These stops were much more fun....

Our other new experience

Another new experience was a two hour boat ride through El Cañon del Sumidero. While it was relaxing and soothing to be on the water, I didn't think the trip was worth it in terms of time and cost. If the canyon were on our way to or from our final destination, I would do it again just because it would make a good break from traveling in the bus, but as a destination, this one won't make the cut next semester. Students had mixed reactions, too, mainly because there was no adventure involved....they could not swim, climb, rappel or zip-line The only thing we did agree on was the fabuluos crocodile sightings both on land and in the water. If you look closedly at the third photo, you will see two. Yes, we were this close to the shoreline.

November?

October seems to have gotten away from me, and I am committed to doing better in November. Here, to start us off, are photos from our biannual trip to the state of Chiapas. I extended this trip by two days....seven instead of five. I think next semester I will go for only six. Seven was just too much.

We had two new adventures, both of which involved water. One was to a new archeological site called Yaxchilan that can only be reached by boat on the Río Usacinta. The site is located in the jungle and can only be entered through a labyrinth. We saw spider and howler monkies, toucans, parrots and other birds in the jungle and the odd crocodile here and there in the river.

First photo: We also talked our boat driver into making an unscheduled and illegal stop across the river in Guatemala. I don't think we were the first group of tourists to have ever done this as the welcome sign is in Spanish and English. We contributed to the local economy and continued on our way.

More photos and stories to come....

Made my day...

I received this email today from a woman who is head of the Modern Languages Department and a Spanish professor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. She studied in Mérida as a Rotary student when she was in high school and has maintained friendships and love of Yucatán ever since. She is a strong supporter of this program, and we have become friends:

I keep forgetting to tell you something important. My students are so content and confident (and more mature--woohoo!) after a semester in Mérida. I haven't seen Kim yet, but I have Lyndie, Jessica and Curtis in class this semester, who all love Mérida, the program and you. They're a hoot! Matt Rogalski is also in the class, as are Claire and Joe from last January--so we have the whole Mérida contingency going on. Quite fun for me, and a nice dynamic for the class. Thanks again for the great program you provide, not to mention all the extra attention you give to the students! K

¡Viva México!

Tonight, I and all of "my" people will be celebrating Mexico's independence from Spain in the main plaza of every village, town and city of México...and in some parts of the United States. The festivities start at 11:00 p.m. with a reading of the original declaration of independence by the mayor, governor, or, in the case of Mexico City, the president. There is pause between sections when everyone shouts, "¡Viva!" Finally at the end of the reading, everyone yells "¡Viva México!" three times and then the fireworks begin. There is food, music, more fireworks, embraces, dancing and slaps on the back until the wee hours of the morning. The celebration reflects the pride Mexicans have in their country...and their ability to throw a great party. All of my students will be on the main square of Mérida with their local friends. They are currently taking siestas in preparation for the all-night event. I will be there, too. After all, Mexico has been good to me. The least I can do is add my voice to the celebration.

Ten years ago

I was in Guadalajara, already at my desk, when I received a phone call from John in California screaming at me to tune in to CNN immediately. About 20 minutes later, Montse was at my door to take me to her house. I spent the rest of the day glued to the television with her, her family and our other chicas who stopped in. The streets of Guadalajara were deserted as everyone stayed home to watch television.

For the rest of the week, I was stopped by people on the street and in the shops in my neighborhood who shook my hand and told me how sorry they were about "las torres gemelas" as they call them in Spanish (the twin towers.) They wanted to know if I had lost any friends or family and were relieved when I said I hadn't. Their thoughtfulness and genuine sadness were touching.

To add to the sadness, just the day before I had received word of the death of an old friend from my days in Washington, DC, Nancy Nolf. Nancy and I were exactly the same age and met at a Weight Watchers meeting in downtown Washington. We loved telling the story of how we met: we were the only white women in the meeting, and the only two women who did not need two chairs to support ourselves. The meeting didn't end until about 8:00 pm by which time the streets of DC were deserted. We took the same metro from the Farragut West station to the same stop at the Pentagon and then the same bus to the same neighborhood in Alexandria. Of course, we had not exchanged a single word; we later admitted we were each thinking the same thing....why is this woman stalking me? When we both got off the bus at the same stop, we finally spoke to each other at the exact same moment. We were instant BFF. This would have been in 1978! We stayed in contact after I returned to California, and we got together several times over the years.

Unfortunately, Nancy's forever was cut short. She met the man of her dreams in 1999, married him in January, 2000 (I attended the wedding in Maryland), was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January, 2001 and died on September 10, 2001. Because of 9/11 and the cancellation of all international flights, I was unable to attend her funeral. Her husband later told me my last letter to her, which arrived on September 10, was read as a part of her service.

Sad days.

Meet the Señoritas of Fall 2011

We are already two weeks into the semester. The señoritas are settled into their living arrangements with 6 of 9 living with families in the neighborhood while 3 are living in the Central House. We have students in beginning, intermediate and advanced Spanish classes.

Four are taking a humanities class at one of our affiliated universities. While they are taking the same class, they are all in different sections. Their collective reaction? "I promise to always, always, always talk to the new student especially if he or she is from another country. I have never felt like such an outsider." By the end of the evening, however, the natural warmth of the Yucatecans kicked in, and they all returned home with nicknames, Facebook links and cell numbers.

All nine are involved in some kind of community based learning project, too. We used to call this volunteer work but no longer. Several are teaching English to adults while others are helping young children at a nearby orphanage with their homework in Spanish. Two of the young women are involved in a domestic violence education and advocacy program. One is working at an animal shelter. (I thought I was going to throw up when I took her to the site, but I made it through the tour. The student, on the other hand, is thrilled. I practically made her sign an oath that no strays will find their way to the Central House.) One student is working with pre-school children and another is giving piano lessons at an after-school arts program.

Half the group have already made friends and are going out regularly while the other half are much more reserved. In some groups, the partyers vs non-partyers sometimes devolves into a mess, but this group seems to have a "live and let live" attitude...for now at least. We will see what happens.