Lately.

School started last Monday. Haven't had much time for posting because of it. My students are cute, but a lot of work. I knew that my class would be difficult when one of my students wouldn't stop singing opera within the first hour of class. My karma since I used a similar method to torment my mom as a kid. Another of my students, I have been warned, has an almost unhealthy obsession with animals. Apparently last year he put a baby bird in his backpack because he wanted to keep it. Unfortunately he was taking a lot of books home that day as well and it was smooshed. We went to the library and he found a book about animals. He showed me a picture of dolphins and then said to me, with a crazy look in his eyes, "Miss...I love the animals with all my heart." Cute, but also a bit scary. I'm teaching about ecosystems. We are going to make a terrarium and sing there was an old lady who swallowed a fly (food chains!). Any more ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The other day I was reading in my living room when I kept hearing an annoying scratching sound. I assumed it was my neighbors outside on the balcony beneath my window but the sound just wouldn't stop! Finally I looked out my window and there was a little bird...not a baby but not fully grown...trying to get in. It stood on the window ledge and kept flying up against the glass for about a half hour. I thought maybe it was kind of trapped because it was very very windy that night and quite cold. So I got a bowl and caught it and brought it inside. Then I sat it outside on the roof...but it kept flying up against my glass door. It just really wanted to get into my house. Finally I turned off the light and it kind of looked at me, I may have imagined it but it seemed annoyed...and flew away into the night. Weird.

Spit my game.

So I guest taught Abby's new students on Friday when she was off gettin' married (yay!). Was pretty interesting. Please keep in mind that these students speak little to no English and are between 1st and 3rd grade. One girl came up to me and said, "¿Qué significa thriller?" So I told her that Thriller is something that is scary. She is obviously a fan of MJ. Then a little boy came and asked, "¿Qué significa spit my game?" How do you answer that? And where did a 2nd grader hear that and remember it to ask the teacher? Eventually I just said....hmmm....I don't really know. He walked away shaking his head with disappointment and said, "Ay otra maestra que no sabe." (Another teacher who doesn't know). Kids are funny.

I love beans.

First day back to work. Cool new staff. Good to be back. Margaret came and got Nolita today. Strange without her, but quite nice. I love beans. So does the pastes restaurant by Parque Hidalgo. Not sure what Michigan has to do with it. But cool. Who doesn't love beans?Yeah.

Downhilling Tulancingo.....pinches locos!

Today I went to a downhill race with the boys in Tulancingo. They all did a really good job except Salvador who couldn't race because of an injured shoulder and Salomón who lost a toenail when he fell during his first time trial and didn't race anymore after. I saw some crazy falls...especially after it started raining. One guy completely nailed a tree and it was pretty funny (don't worry, he got right back up!). Another guy fell and nailed his ass on a rock. It looked pretty painful, but everyone just laughed because he started screaming,"Mis nalgas ayyy mis nalgas!" Which basically means "my buttcheeks, my buttcheeks!". Great day standing in the rain with great people. Now I am going to drink some hot chocolate abuelita, watch a película, and sleep. Tomorrow is my last day of summer vacation -and I got shit to do.

Cat.

This is Nolita. Nolita is not my cat. I am catsitting while Margaret is in the US. Nolita is obsessed with my bathroom. Specifically the shower, whether I am in it or not. Nolita watches from her guard post while I am in the shower. When I get out, she plays in the water on the floor then walks on me with wet paws. When the water on the floor dries she plays with my bathroom mat by ripping it into shreds. She likes to beat up my T.P. She tries to jump into the toilet bowl. Sometimes when I am on it.

I can't open the windows in my house. I was on the phone talking to my mom on skype. All of a sudden Nolita tried to jump out of the window in my living room. Luckily I got round to her and grabbed her by the hind leg and tail before she got out. I live on the third floor.

Last night I opened my bedroom window because it was a bit too hot and stuffy to bear. Not too mention some flies, but I don't mind them because they keep Nolita entertained. She likes to stalk them. I was reading and watching to make sure Nolita didn't jump out the window onto the porch and try to escape. But ooooops. I fell asleep. I woke up.....later. Not sure how long. No Nolita. I ran into the guest bedroom to the porch to see if she was there. She was pawing at the door. She knows when it's dinnertime.

Nolita will be going back to her home on Monday. I don't know if I'll miss her or not. We'll see when the time comes. I have an inkling that I will be ok without her :) Hopefully she won't be going back to her mama any more crazy than when she came.

There are a few cruel things I may or may not have done to Nolita during her stay here. I am not admitting to having done these terrible acts.... but at least fantasizing about doing them, probably. You decide if you think I am evil enough to do these things to a poor innocent creature like Nolita.

1. Putting a gym sock on her head and watching her struggle to get it off until she lay down defeated...or suffocated.

2. Beating her with a book after she bit me. I am reading World Without End. Not exactly light reading.

3. Throwing her in the shower after she knocked my facewash off of the shower shelf and broke it.

4. Kicking her when she bit my toe. And by kick I mean across the room......

Do you really think I would do that to a helpless animal? Of course I would.

Mexico DF

Went to Mexico yesterday with Salvador. It was a great trip. We left at about 10:30 am and when we got to the city we took the metro to Chapultepec park (Chapultepec comes from "el cerro del chapulín" or the cricket's hill.) It may be my favorite place in Mexico City, although I still have a lot to see. There is a castle there (which I can never seem to find the entrance to), many statues, a pond where you can rent paddleboats, a museum of contemporary arts, a museum of modern art, and many grassy areas to lounge around and read books. There are also lots of interesting things to buy and a lot of people selling shaved ice and homemade paletas (popsicles). But my favorite thing about Chapultepec Park, and quite possibly my favorite thing in Mexico City is El Museo de Antropología. It is huge! One could spend days and days there just looking at all the mayan and aztec artifacts. There are also a lot of colonial artifacts and the bones of a mammoth. The exhibit on homosapiens and neanderthals is really interesting as well. It makes you wonder what the Earth would be like if neanderthals had evolved just as humans. And why didn't they, if they supposedly had bigger brains and a stronger bone structure and like homosapiens were apex predators? Makes you wonder. Anyway, I also love the amazing fountain at the museum that is beautiful and keeps it cool outside of the exhibits so you can rest in the cool spray.



After we went to the Anthropology Museum we took the metro to a colonia called Polanco. It is a beautiful and high class neighborhood and we ate lunch and then walked around in a plaza where the stores were obviously not made for us meager teachers. Very expensive. Lots of designer names. It kind of felt like being in the States for a minute.



After we left Polanco the real adventure began. We took the 7 line to the 2 which weren't bad. Obviously we didn't have seats because it was about 6 o'clock but it could have been worse. And then suddenly...it was. As soon as we got off of the 2 at Hidalgo to go North on Indios Verdes, the insanity began. The station was so crowded it was just a mob of people pushing and shoving trying to get to the train. When we finally got to the front of the line I was afraid to get too close to the tracks as people were completely ignoring the yellow caution line. I waited for 2 trains (each time the door closing with a piece of someone's shirt or backpack sticking out of the doors as the train zoomed off. This of course after the people waiting on the anden were pushing them in far enough that the doors would close. ) when I was at the front and finally a train stopped, the doors opened and I didn't really have to do anything. I lifted my foot to get on the train and my feet didn't touch the ground again until we pulled into La Raza and I stepped onto the platform. All I could say was "¡Dios mío!" and kind of scream and just float along. I had one hand wrapped tightly around my purse (everyone knows the metro is where you get robbed) that had all my money, my camera, and Salva's wallet in it. The other hand was pushing people as I was trying not to get stuck in the doors again. These are not doors that pop open again when they close on something. I didn't want bruises all over my arms and head like the time I was going to the Smashing Pumpkins concert and didn't quite make it in on time. But this time I made it in. It was kind of like a stampede, but with a much lesser degree of panic. It was like being carried in a current. I was stuck. I was "standing" in the middle of the train completely surrounded by men. There was one other girl but she was lucky enough to be standing on the one seat in the corner. Thankfully, Salva had forced his way in as well so we weren't separated which would not have made the situation any easier. My main problem with the Metro is not actually how crowded it can get, but more the heat. Oh my goodness the heat. And it's a disgusting swine flu incubating heat that just makes you feel gross. Fuchi Fuchi metro. Not to mention the reason the trains were delayed was because it was raining so some people were wet and the air was thick and humid. And HOT. No ventilation. I tried to put my feet down on the floor of the train but could only stand on other peoples' feet. It kind of reminded me of the Mars Volta concert were I was smooshed really hard by people trying to get closer to the stage and my back cracked all the way up my spine...and the guy behind me had felt my spine cracking and was like "Ayyy ¿Estás bien? ". But that was an exciting, vertebrate aligning experience (until I was pressed up against the smoke machine which I'm sure had some carcinogen in it. I was coughing and blowing black boogers out of my nose for days). This experience was....not. This was yuck. Only 3 stops to La Raza which of course was basically empty and then one stop to Autobuses del Norte. I have never thought of Mexico City as having fresh, clean air. But as I climbed the steps leaving the subway my perspective of clean air was slightly skewed. Not exactly the crisp September air of Michigan, but it'll do. All in all, it was an adventure. And hey, you can't beat a trip around the city for 2 pesos (less than 20 cents).