This is my Flag Wall

What's missing? If anyone can find one and send it in the mail, I'd be appreciative. You know what I'm talking about ;)

~Buster

A Touch of "Día de los Muertos"

Here are some pictures of my gift for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It hasn't actually happened yet, and I don't feel like explaining too much on it just yet (because I'm tired), but this weekend I'll take pictures of the whole shebang and give you a nice description.

But part of the tradition has to do with making candy skulls and writing poems for people. Here are the gifts the secretary from the school gave me. She's a sweet lady and has been warm and welcoming to me from the start.

Here are the gifts Marthita gave me. The poem found its way onto the personal part of my wall.

Carlos obliged to take a picture of me with the skull.

Here's what my poem said:
The bag of bones (kind of a bad translation) was looking for
a German and English teacher

And suddenly it came looking at the Colegio Latino

Oh! Buster, I was looking for you,

You've gotten used to our food

so quickly,

Be careful because it can be very bad for you

and soon it could be that this bag of bones could take you as a prize

and you won't be able to go to the market

to get that chicken you love

Every day I see you so cheerful

probably because you're eating

the food of Mrs. Amparo

I hope the skeleton goes away and doesn't take you away

Because you're a great friend

And I want to keep you here with me.

Marthita

(The translation sounds bad, but it was very sweet and thoughtful. This woman is like another mother to me)

That's it for now. I'm still trying to swallow this holiday, because it honestly gives me the creeps a bit, but here I am with the bag of bones, saying goodbye. (And I'll probably eat it soon hehe)

Love, always,

~Your Buster

Oktoberfest bei Colegio Latino

Today we had the school's Oktoberfest, which went very well. I also have some good news as far as the salary situation goes. Things might be looking up.

Here are some pictures from the day. These pictures are a bit out of order, but I don't feel like moving them around.

My 4th graders. They presented the history of Oktoberfest

The photo booth (Dirndl and Lederhosen, done by the kids)

Lehrer Buster coordinating (That's what they call me)

The middle schoolers presenting their projects. They did them independently. I was so proud, even though the German was a little off...

My English tutoring group

Emiliano and Sebastian distributing food. They are two very smart kids. In 5th grade, they can already tell you about Karl Marx, communism, and can carry a decent conversation in German. I'm super proud of them (of course, it does take a good teacher ;) )

These are my 4th graders. This is the part where they showed the first Oktoberfest...

One of the middle school students wanted to take a picture

I caught them goofing off. They obliged to take a picture. The music was a hit, and I even sang a bit for them.

Two boys. One of them is in the woman's spot, but hey, this is 2010.

Yes, those are hot dogs. The kids had to provide the sausages and misunderstood me. Oh well. The other thing is caramelized apples and onions.

Oh yeah, I spent like 5.5 hours making all the food. This is only part of it.

The food.

Before pictures...

Hope you enjoyed. Take care.

Love, always,

~Buster

This was during the onion cutting crusade.

Cutting Onions and Apples

Today I'm getting ready for the school's Oktoberfest. I'm busy cutting onions, apples, and preparing the sausages (as well as getting things ready for the other items). I'm very, very tired, and am still being put on the back burner by the administration.

Great. My goal is to be in bed by 9:30. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Love,

~Buster

New Cafe and Possibly a Step in the Right Direction

I'm about to head over to Andy's, a new cafe that just opened across the street from my apartment. It's relaxing, has friendly service, and is cheap, and I think it'll make the perfect new environment for me to get my work done.

I'm very tired today. It was a long, but productive, day, and my to-do list is becoming smaller. Also, I think we're making headway as far as my salary goes.

I checked out some puppies up for adoption at the vet. They were little black schnauzer like dogs, and now I'm trying to decide if I'll get one or not. I'd love to have a dog, but we'll see what happens.

On another note, my palate is changing. Today I devoured some spicy quesadillas, and I eat jalapeños with all kinds of stuff. I guess it was bound to happen.

That's it for today. I'll be in touch soon.

~Buster

Just a small update

I'm tired and bummed out today. I feel old.

Goodbye.

~Buster

Fascination for Mexico and the Salsa Showdown

Song of the Day

3x5

I picked up a book about a month ago while I was in Cuernavaca, and fittingly, when I went back to Cuernavaca this weekend for a visit, I took it along to read. I got through about half of it and will finish the rest of it relatively quickly. It's called "Fascinación por México," and I'm starting to identify my feelings here as that. It has really interesting information and anecdotes about lots of things, ranging from food to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun god.

While in Cuernavaca, my camera decided to become a glutton for battery power, so I only managed to take these pictures that were of the Salsa Showdown I had with one of Nico's friends. I had the bright idea to chug salsa to see who could endure more. I'm getting a taste for Mexican food, and yesterday I even had a few jalapeños by themselves (and one stuck in my baguette for lunch). So, yeah, here's the Salsa Showdown.

Naively optimistic about this.

And Jonathan, without even waiting around, gets started.

Unfortunately there are no good pictures of me drinking it. Then again, I only did for about 5 seconds before I started spewing and dry heaving. (Well, it wasn't necessarily dry)

The face of defeat.

And the ruckus applause for the victor.

Other than that, I checked out some interesting stuff in Cuernavaca. But since I didn't have my camera, I'll have to tell you about it another time, because I really don't want to do it injustice.

I also picked up some cool stuff, a gift, and some other surprises.

I am fighting with all my might to stay in Mexico, and I think it's working. I had a sincere talk with my immediate boss, and she wants to help me stay here. Honestly, I nearly cried while talking to her. I'm figuring out that I really love it here, and also, that I really like the person I'm becoming while here. Just a superficial bit, but check the difference in my weight. (I guess losing 18 pounds does make a difference).

23 June 2010

18 October 2010

But that's not the only thing. I am more confident for more reasons than my appearance. I outlined some of those reasons in a previous post, but I'll reiterate a bit. I figured out that I need to focus on ways to make myself happy. That would put an end to the dependency on others to keep me smiling, and so far it seems to have worked.

I know that I'm a better person here, and I'm becoming even better everyday. I am happy, at ease, and I think that I could leave now, but I'm not ready to. I've still got a lot to learn in Mexico, so I hope that things will go well for me this week.

Also, one last thing before I let this post end, I need to earn to focus on letting things go. People, issues, relationships gone awry and problems I can't resolve. I'm hurting myself and others more by focusing on them. Pray for me as I take on this giant. I'll talk more about this later and in private if you want.

That'll be it for today. We'll talk soon.

Love, always,

~Buster

From the previous post...

I can now say that I'm going to find out on Monday for sure whether I stay or go.

On a completely unrelated note...

Jiggity jig?

It's time to think. I'm facing tough decisions, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

But no more giving shady hints to what I'm talking about.

My financial situation has become such that it may be impossible for me to stay here any longer. I am facing student loan repayments, and when I have paid all fixed costs, I will only have about $30 USD left over every week.

That said, I am trying to negotiate a more comfortable salary with my school, but I have also considered and begun looking for jobs in the US that would provide a more stable living, as well as jobs here in Mexico.

If I leave, the lessons I have learned here will be ones that I never forget. I am worried that I'll miss the new friendships I have built here and face feelings of regret, but at the same time, perhaps I'll be able to come back one day with a better understanding of how things will be and what my rights are. To that part let's say I lost the negotiations during my interview for this job. Perhaps I should've studied business a bit and realized how to keep a skeptical eye on what is being put on the table before me.

I write with more confidence than I've ever had in my life. I am certain could be an interpreter now and even interpret from Spanish to German and vice versa without passing through the English barrier. I have lost about 18 pounds and hope to continue losing weight. I have learned to seek my own happiness rather than find it in other people. I have learned the Mexican City subway system. I can use formal language in Spanish to teach a class or have a slang conversation with the taco vendor in the street. I know how to talk to almost anyone.

So what have I lost? Nothing. What will I lose by returning to Kentucky? I don't know. I really don't. That's what scares me. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure what will make me happiest. But I have found myself to be adaptable and know that I will rise to whatever challenges face me.

~Buster

Life Lessons with Buster

I remember in high school we used to take breaks in chorale. Mrs. Tabor would say, "Okay, it's time for life lessons with Mrs. Tabor."

This happened in one of my tutoring classes last week. The students were talking about a girl with down syndrome, and I talked to them about people with handicaps.

However, that's not what we're talking about today.

This is the life lesson I wish to address...

How many times has it happened to you? Someone cancels their plans with you...Someone leaves you a message that they won't make it...someone says something to tease you, and it really hurts...

I've been having some interesting interactions with people lately. Some people are scaring me, others are worrying me, and still others are offending me.

How do I deal with them? How do I keep my "chin up" and my "eyes forward?"

I've decided to believe people to be well-intentioned.

That doesn't mean that if it's 11 PM at night and someone comes walking past me on the sidewalk here that I don't cut a wide circle around them. It's more about interpersonal relationships. My friend offended me, but maybe he was just trying to help. This friend cancelled on me and gave me an excuse, but let's assume it was legit.

This seems to work best, however, when I learn to look for ways to make myself feel good rather than rely on others for it. If I read through a new book, I'm proud of myself for doing so and for gaining something from it. If I lose another pound or two over a week I can be happy about the conscious decision I'm making to make myself healthier. Then, when someone cancels, I can honestly say to myself that my being happy doesn't depend on that plan being fulfilled. I can be disappointed by it, but in the end, I'm a decent person doing what I can to make myself better. That is something I can be proud of.

That said, maybe this doesn't mean anything to you, but to me it's meant a lot and has become something I'm practicing here.

But work is calling. Grading, lesson planning, and exam-writing are on my to-do list today.

My best intentions to you. (haha) Or "chin up, eyes forward..."

~Buster

Estoy baje y baje...

So, this is just something I'm not sure about. I'm kind of worried, but then again, I'm also happy.

When I arrived in Mexico I was around 195 pounds (gahhhh), but I just weighed myself, and I'm about 177. Last week I was 82 kg even, now I'm 80.7

On the weekend I ate pizza, burritos, buffalo wings...During the week I ate at school and had buffalo wings at home because that's all there was, and I was low on cash. How can it be that I lost weight? Am I just moving more? Expending more energy due to the altitude here?

I'm happy about it, but I'm also worried that it could indicate something more serious...

Opinions?

~Buster

Dinner from last weekend...

Por la primera vez...

Voy a escribir en español. Me preocupo mucho por algo de que me enteré hoy, y espero que todo salga de la forma que yo quiero, porque puede ser que me tendré que ir de aquí, y no me agrada mucho la idea.

Nooooooooo

In other news, the parent-teacher conference went well. The mothers left with smiles on their faces and a better understanding of the dynamics of my class.

Please say a prayer for me, or cross your fingers for...however you do it. I'll post more later if and when this situation becomes a reality...hopefully not. Some of you might not be upset about it like I am, though.

Love,

~Buster

I'm tired...

Yep, it's just been another exhausting week. On top of it, I've caught the cold that's going around. What I had in August was apparently laringitis. I'm probably going to bed soon.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm looking into a few different things to make serious improvements to how I'm doing (basically saving time, money, etc). I hope this works out because if not, I think even more drastic measures will have to be taken.

Here's to you.

~Buster

I just thought it'd be funny to remind everyone what I was like in high school.

Not Much Accomplished

Video of the Day...Que disfruten!

I'm just going to upload some pictures from the weekend. Today I found out one of my students complained to her mom about my classes. Soon I get to have my first parent-teacher conference.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, but I think things will be okay.

Anyway, I'm going to fall over if I don't get to bed soon. Some impressions from the weekend...

~Buster

The birthday boys and their family.

Saira and Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh looks way too happy here...

Salsa Disaster...the bottle just fell out of the cabinet

At the birthday party. C'est ca

Up Late

Due to a few issues here in the house, I got sidetracked on my work and didn't get finished grading, even though I stayed up until 1 AM.

But, I've been reading up on teaching tips and advice. I really love this job. Just pray for me tomorrow, because I've got to take care of some things.

I had a good weekend. I'll give a more satisfactory update later.

~Buster

Off to the Center (Maybe to Play Music)

The title says it all. I'm off to the center. I might take my guitar to play a few songs. I'll upload pictures later, but I want to leave you with this video. It's really cool.

Love,

~Buster

It was a nice day...

Video of the Day

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

I got to sleep in a bit. I went to work (arrived late due to traffic, but so did everyone else...after me!), and I got to have a nice breakfast of tamales and coffee. It was perfect.

After that we had our monthly language teachers' meeting. Then I went for a walk around a shopping center.

I also checked my weight. I had gained about 2.5 lbs last week, but I lost about 3.5, so now I'm lower than I was before. I've lost about 13-14 lbs altogether in my time in Mexico.

I'm about to check out some things with work. Keep your fingers crossed for me as I inquire about an issue that needs addressing.

Also, I don't really have much as far as song of the day goes, but I have some pictures of the area outside my apartment, as well as me "taking the plunge" into an epic quest.

~Buster

Toilet-Plunging Armor

Enjoy these. Things are about to get ugly...

Outside the front of my apartment complex

Parking lot

You were warned...

But I'm prepared and ready (Those who know me know I have a terrible gag reflex. The nose gear protects me from unwanted vomiting. Carlos claims that the toilet being clogged beyond all recognition was my fault, but I have my doubts. Nonetheless through my friendly demeanor I managed to secure a plunger to use to end our toilet woes once and for all.)

Told you.