For Becky

because she is no longer a reader of the book of face and therefore can't creep my pictures.

The aqueduct that runs through Querétaro's downtown core.

One of the many fountains in one of the many squares in the centro.

Aztec statue in the centro.

Brad feeling festive on Independence Day.

The elementary school.

The little kids' playground.

The little kids' soccer field.
And some more of the elementary school (my classroom is on the top floor, on the faaaarrrrr left).

San Miguel de Allende (weekend trip)

San Miguel.

Outside after a Gallos soccer game.
It's appropriate to pose for photos with the riot police, right?

Praise the Lord for the Corner Oxxo

In the greater scheme of life, I suppose that running out of tortillas probably wasn’t THAT big a deal.

Except that no tortillas means no fish tacos.

And no fish tacos means, well, no fish tacos.

And we have all this homemade salsa verde.

I know, right?

Some Awesome (A), and Not-So-Awesome (NSA), tidbits pertaining to Mexico.

Awesome: hardly anyone speaks English, so it’s easy to practice your Spanish.

Not-So-Awesome: I’m still struggling with basic communication, meaning I don’t have a large enough vocabulary to practice my Spanish. Frustrating.

Awesome: enchiladas. gorditas. tacos.

NSA: there is no NSA equivalent to this A.

A: I’ve discovered that I’m actually a better-than-average cook. (Brad may disagree. You can check in with him to see if he’s commenting on it.)

NSA: my delicious food is still no match for the irresistible pull of the nearest taco stand.

A: it’s hot and sunny every day.

NSA: it’s freezing cold in the mornings. And I mean FREEZING. COLD.

A: I finish work at 2:30 everyday.

NSA: Mexican lunch is at 3:00.

A: our grocery shopping list regularly consists of mango, guava, papaya, pomegranate, nopal and limes (not the huge nasty limes we usually have in Canada either. Tiny, juicy, DELICIOUS limes).

NSA: cabeza.

A: micheladas.

NSA: tequila (I don’t care what you say. I’m stickin’ to it.)

A: I can find pretty much all the food I love from home.

NSA: I have to soak all of my fruit and vegetables in iodine before I eat them.

A: we have a laundry woman. Yes, it’s exactly what you think. I woman that does our laundry.

NSA: we also have a water delivery man. Seeing as we can’t actually ingest any of our tap water, we have to have it delivered. Which is great until you don’t have any water left.

A: crappy busses don’t exist here. They’re pretty much all better-than-greyhound quality. Also, super cheap as a form of travel.

NSA: Mexicans LOVE speed bumps. Like, really LOVE them. Shouty capitals love them. This would be fine if it didn’t result in half of the bus (the teacher bus) arriving to the school with a serious bout of motion sickness every morning.

I’m thinking that, thus far, the Awesomes far outweigh the Not-So-Awesomes.