Esperando

This just about sums it up...

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Alison!

On her birthday, here´s a few of the many reasons why Alison rocks:
1. There´s no one more intellectually stimulating with whom to car pool
2. She´s a mean first base woman
3. She´s a thoughtful, dedicated, and amazingly hard-working educator
4. She carries hard candies in her purse (Creme Savers-yum!)
5. She´s not afraid of shady lodging options (Los Pinos, anyone?)
6. She taught me my first (and only) Swedish word
7. She only has one l in her name
8. She gives wise advice and always tells it like it is

Happy day to you!

What´s so fine about art?

Here´s a glimpse of my experience during the Cervantino Festival:

Apparently, if you put 3 German women in tight dresses inside a flaming hamster wheel and call it art, the people buy it.

Ditto for choirs barking like dogs, schoolgirls doing pilates in easy chairs, and clowns telling dirty jokes.

Oh, and did I mention how I was assaulted by a mime?

Faith in Humanity, Part 2

I´ve developed a new talent in the last couple of weeks. OK, well, maybe a few new talents, if you count visiting the ice cream shop multiple times a day and getting some sleep despite raucous religious celebrations taking place outside your window as talents. But the real talent to which I´m referring is as a papel malecho artist. For two weeks, I´ve been volunteering at CITAC, a non-profit community center in Tapalpa that serves adults and children from the nearby rural areas who are "disadvantaged," either physically, mentally, or economically. While it is I who have showed up everyday as a volunteer teacher, it is truly the students of CITAC who have been teaching me. I know that many people who volunteer say this, meaning that those who they serve have taught them kindess, patience, or love. And while this is the case with me as well, the CITAC students have also literally taught me how to create beautiful papel malecho art. On my first visit to the workshop, the students, all of whom have special needs, taught me how to use recycled bottles to form a flower that would eventually become my masterpiece. Pepe patiently taught me to smooth the edges of my paper, and Mariana counseled me on my color choice and painting technique. As I worked, they enthusiastically praised and encouraged me.

In addition to the art workshop, CITAC offers physical therapy, equine therapy, computation classes, dance classes, and English classes, all free of charge. It is a truly special place, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet and learn from the beautiful people there.

Stay tuned: Karen in the kitchen?

Greek To Me

I´m fairly confident I´m the only person within several hundred, probably thousand, kilometers who is studying the Slovak language. I can also say, with a decent amount of certainty, that I´m the only tourist in Mexico toting a Slovak language textbook to my Spanish language school. While everyone else is studying their conjugations of ir, I´m still trying to figure out what all those little dots and upside down v´s over the letters in Slovak words could possibly mean. The good news is this: I´ve learned to conjugate my first verb! The verb is mat´(to have), and here it is:

ja mám my máme
ty más vy máte
on má oni majú

(I did it without looking!)

The bad news? I don´t know any nouns. What I, you, he, we, and they have is anyone´s guess.

Stay tuned: 80/20

Faith in Humanity, Part 1

This goes out to those of you who, like me, require the occasional reminder that people are, indeed, inherently good.

I spent a couple of hours the other day sitting on a rock in the middle of a cow pasture, people-watching. While it might seem like a strange place for such an activity, there turned out to be plenty of people to watch. I had hiked to a local tourist attraction, Las Piedrotas, giant rocks in a field about 5 km uphill out of town. The rock I had chosen as my resting spot happened to be located right next to a tiny stream, not more than a foot wide, and less than three inches deep, that needed to be crossed in order to see all of the Piedrotas. Despite its small size and lack of power, this stream proved to be a source of considerable consternation for a significant number of sightseers. As I looked on, time after time, the scene played out like this:

A group of people would approach the stream and examine the bank for the best possible crossing point. One brave soul would eventually run and jump and then would extend her or his hand to those on the other side, offering encouragement to those who were still too scared to take the leap. For hours, I watched as boyfriends helped girlfriends, grandkids helped grandparents, friends helped friends carrying 6-packs of beer, and mothers helped their children.

Most made it across safe and sound, and a few got a little wet, but all made it to the other side knowing that they weren´t on their own and that someone was looking out for them.

A thought: I know that I´m not always good at asking for a hand when I need it, so extra thanks to those of you who have pulled me across some streams of my own.

Stay tuned: Morning mariachi

Happy Birthday, Caputo!

Sending much love all the way to Rio. Shake it to some samba for me.

Al caballo de presente no le mires el diente

If you were to ask any Purple Knight lucky enough to have had Señora Hanson as a Spanish teacher what was learned in her class, you´ll inevitably be regaled with a litany of Spanish proverbs.



Entre col y col, lechuga.

(Variety is the spice of life, or, literally, Between bread and bread, lettuce.)




No hagas un tempestad en un vaso de agua.
(Don´t make a mountain out of a mole hill, or, literally, Don´t make a storm in a glass of water.)

and, of couse, everyone´s favorite

El mundo es un pañuelo.
(It´s a small world, or, literally, The world is a handkerchief.)

I was lucky enough to have Señora Hanson as a teacher for two years. She taught me a lot about the Spanish language (the subjunctive, commands, the dreaded vosotros conjugations), but more importantly, she modeled for me (and my best friends (all of whom happen to have become Spanish teachers, by the way)) what it meant to be a great teacher. Her dedication to her profession and her interest in her students´lives were evident every day in every class.


Monica writes, "Can I share two memories? CAUTION, ADULT CONTENT The first time I was educated in the (in)effectiveness of the rhythm method as a means of birth control was in Spanish class. I distinctly remember turning to Karen with a shocked look on my face, mouthing the question, "Does "el ritmo" mean what I think it means?" She was so subtle, but so effective. I also remember that only 3 of us in Spanish 5 were taking the A.P. test, and Senora made sure we were prepared in every way. She could differentiate before that buzz word even hit the education world. She really did care about her students and their success, and we knew it."

Julie writes, "I had Sra's room when I first got hired here and I was really nervous about filling such big shoes!!!! My most vivid memory was when she called the paper to do a story on you, me, and Em going to Spain to study abroad. I remember being so excited and proud that our teacher was so proud of us. It meant a lot that she went out of her way to recognize our effort and encourage us. I wasn't sure I could handle Spain after only a few years of Spanish but she really encouraged me to believe that I could do it. It was the most life changing decision I have ever made and she probably doesn't even realize she was influential in me deciding to apply to that program."

This week, Señora and her esposo, Dean, graciously invited me to their "retirement" home in Ajijic. While Señora certainly deserves all of the relaxation and leisure retirement has to offer, she instead is heading up a scholarship fund for Mexican students who otherwise wouldn´t be able to attend university, adopting homeless dogs, and inviting in the former student who has decided to take Entre col y col to heart.

How blessed we were to have had Señora as a teacher, and how blessed are the students of Ajijic who are now benefitting from her hard work and generosity.

I´m so glad we were able to cross paths on the pañuelo once again.

Stay tuned: I´m no Frida

Rough goin´

The rolly suitcase seemed like a good idea at the time...