As the Wind Blows: A Mexican Soap Opera

I am taking a break from my UK Quest to visit Cancun... here's the story so far:


While waiting on Leigh @ the airport I observed a bizarre, I think incestuous mother-son duo… The boy was probably 16 and they were obviously wealthy… Now, I have 2 brothers but I have never seen them rub/ massage their mom the way this kid was… and the dad was just standing there, in a resigned sort of state… UGH!


Luckily Leigh arrived and drew my attention away from this scene. We made it through all the security and such… while waiting for boarding we were approached by some sorority sisters asking of we went to UT… I should have known. Upon boarding the plane—I was smack in the middle of sorority row. As I read my book, I passed things from row to row for them…


Top comment overheard on sorority row:


~Don’t drink so much water—you have to save room for the beer!


We made it to Cancun, bobbed and weaved through customs, and finally found our shuttle to the resort. MW was waiting for us at the front of the resort. My new friend Norma checked us in: "How many years are you?" "31" I replied. "You look MUCH less," said Norma… LOVE HER!


Dinner @ Paco’s Tacos was great… CHIMICHANGA… and my first margarita of the trip… Ah—this is the life!






Here I must tell you that our theme for the week is Mexican soap opera. So we all have new names and personas. Leigh is Marcella—she is a gold digger by trade. Laura is Pilar—an archaeologist/ anthropologist—she is good at "digging up" others’ secrets—plus we think she will be most useful to the trip to Chicken Itza. MW is Rosa—she is a tabloid reporter who relies on the maid—me—Sophia Lupita Margarita Chimichanga—for dirt on my employers: Marcella and Soledad (DJ)—who is the governor of this place where we are. There are several side players which I will introduce later when more of the plot is revealed.





(L to R: Pilar, Sophia Lupita Margarita Chimichanga, Rosa, & Marcella)


We went to Pancho and Willie’s where we were supposed to meet up with MW’s family after a wedding event… They never showed, but we had a great time jammin’ out to the cover band and drinking…







There were lots of interesting tourists to watch. MW and I hit the dance floor only to have an up-close view of a FAT man pull up his shirt, slap his stomach, rub it, then slap his ass and shake around. Members of the band couldn’t sing they were laughing so hard. We headed back to the table where we had a front row seat to another interesting performance. There was a table of 6 adults in front of us—I’d say they were in their 50s… well first one of the ladies jumped up and started dancing. She had on a strapless white dress with 2 ruffles (think ala 1985)… First we weren’t real sure the dress would stay up… next she grabs both ruffles and starts shaking them up and down… Lesson learned here: TOP RUFFLE ONLY!!! After awhile, white dress lady went somewhere only to be replaced by her friend (also dressed in ALL white—perhaps fresh from shooting ONE OF THOSE commercials)… This lady had on one of those white crocheted sweaters—the one most people wear a tank top under… Yeah, not this woman… just the bra… classy. Anyhoo, she pops up dancing… even between songs when there was no music, she kept moving… Next thing we know white dress is back and the two head off towards the dance floor. While they chose to stay off the main floor and dance together in a secluded spot—they were certainly entertaining.



Monday we lounged by the pool, enjoyed free tacos and beer @ Pancho and Willie’s (YES, they let us back in after we closed them down the night before)… and took Pilar to the slightly sketchy doctor for her diagnosis: conjunctivitis… That night we hosted an appetizer party for Rosa’s family—we had pizza dip, guacamole, ham rolls, a dessert roll, chips, nuts, birthday cake, beer, margaritas, and mojitos.






On the way back from lunch Marcella almost stepped on an iguana on the sidewalk It was quite a hilarious scene… especially as when we went back to the pool two guys walking around taking pictures of people with this HUGE iguana.. they honed in on Leigh trying to get her to pose with it… At one point I was convinced she would jump in the pool to get away.


Today Leigh and I spent the whole day by the pool… MW woke up feeling shitty—spent the AM covered up by the pool—FREEZING…. Yeah—it was 80+… so the next trip to the sketchy doctor office was hers… 2 shots later she looked much better. Her 104 fever broke so things are looking up for Rosa. Sophia Lupita Margarita Chimichanga and Marcella are scared to wake up tomorrow—unsure of what illness will befall them…






TO BE CONTINUED…

Inspiring Words

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

Another Year End Wrap-Up

January
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?: To travel more... and I'm sure to lose weight
2. Who kissed you at midnight?: My family
3. Have you ever been to times square to watch the ball drop?: Nope... not sure I would want to actually...

February
1. Who was your valentine in 2007?: HA! We had an anti-VD dinner-- me, Miche, Julio, and Josh... had LOTS of rice
2. What did your valentine get you?: Josh and Julio brought Miche and I flowers and candy
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?: Heck yeah! I still hand them out to the whole class!

March
1. Are you Irish?: Nope... Mc-Scottish
2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day?: Yes... 5th graders LOVE to pinch you if you don't
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2007: I was in Savannah, GA... IN A CAST! Awesome experience... minus the cast...

April
1. Do you like the rain?: LOVE IT! Esp thunderstorms
2. Did you play an April fool's joke on anyone this year? I don't think I did...
3. Do you get tons of candy on easter?: I do... esp Cadbury Eggs... MMmmm!

May
1. What's your favorite kind of flower?: Pansies are my fave!
2. Do you like the spring?: Yes. Means school is ALMOST OUT!
3. 3. What would you think of as a spring color?: Anything pastel-- pink, lavender, yellow

June
1. What year did you graduate from school?: 1995, 2000, 2003 
2. Did you go on any vacations last June?: I went to Los Angeles for Henry's b-day and Mae's welcoming to the world

July
1. What did you do on the 4th of July?: Went to the World's Fair Park and watched the symphony and fireworks 
2. Went on any vacations during this month?: Band Camp?  LOL, just kidding!

August
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer?: MDub, Missy and I had a girl's weekend in Atlanta....
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '07?: Probably meeting Mae and helping with Henry's b-day
3. Do you go swimming a lot in the summer?: Nope
4. Do you go to the beach a lot?: Nope... sometimes go to FLA... sometimes go to the beach when I am in LA... but not this year

September
1. Who is your favorite teacher?: Currently? Talbott... she's my hero!
2. Do you like fall better than summer?: Yup... Fall is my FAVORITE!

October
1. What was your favorite halloween costume? St. Pauli's Girl was fun... and when the whole gang went as the cast from Young Frankenstein
2. What's your favorite candy?: Reese's Cups
3. What did you dress up like this year?: @ Pete's I was Sandy from Grease... @ school I was Ms. Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson is Missing

November
1. Whose house do you usually go to for thanksgiving?: Dad's for lunch... Gma's for dinner
2. Do you like stuffing?: (a.k.a dressing) YES! I could eat my weight in it!
3. What are you thankful for?: Supportive friends and family

December
1. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?: indeed!
2. What do you want this year for christmas?: I wanted a coffeemaker... and I got 2!
3. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas?: I have no idea... This year I really liked the Weird England book that Riley and Leza gave me...
4. Do you like cold weather?: Yes... but I feel if it is COLD, there should also be snow

1) How would you rate your 07(1-10)?: I'd say a 6 - I still have a lot of stuff I need to get together and work out 

2) Where were you when 2007 began? Tampa

3) Who were you with? TG, Jennifer, & Greg

4) Where will you be when 2007 ends? I was in Fredericksurg, VA with the fam

5) Who will you be with when 2007 ends? was with the family @ Aunt V's

6) Do you have a new years resolution for 2008? Get Gumption. Be Brave.

7) Did you fall in love in 2007? Not love... but there might have been some "becoming smitten"

8) You regret it? NEVER!

9) Did you breakup with anyone in 2007? uh, no.... that would require dating someone

10) Did you make any new friends in 2007? Several!

11) Who is your favorite new friend? I think my favorite new friends all come from the Vegas '07 trip: Justy, Autumn, and Matt

12) What was your favorite month of 2007? October= VEGAS, BABY!

13) How many different places did you travel to in 2007?: HMmmmm... Savannah, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta (twice), Fredericksburg

14) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2007? no

15) Did you miss anyone in the past year? Oh yes... always

16) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2007? Well, it would be either The Holiday or Waitress... though the 5th Harry Potter movie was also good....

17) Do you enjoy where you are now? I am not content. I need change. I need to do something different. I am working on it.

18) What was your proudest moment of 2007? surviving the first semester of school this year? Making new friends in Vegas? creating another awesome cake for Henry's b-day? Surving ankle surgery?  I had some good moments this year...

19) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2007? I think some of my antics in Napoleon's in Vegas... or the cab ride *after* Napoleon's

20) What are your plans for 2008? Gonna be a brave girl... might even move to the UK... it's a goal-- one I plan to achieve if not in the fall... perhaps January '08.

--
Thanks J MC... I snagged this from her blog...

Wasted

I often turn to music for inspiration and even courage... Today's song that is helping inspire me to make this huge move is Wasted by Carrie Underwood... I bolded the *really* important parts :)

Standi'n at the back door
she tried to make it fast
one tear hit the hardwood
it fell like broken glass
she said sometimes love slips away
and you just can't get it back
let's face it

for one split second she almost turned around
but that would be like pouri'n rain drops back into the clouds
so she took another step and said I see the way out and I'm going to take it

Cause I don't want to spend my life jaded,
waiti'n to wake up one day and find
that I let all these years go by, Wasted

Another glass of whiskey
but still don't kill the pain
so he stumbles to the sink
and pours it down the drain
and says it's time to be a man
and stop living for yesterday
Gotta face it

Cause I don't wanna spend my life jaded,
waiti'n to wake up one day and find
I let all these years go by, Wasted

He kept driving along,
until the moon and sun were floating side by side
he looked in the mirror and his eyes were clear for the first time in a while yeah yeah

Oh, I don't want to spend my life jaded waiti'n,
to wake up one day and find,
that I let all these years go by, wasted
--
Lyrics

Just for fun...

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New Year... New Beginning...

...New Blog!

I am creating this blog to help me organize my thoughts, feelings, and information re: teaching abroad... This is something I really want to do... but something that will be UBER scary... and probably fairly difficult to get together....

That said-- many have said, "Oh what a great experience! You should totally do it before you have something that ties you down and prevents you from doing it!" Many seem to have confidence in me. However, this past holiday, my aunts (who ARE supportive) both agreed that I would never follow through.

A challenge, perhaps?

So, at this point I am in research-mode... Ihave been looking @ this website for info and help. They have a forum area which has been interesting-- reading everyone's posts, questions, answers, and advice... Several teachers who have made this move have blogs also-- so I have been reading through those.

Big questions right now:

~How much will this move cost initially? Not renting a place there-- but getting my stuff there, myself there, VISAs, paperwork, etc...

~How different is teaching in the UK? Most of the posts and blogs I have read are secondary teachers-- I am a primary teacher... So I just wonder....

~What area would I want to live in? Not London-- too hustle-bustle... and expensive... I have been to the UK several times and like many areas. (Warwick, the Lake District, York) My friend Nan and I have been discussing going over and scouting areas this summer... we'll see!

~When should I apply? I know most hiring is done in the spring... but would I be READY to do this in the fall?

OK, I will (I'M SURE) list MANY more questions and concerns soon... For now, anyone out there with advice? Suggestions? Encouragement? :)