The Macho Men of Westhill, Gustavo and Marco.
Some of the female teachers at my apartment just before we all left Mexico. Pictured are Liz, Michelle, Pam, Danette, and me. Liz, Michelle, and Danette are Canadians; Pam is a gringa like me.
The "cutest couple" in Westhill that wasn't actually a couple at all. This is Jenn, the most creative and amazing (and also underpaid) art teacher ever, cuddling up to Gary, the leftist-rightist future Prime Minister of Canada. Jenn is actually married, but Gary doesn't mind.
Here I am flanked by two of my favorite people in the world, despite their frighteningly old age. On the left is Raul, an American citizen with an oddly Colombian accent; on the right is Jorge, a Mexican who was mistaken for a Gringo when he cheered wildly at a Mexico-Brazil soccer game that happened two years ago.
Here I am on one of the last days of school with some of my 11th graders, often unruly but great kids nonetheless. They are, in order: Jose, me, Fabian, Erik, Dan, Jorge, and Rafael.
Here is Jorge again, this time with my hermanito Moises!!
A bunch of the Westhill teaching staff at Jorge's house, celebrating the final Friday of the school year.
Here I am with fellow teacher Paul Heffernan on our first night (Thursday) in Oaxaca. I think this photo looks like an ad for cultural diversity. As a student noted, we look much "less uptight" than when we are at school.
Our first night in the Oaxaca city Zocalo promised plenty of mariachis. These maroon mariachis were battling it out with some black and white mariachis for the most drunken solicitations that night.
On Friday, five teachers and myself took a tour around the sites within a few hours of Oaxaca city. The tour included a visit to a Mezcal factory-- Mezcal is actually the same thing as Tequila, but they can only call it Tequila when it originates in Jalisco state. (Sort of like how anything not from Champagne, France is called "bubbling wine.")
This photo demonstrates the fermentation process of the Mezcal.... Essentially, they take the core of the plant, smash it to a pulp and smoke it in a pit, then throw it in this tub and let it sit for weeks while the local insect population feasts on the remains. Mmm mmm good!
After the Mezcal demonstration, we got to taste-test all sorts of different types of the drink. Some tour members interpreted "taste-test" very generously. Consequently, a very happy Gary had plenty of questions for tour-guide Juan.
Sometimes in Mexico there are very creative ways to indicate the Mens and Womens restrooms. In this case, the womens room was indicated by a skeleton in a dress hanging over the door.
Back in the Zocalo that night, there was a parade (for some religious thing I can�t remember offhand) that featured people on stilts and costumes with gigantic heads.
On Saturday, Pam and I visited Monte Alban, the Zapotec ruins just outisde Oaxaca city. This is Pam climbing up the main pyramid.
Here is me (after we climbed the pyramid), with the ancient city in the background.
Here is Pam from the other side of the pyramid, with a view of Oaxaca city (in the valley) in the background.