in the states :)

I'm here in Seattle til the 15th, then I'm driving home to Spokane and will be there until the 29th. :)

It's really nice to be here, although I wish I could have also brought Daniel. The thing is, it costs up to $200 to make an INTERVIEW with the US embassy in Mexico City for only a tourist visa where they can then deny you. Since Daniel is just now graduating and is in the process of getting a job, we thought it would be best to save the money until this next summer or next Christmas. We'll see. By the way, it is SO cold here!!! I spent my first night with Laura in her college house where it was no more than 50 degrees! Now, luckily I'm spending time with my uncles where they actually use their heat. ;)

Also, I'm going to post some more pics! My last few weeks in Oaxaca, I just took random pics while I walked around the city so you can see what it looks like. Once I'm back in Oaxaca, I'll continue adding pics to this album. Enjoy! :)

Let's get together while I'm here!

AND THE DECISION IS?????

Hello hello!

Last week Daniel and I went up to Tuxtepec to check out the city and campus. The campus was absolutely beautiful! Surrounded by a thick forest, it had cobblestone paths that were surrounded by plants and flowers as they led you to all the different buildings. The language program however ... seemed somewhat empty. We spent one more day in Tuxtepec and walked around the city, and it was definitely a different type of Mexican city. It seemed more crowded than Oaxaca and the Spanish accents were so funny! They would leave out "s" from their words and spoke as is they were singing. Also, I was the one and only blonde to be seen (which actually, I forget that I don't look like the rest of the people -- Daniel had to remind me :P). It was interesting because we stayed with one of Daniel's friend who lives up there, and he lives a little outside the city amongst trees and trees and MORE trees filled with bananas! They're called banana macho, and they are HUGE and have a very unique taste. We actually had fried bananas for breakfast one morning, and as we left, his friend's family gave us a bag full of bananas. While the city itself appeared to be a little run down and not taken care of that much, it was a beautiful area.

Then this past Monday, I had to give a demo class at URSE, the university here in Oaxaca. I was so nervous because I hadn't taught a class in two months, but it went really well. It was the biggest class I had ever taught (about 30 college students), and some of them were trying to do other homework during my lesson. (I remember how that goes.) But overall, I had a lot of fun and I think it went fairly well given that I didn't really know that much about the class beforehand. All I knew is that they were intermediate.... Yup, that's it. Right after the class, I was given a critique about my class and offered the job.

So, the decision was kind of hard yet kind of easy. Seeing the program at URSE, it was full of teachers from Italy and France and the US, all teaching their native language plus maybe another, and right away I could just sense a great energy between the teachers. I made a pros and cons list for both of the schools, and while both the "pros" list for the universities were about equal, I found way more "cons" for the university in Tuxtepec. I LOVE Oaxaca. This is my home right now. I spent yesterday afternoon sitting in a park near my apartment just writing in my journal. There was this nice breeze, and it was such a beautiful day. Taking a moment to look around, I felt this sigh of relief that I was going to be staying here. Yeah, there may be lots of tourism here.... yes, Tuxtepec would have been an adventure..... but Oaxaca, in this moment of my life, is my home.

So, I'll be starting on my visa application HOPEFULLY this week, and I'll start teaching for sure the beginning of February, which is when they're semester starts, and I may even be able to give a month class in January. We'll find out!

Can you believe I'm going to be teaching college students??? (Let's just hope they don't realize I'm practically the same age as them!)

Other than that, I'm trying to get mentally prepared to head back to the states! I leave on the 6th of December, flying from Puebla to Seattle, and I'll be spending a week on the west coast to try to see as many people as I can. Then I'll be driving with Laura over to Spokane on the 14th for hopefully a snowy Christmas! (Maybe? Please?) Finally, since unfortunately Daniel can't go with me this year for a vacation in Spokane, I'll be heading back to spend New Year's in Oaxaca. So, that's the plan! Tell me where I can find you and see you!

Also, the B&B job is still going great. With Thanksgiving this week, we've had lots of different guests who have been so much fun to talk with. Lots of great stories to hear! Although with guests, I haven't actually had a full day off for a few weeks now, just half days off. So hopefully I'll finally get my FULL day off (my one and only haha) this next Sunday. I'm needing a day to sleep in!

Ok, well... going off to make cookies and buy some bread and jam for a mini Thanksgiving dinner that my friends and I are putting together tonight. One of the girls, who will be working with me at la URSE, is leaving tomorrow to work in the US for a month before she comes back, so we're having the dinner a day early. :)

So, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Eat some turkey for me (we're making chicken haha)!


¡BUEN PROVECHO!

QUICK CHECK IN

So, just want to fill everyone in since things in my life are starting to finally pick up. I have received a job offer in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. It's northeastish of Oaxaca, Oaxaca the city, and up and over the mountains where it takes me from the dry climate of Oaxaca to the more jungle parts of the state. I have a friend working up there, and she said on her way, she saw signs that said "Help save our jaguars!" Hmmm. (And there's tarantulas up there!) It's a full time job and really good pay for Mexico (a flat monthly pay). And I believe rent is cheaper up there. I'll be visiting for a day next week to check it out. So that's one option...

The other option is staying here in the city. I have an interview on Friday at a university here in Oaxaca but I've heard it's an hourly wage (you only get paid for the hours you work and not for the hours you plan). This would mean I'd probably work three to four hours a day which means my salary could be from half to three quarters that of the job in Tuxtepec. Plus, rent here is more expensive, although the apartment I have now is actually really cheap.

So, moving to Tuxtepec is looking like the best choice, and it also means living deeper in the Mexican culture, for Oaxaca is very touristy while in Tuxtepec, the other English teachers and I would be the only foreigners there. Also, Daniel has found a possible job opportunity in Tuxtepec as well, which would be nice so that we can stay close and not have to worry about distance.

So that's the scoop! Please be thinking of me these next couple of weeks while I start making some decisions!

Love and miss you all!

Michele

COOKING!!!

So, one good thing about working in a B&B/Cooking School is that eventually I get the benefits. First, they feed me breakfast every morning. DELICIOUS! Imagine, after being in Oaxaca for a total of 9 months (including last fall), I am now trying a whole new flavor of Oaxacan food just by working here. And the girls I work with are SO nice! I've really bonded with them, sharing stories with them during every breakfast and listening to their different views about so many things. Monday morning, the day after Day of the Dead, I got to hear all the "Day of the Dead" stories which they claim to be true. Very interesting! I remember last year I spent Day of the Dead with Daniel's uncle's family in a little town outside of Oaxaca, and honestly, I so scared by the stories they shared! And then Daniel almost made me go outside to where the bathroom was located by myself!

Another benefit to working here is that I finally got to be a part of a cooking class! A German documentary company (I'll say... not sure of the technical term) has come to visit and recorded one of our classes today. Since Pilar, the chef, didn't want them to film during a normal class, she asked me to gather a bunch of "extras" including me to participate for free! So the class consisted of my friends Annie and Naomi from my TESOL course, Daniel and I, and another receptionist from one of our other B&Bs. There was a German camera man (Thomas) who was kind of in charge, and a Mexican man (Hector) who did some of the questioning. They've been working together for a German public television channel for five years now, travling all around Latin America featuring different stories. Now, they are here to record all about the culture of Oaxaca. They filmed us in the market and cooking and what not, then they asked Daniel and I if they could interview us (IN SPANISH)! I said, "Ahh I hope my Spanish is good enough!" and of course they told me not to worry about it. Then, when they interviewed Daniel, the first thing Hector said was, "Now, be serious." Hahaha! Daniel's face was priceless as he said, "I don't know how to be serious!" But he did a good job. So hey, I think we may become famous in Germany! ;)

So, I'm hoping that my cooking skills are going to improve although I've been too lazy to practice much! After this class however, I have a little more motivation to practice different Oaxacan dishes that I can bring home with me. Anyone want to try when I get back???

Finally, while I've been complaining about the pay, I must say that I really enjoy working here. The most recent guests have been absolutely wonderful to talk with. One couple is taking the opportunity to travel to as many places as they can "before they die" is what they told me. The man shared a little bit about the places that they've travelled to and chatted with me about my plans and why this American girl is living here in Oaxaca. I just love working with people! And in the end this couple and another one left me very generous tips, which wasn't even a thought in my mind! It's just really nice to be appreciated for giving my best here at the B&B.

So, that's what's new with me! We took some pictures while cooking so I will have those posted soon. They're pretty cute. :)

One last thing.... I have hope for starting a teaching job in January! Thee universities have not confirmed but have at least been communicating with me about working for them. It mainly depends if positions open up, and then I'll be able to go in for an interview and give a practice teaching lesson. PLEASE be thinking of me! I would love to work at this one university that's an hour away from Oaxaca. I've heard so many great things about it and it's language program. This university is called Universidad de la Sierra Juárez. The second on my list is called URSE which is located right here in the city. And the third, which DOES have openings at this moment, is called Universidad de Papaloapan. The good thing about this university is that one of my friends works there. The bad thing is, it's in the city Tuxtepec a good distance away from Oaxaca. :( Although who knows, maybe this is where I should be off to next. (And there's a chance that Daniel may get a job in that city as well.) I just want to be sure of what I'm coming back to in January, so I'm going to be working hard at continuing to send emails to these universities as well as others so that I can hopefully have something all worked out before I go to Spokane for Christmas.

So that's my update. :) Hope everyone is doing well!

ESTAMOS EN CONTACTO! Miss you all!

Love,
Michele

What do you do when you’re low on $$ and you need to get out of the apartment???

So, this past Saturday, Daniel and I were trying to figure out what we should do since we’re both fairly low on money these days yet have been spending way too much time sitting at computers. We ended up deciding that we would just go walk around the downtown area called the Zócalo. We took a loop around the park when Daniel spotted balloons that he always used to play with as a kid. They’re these long tube-like balloons that parents will throw up into the air and little kids run and chase them. I remember last fall Daniel had convinced me to buy one with him. I had thought, “We’re going to throw a balloon around amidst all these little kids???” But when I finally said yes, we ended up having SO much fun running around and chasing this balloon! So as he spotted the balloons Saturday night (this was around 10:30pm and there were still tons of little kids running about with their parents), again I was thinking, “I don’t want to run around with a balloon! I’m 22 years old!” But we ended up buying one anyway, Daniel having exactly 15 pesos needed to buy one of the bigger balloons. After a good half hour of throwing it around and chasing it (haha can you just imagine us?), this little 5- or 6-year-old girl who was obviously from the street came up to Daniel. “Globo?” she said reaching up for the balloon. Daniel asked if she wanted to play with us but she just said “Globo!” So he told her, we’ll give it to you when we’re done playing with it ok? She nodded. So Daniel hit the balloon up into the air and I ran and caught, and before I knew it, the little girl was standing right in front of me. “Globo?” We explained to her, just 15 more minutes of playing with it and we would give it to her, so she nodded and continued to watch. Within the next couple of minutes, families were clearing out and the little girl ran up to us with this huge smile on her face carrying a balloon that was about as tall as she was. It was so cute to see this little girl who had dirty, chubby cheeks running around with her balloon. Every time she’d throw it up and catch it, she would run up to me with her big smile. I’m not sure how it even started but the little girl and I began playing with the balloons like they were swords and I can just remember her little voice, “Hiya! Hiya!” You should’ve seen the way she ran with her balloon laughing with this deep little belly laugh! At one point, her balloon broke, but we just took turns with our big balloon, throwing and catching it. We spent another good half an hour just playing with her, when suddenly, realizing it was getting close to midnight (I suppose) and noticing there weren’t many people around, Daniel asked where her mom was. “No sé.” (She said it in the tiniest little voice, making a “sh” sound instead of the “s” sound.) She look around. “No sé.” She looked and looked around, looked up at Daniel, looked around again, “No sé. Jugamos?” (I don’t know. Let’s play?) Daniel and I looked at each other thinking, ummm her mom’s not here?!) So we kept playing with her and eventually her mom did come back and started telling her that they had to go in their indigenous language. We tried to give the balloon to her, but her mom refused to let her have it since it was too big. The little girl waved goodbye to us saying, “Mañana! Mañana!” (Tomorrow! Tomorrow!) She kept saying it over and over again, telling us that tomorrow we’ll play again. Tomorrow! In silence for a moment, Daniel then turned to me and said, “I think that was the best thing we could’ve done with 15 pesos.” We really wish she could’ve kept the balloon, but on the walk home we saw another little girl, around 11 years old, just staring at the balloon. When we asked if she wanted it, her face completely lit up as she said “Sí!”

It just really amazed me to just see these little girls out on the street who have to grow up so quickly, selling bracelets or baskets filled with candy and cigarettes. There was another little girl who had joined us when we were playing but only wanted to throw it twice because she had to get back to trying to sell bracelets. Their childhood is cut so short. It’s very sad to me, and made me thankful at the same time that we could play and have fun with that little girl.

This was just one of the highlights of my weekend, and so I hope you enjoyed the little story. :)

Other than that, I am now working full time at the Bed & Breakfast. Like I said, it doesn’t pay much at all, but it will be just enough to pay the bills. And I now have a little friend… well, kinda little… it’s a big grey and white fluffy cat who likes to cuddle/attack my feet as I walk by.

Also, after a week of sitting in an office, I suggested to Daniel that we spend Sunday at Monte Alban, some ruins here in Oaxaca. It was cheap for Daniel because Mexicans get in for free on Sundays (and we tried to convince the lady I was Mexican, but she didn’t find it very funny!) It was so nice. While I had visited Monte Alban twice last fall, it was so nice to be out of the city looking out at the mountains. There was a mixture of white billowy clouds and gorgeous stormy ones that threatened to rain on us. (I’ll have the pics up soon!) We ended up walking around for four hours there while taking some time to just sit on top of the highest structure where I did some writing and Daniel rested his eyes. It was exactly what I needed. I’ve been getting anxious about finding a teaching position and want to have a teaching job lined up soon! So taking a moment to just breathe was refreshing.

Ok… I know it was a lot to read, but hopefully somewhat entertaining. ;) Take care and stay in contact!

Michele

Oh, and I’m officially visiting for Christmas in December… which isn’t too far away!

P.S.

I've added recent photo albums! I haven't actually been taking too many pictures but during the summer I attended parts of the Guelaguetza which is a yearly celebration where many different cultures, traditions, and dances throughout the state of Oaxaca come together in the city. I also had a chance to go to the beach for a long weekend ... my absolute favorite getaway so far! For those of you who have facebook, you've probably already seen these, but for those who don't, check them out! :)

Next task.... taking random, wonderful pictures of my everyday life here in Oaxaca ;) Those will be the pictures that count!

Starting up the blog again...

So I’m finally starting up my blogspot again! So I hope there are people out there that still remember me and want to hear from me. ;)

What’s the scoop?

So, I was hoping to take a SIT TESOL course which would get me a teaching certificate back in July but unfortunately due to the swine flu scare, the course was cancelled and rescheduled for September. I was really disappointed because I had wanted to get a teaching job started by August or September (when I assumed a lot of semesters were starting). It was somewhat of a stressful summer because of this because I felt like I had no purpose and yet couldn’t enjoy what should’ve been an obligated vacation time after four years of college. (I have this US mentality still that I just need to be busy busy busy!)

When the TESOL course started, it was SO nice! This was a bit stressful and very busy – my days were from 9am until 7:30pm with homework and lesson planning to do afterwards! I did get an hour and a half lunch break, but I was usually working on assignments rather than eating. But I loved it! I absolutely loved it. I met a group of really great people who, the majority of, are looking to work and stay in Oaxaca. In just a month, a lot of us grew very close and it’s nice to have a little community here to support one another during the job search. (Well … and compete with a little!) One girl, like me, has a Latin American boyfriend, but her boyfriend happens to be in Cuba! So, I realized maybe Mexico isn’t the most complicated country to fall in love in. haha

Speaking of… Daniel has been working really hard on his final business project. He’s going to (hopefully!) be graduating this December which is really exciting. I was very shocked the first week he went back to school and realized I should’ve appreciated the time I had with him before the semester started. The very first week he was leaving at around 9am, he would get back around 7pm, and then he’d be on msn messenger with his “business partner” working away at their project. Since this was before my TESOL course had started, I was left thinking, what the heck am I supposed to do with my time?! J So I’ve started to learn how to knit! It’s been somewhat postponed since I’ve started my course and now the job searching process, but my goal is to have a poncho made by December (and a poncho that will be cute enough to wear in public).

So now… job searching. It’s a LOT harder (as I expected) right now due to it being mid-semester. There are some private language schools that are hiring, and I gave a practice lesson this past Monday and will be hearing back from them on Wednesday (tomorrow). So I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!! But ultimately I’d like to work in one of the universities. There’s one in particular within the city that I’m going to go visit tomorrow, but there are also a few which are set outside the city that I’m really interested in. That would mean I would be leaving in a smaller town but they’re pretty close (like an hour or two) from Oaxaca the city and it’s really cheap to travel back on the weekends. From what I’ve heard, the programs are really great in these universities, the pay is better, and I get benefits! At the language schools, it’s an hourly wage (meaning I don’t get paid for the time I’m actually planning my lessons), and definitely no included benefits. So I’m hoping to get a university that would like to hire me for their next semester!

In the meantime, gueeeess what?! I have started working in a little Bed & Breakfast where the innkeeper (who is also a well-known Oaxacan chef) has called me her personal, bilingual assistant. The pay is absolutely horrible but I’m having a lot of fun working there. And it’s been really challenging my Spanish skills. I’m writing emails mostly in English to the foreigners who want to come stay at the B&B, but all of the phone calls are in Spanish. I’ve had some stumbling moments, but learning quickly. Also, the innkeeper, Pilar Cabrera, is so much fun to talk with. She’s got her own restaurant and two B&Bs.

Ok well, obviously there is so much more that I need to catch everyone up on but here’s a little fun note to end with:

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten???

Well here’s my new list:
- Fish eyeballs
- Cooked blood from a goat (this is the only one I didn’t like!)
- Pickled chicken feet
- Tongue tacos
- Brain tacos (the first thing my parents said was “Mad Cow disease!”) – they’re called tacos de sesos
- Gourmet fungus that grows off corn cobs (very expensive here) – called huitlacoche
- And I’m sure there are more but weird dinners have become normal now so it’s hard to remember!

Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I’m sorry I’ve kind of disappeared for a while. It’s been an interesting adventure getting accustomed to living here in Oaxaca and not just studying abroad here, but also an amazing experience. I really do feel at home here and I love the people here. One of my favorite things to do is just walk down the streets of Oaxaca during the day and seeing/hearing the life around me, although there’s always those boys yelling “Ch! Ch! Güerita!” (Instead of whistling, the boys say “Ch! Ch! and güera means light skinned girl.) They now receive dirty looks and Daniel has taught me appropriate Mexican slang to say at the bothersome ones. Hehe

Ok, I promise for more updates to come! Take care, and if you find some time, send me an email! I’d love to hear from you. My new email address is michelejean_002@msn.com or heggmj@yahoo.com. I’m not sure how I ended up with two.

Saludos desde Oaxaca!
Love, Michele