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

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