Bicentenial Celebrations have commenced!!!!

The bicentenial celebrations are in full swing here in Tulum.  Yesterday while picking up Akilean we were told that the costume that we had painted was going to  be in the parade that the kids were marching the next day.  Great I thought.  Ruben and I could both be here for the parade!  Of course there is a catch. Sfter the parade the kids are off for the rest of the day and the rest of the week. 

Now I new that Thursday was happeneing and almost 100% likely Friday, but Wednesday????? Well, Okay.  But wit?  What?  They are done at 9:00 on Tuesday!  WOW that is a celebration of Independance indeed.

The parade was really cute.  The costumes were really amazing.  All of the kids in the school looked adorable and I could tell that parents had worked really hard on these costumes.  Some had clearly worked very hard as some of the costumes did really look nice. 
I think Akilean was the cutest but I am sure that every mother says that.  There was a lot of work but not a lot of parade time.  Nor was the route something that was going to take them by many people. Oh well.  It was so cute none the less. 

Akilean looked so handsome and wore his mustache well.

This one is better in pictures!

Posted at 9/15/2010 04:47:00 PM | Labels: , , , | 3 Comments  

And... ACTION

Well, the German movie stuff went really well.  I got to work for 2 days and Lena 1 day- which is great.  I thought to myself- hey perfect. We made her tuition for next month.  And wouldn't that be great if that were actually the case.  One of the things that I hate about the schools here are the constant stream of crap that you have to buy ALL THE TIME.  There is always some project or homework or school activity that requires you to buy hundreds of pesos worth of crap. 

This has gotten so much worse as the bicentennial Independence day is coming around. There is always some flag that we have to buy or crepe flowers that we have to make or even better- a massive costume to construct and paint. 

I am so much more annoyed when I spend time and effort with my kids doing homework- cutting up special family photographs and destroying books and magazines to find certain images or words... only for them not to turn the damn thing in.  This is so infuriating.  (sadly I think I tortured my parents with this very same issue) I would work really hard, do a great job and then at the end of the month you would find all of the homework still in my notebook and my parents really confused about my bad grades.  Well- now Lena is doing it to me. 

And the thing that I hate the most is that I am the one who ends up looking like a total ass.  Here no one seems to tell you anything that is going on. They just have the kids relay information to the parents.  What to buy, when they are needed for extra hours or when there is no school at all. 

Do you know what happens when you give a 6 year old messages to pass along to their parents?  They forget or do not give the details always correctly.  I imagine that is because they told it to a 6 year old. And you know what really sucks... I look like an ass.  I am sick of being 5 steps behind and yet I am always doing something.

These are not always small projects either.  Akilean had to have a costume for his Independence day.  We had to buy 2 meters of bollio.  A soft paint-able fabric.  Once bought you need to paint it to look like what ever character he is playing.  Last year he was a monk of some kind and had to wear a garbage bag and rope and a white haired wig made from cotton balls.  Well- his hair already glows in the Mexican sun so we just did the garbage bag.  You can read that post HERE.   This year he needs to look like a zacateca or something.  Here is what he was needing to look like.  Simple right.  Facil.  And when I went to pick him up from school I was told.  Well, a bunch of us are doing it right now.  come and join us.  This is how it seems to work here.  Everyone just expects that you have nothing else to do and no where else to go.  Shockingly I never seem to be able to get much of my work done.  And now that I finally have a car I am missing my Netbook- the one thing that actually helped me to get my articles written.  And now it is gone and I am confined to my house to write and this is not a conducive place for writing about the peace of the Caribbean - but anyway.

So as we set all over Tulum to find the needed fabric of course it is all gone.  Because Tulum does not have a stock of anything.  So we head up to Playa to buy it.  Thank goodness we have a car and this was a option - otherwise he would have been SOL.  We told our friend Desire that we would visit her this weekend and she was going to help me paint the costume.  She is a wonderful artist and really made it wonderful.  Akilean even got to help as well.

He loves to paint.   I have also dicovered another love of Akilean's He has a strong love and a spark of natural talent for the guitar.  He has perfect finger movement and understands the idea of the strings already.  He was sitting at the chair strumming his guitar (well- Desires guitar) and a friend of Desires was very impressed with his strumming.  When I told him that was the first time he had ever picked up a guitar he was shocked.  He said that Akilean had a natural talent and Akilean loves the guitar so I have decided to take Akilean out of ballet and put him into guitar class.   He also did a great job painting his costume. 

He looks really cute in it. All we need now is a hat and to paint a mustache on him.  He will be so adorable in this.  Anyway.  I am off to take him to school and take the things that Lena forgot to take to her school and then meet with people and then ... an then and then. 

I know that it is just totally normal to feel like this.  I mean really... when are we ever caught up.  haha.  I just need to focus and stop getting stressed out- but that is really hard.



Posted at 9/13/2010 08:02:00 AM | | 5 Comments  

Acting Debut

Yesterday was a day full of wonderful surprises. 1st - Ruben and I drove around doing all of the little things that we needed to get done.  We paid our rent, our bills and Lena's tuition and then drove over to our land that still sits as a little piece of jungle.  While picking up Akilean we were told that tomorrow (today) there was going to be a field trip to the planetarium that has has been set up in the main square.  It is a tiny little thing on the top of a half semi truck but amazing just the same- especially in the eyes of a child. 

Ruben and I had already decided that we were going to take both of the kids on Friday when it opens to the public.  But Akilean's school had been given 40 passes for the kids to attend.  We had already signed up and paid the 5 pesos for Akilean when I had the obvious idea that we should let one of the other students go whose parents might not be taking them because we knew that Akilean was going to be going anyway.  We gave up his spot and were told that he should not come to school tomorrow because the kids that were going would be gone and the rest of the kids would not have school.  - okay no worries.

So we went home to complete the rest of what we do- laundry- homework- playing with friends- you know.. the norm.  Ruben was running a little late to catch the bus for work down to the beach so I said.. "hey love, do you want us to give you a ride?"  I love saying that.  Since we were going to be there anyway the kids and I grabbed our suits and spent about 1 hour on the beach.  It was wonderful.  No need to spend the whole day or hours- just a little play time in the waves before heading back home.  It was perfect.

After doing homework we were greeted by a wonderful surprise.  My good friend Desire and her daughter were in town from Puerto Morelos and came by to see us.  We were having a wonderful evening when we heard a man;s voice at the door. 

It was my good friend Carlos.  He had been trying to get a hold of me all day but alas- my phone was in the bag that was stolen and here- you do not get your number back.  So he tracked me down to tell me the news that Dream's, a large all inclusive hotel chain, really wanted Lena for a promotional video that they were shooting. 

It pays 500 pesos, which is awesome considering her tuition is 1500 pesos and is already difficult to meet.  They also wanted Ruben but unfortunately he has to work and cannot get out of it.  But Lena gets to have her acting debut. 

She is so unbelievably excited.  I am not a fan of her missing school and this new school is not like her old one of- whatever- bring her or no- no importa.  This school is  very serious about her education and I love that.  BUT... she would have to miss a day.  I went this morning while dropping off the other little girl that we take to school and talked with her teacher.  I told her that I am so sorry that Lena would not be at school today and explained why.  I can do all of the work and lessons with her in the house and would gladly do more but I really want Lena to have this opportunity. 

Not only is it a chance for her to earn 1/3 of her tuition in a day but what an experience.  She is so in love with performing and does so all the time but now she gets to do it  .. shall we say.. for real. 

As a theater major in college and someone who has been acting since about the same age as Lena, I am so happy for her.  For 1 there is the money that she will earn today towards her school which is wonderful, but there is also the opportunity for so much more.  But even if it never goes anywhere and she never does it again... what an amazing experience for her.  I know that she is going to have a great time today and I get to go with her and Akilean will be with me.  As luck would have it he does not have school today. 

I am eager to see how the whole thing plays out and to see the final video.  I am so proud of my little girl and I am so happy she gets to have this experience. Now that I am armed with a camera I will take a ton of photos of my sweet heart in her debut and know that we all have a good time watching her. 

I look forward to sharing the pics and the experience with my friends and family and all of my readers.  Have a great day.

Posted at 9/07/2010 07:53:00 AM | | 4 Comments  

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