A day in which I lose my respect for a teacher.
           Double physics was harder than normal because of some confusing measurements and seemingly over-large answers. Some kids went to the forest before breakfast but I decided not to because I didn't feel socially ready for it. While they were there, Evodio hit his head and his nose (I believe) started bleeding. That doesn't sound good but in addition to that, he vomited after. Andrés fell on his hand and it is now swollen, discolored and he can barely move parts of it.
          Breakfast was pancakes with honey! The honey was a lot sweeter than maple syrup in my opinion but it was still good. Math was next and I just tried to concentrate on my book but it was very hard. Before Biology class, Toño, Emma and I arm wrestled! We did many variations; one being where one person wrestles with both arms against two people at once which was really hard. I normally beat them on their left arm!
        Biology had some rather odd commentary in the beginning. The teacher told us at the start of class that she was really only interested in teaching Kevin and me because we had never had Biology before.  She also told us that she did not want to teach people who didn't want to be taught because for her it was not worth the effort. Vanessa (the teacher) told the rest of the class that they could do what ever they wanted (listen to music through head phones, write, draw...) as long as they didn't make noise.
      For snack, we had bananas (gosh, be creative people)!!!! Then it was time for History, apparently there was a confusion with the schedule because at the same time we were supposed to have the Social Intelligence class at the same time. The teachers concluded that Karla would teach us quickly and then she would pass us on to the other class. We talked about our History projects which are due in November but seeing as how Karla will go on maternity leave, we need to start now.
       She passed us to Griselda and I suppose she thought that we were being a little rowdy of disrespectful or something. I don't think we were being that bad but whatever; our behavior prompted her to say: "okay, I am going to leave you because I don't want to teach you if you guys don't want to be taught. I will give this time to you guys for free time and when I come back in fourteen days, if all of you behave respectfully than I will keep teaching. If not, I won't teach you anymore." So basically she is leaving us on our own for a while after pushing for this time that Karla surely could have used. She was too chicken to deal with our "disruptiveness" (as my parents think) and said that she is teaching for free because of her "love for DICET." Again, being left on your own is very boring generally.
      We were left to our own devices for roughy an hour plus because it started raining, stopping our PE class. Poor Karla was sent in to watch us for the last half hour of school. We talked about "cualquier cosa" or whichever thing for that time (sorry I forgot the English word temporarily). Karla told Favio to stop massaging Tilo's head because it looked a little inappropriate. I missed a small part of the discussion so I don't know how we got onto the subject of homosexuality and Favio. Maya was explaining to Karla that Favio is homophobic and Karla was shocked because as she said "that [the head rubbing] was the gayest thing I have ever seen!!" That was hilarious and everyone started saying "SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO" which is what they say here if someone gets burned (schooled, served, showed up, etc).
        Karla said something then that I wholeheartedly agree with, she said that Favio wants people to be accepting or tolerant of who Favio is as a person. So then why should he not be accepting of how other people are? Or as I just heard in Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO (Laugh My F****** A** Off) "now stop, hating is bad."
        After school when we were picked up, my parents didn't even bother to bring our soccer stuff because it had rained so much! We went on an errand and then departed for home.

Monday was mediocre but my school kiss count went up.
            The getting ready part of the morning was mostly typical except that I didn't realize the hot water heater was turned off. As a result of that, I had a freezing shower!! Brrrr...
            I got to school and neither Lore or Azul were there. :(  I sat at my own table and finished the problems the teacher assigned for homework very rapidly. I copied a table before the hour was up!
           Breakfast was molletes and I had three before breakfast was up. Molletes are bread with beans and cheese melted on top. Maya said that she would bring only sweet crepes or pancakes for breakfast tomorrow! I don't want to get my hopes up but on the other hand, I would love to have both of those things for breakfast tomorrow and it is always good to have something to look forward to!
           Karen (our teacher for English and Geography) didn't show up because of her migraines. Since we were supposed to have those two classes back to back, we didn't have a teacher for two and a half hours! Elo (Eloina, the principal), checked in on us two times trying to ensure that we were doing our "geography work" which we didn't have any of. For some of you that may sound fun but for me, not participating in the conversations, it was AWFUL!!!!! I felt like it was two and a half hours that were wasted! Now I don't want to start sounding like a certain counselor I once had who went on and on about not wasting your time, but I was utterly bored.
          We had snack time which was bananas (WHY?!!!!) again. Lucerito gave us mandarin oranges because she felt bad for us. I walked around with Pao and we talked to Edi for a while.
          I made a really funny looking collage of different body parts making one bizarre person in Art class. I really understood what was going on in Spanish class which was a relief! A small side note, normally when Toño walks past me, he does an abbreviated version of the Batman song and then does the blinking motion with his hands. He does it to make me smile but I don't remember exactly where that all started!
School Kiss Count: 4 (Maya, Favio, Toño and Ana.) Pao was unable to kiss me because she had to carry her little brother and Azul and Lore didn't show up. If all those people had kissed me my count would be 7!
        We dropped Pao off at her home and then we arrived at our house. I finished my homework and then started on my blog entry!

Curiosity killed the cat but without curiosity, people are ignorant.
        I woke up at ten in the morning and crawled out of bed to eat breakfast as my parents went out to see if there were any parades still going.
       Unfortunately the parades for the festival of "La Virgén de la Merced" or in English "the Virgin of Mercy"were all the day before. Then as I sat down in front of the computer, I received a frantic call from my parents urging us to get dressed as quickly as possible. They had found a place where they were going to light off firecrackers. Now if you know my brother, then you know that fireworks are on his list of priorities for a day.
      Oscar and I rapidly got dressed and I washed my hair in the sink because my hair was atrocious. My mom came and got us and we met my dad halfway. We speed walked and ran to the certain street where the fireworks were going to go off.
      Upon arriving, we saw Martine and Paola (from soccer); we greeted them and started talking. Down the middle off the street, there was black gunpowder (which until today I thought was white) and every foot or so a bundle of something-or-other more commonly known as a bomba (firecracker). The people setting this up were civilians and kids! People were allowed to get as close as they pleased and I didn't see a single official person! The people that my dad talked to had said it would start precisely at twelve but being Mexico it started at twelve twenty-five. Once we heard the bombas start to go off, we put our bright orange earplugs in and everyone started to take videos. As they got closer and closer, I moved to the stairs with Martine and Paola's family. When  the bomas went off near us I realized that this was the loudest thing I had ever heard in my life. I could feel the explosions going through my body. With every blast the people on the stairs moved up a step. After it was over and the smoke cleared people went on with their normal lives!
                                     
      After many detours, we eventually got home with freshly grilled chicken for lunch. We ate that and then folded laundry (happy happy joy joy).
     Oscar and I cleaned a bathroom and then my parents gave us money to go get soda for all the work we did cleaning. As we drank our sodas, we played different versions of poker with American and Mexican money. That was a blast!
      Now you may be wondering what the title is all about; well today as I talked to my mom I realized that some quotes contradict each other, though both can be true. For example, curiosity killed the cat which can sometimes make sense. Being too curious can get you into trouble, but at the same time, without curiosity, people would be ignorant. If people aren't curious then they won't go out of their way to learn something about a culture, person, country or theory.

On Saturday, I played lots of different games.
          Because I wake up at 5:45 every school day, I am now unable to sleep in very well. Due to that, I woke up at 9:00 am this morning. I read the New York Times, which I consider my most vital connection to the United States and beyond. I ate some pancakes and then rushed off to my room to talk to Grace. It was really nice to skype with her!
         While I talked, Emma, Canek and Karen came to drop Canek off so that he could play with Oscar. Emma ended up coming with me and my mom to a coffee shop. I found a map for homework and then Emma and I played games against each other as we drank cappuchino mochas. Later we ate ice cream! We played Blink, Spit (or Speed) and then cribbage; it was really fun!
        We quickly walked home so that I could keep my appointment with Emery. We face timed for a while, which was very nice. Once I finished, I went out of the room I was in, and Emma, Canek and Karen (their mom/ my teacher) were still there so I played nerf guns with the boys before they had to leave. I won the first round!!
        After they left, I sat down at our keyboard and started to play some of my songs for the first time in months. Once I started to play, I realized how much I missed playing. I love being able to play the piano, as tedious as it is to practice every day. Even though I suck at composing songs, I love playing classical music by other composers. It is a way of expressing myself through other people's music.
      My dad went out and bought tamales for dinner. We ate tamales while we watched the Hunger Games! For dessert we ate frozen yogurt tubes that I loved! I practically fell into bed!

Lucerito, the cook who always calls me Mamita for no apparent reason

The church were the festival for la Virgen de Merced was held

I feel like now I am getting a lot more friends!
            I woke up and for a quick moment I was in despair thinking that it was Thursday. Then as I realized the true day I said in my head--as I groggily tried to comprehend it all--TGIF (thank god it's Friday).
           I walked into class and sat down with Lore as is now becoming the custom for physics or chemistry. We did some copying and I finished quickly enough that I got to go to breakfast earlier than usual.
           As Lucerito (the very nice cook) shooed us out so that she had time to finish making our breakfast, Toño, Tilo, Lore, Emma and I talked lightly (if that is possible) about destruction of countries and the world. First we talked about the Mayan calendar ending. Tilo believes that the world will end before Christmas this year but the rest of us quickly dismissed the possibility of that with different theories. Emma's was that there wasn't enough space on the rock to finish writing the rest of the calendar. Lore's was that they just didn't have time to finish it, and Toño's was that they wanted to scare future generations! Of course it was Toño who suggested that! Breakfast was eggs with potatoes in it; it doesn't sound good but really it was delicious.
         I feel like since I have been here I have been trying more new foods, though, if you think about it, I don't really have a choice during breakfast. I just eat what they have because that is the only thing I am able to eat there! I am starting to think that maybe trying new foods isn't so bad!
         During Civics and Ethics, Andrés asked me a lot of questions. We were sitting at the same table and he asked me things like: Do you have a Facebook? What kind of music do you like? What instruments do you like? Do you like sports? I thought it was nice of him to ask because he is normally a quiet person and also no one asks me those questions.
        Then... SWIM TIME!! I got changed as quickly as possible and got in the water. I did laps and races against Emma and Andrés. We did dives and on the first one I hit my toes, that hurt. We didn't have time to play water polo, unfortunately, so we had free time.
       Our fruit was mandarins with seeds so as I sat down on the hill with Maya, Favio, Pao, Lore, Emma and Tilo mostly in silence, and we spit the seeds out. Lore trapped some little runaway kids that had run out of the pen door and I was unable to help due to my sticky hands!
       Math was nothing very interesting so I will continue to Spanish. Karla brought her husband into class and I think he is very nice. After we finished the parts of a magazine, she read us the myth of Cupid. It has personal significance to her because the first words her then-new-aquaintance husband said to her were "Do you know the story of Cupid?" and that was when she fell in love with him. She said that from now on, if we finish our work quickly then she will read us a myth!
      After class ended I hung out with everyone and my kiss count got a LOT bigger.
School Kiss Count: 5! Paola, Ana, Toño, Maya and Lore!
      I feel like I am becoming better friends with Ana. We talk more; we share laughs; she smiles at me and today she gave me a kiss on the cheek as she left. I am liking hanging out with Toño now because he cracks me up! He likes to play around and has a hilarious laugh.
      After school we went back home so that Oscar and my parents could have their Spanish lessons with Gabby. I was forced to go out the the Casa del Pan and the store with my mom though it wasn't too bad.
         At seven my mom and dad went to go to yoga down the street.  We stayed home and as a snack we got chocolate croissants! Somehow I got onto AFV (Americas Funniest Home Videos) and....well...You know how addicting those are!
       Then, we watched another episode of Heroes!
    

I am loving sports here in this moment.
          My latest news is mostly about my latest sports occurrences and victories. So sorry for you who have no interest in sports what-so-ever. For those of you who are not sports fans, there is a part about something other than sports so don't lose hope! :)
          The highlight of Tuesday (there was no school on Monday due to holidays) also known as the only thing I remember about Tuesday: PE was very fun; we did relay races and races with partners. We did relay races girls against boys where we would do a variety of things from sitting on our butt (sorry bottom or tushi for those of you who don't like the word butt) backwards and then running to doing five high-knees backwards and then running. I enjoyed the competition. Then we split into pairs and I went with Lore. The first one when we heard about it we all groaned in anticipation: we had to carry each other piggyback and if that wasn't bad enough, we had to stop on every crack in the sidewalk and do five bends-of-knees. I got on Lore's back and she said she was fine carrying me and that it wasn't too hard. Then on the way back I had to carry her, and she kept asking me "are you okay?, are you okay?" I kept replying "Lore, I'm fine." We did well and the next one was also fun. We did a wheelbarrow race which we won!
         At the end of PE we had a soccer game, and I was picked first of the girls and I played pretty hard. At one point, the ball bounced of Paola and I saw the chance of opportunity. I ran and stopped a little before to account for the slide of the dusty concrete. I hit it with a poke of my toe and I made a goal! I was pretty stoked and Favio gave me a high-five.
          The highlight of Wednesday: we had swimming class. I love swimming class because I love swimming and I love playing water polo. I was the only one of my girl-friends who swam (they each had their own excuses) so I changed alone and then jumped in the water. After I swam a certain number of laps I was obliged to (get this) get out to run around the pool! Those are actually the instructions of the swim coach!! After we practiced river swimming, the coach chose two people to choose teams and I was chosen first! I did a couple of assists (is that what you call them in water polo?) and Diego (the best player on my team) gave me a thumbs up after every goal that he scored.
         Now about today, we had to do a presentation on our Spanish project in front of the whole class!!! I was nerve wracked! I was scared but not as scared as Lore (her aunt was grading and Lore had to give them her Spanish notebook in which she had her whole speech!). I did well and I got 10/10 points!
       Because of our project speeches, we were late to PE and we did relay races boys against girls with spoons in our mouths (we found out too late that the kids in elementary school had used them first!) with styrofoam balls balancing on them. We had to keep the ball on it as we passed hoops around our body! Unfortunately we didn't have time to play soccer. Regardless, I still had fun.
      After school we hung out with Lore, her brother (who was very nice), Maya and Tilo. I did tricks on the bars.
      When my dad showed up we went to soccer. The drills that we did were really fun: one that we did was where we lined up everyone's balls and one person kicked the first four with his/her right foot and then the last two he/her would kick it with their left foot. I kicked it pretty hard and I was pleased with myself because I used to have a really wimpy kick.
       When we played the scrimmage game, Oscar and I were split up by age. I was chosen second to last (at least I wasn't last!) and I played left offender. At one point someone passed to me and I scored!! I scored the first or second goal for my team! Then a little later in the game, a kid named Rodolfo (very tall and skinny; he is pretty nice) kicked it with a LOT of force at me. I suppose he thought I would flinch and move. I didn't. It hit me pretty hard on my thigh and elbow. I didn't even exclaim anything because being the only girl, if I am at all wimpy, they won't take me seriously. A minute or so after, he asked, "I'm sorry, are you okay?" I just said I was fine.
       Something I like a lot about here is that some of the best players are defenders, whereas in the US (in general) boys want to be on offense because they get the glory of scoring goals. I felt like today was really fun and I hope that I will grow more used to my team!
Good Night!

A couple days in which I find a purse with eyes.
              Friday was not very interesting at all except after the sun went down, so I will only explain that part. We decided to go out that night to get Oscar a green shirt for his soccer game the next day. We also wanted to go a store called Elektro Voodoo that sells very quirky shirts. We tried on some shirts and then I ordered one with a very cool octopus on it. Then as I wandered around the small but fascinating store, I found a very cool bag that was made of pieces of black leather crocheted with blue string. That on its own was cool, but to make it even cooler were two blue eyes staring at you from the middle. I really really like that bag!!!

         After going to a couple stores for various items, we went home and watched two episodes of Heroes. Thanks Emery--you got us hooked!!!
                                                           

SATURDAY

We woke up and drove Oscar to his game. The group was split up into two teams to play each other. My mom, my dad and I sat on the sidelines with Martine's sister, mom and dad. They are very nice and Paola (the other girl during soccer camp) was very friendly and didn't make me feel uncomfortable. Oscar's mini-team lost, but I think he still had fun.
         We dropped Oscar at Canek's house (Emma's house; Canek is his brother) and then went to exercise at Sedem. I kicked a ball around, got very tired doing a small number of sprints (disappointing...) and did some arm exercises.
        Before we picked up Oscar, we went to a restaurant and got some killer milkshakes and spicy pork tacos. We drove up the hill road (the same one we take to school) and went to Canek/Emma's house. Oscar, Canek and Canek's friend Carlos showed us this amazing swing that their neighbors had put up. To ride on it, you sit on a stick tied to the rope and back yourself up a hill and let go..... You swing very high and a lot of times almost run into a wall. It was totally worth it. After having a bunch of fun on that, we went home so that I could talk to Emery. After a nice long talk, I was forced to leave to go to a dinner party at Hugo's house.
        We thought that arriving a half hour late would be the appropriate Mexican timing, but no one else showed up until a hour and a half later!!!! We had a delicious dinner of sausage, carne asada, beans and tostadas and pepsi. The TV was on to watch a big boxing match but first  we tuned into the coverage from the DF on "el grito" (where the President says "viva Mexico", "viva los heroes" etc). We watched that as the night air turned very cold and I got another jacket. Then the punching-people-so-that-they-turn-into-brain-damaged-broccoli fest started. We all groaned and turned away as they battered away at each other for no apparent reason other than the money they win as a prize. I had a lot of fun that night and felt very comfortable in their company.
       We left very late that night and did very little after that before bed.

                                                               SUNDAY
                I woke up at nine in the morning in anticipation of the Ultimate game we planned to play. That didn't end up happening but we ate pancakes and played volleyball before we attempted to see the Independence Day parades but we were too late. We did see Dr. Simi dance though! (Dr.Simi is a fake doctor who is the mascot for a pharmacy chain).

We went to a bookstore and bought some English books after we unexpectedly met up with Alejandro and Coki's family. We got some very good iced mochas (or mokas, as they are spelled in Mexico) and Oscar and I walked home alone while my parents went shopping in the dreaded food market! I don't like the food market because of all the good and bad smells mixed together with the dirtiness of some parts of it.

               We got home and I rocked out to Foxy Shazam as I organized my room. Here is a link to my favorite song of theirs: Oh Lord  I really like this band because they aren't afraid to be silly. My favorite characters are the main guy (obviously), the trumpeter who is very good and the keyboardist who is just hilarious.

              When my parents got home, my mom led me out of my room and told me that something bad happened. I was very nervous about the news I was about to hear. I walked into the living room and saw my dad with very red eyes sitting on the couch with Oscar. He informed me that his grandpa died. I sat down heavily on the couch and started to cry (albeit silently but I did cry).
            My great grandpa was a very generous guy. He really liked the idea of leaving a legacy. He was a minister so after he retired, he donated fifty thousand dollars to the church. He was very fair to everyone and made sure that everyone got the same gifts. Grandpa Dave gave my cousins and I each some money. He had a very distinct beautiful voice which was very deep and had a sense of pride (pride not arrogance) in it even in the years leading up to his death. I love him very much and I will miss him greatly.
           I cried for me and my family because we will never see him again. I cried for him, Grandma Lala and I mostly cried for Papa Tom. I cried for Papa Tom because I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose a parent especially one like Grandpa Dave. He, JoJo, Auntie Liz and Park Mark took care of them very well in his last years and made a big effort to visit them often.
       My parents had the idea to make an altar for him so we will put all the things he liked on it. So far we have the traditional candles, coffee, a dollar bill and a peso (he liked money and collecting coins), incense and a representation of the dock at the Lake Place. We are working on a boat and biscuit with two figures to represent Grandpa Dave and Grandma Lala.

The day in which I became President of the school.

                                                            WEDNESDAY

          Physics was the same boringness but when it was time for math, Pow (Pao, short for Paola), Lore (Lorena) and I, along with some boys, were sent down to the kitchen to help cook and do chores around the kitchen for the Kermes (the meeting and food sale later that day). We did little things like give the bunnies and horse their food and then after we washed our hands we put bread crumbs on pieces of pork. Even though the tasks themselves weren't very fun, I had fun doing them with my friends!

          First we had breakfast which was okay but as we waited, Lore told me that I was the best friend she had ever had!!! That made me feel good! She also said that all the rest of her friends try to be better than her though (as she says) isn't good at anything. 

        Karla helped shorten my speech about the parts of a newspaper that I was to give at the Kermes; I figured out that I was going to be a waitress at the event; and in the minutes leading up to it, I was elected President of my school.  In all my gringoness I was still elected President. I didn't want to be President because:

a) I am not even fluent in the language

and

b) I have no idea what being President of DICET means!!!

 I am still in awe of my classmates' decision of my being President because I think I am the youngest in the class and I am a gringa (or extranjera).

         We went out onto the main plaza and the escolta (troop) from the sixth grade class who had started training a half hour before the Kermes, started marching.

We stood in the supposed shade and became broiling hot in our navy blue wool sweaters!!! I read off the paper that Karla gave me of the Mexican national anthem as the music boomed with bad reception. This is all I currently remember from the National anthem of Mexico:

 Mexicanos al grito de guerra

  ----(I don't remember this part) el bridon

y retiemble en sus centros la tierra

al sonoro rugir del cañon

Primaria (elementary school) went first and everyone got bored during that part and then it was my turn. Karla kept asking if I was nervous and I kept saying I wasn't (truth is I was TERRIFIED). I got the microphone and started my much-revised version of the speech (for the sake of the parents and everyone else listening). I read the first page and couldn't get the sheet of paper behind the rest fast enough so I just flung it on the ground. I did that for the rest of the pages that followed. When it was time for me to say which part everyone in my class had done for the newspaper, Karla fed me the words as we completely fibbed for some parts that we said people had done. For example, I said that Evodio had done the health section even though he hadn't. Lore kept turning me and pushing the microphone towards me to cut the feedback from the speakers. It really helped. After my moments of terror, I handed Karla the slightly wet microphone (from my sweaty/nervous hands) and as I turned around Lore gave me a big hug. That felt good to be greeted with a big hug after something so nerve-wracking!

          After Emma's speech (which was right after mine), we rushed into the kitchen to write down the menu so that we could start serving people. The experience of being a waitress wasn't so bad, it's just that I was constantly scared I was going to do something wrong. I didn't, but those thoughts kind of ruined my experience through no fault of anyone else except my own. After that was over, we ate the left-over food which was VERY good.

       My parents forced us to leave to go to soccer practice because it was sunny. They made us go because it was a nice day but Oscar and I didn't want to go because I (I can't speak for Oscar) was physically and mentally exhausted.

      We ended up going and I had more fun than ever (since the school year began) because I was the oldest (or at least the tallest) there. No older kids showed up so I was less self-concious!! I was partners with Fernando for keep-away which I thought was fun! At one point they split us into groups to do scrimmage and Profe chose two captains; he then told them to pick the boys they wanted (niños) then he quickly corrected himself saying boys or girl (niños o niña). The kids laughed and he said, "Well, there is a girl, right!?"!!! 

      After practice we went out to eat to celebrate the "inauguration"of the new unwilling president of DICET (hey wait a sec, I thought that presidents had a choice in the matter!!!!). We ate on the balcony of a REALLY good pizza place on the andador de Guadalupe. We saw Memo (my parents' Spanish teacher who is going to move to Ocosingo) and Gabby (a teacher who will take over Memo's position as Spanish teacher for my parents)! I also saw a teacher from DICET named Margarita who is Oscar's Civica y Etica (Civics and Ethics) teacher. She has a very unnatural shaped butt. I am not being weird because it is true; her butt sticks out very far and is kind of like two rounded triangles. Everyone in my class is wondering if that is even anatomically possible. It probably isn't! (Surgery? Something stuck in her pants??)

                                                           THURSDAY

After a few classes that don't really stand out to me in any way, we did an analysis of sorts about the Kermes the day before. The teachers thought it was great for the first one of the year, but we all agreed it was disorganized. We decided that next time, we would do a sort of buffet where first at the cash register, you would say what you wanted, the cashiers would write it down, and then the customer would pay. The paper on which you would write what they paid for would have a copy below it so that when you wrote on it, it would also pass through to the next page. 

       After school we again went to soccer which was fine. I was temporarily put with Juan Pablo who still didn't really acknowledge we were there. When he saw that we were meant to be partners we both kind of laughed. We did keep-away and played a lot harder than we would have with other people. That was fun.

When I realize I may "not be" mentally healthy. (just joking)

                                                                 MONDAY

         Physics flew by quickly and we were left with little homework (oh yeah!). Math was not anything extraordinary as I had to work on the math book that West High gave me to work on. Breakfast was okay but I ended up eating only part of it. The BIG highlight of the breakfast was the cappucino that they made at school. Paola gave me a sip of hers before I got mine and it was pure heaven in a plastic cup.

         English is always a good class for me because I get to excel in my first language. Our homework from last time was to read the first chapter of "The Three Musketeers" but Maya didn't have the book and Emmanuel "said he read it" but he couldn't remember a thing about it. So that forced me to be the one that explained it all to Maya so that we could write a summary. I kind of acted it out also which further prompted Maya's idea that I am going to be an actress when I grow up. Azul was put into our group after the teacher realized how much English she knew.

       Then we had Geology in English, that wasn't anything special so I will go to the next activity. After our snack we were meant to have art, I like the teacher but lately we have been doing less creative stuff and more stuff like cutting things out. Maya and Ana (who Tilo remarked about yesterday that she has a voice that always sounds like she is suffering. At the end of her sentences her tone drops) complained about it and I felt bad for the art teacher. I like Maya but sometimes she is rude. We went down below to make a string of flags but it soon started to rain. We went into the rain because we wanted to get wet. We were very bored with our current project so after she tried countless times to get us back underneath the balcony she told us we were going to get reports. She told Eloina (the principal) what she planned to do and Eloina told her not to because if we got sick then that was our own faults. We got completely soaking and had a bunch of fun as we splashed each other and kept saying "well what the heck, YOLO (you only live once) as the sixth graders looked on jealously at us (they were in there formal uniforms and were un-allowed to go down). I think that statement is true and that maybe I should loosen up a little (just a smidgen!). We came in after and dripped all over the place.  Some people used the curtains for a towel!!

       After school I had a lot of homework so I did that most of the afternoon.

                                                              TUESDAY

           We had double physics first thing in the morning which did not make me thrilled. I almost fell asleep at one part! Breakfast was chilaquiles which are chips covered in a watery tomato sauce and chicken. It was a little spicy but I thought it was good. Math was pretty much the same as the day before so nothing to get really excited about.

          Then, we were supposed to have PE but you know how that goes, they didn't end up showing up, so they scheduled a class (or as she insists "this isn't a class it's a course") for that time. It has a very long name so I will just call it Social Intelligence or Counseling. She had us copy the homework off the board and then we did this exercise where we had to write down the names of three people that suck the joy out of things. She tried to get us to think of dementors in Harry Potter and for me that was NOT very hard! I had a hard time thinking of one but then I finally got one. Later she split us up into partners and let us loose outside to try and get us to explain why we think that the person who is like a dementor is that way. My partner was someone who will remain un-named to avoid class issues (if someone stumbles upon it) and lets just say that I was less than thrilled. And I wasn't the only one so the rest of us who were disappointed with our partners just sat on the hill in the sun. After the time that she gave us she came down and had us sit in a circle while she talked about who controls who in the education system. I kind of zoned out for that bit because Oscar's class where doing relay races and that was more interesting than what we were doing.

          Then she explained to us that Lina (the girl with the handicapped hand) had something to tell us. She told us that a lot of people were being rude to her (and rightly so, Favio, Evodio and Diego all were being awful to her, they threw stuff at her, mimicked her, made fun of her). She started quietly and then she had a major crescendo in which she was almost in tears. She then told everyone who WASN'T mean to her: Paola, Maya, Azul and I. After a big discussion in which everyone agreed that they would respect her if she respected them (by not freaking out). I had seen her being bullied but I was just at a loss of what to do, if I was reading this blog about someone else I could easily give them advice but it is a lot harder to actually fulfill that advice. Then Griselda (the teacher) told us that to be emotionally healthy you have to have the minimum of hugs (22) a day. Now I don't get that many hugs a day but I seem to be mentally healthy, right!! She told us that we had to give everyone a hug. I started with my friends so first Paola then Maya and Lorena and then Ana and I kind of were standing there with no-one to hug and then I just said "Ana" and then we both gave a small laugh and then hugged each other (we had never been as close as she and Paola). I ended up also hugging Favio, Tilo and Emma among the boys.

         Then, SNACK TIME!!! We all gathered in the hexagon shaped kitchen and ate bread with jam that was left over from the little kids. I had two pieces and a cup of smoothie from the elaborate breakfast that my dad and mom made for Oscar's class. We were going to go back to the class but instead were supposed to go back to the kitchen. We were told to sit in a semi hexagon facing in towards the work space. First, as we were jammed together literally hip to hip to make room for Maya's friend who came to visit her that day, they first reminded us of the meeting tomorrow in which we were going to sell homemade food for money for a trip. We had a discussion about who would go on it. Then the teachers wanted to tell the students that were mis-behaving in class that they wanted it to stop by playing this odd game. The teacher would walk around and give everyone a hand shake or a pat on the head. I you were given a handshake then you were fine and if you were given a pat on the head, then you had to ask why you were tapped on the head. Most people were in trouble because they were swearing in class (or saying "groserias). Then it was Karla's turn, she changed the game a little by first giving everyone a hand shake and then really starting. The people that she shook hands with she had something good to say about them and the people that she didn't touch at all were fine. The people who she tapped on the head she needed them to change something. The rest of the game went the same as before. In the middle of what she talked about, it started to rain and because we were underneath a tine roof it was VERY loud. Maya and I unable to hear anything cupped our hands over our ears and experimented with the sound. After we left, we read from a book a little bit and then Karla checked the speech that I am going to do on Wednesday.

           

The "forbidding" gate to my school on a misty morning.

Charro on the lawn of the school

My mostly beloved school shrouded in mist

Men and women in Zinacantan

Me sitting in my classroom after school.

Something really weird happened and this post got deleted. We mostly recovered it but the title and some parts are still different. Sorry Papa, your comment was deleted.

This last week I have done everything from going to a organic market to helping host a dinner party to climbing on rock and playing soccer with a kid who looks like a hedgehog!
         Holy crud, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Sorry for the delay and this will be a very long post just to warn you. Okay: the highlights of the past week are below.
                                                                SATURDAY
---- I woke up and attempted to do my homework before I had to set up for the dinner party that we had later on. I begged to go to the organic market before we started setting up. We finally left and I was content to hang around there for a while. It is in the courtyard of someone's house and it reminds me of the Missoula Farmers Market (which by the way, I love). Among other things we bought some organic Mexican rainforest gum which is very yummy even if it was kind of expensive and it loses the flavor fast. It was good while it lasted anyway!
---- After we walked home we set up for the dinner party; we had invited Doña Lesvia and her family over for dinner for the first time. We made shepard's pie and set three tables up outside to hopefully accommodate everyone. Gaby came which was a surprise but we were able to fit her and she and her baby were very welcome.
----I think the dinner was kind of awkward (well, for me because there were kids my age at the other table talking but I didn't feel like I could join) but afterwards when Carlos temporarily left and Lorena went to hang out with her friends, only Juan Pablo was left (of the older kids). Then we had an epic nerf battle and even though I am not obsessed as Oscar, I still had a lot of fun and shot some Mexican (well, and American) butt!! Then when it got dark, we played soccer (Oscar and I against Juan Pablo). That was also very enjoyable!
----Carlos returned with his X-box and so the boys played with that while I hung out with Daniela. Before everyone left (note that the time we started was around 2:45 p.m they left at 9:00 p.m!) they took pictures of the kids.
----Later that night Coki came back because she had left her keys and phone at our house!
                                                            SUNDAY
----We woke up criminally early (in my opinion) at 8:00--okay fine, it wasn't that bad, but hey! I was tired!
----After the whole morning routine we drove over to the climbing gym to meet up with everyone that was going to go on the outdoor rock climbing tour. Besides my family, Alejandro and Mario, there was a guy named Camilo who spoke a little English and was nice enough, Guillermo (who until recently we called "the French Dude") who was very nice and one of Oscar's favorite climbing characters, and then Victor who was my favorite person on the trip. (He is Dutch and lives in London!!!!!)
----After a relatively short drive we parked our car along with another SUV type of car in the gravel parking lot of some spiritual leader who owned the property that we were going to climb on. Then, armed with our backpacks, we started a hike that was very uphill and tiring. The sky was very nice and was a true blue color partially filled with fluffy white clouds that I always dream about jumping on.
----We then saw a very undercut cliff with many plants clinging on to the face of it. That was the mountain that we were meant to climb. (Gulp! Just kidding--I wasn't very scared leading up to it.)
----The professional people started to set up. Oscar decided to climb first and after a very impressive climb, he came back down. Then it was my turn to don the "Bob the Builder" type hat and get all harnessed up. I did pretty well and I got up rather quickly; the view was very nice and I liked it when the wind blew against me and kind of reminded me in a un-scary way that I was on a cliff alone with only a rope between me and the unforgiving ground. To be perfectly honest I was not scared very much. I am not saying that to make me sound tougher that I am--I really had very little fear.
----I made it to the top of the top rope gear thing and then came back down. Ironically, going down was scarier then going up. I really did not like the idea of exposing my vulnerable back to the rocks below. That was kind of a nerve-wracking time for me, but I got to the ground safe and sound.
----Oscar then decided that since it was his turn to climb that he was going to try the same route one more time to see if he could make it to the top. He started out well but then after a five minute pause he just couldn't make it. He came down very disappointed but he quickly turned his mood around (thankfully).
----I decided when it was my turn to do the next difficult route. The first part looked easier than it was. I had a really difficult time at this one point but I got passed it. I kept saying "toma" which is telling the person top-roping you to pull it tighter. I probably said "toma" at least once every minute. It got really hard and Alejandro said once you stand up I will pull it tighter but I just got very scared by the looseness of the rope that I felt like I would fall, which is just a scary feeling nonetheless, so I said it again, even though he had just told me when he would do it. My mom repeated what he said and I kind of snapped back "I don't care" because it just terrified me to feel like I was going to fall. I decided to go back down after that, though I learned later "had gotten passed the hardest part."
----I had a conversation with Victor and then I asked him why Dutch people liked orange. Who better to ask that then a Dutch person! He told me in his very cool English accent that the person who liberated the Dutch people from an occupation was some kind of French royalty with the name of Orange (which is a place in France), so when he became their king, all the royalty after him had the name of Orange, like Queen Wilhelmina of Orange!
----We left earlier than everyone else because of some homework I needed to finish.

[   The problem with thinking a joint blog post would be as good as a blog post every day is that I forget the everyday occurrences, so here is what I remember about Thursday and Friday.     ]
                                           
                                                              THURSDAY 
----This was the first day that the weather was actually good enough to have soccer practice so as nervous as I was, I begrudgingly headed out of the car after changing to go to soccer practice. Juan Pablo, who I mentioned earlier in this extremely long post, was also there, though he took the cool approach and didn't acknowledge that we were there. To torture him (not literally) my dad said very politely"Hola Juan Pablo!" Juan Pablo did say hi then but that was mostly it. The first part I had the hardest time to just forget what everyone else thought of me. I don't do this because I like thinking about it but because I can't help it. I couldn't get my brain to just shut up about it already. When we did scrimmage Profe split us up into two groups; I was in one and Oscar was in the other. It was divided by age. At first I didn't realize that Fernando (the one who is very nice and smiled at me the other practice) was also in my group. I was dismayed at first but then got a little happier as Fernando was placed on my team. He doesn't speak really but just by smiling he comforts me. Somehow, everyone knew my name, even this guy who looked like a hedgehog that I had never met before. And even curiouser was that he said my name as Guillermina instead of the twisted-warped version of my name in soccer "Yurmina."
----It wasn't as bad as it could have been so I think it will get better as I go to more practices.
                                                             FRIDAY
----A new girl came to school on Friday and she is in my grade!! Her name is Azul which literally means Blue; she seems shy and nice. I hope that through our geography project in which she, Kevin and I will have to work together, that I will get to know her and become her friend.
----For dinner we went out to eat at our new favorite restaurant called Entropia which is a perfect mix of unique and homemade--and clean and neat. After we watched a episode of Heroes which was very good.
                                                             SATURDAY
----Besides doing homework, we also went to Zinacantan. It is a very close indigenous village that is prided for their flowers. This is one of the only places that the men also where the traditional clothing. The men were normal clothes but then over it they put an embroidered tunic. The tunic is covered in flowers and though they all have flowers on them, you can see the differences in them. Some were more chaotic with lots of different flowers all competing for your attention, and some were more simple with flowers still but one type all working in a sort of harmony. The men's tunics also have brightly colored tassles that hang down under the arms and on the back. The tunics and tassles are normally dark purple, dark blue and sometimes dark green or pink. The women's clothing was the same style but they wore long dark-colored skirts and tunics without tassels. They also wore shawls that were stiff so that they stayed in sort of a triangle shape.
----We got there and parked next to a church, there was a wedding and several baptisms happening so we just gathered around like the rest of the people there and watched the procession of various celebrations. There were some big speaker sets with some very very loud music. I was surprised that the little kids who were walking past them seemed unaffected. I think they all may have hearing damage by the age of three!!
----We ate at a restaurant with pretty good quesadillas. When Oscar and I asked for a coke they pulled out two half liters!! My parents said that it was a LOT of soda. Needless to say, my parents used that excuse to steal it occasionally for a sip or two (or three or four).
                                                             SUNDAY
---- After a morning homework session, we went to Maria Elena and Peter's 20th anniversary party at their house. It was a potluck so there were many new foods to try. I was told to sit at the teenager table. For some reason I kind of had a bad feeling about that. While we ate I didn't really say anything and neither did the other girl.
----After a slightly awkward dinner, Renata (the girl I met at the party) and Oscar started throwing the football. I decided to join in. Renate plays touch football so she is really good at throwing and catching. We ended up out-playing Oscar (meaning we played longer than he did because he stopped and we just kept going).
----After a Thai ritual we headed home. Upon arriving home we did a quick clean-up and then finished the rest of the homework.

Friday was pretty fun once I got passed the anxiety of the Biology project.
         I was delighted to see that there were seats open at Ana and Lorena's table this morning. I took the seat and worked on Chemistry.
         Here is a surprising new occurrence: as Ana, Paola and I stood outside class waiting for Lorena to finish copying a table, Favio gave Ana a good morning kiss on the cheek and to my surprise, he gave me a kiss on the cheek also! I was thinking that he would be the last person to kiss me on the cheek!
        Breakfast was passable and then we went to Civic Ethics. We talked about what things in our lives form our personal identities. For me the things that form my personal identity the most are: the different personalities of everyone in my life. For example: my two smart parents, my three interesting and curious god mothers and eccentric godfathers, my wonderful friends and their cool parents and everyone else in between. Another thing that formed my personal identity is learning to speak Spanish and coming here to Mexico. I feel like this experience is already changing me but I know in years to come I will look back on this year and think about how much I learned.
        Then we were supposed to have PE but the teacher again didn't show so after a walk in the forest, we were put to work by Lorena's bossy though-probably-well-meaning Grandmother. We worked in the garden (where I admonished Emmanuel for leaving for a very long time to feed the horse with Tilo and Toño).
         Next we had a snack of various fruits and I was offered a variety of fruits and vegetables covered--I mean covered--in chile/lime stuff. I replied by saying "uhh no thanks!" he kind of laughed remembering the last time I tried it!
        Then it was Biology and I was very nervous in case I had done something wrong in my paper or model. Turns out I was the only one who had done the right thing and I got a perfect score of ten out of ten. I tried not to crack up as Toño made monkey faces with a piece of packing tape over his mouth.
       Next we had Spanish and I worked on the newspapers titles and sections with Emmanuel. I was given a bag of some sort of peas that Lore (Lorena) had harvested in the garden.
      After school Emmanuel met my mom and I helped Karla translate for Ulrich and Edi's dad (the two Canadian's dad). The end of the day school kiss count stayed the same but I am counting it as how many different people during the day kissed me.
      Oscar and I went rock climbing to brush up on our skills before our actual rock climbing trip on Sunday. Alejandro wasn't there five minutes the whole time we were there so obviously he didn't give us any instruction. Mario (the rock climber) and his friends only checked in on us to see if he was needed in the spotting department and after evaluating that he wasn't we would go into the other room.
      Right after rock climbing, my whole family went out for dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday. After checking out a couple restaurants we decided on one that we could watch soccer in! After dinner as I was talking about Paola's funny way of sticking her tongue out after she makes a joke, we were getting our jackets on underneath an umbrella when I heard my name being called. It was Paola! I walked over to her in the dumping rain and we gave each other a big hug and kiss. She met my parents before she had to leave to join her friends who were still walking. My parents agreed that Paola was really nice and I was glad that she noticed me. I think that in general Mexican culture is more into being nice to parents in general, than the United States.
    Upon arriving home we watched a new spy series and ate popcorn and brownies. We gave my dad his presents and then went upstairs to hang out with my mom before we went to bed.
School Kiss Count: 3
Good Night!