Major Delays

First off, both Andrew and I feel horrible about the length of time since the last post. The only excuse we have is that we've been so busy with planning for school. Because today was the first day, the past week has been a whirlwind of last-minute preparations when we were stuck in 'useful' meetings put on by the administration.

The main time-consuming activity is adjusting and then re-adjusting to all the little changes that are continually thrust upon us. These people definitely see the trees, not the forest, in terms of detail. The level of micro-managing is astounding. For example, if one person decides that we want to bind the math activity sheets, we must all conform to the new standard. They are obsessed with little details, like the binding of books, when meanwhile Andrew finally got his class schedule today at 8am (bear in mind that his classes start at 8am).

The first day was crazy-busy. These grade 5 kids don't know how to shut their yaps. I tell them to put their pencils in their pencil cases, and I get 22 different questions about their erasers, their mechanical pencils, they don't have pencils, their sharpeners, what should they do with their textbooks, where's the library, what time is recess, what does the 'T' stand for in their schedule, can they have a second/third/didn't-get-their-first copy of the schedule. I know it's just their age, and how they are, but really, I don't care what they do with their pencils (other than stab each other. I get in trouble for that). And it's not just my class; my lovely Austrian colleague had the same types of trouble as I did.

Generally though, my 22 little darlings are pretty well-behaved, especially considering it was the first day. My plan is to slowly break them, until they conform to everything I say. It's like being a cult leader. Red Kool-Aid for everyone.

As for social or new sights: none in the past week. When I said we've been working, I meant it. We have been at the house or the school. That's pretty much it.

It is now time for an amusing story. On Sunday, Andrew and I went to the school to do some final photocopying etc. He went to his building, and I worked in mine. All the grade 5 classes are on the second floor. The floor consists of an open 'research area':

Off to the sides of this open area are the individual classrooms. To enter or exit the research centre, and therefore your room, outside of normal school hours, you need to swipe your access card; it only opens the doors for your grade-floor. After an afternoon of prep-work, Andrew and I decided it was time to go (each room has its own phone, we were calling each other). I packed up my stuff, and was excited to leave the area, because they turn off the air conditioning on the weekends. My thermostat read 31.9 degrees, and there weren't any fans on or air movement.

I went to swipe my access card to leave, and the sliding glass doors would not open for me. For some reason, my card was not being read by the scanner. I went back into my classroom (which opens with a normal key) and called Andrew to rescue me, as there was no other way out but through these now impenetrable doors. He came, I slide my card to him under the door, but no dice. He went in search of the security guard; of course he did not speak a word of English (and Andrew does not speak Spanish). Despite the communication difficulties, Andrew brought him up to me. Needless to say, his master key did not work. He came and went several times, signaling that he was making phone calls or going to the other campus. We really don't know what he was doing. What we do know is that I was trapped in the stifling room for almost an hour, waiting for this guy to figure something out.

The eventual solution: if you push on the sliding doors, they will swing open (a safety feature that I presume is there in case of power outages). Unsurprisingly, an alarm went off, but by that time we were past caring.

And that is how they keep buildings secure in Mexico...