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