Christmas in Mexico

(Originally posted December 2015)

The holiday season looks and feels similar to home, with some slight changes for the warmer climate. I’ve been wearing sandals and short sleeves into December. The holiday lights are strung up on palm trees and poinsettias are planted in the ground, rather than sitting indoors in a planter. Blow up Santa sleighs are pulled without snow in the green grass. Decorations are hung from the streetlights and holiday music is being played. In universal tradition of the holidays, the December weeks are packed with social gatherings and an abundance of food.

Our school hosted an amazing, over-the-top party for the teachers. I’m used to a potluck at a coworkers house or a special happy hour to celebrate collegiality during the holiday season. The HR department held fancy posada, or holiday party, with a sit-down dinner at a hotel. The evening was packed with live music, open bar and a casino night. Your skill, or lack thereof, at the casino games determined your raffle tickets. Luck was in my favor, because with one lowly raffle ticket in the mix, I won the Grand Prize, a sizable gift card to a local department store. The live music-sets even included a dancing jester on stilts. We ate, drank, danced and laughed the night away. One way or another, it’s always great to spend some social time with your coworkers.

After so many years without celebrating religious holidays in school, I was reawaken to the Christmas spirit in the educational setting while working at this private school in Mexico. The teachers joined up on stage at the weekly flag assembly and sang carols with the students, in English and Spanish. My students organized a “Secret Santa” exchange among themselves and gifted their teacher an abundance of boxes of truffles, jars of jam, a sweater, a placemat set and even a chilled bottle of Coquito, a tradition adult beverage of the season. The gifts that I’ll hang on to for while include the several cards from both students and parents detailing their appreciation for their teacher and the class.

Outside of school day, the classroom moms typically host a holiday posada for the kids. Maria Laura, my co-teacher from the Mexican program, and I attended an evening gathering at one students house in a gated community not too far from school. The family’s fully decorated house had an enormous covered patio for hosting events with green area for the kids to play. There was staff around to serve food and entertain kids. The kids played dodgeball in the backyard and the moms chatted at the table. We ate catered flautas, tortas ahogadas, and pozole. The dessert table included several cakes and other treats. The evening was complete with lighting candles and singing of the traditional posada song representing Mary and Joseph seeking lodging at the door of the home. And, of course, there were candy-filled piñatas too.

Our last day before vacation was clearly not for reaching any education goals. We wore pajamas and had a pizza party in the cafeteria (picture a stack of 30+ pizza boxes). In the afternoon, I shared the “old” version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the students to complement our recent reading of the book. I promised them that I wouldn’t sing along, if they were good. Despite their model behavior, I couldn’t help myself and I belted it out with the Oompa Loompas.

Aside from school, everyone has been very social during the past few weeks. My roommate, Lisa, hosted a “Favorite Things” party with a gift exchange and potluck. Our book club did a secret Santa exchange and picked our next books over a lovely dinner. I even attended a posada at the gym with the great trainers that I’ve met over the past few months. Christmas shopping was really fun and almost went over my baggage weight limit with all the treats I found in Tonolá, Mercado San Juan del Sur and at the organic market. Stacy hosted a Packer party complete with brats, mulled wine and cookie decorating for the kids. I saw Claudia and Jared and will miss Jared tons as she returns home to Jalapa in the new year. We executed our earthquake evacuation plan as a couple of tremors shook Jalisco during the school day and overnight. Also, our house gained a new roommate. Mandy has moved into the third bedroom and the three of us have enjoyed resettling and spending time together, drinking wine and watching Elf. As every month in Guadalajara, I’ve continued to enjoy meeting new people and exploring the town.

I feel so happy that I made the decision to move to Guadalajara, to explore and to challenge myself with the change. But right now, I can’t wait to visit family and friends back home. This update comes to you from the Detroit airport. One more quick flight and I’m home. 🙂