The Rest of the Story

I'm back from my trip to Mexico. I now have a better perspective on what it would take to teach English there. Basically, I wouldn't make that much money - maybe $5 per hour, which would be just enough to get by - & every school I talked to seems to want me to commit to at least a year.

So now I'm actively investigating Vietnam. I can make four times as much there as I can in Mexico, & the cost of living is significantly less in Vietnam than in Mexico. Also, it would be an interesting challenge to live in Asia, since I haven't been there as an adult. I lived in Thailand as a kid, so I know a little bit about the culture in that part of the world. I'm sure that it has changed in the last 30 years, but I imagine that the changes are mostly cosmetic. The infrastructure is probably better, & contact with American travelers is probably greater, but the basic culture is most likely the same. Besides, I'm pretty familiar with Mexico, especially the language, so Vietnam would definitely be a departure from the norm, which is what I'm looking for.

I'm thinking of spending six months in Vietnam teaching English, & saving up some cash. Then, I have travel plans with my friend Charlene in Buenos Aires in November. While I'm there, I'll investigate the job market. If I find something good, I'll stay in Argentina for another six months or so. If not, I'll head to Cuernavaca & try to work there. Of course things could change in the meantime, but that's the rough outline, anyway.

Teaching English in Mexico

I've been in Mexico now for a week, mostly on vacation, but I've popped my head into several English schools along the way to see what my chances are of getting a job teaching English down here.

Looks like they don't even want to talk about giving me a job until I have already moved down here. But I'm not thrilled about moving down here if I don't have a job. Hm. I have an appointment with the director of a school here in Oaxaca City on Tuesday morning. Hopefully I can get a better idea of what steps I would need to take to teach here (work visa, etc).

As for the city itself, Oaxaca doesn't seem any different than any other Mexican (or for that matter, Costa Rican) city that I've been to - I mean other than Mexico City, of course, where I wouldn't want to live anyway. It has a central plaza with a huge Catholic church, & lots of side streets with cars speeding down them, lots of music blaring everywhere, lots of smells (good & bad mixed together), lots of people walking around at all hours. I'm not sure it's any better or worse than any other city to live in. Cuernavaca is closer to Mexico City, where I know people, it's a little smaller, still has the ex-pat community, lots of English schools.

But then there's still Vietnam to think about.

Oaxaca

I'm here in Oaxaca City. They're all in a tizzy in Mexico City about the pig flu. Lots of people walking around wearing masks, no public functions in the capital for a week. They're even going to play two soccer games without spectators (a national tragedy). But according to the paper this morning, there have been all of nine cases of the flu in the whole state of Oaxaca so far. I think we'll be fine.

Cuernavaca

Here we are in Cuernavaca. Cory's feeling a bit of the "turista", so we've been taking it easy today. We haven't seen any of the sites here other than the zocalo (central plaza) & the pharmacy, but that's okay - I've seen it before. We're still thinking of taking a bus to Oaxaca tomorrow - it all depends on how Cory's microbes feel. I had a great lunch from a street vendor: corn, chile, lime - YUM! They threatened to put mayonaise on it, but I stopped them just in time. Later, I'm going to stop by an English school right down the street to check on a job.

Mexico City

I'm here in Mexico City after two longs days of tourist-ing around. Went to Teotihuacan yesterday, the Zocalo today. Tomorrow it's Xochimilco & Cuernavaca. So far it's the same old stuff, but we'll make it to Oaxaca on Thursday-ish, where all will be new for both Cory & me. The weather has been great - not too hot, not too cold. Gerardo's sister has been wonderful to us & Hugo, the taxi driver is indispensible, as always.

My Life: An Update

I've found that many people seem surprised, confused, & sometimes shocked at my current state of affairs. So I figured it was time for an update.

Job
I'm closing The Spanish Place this week. March 26th is the last day. Then I'm selling off everything in a sale on April 11-12 in hopes of raising some money for my trip to Oaxaca at the end of April. Feel free to stop by between 10:00am & 5:00pm either day to contribute to the fund raising efforts.

Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico
I'm leaving for Mexico on April 19th. Originally this was a vacation, & it still is, but I will also be checking out the job market while I'm there. I hope to get a job teaching English in Oaxaca or maybe Cuernavaca. Either way, I'll return to Phoenix on April 28th. If I do get a job, I'll pack up my remaining goods & move to Mexico. If I don't, I'll think of a Plan B, which may include teaching English in Argentina, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or even China. But I almost certainly will be leaving Phoenix for good very soon.

100 Thing Challenge
I've been spending much of my spare time scanning old photos, journals, & memorabilia in an effort to reduce my belongings. This is especially relevant now when I may be moving out of the country & don't want to take a lot of things with me. Once I know for sure when I'll be leaving Phoenix, I will have another yard sale at my house to get rid of the last remaining items.

House
I'm leaning towards foreclosing on the house or doing a short sale, but I won't decide for sure until I know what happens in Mexico. I'm going to a free seminar at Fiesta Inn on April 7th to find more out about my options. I've talked to lawyers, real estate agents, & people who have gone through their own foreclosures. They all say that I have a minimum of six months of non-payment before I have to leave the house.

Bankruptcy
I was considering filing bankruptcy, but the $2300 attorney's fee is prohibitive. Besides, a foreclosure will get me the same result, & I can still keep my credit cards. I haven't completely ruled out bankruptcy, though. I will always have the option of filing at a later date if I need to.

Right now, everything depends on what I find out while I'm in Mexico in April. Wherever I end up, I'll be sure to let everyone know so you can start planning your next vacation!

La Virgen de Guadalupe

The Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico. Today is the anniversary of her apparition to San Juan Diego. This is one of many forms that Mary takes in Catholicism. It's amazing how much she is revered, especially in such a male-oriented society.

It's quite an interesting story. You can read about it here in English or Spanish:
Article in English
Article in Spanish

On Being Jewish

This website: http://www.zompist.com/amercult.html lists differences in cultures around the world. One of the items on the Mexico list (written by Mexicans) was:

"If you're Mexican, you're extremely likely to believe in God; if you don't, most often you're Jewish."