come and gone

Lexi left today after her 6 day visit here in Cabo. We had a good time going out to eat, shopping and talking, a lot of talking. Lexi and Harry also made pozole together, our new favorite comfort food. We felt very sad she had to go. When you see your daughter once or twice a year letting go is so hard. I walked to work today and had a few tears, but then had to stop myself and chose instead to focus on the good times we had together. We took my darling student teacher, Kate, and my darling daughter, Lexi, out for dinner on Monday night. The two adventurous women found much to chat about. (Kate leaves this coming week, going home to Chicago.) We went to a Cuban/Mexican dance recital in town with Kate and Lex after our nice dinner. At the dance performance I appreciated the Argentine tango for the first time. Dancing With the Stars....you have much to learn!! It has to be the most passionate, amazing dance on the planet. I always thought it was only strange and weird.

I am so ready to be in the states again. Pat and Bill and Linda and Marvin will be hosting us in Florida over the Christmas break. When I was in the states last summer for three weeks, for as much as I loved the US of A, I missed Mexico deeply. I could hardly wait to return. I need to reconcile my ambivalent feelings at some point in the near future since we have decided to leave Mexico in early July. I love it here so much and I hate it here so much. I thought today about how lucky I am to have had a second chance at teaching here in Mexico. The road has not been easy at Libertad, but it has been a 360 from Mission. I have fallen in love with my students and although Patty, my team-mate, is not trained or experienced in some of the accepted educational practices in the US, I love and respect her very much.

Mexican culture has turned out to be more complex than I ever could have possibly imagined. I will never understand it, but I will be forever in love with Mexico and fascinated by it. It has been such a gift to have had this time to experience this culture, hating it and loving it as I do. They say Mexicans can hold both the negative and the positive things about life in their consciousness at the same time and feel no conflict. I cannot. Although today at school, as the music blasted all day long as students practiced for the Christmas Posada concert, I was somehow able to tune it all out and concentrate on what I needed to do. The students of course had no trouble doing so. Maybe I am becoming a bit Mexican after all. This place changes you in ways you never thought possible.