My 1st solo English class!

I taught two English classes all by myself tonight!  Who knew I'd be so excited about it?

I suppose I could have guessed I'd feel this way.  Assuming the classes went well. Which they did.  At least I think so.  I've always enjoyed teaching.  And I think I'm kinda pretty decent at it.  I think that empowering people with knowledge / skills is one of the most rewarding things a person can do.

On Friday, Barbara asked if I could teach her two classes next Monday evening.  As in, tonight.  This Monday.  Two of her teachers went for a long weekend in Belize.  (Very cool!)   A supply teacher she's used before would cover for one of the "long weekend away teachers".  She would cover for the other.  I'd  cover her classes.

It's a bit of a musical chair thing. But it made sense.  Because I've volunteered in both her classes.  I know the students, they know me. At least a bit. I haven't really met the students in any of the other classes.

The 6pm class was beginners.  We worked on possessive adjectives "my, his, her, our, their..."  The 7pm class was level 3, fairly advanced.  We worked on possessive pronouns "mine, yours, theirs..."  It was nice that there was a bit of a continuity between both classes.  Coincidence?  Yep!

Upon further reflection, it was nice too that Barbara trusted me with her groups.  :)


Pictures
I haven't taken any photos at the school yet.  These are kinda school related, kindof....
1) Barb and me at lunch after morning classes
2) Me, all dressed up for the party on Saturday.  I think I kinda look old fashioned school teacher like???
3) A super cute bike helmet!  It belongs to Santiago (Santi), my Spanish teacher's son.
4) My Spanish teacher, Paloma's bicycle.  Notice the seat just behind the handle bars.  It's for Santi 
5) One of the 3 post secondary schools here on the island. 

Brian Collins and Daniel de las Reyes Concert

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Last night was a lot of fun!  I went to a concert!  A Brian Collins concert with Daniel de las Reyes as percussionist, as it turns out...

Who are Brian Collins and Daniel de las Reyes?  I didn't know either before last night...
Brian is a country music performer from the USA.  He's "up and coming".  He'll be performing with Zac Brown at a big concert at the Hard Rock hotel in the Riviera Maya next week.  His music is rock blues.  Very nice.  Daniel de las Reyes is a percussionist.  He's played with pretty much everyone!  Including Sting, Earth Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, etc, etc, etc!  He was born in the USA.  But is of Cuban heritage.

Both were very nice and down to earth when I chatted with them last night.  Daniel's fiance, was beautiful and super nice.  She's a retired ballet dancer from Cuba, who's now a manager at a Home Depot in the States.  Go figure that one.....

The concert was very good.  The whole evening was awesome!  Each table had two bottles of liquor.  You could put some in your glass then go to the bar for ice and mixer.  Wow!  We ate delicious al pastor tacos.  With as much delicious guacamole, pico de gallo, and beans you could possibly want.  The whole event was outside, under a very big palapa.  Most of the audience were Brian Collins super fans who traveled here mainly to see him.  Most were Americans, but one came from Austalia!

Tom, Barbara, and I got to go for free.  Very much thanks to Daniel de las Reyes and Kim the event organizer.  Daniel loved Tom's coffee and Tom's conversation.  And offered him tickets to the event Thank you Tom for asking for 3 tickets, not just 2  :)

 Pictures
1) Tom at our table with "our" tequila bottle
2) Our super friendly servers
3) The cooks preparing the al pastor meat.  Delicious!!!
4) Brian Collins being very charming and accomodating
5) Tom and Kim, the event organizer, having fun with the wrestling masks on our table

6) Daniel de las Reyes, the percussionist.  I gotta look up his "DrumJungle Primal!" show, which "combines high-energy interaction between drums, percussions, dancers, and singers, fusing together rhythms from around the world for a multi-cultural experience"

El Cinepolis!

I finally did it! I went to the movie theater!

The movie theater here is called Cinepolis.  It's about 4 blocks from where I'm staying, right beside the grocery store I shop at most often.  I've been meaning to go see a movie there for sometime.

But I'd never gone partly because I never really want to be indoors when I'm here. (Outside is a bit of an addiction for me...) Partly because there's never been a movie I really wanted to see.  And partly, maybe I was a little intimidated????

This week, "Allied" was playing.  It has mostly good reviews.  And Brad Pitt.  So it was time!

What an interesting experience!!  The theater kinda surprised me.  I knew it was fairly large.  About 6 movies play each week. But it was so modern!  Maybe more modern than any theater at home. All new feeling.  With great sound and image.  And plushy seats that reclined a little!  The popcorn was great!  I chose the normal "butter".  But I could've chosen "light", cheese, or caramel!

The price is low compared to home.  About $4 Canadian for the movie and $2.5 for a large popcorn.  But for Mexicans, I think that's still fairly expensive.

 Pictures
1) The ticket area
2)  The ticket taker
3) The really nice seats, theater space!
4) Popcorn and candy stand
5) A cool fire safety cabinet!!

Lunch at the mercado

The central mercado is a place to shop and to eat.  Today, I had my first ever lunch there!

There are may food stands within the central mercado, as well as an outdoor food court type area.  I've never eaten at the indoor stalls.  The food there looks delicious.  But I've never been brave enough to join the many locals who seem to enjoy them.

The outdoor food court was renovated last year.  So it looks quite nice.  I've seen many locals eat there.  But today, I learned that it's very popular with cruise ship employees too.  Because the six little restaurants there specialize in foods from around the world like Indonesia, Jamaica, and the Philippines!  Except on Sundays when there are usually no cruise ships in Cozumel.  Then, the restaurants only make Mexican food!

For my first ever lunch there, I had an Indonesian vegetable soup.  Mexican restaurants don't serve a lot of veggies.  So I was surprised when the soup arrived.  It was a bowl full of veggies! and a nice spicy broth. My mouth was kindof on fire by the time I finished it.  But it was very good!

Pictures
1) Barbara, her fish, and my soup
2) Barbara's fish, naked!
3) Loki, Barbara's super nice dog, at the mercado with us
4) Some musicians playing at the mercado
5) Their little girl collecting money for the musicians

Fabric Stores

I so love the fabric stores in Mexico!
They're so full of fun sparkles!  Fancy ribbons!  And ridiculously beautiful fabrics!


I think that many people still sew their own clothes in Mexico.  For everyday and special occasions.  I'm assuming this because there are at least 3 fabric stores here in Cozumel, a city with about 80,000 people.  And the stores are usually busy, especially in the evenings.

The stores contain lots of everyday use fabrics for clothes, dishcloths, curtains, and upholstery.  They also have things like buttons, zippers, needles, and even some knitting supplies.

These are fun to look at.  They provide a glimpse into the daily lives of normal folks.

But I so love to look at all the fancy fabrics, ribbons, feathers, and sparkles!  There's so much of it!  Especially considering how little money Mexicans often make. 

These fabrics are definitely used for Carnaval, which features so many people in so many elaborate costumes!  They're likely also used for other special events, like "quinceanera".  Which I'll save as a topic for another post....

Photos
1) Some of the fancy fabrics
2) Strings of sequins
3) Sparkly mac tac for ??  Maybe decorating Carnaval floats?
4) Feathers and masks, newly strung up, definitely for Carnaval!
5) Sooooo many gooly eyes!!

The wild side!

Today was so nice!  I went to the wild side of the island!

The wild side of the island faces east, to the open ocean.  There's no electricity or cell phone service there.  But there's a wonderful sand beach that's about 14 km long and several little restaurants along that distance.  It's often windy there, and the ocean waves are big-ish and mesmerizing!

I don't get to go often because it's about 25 km across the island to get there.  A very long distance on my little bike, in the wind and heat!  There's a bus that goes there for about 25 pesos ($1.25 cdn).  But I'm not sure where to catch it, and I've heard it's a very crowded somewhat uncomfortable ride.  Maybe one day I'll try it just to say I did....

But today, I didn't have to.  Barbara and Tom asked if I'd like to go with them.  I'm not sure who was more excited to get to that beautiful beach, me or Loki their soooo cute dog!

We sat at a restaurant called Mezcalitos.  A very modest restaurant with hamacs, plastic chairs, and a great view!  It was really nice!  I took Loki for a walk along the beach.  He's not so sure he likes the water, but will plunge in if he thinks there's something fun to catch! 

Pictures
1) A view of the beach.  Beautiful!
2) Tom walking Loki or Loki walking Tom???
3)A crane headed for the naked beach.  Could be interesting....
4) Tom and Barbara at our table.  Our waiter in the hamac in the back ground.  Mezcalitos, a chill place for everyone!
5) This lady was sooooo cute!  She must have loved her snorkeling mask.  She wore it at the table for the longest time.  She even wore it to dance with her partner.

Fire ants!

 

I had my second encounter with fire ants this week.  Little friggers!!!

In Tulum, while walking through some sand and plants, I got stung on my left foot by red ants.  It hurt!  Until I put my foot in the ocean.  Then I was OK until they got stupid itchy and I scratched at lot and damaged my skin. I thought it was my scratching that also made the red mark on one of my toes. I felt like a dumb dumb for scratching too much.   


Until I got stung again this week on my right foot.  I made a point of not scratching.  I didn't want to make the same mess of my skin that I had the last time.  Yeah right....

It turns out, it wasn't just the scratching that made the mess.  It was an allergic reaction, that seems to be getting worse.  This time, the whole top of my foot got swollen and some of the bites turned into  yucky red blisters. 

It took me a day to realize I needed to do something about the bites.  I started with an anti-histamine/itch cream and ice water to control the itch.  Both helped but I needed bigger guns.  So I also took oral anti-histamines. Four days later, the blisters are much better, but still healing.

Turns out, my reaction isn't unusual.  Wikipedia says....Fire ant is the common name for several species of stinging ants.  Fire ants bite only to get a grip and then sting from the abdomen to inject a toxic venom. (I think mostly for protection.  They eat sugary and dead things usually) For humans, this causes a painful sting, like being burned by fire- hence the name. Apparently, the immediate application of aloe vera or urine can reduce the sting.  I'll keep that in mind....

Pictures
1)  I'm not quite sure how they celebrate red ants in Ashburn Georgia, but I'm not gonna rush to go....
2) Before all this, I wouldn't have given much credit to a security company that uses an ant as it's logo.  But I've changed my mind.
3) An interesting looking man in the park this morning
4) The roaster at Tom's coffee shop.  And an underpaid assistant??
5)   My bicycle beside the mural at Billy's BBQ.

A day of firsts!

Today was a day of firsts!  Thank you Barbara!

The 1st "first" of the day was "somatic yoga" by the sea.  Turns out, somatic yoga is about slow gentle moves. OK. But in our class, that was a bit of an understatement.  We did a fair bit "not moving". Imagining that we will be moving....  Reflecting on the moving we did...... I admit, a few of the poses were hard for me.  Luckily, I had lots of time to recover in between!

The next "first" was breakfast at Hotel B, where we did our yoga.  I had poached eggs with a cilantro sauce.  Which was a bit bland and benefited from salt and hot sauce.  But the presentation of my plate was pretty, and so was the restaurant atmosphere! 

The last "first" of the day was a  visit to "Sky Reef".  A beach club on the south end of the island.  Normally, it would be a little too far for me and my little bicycle.  But Barbara drove.  It was lovely!!!  There wasn't really any significant amount of coral at Sky Reef. But, the ocean was so calm and felt so "open" there.  It was kindof like the sky.  Tom joined us for happy hour and the sunset!

It was a full and wonderful day!

Pictures
1) The view from our breakfast table at HotelB
2) My poached eggs
3) Tom and Barbara enjoying happy hour at Sky Reef!
4) The sunset at Sky Reef
5) The dock / water access at Sky Reef

 

Cooking chilaquiles, kindof

Chilaquiles is a traditional breakfast dish in Mexico.  But it's a little like poutine.  Delicious and kinda bad for you.....

Chilaquiles is a peasant dish meant to use leftover ingredients.  It consists of friend tortilla chips (like our nacho chips), a red or green sauce, some queso fresco (like crumbled feta), and sour cream.  It can also be served with eggs, or chicken, or whatever else is handy.  
I like it with the green sauce, and eggs, and the tortillas on the side so they don't get soggy.  And so I can try only eat a few tortillas, but I can spoon up all the delicious sauce and egg yolk!

But the few times I've tried to order it that way, the servers have looked at me like I'm an idiot alien, and I get the oddest things served to me....

So!  I've now figured how to make a more health friendly version at home. One friend egg, one piece of dry toast, green sauce, cheese if I have it, and some salt.  Not quite as satisfying.  But I'll likely live longer for the sacrifice...

Green sauce is made with tomatillos (little tart green tomatoes), hot peppers, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and spices.  I use a store bought in a jar version.  It's not as good as the homemade stuff.  But it's way easier!

Pictures
1) My home made chilaquiles ingredients
2) A restaurant version of chilaquiles, from good images!
3) I soooo love the name of the leading brand of bread, Bimbo!!
4)  I also really like my tamarindo beverage!
5) A fun cereal in the stores.  No....I haven't given in to buy any

 

Sunset Sail

Tonight, I participated in my first "full on tourist" activity.  I went on a "sunset sail"!

A few days ago, I emailed Pat, a super nice Canadian who lives here in Cozumel.  I was looking forward to catching up on things with her.  And maybe joining her in an activity.  She often has guests from home and plans fun things for them to do. 

My timing was perfect!  When she got my email, she was organizing a sunset sail, and there was room for me on board! I've been on this cruise before.  About three years ago.  But it's always nice to be out on the water!

We left the marina at about 4:30.  We sailed south along the coast past "downtown" Cozumel.  It's neat to see things like the ferry terminal and hotels from that perspective.  It's also neat to get that much closer to the many cruise ships tied at the 3 docks in town. 

We turned back towards the marina at about 6, as the sun began to set.  The water was calm, the breeze was lovely, there were only a few aesthetically pleasing clouds in the sky.  I sat in the front of the catamaran, so close to the water, I could hear it gently lapping against the boat.


We got back at about 8.  The stars were coming out.  A lovely evening!  Thank you Pat!!

Pictures
1) Sunset from the catamaran.
2) My lovely Canadian friend, Pat.
3) The sails
4) The catamaran
5) The marina.  I don't know if that castle like building is in use.  But it looks cool!

PS....My only disappointment, no dolphins....It's fairly rare to see dolphins off the coast of Cozumel.  Last year, when Pat went out, a whole pod played around the catamaran for about 15 minutes.  I knew the odds were low.  But a girl can still hope....