Ne pas manger

First, I'd like to apologize for taking such a lengthy hiatus from my blog. I realize that the only post I've made in the last few weeks (maybe even a month?) was a complete plagiarism... I haven't had any good pictures to post, and combined with being busy at work, that's my excuse, and my lack of motivation.

But here is one funny story that has been floating around in my head to share...

To preface, nursing is the biggest major here at UNSIS. It has way more students than all of the other majors combined (I think), and by far the vast majority of the nursing students are female. A wise man (Mike, I hope you're not reading this!) once told me that the males who choose to study nursing here are either in it for the chicks, or in it for the fashion tips. In my one class of nursing students, I have 3 guys, and one of them is clearly in it for the fashion tips. :) This particular student, Jesus, is a very good student. He received the highest grade on the first exam I gave a few weeks ago, but he is usually sitting quietly in class, or whispering with a few of the girls.

Last week Jesus lingered after class, and while I was erasing the board came up to me. He said, "Teacher, what does this mean?" (In Spanish, except for the "Teacher" part) In his hand he had a little white packet, the kind that you find in vitamin bottles to absorb moisture. He was pointing to the printed words on the outside: DO NOT EAT. I translated it for him. He then said, "And this?" and pointed to the next line, which said: NE PAS MANGER. I explained that I believed it said "do not eat" in French. I figured he got the point, but he continued to ask me "And this?" pointing to the next phrase, which was clearly German, followed by what must have been Russian. I said, "Listen, Jesus, I don't know how to speak German or Russian, but I think the important thing here is that it says DO NOT EAT in 4 different languages." And he looked at the little white packet, almost longingly, and asked me what it was. I explained that it was probably some sort of chemical to absorb moisture, and I asked him where he found it. He said it was in the new leather bag he had purchased. So I said, "It was in there to protect your bag, and they wrote DO NOT EAT in four different languages so that nobody would think it was something you could eat." And he looked at me sheepishly, "Like candy??" "Exactly, Jesus, so that nobody would think it was candy."

I think I saved that boy's life!!

Shameless Blog Plagiarism

It has come to my attention that there is a very important aspect of my life here in Mexico that hasn't been covered in my blog. FOOD. Sure, I wrote lots of complaints about food when I was suffering from stomach illnesses and adjusting to life without my gluten-free specialty foods... But now it's been months that I've been feeling great, and fully enjoying the food here. The problem has been that there are so many delicious things to eat, and I didn't want to write a lame entry or two and leave out really important things...

Thankfully, my co-worker Margee has come to my rescue. (you might remember Margee from the "bustily surprised" camioneta pic posted earlier : ) She has started a blog that is focused on her food experiences here in Oaxaca. I would like to shamelessly refer you to her blog, Aguacate, to see the pictures and descriptions that she currently has, but also to visit occasionally as she continues to document our gluttonous experiences.

I would like to specifically suggest her blog entry "Windy Roads and Ceviche" which, in addition to being hysterical, has a scrumptious picture of ceviche (my favorite beach cuisine) and even a recipe.

Thank you, Margee, for allowing me to plagiarize your blog!!

Días de Muertos: Street Action

Días de Muertos: Tapetes (made of sand, seeds, and petals)

Días de Muertos: Altars