Good Weather, Good Food, Good Times...in Mexico!

Unlike the negative press that Mexico is receiving NOB we are still enjoying our stay here in the Yucatan. This week has been busy with visiting, volunteering and eating ( and of course a few cervazas ).

This has been another great week of weather and we have spent a few days around the pool especially in the mornings as well as walks on the beach. We came across a group of fishermen hauling their net from the shore though they didn't get a very big catch.

I can take a lot of these days!

Starting to haul the net...notice the guy far out in the water...

Bringing the net closer to shore...

Is that all the fish we have????

We walk almost every day and always see something new. Here are a few street pictures from our walks...

A faded facade...

The cemetery...the Mexicans bury their dead in shallow graves and remove them after a few years and rebury them in a smaller space.

I was walking early one Sunday morning and came across the butcher set up on the sidewalk selling his meat.. There was a lineup...

Midweek we invited our friend Brin down for a Jiggs dinner, Mexican style. Don brought the salt beef from home as well as a bag of peas for pease pudding.Unfortunately customs took his peas but his luck held out and they gave him back his salt meat.

Given we didn't have NL savoury for stuffing I used local cilantro which is used a lot here and then I added fresh limes. It gave the chicken an interesting but delicious flavor. We substituted garbonzo beans for peas and boiled them in the pudding bag,again a good result and a fabulous home made meal.

The makings of a Mexican stuffing....

Ummm...this is going to be tasty!

We also ate out a couple of times when we had Todo Frito ( Totally Fried )...

Fried fish, shrimp, onion rings and chips...

And this soup was very good as well....

Papaya garlic soup...

And what about these wings???

One day this week we visited the local schools to see what they were like as well as fiqure out how we might offer our services for teaching English. The schools here are quite primitive with not a lot of facilities. In one school the janitor kept asking us for garbage bags and a wheelbarrow as he needs them for his work and there is no budget for these items.

One of the school buildings...there are a number of these samll concrete buildings located around the grounds.There are small classrooms in some, a computer lab in another and the toilets in the other.

A typical classroom...

The children all wear uniforms to school and present themselves very well in snow white shirts and skirts or pants. There are children who cannot go to school as their parents cannot afford uniforms and supplies. The expats here do a lot of fundraising to help these families.

The elementary children in their uniforms

The children here go to school in shifts with the first shift starting around 7:30am and the older students not finishing until 6pm. It seems this is done as space is limited as well as not having a lot of teaching staff.

A small group of us got together and after seeing both schools decided to do an English Activity Camp on Saturdays at the Comunity Center so children and their parents from all the schools could attend. We are starting next week and I am really looking forward to seeing how it will go.

We also helped out with ball at the local ball field. A guy from Canada brought down some balls, bats and gloves and they are starting a baseball league with the local children. This was the first time and there was a huge turnout and it was so mcuh fun. Don and I know nothing about the game so we helped where we could. The children were a joy to work with and are already looking forward to next week.

This is how you hold the bat....

Ok, I get it....

And here's the proof...

Austin, Don and Brooke in the outfield...

Another day we went to a fashion show in Chuburna, a very small town west of here with a large number of Canadians. It was held at one of their homes in a beautiful back garden and again a great way to spend the afternoon and meet some new people. This fundraiser was held in support of the school's computer program and they raised 10000 pesos! The gently used clothes were all for sale and with the prices they were asking most of it sold rather quickly. I bought a red parrot dress that will always remind me of my time here as it is the type of dress worn by many Yucatan women...a bargain at 5 dollars!

The setting for the fashion show...

The real women models...

The entertainment...the principal's daugher did a wonderful dance routine...

We have been here now almost two months and as the days move by we are looking at the calendar with growing concern that our days are numbered in this little town! Four more weeks and still so much left to do!!!

The red parrot dress and yes I am happier than I look!!!