WOW

Yes, wow is definitely the word of the day, or really, the week. I have been in Xela for 9 days now, incredible to write that seeing as I feel as if it's been about 9 weeks (maybe a little exaggeration).

Many things have happened in this first week:

1. I have learned to use the public transportation very effectively. It cost about 15 cents to ride a minivan type vehicle that sits 15 people (yes, 15 people in a minivan), but can actually hold at least 20 (as I found out yesterday while going to the supermarket). There are also school buses that are very brightly painted and go everywhere you need to go as well. They're called chicken buses...probably because you have to sit 4 people to a seat and people will squish all the way down the aisle until they're hanging out the door.

2. I have survived my first earthquake...ever. It just so happened, unbeknownst to me, that we had an earthquake last Saturday night. Apparent everything shook enough that you could feel it pretty good: things rattled, you could see things moving, etc. Well, I believe I had just gone to sleep about 20 minutes before the earthquake happened, and did not even know about it until at least the next evening (For anyone who knows how I sleep, this should not be shocking). My host family had a nice laugh at the shock on my face when they told me there was an earthquake.

3. And of course, I have survived my first XelaJu futbol game. Not only did I survive it, but I learned several new words that I can never use...the inappropriate kind...and we won! The stadium here is not as big as the one in Uruguay, so the fence is someone in the way. You can see through it, but it is annoying to me.

4. Montezuma has not yet visited me. This one stands alone.

5. I survived my first experimentation with street food without seeing Montezuma (see number 4). We tried a local dish called Ceviche from one of the guy's favorite places. It is basically finely chopped pico de gallo (American style with onions, tomatoes, and lots of cilantro) served with boiled shrimp. It's a cold dish, and you eat it with tostadas. We were told to be careful because not all seafood is safe, but Oohh boy is it good! I'll be going back for more.

I guess those are the highlights of my first week. We're really busy getting ready for school. For me, that means I am really busy trying to figure out how in the world to write a lesson plan, plan out my entire year in each of the 5 classes I'm teaching, how to not smile the first few days of class (because according to grandma, that's how it's done right)--basically, how to be a teacher.

The returning teachers are coming to Xela tonight, so it'll be cool to get to meet them all. Pray for sanity...school starts in 1 week!