I never realized how much we use the internet in our daily lives.
Not having internet at home really plunged into this strange little universe of not knowing what was going on in the world and in my life, therefore causing me to use the internet on my phone alot...
Now, phone plans are different here. You choose a plan... you pay for it. It resets on the first of the month. If you go over your plan, everything just stops. Texts, internet, calls. All of it. So you have to go to the local OXXO or other convenience store and reload. BUT it is painfully expensive. I needed my internet for work though....
I now have internet at home. Sort of. I am sitting on my roof close to the wifi in order to be able to write this... It is getting really really dark. Apparently if I use the cable, it is suposed to be better... I haven't been able to make the cable work yet.
Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
I heard a rumour....
... that I might have internet when I get home tonight...
PLEASE CROSS YOUR FINGERS EVERYONE!
PLEASE CROSS YOUR FINGERS EVERYONE!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013 - Our Sleepover Party
Today, the school was turned into a giant sleepover party. Even the high school students came to school dressed in their pjs. Now, between the rain and the thirty degree weather outside, that made for quite a sweaty mess. But we had a great time. All week, our students worked hard on writing stories about their biggest dreams. And today, they shared them with the class, and then we made dreamcatchers for the students to hang at home.
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We really had a great time!
It is quite amazing how no matter what the weather is like outside, the students are happy to come to school, to learn and to play.
I know I talk about the weather alot here, but it is really hard to convey to you the amount of water that falls from the sky. It is relentless. 2 - 4 inches every single day! Remember in July when Toronto was completely shut down after 24 hours of rain? imagine four straight weeks. The electricity has never gone out and neither has my television. I actually still do not have internet at home right now because my cable had been cut when they were cutting down trees and it is very dangerous for the workers to try to come to repair it in this insane weather. So, for those of you expecting me to answer always on facebook, or your emails immediately, it is very difficult. I do have internet on my phone, but it is different than in canada. You see, here, when you run out of time, your phone just stops working completely and then it costs a fortune to reload it until your account resets at the first of the month. It doesn't just start charging you more like in Toronto.
It looks like the sun has just made a nice debut for the afternoon by the way.....
My health... so, I lasted six full weeks without getting sick here at all. Which, for me, is a huge record. usually I get sick within four days of leaving the GTA. But yes, now, I am sick. I have been sick for ten days. Because of my asthma, every time I get a cold or a flu, it goes directly into my lungs, and lo and behold, after the four weeks of relentless bad weather, and wading through lakes every morning just to get to work, I got sick. I rested. I drank tea. I did everything. But I finally gave in and went to the doctor.
Doctors here are actually pretty awesome. I went to the local Ahorro, which is the largest chain of pharmacies, and they have a free doctor on call all the time. She was lovely and extremely knowledgable and understanding. She listened well, and has a lot of experience with asthmatic patients such as myself who suffer from the humidity and the weather when they get here. She prescribed me cortisone shots as well as antibiotics. But here is the big difference. Here in Mexico, you don't go to the doctor or the nurse for shots, they just give you the needles, you take them home and give them to yourself. In your butt! Thank god there is a school nurse, and thank god for my friend Adriana!
It is Friday afternoon, TGIF. I am so looking forward to spending an entire weekend asleep.
More news:
I started my conditioning class here at the school for the staff. The first class only had two athletes. But the second had six, and next week is threatening to have more. So my dream of 'Blast Tepeyac' is becoming a reality.
I started my Judo program here as well. Just only one class so far, so we shall see what happens. The students really seemed to like it and my local friend transplanted from Villahermosa, Alberto, came and is learning how to teach Judo classes from me.
Life is different here.
More busy, yet not busy at all.
I sleep every night at 9 and wake up at 6.
I no longer am napping every day after work.
I can continue with my days without being concerned about when I can nap.
My skin has cleared up.
It looks like I might be back in about a month or so for a visit. So, I hope to see everyone!
PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH. I do miss everyone!
Love,
Tami
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.JPG)
It is quite amazing how no matter what the weather is like outside, the students are happy to come to school, to learn and to play.
I know I talk about the weather alot here, but it is really hard to convey to you the amount of water that falls from the sky. It is relentless. 2 - 4 inches every single day! Remember in July when Toronto was completely shut down after 24 hours of rain? imagine four straight weeks. The electricity has never gone out and neither has my television. I actually still do not have internet at home right now because my cable had been cut when they were cutting down trees and it is very dangerous for the workers to try to come to repair it in this insane weather. So, for those of you expecting me to answer always on facebook, or your emails immediately, it is very difficult. I do have internet on my phone, but it is different than in canada. You see, here, when you run out of time, your phone just stops working completely and then it costs a fortune to reload it until your account resets at the first of the month. It doesn't just start charging you more like in Toronto.
It looks like the sun has just made a nice debut for the afternoon by the way.....
My health... so, I lasted six full weeks without getting sick here at all. Which, for me, is a huge record. usually I get sick within four days of leaving the GTA. But yes, now, I am sick. I have been sick for ten days. Because of my asthma, every time I get a cold or a flu, it goes directly into my lungs, and lo and behold, after the four weeks of relentless bad weather, and wading through lakes every morning just to get to work, I got sick. I rested. I drank tea. I did everything. But I finally gave in and went to the doctor.
Doctors here are actually pretty awesome. I went to the local Ahorro, which is the largest chain of pharmacies, and they have a free doctor on call all the time. She was lovely and extremely knowledgable and understanding. She listened well, and has a lot of experience with asthmatic patients such as myself who suffer from the humidity and the weather when they get here. She prescribed me cortisone shots as well as antibiotics. But here is the big difference. Here in Mexico, you don't go to the doctor or the nurse for shots, they just give you the needles, you take them home and give them to yourself. In your butt! Thank god there is a school nurse, and thank god for my friend Adriana!
It is Friday afternoon, TGIF. I am so looking forward to spending an entire weekend asleep.
More news:
I started my conditioning class here at the school for the staff. The first class only had two athletes. But the second had six, and next week is threatening to have more. So my dream of 'Blast Tepeyac' is becoming a reality.
I started my Judo program here as well. Just only one class so far, so we shall see what happens. The students really seemed to like it and my local friend transplanted from Villahermosa, Alberto, came and is learning how to teach Judo classes from me.
Life is different here.
More busy, yet not busy at all.
I sleep every night at 9 and wake up at 6.
I no longer am napping every day after work.
I can continue with my days without being concerned about when I can nap.
My skin has cleared up.
It looks like I might be back in about a month or so for a visit. So, I hope to see everyone!
PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH. I do miss everyone!
Love,
Tami
Thursday, September 12, 2013
What a week!
Yes, it has been just over a week since my last post! Too long, I know.
You see, this is Mexico. When something breaks, companies refuse to fix it. I do not have internet at home. It has been over two weeks. It took Telmex two weeks just to come to take a look. When they did, they realized that a cable had been cut when someone was cutting down their trees. Ok, so repair it, right? Ummm... wrong... It is a different company that repairs the cables and they 'do not work in the rain'. They must 'have two days with no rain'. This is the rainy season. We work in the snow in Toronto.....
Anyhow, so this is why it has been so difficult for me to post. I literally do not have a free moment at school to do so. BUT it is indoor recess now so I am in my room.
Anyhow, Rosh Hashana was pretty cool!! The service was very short at the Chabad on erev and then we walked over to a large hall where we had our dinner. There were approximately 350 people there, about 300 of which were young Israelis who had just finished the army.
That was Erev Rosh Hashana
I went to work during the day on Rosh Hashana (Sorry) but went straight back to Chabad after work and stayed late into the night. I spent about two hours walking around the streets of downtown Playa Del Carmen with the rabbi Jew hunting. It was really cool. He was like the pied piper of Playa. He would blow the shofar, and people would just come... like out of nowhere.... or, he would just look at someone, know they are Jewish and say Shana tova. When they answered he would have them recite the prayers for the shofar and blow it. We even walked into empty hotel lobbies. He started to blow it and suddenly the hotel lobby was swarmed with young Israelis wanting to hear the shofar. Pretty cool.
That night, I also took part in my first tashlich service. We went to the sea, and threw away our sins. It was actually rather beautiful
This weekend is Yom Kippur. I am very curious as to how that will go.
This has been a long and exhausting week. But soon, it will be over. Right now, I am sitting in a rather boring clinic about how to use a smartboard, but it is totally in Spanish. I am pretending I don't understand. But I actually speak and understand a lot more spanish than these people think I do. But a three hour clinic, after school is over, might be a little much for me to bear. So, instead I get to just publish all of this for you all to see.
Is anyone planning on coming down for a visit soon? Let me know!
It really is very beautiful and there is much to do. Even though it does rain every day right now, the sun comes out every day. I still make it to the beach at least two or three times a week!:)
You see, this is Mexico. When something breaks, companies refuse to fix it. I do not have internet at home. It has been over two weeks. It took Telmex two weeks just to come to take a look. When they did, they realized that a cable had been cut when someone was cutting down their trees. Ok, so repair it, right? Ummm... wrong... It is a different company that repairs the cables and they 'do not work in the rain'. They must 'have two days with no rain'. This is the rainy season. We work in the snow in Toronto.....
Anyhow, so this is why it has been so difficult for me to post. I literally do not have a free moment at school to do so. BUT it is indoor recess now so I am in my room.
Anyhow, Rosh Hashana was pretty cool!! The service was very short at the Chabad on erev and then we walked over to a large hall where we had our dinner. There were approximately 350 people there, about 300 of which were young Israelis who had just finished the army.
I went to work during the day on Rosh Hashana (Sorry) but went straight back to Chabad after work and stayed late into the night. I spent about two hours walking around the streets of downtown Playa Del Carmen with the rabbi Jew hunting. It was really cool. He was like the pied piper of Playa. He would blow the shofar, and people would just come... like out of nowhere.... or, he would just look at someone, know they are Jewish and say Shana tova. When they answered he would have them recite the prayers for the shofar and blow it. We even walked into empty hotel lobbies. He started to blow it and suddenly the hotel lobby was swarmed with young Israelis wanting to hear the shofar. Pretty cool.
That night, I also took part in my first tashlich service. We went to the sea, and threw away our sins. It was actually rather beautiful
This has been a long and exhausting week. But soon, it will be over. Right now, I am sitting in a rather boring clinic about how to use a smartboard, but it is totally in Spanish. I am pretending I don't understand. But I actually speak and understand a lot more spanish than these people think I do. But a three hour clinic, after school is over, might be a little much for me to bear. So, instead I get to just publish all of this for you all to see.
Is anyone planning on coming down for a visit soon? Let me know!
It really is very beautiful and there is much to do. Even though it does rain every day right now, the sun comes out every day. I still make it to the beach at least two or three times a week!:)
I live in a beautiful place
This place is beautiful.
It rains alot.
It is still beautiful.
Take a look
Please enjoy
It rains alot.
It is still beautiful.
Take a look
Please enjoy
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Shana Tova from Paradise...
Today, it doesn't feel very much like Paradise.... the rain just keep coming and coming! It is still a beautiful place, but dear lord, when will the rain stop? I have this awesome new bicycle and I can't use it. Also, there is a massive lake right now on my street that I need to try to wade through... this morning, the lake won the war. I tried to bypass it by hugging the side of the road and holding onto the fence, FAIL! I landed in water halfway up my shins... that was a good time... so I had to wade back through my little lake, I call it 'Lake Nasty' to the previous cross street, go down a block, then back towards the Federal Highway on another street. Good times!
Today, I had the distinct pleasure of reading, "The Giving Tree" to a group of children who had never even heard of it before. Both groups of children positively loved it. Some were even getting teary eyed. The director for the Primary English department, sat in my class to watch me do the read aloud and critical thinking questions with the kids about it. She seemed to really like this style of teaching. But, as we all know, this is how we all teach in Canada and I am loving to share this with the teachers down here. They are very dedicated, intelligent and awesome people, they just need the opportunity to learn and share in order to grow as teachers. I hope that I will have a bit of an effect for that this year at the school.
Tonight, is Rosh Hashana. I will go to the Chabad House. Hopefully, it will be great!
I want to wish all of my loved ones, friends, family, judoka, a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Love you all
Tami
Today, I had the distinct pleasure of reading, "The Giving Tree" to a group of children who had never even heard of it before. Both groups of children positively loved it. Some were even getting teary eyed. The director for the Primary English department, sat in my class to watch me do the read aloud and critical thinking questions with the kids about it. She seemed to really like this style of teaching. But, as we all know, this is how we all teach in Canada and I am loving to share this with the teachers down here. They are very dedicated, intelligent and awesome people, they just need the opportunity to learn and share in order to grow as teachers. I hope that I will have a bit of an effect for that this year at the school.
Tonight, is Rosh Hashana. I will go to the Chabad House. Hopefully, it will be great!
I want to wish all of my loved ones, friends, family, judoka, a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.
Love you all
Tami
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
I am now a hipster/playense
I have a bicycle. I love my bicycle. It is a purple fixed gear bicycle, with the giant scooping handles and large seat. It is the exact kind of bicycle that I used to make fun of people on King Street West for. It is a hipster douchebag bicycle. Yes, I have crossed over to the dark side. I now ride a fixie. but here is the thing, people here in Playa (Playenses) only ride fixies. You cannot find any other kind of bicycle for less than 300 dollars. It is pretty crazy. So, yes, I have become what I have poked fun at. I deserve this lot in life. Sadly.
P.S. I love my bike
Thursday, August 29, 2013
WHEW!
Ok, so times are really really really busy here... yet they are not busy at all at the same time! My days are quick and dirty here. I wake up at 5:45 and I wait by the highway for my one of my wonderful new friends, Adriana to pick me up every single morning. I feel like a 'highwaywoman' if you know what I mean.... Anyhow, we get to school at approximately 6:45 and I have 15 minutes to get ready before the morning guard. Thank god I only have morning guard twice a week.... School starts at 7:15 and goes straight until 2:20. STRAIGHT! Yes, the kids do have a lunch break at 10:30 - 11:15, but the teachers do not, we must be on guard duty at that time. We can eat, but we must be on guard watching the kids. There is no recess here. This is considered recess. So, I must try to use the bathroom and eat and work and do everything at that time. Unlike guard duty in Canada, I am allowed to sit down and to leave my post to use the restroom. There are days, when my students do not have any specialities, where I do not have even one minute for rest. So, at the end of the day, I feel like I have run a marathon. Canadian teachers, never complain about lunchtime meetings, nor about prep time. Even during my prep time, I will be sitting in my classroom and my director almost always comes in and has impromptu meetings with me....
The kids here are really really active. Discipline here is different. I am doing my best and they are learning my ways.
Last night was parents' night. The parents were so excited to have me at the school to teach their children English, when I was introduced to the school, everyone cheered. The parents here are really really lovely and extremely supportive. I even have a little group of mothers who are Jewish who are already planning a Rosh Hashana dinner for me.
Now is where I take the opportunity to apologize for falling out of touch and not writing. But so many things have been happening all at once here! That, along with the fact that my internet at home is dodgy at best, have left me with not much time to really sit down and write. I did two weeks of staff training at the school before the kids even started. Then, the kids started and it was quite a whirlwind of activity. And then, this past weekend, I moved! I moved to a much larger, nicer, closer to work, more permanent place. It is actually rather lovely.
Yes, that is a balcony with a hammock. I plan on spending many many many hours there...
Now, I mentioned that I have a friend Adriana. She is awesome. I have actually met many new friends here, but Adriana and I do tons of stuff together.
This is us at our first 8:00 am Saturday Vinyasa Yoga class on the beach
And this is the view from where we do our Yoga. I have also been going to the Wednesday night Ashtanga Yoga class, also overlooking the beach.... So I get to see sunrise and sunset.
It rains here. It rains alot.... but then, it will be sunny again. I was swimming in the sea last week....It started out as hot and sunny, then it clouded over, got extremely dark and started pouring rain which quickly turned into hail (YES HAIL) then back into sun, all while I was swimming! I now carry a rain jacket and an umbrella in my purse... everywhere I go!
Ok... I think that is enough for now... I will blog later all about the Judo and my trip to Chichen Itza and Coba....
Enjoy!
Love to all,
Tami
The kids here are really really active. Discipline here is different. I am doing my best and they are learning my ways.
Last night was parents' night. The parents were so excited to have me at the school to teach their children English, when I was introduced to the school, everyone cheered. The parents here are really really lovely and extremely supportive. I even have a little group of mothers who are Jewish who are already planning a Rosh Hashana dinner for me.
Now is where I take the opportunity to apologize for falling out of touch and not writing. But so many things have been happening all at once here! That, along with the fact that my internet at home is dodgy at best, have left me with not much time to really sit down and write. I did two weeks of staff training at the school before the kids even started. Then, the kids started and it was quite a whirlwind of activity. And then, this past weekend, I moved! I moved to a much larger, nicer, closer to work, more permanent place. It is actually rather lovely.
Now, I mentioned that I have a friend Adriana. She is awesome. I have actually met many new friends here, but Adriana and I do tons of stuff together.
It rains here. It rains alot.... but then, it will be sunny again. I was swimming in the sea last week....It started out as hot and sunny, then it clouded over, got extremely dark and started pouring rain which quickly turned into hail (YES HAIL) then back into sun, all while I was swimming! I now carry a rain jacket and an umbrella in my purse... everywhere I go!
Ok... I think that is enough for now... I will blog later all about the Judo and my trip to Chichen Itza and Coba....
Enjoy!
Love to all,
Tami
Saturday, August 10, 2013
My first week in paradise
Ok, if you are reading this, it is because I want you to. Or, you were really bored while surfing the net and came across this blog... So, here it is....
I landed one week ago today, Saturday, August 3, 2013. I flew into Cancun and got right onto a bus to take me to Playa Del Carmen and then into a taxi to take me to my new home, well at least for now. The studio we are in is a good size for a studio apartment and is very clean with hot water, air conditioning and wife (sometimes). The area it is in is very interesting. It is at the end of a neighbourhood called Colosio, which is on the outskirts of town. I am about one block behind the big Paradisus resort and in fact, that is the beach that I go swimming at. It takes about ten minutes to walk to the water from my front door.
What is very interesting about this area of town is that it looks like a slum, but it actually isn't. You see places that are all run down and falling apart right next to big beautiful homes behind large walls. Also, home that from the outside might look like shitboxes, are actually not... I am learning. We are hoping to move closer to the centre of the city, but just need a chance to get there to look.
My school. My school is also an interesting place. First things first. The campus is amazing. Check it out
Instituto Tepeyac Xcaret
And the other teachers are phenomenal people. They are all like a family. Everyone hangs out together, helps each other, goes to the beach after work together. Even the directors and principals are all supportive and familial in a way that I have not seen before, not in any school in Canada. Almost immediately, one of the teachers realized that she drives by my neighbourhood, so I just have to walk to the federal highway and she picks me up and drops me there every day. I have already been invited out to the beach and to people's homes without question. I have yet to do that as I am still settling in and doing my chores around here that must get done in order to be able to start working in one more week with the children.
Education in Mexico is... different.... they are only now beginning to think they should teach in a more similar way to the way that I learned how to teach in teachers college 11 years ago.
This will be an interesting year.....
Another interesting thing I have noticed here...
In Toronto, when it rains, it cools everything down. Here, when it rains, everything gets hotter...
I landed one week ago today, Saturday, August 3, 2013. I flew into Cancun and got right onto a bus to take me to Playa Del Carmen and then into a taxi to take me to my new home, well at least for now. The studio we are in is a good size for a studio apartment and is very clean with hot water, air conditioning and wife (sometimes). The area it is in is very interesting. It is at the end of a neighbourhood called Colosio, which is on the outskirts of town. I am about one block behind the big Paradisus resort and in fact, that is the beach that I go swimming at. It takes about ten minutes to walk to the water from my front door.
What is very interesting about this area of town is that it looks like a slum, but it actually isn't. You see places that are all run down and falling apart right next to big beautiful homes behind large walls. Also, home that from the outside might look like shitboxes, are actually not... I am learning. We are hoping to move closer to the centre of the city, but just need a chance to get there to look.
My school. My school is also an interesting place. First things first. The campus is amazing. Check it out
Instituto Tepeyac Xcaret
And the other teachers are phenomenal people. They are all like a family. Everyone hangs out together, helps each other, goes to the beach after work together. Even the directors and principals are all supportive and familial in a way that I have not seen before, not in any school in Canada. Almost immediately, one of the teachers realized that she drives by my neighbourhood, so I just have to walk to the federal highway and she picks me up and drops me there every day. I have already been invited out to the beach and to people's homes without question. I have yet to do that as I am still settling in and doing my chores around here that must get done in order to be able to start working in one more week with the children.
Education in Mexico is... different.... they are only now beginning to think they should teach in a more similar way to the way that I learned how to teach in teachers college 11 years ago.
This will be an interesting year.....
Another interesting thing I have noticed here...
In Toronto, when it rains, it cools everything down. Here, when it rains, everything gets hotter...
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