Monday, March 3, 2008
The Life and Times of My Retirement
The adventure has begun. I arrived in Guadalajara Mexico on March 1, 2008. I started Spanish school today 3/3. Next Monday I start classes at ITTO learning to teach English as a foreign language. That will end in April then.........stayed tuned we will find out together. :-)
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Wow Spanish school is intense. I had to come back for a siesta ......system overload.
I strolled around in the evening. People are out hustling home or lovers strolling in the parks. Some sit on the bench and smooch. I saw some street performers but darn I didnt have my camera.
Then I decided I was lost. The map must be with the camera. There is a good sized blister starting on my heel. Its getting dark......hmmmm I think I am not so smart. I stop at a newsstand to ask directions. The man doesnt know my street. Another man stops no he doesnt know either. I know its 2 blocks away I must be saying it wrong. Then I start asking about places I know....The Giant a grocery store. Hmmm oh si si Key-ant-a. Yep Thats it. Gracias and I go home....thankful to take my shoes off.
Thanks for sharing all with us. Hope you are soaking up all the learning stuff. Stay safe and keep in touch. Hugs, Sheila
Sounds real, Sis. When can I start typing to you in Espanol?
We here are all jealous. We got two more inches of snow last night.
Remember, la assento es importante.
Pretty cool beginning.
Loved your pictures.
Hope you don't pick up a lot of that "slang" Spanish your brother is using. And I wonder what he is doing up at 3AM in the morning .... shoveling snow?
Did you move to another hotel yet?
Love ya.
So proud of you! Whatever happened to the Girl Scout. Should always be prepared! I think we should relocate the family reunion to Mexico. Sounds awesome to me!
One more day of spanish school. I get the idea I just cant remember the words. I hope there isnt a test.
Yesterday We had a field trip to the historical district. Our teacher took us inside one of the buildings. We took pictures of the murals on the ceiling. Then we went to another market.
After class some of us went back for lunch. Jim had something new to me. A sandwich covered in sauce like an enchilada. Spicey
One of the girls in my spanish class went to ITTO last session. She is moving into an apartment with her friends. I am going over tomorrow and see if I can get her room. It is $160 a month and I am paying that much a week. For almost the same thing. I wont have internet at home but I can use the computers at school. I also found a neat coffee shop that might have wyfi. The inconvenience of no computer hookup of for a month compared to saving $400 a month should be a no brainer. Ill let you know tomorrow how it comes out and what my new address is. I will move on Sunday if all goes well.
I will post a few more pics hopefully today.
Tomorrow evening is the salsa lessons and no I am not dancing....I need my parts to work well enought to walk for food etc. But I will go watch.
Hey John, Im assuming you still havent learned to spelleo.
la assento es importante.
There is a muchos erroreo here. Would you like to correcteo it or shall I
Gracias a Dios es Viernes!
I survived spanish and for an old girl I learned a lot. Now if I can retrieve all that went in and immediately slipped out.
I went home with Liz to see her place. I think Ill take it. It is a 10 or 12 block walk. That might be good. I am walking that now.....if I move Ill be doing it like it or not. It is bright and clean, whole little house to share with another girl. Washer with a clothesline on the roof. I could cook, make coffee, and have cold water. Just the simple things you miss. It has cable TV. Liz said a couple stations are english speaking. All I will really give up is the internet connection and the conveinence of being one block from school. Oh I will save $400 to. The rent is $50 a month. Thats the best part. If I get a job here and they say they are starting 2 new schools. I would have it made in the money department.
If there is time this weekend Im going to go off to find the zoo and take pictures for Allie. It will depend on when I can move.
I had to grab a quick lunch today so I stopped at one of the little mexican places. I got a chile relleneos, beans and rice with tortillos for 25 cents. Can you believe it? I think Ill walk up and get fruit for supper. Its 2.50, breakfast was coffee and a big slice (like 2 squares) of cornbread with coconut and lots of cream and sugar in it for 1.50. A days meals for less than $5. Cant beat that. Last night I went to the chinese buffet. Hee hee chinese mexican style. Jalapenios on the side. Not that good and none of my favorites....the cream cheese and crab bites or sugared donut. I cant eat the jello because who knows what kind of water is in it. So that left the runniest rice pudding I have ever seen for desert. It was OK but costs too much. Like $7 I think.
That is the story of today.
Read this after seeing your email. Sounds like the move is a good one.
I am a little concerned about the quality of your training, however.
"erroreo" and "correcteo". Even I know that ain't español genuino.
Cannot believe you have been gone over a week.I'll try and get down and start your van today or tomorrow.
It has been cold and snowy here the last few days. Typical March weather.
Joni's idea sounds pretty good right now. Nice and warm.
What happened with watching out what you eat. Sounds like you have been living a little dangerously- chinese mexican style. Just something wrong with that...
Take of yourself.
We love ya manojos !!
Feliz Cumpleanos a mi hijo, Guillermo. Quiero que mi hija esta bueno.
?Que Dice? Hijos? No tengo hijos! Hermanos y hermana grande, pero no hijos. Yo necesito vir a escuela tambien.
March 8 2008
It has been an adventurous weekend........
I walked to my new place to meet the landlady. After about 10 blocks I thought I should look at the map and check my progress. Hmmmm I should have stopped for coffee. I have been walking in the wrong direction. Now I am going to be late. So I hailed a taxi......well we cant find the place......He is getting frustrated and Im figuring this will cost a fortune. So we try 1287 instead of 287 and there it is. I meet the landlady and discover due to the language barrier the rent she told me was for a week but she rents by the month........oh well its still better than el dumpo and the price is good. I go back and pack up. Hail another ride with all of my stuff. Then start to settle in. The landlady and her mother stop to see if it is good. Yes but I need a little lamp. Where can I buy one? Off we go ........ at a very fast pace. Got the lamp!!!
Unpack and settle in. Tried out the mexican cable. I found NCIS and an old movie in english with spanish suntitles. There are about 4 or 5 channels like that and one is CNN.
Sunday......well I dont have a towel or a blanket so off I go again. I decide to stop at the almost American resturant for breakfast really its because they have good coffee. I have a not very good breakfast....then pay with a 500 peso note but get change for a 200. How do you argue when you cant swear in Mexican? Aw Crap I wont be back there even if it is good coffee.
Nothing is really open so I head to the mercado. I get a towel not very nice for $10 can we say rip off. Its my day!!! I love it. Next is the grocery for soap etc. Hail another cab......now I know its 250 pesos for the trip. We get here and he says 1000 peso. Oh no not again! I just laughed at him. Then he says 500. I said no its 250 We settle on 300. He did help load and unload the groceries.
I do my laundry, mop my floor, and cook some supper. Its nice to be in a house again.
School started on Monday. Yea there is another grey haired lady......but now its tues and I know she talks too much......thats the trouble with old ladies we think every one wants to know what we know. Not. Its a good reminder for me to be quiet.
Looks like school will be just that in 4 weeks we have 3 essays. It is fun so far.
In response to Bills question about diet.....I am living dangerously. I am also taking a big bunch of vitamins and herbs recommended to increase the immune system and kill bad bugs. So far its working. I got queasy a few times and doubled up and then was fine..........and today I got my huge cup of fresh fruit from the street vender for 7 pesos.
Wow! It sounds like you are having a great time! Keep up the posts! They are great and I really enjoy reading about your day. Thinking about you ! Steve
hey margaret!!
chinese mexican food???!! that's just wrong!! sounds like the locals might be thinking you are just a tourist!! grrrrr!! what a great adventure!! love reading your blog!!! i painted some walls this weekend and thought of you!! steve and i miss u...we are headed to acapulco april 5-12th. how far are you from there??
be safe!
lisa
Hey! Been thinking of you!! This week our reading story is about a Mexican family's birthday celebration. It talked about a bunch of stuff I didn't know about or how to say...so I asked my little girls how to say...what is... and they are so shy about sharing. So we made cascarones yesterday and had bunuelos today and maybe a pinata Friday. I wonder if they make Easter pinatas? So now I know how to make cascarones (confetti eggs) and think it's a good idea. You should've seen my guys blowing eggs! Thought I would die laughing at them. It's a hollow egg shell filled with confetti and glitter that you decorate and smash on people's heads to give them good luck. Can't wait to see how they do with the smashing party! LOL Is there anything you would like me to send down there? Towels, soap, maps, anything. Love ya and miss ya. Don't know who to call on the weekends now.
I am in beautiful Puerta Vallarta. It is another mexican city with a strong english and tourism side. The condos and that area is beautiful and expensive. The water is cold, only a few will brave it. It is winter after all.
I laugh at myself the school said that they would give us 5 days here at the beach. I being me think oh yes I can sit on the porch overlooking the ocean and play on my computer or read it will be lovely. Its about 10 blocks to the beach. The free internet connection doesnt go outside of the lobby area. Such an american mind I have. or is it female or is it just niave?
Anyway some of the kids ask me to go with them yesterday we did a little bar hopping and had fun. Today we are taking a bar boat....dancing and drinking to an islad to see a waterfall kayak ride horses and stuff like that.
I went on the booze cruise and it was a blast. We snorkeled in the freezing water......of course there werent any fish, there were 5 party boats there.
Then back for more booze which was weak and in small glasses. I had a tequila sunrise a couple margaritas and a sex on the beach......the alcoholic kind. There are no single old men out there.
Then the horseback ride OMG steep hilly with rocks and roots. These horses were amazing.......mine saved my life many times. This was a trip up a mountain to a see a waterfall. People and horses walked the same trail. Sometimes another trail would branch off so they wouldnt be together for awhile then they converge again. But mostly another mexican way that is so different from the US and our rules and laws. OSHA and all of the vegetable soup folks would be spinning over some of this stuff.
So After this we went to the island for food. All of these on and off the boats were done by climbing into a bobbing motor boat with a couple guys trying to hold it close to the step while you jump hop or fall in. I mostly did the latter of course. At the beach they get close to shore with more holding and yelling ondolay .....yeah sure so I jump-fall out its waist deep and almost lose my balance while a wave tries to pull me out......why do you need booze on these trips......so its funny. Haha!!!
Oh I forgot to mention that after the snorkeling I stubbed my toe Im pretty sure its broken.....turning a lovely shade of dark purple. It made the boat entrancing and exiting more fun. owowowow! But we had a nice lunch and back on the boat for kareoke and more booze.... it was a fun day. Came home tired wet dirty and cold. I showered and walked to a nice little resturant where I have treated myself to grilled salmon steamed veggies and ice cream with warm strawberries. As well as spent the time here visiting with you. A great end to a wonderful day!!!!
Margaret:
I have finally managed to find your blog and pics this AM and from southern Iowa, Mexico looks good as gold. I have really enjoyed all you have posted!!!! Muy Bien!
As a Texas girl, I can appreciate the beauty of the life you are living now and the wonderful tropical setting.....AND...I also know the down-side :o). You are very, very courageous. School would be enuff, but now you have to chart unknown vendors, haggling for all your services, decent living space and not dying from some unseen parasite! Yep...the downside of paradise! I think you are doing well!!! Remarkably well.
Now you have moved from El Dumpo...we will need to see some pics of your new home! It is driving me crazy to discover the name of the artist of the incredible murals in some of your pics on the class day trip!!!! I know who he is..very famous, but my 60 year old brain is not cooperating right now.
Will be checking back on you!
Keep us informed of the incredible adventures. I have lived like this in my younger years...Spain and Europe....Impressed with your fotitude!
Nell & little Lisie in southern Iowa
It Sunday
Things have changed again......dont they always. I got tired of having a mexican landlord. My instructor at school assured me that all that has gone on is not right even here but it wouldnt stop so I moved on. What a move it is. This hotel is a dream. Just what you would imagine finding in Mexico. It is owned by a semi retired landscape artist from CA. He has plants everyplace. A beautiful jumble of color and texture. The rooms are interesting with inset tile and marbles. My shower is round with glass panes in it. The maid changes sheets and cleans your room everyday. There is a tiny resturant with little tables if you want something to eat or drink. The internet is in there so in the evening we all take the laptops in and socialize or work. There is a chess board as well. A fireplace too but we dont need that. There is also a kitchen for the guests so we cook a lot. There are laundry facilities. Plus a swimming pool. One of my classmates is staying here so we will share cabs to school. Go to the photo album click my homes if you want to see.
http://mahunter.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php
@ more weeks of school. Its nice to be at the half way mark. So far so good. The school director is looking for jobs for us.
I am getting good grades even better than some of those college kids that was a hoot. I am proud of me!
Tomorrow is Monday and off we go again in a whirlwind of business. We will be in class and teaching everyday. The lesson have to be made up this week. We cant use the students books. Wa we dont like it. It wouldnt be hard to find material and visual aids in the US in Mexico it is impossible to find English stories on various reading levels. I found a lot of Spanish ones......Its to teach us how to teach if we get into poor areas that have no curriculm. Thats a good thing.
Write to me folks tell me about your world and life
WOW! You sure know how to have fun and keep us on pins and needles. Sounds like you landed on your feet again. good for you!
We survived our Disney trip and kept up with the kids and Gkids. I will post pictures on our blog.
Keep us posted and study hard!!!
Hug, Sheila and Allen
OK that week flew by. It was a busy one Classes until 1 everyday. Then usually a class maybe two to teach between 3 and 7. One day I taught 2 and observed one. In the middle I got the revenge again and could not get rid of the nausea. It felt like being PG or worse 3 days of that and a dizzy head. Needless to say it wasnt nice. The hotel was overbooked and I knew that when I moved there so for 3 nights I moved from place to place. Of course it was the middle of the bad days. I just fell into bed anyway. But its over now.....
This is the last week. It is going better mostly because we know we are done. Everyone is so tired that we dont care much one way or another. Two of the kids took a job near Cancun. They are beach people so they are very happy. I think some of the upstairs class has jobs too I heard one trying to ship her cat.
Ill be home for a little while. Have to see the new baby thats due in May. I want to get my car, sewing machine and other necessities of life. Then I will return here or someplace nearby.
Today was the day. I graduated!!!! I am now officially an English as a Second Language teacher. Ready to go!!!!!
What a nice day its been. Our instructor planned many fun and thought provoking activities. He brought a rose for each of us to give to someone else. Very touching. We all passed warm fuzzies around to each other as we said our good bys and good lucks. And so we scatter around the world. Its odd. For a short time you share an experience and become very close. Then POOF its over and we're gone. Taking our talents and ability to touch other lifes.
Its been a stressfull few weeks because of the time involvement. Long days and many deadlines. Always tired and always more to do. Those 12 hour days are tough.
I ended up with a 9 and a 9.5 as grades. Pretty good for an old chick wouldnt you say?
Tonight its beer and tacos. Sunday we invited everyone over for a pool party. Next week Ill try to go by and contact a couple schools. Then Ill be home for a couple months. July Ill head back to MX and a job.
On May 11 I boarded the cruise ship Explorer for a 14 day cruise to Central America.
Central American Cruise May 11-25, 2008
Monday
This is a day at sea. Learning my way around the ship as usual proves challanging. I have no clue about fore and aft or is it port and aft. Oh well I get turned around a lot. In this case the challenge is my cabin. Its on 2 all of the community activities are on 5, 6, 7. The problem is that I have to go up and down on one end of the ship. The other end doesnt go though the ship on 2. Therefore I am endlessly ending up going back cutting through to the other end to get to my home. I have a lot of company, we are all mostly lost.
The best of today is an art class painting with water color. We made a cloudy sky. It was great. I learned a little. I need to keep working on it. May be something easy to take to Mexico. I met Joan and Jean. A great mother and daughter who are cruising together.
Tuesday
Today we are at Playa Del Carmen. My tour today is to The Mayan ruins here then to the tequila farm and to see the folk loric dancers. The dancers are for Allie I am taking a movie for her. Then she will know how to dance in her Mexican dancing dress.
The process for making tequila from years ago was demonstrated. Then there was a tasting of the high proof stuff and some flavored types. Creamed Tequila is my choice.
Wednesday
I flew through the trees. It was fun. At least I think there were trees, somehow I was focused on getting there and making a landing, not the scenery. LOL The platforms are in trees and if you dont slow down you could hit the tree fortunately there were lovely strong young men to catch you. They always smile even when you are at the end of a long line of big women who dont slow down enough. What a job! I want to do it again in Costa Rica.......maybe I will?
Afterwards we had lunch and another long walk......... rocky and hilly too :-( to the cave. The water was frigid but we were sweaty and it felt gooooood. The water through the cave ran slowly so we needed to paddle. My paddlers are weak and one has that rotator cuff issue so I wasnt going very far very fast. Another bad paddler got caught in a little side pool so we were bringing up the very very rear. They came back for us and towed us in. Thank goodness. You cant believe these old folks they are do or die. One fellow who must have been mid to late 70s and I couldnt get out of our tubes. When we did it was on our knees then you have to get up from there in the rocks and water. My legs were numb......thats my excuse for being as feeble as an old man........and Im sticking to it!!!!!! Another one needed help with just the walk but she made it. 73 years young. She just lost her husband so she is learning how to make a new life for herself. She is here alone but she has gotten an entourage of folks who look after her. Yeah Im one......I appointed a group of young people to carry her tube. She almost wouldnt give it up and they werent very gracious but it got done.
I returned showered went to dinner and the talk about Honduras which is todays stop then I crashed.
For those who enjoy such things. Dinner was a seafood salad with all kinds of seafoody things. Tomato soup I had maui maui with a lovely herb sauce and steamed veggies. Apple pie ala mode. It was very nice. I was seated with some lovely people from Ore and CA. It was very enjoyable!
Today I am off to the botanical gardens and a beach town. Calmer than yesterday by far.
Thursday evening.......
Im tired!!!! Im sure glad tomorrow is an at sea day. I think Ill stay in bed and watch movies......no I wont but Im ready for a little down time. Today we went to a botanical garden set up in the early 1900s by Chicita Banana or Dole I forget which. It is huge 1700 acres used largely as a test garden to see which other plants could aclimate to this area. Interesting but too short. Then we rushed to a lovely hotel for a nice lunch of chicken soup and a very good fish with a baked potato and salad. No time for the beach.......I believe there will be more than a few complaints about this trip. It was mostly a 6 hour bus ride. We did see a lot of countryside. But somehow it didnt seem very satisfying.
Belize is very poor country. It seemed a good thing to see that Honduras was better off. There are a lot of goods exported. Bananas, Palm oil, pineapple, rice, teak wood and mahogony. There are more too. At the port there were stacks and stacks of semi trailers. The guide said that Mexico, US and Canada ship through here because there is a machine that can X-ray the contents without opening them.
Today is Lees 65th birthday. We are all meeting for drinks and Bday wishes. She is one of the ladies I met at the airport. She is a physcologist at an Ohio University. The trip is her Bday gift to herself but yesterday she bought herself a diamond ring too. I said we should all have more than one gift for our Bday. I finally found Lee after dinner. We sat and chatted for a couple hours. She and I grew up in the same era so we are a like in many ways. So its great fun to share how we grew up and what shaped us into what we are today.......made even more interesting by the 3rd member of our little airport group, Jo. Jo is older but she is who we used to be.....before divorce and careers happened to us. It didnt happen to her but now she has lost her husband and a sister who was her pal. Now she is learning to find her way on her own.
Hope the internet is up and running later. I couldnt get on this AM or now. But now we are moving out of port so things probably things are unhooked or whatever.
Friday
Today is an at sea day. I painted a rolling ocean wave and put angelina on it. I went to a craft seminar put on by a Creative Memories Salesperson. Digital scrapbooks look very nice. Ill work on some of those. I have enough pictures.
Saturday
Here we are in Costa Rica. I walked around the market and the village here. Not much to do and we were cautioned that it isnt safe. Lee and I went off in the afternoon we thought we would take a bus to another small town in the area. By the time we found the bus station it was 330. A man told us we were in a dangerous area. He got mad because we didnt leave. After he left we asked a woman if that was true. She said yes it is a bad area. So we gave up that idea and went back and walked about the town.
Sunday
Today is the trip to Costa Flores a company that once supplied tropical flowers to the US. It is a beautiful place. After our tour they gave us a bouquet some fruit, juice, coffee. Very nice tour.
Monday.
Today we are in Panama I dont have a tour so I am resting. Its rainy this AM and so napping and movies sounds perfect to me. I walked over to the shops and browsed the handcrafted things. Watched the Calypso band for awhile.
Tuesday
Today is the tour to the Gatun Locks. Its very interesting to see how it works. The bus took us by the old US barracks and the CIA training building. Its now a Best Western. The old Barracks are now homes for people. The tour guide said a one story goes for $25,000 TO 100,000. The two story sell for up to 400,000. I didnt think they were that great. Its nice to see some of these countries arent so poor
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