I think we'll get started by just looking back on the last few weeks; more for my own sanity than for the reader's sense of continuity. I'll write more about how we got this job in Libya later.
This June of 2010 was probably the most busy June I've ever experienced. Ever. Well, that is probably not true, but it sure felt that way.
The first week of June was the last week before the Los Mejicas Spring Concert; my last folklórico concert for who knows how long. All night rehearsals and good byes. Carolina was the Stage Director again, she put the show together with grace and professionalism.
This was also Carolina's last week at work at H.A. Hyde Elementary in Watsonville. She and Sarah brought home enough boxes to fill the space in our living room left behind by the couches we sold to the parents of one of my students. We sold most of our furniture this month.
The following week was my last at Santa Cruz High. A bunch of my students threw me a surprise going away party. It was the group of kids that I had taught a dance to, which they performed at the cinco de mayo assembly I organized and that Los Mejicas came to perform in. They got Betty, one of our instructional techs, to get me out of class, when I came back they had everything set up. They had homemade tamales and pupusas, jello and sweets. It was great.
Once we were both moved out of our classrooms, it was full on packing time. Efrain, Caro's dad, came and helped us packing things away. We found some free boxes on Craigslist, really good quality, and got to work. We packed what we wanted to keep, sold what we didn't want to carry, donated what we could, and tossed the rest.
Our June weekends were especially busy.
First was the Mejicas concert, and right after Caro drove down to Hanford to attend Sergio and Vero's baby shower. That's when she came back with Efrain. We all went back to Hanford the next weekend to celebrate Ruth's birthday.
Caro was awesome and threw me a 30th birthday party. Oh yeah, I turned 30 this month. Maybe that's why it seemed like a busy month, I'm just getting old and having a harder time keeping up with everything. Anyways, it was really fortunate for me to see a lot of my friends together before taking off to Libya. Thanks to everyone who came. Carolina also had her birthday, her was the 15th, mine the 16th. It's like a second x-mas cause we just exchange gifts.
Next was Emilio's bachelor party - NEXT SENTENCES CENSORED FOR ELICIT CONTENT - It was fun. That same weekend we loaded the U-Haul truck and dumped our stuff in my Mom's garage in Pittsburg. Thanks to Miguel and my brother Enrique for helping us at either end of the trip.
On June 23rd, Carolina became a U.S. Citizen. So, when we come back from Libya they HAVE to let her back in the country. I told her that if they didn't we could just go live in México, but that idea didn't fly. I helped her study for her exam, which was in May, and she attended the swearing in ceremony and was congratulated by President Obama himself (via satellite or something).
While my birthday party was awesome, my actual birthday was spent mostly at the first day of the Central California Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute. I'm in the forth and final week of it as I write these very words during Sacred Writing Time . . .
So, enjoy the pictures and soon we'll post on our July travels, our final month in the U.S. Coming soon; our stay with Mark & Shireen, Damien's wedding in San Diego, staying in Hanford, Emilio and Cecilia's wedding in Oxnard, and a week in Florida with my sister Alma and her family. We take off for Libya on August 6th, so we'll post our first blog entry from there as soon as we get access to internet and more or less are settled in.
This June of 2010 was probably the most busy June I've ever experienced. Ever. Well, that is probably not true, but it sure felt that way.
The first week of June was the last week before the Los Mejicas Spring Concert; my last folklórico concert for who knows how long. All night rehearsals and good byes. Carolina was the Stage Director again, she put the show together with grace and professionalism.
This was also Carolina's last week at work at H.A. Hyde Elementary in Watsonville. She and Sarah brought home enough boxes to fill the space in our living room left behind by the couches we sold to the parents of one of my students. We sold most of our furniture this month.
The following week was my last at Santa Cruz High. A bunch of my students threw me a surprise going away party. It was the group of kids that I had taught a dance to, which they performed at the cinco de mayo assembly I organized and that Los Mejicas came to perform in. They got Betty, one of our instructional techs, to get me out of class, when I came back they had everything set up. They had homemade tamales and pupusas, jello and sweets. It was great.
Once we were both moved out of our classrooms, it was full on packing time. Efrain, Caro's dad, came and helped us packing things away. We found some free boxes on Craigslist, really good quality, and got to work. We packed what we wanted to keep, sold what we didn't want to carry, donated what we could, and tossed the rest.
Our June weekends were especially busy.
First was the Mejicas concert, and right after Caro drove down to Hanford to attend Sergio and Vero's baby shower. That's when she came back with Efrain. We all went back to Hanford the next weekend to celebrate Ruth's birthday.
Caro was awesome and threw me a 30th birthday party. Oh yeah, I turned 30 this month. Maybe that's why it seemed like a busy month, I'm just getting old and having a harder time keeping up with everything. Anyways, it was really fortunate for me to see a lot of my friends together before taking off to Libya. Thanks to everyone who came. Carolina also had her birthday, her was the 15th, mine the 16th. It's like a second x-mas cause we just exchange gifts.
Next was Emilio's bachelor party - NEXT SENTENCES CENSORED FOR ELICIT CONTENT - It was fun. That same weekend we loaded the U-Haul truck and dumped our stuff in my Mom's garage in Pittsburg. Thanks to Miguel and my brother Enrique for helping us at either end of the trip.
On June 23rd, Carolina became a U.S. Citizen. So, when we come back from Libya they HAVE to let her back in the country. I told her that if they didn't we could just go live in México, but that idea didn't fly. I helped her study for her exam, which was in May, and she attended the swearing in ceremony and was congratulated by President Obama himself (via satellite or something).
Of course the back drop for all of this has been the - ¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!
- The World Cup.
¡Mé-xi-co, Mé-xi-co, Mé-xi-co! was my Facebook status when I got to 99 Bottles to watch the opening game with Carolina, Efrain, and Caro's Tía, Angelica her husband Miguel and their daughter Diana. Most of the rest of the games I watched from the writing workshop I'm attending. Stealing looks at my computer screen, logged on to univisión.com. It was heartbreaking watching el Tri fall, then the last African team, and finally all the South American teams loose. My only condolence was to watch the USA loose too. We're now officially saving money for Brasil 2014.- The World Cup.
While my birthday party was awesome, my actual birthday was spent mostly at the first day of the Central California Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute. I'm in the forth and final week of it as I write these very words during Sacred Writing Time . . .
So, enjoy the pictures and soon we'll post on our July travels, our final month in the U.S. Coming soon; our stay with Mark & Shireen, Damien's wedding in San Diego, staying in Hanford, Emilio and Cecilia's wedding in Oxnard, and a week in Florida with my sister Alma and her family. We take off for Libya on August 6th, so we'll post our first blog entry from there as soon as we get access to internet and more or less are settled in.
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