Epilepsy Walk in Puebla, Mexico on June 15th

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was the walk for epilepsy in the the Northwest region (Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and other places), and we had our own little event here in Puebla. 

At 8:30 yesterday morning, I arrived at the Hospital Betania and met with the other coordinators of the event. At first we were told that the hospital forgot to book a room for us, but eventually we found one to use. There were about 15 attendees, 5 of whom have epilepsy. We began the conference at 9:00 and ended at 10:30. Dr. Placido Coyac spoke for 30 minutes, in which he gave a presentation at the basics of epilepsy. Then Juan Carlos, who has also had epilepsy for about 20 years, spoke for a while, and then I spoke. I was really nervous, but I think it went pretty well.

About 10:30, we left the hospital and I went to the park where we were hosting the event. We had originally said that it would start at 10:30, but we didn't arrive until about 10:50. Then we weren't able to set up the tables or the banner until 11:30. People go by different schedules here in Mexico. I still need to get used to that.

Unfortunately, nobody came to the walk, so the walk didn't happen. But, we had our table there for 2 hours with the big epilepsy banner behind us, and gave out 200 brochures to people walking by in the park. Then at the very end as we were cleaning up, a woman came up t me and asked we were doing. I told her about the Epilepsy Support Group that we are creating and gave her a brochure. All of a sudden I realized that she had tears in her eyes. She said that her son has had epilepsy for a long time and that they have never met anyone else who understands his medical condition. Then she gave me a hug and thanked me for being there. I think that was a sign that the event was not a failure. It is always meaningful and better to impact one person rather than nobody.

Then at 1:30, my friend Mauro met me in the park and we went to walk around downtown all afternoon. At 5:30, he brought me to meet his aunt, whose sister has epilepsy. Her sister lives in Chiapas, which is in Southern Mexico near Guatemala, and wants me to meet her one day. The woman then began talking to me and eventually, I noticed that she had tears in her eyes as well. She asked me if I would like to speak on the radio for 2 different stations about my history and experience with epilepsy. I couldn't believe it! She said she is going to email me today with the details.

Overall, I think it was a successful day. Also, I heard that the Epilepsy Walk in Portland went very well! There were 400 people there. Maybe one day we can create something like that here in Puebla, but just one step at a time. 

Thank you for all of your support! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Epilepsy Presentation and Continued Job Search Process

Hi everyone,

Here is another quick update:

Yesterday was a busy day. I got up at 5:30 AM to say goodbye to Alex and wish him luck on his trip to China. He flew to Toronto, Canada, stayed there over night, and is now on his way to China. He will be there for a month.

I then went to the university about 9:00 and created a powerpoint presentation on epilepsy. That took me about 4 hours, and then at 2:00 I went to a human development class and gave the presentation for an hour. I spoke about the logistics of epilepsy, and then shared my story. I then did the same thing in the next class. Honestly, I've never been good at speaking in front of groups, and these classes had about 25 students each, so this was really good for me. It was good preparation for the event on Saturday. The professor then asked me to do another presentation tomorrow morning for a different class. I feel really lucky to have this opportunity.

Today I am meeting with the neurologist to finish organizing everything for the event.

As for the job search process, the same school has been contacting me and I have had about 3 different interviews there. It is sounding like I may get the job, but it is just an extremely slow process. They said they have an open position for an English teacher in the primary school. When I heard that, I wasn't sure if that was a good idea because I don't have experience working with little kids. I have always volunteered at high schools and colleges, but we just have to take the opportunities as they come, right?

I will continue to keep you updated. I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Vacation with my parents and Alex around Mexico City, Puebla, Taxco, and Acapulco

Hi everyone,

Sorry, I know it has been a really long time since I have written on here. I have been traveling around Central Mexico with my parents and with Alex for the past week and a half. I just got back from Acapulco this morning.

My parents arrived to Mexico City on May 25, and Alex and I met them at the airport. We stayed there for a few days where we toured downtown and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are over 22 million people who live in Mexico City, so my parents didn't want to stay there too long. Alex said we only saw about an eighth of the actual city, so we will have to go back. But my parents really enjoyed downtown and the Basilica.

We then returned to Puebla on Monday night. I had to turn in a bunch of paperwork for my application to the K-12th private school in hopes of getting the job as an English teacher. I am still waiting to hear back. Keep your fingers crossed. That day, we all went downtown and Alex and I were on a radio show for an hour. The theme of the show that day was "Mente y Cerebro" (Mind and Brain), and it just so happens that the announcer of the show has epilepsy. So, he and I spoke about epilepsy and about the event on June 15th, while Alex spoke about meditation, and a neuropsychologist spoke about the difference between the mind and the brain. I was really nervous, but I'm very glad I did that.

We spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Puebla. We toured downtown, and I brought my parents to the Universidad Iberoamericana where I have been teaching, and to the school I'm applying to. We also ate lunch at my host mom's house and I introduced my parents to my future host mom (if I can get that job). If everything works out, I will move into her house in August and stay there until next June.

We then left Puebla on Friday morning and went to Taxco. Alex and I had gone to Taxco about a month earlier and I loved it. It is so beautiful there. My parents thought it was really nice being in a smaller town as opposed to the big cities. We met some people in our hotel who are from New Mexico and are world travelers. They are tour guides for trips throughout different countries. The man, Rocky, said he grew up in Oklahoma and had never left the state, then went into the army and has been traveling ever since. You just never know how life will turn out, right? :-)

We left Taxco on Sunday night and took the bus to Acapulco, which is where Alex is from. I had never been there before...it is so nice! It is about the size of Portland, but reminded me of a tropical version of Seattle. But probably a better comparison would be to say it looks a lot like Hawaii. The only hard part was the humidity. It was so hot! I'm not very good in the heat because of my epilepsy, so that was kind of hard for me, but I liked being by the beach. Plus, Alex' family has a hotel there, as well as a medical office and various different shops. Their hotel is SO nice! His parents took us out to dinner three days in a row, and toured us around their neighborhood of Acapulco. If you have never been there, definitely think about going. I think you would enjoy it, just get ready for the heat.

Next Saturday is the epilepsy walk in Portland, Seattle, other Northwest towns/cities, and in Puebla. I will let you know what happens down here.

I hope you have a great week! Thank you for reading this!