I feel like no time has passed, but there is so much to write about! Monday was ‘Exam day’ and I gave 72 exams and immediately started correcting. All of my high school students managed to show up except one, who consequently, is one of my favorites (yes, teachers have favorites, its inevitable, there are just too many bratty kids NOT to have favorites). He showed up about an hour after the exam was over and had tears in his eyes and here I thought some family crisis had occurred and he walked up to me and said in Spanish ‘fui a hacer deporte’ (I went to exercise) and then dropped his head. Well, I didn’t know what to do then because he tries so hard in class and English is not his strong subject (not even close) and here is a 17 year old well-liked, class clown sitting in “my” office almost in tears. I said something to the effect of ‘oh geeze Sergio, what were you thinking?!?’ and we went upstairs to see the principal. She decided to let him sit for the exam because he had told the truth rather than lie about why he missed the original test. Also, he had to pay me for the extra hour it took to administer the test. Now, one reason that Sergio struggles so much is because he works a full time job after school everyday for his uncle, who in exchange, pays his tuition to the school. He goes to bed late and rarely has energy to really concentrate on his school work. When he went to pay me I told him I didn’t want his money, but I did want him to realize that punctuality and a sense of responsibility for ones obligations will help him go far in life and that you can’t just pay your way out of your mistakes (I think he was about to remind me that we are in Mexico and afterall, you CAN pay your way out of many mistakes, but he tactfully nodded and made it look like he was listening attentively). Anywho, he didn’t pass the exam, but he did well enough throughout the rest of the semester to scrape by with a D (which is a 6 here and is the lowest passing grade).
Tuesday’s classes consisted of me pretending to give the students something to do while really allowing to talk to their friends and play games while I corrected exams. It was a swell day. It was also Pako’s first day of work! He left at 6:40 and I didn’t see him again until 7pm. It was crazy, he didn’t even have time to come home for lunch. He was however promoted within the first twenty minutes on the job and got himself a raise of about 30%, which I think is probably a record. Maybe I will call the Guinness people (the ones with the world records, not the beer people.. that would be beer infidelity!). His new title is ‘distributor’ and he’s been learning to drive the big trucks, which he loves (he loves driving all things and pretends he’s in a video game and eluding the police or the bad guys).
This week he left at 6:40 every morning and got home between 5 and 7:30, depending on the day and the beer that needed to be doled out that day. It was a crazy week because all of the hotels are preparing for the next two weeks, when tourists will be flooding Zihua and drinking beer like it’s their job. This is good because Pako also gets commission as a distributor, so… drink up me hearties! He’s tired when he comes home and hungry as heck, but I think he likes the people he’s working with and I know he likes the variety that comes with the job. Next week he doesn’t have to go in until 11, but won’t be home until 8 or 9. Supposedly he’ll have the 2 hours from 2-4 for lunch that he will get normally, during non-holiday weeks, but we shall see how that goes. I miss him a lot during the days, but once I start working again it will be better. At the very least I will have a lot of time to rest on this vacation! If I miss Pako, then Tequila is completely distraught that Pako is gone all day! 
He sits on a table by the window (very reminiscent of Skye -circa 2000-2003) and watches for Pako's car.Wednesday morning found me back at immigration, crossing all appendages (to no avail) that this would be my last trip. Well, not so much. I needed to update some of the forms that I had turned in earlier and kept copies of because they were not recent enough. So back to Montessori and the copy machine I went. I went again Friday morning and was told that I have everything I need, but the school has never “contracted” another foreigner (legally) and thus there is no file on them at immigration. So, when school starts again, no doubt I will have to go back at least 2 or 3 more times. Luckily there was a new girl helping me and she was much nicer. She felt so bad sending me away and even took my phone number to call in case she was able to swing anything with her boss. She seems really nice and assured me that now I was only a couple of papers away from being visa-fied. She also told me not to worry because I still have until February before they haul me out of the country in plastic handcuffs. That was comforting. My immigration issues have gone on vacation until January 8th. Look for an update then.
Thursday night was the Pastorela, which is a play put on by the primary school kids for the parents, all about religiousy-stuff, like some devils tempting the Mexican people. I didn’t stay for the whole thing (to be fair, I was the only English teacher who showed up at all) and it was really hard to hear because the incredibly valuable staff member that is Ricardo, the source of most of my complaints about Montessori, was in charge of the microphones. He of course blamed his ineptitude on the kids, saying they didn’t wear their microphones correctly, but enough about that, I can feel myself getting sicker just thinking about it. The kids sang ‘Rocking Around the Christmas Tree’ by Brenda Lee and it was pretty cute. They petered off a bit during the verses, but the chorus was loud and clear and a really cute 3rd grader danced around dressed up like a Christmas tree. I clearly stayed for that part and smiled and encouraged and sang along.
Also, I was there for the interminable hour before the show actually started trying to keep the little monsters from killing each other. **Side note, I have never seen so many ladies over the age of 50 with so much make-up caked on and such high heels… I forgot that Latina women of all ages enjoy any opportunity to get glammed up and this was no exception to that rule. Being friends with my own personal Latina lady (though she is not over the age of 50), Blanca, should remind me of that fact, but I guess I forgot :)Friday and Saturday were lazy-ish days in which I made a final frustrating trip to immigration, was turned away again, read a lot of my book (The Orchid Thief) and watched ‘Julia and Julie.’ I also made stockings for everyone here, including our friend Jim.
I have no idea what I’ll put in the stockings, but somehow I will find a way to hang them up as we leave for Lazaro so that we ‘find’ them upon our return on Christmas day. Tequila’s will have a dog bone, easy. Pako’s will have candy, mine will have candy or a new headband, depending on what I see when I go shopping. Petra’s may have some image of a saint or a candle with the Virgin of Guadalupe on it, but what the heck am I going to put in Jim’s??? I’ll figure it out. Currently their hiding in one of my drawers, hopefully Pako doesn't take a sudden interest in my long sleeve shirt drawer.OH and Friday was also the staff Christmas party for Montessori. It was held at a restaurant called El Infierno y la Gloria (Hell and Heaven) that is owned by one of the owners of the school. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go because it meant driving to Ixtapa by myself for the first time and because none of the other English teachers were going to be there. That might sound wimpy, but when nobody but the principal and the English department thinks English is a worthwhile subject, it’s kind of intimidating being the new girl! I went and didn’t get lost at all (to be fair it is literally a straight shot from my apartment, the only turn being into the parking lot) AND found a parking spot directly in front of the restaurant. I sat with Maestra Rocio (aka Chio - Chee-oh) who is one of the owners of the school and was the coordinator of physical education when Pako was a student. She was the one who I talked to on the phone last march when I was planning to come for interviews in April and the one who sat in on the interview with Jeanne and I. She also loves Pako and is all in favor of firing one of the PhyEd teachers to give him the job (not that he would want it right now – it would be a pay cut at this point!). She is also ridiculously funny and devilish (desmadrosa – is there a better translation for that word???). She ordered me a beer before I sat down and tried to order me a tequila until I told her I had driven. At that point she loudly and firmly denounced Pako for not giving me the money for a taxi so I could have gotten drunk with the rest of the teachers (really only her and the principal, haha)! She made sure I was talking to someone the whole time and took care of me like a mentor teacher might in the states! She’s great! The food was delicious, but decidedly NOT Mexican: corn bisque with French bread, fillet mignon with baked potato and rice. I ate too much, duh. Then came the unexpected, but totally appreciated part: doling out of the presents that the students give to the principal. Some people got super cute bags (one especially cute purple leather purse had me drooling unbecomingly at one point) or blouses. I got a coffeemaker. Oh well. I’m planning to regift it at the next chance I get. Still, it was fun to get a gift. We did some dancing and then I said my goodbyes because I didn’t to be driving after dark as I’m not at all used to the roads (or the horrendous drivers) here yet.
Today we are going to visit a cousin whose girlfriend just came into town (the poor girl who’s slotted to sing at Christmas and doesn’t know it yet), then to a baptism for the daughter of one of Pako’s coworkers and then to Las Urracas for who knows what. I’ll be tuckered out by the end of the day, no doubt, but it’s comforting to know that the alarm won’t go off at 6am tomorrow! If I don’t talk to you before then (likely), have yourselves a happy, happy holiday break! Happy Christakwanzikah or Festivus or whatever it is you’re celebrating and if you find yourself in the Midwest, STAY WARM! Send me Christmas cookies! Our Christmas dinner with the gringos at Las Urracas is the 23rd, to Lazaro for the family get together on the 24th (after Pako and Tito get off work) and then back home sometime on the 25th. I’m sure there will be a lot of amusing tales to tell in next week’s blog, so stay tuned! I’m off to make banana chocolate chip pancakes and brownies (yes brownies, I’m trying out the toaster oven because it’s overcast and only about 73 degrees – feels downright chilly) for my man!
Muchos holiday besos and abrazos for you all!
Leyah
Ps.
Is anyone else's bed this colorful?Pps. Look at this delicious breakfast: peaches, strawberries, bananas and whipped cream!
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