3 days, 3 DAYS!

Until we leave this apartment behind. I can. NOT. WAIT. I left my clothes on the floor of the bathroom when i got in the shower and forgot to pick them up right away. When I did they were full of about 15 huge black ants. Gross gross gross. Oh, and when we went to talk to the landlord about the internet being out, he came back at us with "well, i'm actually being nice because you were supposed to be out of here on the 27th." Yes, Benjamin, when we said we wanted it for January, we meant only until the fourth to last day. UGH. Enough about that..

Well, Jon and I started our teaching volunteer on Monday. I was put with 3rd and 4th graders (no babies :() and Jon with 5th and 6th. This was supposed to be a trial week, with us helping out the normal teachers, but on Tuesday I showed up to a class of 30 and no Rachel, the teacher. She was out with asthma for Tuesday and Wednesday. I tried to pull some kind of lesson out of thin air, it went alright. Wednesday was better when I actually had time to plan, and I had a good time doing art projects and some games to teach the numbers 1-20. Today Rachel was back, which was a little weird because she took over, but good, because I got a chance to relax. One of the poorer girls has a little brother who comes with, but is too young for any classes. I saw him hanging around outside and went to invite him in. So cute, he comes up to me and asks "Excuse me, where is the classroom for 1st grade, section B?". So I brought him in and while Rachel worked with the class I helped him learn a few words. I like that I found the only 5 year old in the whole place. He is a smart guy too, I drew a sun and an apple and wrote SUN and APPLE  and asked him to read which was which to me and he goes "SUN... and an APPLE but it looks like a sun..." So, teaching is going pretty well. 

I also interviewed for another job on Tuesday. It was advertised as a barista job, but when I showed up, its a little corner bakery owned by an american woman. It smelled amazing. From what I can tell, only one mexican woman works there, baking everything from scratch. My job would be to help work the espresso machine (more like one that you would have at home than an industrial one), and then learn to bake. It sounds really fun, but doesn't pay well. But i got a free cinnamon bun with the interview!! I still may end up doing it just for the experience. 

I feel a lot better about being down here now that I have something to do every day. It does mean that jon and i have become really lame, watching a movie and going to bed around 10 every night, then waking up to plan lessons, but I feel more settled in. Yesterday we found the pirated movie stand, a local grocery store AND tamales. What a good night. 

I'm a little behind on blog posts.. a couple fun things with good pictures happened-

We watched obamas inaguration on the computer!!! wearing matching obama shirts! and then went into town wearing them trying to find other nerdy people like us but none existed!! 

We said goodbye to Jons aunt and uncle (not fun, they were sweet and felt like family! i miss them!) by going on the weekly art walk around PV. there were some really amazing portraits and other things. a lot of gay art too, given the location. but i really enjoyed going. 

The next day was Jon and my's designated anniversary day, and Jon surprised me by taking me by bus to the zoo. (An even greater gesture, because jon absolutely hates the zoo.) The Puerto Vallarta Zoo is pretty well known, and was really fun. We bought a bag that they provide at the beginning, filled with several animal specific foods : carrots, pellets, bread, peanuts, corn. We got to get up close and feed every animal they had! My favorite, boringly enough, were the monkeys. Wait thats not true. I found a new animal, called the coati that has a nose like an anteater and is cousin to the raccoon. The funniest was a cage with a hairless dog in it. I'm pretty sure they had just grabbed it off the street and put it in the cage. All it wanted to do was play chase. I think jons favorite was the zebra. They had learned what a person with a bag meant, and as soon as we got close, they tilted their heads back and opened their mouths. I really loved the zoo, I will probably have to go back several times. 

Our last grand adventure was our attempt at a hike. The zoo was located by a sign that said "hike, 2.5 miles to waterfall", so we decided to go back and do that. Jon and I set out with plenty of water, swimsuits, and walkin shoes. We walked down the road where the sign pointed... and walked down the road some more... and walked on more road... pretty much it was a road through the jungle that led to....... dun dun dun...... THE PREDATOR MOVIE SET! so, instead of being a hike, we kind of just walked 2.5 miles (as tourists passed by in taxis) to get to small waterfalls surrounded by ziplines, a bar and a restaurant. So, we sighed, took some pictures with the sets, had a beer and some guacamole, and jumped in! We were the only ones at first,but as soon as we discovered that one of the rocks was perfectly formed to be a waterfall waterslide, we were joined by many. 

oh, and i saw a manta ray jump out of the water the other day. yessss. 

buzzards and playpens

Jon's birthday was a success, we took the bus out to Bucerias (a nice bus! with padded seats!) which was about an hour and a half of ride. Rancho Banderas, the time share, is a fun place, with several tiered pools cascading down (which we took advantage of to shoot some playboy esque waterfall shots, ha.) We all helped to cook up some shrimp fajitas for dinner, and along with a great chocolate cake, and a couple of jesus candles, jon turned 26! Given the long distance, we left around 7. Getting back was not quite as easy. We waited for a bus on a pitch black empty street. Unfortunately the first one that came by was not as plush as the one we had there, and after jolting terribly finally broke an axle half an hour from town and we had to switch.

The next day, I had a fun time babysitting for a girl from seattle, whose family conveniently decided to come to Puerto Vallarta for their winter vacation. It was great to see her, we watched the fireworks from her balcony, and ordered a fabulous room serviced meal. All these great visitors made it so nice to spend time away from our house!

Finally, yesterday, Jon and I met with this guy for a tour of Children of the Dump. It was a very impressive organization. They started as just a retired couple who would bring hot meals to the families who lived in the dump and made their living sorting through trash. From there, their project meshed with a local church, and they started taking care of the kids, eventually starting a daycare center for the little kids, an afterschool program that teaches english, computers, and math to the gradeschool kids, and has a womens group for the single moms. Whats funny is that the guy that started it does not speak a lick of spanish, and doesn't want to learn even after living here 25 years! Anyway, Jon and I met a few volunteers, visited the daycare and school, and then helped bring meals up to the remaining workers at the dump. It seems like a very welcoming and informal organization, and we are excited to get jobs there. The pay is only $200 a month for volunteers, but I think it will be plenty worth it. 25 little toddlers for me! woo hoo!

whales came by again today. but the stupid jet skiers scared them off. ugh.

the ants go marching one by one...

well, i kind of feel like im exactly where i was last week. still no job, still no apartment. we did, however, find a really awesome apartment for march april and may, that is located downtown with a great balcony that looks out onto the sea. February though, not so much. And we did have some.. progress (?) with jobs. Jon and I interviewed at a bilingual school, but only got a "well let you know". Tyler interviewed at a timeshare place, and then decided he didn't want to be that timeshare guy and didn't take their offer. Jon's aunt and uncle (Norma and Bob) are in Puerto Vallarta for the next two weeks, so we met them downtown for dinner yesterday and are going to their timeshare for Jon's birthday tomorrow. Its a very nice break in the monotony. Who knew lazing at the beach could be so mundane? I guess its not so much the lazing that gets to me. I have a lot of time people watching, and have found iguanas, whales, crabs, and hermit crabs to watch too. I've also caught up on plenty of reading. But at the end of the day, it was exactly like yesterday, and not a whole lot was done that was worth anything. Jon and I are meeting with the administrator of a non profit organization called "Children of the Dump" on Thursday. Volunteering will be fun, and will add something to my day. For today I think my task will be sweeping. fun.

the new year....

well, i decided to wait a while before writing about the new digs. jon had warned me they weren't exactly what we had been promised at $950 a month, as i saw when I arrived. The location is great, about a mile south of downtown, in a quieter more jungly area. And the house DOES have a nice view of the sea, and about 2 blocks to the beach. But beyond that.... The "Huge, fully furnished one bedroom with plenty of room for three" stopped short. The place only has a single door, and it is NOT in the bathroom. The front door locks, luckily, and leads you into our apartment, contained in a single large room. the front of the room is divided from the back by a half constructed wall that doesnt quite reach the cieling, and further back are the kitchen and the open bathroom. Quite lacking in privacy. And upon my arrival, we were still awaiting a second bed, a working stove, and any sort of linens, dishes, pots and pans etc. The owner, this older hippie guy who we have decided is just not good at life, finally showed up about eleven pm. Two pillows (we are three...), one blow up mattress, one blanket and a camping stove were what we were provided with. Jon and Tyler argued forcefully with the guy (while i awkwardly hid in the bathroom) that despite our appreciation of his efforts, this was NOT fully furnished. However, this only succeeded in making him angry, finally leaving with an "this isn't a hotel. i'll do what i can." (which is nothing more, if it requires any effort). However, being the crafty travellers we are, we have made do. Yesterday we made a trip to Walmart, toting Jon's hiking backpack, and loaded up on food, pots and pans, and another pillow. We were pretty comical trying to get onto the bus with a 50 lb backpack the size of me, tyler carrying a case of beer and a cooler, and me with a bucket full of all the odds and ends that wouldn't fit. But we made it back, courageously taking busses the whole way instead of paying for taxis, and I think, once we arrived home, we are all the more comfortable and happy for it. Luckily, the internet was one of the only parts of the ad that was indeed true, so I have been busying myself looking for our next place. Meanwhile, we are bonding and building charachter or something.

New Years itself was pretty fun here. We headed downtown to where the excitement was, had a great dinner at an italian restaurant, and then barhopped a little until 11:45. The Malecon is the main boardwalk where people gather, so we left our bar and went to go find a spot to watch the fireworks. By chance, we happened upon the exact spot where they were going to be shooting off the majority of the city's fireworks. And it being mexico, all that separated us from the men in the hard hats and their tons of explosives was some caution tape. Obviously, I got right up in there, and I think improved the feeling of excitement greatly by never ceasing my screaming. Got some great videos and pictures too. And since then, our time has been spent looking for jobs, exercising (we live at the base of a huge, steep hill. Legs of steel in no time), cooking, and bumming around on the beach. Tyler is looking for a golfing job, and Jon wants to teach, while I really don't care what I do, but i really miss hanging out with kids, so that might play into it.... untilllll next time...

El Tahin

Our trip to el tahin began with a nice drive out of mexico city that quickly turned from 5 hours to 8 after a thick cloud of fog filled the road for about 75% of the ride. when we finally got to the town, we crashed in the first hotel we could, a family run house with a gorgeous garden, and a funny little pen out back with geese and puppy. The puppy was so cute, but was persistently pestered by the geese, which was pretty funny. We woke up early the next morning, to get to the site right when it opened. It was a very good choice, as we had the place practically to ourselves. We started to walk around and then decided to get a guide, since nothing was really marked. Our guide knew everything! I nerdily took notes, and found out that this place was an amalgamation of several cultures, brought together as a trade center. The site was huge, with twenty something pyramids. And my very favorite, the pyramid of niches, has 365 windows for each day of the year. The setting was gorgeous too, with huge jungly mountains surrounding the impressive pyramids, and with a nice warm climate. When i could finally tear myself away from the place (mostly because i was hungry.. not because i wanted to leave) it was about two, and as we left, busses and busses of people arrived. out in the nick of time! We headed to Orizaba along the coastal road, which was gorgeous, passing the place where the spanish first landed (and its quite obvious why they stayed!), but the site that was there was already closed. About two hours before getting to my cousins house in Orizaba, the gear box on the car sputtered and popped and i was pretty sure we were going to be stuck. But, luckily my dad is very optimistic,(or maybe just couldnt hear as well as I?) and despite the terrible grinding sound, and the fact taht we could no longer enter 2nd or 5th gear, we slowly made our way to orizaba, arriving two hours late. whew.

navidad

oh my, so much has happened and i havent had internet! christmas went well, but instead of the 41248210348 people who we expected, it was just my mom,dad, sister, cousin and aunt. but there were roasting of chestnuts, and plenty of fireworks. we even managed to set a cactus on fire. mexican tradition. the next day some family from toluca, the town 30 mins away from my dads, stopped by with my.. cousin? or neice? or something, who is the cutest little girl in the world. we bonded over crayons and playing in the fountain. On friday we dropped my mom off at the airport, went and got me a pirated version of office for mac downtown, and then went salsa dancing with my sister and her friend. or more specifically, i watched the dancing of salsa. my efforts were more along the lines of guacamole. Saturday i spent at home, relaxing with the cats, and preparing for my dads christmas gift, a trip to an archaeological sight called el tahin, which we would head out for on sunday

pinatas, tamales, and cheek pinching.

Food. Is the best thing in the world. Or at least in mexico. My first morning waking up my pa brought fresh tamales. Fabulous. I've spent the first few days recovering at my sister's house, picking up my ma from the airport, and just putzing around. I spent a day at my dad's place in the country, where I tried to go for a run, forgetting the change in altitude. Two miles and I almost went into a coma. Yesterday was quite the event. My dad's non-profit group, Amextra, had their holiday brunch (at sirloin steakhouse, nonetheless, quite classy!). Lots of people who I've known since I was born, some of who I remember, and some who, without fail, will come up to me and proclaim "I remember you when you were only thiiiiiis big. Do you remember me?!" No. I was six months old, thanks. Luckily, I got placed at the table with the kids (well, my age now) of some family friends who I know well. There was a fun gift exchange, where you were allowed to steal other peoples presents if you rolled a double with the dice. Of course, I felt no shame in stealing from whoever had what I wanted. It's the name of the game. After the luncheon and a big cup of coffee (socializing can be quite draining!), we headed over to my Dad's church, where they were putting on a posada. This is quite possibly my favorite thing about the holidays here. In contrast to the white lights and angelic christmas services in the states, the Posada is a big party celebrating the journey of Mary and Joseph, trying to find room at the inn. After a few false starts (traffic and illness kept a few people from coming), the night began with the kid's play, an adaptation of the christmas story. One of the members of the church, a dramaturg, wrote the script, hilariously I might add. My dad ended up filling one of the roles as a mexican style shepherd, complete with a bottle of tequila. After the play, everyone grabbed candles and sang the posada, where one group stands inside pretending to be the inkeepers, and the other group outside pretending to be mary and joseph. At the end, Mary and Joseph find their stable, and everyone lights sparklers and they break out the pinatas and tamales. The groudskeeper of the church had two sons, about seven and four years old, who were careening around uncontrollably all night. The seven year old took a shining to me and I must admit, reminded me of Colin, so we hung out all night and I explained to him what everything was about and listened to him tell me stories about his cats and how his brother has this phone that plays videos and its the coolest thing ever. Honestly, his company was way better than more chit chat with people who semi-remembered me. Plus, he was as excited as I was about the pinatas. I got some great action pictures, and had a really good time with everyone, finally getting home around ten to rest and watch some episodes of Hannah Montana on my computer before bed.