Thanks...for a Mexican Thanksgiving

I feel like I've neglected the blogging world for quite long enough. Why, I'm certain that a small sector of the global population has all but forgotten about me, and this simply cannot be. As a result, here I am again, typing and listening to one of my roomates' blaring stereo.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I might not need to remind you, but for most of the world (including Mexico) it was a quite normal day. I drug myself to work, made sure to remind my third graders of the holiday as often as I could squeeze the phrase "Happy Thanksgiving" in, and doled out primary-style wisdom for hours on end. I actually had my backpack already on while at salida duty. The very second that 2:30 clicked on our fingerprint scanners, I was headed for the front gate. For what, I wasn't quite sure, but I was determined to do something quite Thanksgiving-y.

I walked into my yard to the sight of two friends that had the day off, and were stringing lights and baking turkeys. We might not have had an entire day to celebrate, but there's not much that can stop an American from celebrating one of our most beloved holidays in some fashion or another. I had very gladly passed the bulk of party planning to one of my very capable handed (Southern) roomates, so I knew things would go swimmingly. I was completely excited and a little bit anxious because we had over 85-ish to rsvp to the party. Some of these friends are international, so they've never celebrated Thanksgiving. First impressions are priceless, right? We all wanted a great party, not only to actually feel a little like we were at home, but also (at least for me) so my Mexican and European friends could feel at home as well.

After a few minutes of chatting, I was off to buy some centerpieces. You'd be suprised at what the local grocery store provides an hour and a half before party time. Can I pause and tell you here, that one of the most becoming things about Mexico is that everyone is very at ease with "last minuteness"? It's true, and it's lovely (unless you're the one waiting on something, and you're still a bit American at heart). I returned, finished up decorating, and tried my darndest to carve a turkey with a friend. Don't ask me how I fared. Finally, I was off to my room, to get presentable.

At 5:30, as the earliest (read "American") guests were arriving, and the last of the lightbulbs were getting strung and lit, We started dressing the bar out with every stereotypical fare imaginable. It was divine. One of our most respectable co-workers blessed the meal about twenty minutes later, and the party started. There were so many faces that I was so glad to see. By 7:00 or so, we had a general count of 90 or so. Friends kept coming though. After lots of hours, and lots of great catching up (I could hardly eat a bite, I was having such fun), the evening finally wound down, and I found my way back to my cozy bed.

If you've never celebrated Thanksgiving away from home, I recommend it. Really, I do. Everyone, everyone there last night, I feel, truly cherised the holiday, and we all had a precious opportunity to introduce something really lovely to some really lovely people. One of the guys there, a Frenchman told me (in Spanish, I think), "Now, I really love Thanksgiving". I couldn't have felt better, or more at home then, even if I were sitting on my couch in Mississippi, watching a football game. What a really incredible night.

A few facts you might not have known about guide dogs...

Yes, it's been a long absence, and I promise to post something relevant to my life up soon, but as I've been on an all day grading spree, I thought I'd inform you of some interesting facts from one of my students.  Last week,  we read a story about a blind mom and her guide dog.  As an assignment, I had my students find five facts about guide dogs from the story.  Here is my pupil's finest work typed just as she has written it:

 

• tha sometimes guide dogs go to the other way.
• A guide dog you need train them.
• It need to be a dog that isn't blind.
• The dog need to have a collar and a speshial lish.
• A guide dog can't be a chiuau.

 

There you have it.  Let it be known that blind dogs and chiuahahs need not apply.

 

-Holly

Of Biblical Proportions

Our school's Christmas party was last weekend. We all had fun, and like I mentioned in an earlier post, we all had to come in costume. Enjoy the photos I snagged from Betsy. Hopefully I'll be celebrating (without a headscarf) at home really soon.

Here we all are "dressed up" for the staff party. We're all holding little lamps, 'cause what "wise virgin" costume is complete without a posterboard lamp???

Traci, myself and Lindsay posing without our heads covered (how scandalous!!).

K...U...L...T...A...S...T...I...K

Yeah, we all know it's true... =)

Hark!

So, I started packing yesterday for my trip home (pick your jaw up from your keyboard).  I didn't really think anything of it though, until I realized that I NEVER pack this early.  NEVER.  NEVER EVER.  I don't know what got into me.  I think I'm just so excited to be coming home, and I wanted to make sure all of my presents for family fit into my suitcase.  I have had such a great few months down here so far, but I can't think of anything better right now than joking with family and friends, sleeping in, and believe it or not -- cold weather (though I doubt I'll be prepared for it).  So now I'm sitting here looking for Christmas type activities for my kids at school, listening to Christmas music, and daydreaming about eggnog.  Hooray for Christmas!

 

Onto school news. We were all informed today that in order to come to the staff Christmas party (that just so happens is being held in the backyard of our house), that we must dress up in period costumes of Jesus' time.  In conferencing with some friends, and coming away bloodied and bruised over just who would get the distinction of being the virgin Mary (I'm actually joking here just in case you were wondering), we've come to a decision.  If this must be, then we're coming as the Ten Virgins -- complete with (by that I mean the only part of our attire that will be 'costume') little lamps, head scarves, and name tags (como 'virgin #4'...).  Can't you picture it?  The Ten Wise Virgins eating an Outback catered shin-dig in a big Mexican backyard??  Of course you can.  It's completely Biblical.

 

Shalom,

Holly

Quiet Night Thoughts

by Li Po

Before my bed
there is bright moonlight
So that it seems
Like frost on the ground:

Lifting my head
I watch the bright moon,
Lowering my head
I dream that I'm home.

On a normal day...

Not really. My students were the program for the last flag salute at school. They had to dress up in character for the Mexican Revolution (I think -- I'm such a bad teacher for not knowing definatively exactly what holiday it was). Before most of them stripped off their costumes (although several of them were in character all day long), I had Tara snap this photo. This, my dear friends, is my more than adorable class of third graders. I thought you'd enjoy this photo.

-Holly

Lament

I know exactly what the word means.  I just haven't used it in a while.  Saturday night, though, I found myself in a Mexican funeral home to mourn with one of my co-workers, the loss of her father.

 

I know so little Spanish, that I hardly could imagine what string of words to construct that would reach her ears with tact and sincerity.  The only thing I could think of was, "lo siento," which is one of my standard phrases down here since I'm always saying or doing something wrong.  No. That wouldn't do.

 

Luckily, my administrator walked in right behind us.  As quietly as I could, I mumbled, "How do you say, 'I'm sorry for your loss?'"  I know Lupita would understand my pathetic predicament and know exactly what to tell me since she is a native Spanish speaker, and one of the most gracious people I have ever met.

 

"Lamento su perdida," she whispered back into my ear.  I both started immediately to try to memorize my new phrase and began contemplating the word "lament."  We don't use it often where I'm from.  We know what it means, just like we know what a Northerner means when they say "pop," or "soda".  It just isn't in our most commonly uttered word list.

 

The more I mulled the word over, though, the more mournful and significant it became.  I mean, how pitiful must a situation be for one to find it "lamentable"?

 

Really though, we could find such situations every day.  We just choose all too often to ignore them.  Oh, let us lament the brokenness around us!  Maybe then we'll finally be moved to want to do something about it.

 

-Holly

A Picture a day (or so)

In January, I got a photoblog account, so I could comment on some of my friends' amazing pictures.  I realized today, that I should probably post some of my not very amazing pictures -- after all, they are of some pretty amazing places.  Check out the link to my Turndaround Photoblog on the right to see my randomness captured in still photgraph form.

 

-Holly

November Update EXTRAVAGANZA!!

I have no real excuse for not sitting down here at my computer and typing something before now. I really don't. I've been busy, but I could have posted something. Sorry. Speaking of being busy, the holiday festivites have launched down here, begining with the Mexican Revolution holiday that we had on Monday (no, it wasn't for Mexican Thanksgiving that I was off -- though I WISH!) We came back to school on Tuesday, but since SEP (the education board) sometimes decides very last minute to sometimes give us holidays and sometimes take them, and since the actual holiday was on Tuesday instead of Monday, We didn't take any chances and scheduled our school's flag salute for Wednesday. WHEW! Did that make any sense at all? Email me if it didn't, and I'll send you a diagram. Anyway, we had our third (I think) flag salute of the year, and my class was the featured program this time. They were all dressed up in traditional Mexican outfits, and sang and did a little skit (all in Spanish, of course -- their Spanish teacher was in charge of the whole operation), and it was totally adorable. I'll post a picture of my kids when I get one. Something different that I'm having to get used to -- you cannot applaud when the Mexican flag is present. It is very disrespectful. So, even when we finish singing the American National anthem (a perfect and normal time to clap, since all Americans think they are at the opening ceremony of a baseball game), we have to remain silent. It's harder to do than you would think.

Moving on. A few weeks ago (sorry it's been so long!), we all had a long weekend, and five of us went the the most beautiful little city in the whole of Mexico. It's a colonial town called Guanajuato, and I fell totally in love (minus all of the KICK YOUR TAIL hills and stairs that we had to climb, that is). Christen, Traci, Melissa, Tara, Chris and I took a bus from Guadalajara (4hr ride), and arrived late Thursday night. We stayed in a little hostel called Casa Bertha, and the four of us girls shared a pepto bismol pink bedroom. Chris stayed down the hall in an I don't know what color room. We spent all of Friday, just exploring and walking, walking, walking, walking. There were so many great little things to see! It was also Day of the Dead, so the town was crawling with people buying flowers and such for their loved ones graves. We decided to go to the museum of mummies, which happened to be right next to a huge cemetery, so almost everyone spent a good deal of time strolling through the thousands of stacked graves. (Of course, I was the only one that didn't go in. Don't you know me at all??) We then proceeded to the, ahem, museum. I looked at the room with the pictures of the mummies, then the first room that had real mummies, albeit very uncomfortably. When I arrived at the room with the baby mummies though, the game was off. I walked through the entire remainder of the building with my eyes glued to either the floor or the ceiling, then waited on the steps for everyone else. Apparantly, I was the only one that got physically sick from mummies (by the way, these weren't wrapped in t.p. kind of mummies -- just your every day, still wearing clothes, with their mouths hanging open folks), because TWO entire tour groups that arrived after we did came all the way through the museum before my friends finally ambled out into the staircase. Ah, well.

We got to go to Diego Rivera's childhood home, and look at some of his artwork; spent a few pesos in the most ridiculous wax useum ever, where we got to see Jesus and the Pope in the same room; walked through the 'kissing alley' without major incident, and did some fun shopping. It was the perfect little getaway. I promise to go back again. I also promise never to enter another mummy museum ever again.

Last weekend, I went to Tlaquepaque to do a little Christmas shopping. (Before you say anything Aunt Jean, I DO work!! I also just happened to have bought your Christmas present too, so be careful!) ;) Most of the girls went to a conference, so Just Marcella, Cinthia and I had the house to ourselves. It was so quiet and great. I needed a little alone time, even though I L-O-V-E my roomates. They understand, I know. Buying presents made me think of how soon I'll be at home. HOORAY for home!! I can hardly wait.

Now on to the cute comments section of this autobiography.

The other day, I was standing outside with my kids as they were lining up after lunch. Lee* said, "Ms Holly, I am going to die the last, because I have the most healthy, and am least in years." Of course he is.

Ned* came in one morning, and said, "Ms Holly, I have to go to the dentist! I'm so scared! He's going to do what Ms. Charo (their Spanish teacher) does!"
I replied, "What, teach you Spanish??"
"No!" (pointing to his mouth, and making a drilling noise)
"Ms Charo drills your mouths?!?"
"No, Ms Holly!!"
I think the sarcsasm was lost on him.

I made them pass around "compliment papers" for each other one day, because they were being a little snippity at each other. Everything was going great, dispite a little pandemoneum, but then I gathered the papers and read them on my break. Most of them were very sweet, with compliments like, "you are a good friend", and "you are so funny". Then I beheld the "compliments" of a certain child that doesn't seem to be grasping the language as I had hoped. I'll let you decide the best compliment. Ready? "Were is your father", "you has long hair" for a boy, and they're not allowed to have long hair at our school, "you are very small", and, "you has crabs" Oh, third graders!

Okay, maybe I should get out of my pajamas and get some work done. I hope this makes up for my prolonged absence. I'll post more soon.

-Holly

Just a Few Pictures

Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted any pictures. Here are a few in no order whatsoever. First, Here I am attempting to face paint (with a make-up pencil) at the anniversary celebration for the kid's club in Arenalis (which I should be volunteering at today).

Here I am with Tara and Dominique at QUIDAM, this past Wednesday. Yes, we were trying out for the part of the 'strong man', but sadly, none of us got a call back. Also, you can't see them because of my coat and purse lying on the ground, but I was wearing some fierce shoes that night. (Amber, they're the ones I got before the wedding.)

For Kelly's birthday, we went to a little German jazz cafe to listen to live music. It rained all the way there, there was no live music, and the food took over an hour to drift out to our table an order at a time, but we had lots of fun. (Traci, Cinthia, Marcella, Christen, Kelly, Melissa, & me)

And here I am with Lindsay and Kelly on the way home from my birthday movie celebration. Clearly, Kelly just loves to walk arm in arm with her friends. Also, I have no idea why I am sticking my tongue out -- none.

Dear Diary...

I wish I were a journaler.  There are so many little things that happen in my life that would be great to be able to remember, but I don't because...well, I don't write them down.  Thus is my quandry.  I want to tell you all of exciting tales of daring deeds, or mournful dirges of whatever, but I can't remember much of anything that I could retell in such a way as to sound worthy of e-publishing.

 

What has happened over the last couple of weeks that I can remember??  Well, I finally really fell in love with my church.  I go to a Spanish speaking church that's about a thirty minute bus ride from my house.  The worship there rivals any worship service I have ever been to (I really love it), but I have always fallen asleep right in the middle of the sermon, because I cannot understand even ten percent of what the preacher is saying.  Some of the preachers (they have a rotating staff) use powerpoint, which is helpful, but I still usually find myself lost and drifting off into a light slumber.  Last Sunday, I actually was able to understand just a few of the things that the discipleship pastor was preaching about.  I don't know if maybe some of what I'm learning in Spanish class is finally soaking in, if the fall air put a new perspective on things, or whatever else made the change, but it was a great service.  Yeah, I love my new church. Now, if I could only learn enough Spanish to get involved in a ministry there.

 

Last Friday, our schoool had a "Festival of the Americas" to celebrate Dia de la Raza/Columbus Day.  Each class (elementary class, that is) was responsible for setting up a game, etc booth for the festival.  Our class chose a game where you balance ping pong balls onto  two liter bottles filled with sand, and try to shoot the balls off with a water pistol.  It was actually a fairly succesful game, mostly because it involved water.  I only had two parents to volunteer though, and one of them had just had back surgery, so hauling super soakers back and forth to our table and constantly picking up tiny ping pong balls proved impractical.  We cut our  activity short, and instituted our back up plan of "guess how much candy is in the jar".  Obviously, our sales took a bit of a plummet, but I really didn't care.  I was far too exhausted on a late friday afternoon to make a hard sale for a plastic jar of lolipops and snickers.  Our booth only ended up making about $200 pesos (less than twenty bucks).  The festival was fun though.  I wandered around a bit before it was over, visiting the booths of other classes, and getting a pina colada bolis (yummy ice cream popcicle).  After we were able to pack up, Christen, Melissa, and I dragged ourselves to cafe quatro for dessert, drinks, and de-stressing.

 

This Tuesday, the third through sixth grade went to an Argentenian, English speaking production of "Around the World in 80 Days".  We left the school thirty minutes late, because one of the bus drivers got lost on his way there, so when we finally arrived, we found out that the whole production had waited for us (when I say whole production, I mean the four actors and one director that were the entire "company").  It was a cute show though, and much less stressful than I had dreaded.  When we got back that afternoon, I asked the kids how they liked it, and here are a few of my responses: "It was sooo bored",  "I falled asleep", "I don't like", and "It was ugly".  I know better though.  I know that they liked it, I could tell -- it's just much more important to be super cool in the third grade, didn't you know??

 

I know there's more I could write about.  I know. But let me leave you with the topic we discussed last night at Bible study -- diligence.  We pulled several verses from Proverbs (the book we're studying right now), and talked about how our lives would be much better lived digently rather than either lazily or busily.  You see, this was a very good but sore subject for me, since I've been putting off my grading until the very last minute.  My grades are due Tuesday, and I've hardly entered anything into the computer.  I guess the time for diligence is now.  On that note, I'll write more later -- after the grades are turned in.

 

-Holly

 

ps - I've got a long weekend coming up WOO-HOO!! (the first four day weekend this year).  Hopefully I'll be off doing something fun.  If so, I promise pictures and tales of wonderment.

R24

I would like to respectfully disagree with Nikaley regarding public transportation.  After (barely) riding Mexico's most popular bus, I contend that sometimes, there just isn't anymore room (unless, I guess, one enjoys sitting upon a dashboard just to let another passenger off).  I have to say, that I felt almost as uncomfortable as I was on the train in Istanbul, and that's sayin' something.

 

Thankful to be home,

Holly

10/7

This week has whizzed by at a blinding speed, really.  It also seems that so many of the past several days' events have become all muddled together.  I should really do a better job of keeping up with what's going on -- what with my notoriously bad short term memory and all.

 

Last Saturday (I believe), the day before the peacock scare, I went with Several of my friends to a town right outside of Guadalajara called Tonala.  This town is completely saturated with small booths, carts, and storefronts carrying almost everything you could think to purchase.  It is also very well known for it's hand carved furniture at really good prices.  I did not buy any furniture, since I didn't see anything I was in love with, we didn't really have room in our van of nine for a dresser, and because I had already made a major dip in my spending money for Christmas presents and a snazzy new purse.  We did have a really great time though -- I will definitely have to make another trip before I go back to the states for Christmas.

 

After Tonala, several of us went to the big mall here for my late birthday celebration.  I thought that it might be fun for us to watch a movie at the VIP cinema, and I was totally right!!  For just nine dollars we got to watch a film while sitting in leather recliners as waiters came around to take our order.  The food was extra, but when else are you going to get the chance to eat a chocolate and banana crepe and sip on a cinnamon frappe at the theatre??  It was a very good night, indeed.

 

Today, I went back to Arenalis (the poor puebla right outside of town) for the kids' club 5th anniversary celebration.  Christen, Tara and I were in charge of face painting.  When we got there (after waiting forever for the bus), we were given a supply of that really thick sticky paint, some make-up pencils, and q-tips.  We had to really adapt how we were going to paint everything, but it was still fun, and even though I could only say a combined total of about seven words to anyone there, the little art sheets that we made beforehand really helped. All the chidren had to do was point to the picture that they wanted.  I cannot count the bunnies and sunflowers and snakes that I had to draw on little dirty faces.

 

About midway through the event, right after I had had an enormous cross painted/glittered onto my face by a little boy named Diego, it started to rain.  Scratch that, it started to POUR.  We all gathered in the little house and stood around while the children ate their special snack of fruit salad served in a cantaloupe half.  Diego (who refused to actually speak to us for the entire afternoon), had a lot of fun hiding behind us and trying to offer us some of his third bowl of fruit salad.  When the rain subsided a bit, we went outside to help clean a bit, then finally made our way back home.  It was a good day.

 

You know, today actually reminds me of what we were talking about in Crosswalk this week.  Jesus had upbraided the disciples for shooing children away from Him, and said that unless we come just like little children, then we cannot enter the Kingdom of God at all.  The pastor's focus wasn't that the children were the picture of virtue and purity, but that in the first century children had no social standing whatsoever.  There was nothing that a first century child could offer that would warrant them receiving anything of note.  They weren't worth anything because they couldn't contribute to their society.

 

The children whose faces I looked into and painted today are very similar.  There's not much that any of them could give or offer in exchange for anything worthwhile.  In fact, the only way that any of them would ever be able to receive anything truly good, would be due to the benevolence of others.  Christ wanted the disciples (and us) to know that we can never call ourselves deserving of this great gift of salvation.  We don't have a single scrap to give him that could equal what He paid.  It's only His gracious and loving kindness that allows us access to Him. 

 

We are, every one, just the same.  We have nothing at all to offer our loving Father.  Because He is good though, He accepts us and takes us in -- if we are willing to come just like empty handed little children.

 

-Holly

...hmmm

So, a peacock walked into my classroom today. Yup. I'm just glad none of my kids were there.

A Third Grade Birthday

My birthday this year fell in the middle of the week, so I was at school to celebrate. All of my students were very excited about this (birthdays are huge in Mexico), and they insisted on walking me to the lunch patio with my eyes closed (where they nearly walked me into the big metal soccer goal).


Once I got to their table, three of the mothers had set up cake balloons and gifts, and everyone sang me a birthday song. After singing, it's a tradition here for the birthday person to take a bite out of the corner of the cake (then get their face smashed into it). Me?? I had to take three bites, since no one's camera was working, and there just had to be photo documentation.


Since the cake didn't get cut until moments from the lunch bell, my students had to grab a slice of cake and line up for class. Since it was a special day though, I was gracious and let them sit out in our courtyard and finish my birthday cake. It was a good day, even though I was mean and gave my students "so much work" on my birthday.

I don't know what I must have said that was clearly so funny, but remember -- I am a comic genius.

...biting a birthday cake, take three.

My kids'll even eat jello cake if it means less time learning grammar.

You'll just have to wait. =)

I'm planning on posting birthday pics and stories, but first I've gotta make it through my first parent teacher conferences on Friday.  Maybe by Monday or Tuesday I'll have something of genuine substance.

 

That is all,

Holly

What I'm learning in Spanish

My friend Kelly sent me this link today, and it was way too appropriate since it's my birthday, and I just finished my Spanish lessons for the week.  Enjoy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

 

-Holly

Spanish Update

Almost stumbling through a conversation with the lady at the bakery, ending our interaction with: "es muy dificil" and a nervous smile?

 

 

Check.