Long Agonizing Death :)

Monday, April 17th, 2023 

Monday was a typical school day. Morning routine, get ready for school, go to school, kids not wanting to learn. We've had a lot of stress lately with the end of year program. It keeps changing, and the kids just haven't been taking to anything we've tried teaching them for it. We've all definitely been on a nervous system overload and have had lots of stress over it all. We were all also really tired from getting home from Mexico City so late the night before. I wasn't feeling great during school, but I just ignored it and pushed through. At home, We all just did our own thing. Alli and I watched some Stranger Things, we discussed our plan to make the program work, etc. Just a pretty typical, chill day/

Tuesday, April 18th, 2023 

I woke up on Tuesday feeling ok, but as soon as I started moving, a wave of nausea, dizziness and sharp stomach pains all hit me at once. I quickly realized that school was not an option for the day. Alli, Allie and Kayla both also woke up feeling sick, so we had to cancel classes. We all just rested. It was a rough day. I did manage to be a bit productive though, and I was able to set up jobs for the summer! 

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 

On Wednesday, I was still feeling terrible. Fever, chills, the whole nine yards. Allie and Kayla were feeling better, but Alli and I were still in the depths of whatever weird illness we had. I did manage to write a little in between waves of nausea. and I managed to eat a little something.

(A moment of beauty)

Thursday, April 20th, 2023

I was feeling a little better on Thursday. but still was nervous about going to school. I was afraid that a wave would hit me and I would have to run to the bathroom in the middle of class, so I stayed home. I did manage to eat a little, and get some stuff done. I was able to move my stuff into the girls room. Lulu's family was coming into town for her birthday, so Allie and I temporarily moved into the other girls room. Alli and I watched a little more Stranger Things, bit we were very surprised when the group came back before school was finished. Both Allie and Kayla got sick again during school, and Josh was having issues with his contacts, so second half of school was cancelled. This all just added to our stress for the end of year program. We were all already nervous about trying to make the program live up to the school standards, but with everyone getting sick, our anxiety about the program just continued to soar. To alleviate some of the stress, I spent some time updating my poetry journal, then I sketched for a bit before settling in on the floor with my big bear and going to bed. 

Friday, April 21st, 2023

I still was feeling sick on Friday, but good enough to go to school. It turned out being a great day. Daniel Mateo told me that I am his favorite teacher. Daniel Mateo is my favorite student. If there was any kid who I could take home with me, it would be Daniel Mateo. If you've ever read the Heroes of Olympus series, just imagine a young Leo. Daniel Mateo just has this little mischievous grin that makes me allow him to get away with anything. It seriously made my entire day/trip. I worked on dances with my kids all day. None of them really wanted to dance, so I bribed them with candy. Once I did that, they were great. It was Lulu's birthday, so there was a huge party with the whole school. We sang happy birthday, then passed cake out to every person at the school. 

(We stopped on the wat to school and got Lulu flowers)

(Everyone loves Lulu!)

That night, Lulu's and Sergios family was over for dinner, and it naturally turned into a dance party and karaoke fest. They had me sing several times. I sang "She Used to be Mine", "Hopelessly Devoted", "The Phantom of the Opera" (I sang Phantom, Josh was Christine), Then Josh and I were asked to do an encore performance, so we did "Gaston"...And I was obviously Gaston. It was tons of fun. We somehow convinced Patti to sing! She did a break up song and sang it directly to Edgar, her husband, to razz him.  We laughed and laughed, and Ann was there! Ann is Sergios grand daughter and one of our favorite people. She sang, and her voice is beautiful! We convinced Anns parents to let her sleep over, and we had the best time. We  pulled our mattresses downstairs into the living room, then did face masks and watched "Pitch Perfect". I had never seen it before, but it was hysterical! I am definitely going to miss Ann! 

(Grecia helped us with our party makeup)

(OTP)

Saturday, April 22nd, 2023

The morning and afternoon on Saturday were both pretty relaxed. It was in the evening that things got exciting! Us girls all got dressed up and ready for Lulu's party. We left about an hour late, but Lulu hadn't left yet, so we figured it was fine. I wasn't feeling great, but I felt ok enough to go to the party for a bit. The party was so cute. It was held at one of the local hotels, and they did not spare any expense. Live performers, catering, decorations. It was awesome. Us English teachers sat with Ann, and Patti's family. Grecia sat with me and we drew lots. She drew the cutest picture of us. We all tried each of the drinks. We all liked the pink guava one most. There was lots of dancing, lots of laughing, and just an overall good time. Alli, Kayla and I went outside and hid in some ivy and got Allie. Josh and Ann to come find us. I'm pretty sure I got bitten by some mysterious bugs while hiding in the ivy, but it was worth it. We helped clean up after the party, and it was actually so fun. Nothing is better for stress relief than a room full of balloons and being handed a needle. After popping dozens of balloons, I had a dance party with Grecia, and then we went home.

(How cute is this!?)

(Naturally our table spilled...twice)

(Hiding in the ivy)

(Ramses and Grecia)

Sunday, April 24th, 2023

We slept in on Sunday. I was feeling a little worse for wear, but I ,went to the Sunday market for a bit. It was sad to think that this would be the last Sunday market that we would get to go to. I bought some little gold hoops for my second piercings, and just soaked in the sights, sounds and smells as much as possible. When I got home, I was BEAT. I knew something was up when I fell asleep. I can only take naps if I am REALLY sick, so I was a bit concerned. I stayed in the rest of the day and just rested. I was feeling a little better that evening, and managed to move my stuff back into my room and pack a bit! I am determined to fit everything into one suitcase, and I think I will be able to! I got everything except my clothes and essentials packed! 6 more days!!! That night, all of us hungout in Alli and Kayla's room, and I started a new prompt on out family white board. I wrote which Taylor Swift song each of my roommates would be and why. I actually feel like I was spot on with all of them. 

Alli  - You're On You're Own, Kid

Allie  - I Forgot That You Existed

Ivie  - Mean/Vigilante Shit/Mad Woman

Josh - Blank Space/Wildest Dreams

Kayla - Picture to Burn/Look What You Made Me Do

Mica - Mr Perfectly Fine 

Well! That was pretty much it. Nothing too crazy...just lots of being sick. That is one of the things I am looking forward to most about being home; Not being sick all the time. 

See you in less than a week!

Love, 

Ivie Noelle <3

Ciudad de Mexico!

 Monday, April 10th, 2023 

Monday was lovely. I slept in, got ready really fast, and headed to school. We only taught 2 hours each day all last week because the kids didn't have any of their regular Spanish classes. We only had about 15 kids total show up, so we split them up and had a blast. I made paper hand bunnies with my kids. They LOVED it, and we had an absolute blast. It's amazing how much easier teaching is with a quarter of the class size. 

(Slay)

After classes, I danced at home for a bit, then Sergio picked us up and brought us to Queretaro! It is crazy to think that was probably the last time we will go to Queretaro together. I got my bobba, then we all watched the new Super Mario Bros movie. It was AMAZING. we watched it in Spanish, and I was laughing the whole time. It was so nostalgic. I seriously recommend it to ANYONE who has ever played a Mario game. I laughed and laughed, and I am pretty sure that my adrenaline actually spiked when bullet bill came out. It was super well done. Lulu was out of town, visiting her mom, so Sergio was joking on our whole trip that he was free for the week! After our movie, we went to Sam's club, but we were in and out super fast! Sergio then got us pizza, and it was the best pizza we have had in Mexico so far! 

All my late nights from the week before caught up to me, and I was pretty dead in the car. My roommates kindly gave me head scratches and we listened to 70's music and the rain as we drove home. 

Tuesday, April 11th, 2023 

On Tuesday, My kids and I made rainbows in class! They absolutely loved this activity. After school, I had some calls about possible jobs. After that, I did voice, then I worked on my blog. That night, It started to rain hard, so Kayla and I had a dance party while the others watched a movie with Sergio. Once I realized they could hear us in the house as we were dancing outside, I started to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" as loud as possible. I got several hate texts from those watching the movies for that stint. We were out dancing for over 2 hours, and we were soaked through! When we came inside, I made tea and I listened to some old 50s and 60s jazz. It was the perfect way to end the day.

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

Wednesday was a pretty normal day! School was great! Allie and I did some tag teaching, and we painted with the kids. Wednesday was the perfect mix of sunny and cloudy weather, and doing my yoga and dance outside was just lovely. I did a really great vocal workout, and challenged my voice. It felt so good, and it's been amazing to hear the changes happening in my voice and discover new things about my voice as I have been working harder on it. I have been working on some new and harder styles and songs, and that has challenged me and made me go back to my foundations. That night, I made a yummy dinner, then we all talked and I finally showed my roommates Austenland. They LOVED it! The bittersweetness of leaving so soon really hit me that night. I will definitely miss my roommates and the fun times we have together, but I also truly believe that we are going to be lifelong buddies, and we are going to meet up for many more adventures. 

(This is why I don't accept help in the kitchen...She set the rag on FIRE!!!)

 Thursday. April 13th, 2023

On Thursday, we had school, then we got picked up by Sergio's son, Sergio Jr. To go and tour a crop and seed production plant. It is owned by a man from Holland, and it processes many of the seeds that end up being planted IN Holland! Sergio Jr. teaches English to the workers there, so this was an opportunity for his students to practice giving tours in English. All of his students were really nervous, but they all did amazing! It made me miss having a big garden back at home. It was also really educational. If I had to choose which job I would want at the plant, I would probably want to be over the pollination. The job sounded really fun and honestly beautiful. Pollination has always fascinated me, so when she was describing her job, I was super interested! It was just overall really fascinating and informative. I had never really thought about how the seeds are extracted on a large scale, or thought about how many moving parts it takes just to run a business like that. We had an awesome lunch with the tour group, and it was fun to get to know them better! We were each gifted HUGE bags of produce, along with several heads of broccoli. To say I was a happy girl would be a complete understatement. I was VERY excited about the veggies. We were supposed to go to a party that night, but it was cancelled, so we had two big sheet pans of cake and nowhere to go. We all just did our own thing, then we hungout together for a bit before bed.

(Our veggie haul)

(Lucky day!)

(best flan we have had!!!)

(impromptu wedding shoot with our broccoli bouquets)

Friday, April 14th, 2023

I needed to use up the cake from the night before, so I brought a pan of it to class with me. For our lesson, the kids helped me to make frosting and frost and cut the cake. They loved the lesson, and I had fun coming up with a peanut butter frosting recipe! (It was a banana chocolate cake). After school, the girls and I walked around town, and we found the smaller cathedral open! I had given up hope of ever going to that one, because it has been closed whenever we go by it. We got to see the inside and visit the gardens outside of it. I am so happy that I got to see it before I leave SJI. I also found a little street vendor lady who was selling handmade wool lambs. I found the cutest one, and named him Diago. I love him so much. Later, as I was working out on the roof, I noticed the hill by our house was smoking! There was a full blown wildfire. Each time the wind shifted; the flames spiked. Wild! It was just weird, because it was so close, but we didn't hear any sort of sirens. Yeah, it just felt weird to not hear any of that as it was being put out, or not see air support or anything as it got closer and closer. Luckily, it was put out, and we were all safe! That night, I watched my friends Senior performance over an on line zoom, and she killed it. The whole concert was so well done, and I had a blast! Sergio got us all Los Primos, and we packed for Mexico City, then went to bed!

(I love the simplicity and spirit in this one)

(Where I adopted my son)

(Yikes)

(I wanna be Liv when I grow up. Go listen to her EP, "See Me" rn.)

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

We were up bright and early at 5 am! We got ready for the road, picked our seats in the van, and were off! I LOVE road trips, so this was a complete blast. The sun was beautiful as it rose, and I listened to lots of music, read a ton, and watched my show. We had great snacks, and several spontaneous car dance parties. I am the only one in our group that hasn't gotten motion sick at all during our Mexico trip, and I am so grateful for that! It's a real pain for the others to deal with. After many, many, many hours on the road, we made it to Teotihuacan. It was AMAZING. There is just something so surreal about walking in such ancient places. You can just FEEL the history, the untold stories, the daily dramas that played out thousands of years before. We had an awesome time. I charged my crystal on one of the pyramids. The legend goes that if you touch the pyramid, all the prayers and hopes of the people who once walked up the steps to pray to the gods transfers to you. If you charge a crystal on it, you carry the energy of those prayers, and you have access to the power of the gods with you always. Isn't that lovely? That was probably my favorite moment of the trip. One of the teachers then used her crystal to predict the gender of our children/how many we would have. All of the others had like 4-5 kids predicted, a mix of boys and girls. On my turn, It started to spin WILDLY. My roommate called out "how fitting, a VERY strong girl". We all laughed at that, and then when she lifted the gem to see if there was another, it was completely still. I am totally fine with that. I'll gladly have a headstrong girlie. It was fun. I felt like I finally REALLY connected to the Spanish teachers on this trip. We wandered around, bought some fun trinkets, I always get the urge to sing old songs when I go to ruins. It's weird, but I always do. I forced myself to just sing under my breath, and I eventually bought a little bird flute/whistle thing, so I played that instead. Everyone was selling these whistle things that mimicked animal sounds. There were several jump scares when someone came behind me, blowing the jaguar scream whistle directly in my ear to try to get me to buy it. We walked around, and as we were walking, I got my contract for the summer role I booked! I will be able to announce it REALLY soon! I am super excited. 

(Look, mom! I found a pyramid!)

(Look how pretty!)

(Fav pic)

(I FOUND CHOCOLATE)

After Teotihuacan, we went to our hotel, then went out on the town! It was a truly remarkable experience. First, we stopped at the home of Frida Kahlo. I bought a new rehearsal bag with her face on it, and a lovely quote that translates to something along the lines of; "Why would I need feet when I have wings to fly?"  After that, we went to the town square. Fortune tellers, musicians, dancers, vendors, artists. It was amazing. The sights, sounds and people were all so vibrant. We went into one of the big cathedral's that happened to be in the same square as we were in, and it was stunning. The most gaudy and artistic one we have seen so far. The art work was, in a word, breathtaking. I may have cried a little as I was gazing at it. I didn't want to leave, but the others wanted ice cream, so we headed off. Allie accidently got a whole pint (translation problems), so she and I shared, and we ended up just eating ice cream for our dinner. We went into a restaurant so the others could order, then we had to go. I really wanted to get my fortune told, but we didn't have time. There was just this beautiful fortune teller, who, as I was walking by, gazed into my soul. It was like a scene from a movie. She was in all black, sitting on a bench, with her cards in front of her, a velvet hat tipped slightly  covering one eye, and the other eye daring me to let her read my cards. What a cool experience that would've been! She just seemed so otherworldly. Someone you would find in a fairytale, and her gaze was fixed straight on me the whole time! 

Back at the hotel, we went up to the Spanish teacher's room and hungout for a bit. It was a party. They are seriously so much fun! I regret not trying harder to break the ice sooner. Back in our hotel room, we all took some time to decompress by ourselves. Our neighbors were really loud, and we were right next to the area with the Mother Mary alter, and so everything echoed. Quite the experience. I discovered a new version of Little Women that is being work shopped right now, and I fell in love, and then I finally fell asleep. 

Sunday, April 16th, 2023

We woke up nice and early on Sunday, and we went off to the flower market! It was a thing of dreams. The smell alone was just incredible, and the flowers were stunning. I had a great time looking at all the arrangements and just immersing myself in the beauty. A few of the girls in my group fell back a little, and they started to get circled by several men. Luckily, someone else from the group noticed, and called out to them, and once the guys realized that they were part of a large group, they disappeared into the shadows. After the flower market, we went on a gondola ride on the river in Mexico City. It was lovely. The weather was perfect, there were mariachi bands playing in intervals and we floated by, and we got to see so much! We saw the greenhouses where the flowers were grown, TONS of trees, ducks, some beautiful buildings, and all the bathroom stops were at supposedly haunted bathrooms, so naturally, dozens of broken baby dolls were hung up outside of them to appease the spirits. It is safe to say that I stayed on the gondola when we made a bathroom stop. After the gondola, we went to an amazing museum. I am a museum junkie, and I could have easily spent my entire day there, but we only had two hours. It was so cool to learn more about the History of Mexico. My favorite part of a museum is always the day-to-day objects. It gives such humanity to history, and it makes it really personal for me. Seeing their embroidery tools made me really realize that these were women, like me, who would sit and embroider, or play an instrument, or make beautiful meals. Humans who weren't just facts on a page, but who were creating, growing, living. It's just amazing. Gosh, history is so cool. I think in an alternate reality, I am a historian. I am a complete nerd about it. Fun fact: one of my lifelong dreams is to join an excavation project. I have zero qualifications or training, but I want to find a way into one SO badly, and I always have! 

After the museum, we headed off for one of the funniest experiences of my life. A luchador fight. I do not know what I was expecting, but what I got was for more entertaining. I am sure I was a complete menace to the rest of the group. As someone trained in stage fighting, I was mostly taking notes on what not to do, although, I did get some fun ideas for next time I have a fight scene to choreograph. I was about to ramble on about the pros and cons of what I saw. The mental notes I made, the moves I will steal, the things I will never do, but I will spare you all the lesson. Like I said, I am a complete menace. After the fight, we piled in the car and headed home! What a crazy 48 hours! Throughout all the driving on our trip, Alli and I managed to watch the entirety of Stranger Things season 3, so we are set right on track to finish before we leave. it was really late when we got home, so we all just dumped our bags and got to bed.

Can you believe that there will only be 2 more blog posts? CRAZY!!!

Love,

Your little historian,

Ivie Noelle