Otono en GTO (Octubre 2008)

As the city of Guanajuato prepares for CERVANTINO (a three week international arts, music, dance, folklore festival held here every October), I have realized that my time here is limited. I have a little less than three months left in México. Sometimes I think that time frame is more than sufficient to accomplish all I have in mind academically, professionally, and personally. On the other hand, sometimes I feel the pressure and I find myself having to take a deep breath, prioritize but, still live in the moment.

Academically, my preferred class this semester is Curriculum Design and Planning. In this class I am working on a project that involves a colleague/friend from the Monterey Institute for International Studies. Viki is teaching Spanish at Mount Madonna School in Watsonville, California and next semester she is taking her students to Oaxaca, México for spring break. I am designing a Mexican culture course for Viki to use with her students in order to prepare them culturally and linguistically for their México experience and bring culture into the foreign language classroom.

Professionally, on October 19th I am conducting a college teacher training workshop based on new innovative teaching strategies for English language teachers at the MEXTESOL conference in León (MEXTESOL is the national conference for Teachers of English for Speakers of Others Languages in México). I admit that I am nervous and a bit intimidated to present interactive strategies to 500 workshop attendees. However, after teaching English in Chile and Spain in addition to my service work this year with various schools around México I think I will be able to provide sound insight to classroom teachers based on my personal observations and experiences, which is also supported by recent research in the field. Moreover, I am looking forward to the challenge and professional development opportunity. The good news is that I will be presenting in English; therefore, at least I do not have to worry about grammar and verb tenses! :)

Personally, I am counting down the days for my parents to arrive; they are coming for a visit at the end of the month! They will be able to catch the end of CERVANTINO and we will also travel for a long weekend to the beach, since my parents are from Denver, Colorado a long weekend at the beach is a luxury. I am excited to share with them the México I have discovered and have come to value.

On an Ambassadorial Scholar service note, this semester I am spending three days a month in Santiago de Tlatula to conduct an English teacher training workshop. The purpose of this workshop is to provide and offer Mexican English teachers (who teach in impoverished areas) professional development in the form of training, information, and resources regarding their teaching strategies and classroom facilitation. Instructors receive hands-on and personal opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills of the English language and culture, which will result in long term gains for the students at Santiago de Tlatula. For some this town might sound familiar, and it should, as it is home to our district’s Project Niño.














Although it is October now and time is passing quickly, there will be one more big activity this year. It is the Black and White ball given by the Guanajuato ROTARIANS (where the new ROTARY reina (queen) will be crowned for 2008-2009). Lucky for me, my parents are bringing me one of my old prom dresses, which just happens to be Black and White! And, you can bet that I will be doing ZUMBA daily in order to fit into it for the November 15th festivities!

Day on the Bay 2008/Youth Exchange activities

Day on the Bay/Fleet Week started in Oakland harbor with a slight breeze in the air and cool temps. We started the day by motoring on Marks vessel to ATT park where the water was calm and we could have a nice lunch. We almost spent the entire day there due to my request to turn the engines off. Well one of the engines would not restart and tooks some mechanical skills of captain Mark. Then we cruised along the water front and wandered aimlessly into restricted waters where the coastgaurd, Oakland and Alameda police vessels kindly pointed us in the right direction. Thru to the Golden Gate bridge and around the other side of the bay to Sausalito, Tiburon and the likes. Around Angel Island and interupted by a sea rescue of some clueless sailors and a tow into safer waters thanks to Marks keen eye and Doug and Dons help. If not, these sailors were minutes from the rocky shore on Angel Island and a coastguard rescue . This was our Rotary Moment!!! On to Alcatraz where it was explained to Aline that this is where very bad people were kept . Then the spectacular airshow started and the wind died down and temps rose to perfection. Many said it was the best airshow they had seen. After reaching land again we had a nice dinner at a local italian diner where Doug never did get his order so we just shared family style. We all had a great time, especially Michele, as you tell by the above photo. Thanks to Mark for his generosity and excellent boating skills and to the Kremers and everyone who brought food and libations and Greg and his committee for organizing the event.

Saludos desde Morelia (Rotary trip August 2008)

The city center of Morelia (a city considerably larger than GTO; there are a few Starbucks and lots of shops! I was a happy girl this week!).


Amazing Rotarians (Malenia y Sara) in Morelia from the CLUB DE LAS CAMELINAS! They hosted me for a week during my fall break and organized visits with schools of all levels (in the city and in the rural areas around Morelia). In addition, they arranged professional interviews with various educational organizations in the public and private sector, which was an incredible academic and professional field experience.


An adorable boy in Morelia!




A community center that one of the eight clubs in Morelia developed. I spent a day there giving English classes and helping with other classes they offered (such as, cooking and women support groups).

















A rural school that I went to visit in Tamberindo, where I spent the day with junior high school students talking about culture and life in the USA and Mexico. A majority of these students have relatives working in the States. In addition, many of the boys said it was their hope that after they finish junior high that they would cross the border and work in the States despite their knowledge of English. This day was extremely insightful for me as an educator, but personally challenging, as I worked with the youth and thought that their life path was all about more money in hopes for a better life.