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| I am at the blue dot! |
My roommate, Adam, was out watching football so I looked around. The apartment is really nice. Stats: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a quite large living room, dining area and entry hall, kitchen with gas stove and even laundry :) [This makes me happier than you can imagine.] There is also plenty of closet space as well. Outside there is a gate and guard and it is about a 2 minute walk from the school. It is a bit far from the more happening parts of the city, but you can get there with a very cheap bus (5 pesos) or a pretty cheap taxi (150-200 pesos) depending on where exactly you want to go. [In case you were wondering it is about 12 pesos to $1 right now.]
The school director Jutty came over a bit later and I went for some lunch with Jutty and another teacher and her older kids. They had gone to a concert in the afternoon. We had a nice lunch and we went to the Superama (Isn't that a cool name for a supermarket) for some food to start out. Afterwards, I came back and unpacked my bags. I met my roommate later and went to get some sleep since I needed to be at work the next morning... around 07:15. YIKES that is early.
The first day was filled with meeting new people and getting a lot of information about curriculum and my schedule and the like... all preparing me to teach on TUESDAY. And of course Tuesday is my heaviest teaching day of the week so it really was into the fire. The day went well and I met all of my students and classes. It was a long day and I expect it will be just as long tomorrow too. My classes are all good and the other teachers very friendly and nice. I am still not quite as on top of my planning as I like to be, but am trying to be patient with myself. This week is a bit better. I even managed a lab activity with one of my grade 8 classes on Thursday and am fully booked for labs this week.
My 1st weekend here was filled with fun. Another woman who lived downstairs had her father visiting so lots of stuff was planned. Friday night we had some dinner and went out to a place called Garibaldi which is a big square where lots of mariachi music groups come to play.
We stayed out late enough to need some late night food. Quesadillas and tacos... YUM!! and sooooo cheap. Got home way way way too late, but still managed to get up and meet Vanessa for lunch in town the next day.
Saturday was my day to conquer public transport here... don't think Zurich or even NYC. Buses do have routes, but no real schedules and you can often just hop on or off at any corner or crossroads. They cost 5 pesos for longer distances and 3-4 for shorter. Then there is the Metro which is 3 pesos each ride. I did manage to get on the pink line instead of the brown since they have the same end stop, but I figured it out and only managed to be 30 min late (which is considered on time in Mexico ;) We went for some lunch in a nice neighborhood called Condesa. While sitting out on the sidewalk to eat in the sunshine (Yes it is sunny and in the low 70s during the day, it does get down to the 40s at night... and there is no heat so it is kinda cold.) we had the opportunity to buy handmade soaps and honey and a myriad of other goods. We only got the 1st 2 as after lunch we were headed to an artist market at San Angel. I picked up a cool nightlight for my bathroom and some small baskets as well. After heading back to Vanessa's for a cup of tea she came with me to show me which bus to take home... no it is not the same route as the one there. Got home without any problems and feel much better about my ability to take a bus as long as I have some clue where I am going to. The city is super huge and will take a while to find my way around.
Sunday, I got up early to join Adam, Barbara (the ES principal), Emily and her dad and Tatiana for a day to the Pyramids of the Moon and Sun and the Basilica de Guadelupe. It was another day filled with walking and they are so close to the city.
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| Pyramid of the Sun (about 65m high) |
And that is my first week here in Mexico City. If anyone wants to come by... just let me know. :)
