I'm no fashionista, but my travel clothes are awesome!

If you walk down the street like this, it's time to head to the Lavandería

I wrote this post while enjoying a beautiful morning at the beach last month.  For the past 12 years, we have traveled to the panhandle of Florida to rest and relax as a family.  Sadly, this trip was probably our our last big trip as a family of 6 as our kids slowly start peeling their way off to college next year.  We soaked up the sun, the waves and the good times for seven glorious days.

While preparing for my beach trip, I though a lot about my clothing choices for my trip to Mexico.  Those who know me well know that I am not a fashionista.  I'm all about value, comfort and coordination.  I would rather have five of the same item in black than a closet full of colorful designer outfits.

Just really wanted to see this picture one more time!

When it comes to what I wear, the only thing I like to splurge on are shoes.  I'm not talking Manolos or Jimmy Choo's.  I'm talking about orthopedic shoes that last and support my need to be an active traveler.  My favorite brands are Keen, Chaco, Asics and Easy Spirit.  I probably have 8 pair of Keen sandals, flipflops, boots and clogs. They are indestructible and extremely comfortable.  They aren't pretty, but I can go for miles and miles in them.  When they get dirty, I hose them off.  Easy peasy!  When I was in Mexico, I packed my new Keen Rose Sandals, my Asics trail runners, my Chaco flip flops, my Easy Spirit heeled sandals and my Keds (as an emergency backup).  Every shoe was worn and my feet never hurt.  For Florida, I simply deleted the Keds and the Easy Spirit heels.  I don't do heels on vacation.  There's no dressing up around here (at least for me).

Left to Right: Chaco, Asics, Keds, Easy Spirit and Keen

In terms of the clothing that I took to Mexico, I was really very pleased with my choices.  Even with the water damage, I was able to work with my separate pieces of clothing well enough that I only did laundry once.  I did wash out some pieces by hand in my room, but overall what I packed lasted for three weeks.  Here's a mini-breakdown of my main pieces:

• denim bermuda shorts (for travel days, loved the pockets)
• denim capri pants
• khaki cargo shorts (would definitely suggest travel fabric next time, the cotton was a pain when it got wet at the pyramids)
• workout shorts (2)
• black skirt
• black/white long skirt
• 3 Athleta/Lucy swim dresses (best.ever.period.)
• 4 black workout tanks with built-in bras
• 2 cheap Target tanks for sleeping
• Black pashmina
• Black sweater
• Black zip up hoodie
• Grey light open sweater
• White light cardigan
• Mason (showing my Comet pride) hoodie

Lots of Athleta and Lucy dresses.  So versatile, quick drying and comfy!

Good socks are a must!

Awesome pashmina that I threw in my bag daily.

Light neutral wrap.  Wore this often.

Cheap, Old Navy bra tanks. I have like 5 of these!

One fancy dress from a thrift shop

Rain Jacket that was never with me when I needed it.

It took a leap of faith to give this place my wardrobe for three days.  Thankfully, I got everything back in decent shape.

Going Gaga for Google

Students are working together to write and edit sentences using the verb TENER

We have completed two full weeks of school now and I can honestly say that things are going very, very well.  All of my students have personal learning devices with them each day which has created lots of new opportunities. It has also created a lot of small stumbling blocks that we have to work through each day.  For example, what if my lesson plan is entirely based on using Google docs and the internet, but 3 students did not bring their devices? What if one student's device all of a sudden starts flashing and the keyboard won't work?  What if a student has never used a Google product before and is unable to keep up with the students who have been using Google for two years?  What if the document I labored over and scrutinized before posting to Google Classroom has settings that won't allow students to edit it?  These are little things that take time away from instruction every day.  I'm not bothered by them.  We are learning together as a class what works and what doesn't work.  I've had some fantastic days where we have used technology the entire time. I have had equally fantastic days where the Chromebooks stay in the backpacks.  It's a learning process, but I plan to try something new each week.  Students seem to enjoy using their devices to track assignments, write papers and share with others.  However, there have been a few students who have asked if I could please just PUT IT IN WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER! I meet every student where he/she is so that is never a problem.

Each student is practicing vocabulary at his/her own pace using Quizlet.

For me, this will be a year of much growth and re-structure.  My current way of planning instruction now must include the question:  Can I improve this lesson by using technology?  Will the results be better? Will students learn more? Will the amount of time it takes to teach the technology be worth the results?  I'm doing this constantly and am finding that I will make mistakes along the way.  Fortunately, our students seems to already know that every thing you do with technology is a "PILOT" program.  That's the world we live in today.  

We even got a shout-out from our district for having a collaborative environment.

A New School Year Begins

What a week it has been!  On Monday, all teachers reported to school for our Professional Development Day.  It was great to see everyone in spite of my discomfort from having to sit all day long!  While our administrators tried to get us up and moving as much as possible, it was still a long day!  Having just had vascular surgery on one of my legs, I was feeling the pain at the end of the day.  On Tuesday, we had our kick off presentation at the high school followed by a school meeting and lunch.  The remainder of the day was spent working in our classrooms. I left the school that day feeling overwhelmed by the amount of new information and technology tools, but optimistic for a great first day on Wednesday.

7th grade Spanish teachers are ready for a great year!

Kicking off the year with a motivational presentation by our Superintendent Dr. Gail Kist-Kline

We were up bright and early for the first day (except Molly who likes to sleep until the last minute).  Here I am with my two high schoolers and Megan who will be with me at the middle school this year.  Everyone was excited to see their friends and teachers.  At the end of the day, the smiles were still visible.  I think they've got this thing down by now. I also had a great first day meeting my new homeroom/family, my five classes of Spanish kids and my new research period class.  This year, I'm in charge of a Research Period which is essentially a guided study hall.  I love being able to work with kids to help them set goals and manage their priorities.  I look forward to having a little bit of a change in my day!  We ended the week exhausted, but content in our new grades and schools.  We'll see if that feeling remains when those alarms go off at 5am on Monday morning! Here's hoping that your week went as smoothly as ours did!

First day of 2015-16

Staying Fit While Traveling

Walking, walking, walking

Those of you who know me well know that I love to workout.  In fact, I'm a bit obsessed with making sure that I exercise every day.  With a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes, it's not so much about achieving body perfection as it is about keeping my heart strong and maintaining a healthy body mass index so that I can prevent some of the issues that my family faces.  When I first found out about my trip to Mexico, one of my first worries was, "How am I going to be able to maintain my exercise schedule?"  In addition to that, I worried about not having any control over my diet while living abroad.  These two concerns played a big role in my pre-trip anxiety.  I knew that going on this trip was going to take me out of my routine and out of my comfort zone.  I wasn't sure quite how I would handle it.  I scoured the internet looking for gyms, yoga studios and fitness classes in Cuernavaca.  I kept coming up empty.  I did find one gym, but I really didn't like what I saw and it was very, very expensive for a one-week membership.  I decided that I would just wing it and try to go with the flow once I got there.

Most of my morning walk looked like this

One of the things I did before leaving the US was to email the school director asking for a home stay that was a decent walk away from school.  Knowing that I would have to walk to and from school each day (some days twice) assured me of at least a small amount of daily exercise.  They definitely honored my request by placing me in a hilly area exactly one mile from the school.  My first 100 steps each morning were up a steep incline.  Hello quads!  Most of my classmates were within 1/4 mile of the school so I considered myself lucky that I was placed at a such a distance.  

My Zumba teacher and classmates

Not only did I walk to and from school each day, but I also chose to walk to the city center in Cuernavaca (4 miles) at least 3 times a week.  When I met my exercise soulmate Lora at school one day, I was excited to learn that there was a daily Zumba class in her "neighborhood."  We made arrangements to go four times during our stay in Cuernavaca.  I walked 1.6 miles to her house before Zumba and 1.6 miles back home after Zumba.  Lots and lots of walking over cobbled and damaged sidewalks, up and down hills.  Lora and I chose Zumba over several other "cultural" opportunities that our classmates were doing, but it was worth it.  We got exercise and culture all in one place.  There's nothing like taking a Zumba class filled with Mexican women (of all ages).  No Zumba class here in the US can quite compare.  I'm certain my hips will never be able to move the way their hips did!  Yowza!

My travel mat and exercise bands

Yoga at Teotihuacán

The other type of exercise that I did while in Cuernavaca was yoga. I use an app on my iPad called YogaStudio. It is a fantastic app that you can use anywhere, even if you don't have internet.  There are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes of 15-60 minutes in length.  I got up early several mornings to get my yoga fix on my beautiful balcony.  It was challenging because I only took a travel mat, but at least it was something!

Rowing on the Chapultepec Lake

When Brian arrived to Mexico, we walked at least 5 miles a day, kayaked, climbed pyramids and only ate two meals a day.  There's no doubt we were burning more calories than we consumed during his stay in Mexico with me.

The best part for me about exercising in Mexico was that I didn't stress about it at all.  If I had to go somewhere, I walked.  Zumba was a social event that happened to revolve around a workout.  I did yoga because each morning was beautiful and I wanted to honor the peace and beauty of my surroundings.  For the first time in a long time, exercise was enjoyable and not just something else I had to fit into my day.  Exercising my body had a purpose and it felt great!

The second part of travel fitness that worried me was the concern about what I might be eating while on the trip.  I am usually pretty careful about my diet, but over recent months had found myself slowly slipping back into old patterns.  For me that meant eating desserts daily, having that 3rd glass of wine, snacking when I'm not hungry and way, way, way too many late night bowls of snack mix.  I also love to try new foods and have grown to love splurging on vacation.  The fear of no exercise plus eating whatever I wanted for 3 weeks consumed me in the days before the trip.  How on earth was I going to maintain my current fitness level given the circumstances?

Typical breakfast, but eventually I asked for "no hotdogs"

Typical mid-day meal

I've already discussed the exercise I had while in Mexico, but I feel that I must also speak about the food.  First, I didn't limit myself at all in Mexico.  I ate when I was hungry and I ate whatever was given to me.  That meant that breakfast was always fruit, white toast and eggs.  Some mornings, it was yogurt and honey with fruit.  I grabbed a banana or an apple to have during my morning break at school.  In the afternoon, I ate a very large meal with my family on most days.  Most of these meals included red meat, corn tortillas, rice and vegetables.  If we were on an excursion during meal time, I took a piece of fruit and a turkey and cheese sandwich.  There was no dinner on most nights.  Some families had a small meal, but not mine.  If I was hungry, I would pick up some trail mix or yogurt to eat.  

I drank a lot of water each day.  When I went to a restaurant, I chose whatever I wanted to try and I ate heartily.  I found that on most days, I ate because I was starving and not because I was on some sort of a schedule.  Not having a refrigerator or microwave at my disposal made me more aware of my eating patterns.  It's amazing how much we eat when we aren't truly hungry in the US.  Knowing that it would be a hassle to ask for food or walk to the store to buy something made me really ask myself if I was hungry or bored before reaching for that snack.  

Posole

Ceviche

And yes, pizza!

So what's the bottom line?  Did I return feeling flabby and out of shape?  Actually, the opposite happened.  I felt better while on the trip than I usually do at home. I attribute this to having virtually no processed foods and eating my biggest meal in the middle of the day.  However, I wasn't sure what the scale would say given my diet of red meat, lots of cheese and endless corn tortillas.  Imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale only to realize that I had LOST 8 POUNDS! I was shocked.  This was certainly not my goal in planning for fitness while traveling!  All of that worrying for nothing.  Three weeks in Mexico actually did this body some good.  It changed my eating patterns and helped me to focus on the benefits of exercising for enjoyment rather than obligation.  I am blessed to have a strong, healthy 42 year old body.  My trip to Mexico truly is the gift that keeps on giving!

Home at last!

Enjoying a cup of coffee in my new mug while catching up on things!

We arrived home about 1am to a house full of excited kids (except Ellie who decided she could wait to see me in the morning!).  It was great to be greeted by hugs, kisses and doggie licks from Cici!

I know that it's going to take me a long time to adjust to being home. My focus for the next few days is to unpack, spend time with my kids and reflect on my experience in Mexico. I do have more blog posts to write as I gather my thoughts and plan for a new year of teaching.  I am very appreciative of everyone who read my posts each day!  I hope that it inspired you to travel, to learn and to get out of your comfort zone.  I was not sure how I would react to this trip.  Now that I am home, I am certain that it was the right place and right time for me to go. It was hard to leave my family, but I learned a lot about myself in the process.  It was a blessing to have this trip paid for by both the Ohio Foreign Language Association and the Mason Schools Foundation. I am forever indebted to them for making this possible for me.  Hasta luego!

Final Days Abroad - Mexico City Days 4&5

The Stone of the Sun at the National Museum of Anthropology

Today will be a double post because I didn't want to take time away from Brian to write during our last two days in Mexico City.  We were busy, busy, busy and by the time we returned to our B&B each night, we were too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

A recap of Tuesday...the day started again with a glorious breakfast provided by the Red Tree House.  Did I say how much we love this place!  Today it was chicken and cheese enchiladas with salsa verde on top.  Of course, I started with hot coffee and fruit topped with plain yogurt.  Brian took advantage of the churros! You can see that he enjoyed them very much!

I was very excited for today's sightseeing because I was going to see some new places.  Most of the places I have been seeing with Brian, I had seen on previous trips to Mexico City.  Today, we ventured deep into Chapultepec Park, the largest urban park in Latin America.  Inside this park are an entire roster of museums, a full blown zoo, a castle, several lakes and a host of restaurants and other sights.  We narrowed our list down to the Chapultepec Castle, the Chapultepec Zoo, a kayak ride on the lake and a tour of the National Museum of Anthropology.  It was a full day! In addition, to make sure we got enough exercise, we walked both to and from the museum from our B&B which was about 45 minutes each way.  By the time we got home, we had either been on our feet or rowing in a boat for over 5 hours straight.  Ok, ok, we did stop to recharge our phones for 15 minutes at Starbucks, but you get the idea.  It was an exhausting, but wonderful day.  

I could have stayed here for days looking out at the mega metropolis!

Rowing at Chapultepec Lake

This was a lot harder than it looked

Beautiful weather and a beautiful view from Chapultepec Castle

The view from Chapultepec Castle

Entrance to Chapultepec Castle

Mexico flag over Chapultepec Castle

Inside the castle

View from the castle

A view down the Paseo de la Reforma, the longest, widest street in CDMX

King of the Castle

Butterflies were everywhere at the top of the Castle

Chapultepec Castle

Chapultepec Castle

National Anthropology Museum - One of the finest in the world!

Rufino Tamayo Mural at the anthropology musem

Gorgeous architecture at the anthropology museum

To give an idea of perspective

Selfie at the musem

Wolf siesta at Chapultepec Zoo

Deer are unusual here so there's an exhibit for them!

A deer exhibit!

We had a bit of a interesting dinner on Tuesday evening.  We chose a small restaurant called El Estanquillo. We liked it because it was supposed to be known for it's cured meats and unusual appetizers using local, fresh ingredients.  When we arrived, we were the only people in the place.  Red flag number one!  Although we got there around 7pm which is not the typical dinner time in Mexico so we didn't worry too much at first. We decided to order some chile peppers with chorizo and cheese for an appetizer.  This was actually pretty good.  It was topped with a guayaba paste known as ate.  It was quite an interesting combination of flavors.  So far, so good.  Brian decided to go with a burger and I chose a shrimp burger.  We were told that they didn't have any burgers that night, but that Brian could get a spicy pulled pork sandwich instead.  He was disappointed, but agreed to go forward with the pork.  They brought Brian's sandwich and told me there was a problem with mine.  ???  I encouraged Brian to go ahead and eat while I waited, and waited and waited.  When my sandwich arrived, it was tasty.  They forgot to bring Brian his potato wedges so we had to wait again.  We were told that we could have a lime-mezcal torte on the house for the inconvenience.  We took them up on this offer and I have to say that the dessert was pretty good!  When the bill came, we were charged for the torte!  Ugh!  We settled up our bill without complaining, because we just wanted to get out of there! It wasn't an expensive dinner, but it was definitely not a relaxing, romantic last night in CDMX.  You win some, you lose some.  Watch out Yelp, here I come!

On Wednesday morning, we got up early to pack out bags.  Breakfast was unusual today.  We (I) tried huitlacoche which is basically a fungus that grows on corn.  It is considered a delicacy and many famous US chefs will pay handsomely to obtain it and put it on their menus in the states.  We got it for free!  It was sauteed and wrapped into an omelet with cheese and salsa roja.  I thought it was delicious! Brian wouldn't try it and opted for plain scrambled eggs instead.  Apparently, scientists have discovered that huitlacoche has a lot of nutrients and is actually healthier than corn or oats in terms of a breakfast food.  It has lysine and is also thought to reduce cholesterol similar to the effects of eating oats.  I might have to try and find some at Jungle Jims!

We only had a few hours before we had to leave for the airport, so we grabbed a metro bus and headed to the Monument of the Revolution. From 1910-1921, Mexico had a civil war.  This monument and the museum inside it are a tribute to the history and legacy of this war.  We found it to be very interesting.  What was even more interesting was the shantytown of peasants who have taken up residence at the base of the tower.  The police presence in this part of CDMX was heavy.  

Shantytown in front of the monument

                     

It was a beautiful day!  We walked all the way back to the hotel via Paseo de la Reforma. We bid goodbye to our gracious hosts at The Red Treehouse.  By 1pm, we were on our way to the airport.

Brian in front of the Red Tree House

Saying goodbye to our friendly concierge at the Red Tree House