Change of Plans.....

Hi everyone,

It has been an extremely long time since I have written on the blog, sorry about that.

Here is an update:

Job

Everything has changed. Instead of being an English teacher in the high school that is connected to the college, I am going to continue being an assistant in the college courses. What happened is that I had two jobs lined up and with that, was going to start the process of getting my worker´s visa. However, that didn´t work out quite as I had planned. I was notified that I cannot work at the high school, due to the fact that I would still have to wait to a get a worker's visa and that the school didn't want to wait for the process. It was extremely disappointing to hear that, but when one thing happens, we have to keep at it until we complete our goal, right? I decided to take a break and went to Acapulco for 10 days in July, and then returned to Puebla in order to give an epilepsy conference and continue looking for jobs. I had another job interview at a primary school (in which the hours would be from (8:00 - 4:00 Monday-Friday, from August to July). I thought about it, especially because they said they could try to help with my visa process, but I spoke to my parents and between the salary as well as some other standards, we decided it wasn't the best idea. Instead, I have decided that I am going to focus on helping others with epilepsy and keep assisting at the university.

Work with Epilepsy

Since I have been in Mexico, I've been trying to do what I can to help and inform others about epilepsy. As you know, we had an event on June 15th. On July 27, we had another conference from 9:.00 - 10:30 that morning about children with epilepsy. We had a pediatric neurologist give a presentation and in fact, there were 12 people who came; 3 of whom were doctors and 4 of whom were epilepsy patients.

Then the first week of August, I went to the state of Veracruz with my friend Mauro who is the professor whose classes I had been assisting in during the summer courses. We ended up having an epilepsy meeting at his house in the town of Tres Valles. In fact there were 8 people who came, 3 of whom have epilepsy, as well as two people who have had seizures in the past, along with a teacher whose school has 10 students with epilepsy. I gave a PowerPoint presentation that I had presented to different classes at the Iberoamicana University this summer. I then helped distribute three types of brochures, as well as seizure calendars in Spanish. I think the meeting was a great success and in the end, one person who has epilepsy asked me how he could help start a support group there in that town. I told him to find more people he knows with epilepsy and that I will try to do what I can to help him get started. That would be so great if they could have a support group in that town.

On August 23 I am going to speak on a radio show in Puebla regarding discrimination against different groups such as indigenous, those with disabilities, and in particular, those with epilepsy. I think it will be very interesting. On August 31, we will have another monthly conference meeting, and then on September 7, we are hosting an event in the Zocolo (downtown Puebla). It is more like an informative event than anything else, but we will be handing out brochures, seizure calendars, and bracelets that have an inspirational quote. We will be telling people about our support group in hopes of attracting others and helping them feel as if they are not alone in having epilepsy.

Traveling/Trips

This summer, I have actually traveled a lot, but a lot of those trips have been really relaxing. In late May/early June, I traveled with my parents and my boyfriend Alex to Mexico City, Taxco, and Acapulco. Then in mid-July, I went to Acapulco again for 10 days (after finding out that I didn't get that job at the high school). That trip was good for me because it allowed me to relax and to see Alex after returning from China for 6 weeks.

Then I returned to Puebla for 2 weeks in order to be responsible and attend epilepsy meetings and look for jobs. But when my plans changed, my friend Mauro asked if I wanted to visit Veracruz. I hadn´t gone there before, so I thought it would be a good new experience. I was in the town of Tres Valles for 3 days, where we had the epilepsy meeting and traveled to a lake as well as another town in the state of Oaxaca, and then on the 4th day, we went to the city of Veracruz. I really liked the city of Veracruz. It is on the water and is very historical. In fact, I learned that Hernan Cortes, the Spaniard who took over Mexico in the 1500s, first settled in Veracruz. Therefore, it has various historical sites.

Mauro and I returned to Puebla on Tuesday and then I took the bus to Acapulco on Thursday. I am still in Acapulco with Alex and his family. We have been relaxing, especially since Alex has to return to school next week. But this past weekend, we went to Marquelia, which is a beach town 2 hours from Acapulco. We stayed in yurts along this beautiful beach. All summer I have been getting used to thunder and lightening storms, but that night in Marquelia was a whole new experience. There was lightening for about 4 hours, without any rain. I was nervous because I thought that was dangerous, but it turns out that no harm was done. Instead, it was actually really beautiful to watch the dark sky light up every 5 minutes.

Return to Portland, then Return to Puebla

Just so everyone knows, I will be returning to Portland on September 11 (probably not the best day to fly, but I think it will be fine). I will be there for about 3 weeks, and then will be traveling to Ohio with my mom to visit my grandpa. I will probably return to Puebla around October 7 and will most likely stay for 6 months with the goal of continuing to do more for those with epilepsy in hopes of creating an organization. I could stay longer but we will have to wait and see what happens.



I promise I will try to write more often on this blog. Thank you for all of your support!