Mexico, I really won´t go into what is put into the wastecan. But remember not to flush paper!!! Outside the bathroom door is the sink/vanity with a tiny mirror hanging on the wall. There is about 3" of space around the sink. Where do you put your makeup? There is 1 nail in the cement wall and Aurora has a hand towel hanging there. I use my clip hangers to hang my towels and washcloth so they will dry!! The 5:30 AM challenge is to remember to take the towel to the bathroom with you!
At least I have a nice place to live and the neighborhood seems ok. I am still learning how to navigate by taxi there and also by city bus. In time, I will learn all that. I live not too far from the school so will be able to take the school bus (a van) to school and there is a shopping plaza not too far away either. Also Walmart and Sam's are pretty close too so what more can I need??!!
I hope I have drawn a good picture for you of a typical home for the middle class people here in Mexico. The houses are very different and present different challenges for us who are used to so much more.
Hasta luego.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
This Little Piggy Went To Market
I finally got a place to live! I am sharing a very nice house with Aurora, the manager of the school cafeteria. (More about the house later.) I moved in with her on Monday and needed to buy some things, so I got a taxi, and, clutching my dirty clothes in a plastic bag, and set off for the shopping center where there was a laundry.
I found the laundry and a wonderful couple who own it. It is a laundrymat but a little different that those in Georgia. I put the clothes in the machine and the lady added the soap and told me to come back in an hour. When I returned they were in the dryer and when they finished drying, she gave me a large bag to carry them home in. The laundry was immaculate and she and her husband were so very nice to me. I plan on using their laundry regularly. They also pick the clothes at home and wash, dry, and shrinkwrap them and deliver them back home fror a small fee. This may be more economical for me than taking a taxi both ways! We´ll see.
While I was waiting for the clothes, I bought a cellphone. One has to wait about 6 months to get a landline in a house, thus, everyone here has cell phones. I am still learning how to use it because, as you know, I am rather behind the times in my technology knowledge! I finally did get it programmed in English instead of Spanish which helps a little!! Slowly I am asking people to explain how to use it and, although the manual is in English, I have a little trouble understanding it. Needless to say, I skipped the pages explaining "How to Textmessage"! I do feel a little more secure having the phone with me.
Next I went to a newstand and bought a USA Today and People magazine in English, and a map of Puerto Vallarta. So glad to have something in English to read!
Next, a taxi to Walmart! I have a new appreciation of the Hispanic people in our town who have to take a taxi to go to Walmart. There I bought a mattress pad, a pillow and sheets (no need for a blanket!) and several other things I need to set up my personal housekeeping.
So much for the shopping. Next time, I will tell you about my house and roommate.
Hasta luego.
I found the laundry and a wonderful couple who own it. It is a laundrymat but a little different that those in Georgia. I put the clothes in the machine and the lady added the soap and told me to come back in an hour. When I returned they were in the dryer and when they finished drying, she gave me a large bag to carry them home in. The laundry was immaculate and she and her husband were so very nice to me. I plan on using their laundry regularly. They also pick the clothes at home and wash, dry, and shrinkwrap them and deliver them back home fror a small fee. This may be more economical for me than taking a taxi both ways! We´ll see.
While I was waiting for the clothes, I bought a cellphone. One has to wait about 6 months to get a landline in a house, thus, everyone here has cell phones. I am still learning how to use it because, as you know, I am rather behind the times in my technology knowledge! I finally did get it programmed in English instead of Spanish which helps a little!! Slowly I am asking people to explain how to use it and, although the manual is in English, I have a little trouble understanding it. Needless to say, I skipped the pages explaining "How to Textmessage"! I do feel a little more secure having the phone with me.
Next I went to a newstand and bought a USA Today and People magazine in English, and a map of Puerto Vallarta. So glad to have something in English to read!
Next, a taxi to Walmart! I have a new appreciation of the Hispanic people in our town who have to take a taxi to go to Walmart. There I bought a mattress pad, a pillow and sheets (no need for a blanket!) and several other things I need to set up my personal housekeeping.
So much for the shopping. Next time, I will tell you about my house and roommate.
Hasta luego.
Friday, August 3, 2007
The First Week
I arrived in Puerto Vallarta on Monday, July 31, and began my visit here in typical Mexican fashion: the woman who was to meet me at the airport was 1 hour late! I didn´t worry though because I am used to waiting for my Mexican friends! After a quick visit to the school and meeting a few people, she took me to a quaint little hotel, close to the school, where I am still residing.
The hotel is run by a nice Mexican lady who lives upstairs. It is a safe, clean and comfortable hotel without any American amenities, such as hot water!! Actually they do have hot water, but she forgets to turn on the heater. With the temperature (mid 90s) and the humidity (mid 90s) I actually did not notice that there was no hot water until yesterday. The bed is very comfortable and I am a few doors down from a small store where I can buy water, so I am getting along fine.
My quest this week has been to find a place to live. I looked at 2 apartments yesterday but they were not suitable. Today one of the administrators at the school introduced me to the manager of the cafeteria who is looking for a roommate. She is a pleasant lady, mid 50s, and after a brief conversation deciding on the rent etc, it was decided that I will move in on Monday. I hope this will work out well because it will be nice to have someone to be with.
School here does not start until August 20. Beginning last week, and all this week and next, there are teacher meetings. Can you believe that?? I am not a big fan of teacher meetings anyway but can you think just how boring they are in Spanish?? And 3 weeks of them? I will never complain about the 3 days of Hall County meetings again!
Everyone is being very nice to me. I have met many teachers from the school and there are several who will be teaching English, in the elementary, Jr. high and HS. Actually a lot of people here in Vallarta speak English because of the tourists. Sometimes when I speak to a person in Spanish, they answer in English; but if I use English, they have a blank look on their faces! So you just switch languages back and forth. I am hanging in there with the Spanish. I smile, nod, and try to guess what the heck they are saying! Already, though, I can see a little improvement in my comprehension but I have a long way to go for complete understanding.
I will try to update this blog weekly for a while until I get settled in a place to live and unpacked. Typing on a Spanish keyboard is sometime a challenge!
Hasta luego.
The hotel is run by a nice Mexican lady who lives upstairs. It is a safe, clean and comfortable hotel without any American amenities, such as hot water!! Actually they do have hot water, but she forgets to turn on the heater. With the temperature (mid 90s) and the humidity (mid 90s) I actually did not notice that there was no hot water until yesterday. The bed is very comfortable and I am a few doors down from a small store where I can buy water, so I am getting along fine.
My quest this week has been to find a place to live. I looked at 2 apartments yesterday but they were not suitable. Today one of the administrators at the school introduced me to the manager of the cafeteria who is looking for a roommate. She is a pleasant lady, mid 50s, and after a brief conversation deciding on the rent etc, it was decided that I will move in on Monday. I hope this will work out well because it will be nice to have someone to be with.
School here does not start until August 20. Beginning last week, and all this week and next, there are teacher meetings. Can you believe that?? I am not a big fan of teacher meetings anyway but can you think just how boring they are in Spanish?? And 3 weeks of them? I will never complain about the 3 days of Hall County meetings again!
Everyone is being very nice to me. I have met many teachers from the school and there are several who will be teaching English, in the elementary, Jr. high and HS. Actually a lot of people here in Vallarta speak English because of the tourists. Sometimes when I speak to a person in Spanish, they answer in English; but if I use English, they have a blank look on their faces! So you just switch languages back and forth. I am hanging in there with the Spanish. I smile, nod, and try to guess what the heck they are saying! Already, though, I can see a little improvement in my comprehension but I have a long way to go for complete understanding.
I will try to update this blog weekly for a while until I get settled in a place to live and unpacked. Typing on a Spanish keyboard is sometime a challenge!
Hasta luego.
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