Update

     The last month has been absolutely crazy here. I can't believe it is already almost December! My classroom has started the shift from Thanksgiving to Christmas. As the turkeys and pilgrims come down, the snowflakes and Christmas trees go up. Thanksgiving was great here. All of the American teachers worked together to host a big Thanksgiving dinner for our closest Mexican friends. We all cooked traditional foods in insane quantities, and they all brought extra dishes and drinks to share. It was a great way to spend the evening, even though we had to get up early for work the next day. All of my friends at home were so surprised that I had to go to work on Thanksgiving - I think they forgot that it is an american holiday... and Mexico is not the United States.
     It is crazy that I have been down here for over three months. The time has gone by very fast. I am coming home in less than a month for Christmas! Thankfully, I will get a taste of the holidays here before I leave. I have been invited to a few posadas and we will be hosting a gringa posada at our house. Looking back on the last three months, I am very satisfied with my experience here. I have some good friends, my Spanish has improved, and I love my class. It is amazing how fast 5 year olds can learn a language. I am so jealous of them! Most of what they have learned is just from listening to me speak. I refuse to speak to them in Spanish. They think I don't know how to speak Spanish at all. One of my little boys told his mom that he wanted to come with her to parent-teacher conferences. He said, "But Mom, you won't understand her. She doesn't speak Spanish. I will go and translate for you!" Every now and then they hear me speaking Spanish with the Mexican teachers. I have convinced them that I'm not really speaking Spanish - it is a special teacher language. They are just so adorable, and they have learned so much! Even my kids who are new to the school and had never spoken English before already understand everything I say and can respond in very good spanglish. Some of my kids can have entire conversations in English with no problems. I am very happy working with them every day.
     The violence here doesn't make me nervous anymore. I (sadly) have become used to the militares and federales standing guard with their guns. I have gotten used to hearing gunshots outside. It is hard to say if things are getting better or worse, but there are still a lot of issues in the city. On Saturday, the new president will be taking office. A lot of people think he is a complete idiot. They were very unhappy when he got elected. No one is really sure how is presidency will change things, but hopefully it is for the better.
     There are a lot of fun things going on in December, so I will try and post some pictures and keep things updated!

Día de los Muertos

     I had been looking forward to spending Día de los muertos in México since the day I took the job here. When I heard that there are no celebrations in Torreón for Día de los muertos, I was extremely disappointed. However, I ended up having a great time over the weekend and seeing a lot of what Day of the Dead is all about.

     The school acknowledged the day on Thursday, the 1st of November. The 2nd of November was a day off for teachers. On Thursday, every teacher in secundaria had their students make an altar in the gymnasium, and prizes were given out for the best altars. They were very elaborate with flowers, papel picado, candles, pictures, sand, food, and other little trinkets to remember the person to whom the altar was dedicated. In kinder, we also made an altar. Each class was in charge of contributing something different. My kids made papel picado and brought pan de muerto. The kids from maternal sang a song about the day, and the teacher talked about the celebration with the kids. Our altar was for Walt Disney. After the presentation, all of the kids ate pan de muerto and orange juice.

     Other than the altars at the schools, there was very little mention of día de los muertos around the town. A few places built altars, but there were no parties, parades, or festivals of any sort and no one went to the cemeteries because it is way too dangerous. On the other hand, Halloween was a huge event. Kids were screaming at the door all night long, "Queremos Halloween! Queremos Halloween!" There was a Halloween party at the mall and several of the kids at school had parties at their homes as well. It was much more celebrated than Day of the Dead.

     On Friday (the actual celebration of Día de los muertos) I went to Zacatecas with two of my friends. Zacatecas is a much older city and it is located father south of Torreón. As soon as we got off the bus, it was obvious what day it was. There were people walking around the streets with their faces painted like skeletons, papel picado covered the streets, and their were altars everywhere around town. After we checked into our hotel, which was located right downtown, we went shopping. We found lots of beautiful calaveras and Catrina figurines. While we were walking, kids were going into shops chanting something about día de los muertos asking for candy - similar to Halloween. That night, there was a huge parade. The floats were beautiful, each dedicated to something different. It was fascinating! After the parade, their was street entertainment and contests for calaveras, altars, and costumes. Late into the night there were people in the streets partying and celebrating. The newspaper in the morning showed pictures of music and celebrations in the cemetery that were going on all day long. There was also a special bullfight for the day.

One of the floats in the parade - death!

Another one of the floats - she was followed by a group of girls in black singing about her death

This was one of the simpler floats with beautiful papel picado

They were dressed up for the celebration and let us take a picture with them - so cool!

     The rest of our trip in Zacatecas was a lot of fun. We were all out tourists and went sight seeing, shopping for souvenirs and Christmas gifts, visited a mine, and took a ride up the teleférico to see the city from a high hillside. At night, we went to a discoteca deep in the mine, which was a great experience. Overall, it was the most fun weekend I have had since I've been here. Even though I spent my entire paycheck, it was worth every peso.

Halloween and Día de los Muertos

     One of the most exciting and interesting holidays in Mexico is Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead. Ever since I began studying Spanish, I have been fascinated with Día de los Muertos. For those of you who do not know what it is, it is a holiday in which people remember their loved ones who have died. They make elaborate altars in their homes, decorated with papel picado, candles, photos, skeleton figurines, calaveras, food, marigolds, and anything else that the deceased was interested in. In some places, the cemeteries are decorated with skeletons, flowers, and candles and people spend the night there celebrating with their families. The people believe that on this day, the souls of their loved ones come back to visit them. Interesting, right? I was so excited to be in Mexico during Día de los Muertos, but here in Torreón, it is not celebrated like in other places in Mexico. Some people will put altars in their homes, and some schools will have a presentation for the kids. The cemeteries are far to dangerous to visit. Essentially, there is nothing in the city that celebrates the holiday.
     Halloween, on the other hand, is NOT a holiday that is celebrated in Mexico. However, here in northern Mexico, it is a bigger celebration than Día de los Muertos. There are Halloween parties for children at the malls, several Halloween stores open throughout the city, and costume parties at peoples' houses. The kids even go trick-or-treating, saying "Queremos Halloween! Queremos Halloween!" My students are far more excited about Halloween than Día de los Muertos.
     During Día de los Muertos, I am headed for Zacatecas, which is further South than Torreón. I hope I will get to see some of the traditions that I have been learning about for so long!

Keeping in Touch

     If you ever decide to move to another country, whether that be for school, fun, or work, you have to think about how you will stay in touch with your friends and family at home. For some people, being away from home can be the biggest challenge of working or studying in a foreign country. I have seen cases of homesickness that have almost sent people back home. In fact, homesickness is such a big deal, it was part of my interview for my job here. They asked me about adjusting to new places, about trying new foods, and about being away from home. Luckily, it isn't a big challenge for me. Being able to talk to people at home can be a good thing or a bad thing in some cases. One of my close friends here has a really hard time talking to her friends because it makes her miss them too much. I have spent enough time away from the US that homesickness isn't an issue for me anymore. I spend too much time thinking about where I want to go next.
     Anyways, staying in touch with people is something to think about. The first complication is actually finding a way to talk. Nowadays as long as there is internet, there is a way to call home. Skype is free and reliable. If there isn't internet where you live, chances are there is an internet cafe close by. In the states, there are not as many internet cafes as there are in other countries. Everywhere I have been in Europe had them on every street. In Costa Rica, it was the same. They are cheap and convenient options. Phones are a last resort for me. Some people take their American phones and have an international plan. Not only is that ridiculously expensive, but it is also too easy to sit and talk to your friends at home all the time. If you are going to go to another country for an extended period of time, why not take advantage of the time you have and meet people and make new friends? Don't get me wrong; of course you will want to stay in touch with your friends at home, but they can become a crutch that makes it easy to not make friends in the place where you are. I bought a very inexpensive phone that I can put tiempo aire on as I need it. I use that to talk to my friends here, and I use Facebook and Skype to talk to my friends at home. It is a good balance for me and I know it works for a lot of other people here as well.
     The second complication is finding things to talk about. Everyone always wants to know how you are doing and what your experiences are. It can be really frustrating trying to communicate what it is like. The reality is, if they haven't been abroad for a long period of time, they can't understand what it is like. Plus, things that are really exciting for me are not interesting to other people. For example, one of my students raised their hand in class the other day and said, "Miss Jenna, Mario is molesting me!" I almost cried laughing when I told some of my friends about it, but they didn't get it ('Molestar' means 'to bother' in Spanish - mistranslation of a 5 year old). The other thing I cannot stand is when people ask (and they always ask), "How is Mexico?!" That is an impossible question to answer. Most of the time, I just say "good" and thats that. I know that "good" is not a real answer, because there is so much going on and there is so much that I am learning. I am falling in love with all sorts of things, and getting annoyed with other things. I am meeting people, finding out new things about myself, and seeing the world from a different view. How can that possibly be explained to anyone who has not experienced it? It can't. So, if you are going to move to a different country, be prepared for the task of communicating with people at home. It can be a challenge, but you want to share your experiences and you want to keep up with what your friends are doing at home as well. Or, just start a blog :)

To Do List

     I can't believe that September is over. This month flew by. It seems like the time here goes by so much faster than it did in the states. I'm worried that the time is going to go by so fast that I won't be able to do everything that I want to do - which happens to be a lot.

Places I want to travel to:

1. Mazatlán: Mazatlán is a city on the Pacific coast. It is a tourist destination for many Mexicans as well as Americans. It is supposed to be absolutely beautiful and it is the closest resort to Torreón. Also, there is a hotel there which is called el Cid that has a Spanish theme! (I still love Spain more than anywhere else)

2. Guanajuato: Guanajuato is in central Mexico just north of Mexico City. There is a lot of history there and many things to see. The bus ride is about 10 hours from Torreón, but it is not very expensive. It is supposed to be a very pretty city with many plazas.

3. Mexico City: D.F. is the capital of Mexico and it is located in center of Mexico. There are a lot of museums, monuments, and shopping. I also want to see the Templo Mayor which was the spiritual temple of the Aztecs.

4. Zacatecas: Zacatecas is in the state directly south of Coahuila (where I am). It is another close place to visit. There is a historic downtown area where you can buy artesanias and also a mountain and cathedral in the city center which is supposed to be very interesting.

5. Yucatan: The peninsula has beautiful beaches and many historic cities that go back to ancient Mexico. Merida is one city in the Yucatan that I especially want to visit.

Things I want to do:

1. Go to a Santos game

2. See a rodeo

3. Go to a bullfight

4. Go to a concert (Ricardo Arjona is coming in November!)

5. Learn to cook Mexican food

6. Learn to dance

7. Speak SPANISH!!

Getting Around

     A lot of people have been asking me how I get around the city. I am very lucky because, for the most part, I can walk everywhere. My house is about a block away from the school. There is a gas station right across the street where I can buy phone minutes, water, and little snacks. There is a grocery store about a ten minute walk from home. The pool I go to is maybe 15 minutes away. There is a gym that is about 15 minutes away as well. There is even a mall that is only 5 minutes from the house which has some stores, a bar, places to eat, and a movie theater. There are many little restaurants around everywhere we go, so food is never a problem. The only downside to walking is the heat. The heat is not so bad when you are in the shade, but walking down the street feels so much hotter! Also, we have to be careful not to get hit by cars. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way and cars won't stop for you to cross.

     Anywhere else that I go in Torreón is just a cheap taxi ride away. There is a larger mall that costs about 35 pesos to get to, the soccer stadium which is about 50 pesos, Walmart is about 15 pesos (way more expensive than the local shops though, so I don't go there), and several fun bars that cost around 20 pesos to get to. Taxis can be a little tricky. They drive down the street and honk their horns if they are available. It is never difficult to find a taxi. However, a lot of the "taxis" are old cars with people who are not official taxi drivers or painted cars to look like taxis. These people aren't necessarily dangerous, but they will try to charge you an outrageous amount because they don't have meters in their cars. It is a good idea to know about how much it will cost to get places before you take a cab. I have had a couple of drivers try and rip me off. Once I tell them that their price is not a fair price, they will accept a better offer.

     I have not taken the city buses anywhere. Most people I have talked to have said they are a hassle and very confusing. One day I will try to take the bus, just to see what it is like. The best and most convenient way to get around is, of course, make friends with Mexicans who have cars. Most of the friends I have made will drive us anywhere we need to go as long as they have time. They will take us out at night, drive us to the bus station, or help us find where we need to go. It is nice to be friends with the locals because they have our backs and make sure we don't go anywhere dangerous. Plus, it is the best way to practice Spanish!

Mexican or Not

Piñatas - yes, they actually do have piñatas at parties!

Tacos - not (at least not the tacos we eat)
             Mexican tacos = corn tortilla, some sort of meat, and sometimes cheese or pico + hot sauce

Sombreros - not, cowboy hats, yes

Corona - YES

Machismo - yes

Short dresses & High heels - yes

Dirt cheap prices on everything - no (clothes and school supplies are way more expensive!!)

Dark skinned - no, a lot of Mexicans are fair skinned.

Güey - yes, every other word is güey

Mariachi - yes, there are mariachi bands for hire all over and they do come to restaurants

Not everything you think about when you think of Mexico is true. I came here with no expectations, and I have been pleasantly surprised. After almost a month here, I have yet to miss Minnesota and I have yet to be bored. I love learning new words and meeting new people. So far, so good!