Halloween

Well, it's Halloween. Or Day of the Dead. Or both if you're in Ensenada.

Today different classes at the school made altars to the dead. They had to negotiate among themselves as to who would be honored by the altar. One class honored the husband of their teacher who died a year or so ago. Another honored the grandmother of one of the students who died last month. Another honored Walt Disney.

Theo is in fifth grade, and his class got into an argument that ended with the fifth grade being banned from participating. One girl suggested that they build the altar to her father, who died in a scuba diving accident when the girl was only ten months old. Several of the boys berated her for her suggestion, saying they never knew her father, and neither did she, so why suggest someone so silly. Of course the poor girl was beside herself in sadness, and cried, and the principal had to come in and tell the kids they were mean and hateful and did not deserve to participate. Some of the boys, especially, were non-plussed, though we are learning that a few (besides Theo) were more than a bit upset by the whole affair, thinking that these dominant, alpha-dog boys were really horrible.

But that was only a small glitch, in part because Theo swims between both fifth and fourth grade, and when he gets tired of one group, he can seek refuge in the other.

Tonight both boys were invited to Halloween parties. Nathan did not dress up for his (he's too mature now, of course, even though many of his classmates did put on costumes); Theo went to his party as a vampire.

So Laura and I had a few hours off. We asked the hosts of Nathan's party for a suggestion of where to go out for drinks and a light supper. They suggested a place called Ophelia', which was not too far away (though it took us a while to find it). Wonderful little restaurant. Ordered a nice bottle of wine from the local vineyards (we are living in the New Napa, after all). and an appetizer of scallop ceviche (wow) and an entrée of lasagna (comfort food). And a pear tart for dessert.

We had a very nice date. We talked about all manner of things, including how our lives are finally becoming more international in scope, what with Laura scheming about how to stay involved in this school even after she finishes the year, and what with my business probably expanding to serve clients in Hong Kong and South China.

Right now, I'm waiting for a parent to drop off Theo at the apartment; Nathan is still at his party, and Laura is drinking (more) wine with the parents at that party. It seems that every time the kids have parties, the parents hang out, too. So our social lives are pretty darned great down here. Everyone is über welcoming and friendly, and happy to pour the wine or open more beer.

Oh, and did I mention it was in the high 80s today? Delightful.

Here are some pics:

The Best Weekend

Last weekend was probably my best weekend yet.
Friday we had a big book fair, and everyone in my class had presentations on either books or countries. Mine presentation was on Harry Potter 1, but the Spanish teacher says I was supposed to talk in English (ironic huh?). It was a little weird speaking English, but I thought I did well and I have passed Spanish. After that I went to my friend's birthday party until 8:00 and we all had lots of fun. When I got home my friend from Colorado was there, he had come to visit for the weekend during his fall break.
The first thing Michael (my friend) and I did was head down to our favorite taco stand, El Paisa for dinner. Of course Michael loved it and we all had a great night of eating and catching up on news. The next day we got up and walked down to the panaderia (pastry shop) to get breakfast for everyone. After we had our breakfast we all decided that we would all go to the beach to hang out. Of course we needed a lunch, so Michael and I walked down to El Paisa again. We got some delicious tortas (large sandwiches) to go and brought them home, got all our beach stuff ready, and left. Everyone had a great time at the beach and we boogie boarded and looked for sand dollars. While there we also found the best skipping stone in the world (which we named Dom). With this rock you could skip 13-15 times, easy. The waves weren't that amazing for boarding but we had fun and I worked on my technique with help from Michael (who's a surfer). After the beach we went home and relaxed for a while. After a long day we all went to a seafood restaurant for dinner and walked around the center of town. We relaxed more afterword.
On Sunday we had a very lazy morning. We pretty much just hung around until 12:00 talking, playing soccer, hacky-sacking, playing guitar, and fooling with Michael's fancy camera. Later we went downtown to explore and hang out. I got some pretty sick shoes, too. We all then went to a family friend's house, with some other friends of ours. It was a great night and we had lots of fun hanging out with all the kids. Everyone was very welcoming and we had lots of great food.
Monday I stayed home from school in the morning. We hung out and went and got our last tacos (they were mole, delicous!) and passed the time until we had to drive Michael to the bus station. His bus left at 9:30 and I had to go back to school.
Thus ended the best weekend ever.

Picture time:

Michael and me at the beach

Theo digging a hole

Theo in his hole

Some sealions we saw close to shore

Some of our friends (Scott the professor on the left, Luis the orthodontist on the right)

Berenice cooking amazing food

Everyone together Sunday night celebrating the birthday of Luis (white and maroon striped shirt). Sorry I blinked.

Security Breach

Today we had to be extra clean and organized. Why? Because we had our backpacks checked today. Yes, I’m serious. I felt like I was going through airport security. First they checked your pencil case, your cubby thing, your backpack, and then they kind of did the hand check all around your pockets and jacket. It was really weird. They checked your hair and your fingernails too. The principal thinks I need to cut my hair. Everything that does not have to do with school is taken away, small toys, discs, even books for pleasure reading!

Some kids hadn’t cleaned out their things beforehand so there were many attempts to hide things. One girl hid her things tucked in the waistband of her skirt. Another hid hers in a shelf in the corner of the classroom. Some of the guys took of their jackets, put their E.O.s (Expressive Objects) in them and sat on the jacket. One boy barely got away with his phone, they were patting all around him and they cane within an inch of where he had hidden it. Another boy had a very good idea. He had a broken chair, so he rigged up a secret compartment under the seat, it worked quite well. It was actually a good thing we cleaned out Theo’s backpack, because he had a two-week-old rotten banana in one of his side pockets. I can just picture my principal’s manicured nails reaching into his backpack, it would have been hilarious.

At school you’re not allowed to wear bracelets or paint your nails or anything. If girls are caught with these things they have to scrape of the polish and their bracelets are confiscated. If anyone is caught with any toys or keychains they’re confiscated also. They don’t allow any make up, lip gloss, or hand sanitizer. It’s insane.

This is one thing I don’t like about our school, there’s no freedom of expression. Everyone just looks the same and has the same school supplies with the same school logo on them. No one can wear jewelry or anything. Everything is so controlled; no one can make a statement or show who they truly are. I mean you wouldn’t want to express your personality at school! It only takes up more than half of your life! It’s a very frustrating thing.

Here are some random pictures of me and my fellow compañeros getting ready for our Monday flag salute:

Today

Today was Saturday, and it was one of my best days yet. The weather was great, we had no school, and we had a nice walk around town. After a small lunch we went to pay the cable bill (we didn't know that my dad had already paid it). After that we paid the gas bill. We then went to the cultural center of Ensenada and just looked around. They had some art to look at and some books. We also found out about some free concerts that they have. We then walked to a small store that sold handmade crafts created out of aluminum. The artist showed us how he made them and let us help him with one, which he then gave to us. We ended up buying a cool picture frame. By then it was about 2:00 pm so we rented a movie for the night and went to try a new taco stand. It was amazing. It was the best one we've ever been to, and that's saying something. We then got some paletas. These are like popsicles but a million times better. And now it is now and we can only hope the day gets better from here.

Us at the cultural center.

The best Tacos in the whole world. The other kid goes to our school.

There were two cruise ships in today and it got me thinking, Papa you need to have a take-your-grandkids-to-work day.

OCTOBER!

The end of the month has finally passed! September was the hardest and slowest month of my life. October has come and things will be much easier now that I have suffered through September. I have gotten to know people in my class better which is going to help tons. Every day at recess I play tag with my two best friends (who are both named Marco) and other people. I am starting to get used to my new school. We have discovered that the food served at school is way too expensive. You can buy two pancakes and nothing else for a dollar fifty. If you want some fruit that's another dollar and if you would like a drink that is another dollar. (get what I'm saying?). So now I usually bring my lunch. Also there are no computers or projectors or screens in the classrooms. There are no hallways. All of the classrooms open up on a courtyard. The classrooms are small and the floors are concrete and filthy. There are no novels to read, only textbooks (even in the library!) But, the teachers are nice and learning still goes on. With only one hundred thirty students in the school every thing is smaller. Every Monday we have to salute the flag and sing the national anthem. I just mouth "watermelon, watermelon, watermelon" over and over again. Every day in the morning we have to say prayers and I mouth "watermelon, watermelon" some more. I do still try to learn the words but it is all too fast for me to get. I am glad it is finally October! (Happy birthday papa!)

The Class of the Class

Students always have interesting reasons for not doing homework. I've heard many excuses and explanations over the past few years and I thought that I had "heard them all," but this week I was actually surprised by an explanation. One of my students told me he could not do Monday's homework because he was at the Chargers' game on Monday night. Since when is Monday night American football a distraction for Mexican students? Since now. Some of my students here in Baja California seem to be more enthusiastic about American football than about Mexican fútbol. How strange is that?

The fact is that San Diego is much, much closer than any big city in central Mexico. So, people here are very connected to the US and completely tuned in to US culture. Well, I should clarify -- the upper and upper-middle class students who attend my school are very familiar with all things "San Diegoan" and they are eager to show it. It is very common for my students to hop over the border for the weekend (or for Monday night football game) and come back with lots of cool stuff. Most of my students have skateboards (or surf boards or boogie boards) that were purchased in San Diego. Many have relatives in the San Diego area. Sometimes Ensenada feels like a suburb of San Diego -- at least for those privileged enough to cross the border with ease. The other funny thing is that almost everything my students' families buy in San Diego is cheaper than they could find it in Ensenada (even everyday goods, like toilet tissue). These Mexicans go north of the border to find bargains!

So, one among the several things I am getting adjusted to in my new job is "the class" of the class. In Denver I teach many new immigrants whose families are struggling to improve their lives in the US. I spent much of my time at Merrill Middle School working with newly resettled refugees whose families were working very hard to completely rebuild lives shattered by civil war or other violence. In Denver I was often considered a rich teacher by my students. Here, it is just the opposite! I am the "poor" teacher struggling working with very privileged students.

I guess if I want to change my image here, I'll have to make sure that Nathan and Theo wear Patriots or Broncos shirts around town, rather than the Chivas shirts that they like so much!

Here are some of my 6th grade students playing during recess. (Hey Ben-you would love recess at our school!)

Soccer Practice

Here are some photos of Theo at soccer practice today.

My Week

Well this week has been my best week in Mexico. School has gone well and we didn't get loaded with homework, in fact I didn't have homework Wednesday or Thursday. On Tuesday we finished our group project in Spanish, which was to create a book of myths and write some stuff about myths and legends. We then had to study all our myths. In class our teacher picked a random story and you had to summarize it in front of the class, not rehearsed. This was hard for me because first I had to read them all, and then summarizing one on the spot was hard. Luckily, she let me pick which myth to summarize so I picked one I already knew in English. Then I summarized it on the spot. It took about 15-20 minutes to get it all out, but I did it. Everyone was patient with me and they all clapped at the end (probably out of relief that I was done). Of course on Wednesday we had a fist fight in the middle of math class which makes the second one this year, so that wasn't amazing.

I now swim because I want to start surfing and my mom says I need to be a stronger swimmer before I start. I was just transferred into a different swim class with older kids. Of course my new class meets only three days a week and I was doing four in my other class. So I went today and they had me swim for an hour with the team. I swam 1950 meters without rest and 400 were butterfly. I suck at butterfly, I've been getting better but I can only do it when I'm rested, I almost died in the swimming pool. This is a little bit ironic because I've always said I never wanted to be on a team but now I am. Guitar has been going great and now I'm working on some classical pieces by Fernando Carulli, and some instrumental metal by Joe Satriani. I'm having lots of fun. Anyway my week has been very good.

The Check Is Not In The Mail

I tried in vain to make pancakes for the boys this morning. The stove wouldn't light. Hmm . . . could it be that the gas bill I had been ignoring finally caught up with me? Yes, indeed. I had to face the challenge of paying bills in Mexico. Today was the day. I managed to call the gas company and get an address for their nearest office (and yes, I spoke Spanish, without any help whatsoever -- a definite sign of progress!). So, I paid in cash and we now have a functioning stove, dryer, and hot water heater. Ta Da! A small success today.

After a bit more hunting, I also found the offices where I needed to pay for electricity and water. Also cash transactions (although I paid cash to an automated bill collection machine at the electric company). There may be an easier way for me to pay bills, but I haven't figured it out yet. To pay the rent for my apartment I put cash in an envelope and deliver it to my landlady's house. The only bill I know I can pay online is the cable bill -- it's good to know that the cable folks trust their own connections.

Perhaps I could pay some bills with checks, but I wouldn't trust the mail delivery system. I'm posting a photo of the mailbox where I receive my bills. One single, overstuffed, open mailbox for eight apartments. Yup, 8 families receive their mail in this box. Some bills stay in the box for weeks, I've noticed. Many people have bank statements gathering dust in this mailbox. I wonder if identity theft is a big problem here? In any case, since this little mailbox has lowered my confidence in the Mexican postal system, I will continue to pay bills in person and in cash. Now that I've figured out where to go, I may even pay on time!

Beach Activities in San Quintín

Boogie boarding on the beach was a success, even in the morning hours before the sun came out. Wet suits would come in handy, however, as the Pacific is pretty cold. BUT not as cold as the North Atlantic for all you Cape Cod lovers!




We watched a clammer dig for clams. He got 3 dozen pismo clams the size of a large fist. He can sell them for $5 a dozen. If you buy them in a restaurant, you pay at least $6 a piece. The fisherman tossed the small ones that he couldn't keep to the boys to see. They amused themselves by watching them dig into the sand in the holes that Theo dug for them.

Notice the nicely dug holes with clams in the center.

Clams...small ones.

San Quintín is an important clamming area--what with this huge beach. We also watched fishermen fish in the surf. One guy had a surf net that he caught perch in. Another couple of kids about Nathan's age had lines with 5 or 6 hooks on them that they just dragged into the waves, walked around for a while, and then came ashore with 6-inch fish attached. Don't know what they were. They took them off the lines and then whistled for their little brother to collect them and toss them into a bucket.

No, Theo did not try to eat the clams on the beach. He just got a bit messy.

More about San Quintín in another post. Too many photos to upload!

San Quintín--Beach Weekend

Last weekend I went down to join the family for a few days. They had Monday and Tuesday off for Mexican Independence Day, so we all had a long weekend. After some hemming and hawing, we reserved a room at a beach side hotel in the town of San Quintín, which is about 120 miles south of Ensenada on the Pacific coast.

I'll share the pictures here, mostly, with a bit of commentary thrown in for good measure. It was a very relaxing weekend--not a lot to do in San Quintín, as it turns out, but that was fine. Everyone needed a bit of down time.

La Playa Santa Maria de San Quintín at sunset.

The beach of Santa Maria is gorgeous...wide, gently sloping, natural beach that seems to go on forever...the ends of it fade off into the haze. The sand is a marbled black and white, and the wind and waves form beautiful patterns, probably because the grains are different densities. Then there are the shiny, golden flecks of what look like pyrite.

Shorebirds at sunset (Robert: $50 if you can name the species from this photo).

The beach from our hotel balcony, with dunes in foreground.

Another view from the balcony.

The boys on the dunes--they're bigger up close than they seem in the distance. Jackets in the evening are a good idea--it's the desert, and it gets cool when the sun goes down.

Another view of the beach.

Oh, and did I mention that you can drive your car onto the beach? Seems to be the thing to do around here. Why walk a few hundred yards, when you can unload your cooler at the high tide line?

A view of the hotel from the high tide line. Notice the tire tracks in the sand.

Laura and I took long walks on the endless beach--when the beach was its most deserted. We saw pelicans diving, many varieties of shore birds poking their bills into the sand, sea gulls dropping clams onto the hard sand and eating the broken remains, and porpoises feeding offshore. No boats. Maybe a fisherman or clammer or two. Then a pickup truck with a bad muffler roaring by.

One final view of the beach, with the white hotel in the distance, one of the six volcanoes of San Quintín in the far distance, and scads of sand dollars on the sand in the foreground.

More about San Quintín in a subsequent post or two.

The Pay off of Combing your Hair

A weird thing happened to me today. You see in Mexico how you look is very important, so in my school they started giving out cards that say Sin-Uni-Pass, in other words It gives you one day without a uniform. That is pretty cool. They give these out to people who always look nice at school. Today four people got them, including me. My mom said the teachers gave it to me because supposedly my hair looked nice. You must know all I did was brush my hair for five seconds this morning. But it's pretty cool because I don't have to wear my uniform. Here's a picture of me in my uniform.

Flexibility

So far success in Mexico for me is entirely dependent on my ability to be flexible. Most of the time I’m able to “go with the flow” without too much anxiety. Due to my own Spanish-language deficiencies, minor cultural misunderstandings, or just plain old mistakes, I am often the last person around to know what is going on. My first blunder was showing up exactly one week early for my faculty meetings. Although the Mexican teachers started formal meetings on August 11 at 9:00 am, the American faculty had the week to get set up in new apartments and get oriented to Ensenada. I needed much more set-up time than I anticipated, so that free week was a blessing. When my meetings did start I showed up on time and ready to roll at the designated time each day and waited anywhere from 30-40 minutes for others to appear. I expected start times to be flexible (before classes began), but I thought that I shouldn’t be the one to be late. I still haven’t figured out how late is appropriate and how late is late. So, I was happy to sit and read. Then, when we had a really important orientation day with students, I arrived an hour later than I was supposed to be there. My American supervisor had sent me a text message late in the evening to communicate my report time. Oh dear. Yet another language to learn! I’m not fluent in texting. I had never even received a text message before (and this one I received too late!). Despite the language gaps, generation gaps, and general goof-ups, I am feeling successful. My goal is to survive September. Almost done. I plan to thrive in October . . .

SOCCER!

I started soccer a few weeks ago and I love it. I've had a few practices but today was the best one yet. Before today I didn't have any real friends but today I made friends with some people and I even scored two out of the five goals scored in the scrimmage. Today I played really well and I juked out the best ball handler and even the coach, the other kids were impressed. Right now I'm loving soccer and I think I will really improve my skills. Plus I'm on the Chivas which is my favorite team!

Viva Chivas!

MASS!

It is the weekend again and I am happy it is. The the week was the same, hard but a little fun. Life is good now even without my dad we are still making it through. On Friday there was a mass/official opening of the new school. It was kind of a crazy day. The mass was huge even the bishop came, it looked like there was going to be a wedding. First, for lunch a resturant came and set up a tent. We could just walk in an ask for food. The food was awesome. Next is that we got a fifty minute recess because of the mass. Even though the day was crazy it was worth it. Here are some pictures of it.

The three priests

The Bishop

The fancy dining area

Valle de Guadalupe

Yesterday we went to the Valle de Guadalupe. Theo's friend from school invited him because his parents were hosting. It was hosted by a kids catholic club for kids 5th grade and below. Good thing for us, there were plenty of people who weren't part of the club so we weren't the only ones. There was a mass, food and lot's of games. It was a fun day. One of my friends from school was there because her little brother had been invited too so we hung out together. Here are some pictures:Theo in a pyramid with his team.

My team.They decided to have a breakdancing session, luckily I know how.Me in the three legged race.
We filled paper plates with whipped cream and chucked them at people who volunteered.
Theo volunteered to be a target.
Me and my friend Zulema, sorry I blinked.
Theo and his friend Rodrigo, the boy who invited him to this event.
"First Communion" for Theo
A game in where you have two teams and everyone is numbered off 1-8 on each team. When they call your number you have to try and get the hat and bring it to your side before the person on the other team does.
This is my favorite picture.
Again.
"First Communion" for me.