Saludos desde Mexico....

Life in Mexico continues to be fun and interesting. This week at school we have the "Copa Libertad," or what I like to call a giant pain in the butt. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday various students in my classes will be missing various parts of the school day to play soccer and basketball. Meanwhile, I have to entertain the rest of the students or possibly even take them to cheer on their fellow classmates. To some of you this might not sound problematic, but to a teacher who is trying to keep all of her students on the same page and who struggles to cover all the material in the short period of time she has with her students every day, it is a less than ideal situation. I'm also not supposed to give the students homework Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday since it would likely interfere with their sports schedule. Every day I understand more and more why everyone says that flexibility is the most important skill to have at Colegio Ingles. :o) Aside from the "Copa Libertad," things at school seem to be going about the same. My kids still haven't mastered the art of not talking while I am, but I'm not giving up hope quite yet. Many of us English teachers have been talking about proposing changes to the administration in hopes of improving some of the not-so-good policies and procedures the school has right now.

On a lighter note, last weekend I took a short trip to Parras, a small pueblo about an hour and a half away. Katie, a friend of a friend from La Crosse who is working at the Colegio Aleman here in Torreon, invited me to go with her and a few of her friends. It was a very random and very last minute decision, and despite having never met her or her friends, I decided to go. After school on Friday, the seven of us piled into Katie's boyfriend's Chevy Cavalier and headed for Parras. When we got there, we grilled hamburgers and chicken and had a couple of drinks by the hotel pool. It was very refreshing to be out of the city and even though I didn't really know anyone, conversation flowed easily and I had a lot of fun. On Saturday, we woke up late and toured the small winery that was on our hotel grounds (Parras is known for it's wine production). We then went to the town's church and on the way got a flat tire. After fixing the flat tire and visiting the church, we went and toured a larger and more well-known winery called Casa de Madero. It was a free tour and I learned a lot of interesting information. We then went swimming in a natural pozo (well or pond) and finally headed home. It was a short trip but a fun one, and I was really glad I went.

After getting back from Parras, I quickly showered and got ready to go out with my roommates and some of the other English teachers. We went to a club named Studio here in Torreon and had a lot of fun. Sunday I slept in late and then went with a couple of teachers to the city centro (downtown area). It was a lot of fun since I felt like I was in "real Mexico". We walked around the mercado (market) and bought some pirated movies - 3 movies in one for $20 pesos (about $2 US). :o) The weekends definitely fly by fast, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job of cramming things in. Even if we're just sitting around watching movies, the break from school and spoiled children is always nice.

I think that's about it from me for now. I've included a couple pictures from Parras - the church that caused us the flat tire, a group shot at the hotel, us hiking the mountains around the hotel, and a picture from the Casa de Madero winery. Keep the phone calls and emails coming. Les mando un abrazote!!