Monday, January 30th
Monday came, and I was still miserably sick. This illness was the weirdest I have ever experienced. It would spike and drop so much. On Monday, I was definitely feeling as though I was on the end of it...but I was also skeptical. I was afraid to eat anything or get up because that is always when I was in the most pain. I skipped teaching, and just rested in bed all day. Kayla and Josh stayed home with me. I have to take this moment to send my deepest apologies to the 3 teachers who had to have classes of 20+ children in our absence. The ILP method is really meant for classes of no more than 9, and we already exceed that on a day with all the teachers, so I can't even imagine how hectic things were for those who had to pick up our slack. Also, not only did they endure the hectic classes, but as soon as they got home, they would check on us, make sure all was well, and get us anything we needed. Seriously, HEROES.
On Monday night, Kayla and I really felt the need for fresh air, so we went onto the roof to let ourselves breath for a moment. It was wonderful to be outside again. You don't realize how claustrophobic and stale staying in one room is until you get back under the sky. At this point, I had been stuck inside for about 4 days, so the fresh air was like manna from heaven.
Tuesday, January 31st
On Tuesday, I slept like the dead until about noon, and a miracle occurred! I woke up feeling completely better! I was itching to do something, ANYTHING other than lay in my bed, so I got into the kitchen and started baking up a storm. I started a sour dough starter who I lovingly named Chico Mohoso, or, Moldy Boy. I made zucchini muffins and two different kinds of bread as well. I sometimes get into baking frenzies and just can't stop...this was one of those frenzies. When everyone got back from school, they were thrilled to find food. Poor Allie dubbed Tuesday "The day from hell", and all the other teachers who went fully agreed. I feel like I was at least able to make up missing days of school by baking my way back into their good graces...maybe. Sergio and Lulu were super impressed by my bread, and they made me promise to have a baking day and teach them. One of the breads was a classic honey wheat, and the other was the same honey wheat, but I kneaded chocolate chunks and a butter/brown sugar/cinnamon concoction into it as well. I don't think there is any smell better than the scent of fresh bread from the oven. The loaves rose MUCH more than I expected, so they were huge, but hey, who's complaining? Sergio and Lulu also brought home some dinner, so we had fresh bread with our dinner. It was so nice to just eat normal food and not get stomach cramps.
We ended our night by watching Enola Holmes as a group. Only Allie and I had seen it, so it was fun to watch it as I wrote my blog. Enola Holmes is one of my favorite movies and Enola is one of those characters that I just GET on a soul level. I also started looking for some audition material for an upcoming self-tape audition. I can't believe how deeply I missed the rush and anticipation and magic of the theater. I knew I missed it, but getting back to actively doing something for theater has been a huge balm to my heart. I'm a storyteller and performer through and through. My soul just craves it. It's been almost a year since my last audition, and that's when I booked 'Little Women', I hope to be able to get right back onstage as soon as I land in the states. Please send lots of good mojo my way, and hope that my house here is soundproof enough to make a decent self-tape.
Wednesday, February 1st
I finally got to go back to school!!! Yay! We went extra early because we had Spanish class. Our teacher, Tania, is so sweet, and her baby boy, Bruno is the cutest little baby I have ever seen. He eats his little freeze-dried yogurts the whole class and screams when he runs out. It is hilarious. It's not a crying scream, just a simple, piercing high note.
After Spanish, we got to teaching. Teaching went pretty well. It wasn't the best day, but also wasn't the worst we've had. I really enjoy the 6th grade class. I don't even really do a lesson with them; I really just spend the 20 minutes talking to them. I think I broke their brains a bit on Wednesday though...I showed them pictures of my family, and they were shocked at how big it is. I then tried to explain what a sister-in-law is, and I don't think they got it.
At home, we ate dinner and hung out for a while. We also broke into my chocolate cinnamon bread. Lulu has been sick with a terrible cough, so I sent some of the bread with Sergio to her. Sergio lit up when I gave him the chocolate bread...my spot as favorite has been secured ;) I then got glammed up and Allie helped me take some headshots for my upcoming audition. They turned out really good for a cellphone and my limited editing skills. I was also able to submit my audition form and pick out some audition material.
Around 6:30 we walked to the town center, and a few people got ice cream, then Kayla, Allie and I went to 7:30 mass. It was a really amazing experience. I know a lot was lost on me, so I definitely want to study it more and go back. I love how involved the congregation is in the whole ceremony, and the singing that echoed through the cathedral was other worldly. I just love the power people have. When we come together with good intentions, striving to be better, we create magic in the air. After the ceremony, we walked around and just enjoyed the beauty of the cathedral.
At home, I did yoga under the stars and set some intentions for the Celtic holiday of Imboloc. I was getting a bad migraine, so I made a cup of tea, prepped some overnights oats, and then talked with my roommates for a while before bed.
Thursday, February 2nd
Class went SO WELL today! The kids loved my lesson, and I feel like I did a great job of adapting to the needs of each class, We are working on putting some better systems in place so that we aren't at the school way before class and staying way after. We've been putting in a lot of extra hours at the school, and we are trying to find a way to cut back and give us a little more time each day.
At home, we just relaxed until Sergio brought home tamales! Remember when I wrote in my first week about how if you get a baby Jesus in the 3 kings bread, then you have to buy tamales on the 2nd of February? Well, Sergio decided to make them homemade for us! Tamales have always been my favorite Mexican food, so it was really awesome to try authentic ones. Lulu is still really sick, so we didn't have a big party, just a dinner with my group and Sergio. The cheese and pepper tamales were delicious, and the sweet tamales were really good too! I had never had sweet tamales before, so it was really different. We had lots of laughs. I got a baby Jesus in my tamale, which means that I owe everyone tamales next week. I made Sergio laugh until he cried by wrapping my baby in corn husk and making him a little bed. Sergio then told me that the origin of tamales are baby Jesus' swaddling clothes. I think that is so cool! We also learned that Sergios favorite movie of all time is 'Ben-Hur'. Also, apparently Titanic is coming back to theaters for the 25th anniversary, so Sergio is going to take us to see it. I am SO excited for that.
After dinner, I spent time by myself and I watched the sunset on the roof. It felt good to just watch connect to myself and breath. Then before bed, Cailey, Kayla, Josh and I got into a really deep conversation. I was planning on doing yoga, but we talked until bedtime.
I also got my new teaching assignment! I will be teaching games starting next week! For the past month, I have been doing drama, and I am excited for the change. I loved drama while I had it, but I was starting to get bit frustrated with it. I think because I am an actual drama teacher, and drama with ILP is so different than I am used to that I just want to do my method and not the ILP one. Hopefully teaching will just improve and become more fun with the change.
Friday, February 3rd
Friday welcomed me with biting cold wind. I finally got back into my morning routine, and I left for school later than normal, and it made my day SO much better. I had so much energy for teaching. We do 'Fun Fridays', so we started our opening routine with a dance party. I covered preschool since Allie was sick, and it was AMAZING. Definitely my favorite day. We played and made crafts and just had a complete blast. It was also a huge win because two of my girls. who have bad separation anxiety, and it was the first time they didn't cry when they came into class! Afternoon classes also went amazingly. It was my favorite teaching day so far. The 6th graders kept styling their hair weirdly and then saying "look teacher, I'm and aesthetic". I don't know why, but it made me laugh SO HARD. We also finally implemented a ticket system, and it has really improved the kid's attention and class behavior.
After school, we hung out at the house, and then we met the Spanish teachers for dinner. We met up around 5, and we were out until 10. The food was really good, and the dessert was incredible. I got a crepe with strawberries, nutella and chocolate ice cream. They fried the crepe, so it was crispy and delectable. Also, why have I never had a crepe with ice cream? It was AMAZING. I will never be able to eat a crepe without ice cream again. Erika spent the whole time teaching us Spanish curse words. It was pretty funny. The Spanish teachers are so fun, and we had a lot of great laughs. Josh also gave us a performance of the Wednesday dance, and the teachers loved it. The cafe was really cold, so we were able to get blankets from our waiter...I think this should be policy at every restaurant. We also learned that Kayla has an etiquette back at home, and in Cailey's words, it was "Unexpected, but not surprising". It was pretty funny when she let it slip. We of course made her give us a mini lesson, and it was really fun.
Saturday, February 4th,
On Saturday, the celebrations began! February 4th and 5th are HUGE festival days for San Jose. From what I understand, a long time ago, invaders came and tried to steal the statue of Christ from the cathedral, but they were unable. They have a huge celebration. every year to celebrate Christ's statue staying and prevailing over the invaders. We began the day by going to the park where they had a ton of military cars and soldiers were doing presentations, We got to dress up in military gear, look inside military cars and play with some drug sniffing puppies. We also found some really fun workout equipment at the park, and hung out there for while, then Josh, Allie and I went and got a Pina Colada drink in the square, walked around for awhile, then went home for a bit. I worked on my audition material and I am almost satisfied with it, so hopefully I will be able to make my tape in the next few days.
Later that night, we went out to the city center and there were tons of performers. We saw some really cool dance numbers, a mariachi band, and the Drago Circus. I am 99% sure that my calling in life is to join the circus. It looks so fun. I think I will join circus school when I get home. The circus was Avatar themed, and it was awesome. Circus performers are seriously so cool. My favorite highlight of the night was when the woman in front of us, who hadn't said a word to us the whole 2 hours, turns around and says in perfect English "How is this not copyrighted?". It was so unexpected and so perfectly timed. It was a super fun night, and all the performers were amazing. The people here really know how to Fiesta!
Sunday, February 5th
Sunday marked our 1 month anniversary since arriving in Mexico! It feels as though I have been here for years, but also it feels like time has flown by so quickly. I have a feeling that when I get home, it will all feel like a very long fever dream. I have learned a lot since coming, and it has been one of the most comfort zone stretching experiences of my life. I am super grateful for it, and while somedays I miss home, I also love the richness of this culture, and I know I am going to cherish the experiences and growth that this trip is gifting me. It is so interesting how the hardest things often bring the most fulfillment and joy.
The whole town was in a mood of celebration, and that seemed very appropriate. We got up and met Marionna at her house and walked down to the rodeo. We ran into a lot of our students there, and we had a really fun time. I personally don't really love any part of the rodeo except at the beginning when they race the horses and take them about the field to warm them up. The bull riding, calf tying and such have always bothered me a bit, so I did focus on the kids and my group more than the show. I did really enjoy seeing the horses and the traditional outfits though, and I thought it was really cool that they had a live mariachi band playing the whole time! It was also really fun to get to hangout with Marionna outside of classes...she is a blast! I loved being able to play with the students and joke with them. Little Juan Pablo (One of my pre schoolers), got really excited and withing the span of 3 seconds had somehow gotten his cowboy boot off his foot and into the arena. Luckily, someone was able to retrieve it, but there were a couple minutes there when we were at a complete loss as to what to do. Allie, Josh and I took off to the market about halfway through the rodeo, and I was able to get almost all my gifts for people back home. I am still looking diligently for a Nativity for my mom...I haven't come across one yet. We also went into the square and watched the dancers. It was amazing! The drums beat right into your bones, and the movement was mesmerizing. It was a really cool experience.
After a couple of hours, Josh, Allie and I decided to go home and make some dinner. We then decided to stay in for the rest of the evening. There was a concert at 8 that the others went to, but there were other things we wanted to get done, and we were a little partied out. Everyone else got home around 10, and then fireworks from the cathedral started to go off! We all rushed to the roof and closed out the day with fireworks flying high above us. It was a really great way to end our celebratory day!
I seriously love it here. I love the people, the rich culture, the food, my roommates, teaching and what I am discovering about myself. Coming to Mexico has really given me time to just be with myself and get to know Ivie. It's been really amazing. It has also challenged me and dared me to grow in so many ways. I am so grateful to have come on this trip. I am grateful for the hard days and the good days. I am grateful that I have this space to blossom and grow and fall in love with who I am. It truly has already been a life changing experience, and I plan to savor my remaining 83 days in this country, and I am excited to come back to America with new eyes and new knowledge.
Love,
Your Little Bird,
Ivie Noelle <3
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