Winter Break 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I’m back from my winter break, well rested and ready to write about it. Most of the public schools have started back up, but I’m still on vacation because I’m fortunate enough to teach at private schools. My last day of class was on December 20th and they start up again this Monday the 8th. Alder didn’t get as long of a vacation as she studies at a state university here and works at a micro financing organization which both started this past Tuesday the 2nd. We made the best of it by travelling to Guatemala from the 21st to the 30th and had a great trip.

We made a b-line to Lago Atitlán up in the mountains and stayed in Panajachél the first night. The following day we took a boat across the lake to San Pedro de la Laguna and stayed there for the next three nights. We celebrated Christmas/Honokaa/Solstice by kayaking across the lake to San Marcos, jumping in the lake off the cliffs there, and hiking next to the lake in search of hidden beaches. We couldn’t get enough of that beautiful lake. From there we took a chicken bus to Xela (Quetzaltenango) and stayed there for a night before heading up to the magical Fuentes Georginas in Zuníl (http://www.lasfuentesgeorginas.com/) to soak in the natural hot springs. Our last night in Guatemala was spent at an incredible new resort in Zuníl called Las Cumbres Eco Saunas y Gastronomía (http://www.ecosaunaslascumbres.com/home.htm) where we had our own geothermic fed sauna in our room. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it up to my old Peace Corps site in Concepción Tutuapa as it is very out of the way and it’s been nearly impossible to keep in touch with people there. It was a fun and relaxing trip… except for some of the bus rides, of course.

After a day of resting, we were ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Most of our friends were still out of town so we went downtown to the zocalo (central plaza) to see some live music on a big stage and watch an impressive fireworks show at midnight. There were lots of happy people there and it was definitely a good scene. It didn’t feel at all like the zocalo had been commandeered for the past 6 months first by teachers, then the APPO (revolutionaries) and finally by the PFP (federal police/military). Things have really calmed down since my last entry, and it’s nice to see the city returning to relative normalcy. The local police have returned and have a few random roadblocks downtown, but their presence is much less oppressive than that of the PFP. It will be some time before things are completely back to normal, but poco a poco… Really, this is a great time to be in Oaxaca. The weather is just about perfect and the city is almost all cleaned up.

Since my last entry, I have moved into a nice fully furnished apartment about four minutes walking distance from my school in a really nice neighbourhood called Xochimilco (the x is pronounced like s). It’s ideally located between downtown and Alder’s place, 10 minutes walking distance from each. Unfortunately, I don’t really need a bike here - although it’d be fun. I’m still contemplating bringing mine back down with me next summer. Oh how I miss her… But somehow I manage to stay in pretty good shape. Walking a lot definitely does a body good. Right now I have a bit of a head cold, but I don’t expect it will slow me down much. That’s the first health complication I’ve had since I’ve been here and I don’t it for granted. I actually got traveller’s health insurance for our trip to Guatemala. Could I have appendicitis twice in a lifetime?? I really hope not.

My new address is:
Bolaños Cacho #113
Col. Xochimilco
C.P. 68040
Oaxaca de Juaréz, Oaxaca
MEXICO

And my cell phone number is:
(52?) 951-570-6862

LINKS
Check out my webshots album to see some new pics at http://family.webshots.com/album/556865235GvoouS

For more info about the non-profit educational organization I work for, check out http://jacarandaeducation.org/aboutus.html

For more info about the school I teach at and how/what we teach, check out http://jacarandaeducation.org/blaiseproject1.html