Festival Cervantino

This weekend we took a road trip to Guanajuato for the Cervantino, which is an arts festival in honor or Miguel Cervantes, the Spanish author of Don Quijote. They offer all sorts of plays, live music, art exhibits, and dance. It’s really remarkable. There’s the official stuff and then there’s lots of street presentations or outdoor stages. Kermit went to see a play by a Spanish playwright and all of us went to hear an brass ensemble for children. We caught a few outdoor plays and some music as well. Lots of street artists set up and pass the hat; we saw some clowns on skates that stripped down to their bkinis, Don Quijote and Sancho Panza strolling down the street, and a military guy painted with silver paint that only moved when you put money in his tin can. Sometimes its seemed that anyone could dress up and put a can out for people to take photos with them. There were two chess pieces, a guy with a mask and a jacket that looked like he had been found in a shipwreck, and a woman dressed completely in purple. We were tempted to put out a can and offer to have people take pictures with an American family!
Guanajuato is a beautiful colonial town with lots of pedestrian only streets and quaint plazas. We were interested to see that, in comparison to the last time we were in town, there are more cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables so that you can enjoy a meal or a cup of coffee and take in the ambience. We’ll definitely go back!

Mexican Independence Day

WOW! Mexicans sure know how to celebrate Independence Day! Two weeks before September 16 vendors begin to set up booths with all sorts of merchandise with the colors of the Mexican flag: green, white, and red. They sell decorations, horns, hair clips, and toys - the only requirement being the colors! Shops, houses, classrooms, and plazas are festooned with papel picado and other three color decorations. Even skyscrapers are decorated with tricolor banners running down the length of the buildings.
The 15th, the eve of Independence Day, is when most activities happen. People hit the streets and plazas in droves. Many people dress in various traditional styles of clothing from different regions of Mexico. If they don't have a traditional costume, they wear red, green and white - maybe a belt, a hair ribbon, a shawl, or a hat. The plazas resound with live music, sometimes from multiple stages. We heard classical music, mariachi, pop, and music from the Veracruz region. Couples dance outdoors in the plaza, while families stroll, and children play with tricolor balloons. The action increases until 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. when a government official comes out of the second story of the government building, which usually is located right on the plaza. In Mexico City, the president, Felipe Calderon, appeared to a giant crowd on the zocalo. We were in Puebla, where the governor of Puebla state gave the "grito". The government official shouts out "Que viva....." and then the names of many Mexican heroes from the time of the Independence to which the crowd repeats back "Que viva!" He ends with "Que viva Mexico!" and the crowd goes wild! People shoot out something like Silly String and crack confetti eggs over one another's heads or throw flour at one another! After a great fireworks display, the crowd begins to disperse.
On the 16th, the actual day of Independence, most Mexicans spend at home with their families. Time is taken to prepare special dishes that have the colors of the flag. People prepare either white pozole (a hominy and chicken/pork soup) with red chile and green oregano sprinkled on top. Or they might make a time consuming dish called "Chiles en Nogada". This is a pasilla pepper stuffed with meat and dried fruits. It is covered in a white walnut sauce, topped with pomogranate seeds and then decorated with a sprig of green - the three colors again!
I was so impressed by the Mexican Independence Day celebration that I can't even imagine what its going to be like in 2010 - the 200th anniversary!

Elementary School in Mexico City

We found a school for Jacob & Sabine. They were able to start by the end of the first week of school. They are attending "Republica de Guatemala" Elementary-- it seems a lot of the public schools in the city are named after countries (the other two public schools in our area were "Reino de Jordania" and "Republica de Bulgaria"). It was actually a bit difficult to track down the public schools in our area of the city. There are more private elementaries, at least in this part of Mexico City.


The school week starts with a formal flag ceremony every Monday morning in the central patio of the school -- singing songs and saluting the flag and listening to a short talk about the important holidays of the week, or important Mexican historical events or figures from the week. (This is the only day of the week that parents are allowed onto the school campus). Jacob printed out a copy of the Mexican National Anthom and Flag Salute that he takes with him every Monday.

The first challenge was to purchase uniforms for the kids. There is a lady that comes each morning to the front entrance of the school to take orders--which has made getting the correct size has been a bit of a challenge. We are still waiting on the PE uniforms. The students have PE 2 days a week. On those days they are required to wear a uniform sweatsuit and tennis shoes for the day. The other 3 days they wear the regular uniform with black shoes.

The school is a short bus or taxi ride from our apartment. The plan was to take transportation in the morning and walk home after school, but they've had a lot of books to carry these first days. We've been taking the public "microbus" most days so far.



One of the unique requirements here is that every textbook and notebook must be covered with colored paper. Each student has 4-6 notebooks which must be covered with a predetermined paper and plastic cover (See photo). Gretchen first encountered how engrained this system is for the students when she told her classes that she would like them to have a notebook for the English class. She was immediately bombarded with questions from all 40 students -- what size, graph or lined, what color cover, etc.



The public school day is short -- 8:00-12:30 in most public schools, so we have tracked down some afternoon activities for Jacob & Sabine. There is a very nice Cultural Center near their school which has Theater, Dance and Art classes.

First Week at School

The week is almost done and I've had so much fun! My five groups of students are all very large, but the kids are very respectful and are accepting of the routines I have set for them to follow. I'm somewhat of a star at school! Everyone tries out their English on me and crowds around me when I'm out of the classroom. Now I know how it feels to have paparazzi following you! As you can see from the photos, the kids are beautiful!
The most challenging thing is keeping track of my schedule. I see each of the groups three times during the week and haven't gotten into the routine yet of knowing who's coming to class when. My students are like seventh graders, mostly 11 and 12 years old, and most of them don't know what class they have when either!! The group of 40 (+/-) travels together between 9 or 10 different subjects, so I can see how they get confused.
I'm really enjoying getting to know the staff. The teachers are really kind and patient with me and my questions. They are planning to take me out for pozole (a pork and hominy soup) on payday. Most of them haven't been paid in a while, since they were out for summer vacation.
Looking at the pictures that I have posted in the slideshow, one might think the neighborhood is kind of rough. However, it feels really safe - parents gather around the school entrance to drop off and pick up their kids, tiny shops are open, plenty of people are out walking, living their lives.
Since teachers may use several classrooms during the week and because the classrooms are used for the evening shift school, most rooms are not decorated. One exception in my school is the computer labs - they really are quite impressive! This school has two amazing computer labs with Smartboards. I am excited to get my students in there, communicating with students in Gilroy!

My Teaching Schedule

It took me a while to figure out my teaching schedule. I will teach five different groups of students, meeting with each of them for three, 50 minute class sessions a week. Servicio, as I understand, is when I am to be available to substitute in other classes. Colegiado, is built in time to meet with other teachers who work with the same group of students. We will meet for two hours each week to discuss student progress and to plan interdisciplinary projects. I'm looking forward to collaborating.
Yeah, you read my schedule right. I work three hours on Monday and Friday, four hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, and five on Thursday. Score!! Most teachers, however, work both the morning and afternoon sessions in order to make ends meet. Most school buildings in Mexico are used for both a morning session and then an afternoon session - a more economical way to get the most out of the buildings.

We're Here!

After five days of driving we made it from Gilroy to Mexico City! The trip went very smoothly, with only one glitch: the electicity went out in the customs office at the border just while they were processing the document for us to be able to keep our car in Mexico for a year. We waited awhile in darkness and somehow they were able to produce it!
It was 5:00 on Wednesday evening when we began driving into Mexico City. We were concerned that we'd be stuck in rush hour traffic and that it would take us forever to arrive at our apartment in the south end of the city. Boy, did we luck out! Never were we stuck in stop-and-go traffic and the route was easier to follow than we imagined. It turns out that rush hour here is just after 6:00 p.m.. Many business people work from 9 until 2 and then have a two hour lunch break. They return at 4:00 and then work until 6 or 7:00 p.m.. Later I'll describe a teacher's schedule.
My exchange partner's sister in law, Claudia, met us at the apartment that we are renting from her. It's a nice place with parque floors and two big bathrooms. It is very spacious, seeming especially so since there is very little furniture! We have a big living room that Jacob is enjoying as a dance floor - he is discouraged that we are planning to buy some furniture! Claudia has been really nice and has dropped by and called to check on us.
Friday was my first day at my school, Secundaria Diurna 188. It is in a low-income neighborhood with narrow, maze like streets. I really enjoyed the faculty meeting seeing the similarities and differences from faculty meetings at my school in California. It seems that Mexican teachers are just like American teachers: the worst students of all! The music teacher is a real card - he shouted out "I love you" in English when I was introduced to the staff. He also brought along along a pair of binoculars to look at the small print on the screen as the vice-principal made a presentation.
The faculty was very welcoming and I particularly made a connection with the two other English teachers. Consuelo, Connie, suggested that we always speak English together. She told me that I can practice my Spanish with all the other teachers. I really respect that she is going to take advantage of the resource she has in me! Tonathue, the technology guru at the school, has informed me that I am one of the four teachers that will be working on special projects this year. I'm excited to see what ways we can link up Gilroy High School with my Mexican school. He's got lots of knowledge to share. Overall, I was really impressed with the intelligent, fun-loving, and passionate staff. The principal said to me that she thinks that I have fallen into a great school - I agree!
Tomorrow is the first day of school! I'm excited to meet my students and see how it all works! Unfortunately for Jacob and Sabine, we were not able to find a school for them yet. They won't be able to attend the first day, but I don't think they're too upset about it! We are looking for a public school for them, near our apartment. It isn't as easy as it would seem! Schools are tucked away, at the end of dead-end streets or not very obviously marked from the outside. Kermit has asked lots of parents that he sees out walking the streets with their kids. He'll check out a few more tomorrow.

Here we are with the Colin family.

Orientation in Washington D.C

We were excited to finally meet the Colin Family this week! We have been emailing one another for several months as we prepare to take over each other's jobs. Here in Washington we have the opportunity to talk in person and really share information about our schools and about living in Mexico and in California.
Two days before all the other Fulbright exchange teachers arrived, the teachers who are going to Mexico had the chance to meet with those coming from Mexico. Eight US teachers will be teaching all over Mexico, from Culiacan to Chiapas, while 11 Mexican teachers will be teaching in the U.S.. The teachers from Mexico have a wonderful command of English and all seem very well prepared to begin teaching in American schools. The U.S. teachers are confident that they will all be successful teaching English in Mexico as well.
On Tuesday night we had a special Welcome Dinner. As soon as the doors opened, all of "Team Mexico" made a mad dash to claim three tables for our group! One could feel the room humming with excitement as women in Saris and others in traditional dress streamed into the room. Flags from all of the eighteen countries sending and receiving Fulbright teachers lined one wall. Teachers are exchanging from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, India, Latvia, Peru, Poland, Senegal, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. It's quite inspiring being in a room full of people at the cusp of new adventures!
Today, Wednesday, we had a presentation by Harry Wong, who is a well-known trainer for new teachers. His talk made me think about how my classroom procedures and rules might need to
be tweaked for Mexican middle school students. I'm under the impression that students generally are well behaved in the classroom, so I'm curious to discover if this is the reality or not. We also had an interesting presentation from Fulbright Alumni who described some special projects that they have done. An American teacher in the northern dessert of Mexico took a group of her students to Maine in the winter! Another teacher in Peru led a group of American students in a service project where they painted a school and brought supplies for Peruvian children. The Fulbright Program is interested in teachers maximizing the exchange by extending its reach.
While I attended these presentations, Kermit had a few sessions to meet other spouses/partners accompanying the Fulbrighters. The kids have been enjoying "Camp Fulbright" while they play games, do crafts and make friends from all over the world. Jacob was telling funny stories about Edward from the UK and Sabine has made a friend from Wales.
Tomorrow will bring some more specific discussions on living and teaching in Mexico and then we'll finish our orientation with a dinner where the international teachers will do a cultural presentation of some sort. My kids will enjoy this, particularly if there is some dancing and singing!
For my running friends, you'll be interested to read that I've been running on the Mt. Vernon trail along the Potomac River. It's quite scenic and quite HUMID!

Gretchen and Jose Ernesto Colin, the Mexican Fulbright recipient who will be teaching at Gilroy High School this fall.

The 8 US teachers and 11 Mexican teachers that will be participating in Fulbright this year at the Washington, DC orientation.