Outdoor fun

The weather has gotten chillier here in Mexico but that doesnt mean it's too cold to enjoy the fresh air! Lately I've had a lot of outdoor activities...

I played paintball for the first time! Here it's called "Gotcha!" haha. And believe it or not - I won 2 out of the 5 games we played! In other words, I was the last person left on the field. I guess I'm just a natural... ;-)

For Thanksgiving this year, my work held a cookout at a teacher's ranch house. I was kind of disappointed that there was no turkey or mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie, but the tacos we had were delicious! lol

A few weeks ago I went on a Moster Jeep Rally with one of my friends here. She owns a huge Jeep and every couple of months they drive out in the wilderness somewhere to go through an obstacle course with their Jeeps. It was fun - and with me as the co-pilot - we never got stuck!

Finally, my work had the annual Christmas Party this past Saturday. It was at a really nice place for outdoor parties. We had a nice dinner, exchanged Secret Santa gifts, and later there was karaoke. No, I didnt sing anything...that only happens if I've had too much to drink...hehe

In a week I leave for Nuevo Vallarta - a really nice beach in Mexico, then return (hopefully tan) to the USA for the holidays. Hope to see many of you there!

My Birthday!

It's time for another update! Fall has turned into winter here in Mexico - which means chilly mornings and hot afternoons. The weather change is actually kind of annoying because I take a jacket with me to work in the morning and then it gets hot and I have to drag it around with me in the afternoon. Oh well - I wont complain too much for those of you who are suffering in freezing temperatures ;-) Although from what I've heard, the USA's winter hasnt been too bad, yet.

A couple months ago I went to see Mexico's version of the famous stage production, The Vagina Monologues. Yes - they have it here in Mexico! It's made up of different monologues read by three women on stage. The 3 monologues, in some way or form have to do with that female part - be it love, menstruation, female genital mutilation, birth, etc... Some of the monologues are hilarious, and some are more serious. I was pleasantly surprised by the production - I thought it was going to have a feminist bent to it - but there were many men in the audience who enjoyed it as well! I was also pleased that I understood about 90% of it.

A month ago, 2 other American teachers and I took a weekend trip to a town about 2 hours away called Queretaro. It's known for being clean, but there isn't much to do. We just browsed the streets in the downtown and later walked to the famous aqueduct. One of the best parts of the weekend was watching tv in the hotel room at night! (since none of us have tvs - haha)

Finally...my Birthday was 1 week ago! I decided to celebrate it on Saturday by going to a nightclub here with some friends. It was really a lot of fun! The music was great and out waiter brought free shots to the table! In true Mexican style, we stayed until the place closed at 3:30am - then went for a late night snack of tacos afterward. It was one of my best birthdays!

Ciao!

Hi everyone,

Well, summer is over for all of you, but it's just business as usual down here. Since my school is private, we have classes all year. There are some new things in my life though:

A month or so ago I went to my first baby shower! It was for a former student and a lot of fun. I didnt realize all the games that are played. My favorite was the one where you split into partners and one person (the mom) is blindfolded and has to spoon-feed the other person (the baby) gerber food. Lucky me, I was the baby and only got a little little mango-flavored gerber food spilled on my pants. Unfortunately my partner and I came in second.

I also started taking an Italian class. I have always wanted to learn a little of the language and am really enjoying the class so far. Actually I am also learning Spanish in that class because the teacher is Mexican and often translates things into Spanish for the students. So, I got a 2-for-1 there! haha

Some new teachers have arrived at the school and two of them are American girls from Washington and North Carolina. They are really nice and I enjoy hanging out with them. This weekend we went to the big soccer game in town. It was Leon vs. Irapuato (their big rivals). They played 85 scoreless minutes and then the other team scored. Then we scored in the final minute for a 1-1 tie. So that was a pretty exciting finish. Enjoy the pictures!

Quinceañera, Ranch, New Apartment

Hey everyone! Since I've been back in Mexico I've done some really "Mexican" things: 1) I've gone to a Quinceañera and 2) I've visited a ranch (farmhouse). The quienceañera is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. It is supposed to celebrate her "coming of age" from a girl to a lady. The family throws a big party in a nice event hall and the girl dances with some special selected people (like her father, etc) and then the DJ comes on! (check out the video I included) It was very nice and I can check "Go to a Quinceañera" off my list of things to do in Mexico.

I also went with some students, teachers, and friends to a ranch (farmhouse). We drove about 1 hour to get there and then another half an hour through some very hilly terrain to get to the farmhouse. We set up tents to camp and had a nice bonfire (no smores in Mexico though). The next day we relaxed, rode 4wheelers, and enjoyed the green countryside. It was nice but when I got home I was ready to shower!!

Last weekend, I moved to a new apartment! It's farther from the school, but the overall location is better and the area is quieter. I live with 2 Mexican sisters - they are really nice! So far I'm very happy with the move. The only downside is that I have a longer commute. Here's my new address:

Privada del Rocio 104 int. 102

Jardines del Moral

Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico 37160

1 year since I left

It's been 1 year now since I returned to the USA after what I thought was the end of my time in Mexico. And one year later, I'm happy with my decision to go back and continue teaching in that country south of the border. Right now, I'm back in the USA for my summer vacation - and to attend my little brother's high school graduation party...which was excellent! Mom did a great job party planning and it was very nice to see family and friends. (check out the video I included) The rest of my time in the USA was spent eating food I had missed (Jet's pizza, Panera Bread, Coldstone Creamery ice cream...) and watching ESPN. Dad and I also went to a Tigers game. It was a beautiful night at the ballpark, we won, and we even got to see Jim Leyland ejected!

About a month ago, I went to a tequila distillery in Mexico. It was really cool! We got to see the entire process of how tequila is made - from cooking the agave plant to bottling the alcohol.

The last picture is of me and some Mexican friends out one night.

Spring to Summer

Another month has passed and there's no shortage of news to report from Mexico. First of all, it is HOT HOT HOT here. In the high 90s every day. A fellow Mexican teacher told me that this past week was the hottest she could ever remember. Luckily, it is dry heat, so we dont have to deal with any humidity.

About a month ago, I went to the Estruendo (Air Show) at the local Metropolitan Park. It was just okay. I guess my expectations were higher (I wanted more tricks and death-defying dives!) but I have to remind myself to lower my expectations in Mexico.

A new ordinance has passed in the city that has left one of my fellow male American teachers quite insulted: On the city trolley, there are now separate compartments for men and women. The female section is even designated with pink silouettes on the outside of the trolley! The ordinance was passed because apparently women were sick of being "bumped" or "touched" by other men while riding. Personally, this had never been a problem, but I have to admit that I like the ease of the new ride.

So how did you all celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the USA? By eating chips and salsa and drinking a margarita? Well good for you, because that's not the tradition here in Mexico! Actually, the Holiday (which commemorates the defeat of French troops in the city of Puebla and NOT Mexican Independence Day (which is Sept. 16th)) is not really celebrated here. Students get the day off school, but that's about it.

Although Mexicans dont celebrate Cinco de Mayo, they do celebrate Taacher's Day! My boss treated all the teachers to a nice brunch at a buffet restaurant. The lunch was even followed by a prize round! (I won a bottle of wine, unfortunately, as I wanted the microwave).

A few weekends ago I went to another teacher's birthday party. It was a nice casual get-together in her front yard (which is about the size of my parents' bedroom) equipped with a karaoke machine. I impressed some of the other Mexicans at the party with my DJ selections of current regional hit songs ;-) haha At the party I also tried 2 new foods:

• tacos al vapor - these are basically your normal soft tacos, but they have been steamed in a big vat. Yes, they are a little soggy, but I actually prefer them to normal tacos! And you can put basically anything you want inside them (potatoes, sausage, beef, cheese...)
• agua loca - this is simply tequila mixed with flavored water. Not surprisingly, it is the choice of alcoholic beverage among the Mexican student population since it is so cheap to make. It's really delicious!

Happy Memorial Day! Enjoy the long weekend! Have a cookout and eat some hamburgers and hotdogs for me!

Easter Vacation

Hi everyone! Just got back to Mexico from a one week vacation in good ole' Michigan. It was great to spend time with my family. Joe, Dad, and I went to UM to participate in Campus Day (an information session and campus tour for future undergraduates). That's right - Joe's continuing the Damiani tradition and will be attending UM in the Fall! April 20th was my mom's birthday, so we stuffed ourselves at Olive Garden to celebrate. And since I dont have a tv in Mexico, I made sure to catch up on all the trashy tv shows that I miss out on (in other words, watch a lot of the Bravo channel). haha Other than that, I made a couple trips to the mall and just enjoyed my family's company. The photos are some that I took from the plane over Mexico - I thought the clouds were really cool!

Not too much new in Mexico...it's hot of course (highs are just below 100 degrees this week). Also, it's cockfighting season here. Although the sport is illegal in the US, it's popular in Mexico. There is actually a stadium here in Leon where cockfights are held (called the Palenque). I haven't witnessed a fight, but I'm reminded of the sport everyday since people buy and sell roosters on the street! My neighboors have about 8 of them in their yard and contrary to popular belief, roosters don't just cock-a-doodle-doo in the morning, they do it all day! It's quite annoying.

Start of 2011

It's about time for a blog update. They are becoming less frequent since things that used to be brand-new for me have become normal and part of my daily routine. Nevertheless...

I learned how to drive a stick shift! This is quite an accomplishment I think - it's difficult. Most of the cars in Mexico are standard so it's a good skill to learn. The reason I learned is that the company car my work is going to buy is a standard, so if I want to use it I had to learn to drive a stick. The problem is that I took the stick shift driving course over a month ago and we still dont have the company car. So now I've gone a month without any practice and am afraid I'm going to forget everything I learned...

I went to a bar down here to watch the SuperBowl. What a good game and half-time show. The only bad thing was that in Mexico we don't get the American commercials - so I had to watch those later. I learned from watching the game on Mexican tv that the broadcasters down here think that if you say anything twice, it sounds better. For example, one broadcaster would say "And that's the end of the first quarter." Then a second later, another one would say the same thing. Is that really necessary?! haha they did that throughout the entire game.

I've tried 2 new foods in the past month... The first is called a torta ahogada. The name literally translates as "drowned sandwich" and is called so because the pork sandwich is submerged in a spicy salsa. The bread is really crunchy so the salsa makes it softer. It was good!

I also tried a flavored michelada. You may remember from an earlier post that a michelada is a drink made with beer, tomato juice, lime juice, and salsa. Sounds horrific but it's actually good. And recently I tried a flavored one! Mine was tamarindo, but you can also have mango, strawberry, pineapple, etc... It's delicious with the flavors!

P.S. The girl in the first picture with me is a Mexican friend and the girl in the second picture is my American roomate.