Monday, February 6th
Monday was Mexico's constitution observance day, so we only had a two hour class, and only 9 kids showed up. Us teachers teamed up, so we had two teachers per class, and only 3 kids in each class. It was awesome. Easily the calmest and easiest day of teaching so far. Typically, our classes range from 8-14 kids, so three was a breeze. After class, I went home and got ready to film an audition...well, we got invited by Martinez to go to a birthday party, so he picked us up for that. He took us out to his parents ranch, and we had some AMAZING food. Rice, beans, guac, habanero salsa (I LOVED that), and Carne Asada for the others. There was also this AMAZING coconut jello. I don't even know exactly what was in it, but it was GOOD. After we ate, I did some tumbling and racing with Martinez's niece, and we all played volleyball (See mom, I AM sporty). We explored the ranch, and it was our first time feeling like we were in Mexico as we imagined it to be. Hilly skylines, yellow grasses, blue sky, Palm trees dotted here and there, and cacti littering the ground. The sunset was beautiful, and we just took it all in. When we eventually packed up to leave, we noticed a fire on the other side of the fence. We were afraid it would jump, so we ran back and forth from the hose and the fence, filling buckets, then dumping the water over the fence. We crammed back into the car, then headed home.
At home, I realized that I was too tired to film my audition, so I just worked on ,my material and then joined the others in a planning meeting. In our meeting, we decided to go to Peubla for our 4 day weekend this month. I am SUPER excited!
Tuesday, February 7th,
Tuesday was a hard teaching day. I spent 90% of my class time just trying to get the kids to listen. It didn't help that my class room was moved right before classes started, so I was super un prepared and disorganized. Preschool was fine. Actually, I LOVE preschool. If I could just teach preschool for four hours, I would. I was really drained by the time I was done teaching, and I needed to get out of the school. Kayla and I went on a nice long walk before heading home, and then at home, we were greeted with some yummy chinese food. After eating, I locked myself in my room, turned my show on, then made my Valentines box. Crafting is the best therapy. I made my box into a castle and used toilet paper rolls for towers. I drew a target, some banners, and Merida, and I added them to my box. I am super happy with how it turned out. It took me forever, but I was able to get my stressful day out through my crafting.
Wednesday, February 8th
We had Spanish class in the morning, and we had a lesson all about directions. Giving directions, receiving directions, etc. Wednesday was also a bit hard in the teaching department, bit we had fun. On our way home, we stopped at the Bodega, and on our way out, Allie decided to try to take the back way out, while the rest of us went the normal way. As we rounded the corner, we see Allie on top of the wall. The gate was closed, so she climbed the fence. It was a lot farther down on the other side, so it took a minute to get her down, but I was laughing my head off. It was so unexpected. At home, I decided to start a loaf of sourdough bread. I love making bread. I always feel so connected to women throughout history and throughout the world whenever I knead bread. My sourdough starter has been doing beautifully, and it makes me very happy.
Thursday, February 9th
We had another Spanish class in the morning, and it was really fun! We played a game that was kind of like hide and seek. Basically, we partnered up and one person would hide while the other counted. The person hiding then had to call out directions in Spanish and the "Seeker" had to keep their eyes closed and just follow the directions. After that, we all drew various songs from a hat. Next week, we are doing a Spanish karaoke night. Sergio told us that we would be going to Quaretaro after school that day! That information gave us all the energy we needed to get through another long school day. We had to postpone for so long because we were sick, then Lulu was sick. I taught my preschoolers ring around the rosy, and it made me wonder if Mexican nursery rhymes and such had dark meanings behind them like many of our European ones. I explained the origins of Ring around the Rosy and of Mistress Mary to Mariana, and I asked if it was the same in Mexico. She looked horrified and said "Definitely not." She said theirs are mostly just fun mad up, happy stories. I also told her about the original Grimms fairytales and such and told her about how dark they are. It really is weird when you think about it. Many of them don't even really teach a real lesson...they are just reflections of some of the worst parts of humanity...it's really interesting. Anyways, Teaching actually went really well. In Quaretaro, I got a boba, then we went up and got tickets to see 'Titanic' in 3D. If you get the chance, I HIGHLY recommend going and seeing it on the big screen. That movie was made to be seen in theaters. A couple of our group members had never seen the movie before, and I was pretty jealous that their first time seeing it was on the big screen. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and Sergio made us sing "My Heart will Go On" the whole way to the store. Shopping was pretty uneventful. We got peanut butter, and that is really as far as my concern goes. At home, I got the BEST surprise. My friend (basically sister) dropped her EP! I thought it dropped on Friday, so I was stoked. I am literally so proud. I got chills several times while listening to her music, and I also had to stop, pause the music, and just sit with the music for just a moment several times. Each time a song started I was like "oh wow. This is it. This is my new favorite." Then the next song would start, and my jaw would DROP. Any who, 'See Me' by Liv McCune is out everywhere. You should definitely stream it.
Friday, February 10th
Friday was an AWESOME teaching day! We started out the day by going o the candy store with Sergio, and it was awesome. It felt like the ultimate party land. So many colors, smells and fun new treats to look at. I bought some Valentine treats to give out, and I made mental notes of what I need to come back for to take home with me for my family to try. It was a magical way to begin the day. My lesson was all about dancing, and I brought in my pointe shoes to show the kids. They were amazed (My cool teacher status 100% went up during this lesson). I even had kids who aren't in the English program, gawking through the windows to look as I was demonstrating how they worked. It was just a really fun lesson, and we ended with a game of freeze dance. At home, I did lesson planning, voice, worked on my monologue, and then we went to Los Primos for dinner. Los Primos is our favorite spot. It is the first place Sergio and Lulu ever brought us. Wow. That night when they first brought us feels like it was YEARS ago. At home, I did yoga, read, and stargazed. It was lovely.
Saturday, February 11th
On Saturday, I woke with the intention to finally film my audition! I took extra care to pamper my voice in the morning with a very hot shower, a nice big cup of tea, and minimal talking before warming up. I listened to the soundtrack for the show I am auditioning for as I got ready, and I was just giddy to be doing SOMETHING for theater again. I would love to get home and jump right into rehearsals, but there are plenty of other shows that I can audition for when I get home if I don't get this one. I had to wait for my roommates to all get up and go into town before I started filming. While I was waiting for them to get ready for their outing, I made some pumpkin muffins and finally got my neglected sourdough out of the fridge. I had forgotten about it, but it still looked ok...it didn't look like it had been over proved, so I shaped it a bit then threw it in the oven. Both the muffins and the bread turned out GREAT. I got into my head a bit when I finally did start filming, but I then decided to learn from my previous takes rather than judge them. After that and some positive notes from my mom, I felt a lot better, and I was able to get an awesome final cut. my roommates got back right after I finished, and I called Marquessa and chatted with her for a while. I then went and made a yummy olive, tomato, radish, balsamic vinegar and lettuce topping for my bread, warmed up some leftover veggies, and called it dinner. It was delicious. I have missed cooking for myself, so it was nice to be able to make everything from scratch.
Sunday, February 12th
On Sunday, I spent my entire morning sipping tea and catching up on my journal. I made a yummy breakfast sandwich with my sourdough bread, then I got ready for the day while everyone else ran various errands. I had the whole house to myself, and it was wonderful. I cut my flowers and laid them out to dry, sat on the roof with Calypso (my uke) and played in the sunshine, I read, I did yoga, and I fed my sourdough starter and did dishes. By that time, people started to get home and we started to prep for the Super Bowl party. Sergio was rooting for the Eagles, so I decided to root for them too. I know next to nothing about football, so it doesn't really matter to me. Sergio brought us up into his closet, and he let us pick out jerseys. I chose a Steelers jersey because the Steelers are Sergio and Lulus team. Like, they have Steelers stuff everywhere. At the school, on the roof, in the house. And at least twice a week, they wear their matching Steeler's track suits. This is when the rabid theater girl inside of me began to emerge. I understood this. I got my costume on, and the natural next step was makeup, right? So, I got out the liquid eyeliner and began to use it to give everyone war paint. I added some sparkles to mine, cuz duh. I was starting to get it. This was fun. And then the food started rolling out, and I melted. THIS must be why people love the Super Bowl. It's not about football, it' the food. I felt like I was celebrating the fourth of July. it was magic. I tried cactus for the first time, and that was new. I was really confused as to why there was a whole game show type segment on Super Bowl adds. And we taught tik tok dances to Sergio, Lulu, Patti and Ramses. There were lot's of laughs, lots of food, and perfect outdoor weather. Once the game actually started, we all went into Sergio and Lulu's room to watch. Football takes forever, and I don't see much of a point to it, but it was fun to be with everyone and talk. I enjoyed the halftime show, and I was able to get a lot of my blog written during the game. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure 'my' team lost. Bummer. I am pretty sure I owe Allie dessert now, but she still owes me chocolate from when I won Jenga, so I won't pay up until she does. Sergio was bummed, but I told him that we are winners in our hearts, and that made him laugh. Since the game ended, I have really just gotten ready for bed and written this blog! What a wild week.
Love,
Your favorite flower thief
Ivie Noelle <3
P/S. The number 1111 has been showing up EVERYWHERE for me. Don't know what it means, but a month ago it was butterflies, and now it's this. Interesting.
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