First day of classes

Lucy, the other English teaching assistant arrived yesterday from the UK. We will be working together this entire year, assisting Maestra Mercedes and Maestro Jaime on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We started today at 8am with Mercedes' class of five students preparing to teach English in high schools and studying for the Cambridge exam. Having such a small class size is really great for learning a second language. It can be intimidating and embarrassing to test out new vocabulary and practice complex grammar structures in front of a large group and having a trusting environment is ideal for learning a new language. The class is based on curriculum that uses British English and it's interesting to read the text and listen to the audio while focusing very acutely on the way they use language. I've never realized just how different English is in the U.S. from English in the U.K. The language of the curriculum is also quite rich, using a wide mix of interesting vocabulary and phrasing. I don't remember the audio tapes in my Spanish classes sounding so varied, although I also don't remember understanding them that well either.
Mercedes asked Lucy and I to explain the difference between journey, travel, trip and way. It was quite challenging, especially to do it on the fly. From now on, Mercedes will email us the lessons she wants us to prepare in advance, but asked us to give journey/travel/trip/way a go this morning so we could get our feet wet. We also tried to explain the reason why you say "when I was a tour guide" instead of "when I was being a tour guide". I really do love the nuances and subtleties of language and although my explanations weren't as smooth as I would have liked, I really enjoyed this first class and look forward to planning and teaching more lessons.
We had an afternoon break and returned to school at 2pm to observe in Jamie's class on grammar. It's based on comparing Spanish and English grammar and was quite interesting, at least for my inner grammar geek. We talked about grammatical units and parts of speech, seriously some of my favorite topics. I finished the day back with Mercedes in a beginner English class where I led a conversation group of about 9 students. I adore language and teaching and am thrilled to be teaching language to teachers. I had them introduce themselves and then talk about why they want to teach and witnessing them lose their initial inhibitions and start to trust the group enough to relax and have fun with English was extremely satisfying. Today was a good day.

Look who moved in today!

Name TBD

The little pup has yet to meet the elder of the house, Fergi:

Fergi knows something's up.

Saca la bici

Last night's bike ride was amazing! Robert, the other Fulbrighter living in Querétaro, came on the bike ride with me. JP picked us up in his truck and brought us to the meet-up spot at Cerro de las Campanas, which is where Emperor Maximilian was executed on June 19, 1867.

 

JP lent me a single-speed blue cruiser with pedal brakes. We road for a couple of hours through the cool night air, passing by neighborhoods and people cheering. It was very similar to San Francisco's Critical Mass except the bikers respected the cars and the cars respected the bikers. People called out when we rode over topes, speed bumps, and chanted "Beso! Beso! Beso!" anytime we passed a couple walking together. And hey there, look what we came across!

The aqueduct! We road along it's entire length!

The ride is every Wednesday night. I'm now hoping to find a used bike I can buy for the year and go on this ride regularly.

Arriving in Querétaro

I'm here! After months and months of looking at photo online and imagining what Querétaro would be like, I am here and falling in love with this incredibly charming city! I am staying in a very centrally located apartment with an unbelievably kind woman named Caro (short for Carolina). She lives alone and teaches spinning classes out of the front room and has graciously agreed to allow me and a language assistant from England (arriving Friday) to stay here while we look for more permanent housing. My room faces a plaza that intermittenly plays 90s jams such as Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing (playing right now) and Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. I have no idea where exactly the music comes from but it is loud and seemingly random, only one song plays and then there is silence for hours.

The plaza outside my window, the boys in the foreground are break dancing!

Caro has already let me take one of her spinning classes free of charge (gotta work off all those chilaquiles!), walked me to the technology plaza to get a new computer charger, cooked lunch for me today and asked if she could give me a pedicure (she's a trained cosmetologist). She has an itty bitty toy poodle named Fergi and is getting a English bulldog puppy this weekend. Caro is bonkers nice.

Fresh mango juice, stuffed chile pepper, rice, fresh tomatoes and chayote.

I have most of this week free so have been wandering around a bit to try to get to know the city. During my walks, I have passed by a number of frogs designed by artists in a couple of the andadores (pedestrian alleys) and one of the plazas. The ranas are beautiful, funny, and extremely creative.

"For health, love and move touch this frog and make a wish."

There are plazas around nearly every turn, each with a statue or fountain which adds to the romantic feel of this colonial city. Miguel, one of the faculty members from my school that brought me to my current apartment, told me about a bike ride every Wednesday night and today I happened to meet one of its volunteers who offered to pick me up and loan me a bike and helmet for the ride tonight. Before arriving, I was told of the warmth and kindness of Mexican people and each person I have met as far exceeded my expectations. People really take the time to reach out, offer what they can and open themselves up as a new friend.  It is a quality I definitely aspire to refine along with my Spanish. That and a solid mole recipe.

La Casa Azul

Months ago I read an article about an exhibit at Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and I've been looking forward to seeing it ever since. Yesterday was the day! We figured out which metro to take and stopped for some huaraches before getting on the train.

Preparing the food

Our first huaraches! I'm holding a bag of salsa.

Huaraches are are giant tortillas stuffed with refried beans and topped with whatever you choose. Mine had egg, nopales and cheese.

The Mexico City metro is pretty awesome. It's 3 pesos one way and each station has it's own little symbol, which makes navigating the maps really easy. We waited in line for the train headed to Universidad and as the we boarded, I casually brought up the rear. Just as I was about the step onto the train with my friends, the door slammed in my face and my six friends were carried away. The next train came quickly and happened to be less crowded, and we all knew which stop we were going to so no harm, no foul. People sell just about anything on the trains, small hammers, pens, and CDs, were all offered at different times during my 20 minute trip.

I was with a friend who recently had a pretty bad ankle injury so we took a cab from the metro stop to the Casa Azul. Our first cab driver assured us he knew where to go, then stopped a few blocks away and admitted he didn't and had us get into another cab. Once we arrived, I instantly fell in love. The casa is a very fitting vibrant blue with a large open garden in the middle. A number of Frida's art pieces are on display in the first few rooms and then most of the home is displayed just as it was when she and Diego Rivera lived there.

One of Frida's two beds. There is a mirror above the bed which Frida used while painting after her accident. On the bed is her death mask.

The exhibit I had been excited to see was of her clothing. A friend had stored Frida's braces and dresses for 50 years without anyone knowing. They were discovered in 2004 and are on display until November.

 It was fascinating to read about the reasons she may have chosen to wear Tehuana style dresses: they came from her mother's native region of Mexico, Diego liked them, their structure fit well over her braces, the long skirts hid her polio-deformed right leg. There were quotes saying that her arrival was announced with the sound of her jewelry and that children would often ask her "where is the circus?" I also didn't realize how much she influenced various different fashion designers. The exhibit included designs by Jean Paul Gaultier and Givenchy.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Givenchy

 For anyone visiting, I am more than happy to go back!

La Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores and an evening at the Ambassador's house

Hello again! Wednesday of orientation week was quite full. We began our day by visiting La Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (the Secretary of Foreign Relations) where we listened to presentations about the current political climate and the culture of the Mexican academic world. Fulbright and COMEXUS have really done a wonderful job of introducing us to the culture and educational system here and each presentation has built on what we learned in the one before. We are here during a very exciting time of democratic growth, educational reform, and strong public involvement in these changes. José Merino spoke to us about the evolution of democracy in Mexico and Maestra Celia Toro encouraged us to accept the abundance of help we will soon be offered at our universities.

We also introduced ourselves to the other 85 grantees, sharing our backgrounds and our projects here in Mexico. The Fulbright scholars are current professors doing research, the Fulbright researchers are master's and doctoral students working on dissertations, the Business Binationals are working for corporations and NGOs in Mexico City, the US American teachers are exchanging their classrooms with those of Mexican teachers for the year, and the ETAs (English Teaching Assistants, me) are working in universities throughout the country. It was fascinating to hear people's research projects, some dealing with immigration, another focusing on the development of statehood, a painter studying the traditions of La Lucha Libre, and one studying rural health workers. As people stood up to introduce themselves, one said she was a professor at the College of Wooster! I was thrilled to know a fellow Fighting Scot was among us. Dr. Ana King Sirot is a professor of biology at Wooster and will be conducting research in Veracruz on reproductive biology of flies to better the methods of biological control. The work people are conducting is really remarkable and I hope we have the opportunity to learn more about the outcomes of everyone's research when the time comes.

It was wonderful to spend time with all of the grantees, but everyone was collectively anticipating meeting Ambassador Tony Wayne at his home in Mexico City that evening. Ambassador Wayne wanted to make sure he met each grantee and graciously welcomed each and every one of us into his home. He had given a speech at one of the universities in Querétaro just last week and when it was my turn to introduce myself, he told me about its thriving economy, its dedication to increasing English instruction at all levels of education, and its growing aeronautics industry. All of the members of the embassy that we met were extremely gracious. I spoke briefly to one woman who later came to find me when faculty members of one of the universities in Querétaro arrived and introduced me to them. It was so thoughtful of her to remember my placement and to seek me out. The Queretanos were also very warm and welcoming, informing me of the beauty of my soon to be home and declaring it to be "lo mejor" (the best). I also had the opportunity to talk to a woman that works for the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service after a robust career in the private sector, mainly working in Silicon Valley.

Los Jarochos de Tenampa

All of my Google stuff (like Gmail, Blogger, and Chrome) have switched themselves to Spanish so I'm officially in Mexico! I flew into Mexico City last night with a few other ladies from California and had my first of many tostadas for dinner.

Today was our first day of orientation and we went to a beautiful building off the Zócalo to meet with people from the Secretary of Public Education. We listened to presentations on Mexico, the first covering topics from the geography to Mexico's place in the global economy. The second covered the structure of education, recent reforms to the constitution, and the direction it is looking to take the entire educational system.

It was a long day so we ventured out for a drink, following the lead of someone who had heard of a place with mariachi bands and cheap beers. As we walked,  the light drizzle began to fall harder until droplets formed on my brow. By the time we reached Tenampa, we were soaked. They arranged a long table for us and we ordered four pitchers, two claras (light) and two oscuros (dark). Mariachi bands played simultaneously at three different tables, belting out lyrics and strumming chords to various songs all at once. Somehow it was both chaotic and melodic at the same time. A sign hung from the ceiling advertising canciones with an option for mariachis for 120 pesos or jarochos for 50 pesos. I had no idea what jarocho meant so I pulled the waiter aside and asked him how I could order one. Three men in white suits approached, two with very small guitars and one with a harp and asked us which songs they wanted us to play. After naming off a number of options I picked one and they began playing a rapid song, standing directly behind me. It was such a scene! Three bands playing at once, ours standing as close as possible to our table, yelling/singing various songs as we clapped and whistled. They played four songs and we finished our beers and wandered back to the Fiesta Inn under a light drizzle, rubbing at the ringing in our ears and walking quickly in our wet shoes, promising to dress more appropriately for the rain tomorrow.

Mrs. Timmerman

When I first received my Fulbright grant, my dad sent an announcement to my hometown's local newspaper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette. My kindergarten teacher saw it, clipped it out, and sent me a card to congratulate me! My kindergarten teacher ya'll! She taught me in 1989! It is so many things to me! It's so sweet, thoughtful and kind. It also feels so symbolic in a way. I just got my credential to teach elementary children and did so in hopes of inspiring my young students to grow into conscientious and activist-minded adults. And the here I am, moving to Mexico to work with teachers-to-be, striving to improve my Spanish and learn the nuances of Mexican culture so I can better educate and support those future students of mine. Being an educator is very rewarding, yet also a practice in trust. You work with 25 students nearly every day for the majority of a year, and you must trust that you did your very best for each of them as they move on to the next grade, not knowing who you will hear from again. I am so grateful that Mrs. Timmerman saw that little paragraph in the paper because part of this Fulbright belongs to her, too. She taught me the skills that were the building blocks to everything. The taught me phonics and and the meaning of numbers, which have led to a love of reading and writing and a desire to pursue a master's in math education. And she taught me the most important of all social skills: sharing, communicating my feelings, and empathy. Where would any of us be without our kindergarten teachers?

The aqueduct

When I learned I would be living and teaching in Querétaro, I immediately turned to the internet to see how close it was to the ocean.... it's really far. After figuring out the distance to the closest surf spots (5 1/2 hours to Troncones, 7 to Sayulita, 7 to Nayarit...), I looked it up in my Lonely Planet guide and was alarmed that they began their description by saying "As far as the silver cities go, Querétaro is sometimes intimated to be the ugly sibling." WHAT?!  I threw my book aside and went back to the internet to look up images. One of the very first that caught my attention was the aqueduct. As I read more, I began to accept that my year would not be spent learning to nose ride, but rather immersing myself in real Mexico.

Querétaro is where the revolutionaries of the Mexican Independence Movement met in secret to discuss the overthrow of the Spanish government. In 1917, the Mexican Constitution was composed in Querétaro. UNESCO named the Historic Monument Zone a World Heritage site in 1996. The city is steeped in history, from the founding of the Franciscan missions to the execution of Emperor Maximilian. The aqueduct the has come to represent Querétaro was built between 1726 and 1735 to bring clean drinking water to the city and include 74 arches and stretches across 1280 meters (4,200 feet). It still provides Querétaro with water today.

I have let go of my dream of becoming an amazing surfer while living in Mexico, I'll work on that when I get back to California. I'm now looking forward to wandering the pedestrian only alleyways, trying the enchiladas queretanas, and standing under the aqueduct that led me to discover the richness and beauty of my new home.