February....huh?!

If the title of this blog entry isn´t a big enough clue, I shall put it more clearly: How is it already the end of February??! I am completely baffled and hereby post a large, LO SIENTO (that is, ¨I´m sorry!¨) and shall do a quick 2-month sum-up for you, my friends and family. :)

The month of January was very busy for me. I spent most of it translating Christmas cards that the kids at school received from their sponsors in the States, taking photos of all 120+ kids we have in our pre-school and after-school programs, taking the bus back and forth across the city to print said photos, helping the kids write letters back to their sponsors, and then translating all those letters into English. All this work was part of the annual reports we completed for a US-based-foundation that (along with MCC) contributes money to the school.

Also in January I had the pleasure of bumping into (thanks to random internet greetings) a group of Bethel College (Kansas) kids who had come to Mexico for their January-term. As the small Mennonite world would have it, they were actually in Cuernavaca and we met up several times for coffee, bailes, and general chit-chat (in English?!....thankfully I still remember how).

If I could tell you what happened to all of February I promise I would. We were all busy running around trying to finish off January´s overload. Finishing this project was indeed a moment of rejoicing and the director of the school, Lizy, our secretary, Adela, and I celebrated with a little seafood in a nearby restaurant. On Monday afternoons with our after-school group I have been teaching the youngest kids (1st grade age) Spanish and Math. It´s been fun preparing for them and also a challenge to use the resources we have creatively and keep everyone engaged and on-track.

Here February 14 is celebrated as ¨Día de Amor y Amistad¨ -- or, Day of Love and Friendship. It was meaningful to me to have such an all-inclusive name for the holiday. As if I needed reminding, this year has solidified the fact that ones friendships are indeed invaluable and that it is undeniably important to recognize and name the significance others have made in your life. I spent the evening in the company of my best-Mexican-friends (my co-workers) in the presence of live-music and coffee.

As February races to its end, I have found myself stressed to find time to relax (yeah, chew on that inconsistency) and have started a New Years Resolution a month late: I have started walking and doing yoga in a nearby park every morning before classes. Though it means getting up at 6:30 (yikes!) I have found I need this time to adequately reflect on the previous day and to open myself to the new events the current day will hold.

I hope this finds you all doing well -- enjoying the work you are doing and the company you are with! At best I´ll get a few pictures uploaded before too long.

Love and peace,
Hannah