Saturday, May 24, 2008

Goodbye But Not Adios

No one wanted to say "goodbye", including me! Everyone asked when I am coming back. I wonder that myself. We didn't say goodbye, but we did say "Hasta luego" several times during my last week in Puerto Vallarta.

My friend, Lety, with whom I lived and worked while there, invited me to breakfast at a very unique restaurant, El Set. Not recognizing the word "set" in Spanish, I asked her what it meant. She replied "It's an English word". It seems that when the movie, "The Night of the Iguana" was filmed in Puerto Vallarta years ago, this restaurant was used as a set for the movie---thus, the name "El Set"!




Lety and I enjoying our breakfast: eggs with mole sauce, frijoles, and fresh squeezed orange juice.




A replica of a movie camera adds to the authenticity of the restaurant.





And the view....oh, how beautiful!

On Wednesday morning, I returned to the preschool where I taught, to say goodbye, and the children put on a program for me. The principal, Maestro Rogelio, the English teacher, Maestra Erika (second from left) and I posed for a "faculty photo" before the program.









The three year old class sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".

These four-year olds, with Maestra Erika holding the mic, said a poem in English.

The girls did an Hawaiian dance!

At the end of the performances, the whole school sang the songs I had taught them to sing at the beginning and ending of the class period. They sang to me and I sang back to them!

Then everyone lined up for a big hug and said "goodbye" (in English!) to me. I hope they are able to continue learning English as they progress in school.

That evening, some of the principals and teachers, with whom I worked, gathered at the Restaurante Hector" for dinner. Located on the beach, we watched the sun go down and applauded when it fell below the horizon!


The sun joined us in the photo, sticking its bright head in between two of the teachers!

Another goodbye at the airport with three friends brought tears from us all but we parted with the standard farewell: "Nos vemos" ("We'll see each other").

Although I have returned from the trip, there is much more to be written about Mexico and I hope you will continue to read, as I write, about the schools, the people, and the country. And for those of you living close enough to see the photos, I have several hours worth of vacation pictures!!! I bet you can hardly wait!!

For now, I am very happy to see Mr. Neat, my kids and grandkids, and, especially Nellie, my faithful Gooldendoodle who missed me more than anyone!!

In the meantime, nos vemos and...

Hasta luego

Saturday, May 17, 2008

A Day at the Beach

My friend, Lety, said this morning, "We haven't spent a day at the beach yet. You can't go home without being at the beach. Let's go to Punta de Mita today." What a great idea! Sunny, warm, light breeze, temperature in the mid-80s, what better day to go to the beach?

One of her favorite beaches is in Punta de Mita, Nayarit, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. There is a beachfront restaurant there that she likes, so off we went.




The Anclote Restaurant has dining inside and out. We chose to sit outside on the beach for our tequila sunrise but went inside to the tables for our dinner.



Here is the beach and today there was seaweed all along the edge of the water.


Kids playing in the water.


Building sand castles.


Relaxing under the palapa. Can you see the people dining inside the restaurant on the right side?



Music time!


He caught "the big one"!


And we ate it! This is fish zarandeado, a way of preparing the fish. it is delicious!


Buying ice cream on the beach.

We had a very enjoyable day reading, people-watching and snoozing. Lety even went into the water but I didn't like the seaweed and rocky bottom. I prefer her swimming pool!

Hasta luego.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Teacher's Day

May 15th is Teacher's Day in Mexico and what a big deal it is!



There are no classes and the teachers enjoy their day off. Hosted by the mayor of PV, one of the hotels served a big breakfast for the public school teachers. Scheduled to begin at 8:30, parking was at a premium and the line of teachers, waiting to enter the grounds of the hotel, snaked around the corner.

The Krystal Hotel had tables set up outside in the pool area. I estimate that there were about 1000 teachers there. Our table had "number 89" on it and we were next to the pool! There were 8 people at each table. The PV weather was at its best by having a light breeze and a few clouds which prevented the sun from boiling down on us!




You can see how close we were sitting, and this photo shows only just a tiny bit of the group! We were a big crowd!

What's a party in Mexico without Mariachi? They played while the people entered the grounds and kept us all toe-tapping while the breakfast was served.



This is our table. My friend, Lety, is 3rd from the left and I am 5th.


This is breakfast. Quite a bit different from the breakfasts we eat in Georgia! We started with a fruit bowl and pan dulce (sweet rolls) with coffee. Next came a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of tortillas, and the main dish. On the left of the plate are frijoles with grated cheese with a tortilla chip standing up; at 12:00 on the plate are beef chunks, cooked in a very delicious sauce, (not spicy); next is a rolled tortilla; and at the bottom of the plate are pieces of chicken, grilled with tomato and green pepper slices. In the middle for looks (or for "some people" who like spicy food) is a grilled Jalapeno pepper. It was a typical Mexican breakfast which one would eat in a restaurant and very good!


The mayor of PV welcomed everyone and, of course, made a speech! Next a young student from the Normal School (Teachers' College) recited a poem about teachers which was so good it gave me goosebumps! I had heard her deliver the poem at her school, Juana de Asbeje, a couple weeks ago when I was there for a book signing by an author and was blown away by her talent. Such a wonderful gift to give to the teachers on their day.

The breakfast ended with door prizes: microwave ovens, dishes, TVs and the 3 big prizes---three 2008 automobiles to the lucky winners! Quite a nice day.

After the festivities ended, "Hizzoner (the mayor of PV) and I posed for a picture!




Mayor Francisco Javier Bravo Carbajal and retired Georgia ESL teacher: me!

Upon leaving the hotel about noon, Lety, 6 other teachers and I went to Starbucks where Lety treated us to a coffee and conversation. We made such an impression in the Starbucks employees (I'm not sure if it was a good or bad one!!), they took our picture and put it on their bulletin board! We had fun.

Then home long enough to change clothes and return to a restaurant where we had been invited by a principal to join in the festivities with some other teachers. About 50 of us ate, drank, danced and listened to what had to be "the worst band" in PV!! I'm not sure who had more fun---the teachers or the band members whom I am sure were playing together for the first time!!! The bass drum and the tuba drowned out the other instruments and the two singers who strained to be heard without a mic!

Victor, Meli, Lety and me and the band in the distance!


Dancers salsa-ing to the music!

After about 3 hours of music and merriment, Lety and I went home to relax....


And relax we did in the pool in the subdivision. Here's proof that I got wet above my knees!!

Lety received text messages and phone calls all day on her cellphone from friends wishing her "Congratulations" on Teacher's Day. And how nice that I was included in the messages from friends that we both know.

Teacher's Day is a special day for Mexican educators.

Hasta luego.




Monday, May 12, 2008

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is a famous "little city" in Mexico. Famous, not only for its history, but also for its expatriate population of artists, the city of about 80,000, high in the mountains (6400 ft) is home to a large artist colony, 2 art institutes, many galleries, and a big theater community. No wonder I was anxious to see it!

It is a colonial city, named a national monument in the 1920s, so there are no neon signs or modern buildings and---get this: no stoplights! During the 1940s, the area became a tourist attraction because of the hot springs in the area and after World War II, American veterans discovered that their GI bill money went further at the art institutes here. Word got around and Americans began to visit, then move here and now retirees are joining them.

I am sure that Fray Juan de San Miguel, the Franciscan monk who founded the city in 1542 would be a bit surprised if he saw his city now! The town, like many others in the area, was a stopover from Zacatecas on the silver route to the mines.

The Mexican War of Independence began in a nearby town (Dolores Hidalgo) and General Ignacio Allende, who lived in the city (then known as San Miguel el Grande) joined the army and led it to several victories. He is now a national hero and the city was renamed for him in 1826.

As you know from other ramblings on my blog, in every city and town in Mexico the church and plaza are central features there. San Miguel de Allende is no different.



The Parroquia de San Miguel Arc Angel is a pseudogothic church overlooking the main plaza. Legend has it that the architect who added the facade had never seen a real Gothic cathedral and made his drawings from pictures. How true that is, I don't know but that is what they told me!



The altar of the Parroquia.


The plaza.


An Indian woman makes and sells her things on the plaza.


A street in the city.




I am showing you these doors because, not only were they very beautiful but they also had exquisite doorknockers on them and also, something else that I have never seen in Mexico: mail slots! The mail slots actually say "Correo" (mail)!!! Regular mail is not a common thing in Mexico and I have see only one actual mailbox and these were the first mail slots I have seen!


This is the (?) or a policeman for the city. I'm not sure if he was dressed up for a picture or if he always looks like that! But it does make for a nice photo, verdad?

We were only able to spend a few hours in San Miguel de Allende but I am so pleased to have seen it. Perhaps one day, Mr. Neat and I can return as tourists and really get to know the beautiful city.

Hasta luego.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Guanajuato

We just had a five-day weekend! Thursday, May 1 was Labor Day, and Monday, May 5 was Cinco de Mayo--another business holiday. I don't know why, but there was no school on Friday, May 2 so everyone who toils in the field of education had a 5 day holiday! That works for me!!

My friend, Lety, planned a cultural tour for us! She wanted to show me the cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, as well as some smaller towns, so Wednesday afternoon, after she finished work, we took off, returning to PV on Monday evening. We had a whirlwind trip but at least I was able to spend a few hours in some of the famous places in Mexico. I really enjoyed it.

This story is about the city of Guanajuato, the capital of the state of Guanajuato, which is just north and east of Jalisco. Located high (6,500 ft.) in the mountains, the beautiful, old city with cobblestone streets and houses perched on the side of the mountains, is where, in 1810, Ignacio Allende and Father Hildago entered the city and confronted the Spanish for the first time. The Revolutionary war began.

A tiny bit of history...the Spanish were shored up in the granary which the Mexicans could not reach until Juan Jose de los Reyes Martinez strapped a stone on his back so the bullets couldn't hurt him and made his way to the granary and set it on fire! He is known by his nickname, El Pipila, and there is a huge statue (which you will see below) towering over the city of Guanajuato. A true Mexican hero!

The name "Guanajuato" means "the place of the frogs" and there are several stories, I understand, as to why it was called that. One tale says that the indigenous Indians from the area said the place was only fit for frogs to live! Guanajuato and the surrounding area is famous for silver mines. The Valenciana mine was one of the richest silver mines in the world and at one time much of the world's silver came from it.

The Guanajuato River ran through the city, and a series of tunnels were built to contain the river; however, the river regularly flooded the city. Finally a dam was built on the river and now those tunnels, paved with cobblestones, provide access to the city for cars. There is an "underground city"---a maze of tunnels---allowing cars to traverse the city. Above ground, although there are some streets for cars, most of the "streets" are actually very narrow alleys, allowing for 1 lane of traffic.

Lety's 2 sisters: Rosario, and her husband Manuel, Lupita, me and the dog (!) crowded into their Nissan and made the 4 hour trip from Guadalajara to Guanajuato! We arrived in the city about 7:00PM and after finding a place to stay, Lety, Lupita and I went to see and hear the student musicians play near the University.



Student musicians with medieval instruments, and dressed in medieval costume, stroll the streets in the evening, singing and playing.

The next morning we drove through the city, experiencing the many tunnels, but surfaced and drove through the town to see what we could see from the car. Parking in the downtown area, our main stop was at the city plaza and the Templo de San Diego de Acala.


An artist set up his paintings in front of the San Diego de Acala church.


The main plaza with gardens, benches and a kiosk.


We were fortunate to have an band concert in the kiosk while we were there. The plaza was full of people enjoying the sun (and shade too!) and the music, which could be heard for blocks around the neighborhood.

These boys, wearing a uniform similar to the Boy Scout uniform, were playing a game in the Plaza.

Here I am, standing in front of the Juarez Theater which hosts the International Cervantino Festival, in honor of Cervantes, every October. Artists from all over the world come to present plays, dance, opera, music and art exhibits.

This area is also known as the theater district since there are several theaters located within walking distance of the Plaza.



A pretty street scene.

Another street scene but look high up on the right side of the picture, just above the greenery and see the statue of El Pipila.


Here's a better view of him! The massive stone statue looms high above the city but there is a street leading there and the view of the city is fantastic!




From the statue, looking down onto the city, the clump of green in the middle of the photo is the main Plaza where the band concert was; and across the street, with the red roof, is the church.


Here are a couple of views of the city.


The houses are built on the side of the mountain and cars, driving in off the street, park on the roof of the house! What a garage!

Well, that's the tour of Guanajuato. Later we'll be off to the city of San Miguel de Allende.

Hasta luego.


Cinco de Mayo---An American Celebration

Cinco de Mayo! Americans celebrate with gusto! A time to enjoy a Mexican beer and Mexican food: nachos! A time to celebrate the Mexican Independence---right? WRONG!


The holiday, Cinco de Mayo, is NOT the Mexican Independence Day. That is September 16th and is celebrated enthusiastically by Mexicans all over Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla. In 1862, some years after Mexico declared its independence from Spain, President Benito Juarez announced that Mexico could not repay its debts to England, Spain and France for 3 years. The French didn't like that and came to Mexico to collect their money!


The French sent an army of 6,000 men to the city of Puebla, with the intention of marching on to Mexico City. They were met by a ragtag army of 5,000 Mestizos and Indians who fought and won the battle in Puebla. Although the victory was short-lived, (the French invaded Puebla again 3 days later, and sent Maximilian to be the emperor of Mexico*) the Mexicans remember the men who fought so hard and lost their lives for their country.


*Maximilian was in power for about 5 years when he lost his backing from the Catholic church and Benito Juarez regained his presidency and Mexico was finally a free country.


So---that is much more than you ever wanted to know about Cinco de Mayo, right?


Regarding the celebrations in Mexico, the people have a day off work, the school children talk about the holiday in school, but as far as big observances go, it is more of a regional holiday, commemorated in Puebla, than nationally. Puebla celebrates with gusto and in Mexico City, President Calderon probably made a speech and there may have been military parades. In Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, there were no festivities.

The holiday has been embraced by many Mexicans living in the USA, and in areas around the US/Mexican border.

So go ahead and enjoy those nachos! Have a Corona beer! Play some Mexican music! You will have a great party, and why not? Just don't think that you are celebrating the Mexican Independence Day!

Hasta luego.



Tuesday, May 6, 2008

What Am I Doing Here in Mexico?

You might be wondering just what is it that I do all day! The purpose of my visit this time is to write curriculum for the teachers to use next year in the pre-school and kindergarten English classes.

This is the first year that English has been taught at this level in the public schools in Puerto Vallarta and the supervisors are interested to see how the children are learning and they want additional curriculum for next year. Over 60 teachers are taking classes to learn English so they can teach it in the public schools.

When I arrived here, I went to a preschool/kindergarten where I observed the English teacher and her methods of teaching for about a week. Then for the next two weeks, I taught the classes there and then tested the students individually to see how well they are learning the language. I also tried different teaching strategies to learn what worked the best with the younger language learners. I was at the school from 9:00-12:00 and taught 1 three year old class, 2 four year old classes and 2 five year old classes.

In the afternoon and evenings, I met with 2 teachers and we began the tedious job of writing the curriculum.

I have finished at the school, although I will go back again next week to say goodbye to the children and the teachers. My job there, which was learning which teaching strategies work best with the younger children, has concluded. We know what we can use and what we can't use with the little ones who are learning English.

I continue to write the curriculum at home. Thank goodness for the computer and the Internet! That has been a life-saver for me! With the material available there, we don't have to try to reinvent the wheel! I can use songs, games and chants that I find on the web and that have worked well for other English teachers. The Mexican teachers are not aware of the wonderful world of information for teaching English that can be found on the Internet. They are like kids in a toy store when I show them a new website!

So here are some pictures of me teaching at the school. This first picture is the three year old class.




There are 19 three year old children in this class, including one set of identical twins!



This group of four year olds talk about the letter Aa and the apple! There were no bulletin boards in the classrooms so I used masking tape to hang the pictures on the chalkboard.




"Today is Monday. Yesterday was Sunday. Tomorrow will be Tuesday." Sing it and you can learn it. That's a good way to teach the days of the week!


This little guy gets to be a bee and buzz around the room! The "z" sound in English is difficult for Spanish speaking people to say. So we "buzzed" a lot!


These five year old boys are trying a conversation: "How are you?" "Fine, thanks. And you?"


"Come on, honey, you can say it! I'll help you."

I tested the children in both English and Spanish, asking the same questions in both languages. It was interesting to note that many of them knew the colors in English but not in Spanish! And when I asked, in Spanish, what the name of the color yellow was, about 95% of them replied "yellow" (in English) instead of "amarillo".

I enjoyed being with the children and seeing how they are engaged in learning to speak another language. It would be interesting to see this same group of children in 3 or 4 years to see how well they have learned English.

In the meantime, I continue to write the curriculum and hope that my help will ease the burden of teaching English for the new teachers next year by giving them some new ideas and methods of teaching. The supervisor says I must continue to help when I get back to Georgia and then come back on the fall! (Don't worry, Mr. Neat. That's NOT going to happen!!)

So that is what I do everyday, here in the land of sun and fun!

Hasta luego.