Hi everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I have written on here. It's been a busy week!
On Tuesday, I met with a neurologist and it turns out that he is going to help me with the event on June 15th (the walk for epilepsy). We decided on where it will be (Paseo Bravo), which is a park in downtown Puebla, and we are going to have tables where we can hand out brochures. Plus, my parents are coming down here in a week and are going to bring a banner that I can use that day. I'm really thankful for that. Also, the neurologist said that if I end up staying here for a year, we can start a support group for those with epilepsy that can meet once a month. He also said there are different events that we can put together. I am going to try to post pictures from the event on June 15th once that happens.
This week is "dead week" or the week before finals at the university, so I've been tutoring people in English and keeping myself busy through making epilepsy brochures and doing research. On Wednesday, I got an email asking me to come on a radio show on May 28 in which I will be speaking with a neuropsychologist about my experience with epilepsy (in Spanish). I'm not sure if it's going to happen, but it would be a great experience if it does happen.
Today (Friday) has definitely been a long day. I got up at 7:00 and got ready for a job interview. Yes, a job interview. I know I originally said I would only stay until late May, then said only until August, but I'm getting more ideas. haha I interviewed at a K-12th grade private, Catholic, all-girls school called Colegio del Bosque. It's a bilingual school and they want me to be an English teacher there for a year. I was really nervous but the interview went really well and I have to return on Monday morning to do a few tests. The coordinator who interviewed me said it's a process to officially get hired, but that she would love for me to be part of their team. That's a good sign, right? I will find out more details on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed.
After the interview, I went to the university and tutored a student in English, then met up with Alex and his friend for lunch. We went to his friend's house for a while, but at 5:00 I saw some clouds coming in. A bunch of people have told me that from May - September, there are 2 hour rain storms in the afternoon, and then it clears up. I've only seen that happen once so I thought it was just a rumor. Wow, I was definitely wrong! One minute it started raining, and 30 seconds later, it began hailing. But not normal hail...it ended up being the size of pennies and quarters! I decided it wasn't the smartest idea to walk home in that, especially since there was thunder and lightening, and because the streets were flooding. I am now at home and it's been like this for a few hours. My host mom said today's weather is unusual, but it should only last until 9:00 tonight. Then the stars will be out. We will just have to see what happens.
I hope everyone has had a great week!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Taxco, Mexico and volcanic eruption in Puebla
Another adventurous weekend! I'm starting to get used to exploring a new place every weekend. On Friday night, before our trip, Alex and I went to a meditation class. Honestly, I'm not the best when it comes to doing things like that. It can get really philosophical, and let me tell you, listening to philosophy in another language is not the easiest thing to do. But the best part about that night was that I was able to meet another person with epilepsy. In fact, it was the instructor. He has had epilepsy for 20 years and has a radio show on Tuesdays where he talks about epilepsy. He is going to make an announcement next week about the event on June 15 (epilepsy walk here in Puebla). He is also going to introduce me to his neurologist and other people who have epilepsy. I am really excited about all of that.
The next morning, Alex and I went to Taxco. It is about 3 and a half hours form Puebla. It is another historic town from the late 1500s/ early 1600s. It was so beautiful there! The whole town is set upon different hills, so you definitely get a workout when walking around; up-down-up-down. Also, this town is surrounded by mines and is known for it's silver. Almost every vendor was selling silver jewelry. This town is a bit more expensive than the others, but that's because it is a popular tourist spot. However, I really enjoyed it.
We explored throughout downtown and went to the main church (which was made of stone and gold). We then went to a few museums, and continued exploring the different shops. One thing I noticed is that the streets are made of stone. They were made during the time of horses and carriages, as opposed to cars. That makes it a little harder to walk, but I like the history. Then in the midst of all of this history, I saw the fanciest McDonalds I've ever seen. Go figure, huh? haha
We took the bus out of Taxco at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, and arrived to Puebla about 7:40. The only bummer is that I think I got food poisoning from something during the trip, but I don't know what it was. Sunday night and all throughout Monday, my stomach was really bad and I couldn't eat much. But on Monday, I still went to school because I had an appointment with a professor from the Human Development department. He likes that I studied sociology and wants me to help out in one of his classes this summer. I'm excited that I've had so many opportunities to meet such wonderful people.
Then tonight (Tuesday night), I was walking outside and thought that sand was blowing through the air. I couldn't see at all. There was so much dirt in the air. It turns out that it was ash from an eruption of the Popocatepetl Volcano, which is the volcano that the sun sets behind each day here in Puebla. It made me think of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in the 1980s. I heard that when that happened, there was ash in the air for days. That's exactly how it is here. It took me an hour to wash out my eyes. I also heard that younger kids might not have school tomorrow because of this. It sounds like the Mexican version of a snow day. :-) But I'm glad everyone is ok and nothing bad happened (not that I know of).
Thank you for your continuous support with all of this! I hope everyone is having a great week!
The next morning, Alex and I went to Taxco. It is about 3 and a half hours form Puebla. It is another historic town from the late 1500s/ early 1600s. It was so beautiful there! The whole town is set upon different hills, so you definitely get a workout when walking around; up-down-up-down. Also, this town is surrounded by mines and is known for it's silver. Almost every vendor was selling silver jewelry. This town is a bit more expensive than the others, but that's because it is a popular tourist spot. However, I really enjoyed it.
We explored throughout downtown and went to the main church (which was made of stone and gold). We then went to a few museums, and continued exploring the different shops. One thing I noticed is that the streets are made of stone. They were made during the time of horses and carriages, as opposed to cars. That makes it a little harder to walk, but I like the history. Then in the midst of all of this history, I saw the fanciest McDonalds I've ever seen. Go figure, huh? haha
We took the bus out of Taxco at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon, and arrived to Puebla about 7:40. The only bummer is that I think I got food poisoning from something during the trip, but I don't know what it was. Sunday night and all throughout Monday, my stomach was really bad and I couldn't eat much. But on Monday, I still went to school because I had an appointment with a professor from the Human Development department. He likes that I studied sociology and wants me to help out in one of his classes this summer. I'm excited that I've had so many opportunities to meet such wonderful people.
Then tonight (Tuesday night), I was walking outside and thought that sand was blowing through the air. I couldn't see at all. There was so much dirt in the air. It turns out that it was ash from an eruption of the Popocatepetl Volcano, which is the volcano that the sun sets behind each day here in Puebla. It made me think of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in the 1980s. I heard that when that happened, there was ash in the air for days. That's exactly how it is here. It took me an hour to wash out my eyes. I also heard that younger kids might not have school tomorrow because of this. It sounds like the Mexican version of a snow day. :-) But I'm glad everyone is ok and nothing bad happened (not that I know of).
Thank you for your continuous support with all of this! I hope everyone is having a great week!
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