Disco and School Christmas stuff

Disco:
We were invited to go to Tela's main disco, Iguanas Discotec, by some co-workers, Lemus and Carlos. It is only open on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00pm and doesn't have a specified closing time. Christina and I told them we would go with them on Saturday. That night we got all ready. We even put on make-up. I wear make-up in San Diego almost everyday but it is usually so hot here it would just melt off your face so we don't even bother with it. The only other time I wore make-up here was for our fancy holiday dinner. Christina even went to the trouble of straightening her hair. By 9:00pm, we were ready to go. Unfortunately, after waiting and waiting, our co-workers flaked on us. One claims he was sick and the other was stuck out of town with no cell-phone reception. Vanessa, another co-worker, came to our rescue. She felt it was unsafe for us to go unescorted so she offered to take us.

By the time she got to our house, it was already 10:45pm. She forbade us from bringing our purses saying there were a lot of iffy people at this club. We just put our keys and money in our pockets instead and thus I have no pictures. Admission was 80 Lemps ($4.20). Inside, the club was covered in neon paint lit by black light. There were two small bar areas, a few tables scattered around, and a dance floor. There was a surprisingly wide range of ages to be found, from young 20-somethings to 50 year old married couples. The clothing also varied: a few nicely dressed, some scantily clad, some 50 Cent wannabes, and those in between, like us with jeans and t-shirts. The music was at a decent level where you could still converse and mostly hear each other.

Once we sat down, we were immediately pursued by men. It was a constant barrage until we left. Most were nice enough, but others wanted to stay and chat for much longer than my interest held, especially with a few sketchier characters. Christina ended up dancing with a few different guys and she was surprised but grateful to find they were all very respectful, keeping their distance and not being grabby. I don't like to dance but enojyed just people watching. It was an okay experience but I don't think I would really return unless there was a large group of people going, which would presumably act as more of a barrier.

School Christmas stuff:
On Monday, I gave the students their graded exams back and had them make a mini-report card to give to their parents. Most kids were pleased with how much they had improved.

On Tuesday, we went on a field trip to deliver toys to children in the hospital. The school used a mini-van for transportation. Each child had to bring 10 Lemps for the ride. Since it was small, the bus could only take one grade at a time. It would drop off one grade at the hospital and then return to school to pick up the next grade, etc. We had to return back to school in the same fashion. At the hospital, we were led into the waiting room and gave out toys to the few children there. Then we were led into the pediatrics ward and gave toys to children in various rooms. The hospital looked like a regular American hospital, very sterile and cold with tiled hallways and ominous glass doors under signs directing you to different sections. On Wednesday, we were told we were not allowed to teach and the kids were to practice all day for the Christmas concert. Yeah, right, we are going to make the kids practice the same song repeatedly for 5 hours... I don't think so. None of this really matters since no one ever checks on us anyway. Needless to say, I did not have my students practice for 5 hours. Instead, I demonstrated how to properly brush your teeth, we made a chart to check off for brushing in the morning and night over winter vacation, and I gave them each a toothbrush (donated by my awesome dentist in San Diego). Then we made antlers to wear while singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. To throw in some math and art, the kids wrote multiplication story books and illustrated them. Then all the classrooms went upstairs to the auditorium and had a rehearsal for the Christmas concert. Most classes sang Christmas songs but a few, the 5th and 6th grades, danced lasciviously to reggaeton music. It was very inappropriate and you could tell even the students dancing seemed uncomfortable. At home that night, we baked chocolate chip cookies and brownies to give to those at the school who have been especially welcoming and helpful to us.

On Thursday, we didn't have to go to school until 3:00pm. The show was to begin at 4:00pm and then a small party was to follow in each classroom. Well, we got to school at 3:00 and, of course, we were the first to arrive. My students began to materialize slowly and I had them paint their noses red and don their antlers for the performance. I had almost my full class and their parents/grandparents in attendance. (Some of my students are being raised by their grandparents as their parents are working in other countries, mostly the US, but 1 mom is in Spain and 1 dad is in Switzerland.) The show began at about 4:20. They sang very well and then we headed down to the classroom for cake. The party lasted until 7:15pm. It was a very nice send off for our vacation. Here is a video to a portion of them singing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RknHiGG8cck On Friday, we will get a taxi to the bus to another taxi to take us to the airport in San Pedro. Looking forward to replenishing my quickly dwindling supply of books, oatmeal, graham crackers, and cheddar cheese, having my clothes, sheets, and towels machine washed and dried, eating in delicious restaurants, and of course, seeing family and friends. Not looking forward to the cold weather. I am kinda worried about it actually. It rained here all day on Monday and Tuesday and, although it was still in the 80's in the day, it dropped down to 67 degrees F at night and I was freezing (maybe I was too quick in announcing spring). I put on socks, a thermal shirt, long pants, and a sweatshirt. Even after getting bundled under my sheet and 2 small fleece blankets I was still shivering with goosebumps. In San Diego the high temperature has only been 65 and the low is 43. My body is going to go into shock. I know this sounds ludicrous to all of you, especially those where it snows, and I am probably making you roll your eyes or giggle a bit but I am dreading it.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays. The next time you hear from me, it will be 2008!