My Island in the Sun

Greetings my dearest readers!

I've been thinking for the last few weeks about how appropriate it would be to take up the dusty old travel blog again. I even wrote a post before I left DC, which I've belatedly posted following this one (in part just to demonstrate the different emotional place I was in there, not only physical place).

Anyway, now that I finally have some schedule in my life again--and now that this is finally starting to feel like reality--the desire to post something and update you has become strong enough to overcome my previous indolence.

Those of you who are reading this are most likely already up to date on most things in my life, which is great. I thought I'd just use this as a quick post, just wanna add some pictures and stuff, you know. For those of you who have stumbled onto this, or who I've not been in touch with, I moved just under a month ago to the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres, about 8 miles off the coast of Cancun. I will be teaching English at a non-profit school here for the next year (and working on my tan).

As for life on the island, pleased to say so far so good! It's a very small school (just one classroom) and I live in a room upstairs. I teach with one other fantastic woman named Ray, who just finished a two-year teaching contract in the Marshall Islands prior to coming here (it's ok, you can Google map that now). We have a small office downstairs headed by 3 sisters who work as secretaries, and the school was founded and is managed by a couple from Wisconsin, Maggie and Tom, who have been long-time Isla aficionados.

I teach 4 classes a day Monday through Thursday; 3-day weekends in Paradise=pretty rough. I work mostly with kids, including kindergarteners, and have one beginner adult class. My classes are mostly in the afternoon, and Ray teaches teenagers and adults in the evenings. This week was our first week of classes, and we will be teaching this group of students for the next 7 weeks. The school runs classes in two-month cycles, with a week of break in-between cycles (I know, again, terribly overworked!).

It's been great to get back into teaching again! I've never done it as a primary job before, but I did have some experience in Cairo (as you may recall from previous blogs) and Oaxaca. Finding the best way to engage the students with the materials is always fun, especially when you hit on a game or competition that they really enjoy. It's also been a great work-out for my Spanish, which had really been on the back burner for the last three years. The first few weeks here and traveling around were a bit rough, especially listening-comprehension-wise. This has gotten a lot better though--I think in part thanks to working with kids and kindergarteners. They don't consider how fast they speak (or how shyly they speak) so it's really made me focus more, which has made everyone's Spanish a lot more comprehensible.

So, yeah, the job's great. And the location? Ah, I don't even know where to start! Isla Mujeres is fantastic. The island's so small that I can see the Caribbean from one side of my balcony and the Bahia de Mujeres, separating us from Cancun, on the other. The water ranges in stretches from brilliant turquoise (even as you look at it from a plane) to sapphire to a deep rich hue further out in the Caribbean. The southern tip of the island is the easternmost point in all of Mexico, so I've made it a habit to join only a handful of other people in watching the first sunrise in the whole country each morning--so unbelievably inspiring! And, as one of my guidebooks might tell you, Isla is a pretty charming mix of Mexican and Caribbean culture. Many of the homes and businesses are brightly painted, and prominently display the Virgin of Guadalupe on their front. The tacos and empanadas are delicious and cheap, and I just cracked my first coconut out of our backyard palm trees a few days back.

The other thing about the location that still makes me laugh is that it has suddenly put Cancun in an entirely new light. We're only about a 15-minute ferry ride from Cancun, and we've made several trips over since I moved in. What's hilarious is that Cancun, of all the places in the world, has now become "practical." Cancun is the place where I can reliably buy spaghetti sauce. Cancun? Practical? Who would have thought that could happen? I get excited to go to Cancun because there's a Wal-Mart there--geez. Either I'm really lame, or I'm just that cool...

Anyway, just going to post a few pictures more, and call it a night. There would be more pictures, but I unfortunately had my camera stolen about 2 weeks ago (don't ask--I'm a living example of "should have learned my lesson last time"). No worries, there will be more in the future!
Home. I live on the central-southern end of the island, near the arch you can see on the map above. This is the largely residential end of the island, while the north end is the more touristy, shopping and dining center.

This is the school, La Gloria English School! The front door's open all the time to students, prospective students, and community members (except in this photo, of course). Nothing truer than "Mi casa es su casa" here in Isla Mujeres!

The Caribbean from my balcony. When it's quiet outside, you can easily hear the surf crashing in. This side of the Island is quite rocky with few sand beaches and much rougher swimming conditions.

From the other side of the balcony is the Bahia de Mujeres, or the "Bay of Women" which separates us from Cancun by about 8 miles. This is a bit further away from the school than the Caribbean, but not too much further, as the Island's only about 1/2 mile wide! The water on this side is brilliantly turquoise and quite tranquil. Some of the region's best sandy beaches are on bay-side of Isla Mujeres.

Speaking of such beaches, the most famous is Playa Norte, or "North Beach" (I think you don't have to speculate where it's located). The water is warm and crystal clear, and the slope of the soft, fine sand is so gradual that you can be hundreds of feet from the surf at parts and still only be up to your chest. Ahh...
About a quarter-mile from the school is the "Tortugranja," or "Turtle Farm," a misleading name for what is actually a sea turtle research and conservation center. Isla Mujeres has a long history of sea turtle breeding, as well as sea turtle (and sea turtle egg) eating. When sea turtles became protected (and it became obvious that tourists were happy to pay more to see turtles alive than eat them dead), they founded the Tortugranja on the island. They have different outdoor aquariums of sorts which they rotate different ages of sea turtles through. Inside one large room, however, they keep a big tank with sea turtle babies. And, aaaawwee! They are so precious.
So, I'll be adding more pictures in later posts, but this is basically an introduction to my, ahem, terribly trying life here in Isla Mujeres. Looking forward to sharing the year with you!