JAS Conferencia- Taxco

So, there was a YSA conference down here for the states of Morelos and Guerrero. I couldn't go on Thursday when it began, but drove down with some friends for Friday and Saturday. We went to the "Magic Town" as it is called here, and it was beautiful!

Sadly, I let others take most of the pics, so I'll never see them again but here's what I caught on my camera :)

Drivin into the city

 On a "death march" through the city to get to a venue at the top of a mountain where we would be locked inside and not permitted to leave...

 The gorgeous view from our beautiful hotel room

 That same view up close

 Dinner in the hotel with some gorgeous ladies, Diana, Karen, y Maicol

 And finally the view from the hotel in the daylight

Pumpkin Carving

 Taping the very important guide (who carves a pumpkin free-hand?? We're not creative like that!)

The surgeon carefully at work

Aaaaaand, the final product. It was super moldy within two days. It's a kind of mold I'd never seen before. It was like a spiderweb, but 1,000,000 times as thick. I know you really wanted to know that; it's amazing the things you learn living in a new country/climate

Home; a post from 4/12

Okay guys, I just found this in my drafts, and I've been wondering why I didn't post it in April of 2012 when I wrote it, but it's probably because it's sappy and cheesy. But who cares, I wrote it, and now I'm posting it. So there. And at the end let's just add Mexico into the whole mix of confusion because I am sure as heck confused about how I feel about my current home.



What is home?  There seem to be so many places that I call by that name.  So many people who feel like that place.

I got to go home; to where I'm from.  Where I grew up, went to school, had friends, lived with my family, went on my first dates, ate Sunday dinners for 20+ years.  While there, I got to sleep in my bed, in my room, with my blue walls that Mom and I painted together.  I got to eat in my kitchen, walk around my yard, pet my dog, and sit downstairs while my mom sewed in her sewing room.  Things I've done forever.  I called old friends and went on play dates.  I shopped, I chatted, I gossiped, I visited, I ate, and I missed those friends even more for having spent a little time with them. 

We talked about where I live.  Where I cook my own food, clean my own house, go to church, grocery shop, make friends, spend my days, go to school, cash my paycheck, spend my nights, pay my rent, and act like a grownup.  Where people don't know me by my family name.   Sometimes, when we talk about where I live, I say, "my home."  Sometimes, when I think of where I fit, and where I belong, where I live is my home.

So after the chatting and the familiarity of being home, I left again, headed for San Francisco.

While I was at the airport, a woman asked me where I was from.  I got so confused.  You see, I am FROM my hometown.  But I'm also FROM where I live.  But to throw another wrench in the wheel, I feel like I'm FROM the Bay.  You see, that is where I first left home. That is where I served, and loved, and ate and walked and, again, loved and knocked on doors and took people on tours and loved some more.  That is where I learned who I was, who others were.  That is where I taught and listened and spoke Spanish.  And did I mention that is where I loved?

So, standing at the airport, about to go on a vacation from my vacation, I was utterly confused by the concept of home.  I wanted to sit the woman down and say, "Well, you see, my home is in Utah where I go to school, because that's where I live, that's where all of my everyday friends are, and that's where I work and study. But see, I've been in Arizona this week, and that's my home.  It's where I grew up, learned to ride a bike, and where I go to feel the ultimate in familiarity.  I know everyone, and if they don't know me, they know me through my family.  That's home.  But now, we're headed to California, and well, that's my home too.  See, I served my mission there.  That's where I was the best me that I've ever been.  And that is a place that I go, and I just feel peaceful.  I could spend everyday under the gray skies of the Bay area, and feel like I was home.  There're some days when if feels like the ocean breeze of Puerto Penasco; where I spent my childhood summers playing on the beach; and that makes it even more like home.  So where am I from?  Well, I'm from so many places, and people.  I'm from their works, their actions, my teachers and their examples, I'm from my friends and my family, my enemies and their posse, I'm from my work and my play, my tears and my laughter.  And I call it all, home."

TESOL and Tipsy Trips

Guys! I probably already told you, but along with one of my thesis advisors, I got accepted to present the methods of my thesis at a Pre-Convention Institute at TESOL 2014; an extra class that people pay to go to the day before the main conference starts. I am so stoked to go and it will be a great opportunity to learn more at the conference and to have an official presentation on my resumé. So excited!!!!

However, there were some issues with my administration in getting permission to leave school for a week. Great news---- I got permission today! So now to budget well enough to be able to go... ...

The deal is, in return I have to go with the Senior class on their senior trip for 10 days in May. At first I was like-- Awesome! A 10 day vacation with a bunch of 18 year olds! And then I was like-- A vacation with a bunch of 18 year olds in a country where the legal drinking age is 18, and the school couldn't care less about students getting wasted on a school trip. So it should be an adventure... haha

I'm still hoping it will be a good opportunity to get to know a new part of Mexico (the students are thinking Cancun...) and that it will still be a little educational :)

VISITORS!!! Mom and Dad

You guys! Mom and Dad came to visit me! And helped me shop for my darling furniture, and took me out to celebrate the graduation ceremony that I missed to come take this job, and listened to General Conference with me! Overall it was a busy and fun weekend to have them here, and I am so grateful they came!!!!

Some blurry candids... sorry I'm not the greatest photog... 

Followed by Pop and I at dinner, I'm a cheeseball.

Our view from the pizza place in the City Center 

Emiliano Zapata. On a horse. In the middle of a round-about. And Mom said I couldn't get a good picture of the horse as we zipped on by down the road!

 Mom and Pop and an amazing middle eastern and french restaurant: Tumuz

 Blurry, but there's Dad! Always looking up!

Mi casa es su casa!

First of all, when I moved to Mexico, a colleague let me stay in her spare bedroom, and this was the gorgeous view from my bedroom window at her house...

Okay, so I moved in to MY place on September 1st, and Mom and Dad helped me shop for furniture when they came in the beginning of October and I'm just getting around to posting the pics of my darling place... 

First of all, my cute neighborhood (condominium complex). The walkway from the gated parking lot to the garden area.

 The garden/pool area

 Then this is the view from my front door...

 Now for the inside! We'll start upstairs:

 Here's my bedroom (before I set up camp)

And here's the second bedroom upstairs, equally purple, and now beautifully filled by my sweet roommate, Claudia.

The grand Master bath (and the only full bath, there's a half bath under the stairs ;)

Then downstairs we have:

Now for the before and afters:

Of the living room....

...and still the living room, but including the dining room... ;)

Now for the kitchen!

Why yes, that IS a six burner stove!

Then we have our covered patio/washroom:

And the backyard courtyard 

And FINALLY, the most important room of the house... YOUR ROOM!!! Don't worry... there's an air mattress in there now :)  So come visit any time you like!

Vroom Vroom!

I got a car!  This darling blue car a couple weeks ago. I'm loving the freedom that this cutie car gives me. Renault Clio Sport... Don't have many of those in the states :)

ps... don't tell Gabe I called his car darling and cutie...  :)

I like cheese.

So I realize that I'm very behind on the blog-- a whole month! But catching up is not something I'm going to play at today... Maybe another time.

So, I was surfing the book, and I read like the fourth post about someone from high school's seventh anniversary, and like the millionth about someone's pregnancy... this week.  As a response, I felt very guided to post the following: "Everyone's having their 7th anniversary or 2nd child and I'm over here like, 'guys. I really like cheese."  But my actual posting was slightly different, and upon writing it, it was really a wake up call to how completely awesome my life is. Not because someone posted how awesome I am, or because I was fishing for support or compliments... I just think I'm funny. But because I thought about all I have accomplished in the last 7 years. It would have been wonderful to get married at 20 (yes I'm that old) and be building a family life for the last seven years, but I have been so incredibly blessed in other ways during this time of life. I won't list everything I've been able to do, because I don't want to brag.

Okay. I'll brag a little bit.
So I have this supervisor, right? and he's German, okay? and I was initially terrified of him because he was very serious, ya know?

Well, he came and observed two of my classes this week, and was supposed to observe a third. After the second class he came to me and said, "I'm not going to observe the third class. These two classes have been like a video straight out of 'The Book of How to Teach.' They were everything you would ever want to see in a classroom. So I won't impose on your classtime any further."

That's right ladies and gents. My classes were straight up beautiful. "Everything you want to see in a classroom."

So no. I'm not married and I like cheese. But you know what? I'm doing okay for myself. Which I knew, but I wanted to remind you in case you'd forgotten I'm awesome :)

Some blessings come soon, some come late... but... they come.

So, about two months ago I attended a Sacrament meeting where President and Sister Greer from the Highland Stake reported on their time serving as mission presidents. While in that meeting, I just kept feeling: that is where you're supposed to be Brittney. You are a missionary, and you are meant to be in the field.

Now, for those of you who don't know, once a young woman serves a mission for the LDS church, it is highly encouraged that she return home and find a spouse. It is very uncommon for sisters (or anyone, for that matter) to be asked or allowed to serve a second full-time mission.

Knowing this, I felt confused, and even a little taunted or hurt by my desires and feelings that I should be serving a full-time mission. I felt that perhaps the Lord was telling me, yes, that may have been one of the best experiences of your life up til now, and it would definitely be good for you to do it again, so I'll just remind you that you want to, but I won't let you have it. I was slightly pained...

Anyway, fastforward to making a crazy last minute decision to move to a new country for a job I know nothing about, having a rough second week here, then being pulled aside yesterday (or whenever Sunday was) by a member of the bishopric. Here is where the story resumes.

So he mentioned that for some reason the Lord is not currently blessing the ward with full-time missionaries, and so as a ward they are trying to gain His trust by building up the ward mission work. He asked me to serve as a ward missionary, stating that he would like me to work with my companion (a young sister who is preparing for her full-time mission) as much like a full-time missionary as my life and schedule would allow. We will be having two "district meetings" per month with the ward mission program, and she and I will be working hand in hand to unify some of our part-member families in the ward.

He said, "We feel like we prayed you here, and as an ex-missionary, you are the blessing we have been hoping for. This will be your second mission."  Those, my dear friends, were his exact words. And in that moment I knew that the Lord was not taunting me, but foretelling of things to come in my life that would bring me even more happiness.

The Lord loves us, and blessings come. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng

In a post-note, my darling sister Kelly had her beautiful baby Rosie this morning. I am so grateful for technology that let me see her beautiful little face. I wish I could be there to hold her but I send all my love.

Mormonism

So... my students don't know I'm LDS (Mormon).

Today they're doing research in class about different cultures' ideas about death, ceremony, and the afterlife (this was somewhat inspired by my recent conversation with Aunt Susan about a "Celebration of Life" ceremony that one of her friends had for their son) Anyway...

Two of my students were arguing about something and so they decided to bring it to me to solve the problem. One student, F., said, "what's it called when people have a lot of wives?..... Mormonism?"

Oh dear.

Revelation

Oh how God loves us.

Warning that this blog has become something of a journal, so if you do not want to read my personal daily/weekly thoughts, this may not be for you.

 Today was hard. Mostly because I count down every day until I can go to church again and be with the saints, then when church is over, I am sad that I have another week to count down until I can go again.

Also because I feel so lost at work, like they've given me a huge task without providing me the tools and materials I need to accomplish it. So I feel like I'm drowning every day at work and every day after work as I try to plan for the next day.

But I went to an extra meeting this evening for church, about missionary work. It seems to me that the Spirit speaks Spanish. I really am starting to believe that because everything I hear said at church here seems so much truer and more fresh and spiritually potent. It's like the things I've always known, and tired somewhat of hearing in English, have become more applicable and necessary and beautiful in Spanish. Plus, being in a family ward is such a different and beautiful experience from what I have had the last few years.

After the meeting I asked to meet with the Bishop and told him all of my fears and concerns regarding my being here. He is very young, but I have no doubt that the Lord carefully chooses His bishops and grants them the strength and power to lead and protect His people.

The bishop spoke to me about some of the realities of my situation; living in Mexico amongst the other concerns I brought to his attention. Then he gave me a beautiful blessing. I am certain that the Lord granted me the gift of tongues to understand all that was said, or perhaps I didn't hear the words at all, only heard the Holy Ghost telling me what I needed to hear.

For those of you concerned for my safety, know that I have received two powerful priesthood promises for my safety while I live in Mexico. God has promised that those who would do me harm will be removed from my presence or I from theirs.

For me, I was granted the peace that I am in the right place. I am 100% certain that I am in the right ward, where I can serve and bless lives in a way I could not otherwise do. And I am in a place where I can do more good with my experience and testimony than certain other options in my life.

The Lord blessed me to know that I can accomplish what's ahead, so here I go!

Inevitable

This week the inevitable happened....
I survived!
  While it was touch-and-go there for a little while, I did survive my first week of full-time contract teaching. Now to make a slightly longer-term plan so that I don't have to desperately think of ideas every night for the next day at school. My plan is to spend today planning at LEAST the bimester (two months) but I'd ideally like to get the big picture for each of my classes for the whole year, then more specific for the semester, then even more specific for the bimester, then actual specific plans for at least the week. We'll see how that goes.

I got a cold!
  It was bound to happen with all these PEOPLE I'm interacting with. I have about 70 students, and at least one was blatantly sick, so I'm not terribly surprised that I've gotten sick. I am not, however, terribly pleased either... I slept for like 12 hours last night, which should prove helpful. I'm going to run down to the market today and get me some more meds to see if I can't mask the symptoms.

And Gabriel came to visit!
  He was so nice to drive down from D.F. and help me look for a place to live. We called every sign on the streets we could find, and saw like 10 houses in one afternoon. It was a big job, and I was grateful to have a friend (and his car) to do it.

So now, the big decisions... I think I've decided where I'm going to live, but I told a colleague I'd come look at a place he is renting out. I'm hoping to see his place this weekend, then on Monday go back to see the place I think I've chosen for one last look before I sign my life away for a year...  It's set up the same way as the majority of the houses on the hill, with 3 bedrooms, two upstairs and one on the main floor, and 1.5 baths (the half bath is under the stairs). This one comes with pretty faux wood laminate flooring, and a nice dining table and chairs and a tv. So I'll have some furniture to buy. But the nice thing is that this house is set a little further back in the complex, so not close to the road, and right outside my front door a pretty little ramada area with tables and chairs so I can work outside when it's nice. There's also a well cared for pool, which is nice. So yeah. We'll see how it looks again on Monday, then I'm probably going to hurry buy something I can sleep on, and hopefully move in!  If you know anyone in Cuernavaca looking for a roommate, I'd take a nice one :) I don't really need a three bedroom house to myself...

So... today was our first ACTUAL earthquake

It was really just the leftovers of the big earthquake in Mexico City today. We had to evacuate twice during the same class, but I think the building we were in is the least stable because some people didn't even feel the first one to evacuate, and only the two classes in our building evacuated for the second one. It wasn't my first earthquake (Was it Sister Boyer or Sister Heiner and I that woke up screaming when our bed shoved across the room in Oakland?), but it was the first one where I was in charge of the lives of 16 children... It didn't quite occur to me what to do because it was such a small earthquake that I figured it had passed, but my lovely 7th grade students informed me of the importance of evacuation. Haha, I'm an awesome care-taker....

More about this week to come, but just a thought as I finish grading and get ready for bed-- it seems I never learn. I was trying to diagnose my students' English levels based on their interactions in my classroom on the first day or two. It never fails that I tag a shy student as being low level, then get his test and he's one of the smartest in the class. You would think I would learn.....

Day 4 of Mexico- Saturday

This morning we got up early to go look at a studio apartment. It's in a really good neighborhood, very safe and very pretty, only one entrance covered by a poli. The house the studio is attached to is beautiful, but inside the studio I was slightly less impressed. With a bit of extra love and elbow grease I could probably make it okay... Here are pics of that one. It's near Angela's neighborhood (colonia tlaltenango), so about a 10-15 minute drive up to school (which is in lomas de ahuatlan). http://casas.trovit.com.mx/index.php/cod.frame/url.http%253A%252F%252Frentasyventas.com%252Fdepartamentos-en-renta-en-cuernavaca-morelos%252Fbungalow-amueblado-colonia-tlaltenango%252Fi557337.html/id_ad.1e1Q1h1D111-i14/what_d.bungalow%20cuernavaca/type.2/origin.2/section.1/section_type.1/pop.1
I wasn't convinced, but Angela wanted me to be, if only for the quality of the neighborhood.

After that we went straight to the school where I finally got something in mind for the first day. Now to plan Day 2 haha. I took the public bus (the ruta) home from work for the first time. It was about a 20 minute ride, then a half mile walk uphill to Angela's house, but overall, not bad.

Possibly tomorrow I'll go look at an apartment that I absolutely love (the pictures at least), but it's very far away. If I had a car I think it would be at least a 35 minute drive to the school, mostly on the freeway, which I'd be willing to do. But by bus, who knows how many years it would take... :) It's in a colonia called Quintana Roo.
http://rentar-casa.vivanuncios.com.mx/rentar-departamento+cuernavaca/rento-bonito--bungalow-------/78599205#contact

I honestly think Angela is ready to have me out asap, even though she continues to be nothing but helpful and supportive and kind. Anyway, so I'm really hoping I meet people at church who can either take me in for a bit or who can help me find a good place.

Earthquake?? Not literally...

So, I heard a rumor that there was a big earthquake in Mexico City today-- if anyone felt it down here, I didn´t hear about it.

Today was another long day of meetings, mostly "team building" brought to us by La Familia Michoacana... (that one´s for David:) In reality, they are a family from Michoacan that owns a resort and does team-building on the side... haha

I was expressing some of my thoughts and ideas to the English teacher who was originally less supportive (when I asked her if the classes were collaborative she said, "no, they´re every man for himself"). She said she thought I looked like I was about to cry (which I wasn´t even close haha) so she took pity on me and helped me through getting my books and materials and telling me some very important things that everyone had failed to mention. I think a lot of things like that will come up, because there´s not a very clear teachers´ handbook, not as organized as some parts of the ELC, but the other teachers really seem to appreciate the freedom to do whatever they want in their classes... I must not be the creative type :)

Yesterday Angela was wearing a button up sleeveless blouse, cut-off short shorts with leggings underneath. I asked her what was generally acceptable for dress-code at the school. I told her Daniel had just told me to be professional. When I asked about jeans she said they are fine, and I think she might have been offended when she told me her outfit was fine for teaching and I gasped aloud. Haha, probably not my greatest moment... :)  So she said the only things you shouldn´t wear are flip flops so you look like you´re going to the beach.

I got my lesson plan calendar today, and started filling in my schedule. It´s beautiful and color-coded. That won´t last more than a week haha

We went to look at a house last night, and it was very dirty and dark and too big for me. I said no thanks.

A lady who works in the office told me today that her sister in law or aunt or someone rents out a room in her house and she feeds them and stuff (like how danny lived i think). She said she´ll call us if the room is open. She said there was a french couple there but she thinks they are leaving.

We bought a map of cuernavaca today (which will help me immensely) and we{re going to look for houses on the internet tonight. Angela is a saint to help me so much with everything. She took me today to get a cheap phone to last until I have my work visa (which you need to get a contract). I´ve at least got that now, so if anyone wants my Mexico cell phone number, I don´t know how it works with cost, but I can send you my number if you email me...

Days 1-2 of MEXICO!

Well then. First things first-- I´m using a Spanish keyboard, and I don´t like it because none of my punctuation buttons are in the right place. So.... get used to the weird punctuation, because it has taken a LOT more effort than I´m willing to give in order to get these first few sentences grammatically correct.

Secondly, I´m sorry this will be lame words instead of filled with exciting pictures-- I haven´t had the chance to take any pictures yet-- I need to get on that!!!

Okay, so timeline:
Tuesday of last week I heard about this job for the first time.

3 days later on Friday of last week I accepted it.

I spent the weekend in Salt Lake with a VERY loving mother who helped me sell all my belongings.

Four days after accepting the job, and about 7 from when I first heard of it, I left AZ, on Tuesday, flew to Dallas, had to land halfway through the flight because of weather, but got back up and arrived safely.

Yesterday morning, Wednesday, I flew to Mexico city, took a bus from there to Cuernavaca, and arrived in Mexico City yesterday, and took a bus to Cuernavaca, then got a cab to the school. I still haven´t figured out if I{m supposed to sit in the back seat or the front seat of the cabs. I should probably be sitting in the back, shouldn{t i... oh well. At the school the director met me, took me around a quick tour of the campus, gave me my assigned laptop, and sent me home with a teacher. She{s 29, Swiss, extroverted and has been very helpful and kind. She even started the house hunt for me (which I think is partly selfish so she can have me out of her spare bedroom). All the teachers appear to live either alone with their dog, or with their significant other. Roommates do not appear to be a normal thing. We{ll see if the institute can enlighten me further... Last night after Angela brought me to her house, she and her boyfriend invited me out to the movies. She said she knew how I felt just showing up and knowing no one, so she wanted me to get out and feel like I have friends. Her boyfriend sensed, i think, that I would have rather been sleeping, but it was nice of them all the same.

Today we went to an all day training at the school. Half the teachers were Swiss or German, half Latino of some sort. There are 3 other Americans there, two of which teach English with me. When I first walked up to the meeting (which had a social coffee time before it started) some lady just kept asking me who I was replacing. I kept telling her I had no idea, but she kept asking again and again as though my answer would change... Perhaps there are some language barriers with some of the teachers... :)

I got my schedule and I´ll be teaching 6 hrs/wk of 5th grade English, 1 hour/wk of remedial 6th grade Spanish. After 6th grade they have 3 levels of secundaria (junior high) and 3 levels of prepa (high school). I{ll be teaching 5 hrs/wk of Sec 1, 5 hrs/wk of Prepa 1, 5 hrs/wk of Prepa 2, and 5 hrs/wk of Prepa 3. (7th grade, sophmores, juniors and seniors)

All the Sec and Prepa levels have been split into two groups. The way advanced, and the slightly less advanced. I have the less advanced for all my sec and prepa classes, except in Prepa 3 they gave me BOTH levels in one classroom. They keep insisting that this will be very difficult and was a grave mistake on their part, but make no suggestions for how to go about it or how to get through it. That´s okay though-- it´ll be an adventure!

Today they served wine with lunch-- that was a little bizarre for me... Not used to seeing alcohol in a primary school...

Last thoughts in the US

I've been having a lot of "last" thoughts. Ya know, "this'll be the last time I do ___ for a year." Here are the highlights:
Last time for a year that I:
--understand exactly what's going on in church
--get to select what kind of gas station to go to, and pump my own gas
--use a public restroom for free
--stay in the house I grew up in
And all sorts of other sappy things...

BUT-- there are a lot of exciting FIRSTS that I'll be discovering in the next few days:
--first time I'll go to a city alone where I don't know a soul and get to start literally from scratch!
--first time I'll get on a bus to a destination just hoping someone is at the other end!
--first time I'll; who knows what other exciting FIRSTS are in store?? I'm excited for this new adventure to find out!!!

New Job!!!

I've signed the contract, it's official! I'm moving to Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico on Tuesday-- that's 5 days!!! I'm feeling a little crazy and a lot nervous, but I'm excited to try a new country out for a year. It sounds like it's a beautiful 75*F year round, and home to more swimming pools than the rest of Mexico combined... It's about an hour from my Mom's favorite Mexican city, Taxco, famous for it's SILVER, and it's about 3 hours from the beach at Acapulco!  In other words, if you're looking for an awesome vacation in the next 12 months-- come see me!!

Now for the job info. I'll be teaching ESL at a K-12 International Baccalaureate Swiss-run school, Colegio Suizo de Mexico. It's technically a German/Spanish bilingual school, with a third language option of English. It sounds like it will be a really neat opportunity to be involved in IB, and to teach ESL to various age groups. I'm excited!!!