Swine Flu Update:
Mexico City is basically shut down. Schools, restaurants, gyms, libraries, museums, churches, and government offices are all closed. Supermarkets are running out of food. There are no more masks. We are not supposed to take the subway or the buses. Toluca is not sick, so Dave has work, and we've been able to eat at restaurants. But, this is a holiday weekend in Mexico - today is "kid's day" (like mother's day in reverse!) and tomorrow is labor day. So we're going to the beach!
We'll drive in our own car, pack a lunch, and drive hours to the western coast near the beach of Puerto Vallarta. We're staying in a small B&B run by Canadians about 30miles from the hotel center, so we'll still be in self-isolation, only we'll be stuck in a beautiful beach house rather than our own!
Unfortunately, Americans are taking this opportunity to let their Mexican hatred come out. I actually heard someone say that the kids who vacationed in Mexico got what was coming to them bc they chose to visit a dirty country where they couldn't even drink the water. WHAT???!!! Flu doesn't come through the water. Cancun is a very clean place. And Americans are getting sick, too.
Many Americans are also calling for the border to be closed. At first I thought it was a small group of Americans who would latch onto any reason to keep mexicans out. But now it's obvious that discrimination has spread throughout the country. Even if they're only biased against sick people, it's still an issue.
If Americans really want to help the situation, rather than closing the border, they can send flu medicines, food, and money to Mexico City officials so that they can focus on getting people well. Right now, the city cannot afford to shut businesses and the transportation system, bc the average Mexican won't eat if they won't work. And they definitely won't go to the doctor, bc they can't afford it.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Grown-up party!
Many of my co-workers, mainly the young single female ones, have come over to my house for a slumber party. Sometimes when Dave is out of town, but mainly for a weekend getaway. They all live with other co-workers or missionaries which makes the "fishbowl" experience of working for the church even worse than it already was.
Everyone loves our house. It's very "mexican" with lots of wood architecture and furniture, and also stained glass windows and a manicured garden and skylights and bright decor colors, like orange, which are very common here.
As an end-of-the-year get-together, and a birthday party for me, we invied everyone over. All the teachers, the secretary, the director, the board, and their spouses and kids. We ended up with nearly 15 people for lunch yesterday. 3 came over Friday after work for a "pre-party" and also to help me clean and cook for the big group.
It was really fun! Dave got to see what it's like for me to work with this eclectic group of people every day, we got to chat about how to not die from pig flu, i got to blow out a candle on my birthday cake, and overall we enjoyed each other's company.
Everyone loves our house. It's very "mexican" with lots of wood architecture and furniture, and also stained glass windows and a manicured garden and skylights and bright decor colors, like orange, which are very common here.
As an end-of-the-year get-together, and a birthday party for me, we invied everyone over. All the teachers, the secretary, the director, the board, and their spouses and kids. We ended up with nearly 15 people for lunch yesterday. 3 came over Friday after work for a "pre-party" and also to help me clean and cook for the big group.
It was really fun! Dave got to see what it's like for me to work with this eclectic group of people every day, we got to chat about how to not die from pig flu, i got to blow out a candle on my birthday cake, and overall we enjoyed each other's company.
Friday, April 24, 2009
When Pigs Fly...
Living internationally provides us lots of new opportunities.
Like living through a worldwide flu pandemic.
At 7:20 this morning, while I was on the way to school early, I got the call that there were no classes today. Dave is working from home today. (the fact that I had to pay $200 pesos and spend 2.5 hours in the car for a teacher meeting that could have been rescheduled to Monday morning while my husband slept in would have really made me angry except that I was also picking up 4 friends to come over to my house for the weekend)
Here's what we know:
a unique strain of the influenza virus is spreading like wildfire throughout Mexico City. This particular virus may be treated with common anti-virals and may have been included in the flu vaccine, but so far 16 young healthy people have died from it, and at least 60 others in Mexico are sick. Schools were closed today, and might be all next week, churches are encouraged to cancel services this weekend, gov't buildings may close, and offices may close, too. Persons are encouraged to avoid crowds, to stay home if they're sick, to wear masks at hospitals, and to go to the doctor if they have flu or respitory infeciton symptoms.
This is all to prevent a disease that could be prevented by a combination of a cheap vaccine, some anti-viral meds, and hand-washing.
But mexicans do a lot of hand-shaking, cheek kissing, metro riding, street eating, self-medicating, and non-handwashing. Changing a culture overnight is difficult; keeping people at home is easier.
Like living through a worldwide flu pandemic.
At 7:20 this morning, while I was on the way to school early, I got the call that there were no classes today. Dave is working from home today. (the fact that I had to pay $200 pesos and spend 2.5 hours in the car for a teacher meeting that could have been rescheduled to Monday morning while my husband slept in would have really made me angry except that I was also picking up 4 friends to come over to my house for the weekend)
Here's what we know:
a unique strain of the influenza virus is spreading like wildfire throughout Mexico City. This particular virus may be treated with common anti-virals and may have been included in the flu vaccine, but so far 16 young healthy people have died from it, and at least 60 others in Mexico are sick. Schools were closed today, and might be all next week, churches are encouraged to cancel services this weekend, gov't buildings may close, and offices may close, too. Persons are encouraged to avoid crowds, to stay home if they're sick, to wear masks at hospitals, and to go to the doctor if they have flu or respitory infeciton symptoms.
This is all to prevent a disease that could be prevented by a combination of a cheap vaccine, some anti-viral meds, and hand-washing.
But mexicans do a lot of hand-shaking, cheek kissing, metro riding, street eating, self-medicating, and non-handwashing. Changing a culture overnight is difficult; keeping people at home is easier.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Crazy Weather!
El nino was so named bc it normally hit latin America at Christmas time every few years or so; "el nino" means the boy child, and is spanish slang, during Christmas, for the Christ child.
We have been having some crazy weather during "semana santa" or holy week, also. I'm not sure if that would be "el senor" (the Lord) or what. It was beautiful in MI while I was there & everyone was asking if I brought the warm weather with me. I must have left it up north, though, bc it hailed and snowed in Mexico City yesterday. It's crisp and cool outside today and the storms destruction is all around.
I'm starting to feel like a barometer.
We have been having some crazy weather during "semana santa" or holy week, also. I'm not sure if that would be "el senor" (the Lord) or what. It was beautiful in MI while I was there & everyone was asking if I brought the warm weather with me. I must have left it up north, though, bc it hailed and snowed in Mexico City yesterday. It's crisp and cool outside today and the storms destruction is all around.
I'm starting to feel like a barometer.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Friendly Skies
Flying solo back to MI for a few days over Spring Break, I sat next to two grade-school sisters. Their father & brother were sitting across the aisle. These girls were very friendly, and too young to really entertain themselves for 4.5 hours. So we talked a lot ;)
Eventually, they asked me where I worked (I had to first mention that I had a job, as kids don't really care where we work). When I said I was a teacher, one girl said that was good, because "you look like a teacher or a book writer". Out of the mouths of babes.
Maybe it's the glasses.
Eventually, they asked me where I worked (I had to first mention that I had a job, as kids don't really care where we work). When I said I was a teacher, one girl said that was good, because "you look like a teacher or a book writer". Out of the mouths of babes.
Maybe it's the glasses.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Almost Famous
While we climbed the Teotihuacan Pyramids, in the most crowded visit we've ever done, we heard lots of comments about our little niece. Most just smiled, and we noticed a few people photgraphing her from afar, but a few tried to touch her, one person asked to take a picture up close, and the people in line near us carrie on a pretty long conversation.
The best comments came from a mexican lady walking by: "Que guerrita linda! Esta preciosa!" or "what a cute little northern girl! She's precious!"
Since Alyssa wore a little onesie and a white hat - no socks or shoes, her arms & legs pinky white swinging freely from her snuglie - I was afraid Mexicans would make comments about how she should be covered up or dressed properly. Aparently, cuteness trumps all of those concerns.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
What a cutie!
My niece (and her parents, my brother & sister-in-law) came to school with me today. She was a huge hit with my students! Everyone wanted to play with the baby! She stole the show in my classroom, where students would take any excuse not to learn algebra :) The most amazing thing - all of my male students who wanted to hold her and speak baby talk! Big, tough teenagers who are too cool to do much of anything were kissing her fingers and speaking baby talk and trying to entertain her.
She also turned heads at the park. There were Jewish babies, and Irish babies, and French babies, and of course, North American babies. But Alyssa was definitely the cutest! Although the mexicans were very concerned.
Their major surprise - "look how white she is!"
Also, wondering why she had so much skin exposed to the sunshine. (My sister-in-law was wondering why the mexican women bundled their babies in 80-degree weather!)
She also turned heads at the park. There were Jewish babies, and Irish babies, and French babies, and of course, North American babies. But Alyssa was definitely the cutest! Although the mexicans were very concerned.
Their major surprise - "look how white she is!"
Also, wondering why she had so much skin exposed to the sunshine. (My sister-in-law was wondering why the mexican women bundled their babies in 80-degree weather!)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
If you're paid, then it's not really volunteering...
I saw this blog post on a website I frequent:
A central pillar of the economic stimulus being debated in Congress is a plan to pay unemployed workers more -- about $325 instead of $300 a week -- and extend through 2009 the unemployment benefits that would otherwise expire in March.
Here's a better idea. Pay them to volunteer.
Millions of people are out of work and unable to find new jobs, so make volunteerism synonymous with unemployment. A volunteer-for-benefits program for unemployed workers would:
inject money into the economy;
invest directly in local communities;
support nonprofit organizations;
increase community service; and,
cost taxpayers little beyond what Congress has already committed to spend.
I like the idea, long term, for Mexico. Here is why:
The US would like to decrease illegal immigration and drug trafficking from Mexico
The US would like Mexico to be a safer, cleaner place to visit
The US would NOT like to send Mexico a lot of free money.
So, the US, Canada, and other wealthy nations should pay unemployed mexicans to do community service - cleaning streets, rounding up stray dogs, distributing food and school supplies and clothing to poor people, building light rail lines, etc.
This will keep uneducated desperate poor people from becoming drug dealers or illegally immigrating to the US. And soon, the additional jobs will help to stabilize the economy.
Now, many US "mission groups" like to come to Mexico to clean streets and hand out food and play with ninos etc. This is problematic, bc Americans are paying a lot of money to come down and do jobs that Mexicans might like to have. And their impact is sporatic, at best.
A central pillar of the economic stimulus being debated in Congress is a plan to pay unemployed workers more -- about $325 instead of $300 a week -- and extend through 2009 the unemployment benefits that would otherwise expire in March.
Here's a better idea. Pay them to volunteer.
Millions of people are out of work and unable to find new jobs, so make volunteerism synonymous with unemployment. A volunteer-for-benefits program for unemployed workers would:
inject money into the economy;
invest directly in local communities;
support nonprofit organizations;
increase community service; and,
cost taxpayers little beyond what Congress has already committed to spend.
I like the idea, long term, for Mexico. Here is why:
The US would like to decrease illegal immigration and drug trafficking from Mexico
The US would like Mexico to be a safer, cleaner place to visit
The US would NOT like to send Mexico a lot of free money.
So, the US, Canada, and other wealthy nations should pay unemployed mexicans to do community service - cleaning streets, rounding up stray dogs, distributing food and school supplies and clothing to poor people, building light rail lines, etc.
This will keep uneducated desperate poor people from becoming drug dealers or illegally immigrating to the US. And soon, the additional jobs will help to stabilize the economy.
Now, many US "mission groups" like to come to Mexico to clean streets and hand out food and play with ninos etc. This is problematic, bc Americans are paying a lot of money to come down and do jobs that Mexicans might like to have. And their impact is sporatic, at best.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Lost in Translation
Today I had this discussion with a 9th grade Korean-Mexican student:
"if both equations are equal to y, then make them equal to each other."
"huh?" (or, the spanish-korean version of "huh")
"y equals y, right?"
"huh?"
"is y the same as y?" "yes"
"ok, so if this equals y point to equation with an x and this equals y point to another equation then they equal each other."
"huh?"
seriously, this went on for like 5 minutes. Then, I told her she needs a math tutor who speaks Korean. She did not know what the word "tutor" means. I explained it was someone who would help her with her math. She asked me why she needs that. I told her that she doesn't understand what I'm saying, and that a korean could explain the math to her in a langugage she understands. She looked at me like I was crazy.
*sigh*
"if both equations are equal to y, then make them equal to each other."
"huh?" (or, the spanish-korean version of "huh")
"y equals y, right?"
"huh?"
"is y the same as y?" "yes"
"ok, so if this equals y point to equation with an x and this equals y point to another equation then they equal each other."
"huh?"
seriously, this went on for like 5 minutes. Then, I told her she needs a math tutor who speaks Korean. She did not know what the word "tutor" means. I explained it was someone who would help her with her math. She asked me why she needs that. I told her that she doesn't understand what I'm saying, and that a korean could explain the math to her in a langugage she understands. She looked at me like I was crazy.
*sigh*
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