A lot of people, especially my friend Jen, would have you believe that Bali is heaven on Earth. A valid argument could be made supporting that thought but personally I prefer Tioman as my escape from the world. Bali is my escape from reality. In Tioman you can forget who you are; In Bali you can change who you are.

Our guest house in Ubud. Can you believe it, only ten dollars a night.

We only had a few days to  see and do Bali so the before mentioned Jen, who is also a self proclaimed Bali expert, was kind enough to offer me a list of The Best of Bali.

We landed in Kuta the popular area for beach tourists. After a day in the sun and a massage and manicure on the beach we headed inland to the small town of Ubud. Ubud has retained much of the Balinese culture where as Kuta has become very western, so to speak. Here we watched a traditional Balinese dance and visited the monkeys that occupy the local Hindu temple. On our final day we hired a car that drove us further inland to see the small towns hidden in the valleys of mountains. The people here grow rice and were working quickly as the skies threatened rain. We ended the day watching the sun set over at a temple built on the sea.  

Wisdom

Jen’s Best of Bali 

1. SUKA BEACH INN, KEDINS INN II, MELASTI BUNGALOWS
2. ULUWATU
3. DREAMLAND
4. DOUBLE SIX BUNGEE JUMPING
5. UBUD
6. SANGEH MONKEY SANCTUARY (SPELLING MIGHT BE WRONG)
7. TJS MEXICAN RESTAURANT
8. 1 NIGHT OF DEBAUCHERY IN BOUNTY
9. WATCH OUT FOR THE LADY BOYS
10. HAVE A BINTANG
11. PRACTICE SURFING AT KUTA BEACH
12. GET ANNOYED BY THE VAST NUMBER OF AUSTRALIANS
13. BUY ME SOMETHING (jk) UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO
14. BARGAIN EVERYTHING. HALF PRICE.. PRETEND TO WALK AWAY
15. DONT GET RIPPED OFF.
16. BARGAIN EVERYTHING DOWN, EVEN IF THEY SAY FIXED PRICES
17. DONT SMOKE POT
18. HAVE FUN 

(My fifth grade class on our last day)

After six months of on an off traveling, it is a little strange to finally be home – to be still.  The last several weeks passed by unusually quickly as I fit in a little traveling and said goodbye to all the friends I made along the way.  I have found that I am a person who requires change and transition in my life.  Without new and exciting experiences I often grow bored and restless.  However, I have also discovered that as much as I continually strive after new adventures to entertain myself, I find it painfully hard to walk away from the people and places I love.

If you would have asked me about my social life during the course of this semester, I would have told you that I had friends and was having a great time but that I felt somewhat distant and disconnected from those around me.  In truth, I was missing my friends and family back home (and I still long to catch up with those I have not seen).  However, I could never have predicted just how close I would grow to my friends in Mexico in the short period of about four and a half months.  And unfortunately, I did not realize this until I had to say goodbye. 

To me, this says a lot about human interaction and the relationships we form between us.  First, we seldom recognize the value of our relationships and what they mean to us until it is too late.  Whether it is looking someone in the eyes and saying goodbye, not knowing when you will see them again or whether it is death that separates (at least our physical bodies) indefinitely, we are often too obtuse to soak up what we have when we have it.  We fail to live in the moments we are given.

Secondly, we fail to recognize the power of human interaction, especially in terms of relationships or dealings that seem insignificant.  The more I live and the more experiences I gain, the more I realize how much we need each other.  A simple smile or a hello often has a strange way of lightening dark moods.  In the case of Mexico, I hardly believed a semester was sufficient time to develop any meaningful relationships with those around me.  However, in retrospect I can honestly say I felt a deep connection to many of those whom I left behind. 

After leaving one of our friends at the airport the day before I left, one of my friends told me that she preferred to meet people even if it meant saying goodbye after a short time rather than never having known them at all.  She was quite upset to see everyone leave, and I think her statement holds a lot of truth.  Too often we do not take advantage of those that pass in and out of our lives quickly.  We seem to devalue those relationships as transient or short-lived, when in reality, we do not need much time to mean something to someone or to have them make a difference in our lives.

It will different, but wonderful to be back home.  Catching up with old friends after time apart is always something that brings a smile to my face.  Facing down my last semester of college and the ever impending graduation, however…this is a little more frightening.  I have only been home two days and already I have been inundated with talks of jobs, job searching, marriages, ring shopping, and the exciting question of “what are you doing after graduation?” It makes me want to hit the pause button, slap everyone around a bit, and tell them to stop this nonsense grown-up talk.  We are only kids after all.  Unfortunately, I think time is dragging me into the “real world” no matter how hard I kick and scream.

I would tell you all about my last trip to Puerto Escondido, but in all honesty there is not much to recount.  And I mean that in the best way possible.  I think several pictures will do enough justice, unless of course you want to read paragraph after paragraph of me running my toes through white sands and staring off into the crashing waves with a head so clear and carefree it was thoughtless.  The first picture is my favorite bay that we spent the most time at.  The second picture is the sunset at my favorite bay.  For the week I went 5 for 5 catching sunsets, not bad at all.

See you all soon.  Feel free to call on my American line!

Since we were traveling with my Mexican friend Santiago, we decided the best means of transportation would be to rent a van for the entire weekend.  This way we could leave whenever was most convenient for everyone.  Also, we would never have to worry about taxis or crazy changing bus schedules.  We all pitched in about $100 USD to cover rental, gas and tolls (amazingly, the money ended up going much further).  At the end of the weekend each of us received about $17 back after paying for the van, gas, tolls, about six group meals, and accommodations (which were free).  All in all, the entire five day trip cost about $115.  Unbelievable.

Now, obviously, since we are in Mexico, the trip had to start off on an interesting note.  The twelve passenger van Santiago reserved ended up resembling something closer to an eight passenger van (probably because it was an eight passenger van).  Regardless, all thirteen of us and our luggage squeezed in for the four hour trip to Querétaro.  We made the best of it by repeatedly singing the songs that would eventually become the trip’s theme songs: “My Happiness” by Powderfinger, “Business Time” by Flight of the Concords, and “Gali Gali Sim Sim” which is some Sesame Street song in Arabic.

We arrived to Santiago’s house in Querétaro fairly late on Thursday night.  We all went straight to sleep in order to wake up relatively early for coffee and tea followed by a tour of the city.  The city was quite beautiful.  We visited an ancient pyramid, a convent which housed a tree that grew spines in the shape of a cross, and the giant arches that once served as an aqueduct for the city.  After eating dinner in one of Santiago’s favorite cafés, we stopped by the grocery store to buy food for the following morning.  That night we sat out on Santiago’s porch, which overlooks part of the city, drinking, visiting, and listening to music. 

The following day, we drove to San Miguel de Allende to spend two nights at Santiago’s family ranch, which was absolutely incredible.  It had enough beds to sleep us all, beautiful land with naturally growing fruit trees, and a night sky like you would not believe.  Of course we lit a fire every night and I even had the opportunity to play a little guitar.  All of you who know me well know that this simple combination signifies that I had a wonderful time.

Although I enjoyed the town of San Miguel de Allende, which was breathtaking, my favorite part of the trip was definitely hanging around the ranch.  Most of the meals we cooked ourselves and all thirteen of us would gather around a table to eat together.  It gave me a great sense of community and really allowed us to bond.  Everyone played their part and no one complained.  I was definitely sad to return to Cholula where I spend most of my meals at restaurants.

When I returned from this trip, I was confronted with a mountainous pile of work.  The following week and a half I basically had to lock myself away to finish it all.  I would complain, but I really have no reason.  Normally I work this hard all year around.  One week of actually having to go to the library does not constitute anything worth complaining about.  So I sucked it up and finished most of my papers and presentations.  I only have a small amount left to complete before I finish classes on the 5th of December.  Then, its ten days of traveling before I finally come back home.  It’s hard to believe I have been out of the country since May, minus the three weeks between Africa and Mexico.  The time has honestly flown by and I know I have grown a lot in various ways.

This week I finished teaching, which is really quite saddening.  The experience was really beneficial for me.  I feel as though I learned a great deal about classroom management, lesson planning, and what it means to be a teacher.  However, at times throughout the process, I really questioned how beneficial the lessons were for my students.  Since this was my teaching test-drive so to speak, there were many times when I felt quite ineffective as an educator.  I know the students learned some, but I feel in many ways I could have done a better job with them.  I guess it’s all part of the learning process.

For my last class period with each grade level, I decided to have a party.  The students were allowed to bring food to share, we sang our songs, and, of course, we played bingo.  My fourth graders really surprised me by bringing an absolute feast.   There were tacos, tortas, chips, salsas, fruits, desserts and refreshments.  The kids were definitely excited to have a party on the last day.

Leaving was definitely difficult, and the students did not make it any easier.  I received a slew of gifts that included candies, coffee mugs, flowers, a shirt, kleenexes and a bottle of water.  My favorite gifts, however, were the notes some of the students gave me thanking me for teaching and asking me to come back and visit.  For all the moments I felt frustrated or like a failure in class, those little notes made up for it.  As wonderfully difficult as serving can be, it is always nice to feel appreciated and that your work meant something to someone.   My students definitely made me feel appreciated.  Before I could leave I received hugs from all my boys and kisses on the cheek from all the girls.

This may be the last update I write in Mexico, though I am going to try and write another.  After my classes finish next Friday, I plan on going to Puerto Escondido with a group of friends.  The beaches there are rumored to be phenomenal and I could definitely use some beach time to close out the semester.  I have mixed feelings about returning home, but I know I will be happy when I do.  Anytime I start thinking about Texas, I begin missing all you guys (or should I say ya’ll).  Well have to start planning the potlucks and bonfires now.  See you soon,

Taylor

All of you will be happy to know that the bus companies took their last stab at me, adding just another grievance to my long list of complaints against Latin American buses.  Interestingly enough, however, this instance was not so much the fault of the bus company as it was the bankrupt financial system we have created in the United States.  As many of you know, in a hasty attempt to salvage the economy several weeks ago, our Congress voted to inject several hundred billion dollars of our taxes to save a group of big name lending corporations (who interestingly enough, despite their severe crisis, still manage to heavily fund both candidates’ political campaigns…interesting).  I wonder where our politicians’ loyalties lay? 

Nonetheless, these bail-outs (including over a trillion dollars of money the FED pulled out of thin air) temporarily boosted the value of the dollar (though rest assured if we continue such credit creation the dollar will collapse).  Conveniently, the bus company decided to use this opportunity to refund the pesos I had spent trying to reserve bus tickets on line, at a time when the peso was stronger compared to the dollar.  Therefore, when my money was refunded and exchanged I was shorted about thirty dollars.  And no, I do not even have the energy to call and complain.

Two weeks ago we were given a holiday for the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).  This holiday falls around the same time as Halloween but is a distinctly different tradition rooted in indigenous religious beliefs.  The theory is that on this particular day the spirits of ancestors passed are given the opportunity to return to Earth and spend time with their relatives.  Though it is a dying custom, many Mexican families still create altars that honor their deceased relatives and serve to “guide the spirits” back to their home.  The altars can be found both in homes and around cemeteries and are absolutely beautiful. 

Unfortunately, I was unable to experience much of the customs and traditions surrounding Día de los Muertos.  A group of friends and I traveled to Guadalajara, Jalisco, an extremely urban area where Día de los Muertos is practically dead.  In all honesty I do not have much to say about this trip.  The city is quite enormous, but despite it size, it has surprisingly little to offer other than some parties.  Traveling to party is not really my style, however.  I find the cultural historical sites to be much more interesting.

This past weekend, in the midst of studying for several tests and writing several papers, I decided to take a camping trip up to Popocatépetl, the active volcano in Cholula.  The time we actually spent camping, though not very long, was absolutely wonderful.  We had a campfire, my guitar, some brews, friends, and were surrounded by the beautiful wilderness – basically my favorite pastime.  Not surprisingly, I cannot say that the trip to and from the mountain were as pleasant as actually camping.

Originally I was told we would be taken to the volcano by a fellow Mexican who had rented a van.  I do not know if I mistranslated what I was told or if I simply did not realize that “van” in Spanish actually means, “oh yes, we are going to cram all eight of you and your luggage in the back of a pickup for the hour and a half ride to the mountains.”  Keep in mind that during this time, the sun was slowly setting and we were gradually gaining altitude, all of which translated to a rapid drop in temperature.  Fortunately at the time none of this mattered much to me.  We were going camping and I was excited.

The ride home was equally as entertaining (in retrospect of course).  Upon arriving to the volcano we found a small hostal to stay in.  The gentleman who owned the cabañas, who we called “Don” (the Mexican way of saying “sir”), seemed very amiable and told us we could all stay in the same condo.  Checkout was at 12 o’clock the following day.  Cool.

What we did not realize was that “Don” was an absolute drunk who enjoyed getting up very early Sunday morning to spend the whole day throwin ‘em back.  What we also did not realize is that he had a drinking date with some of his buddies at 11 a.m. the next morning.  So at about 10 a.m. he was telling us we needed to leave.  When we complained about the checkout time, good ol’ Don proceeded to create a bus schedule from thin air, telling us that we had to leave now to catch the only bus leaving this afternoon back to Cholula.  If we did not go now, we would have to wait until four or five.  Not knowing any different we took his advice.

So the Don flagged down a passing pickup, and we jumped in the back thinking we were heading to the bus station to make our way home.  But oh no, the Don had other plans.  He wanted to show us this park, where he would proceed to drink about four beers at 11 a.m. while insisting that we wait for him to travel back to Cholula.  So we waited.  At about 11:30 the Don ordered two brewskies to go and we began walking to the bus stop, which turned out to be the corner of dirt road in the middle of the mountains.

As soon as we arrived at the “station” the Don began babbling on about this one time when he had to wait three hours in the rain for a bus because, as he put it, they come quite sporadically.  By this time I was quite frustrated and the closest I’ve ever been to actually physically assaulting another human being.  Thinking maybe this time would be different, we waited…

An hour and a half later (and another three beers for the Don) we decided to flag down a pickup and ask for a ride to another bus station where buses came by every twenty minutes.  The family thankfully agreed and actually ended up bringing us all the way back to Cholula.  The whole time I kept thinking of the irony of the situation: In Texas we always laugh at the Mexicans who cram into cars and the back of pickups to drive around.  Here I am in Mexico with a group of foreigners, bumming rides off of locals and riding in the back of pickups.

On a sadder note, my fellow foreign roommate from London, Simon, was recently expelled indefinitely from the University.  He was with another Mexican student on campus past curfew when they were caught by security just as the Mexican had whipped out a joint and was about to smoke.  They ran.  They were caught.  Their rooms were searched.  Ect.  My suitemate actually had neither drugs nor paraphernalia on him.  Needless to say, they were both tried together and punished with expulsion from the university the following day.

Simon went through a process of appeal, to protest how his case was handled and the equal punishments they were given for different crimes.  Unfortunately, students at this University do not have much voice and there is little structure to bring grievance against what I consider to be a rather totalitarian administration.  You should hear the rules we have in the dorms…

But yah, long story short.  They kicked him out, canceled his visa, therefore, forcing him to leave the country, called his university back home, and are refusing to hear his case again.  All for being caught after curfew with a person who had drugs on him.  Oh, Mexican justice.

Teaching has been going really well.  We have moved beyond our numbers unit to basic conversation structures.  With this transition we have also retired the Jack Johnson song, but never fear, we have introduced “Hello, Goodbye” by the Beatles to make up for it.  The students are really enjoying the song and the new unit.  It’s sad to think that I will be done with teaching in two short weeks.  It’s been an enjoyable, but incredibly challenging experience.

This weekend, in two hours actually, I am taking a trip with a group of friends to Querétero and San Miguel de Allende.  We will be staying in the house, and later the ranch, of one of my Mexican friends.  I’m really looking forward to the trip.  I hear amazing things about both cities.

I’m sorry this was so long.  I had quite a lot of updates but I tried my best to be succinct.  Always feel free to shoot me an email or call me on Skype.  Love and miss you guys.

Taylor