Angelina's Life in Motion

Wow. This week has been going so fast! Hmm.. what can I tell you today. Well, first of all, school has been postponed until Wednesday because of some illness among staff and lack of staff for the high school. The board is trying to figure out what to do. It's interesting to be seeing things from the other side- I am so glad I am here, because the school would have been under even more stress without a 3/4th grade teacher. So, pray for the school staff as we prepare for the year. I am enjoying getting my classroom set up! It's really a fun task. I still have much to do before Wednesday- but I'm going to work really hard today. Well- I'm going to share my cultural experiences with you. This first thing is a little weird, but I'm going to tell you anyways. Here in Puebla, we have good plumbing-no outhouses like some may picture. However, toilet paper does not get flushed in the toilet, but thrown into a wastebasket in the bathroom. So, that's probably the first cultural difference I came across. (I already knew this from visiting Mexico before, but some of you probably didn't know that.) Secondly, something I already knew before I came, but has been confirmed is that Mexican tacos/quesadillas/gorditas are not for me. They are served with meat, sometimes cheese and some kind of salsa, which covers the inside of the shell. It makes me sick to my stomach. I'll keep trying Mexican foods and ask for them "sin salsa" (without salsa.) I am determined to find a Mexican food I really like. Good thing I have 10 months! Another thing that is different is that we cannot drink tap water or rinse our fruits/vegetables with tap water. We buy the big jugs of water that you see in the US. They cost 12 pesos, which is equivalent to $1.20, so we get a 40 lb jug of water for about the price of a 20oz bottle in the US. Pretty good deal! Many things do tend to be cheaper here, which is nice. You can easily go out to a nice restaurant and feed 4 people with $20.00. Speaking of eating out, we went to a restaurant Tuesday called El Balcon and my housemate decided to just pick something on the menu since it was in Spanish. She chose Mole de panza. The waiter brought it to her and it was like a soup. She kind of moved the meat around with her spoon and finally we asked the waiter what it was. Well, the unfamiliar meat was cow stomach. The waiter kindly took the soup away and brought her something much more apetizing. Well, that is about all for today. Oh- one more thing. Last night we went to a Mexican tap dance show. It was really good. The dancers wore many tradition costumes and performed some traditional dances. I really enjoyed it. It was a great tast of the Mexican heritage. Before I go, someone e-mailed and said there may be an error on the link to my e-mail. If any question, it is: a2191981@yahoo.com Thanks for reading this. Hope to hear from you soon! Angelina