first day as 24....
so this year, the birthday was a success. we have finally found ourselves in a place that seems to be working like clock work. yesterday i awoke to a phone call from my mom who sang me happy birthday all the way from canada followed by yet another call from my grandmother, i was really touched by hearing my family call and give me strength and energy on my day. after breakfast and speaking to my dad and my stepmom we enjoyed the pool and got some sun. i dined yet again, at a very mexican restaurant eating tortillas de maiz con carne, y pastel y (por supuesto) tequila. after a run, and another bail, i blame the tequila and the uneven streets of mexico, we went out for the evening and made a perfect end to a perfect day.
today, after visiting a secluded beach with jorge's sister carmen and her giant pro basketball playing boyfriend, jorge heard from a job prospect and is heading to an interview tomorrow, i'm really proud of him and all of the changes he has coming to him, much like myself, we have really found a common ground on which to understand eachother. i leave for honduras (by plane) on thursday, i'm feeling really nervous about what i'm going to do with myself. i feel like maybe this country isn't so much kicking my ass but more so upset that i'm leaving. to tell you the truth, i definitley will be missing mexico, in particular la musica y las paletas de arroz (which i definitely need to curb the frequency).
so things are good, i know this will be a full month so right now, i'm enjoying the lazy days of mexico.
lots of love and thanks to everyone and their birthday wishes.
tu mexicana,
kate
watch out, more and more spanish is edging itself into these blogs.....
doors opening everywhere......
so yesterday i met with my new boss, anita, who hired me to work in the private school down the street (literally down the street like four minutes away at a leisurely pace). the school has classes no bigger than 19-20 kids, i will be teaching 8-9 year olds who may speak little or no english whatsoever. she handed me a stack of books to generate ideas of how to make up my lesson plans and tests, i'm actually becoming a teacher, holy crap. anyways i need to make up another list of questions and then be done with thinking about this and leave it to the weekend before to make up my first week of lesson plans. i need to start thinking of honduras, which is almost a week away and a huge expenditure. i'm glad it is all booked and ready but now i need to focus on the information at hand. additionally, i was contacted by an old friend from mexico who wants me to help him with creating canadian contacts for a realestate proposal. so many things have fallen into my lap, i'm feeling a bit like a juggler but i'm calm due to the fact that i know that i can handle it all. it was nice to go and beat my boyfriend at pool a couple times last night just to relax and i think i'll take my scuba books to the beach to just do a bit more relaxing today.
i forgot to mention my frustration with my bad luck in mexico culminated with a fall, more of a bail, steps away from jorge's house where i took myself out while running on an uneven part of concrete when i was running at dusk. as i hobbled back to jorge's i thought, wow this country must really not want me here. but after some ice, and some coninuous stiffness, i was able to have a nice jog yesterday, getting my blood pumping and feeling energized, ready to take on my next conquest.
finally settled....
ok so after a huge amount of backing and forthing i have finally found my mexican way. today i met with jorge's aunt who offered me a teaching job at the private school down the street teaching grades four/five and five/six. it was a really tough decision trying to figure out if after all the stress and changing of minds that i could go and work until june, doing something that i have never done, nor thought i'd ever be good at, in another language other than my own. however, i thought about it and as easy as it would be for me to go get a job in canada and start making 10times as much money as they make in mexico, how would i be challenging myself? elenor roosevelt once said "do something every day that scares you" and that's when you'll truly know that you're living. this is the one thing that makes me feel truly vulnerable (the spanish) but as long as i keep the faith and confidence in myself i think i can do it. and i think that teaching will be a perfect conduit to learn as much spanish from the kids as they are learning english from me. i also have to train at the same time as study for my diving which has proven to be a bit of a difficult task. i know i should continue with my idc plans because if i don't do it now i will never do it, and to give up on such an international skill would not be a smart choice. i am looking forward to things coming more easily but i guess this year is the year of challenge, or as i prefer to call it, the year of kate. so i'm off to the museo de las tortugas tomorrow con la famila because it is sunday, and we're going to relax and in the back of my mind prepare for a tough two weeks of training and studying that will conclude with a three day trip to puerto escondido (a town down the coast) for my birthday next weekend.
i will touch canadian soil for two weeks in december for the holidays as well as in april. you're not rid of me for long.
lots of love,
kate
It has hit me, i'm going to be an instructor.....
So yesterday after finally finding the dive tables, (las tablas de buceo), i reached a panic point where i realized that i have been so frustrated with trying to learn this language in a day that i have a lot of studying to do. Now the down payments are made and all that is left is the flight ticket. I am finally well now and my head is clear, i need to take it easy on myself. I have realized that though i have not had an "easy" life things naturally come easily to me, i feel smart at a lot of things and i'm usually good at things that i put my head to. this language is not coming as easily as i would have assumed. maybe not assumed but have been used to. i keep telling myself, i've been here a week, i have been introducd to a new family, a new culture, new food and a langauge that will not happen over night. it makes me vulnerable and makes me feel things i'm not used to, feeling stupid. discouragement is something i do not handle well, like sickness, but luckily Jorge keeps supporting me knowing that i will get it eventually but i am forcing it right now and hence, i am blocked. i feel like i am in my first day of spanish 101 and everything has gone out the window. a minor setback, and adding to the frustration. but with the diving and the moving and the beginning a new life in a new country regardless of the language i need to give myself a break. i have had discouraging words that have stalled my progress, though unintentionally made, it turns of my switch, my espanol switch. with some encouragement i hope it comes back on because i have a lot of learning to do. i have days where i feel like my dad, stumbling but succeeding (my dad's spanish is very fluent at this point however) and other days where i feel as if every one is speaking in a code that is hardly understandable. discouraged? yes. giving up? not even close.
A little bacterial infection isn’t going to slow me down….too much.
So I have been through a lot, for those who know me intimitly more than most would want to see in an entire year, but at least I’ve met my quota for this year. My father would shake his head if he saw how irresponsible I was, concerning my stomach, at the beginning of my time here, eating fruit from street vendors, brushing my teeth with tap water, trusting everything I put into my mouth, and bam, hello bacterial infecion. Anytways I practiced my improving Spanish with the doctor as well as Jorge’s mother who took me to make my first purchase return of muffin tins. Eventful? if you consider the language, yes. We have decided to take our travels to Cancun in order to look for opportunities both professionally and personally, ie. applealing neighbourhoods. We will plan to leave here in a week or so, after I get better and then I will fly from there to Honduras most likely but with the change of plans I have the option of just staying in cancun and setting up shop early. Other options include playa del Carmen and cozumel. Thanks god to my mom who has been my travel guru finding flights and checking idc spots for me all over the place. With my condition (it seems like I’m a lepor sometimes) I really need all the help from the first world I can get. Don’t get me wrong but, as my dad can attest, it can be hard being used to your ways in your country and having to adapt completely, language, food, customs while having a serious sickness that leaves you debilitated. However we’re pressing though. Just another test to overcome.
I have arrived. I hit Huatulco around 5 after a pretty uneventful flight to be hit with a wave of heat and humidity that could be cut with a knife. I saw the smiling face of Jorge as I entered the baggage claim, after a brief greeting I met his lovely parents who are more than willing to cram Espanol into me on a daily basis. We toured the town and it hit me, I’m back in Mexico. Seeing the Pemex on the corner and the helado carts with their tin containers brings back memories of the north. But, as Jorge tells me, the south is something else entirely. We scoped the beach the next day where we took a bit too much sun and I swam in the Pacific and realized how its like bath water and crazy waves, we’ll see how the surfing goes. The real gem of the weekend has been the wedding we went to yesterday, that went from an open air church to a reception on basically a party boat. The boat stops at different bays and has different activities at each. The seafood at the last stop included shrimp/lobster/durado etc.; however, the heat unfortunately really stops the ol’ appetite, but I barreled through because who is going to turn down fresh seafood? The day ended with tortugas and dolfines off the sides of the boat and a night at la paypaya, a night club or rather, THE night club of Huatulco. After a few days I have gotten much more comfortable with mi espanol which I am happy to say that no I am trying with Jorge and he is very supportive. We have decided to continue with our plans to go to Chiapas but first I must book my ticket to Honduras and my IDC booking. I’ll update once my cold has subsided and we’re done with the countless introductions that are still to come.
Lots of love. Send recipes (I’m teaching yoga and cooking to la madre de Jorge)
So sitting in the Houston airport readying myself to jump on the plane to fly to Mexico and complete the move to the south I ask myself, what brings me to this point. A month and a half ago I was in Clubmed savouring the idea of Canada and now I find myself departing from the very same place that gave me so much joy to think about. Well it still causes me great joy especially after having a month, which truly solidifies my strong friendships with my friends and my fantastically close ties with my parents. It all began with a visit from Jorge, my Mexican love, which brought on numerous questions. Do we stay together even with all of these issues of citizenship/culture/financial means? If so, how do we do it? While battling these questions I dealt with numerous medical issues that arose from my time in Clubmed, as well as immigration issues which began immediately when Jorge hit Canadian soil, these were among some of the problems which put a strain on the spontaneity of our time together. Regardless, I took him to the airport on June12 with the promise that I would see him soon. Early the next morning I was in the hospital. Being a girl who has been healthy her whole life and has never broken a bone nor had any surgery to truly speak of, this was a blow to the system and the emotional reserves I had been saving. Needless to say my time was to be extended in Canada. Although I would not be seeing Jorge for nearly a month after he left, I was given precious time that was spent with my mother and my friends as well as a special friend, Smudge, my 15year old dalmation that had to be put down due to our pledge to have her move on with grace and dignity. My mother and I were able to critically talk about our house and emotionally step back and conclude that this has all been perfect timing. I think though, the most fantastic part of my time at home is the motivation it gave me to find something in Mexico that I truly love so that it drives me to stay. So I can safely say that I am a fully insured diver with fantastic equipment to boot, I will enter my instructor program in August and then who knows. I have decided to finish the puzzle in my diving career that will allow me to be hireable around internationally.
Even after no sleep, and thinking I could barrel through after a late night car accident witnessing and a truly enjoyable ride with my dad, I thought the excitement could carry me through, my dozing eyes say differently. One thing I can say is that I’m happy that I am doing something that makes me happy and that I feel confident with my research and preparation that I can sit back and flow, finally embrace spontaneity and enjoy my longstanding love affair with a country and culture I will continue to embrace.
