Photos from Paracho, Michoacan. A locally famous town for buying hand-made classical guitars. Bought a new hand-made steel string for my b-day/Christmas present.
Finally it's Christmas break! A mere four days prior to the big holiday. Because it is going to be such a short time (I have to be back teaching on the 3rd of January) I decided it would make the most sense to stay in Mexico. I have been to about 13 of the 32 Mexican states and decided it's about time I knew something about Mexico City (or D.F. as everyone calls it here). So tomorrow I leave for the metropolis of over 20 million people. I've heard people in Mexico City drive with less regard for human life than they do here in Guadalajara, which I'm still not convinced is possible.
The kids have been wild for the past couple weeks and it was a relief for everyone when the final school bell rang today. I have enough chocolates, cookies, and junk food from the students to last me the next ten years (or at least for the D.F. road trip) and it was great to see how much they get into the season. There has been a posada (a Christmas party) during or after school nearly everyday for the past week! It's hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit when I can still ride my bike around at night in shorts and a T-shirt. It's so hot here! Last weekend I was at the beach surfing in some 7-foot break in Ticla and Maruata, Michoacan.
One project we started at school was the mummification of a fish pharaoh. The social studies teacher and I got together to dissect and properly mummify a fish. A few weeks ago I had all 105 6th graders file through the lab to dissect a 'Lisa' fish and remove all the organs except the heart. Then in social studies they're creating sarcophagi and names for the pharaohs while learning about ancient Egypt. So now there's two crates of fish bodies buried in salt in the classroom waiting for all the water to be sucked out of them. Hopefully we don't return to a classroom that smells like a fish market mixed with a sewage plant.
Feliz Navidad and Feliz Ano Nuevo!
