Enough about geography, right? Don't worry, I'm about to tell you about my first few days in the city. I touched down in Tuxtla Sunday, January 2. Even on the luggage conveyor belt, Pipsy was all smiles in her crate. Having her wagging tail greet me was a great way to be welcomed. The school I'm teaching at sent the deputy director to pick me up. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure what she looked like, but she found me right away. We collected my luggage and headed outside. The climate was a welcome change from the blistering cold of Wisconsin winter. I left wearing a dress, unexpecting how windy it would be upon arrival. I'm sure it was comical to watch me try to keep my skirt down while dragging my luggage. Luckily, Lety has an SUV and was able to fit Pipsy's unnecessarily large crate and my two pieces of luggage. The drive from the airport was a pretty straight shot, and after being in Guadalajara, I was less worried by the amount of graffiti I saw on the way into town (and in town as well). It seems almost every street has at least one building or sign with a street artist's rendition of his or her name or favorite animal. It isn't a sign that one neighborhood is worse than another, it seems to be a part of the landscape here. We stopped first at my apartment. The apartment building is behind a locked gate, a plus, and my place is on the ground level, another plus, considering Pips. I have a small kitchen with a semi-stove top and a small fridge (about 1/3 larger than your average college refrigerator). I knew it would be small, and really, I don't need that much space, but it's going to take some love to make it a home. The walls are concrete, giving it a very dorm-like feeling and the front door is metal. Knowing me though, I won't be spending too much time in my apartment. And having a place to rest my head after exploring and teaching is all I really need.
And, the best thing about my place is that when I walk outside and look north, or south, I have a great view of the mountains. It is expecially beautiful at night, with the lights on the foothills leading up to the mountains.
Lety then took me to lunch at Toks at the Plaza Americas, and then to Soriana (similar to a Walmart, which they have here too, sadly) to pick up odds and ends I would need for my place. The first night I procrastinated unpacking by roaming the city a bit and of course, getting a good night sleep. My second day Lety showed me around the major parts of town. Marimba Park (just four blocks from my place) is a gathering place for young and old. There is live marimba music nightly and a cute cafe (BioMaya Organic) that will fast become my writing space. We walked to the intersection of Central Avenue and Central Street where the San Marcos Cathedral, and main plaza are located.
All of the streets are numbered from this point, in a grid. I love grid cities. For example, I am at 10 poniente, between second and third north (or, ten blocks west of San Marcos and about two blocks north). Lety showed me how to get to the school from my place, about a six block walk and adjacent to a park where they have an outdoor roller rink and anything else you could want in a park. A grid city, and being able to walk to work, plenty of parks, what an ideal situation (maybe I can find a place like this in the states to call home upon my summer arrival, any suggestions?).
Pipsy has also been finding her way, and has made friends with the landlord's chihuahua. She has fun chasing "Peque" around while he timidly tries to play but eventually winds up hiding under the VW bus parked next to the office. My neighbors suggested "peque" stands for pequeno (with an accent over the n, meaning small). I like to think that's what it means, it makes so much sense.
Tuesday I started training, Wednesday I signed my contract, and by Friday I was teaching. In between all that I was nursing a terrible cold. Between flying, the weather change and going in and out of air conditioning, it was bound to happen. It made the first week a little less adventure filled, but hey, I have lots of time and have already discovered some great places in Tuxtla.
This semester I will be teaching three "level 4" classes, the highest level, and one level 3 class on
Saturdays. My level 4 classes are each two hours long, every day (so six teaching hours a day) and my level 3 class is four hours on Saturdays. It will sure to keep me busy, and I will surely learn alot. Since it is a language school, the levels can be of all ages. My youngest student is about 13, and the oldest, probably 40. They are all great groups and I can't wait to get to know them all better.
On Friday, despite the sinus pressure, I ventured out with my Italian neighbors after work. We found a noisy sports bar a few blocks from our place filled with excited soccer fans all sporting orange jerseys. After some botanas (bar food, but better because here bar food can include delicious quesillo and muchroom enchiladas), we were welcomed by our soon-to-be friends at the neighboring table. I learned a bit of Mexican and Italian folklore (what I could gather from the rapid Spanish) and tried to share a bit about myself in my work-in-progress Spanish. I hope to be able to find someone take classes from while I'm here, going out and talking to people helps, but I think I really need more help to be as fluent as I want to be when I get back. I left a bit earlier than my neighbors, to rest up for class Saturday morning.
Nine o'clock came early, and after teaching for four hours we had a team meeting. I met all of the other teachers, most of them Mexican and a few other foreigners. I'm the only one from the US now. We had quesadillas at the restaurant across the street from school, supposedly the best in the city, and even though I haven't been to many other places, I'd have to agree so far. Our meeting was typical meeting banter, policy, procedure, etc. We took a group photo for the newspaper and were on our way.
Saturday night I ventured out on my own to Marimba Park. Everyone was dancing. My favorite part about large gatherings like this is that it doesn't matter if you're 2 or 82, everyone is moving to the beat. When I first got there it was a rumba, then a paso doble, then marimba. I was lacking a partner, but still moving to the beat near the sidelines when a young girl asked me to join her and her sisters for a dance. It was so much fun being a part of the crowd, alongside the grandmas and toddlers and fathers and daughters. After dancing I took a break and went to the BioMaya for the first time and had an Italian Cappiacino. I got a bit of energy, went back to listen for a bit longer and headed home feel like I was finding my place in Tuxtla.
It was a bit of a lazy Sunday for me. I took Pipsy for an extra long walk, all the way to the cathedral. When we got home I got the idea to see a movie, so ventured in what I thought was the direction of Plaza Americas. I knew it would be a long walk, but when, after 45 minutes I still hadn't found it, or any sign of it, I got in a taxi back to my place. I re-checked the movie times, and took a taxi later to catch the 6:15 showing a Gulliver's Travels (In English with Spanish subtitles). I had some time to shop before the show, and wandered around the mall. It is amazing to me how malls in most places are all the same, but each with their own little quirks. For example, in Plaza Americas there is a little train that drives through the mall honking it's horn at each pass to warn shoppers to move aside. It's fun, almost like the buses that are decked out like animals at the Brookfield Zoo. As for Gullver's Travels, it was a fun movie, made even better by the extremely American references that just didn't translate making me the only one laughing out loud in the theater and Jason Segal.
All in all, a good end to a busy week of settling in, finding my way and getting used to life in Mexico.
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