I'm a Survivor!

Well, I did it.

I survived my first year teaching abroad. It was a challenging year, but through God's strength, I made it. The school year is finally over.

The students' last day of school was officially June 21st, though many stopped coming before then. Unfortunately for teachers, the last day was July 12th. Why the powers that be chose to have that 3-week gap, I don't know, but it was excruciating. At least for me. Many teachers spent the last three weeks doing absolutely nothing. Well except for working out (at school), eating, reading, or chillaxing.

Not us.

Our last few weeks were spent in PDs (professional developments), preparing for the next school year, blah, blah, blah. To be honest, I mentally checked out sometime around week one. I was done working. My body was there, but my mind had already gone on vacation. It was a struggle to get up in the mornings and go to work, but nevertheless, we did. And we're finished. Thank you, JESUS! I'm seriously contemplating getting a shirt that says, "I survived teaching in Abu Dhabi." I have that Destiny's Child song in my head. "I'm a survivor. I'm not gon give up. I'm not gon stop. I'm gon work harder." Describes this year perfectly.

My brain rejects anything school-like, so enough about school.

My vacation will consist of a trip to Phuket (pronounced Poo-ket) Thailand, home (the US), and Puerto Rico. I know, awesome, right???

Tomorrow morning, my friends and I leave for Phuket for a 6-day/5-night vacation. I so can NOT wait. There is fun - and relaxation - to be had. Next week, I leave for home. I can't wait to see my family! Oh, how I miss them so. Then, it's off to San Juan, Puerto Rico with the sis for a 7-day/6-night vacation. Seven days may not be enough, I know but we'll make the best out of the time we have. I can't wait to see the gorgeous men...uh, I mean the gorgeous beaches of Puerto Rico. Heehee. I spend the rest of my vacation back in Houston with the fam before I come back to Abu Dhabi for another great year of teaching.

I'm thinking this summer may turn out to be the best one yet.

V is for Vacation

I'm so in need of a vacation...a time to get away from it all to relax and forget about life's worries. This summer, I'll be working at a summer camp, but I'm thinking about getting away if only for a little while. I love the beach. Like seriously. When I become this big time, best-selling author/entrepreneur, I'm going to buy me a vacation house on the beach. Heck, I may even live on the beach. Or at least near it. It's something about the water. Hearing the waves crash and watching the seagulls fly...so peaceful. I'm a beach bum at heart. So, here are my top choices for places to vacation. These are only a few of the places on my "Places to Visit" list.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

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I want to go to Puerto Rico. Every time I get close to being able to go, something comes up and I end up not going. GRRRR! But this summer. I'm going. I'm gonna make sure of that. I've been wanting to go since high school. It's funny cos it was a cutie that made me wanna go. I don't even remember his name or where I saw him. I just remember he was (a) from Puerto Rico and (b) GORGEOUS. I've heard that Puerto Rico is gorgeous. I mean, look at the pics. I can imagine the beaches, the peace, the music, the cuties...I wanna go. So. Bad.

SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI

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I've been to South Beach with my cousins and sister. We took a girls' trip out there and LOVED it! Sadly, we had to cut the trip short cos my grandfather died. I do plan on going back there.

HAWAII

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Look at that water. Look at those mountains. *sigh* Need I say more? I think not.

ST. THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS

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I've been wanting to go here since the 5th grade. Why? Cos I had a friend named Natasha from here. I loved her accent.

BAHAMAS

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I've been to the Bahamas during a cruise I took years ago. Beautiful! Of course, I wanna go again!

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL



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I've never been to Rio, but I soooo wanna go. I even have an in - my aunt is from there. It's only a matter of having the money to go the next time the family goes to visit.

ABU DHABI & DUBAI

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Gorgeous beaches, gorgeous hotels. Who wouldn't wanna go? And I have an opportunity to go teach in Abu Dhabi? If it's in God's will, I'm so there!

Random Thoughts

I'm learning that there's this misconception that all authors make so much money. There are quite a few authors who have a day job in addition to their writing career. Not everyone's making the big bucks like Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling, or other big name authors.

I am not an author...yet (working on it), but I am a writer with a day job. I don't see how writers/authors with full time jobs and families do it. They're able to shell out these books while working and taking care of the spouse and kids. I admire that. I'm not married, nor do I have kids, but I do have a day job. I still find it difficult, at times, to write.

The really funny thing is, during the fall, I worked all day, came home and did my doctorate work, and was still able to write. The words came kind of easily. Now that it is summer time, it's like my brain doesn't want to work - on writing my book(s) or my dissertation. I guess I should be happy with the spurts I do get. Things are playing out in my head, but getting it on paper is another story.

Wanna know what I think? This may sound weird. Both sides of my brain have kinda been vying for attention. My left side - the analytical, detail oriented side - rules when I'm working on my dissertation. My right side - the creative, imaginative side - rules when I'm writing my books. So, I have both sides and my dissertation/books needing attention and now, both sides have decided to take a break - on writing & dissertation, not on thinking...clearly I need my brain to think. Anyway, I'm having difficulty working on both. Guess my brain's on summer vacation - which is so NOT fair, since I don't get a vacation (these pesky bills stop me from actually enjoying the summer like other teachers get to do).

So, what does this mean (besides the fact that I really need a vacation)? Maybe, just maybe, I need to stop forcing it. Maybe I just need to let it flow. Then, maybe, everything will start coming to me again. Also, I need to take a Me-day, where I'm not working or worried about bills. Come to think of it, I need the Me-day soon. Hmm...

Random Thoughts Thursday

El Rostro de Analia. My show, El Rostro de Analia, is leaving me! Just when I've discovered it. I've only been it watching for about 2 months. If I'm not mistaken - and I could be - Friday will be the series finale, so to speak. I know etapas final basically means final stage or final chapter, so I'm assuming that it's the same as a series finale as opposed to a season finale. Which means, after Friday, no more Analia. Now I have to find another novela to watch. Maybe Mas Sabe el Diablo, with cutie pie, Jencarlos Canela. Seriously, watching the Spanish channels has helped me TREMENDOUSLY with my espanol. No matter how cheesy the novelas may be - and some of them are really cheesy - I'm getting much better with my Spanish. I also buy the Latino mags like People En Espanol to read.

NBA Finals. Rashard Lewis is a Houstonian and an Alief Elsik High School (my Alma Mater) graduate, so GO MAGIC! If it can't be the Rockets (who, btw, passed up a chance to have Lewis on the team like, 10 years ago), I'll take a fellow Houstonian getting the ring/trophy.

Rae's List. So, last year, I came up with a list of things I'd like to do. It was originally for before I turn 35, but, clearly I'll be 35 in 2 years. Anyway, the list ended up having about 60 things on it. Now, ask me how many I've actually done? Go on. Ask. One! That's it. I've managed to cross of one thing off my list (wear shorts - I haven't worn shorts since about 1995 because I didn't like m legs and I did it last year). The good thing is, by the end of this year, I will have crossed off about 14 more things, including skydiving, getting my 3rd tattoo, and learn salsa (all this summer). I also get to cross of travel to Puerto Rico when we go in December. My sister and I are going to get our 3rd tattoo to celebrate her 27th birthday in July. I want an angel, but the ones I've seen have been too detailed (and painful looking). I'm still searching for the perfect angel. I LOVE angels. Like, really. I collect anything that has to do with angels. I actually have a creepy, yet cool story that goes with why I collect angels (besides the fact that the Bible tells us that God sends His angels to protect us). It's a blog post in itself that I'll tell another time - soon, though.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Presidential Inauguration. I would’ve liked to have been able to attend this. To be able to say I was there when history was made as America’s first black pres – I know he’s biracial, but in most people eyes, when they look at Barack Obama, they see a black man – is sworn in. That would’ve been so awesome, but, alas, it was not meant to be. I really hope and pray he is the change America really needs. I’m not naïve enough to believe that he’ll be able to turn this country around in 4 years nor do I believe that he is our savior. My trust is in God and God alone. I prayed (as I’m sure many people did) that God would put the right man in office…whether it was the man I voted for or not. I think I’ve said this before, but I absolutely love how much of a family man he is. I like seeing pics & reading stories of his and First Lady, Michelle’s, relationship, and the relationship between him and his daughters. Personally, I think they’d make a cool First family. So, I’m looking forward to seeing what Obama has to offer this country in the next 4 (maybe 8) years.Rae’s List. So last year, I came up with a list of things I’d like to do (or try to do) by my 35th birthday, which, now that 2009 is here, will be in 2 years (September): http://raeweakly.blogspot.com/2008/10/raes-list.html. I haven’t really crossed off much, yet, but the fun is all in the trying, right? So, there were about 60 things on my list. So far, I’ve crossed off 2 and will cross off 8 (so far) this year.

I’ve crossed off: (a) Wear shorts in public – not as bad as I thought; and (b) Spend a whole day doing absolutely nothing (take a me-day) – I’ve actually taken more than one of these and I absolutely love it!

Ones that will be crossed off: (a) Become Dr. Rae Weakly, EdD – hopefully by the end of this year; (b) Learn Spanish - be able to hold conversation with native speakers & my sister – still learning, but getting better; (c) Travel to other countries/cities/states - Puerto Rico – in December; (d) Learn to Salsa – I go dancing with my sister & take classes; (e) Get 3rd tattoo – I think by my 33rd b-day; (f) Comfortably wear a swimsuit without cover – working on that; (g) Participate in a walkathon – I’ll be doing this in October, hopefully; (h) Buy first house – will be moving in home by March 1st…leasing w/option to buy…will buy by the end of this year.


I may have more. When we go to Puerto Rico in December, depending on how much dinero we have, we'll jet ski, para sail...all that kind of stuff. We may even stay at a hotel on the beach. So, I'm making progress. Ten ain't so bad, right?

Good Feelings

Today's post is clearly dripping with sarcasm. Did I really experience "good feelings" when these things happened? Uh...no. More like horror, embarrassment, mortification...you get the idea. It's just, I believe that laughter really is the best medicine and I happen to have a sarcastic sense of humor - which, by the way, explains why I enjoy working with and writing for tweens/teens (if you hang with them long enough, you'll see what I mean). Anyway, instead of screaming in frustration, running away in embarrassment, or bawling like a baby, I decided to laugh and make fun.

Good feelings are what you get when a child comes up to you and asks if you remember them (your answer is yes), then asks you to say their name...and you can't. Is it my fault I'm better with faces than names? And, come on, do you know how many kids I've worked with?

Good feelings are what you get when you find out that the beautiful city of Morelia, a city you visited back in July, is one of the Mexican cities experiencing problems with drug wars, gang shootings, and killings of innocent people. I guess that explains why we saw a whole bunch of police directing traffic the night we went clubbing.

Good feelings are what you get when you've found out that you got robbed by an old, bent over lady with more wrinkles than a balled-up shirt.

Good feelings are what you get when you get out of you car (hands full of bags), close the door, and realize, right at the sound of the door shutting, that your keys are still in the ignition. Thank God for that second set of keys!

Good feelings are what you get when you realize that your little sister has mas tetas than you. Aren't big sisters supposed to have more boobage than little sisters?

Good feelings are what you get when one of your first graders come up to you, with a smile on her angelic face, and say, "Miss Weakly, you look pretty today" and in the same breath, with the same enthusiasm, point to your butt and say, "Wow, you're big right there." Kids...gotta love 'em.

Good feelings are what you get when you're walking around the classroom and trip over a mat and you fall...all the way down.

Good feelings are what you get when you get to work - you happen to be substituting at a junior high school this day - and realize, too late, that you have 2 different shoes on. Did I mention that the school's in the rich part of the school district? And junior high students are unmerciful when it comes to things like this? So, what do you do? Make fun of yourself before they can...and, boy do they have a wonderful time laughing at your expense.

Good feelings are what you get when you realize that you have a nephew who's part of the class of 2019, one who's class of 2020, one who's class of 2022, and a godson who's class of 2025. Not to mention the fact that any children you have will be class of 2028 or beyond.

Well, these are only a few of my "good feelings". I don't think I'll ever stop experiencing them. In fact, I'm sure I won't. And, really, after all is said and done, they make life more interesting!

Puerto Rico

So, if you've read my "Rae's List" blog post, you know that visit Puerto Rico is on my list of things to do before - or by the time - I turn 35 (in, like, 3 years). I've wanted to go to PR since high school, when I saw a Puerto Rican cutie pie (don't remember his name or where I saw him, I just remember that he was fine). Then I actually saw pics and heard from others how gorgeous it is and instantly fell in love.

I'd made plans to go after graduating from college, 10 years ago, but money (or lack thereof) put a stop to it. Well, next year, I'll be graduating with my doctorate degree and I figured, what better way to celebrate becoming Dr. Rae Weakly, EdD, than taking a trip to Puerto Rico.

So, next year, during spring break, my sister, cousin, and I will be spending 10 glorious days in Puerto Rico. I have 5 months til we board that airplane. 5 months to save money for mucho spending dinero. 5 months to lose any weight I've put my mind to losing. 5 months to practice my espanol. 5 months!

Our trip is still in the planning stage, but, you can believe we'll be there come March 12th. My sis and I are determined to see this trip through. Nothing's going to stop us, not even a failing economy, unless, of course, God decides it ain't happening (and we've already prayed on that). I cannot wait. I think I deserve the trip. I have pics of PR plastered on my bedroom wall as inspiration and incentive to keep persevering. This doctorate thing is driving me insane, oh, but when I'm chilling on some beach, relaxing and having fun, the hard work will be worth it!

Mexico: July 22nd - July 29th

Hi. I'm Rae from Barbados...at least that's who I was when we visited Morelia (another beautiful Mexican city).

They believed me. I even had the "Rihanna" accent down. The weird thing is they think my sis and I (especially my sis) look like Rihanna. I think it's because we're all black with light eyes. Clearly we look nothing like her (not that we're not beautiful...cause we are).

I went to my first Lucha Libre, which is kinda like wrestling. If you've seen Nacho Libre with Jack Black, then you know what I'm talking about. I had more fun than I thought I'd have. The funny thing was seeing how free everyone was with cheering. I mean, even the kids were into it - a few even flicked the wrestlers off with parents sitting next to them. One wrestler, La Sombra, looked mighty nice - pretty brown skin, nice, muscular body (not too muscular), firm butt...the only thing is he had on a mask. We couldn't see his face. *sigh* Alas, I'll always wonder if his face looks as good as the rest of him. Anyway, here are pics:

So, the Saturday before I left, we went to Taxco (yet another beautiful Mexican city).

This place is known for selling real silver for cheap (I love silver). They have vendors all down the streets, selling things like jewelry, clothes, sunglasses, etc. It's very tight - with people bumping into each other...the vendor booths were very close to each other. Guess what happened to me! I was robbed! Isn't that awesome (not really, but, whatever). Get this, the woman who robbed me was old...I'm talking bent over and wrinkles...like someone's sweet abuelita. I had on a small backpack that she'd managed to slit a hole in. My sis caught her with her hand in my bag. The good thing is, she didn't get away with anything important. She only got my brush and camera bag - without my camera - and my headphones. It's quite comical, really.

So, I'd say my trip to Mexico was a success. I had fun and got much needed rest. I even know where I'd buy a place for vacation. It's located in a beautiful condo complex...a 3-bedroom condo for only $500 (American dollars) a month. My sis and I might go half on a condo and lease to family and friends interested in vacationing in Mexico. Can you say, investment? Everyone loved their souvenirs, especially my mom. We bought her a beautiful eagle statue for her birthday (7/31).

So, there you have it. My 5 week vacation to the beautiful country of Mexico. I'm definitely going back - next time I'll be speaking more espanol. My next big trip? Puerto Rico...Spring Break '09 (March 14th - March 21st). I so cannot wait!

Mexican Paradise: July 15th - July 21st

This past week has basically been a relaxing week. Really, there's nothing exciting to report. I'm still enjoying myself, though.

Thursday, we went to see Hancock. Critics didn't have too many nice things to say about the movie, but I don't usually listen to them. I liked it. Sexy Will Smith saving the world from bad guys...what more could a girl ask for?






Friday, we watched Sex and the City. Didn't like it. I'm glad I didn't spend $10 to go see it in theatres (yeah, so, Cuernavaca has bootleg DVDs, but it's a lot less taboo). The only reason we watched it all was because we were hoping we'd find redeeming qualities. Needless to say, we were disappointed.







Saturday, I went to Salsa class with my sister, expecting only to watch. I guess the joke was on me. The instructor - a friend of my sis - called me out. So, I ended up taking the class. I did pretty good for a first timer...and I got a good workout, too. Yesterday, I got to watch my sis and her team lose horribly in volleyball. I realized how much I LOVE volleyball. I didn't appreciate it much in junior high, but, boy do I appreciate it now. I'm actually way better now than I was when I was younger. Today, we slept til 1 p.m. Feels so good to be just lazy for once. At home, I'm constantly moving. If I'm not working on my dissertation - which takes most of the time - I'm working on my novels. Today, no dissertation and no novels.We went downtown and walked around...did a little shopping. I'd promised my babies (nephews, godson, & foster brother and foster sister) that I'd bring something back, so gotta keep that promise.

So, I'm thinking, I have a week left. In retrospect, I didn't do some of the stuff I'd planned on doing: Edit the first 3 chapters of my dissertation; lose gobs of weight; find direction on establishing my business; rewrite first 5 chapters of my 2nd novel. Dissertation: I did finish the edit of chapter 1, so all is not lost; Weight: I don't know if I've lost pounds, but I know I've lost inches. I brought a pair of capris (from home) that were originally tight (in hopes of losing weight) and now, they actualy fit nicely. Business: Still working on it; Novel: Didn't get as far as I'd hoped, but more ideas came to me about where I want it to go.

In all honesty, I'm not disappointed. It's like my body and brain worked together to tell me to just enjoy my time here. Every time I tried to work on my dissertation, my brain just froze and refused to work. If I tried to force myself to think, I'd get a headache. My body needed the rest, and that's exactly what I've been doing. So, the anal perfectionistic overachiever in me isn't too happy that I didn't get work done. But, there's a part of me that is thanking God for forcing me to enjoy myself and allowing me to take the time to breathe. I'll be coming back to the States refreshed and ready to go!

Oh, and we might be going back to Acapulco, tomorrow and Wednesday. Stay tuned...

Mexican Paradise: July 6th - July 14th

Still lovin it here - although, not enough to move here. I wish I could say I'm more fluent in Spanish since I've been here for almost 3 weeks. Ha! I can say, though, that I'm understanding it a little more. I still have to answer back in English. It's mostly because I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing (wouldn't want to insult anyone). I'll keep practicing. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll spend all 3 months and take classes.

So, anyway, last week started off slow. Last Sunday, my sis hurt her knee playing volleyball, so she was immobile for a few days. We celebrated her 26th birthday on the 9th. We went to a tattoo place with her friend where she (my sis) held a snake. Yeah, I was too chicken to hold it. We went to the movies to see 21 Black Jack (good movie, by the way) and later had cake.

The fun started Friday when we went to Acapulco. We stayed in a hostel. It wasn't too bad, though. It definitely didn't match the image I had (thanks to the movie, Hostel). It was actually like a little hotel...or like a tiny 2 bedroom apartment. We ended up not having air condition (it cost extra). We had to count on the ceiling fans and opened windows. The problem with the open windows was that creepy crawlers (bugs, lizards…scorpions) would have easy access into our rooms. Oh, but the view from one of the bedroom windows…priceless!

Friday, we didn’t get in the bed ‘til 5:00 in the morning. My sister woke me up later talking about getting ready. Clearly, she didn’t realize it was only 8:00 in the morning. Needless to say, we went back to sleep and woke up at about 1:00 p.m. We’d planned on going out to the clubs on the beach that night, but, when we got back from a friends’ house (eating lunch with his parents), we fell asleep. Wanna know how long we slept? From 8:00 Saturday night to 9:00 Sunday morning. Yep. We were so tired, that we didn’t have the energy to get up to party Saturday night. The fact that it was raining pretty hard didn’t help matters.

Sunday, we spent most of the day at the beach. We rented an umbrella (with 2 chairs & big enough for 2 people to sit under) for only 30 pesos ($3 USD) for the whole day. I usually can’t stay out in the sun all day…not without getting sick (migraines, hives…all that good stuff). The fact that we had an umbrella helped. We just chilled on the beach on the beautiful day that God provided for us. My God, it was beautiful!
The beach has vendors who walk along the beach trying to sell things like jewelry, clothes, food, etc to the people. Every 5 minutes, we had people come up to us. I did buy a few things (more than I should have). I also got a much needed, 10 minute massage. It felt sooooo good. I mean the woman got all the kinks out of my neck, back…even my fingers. Some of the vendors were young children. It was hard for me to say no to them (had to refrain from looking at their puppy dog eyes or I would’ve ended up broke). I did by a little anklet from these two girls – 11 and 13 years old. These girls were good. I’m not sure of their circumstances – whether they were under privileged or not – but I won’t be surprised if these girls ended up being business women.
Sunday night, we did go out and had a blast. We met a few hip hop dancers who were just awesome. You don’t really see good hip hop dancers in Mexico – although they do listen to it down here – so we were a little surprised when we met these guys, one of which actually taught a hip hop class. The video I made of them dancing didn’t really come out clear, so posting it won’t help get the full effect.

By the time Monday came around, none of us really wanted to leave. Acapulco is definitely on my list of vacation spots. The thing is, we didn’t feel so out of place because there are lots of dark-skinned Mexicans in Acapulco (some even darker than us). Three of us were either mistaken for native Acapulcans, Puerto Ricans, or Cubans. My sister could have pulled it off because she’s fluent in Spanish, but I couldn’t (darn my lack of Spanish-speaking abilities). She did tell a taxi that they (her and her friends) spoke Spanish and I only spoke Portuguese. That way, I could still be exotic and not have to speak. Not that being African American isn’t exotic enough in Mexico. There are so few of us here, that, when we are spotted in Mexico, it’s like, “Wow!” I feel like a movie star with some of the stares I get.

Not only am I black, but I have the nerve to be blessed with mas hips and butt. Having an ample amount of bottom has its ups and downs. Up: In Acapulco, I got to sit in the front when we rode taxis cause there was no way 3 people would fit comfortably in the back of the VW Beetle taxi if I’d sat in the back. Down: People (especially men) stare and ogle at me (really, my butt) in awe (or admiration, depending on who’s doing the staring). Up: I filled my jeans pretty good. Down: My sister and her 2 friends were smaller, so, at times, I felt like an elephant next to them (a good looking one, though).

Anyway, I think this week’s going to be a chillaxin kind of week. Stay tuned for more…

Enjoy the pics:

Mexican Paradise: June 25th - July 5th

I've been here about a week and a half and I absolutely love it! The city is beautiful. Get this: mountains provide the backdrop of the city.

Gorgeous. It's very hilly, too. Sometimes, I feel like I'm on a roller coaster - up, down, around...up, down, around... The people here walk the streets like it ain't nothing. It's steep in some places, yet, I see women walking with heels on, looking like it's the easiest thing in the world. It's no wonder why a big chunk of the women here are small. They may (or may not) eat quite a bit, but they'd burn it right back off from all the walking. I'm almost positive I'm going to go back to the States minus a few pounds. My sister's apartment is on the bottom of a small, hill-like street, so every morning, we'd have to walk up the hill to get out of the gate.

She also lives on the 3rd floor. So, you see why I've come to the conclusion that I'll be at least a few pounds smaller. This doesn't include all the dancing we do, the fact that I go walking for exercise, and I sometimes practice or play with my sister's volleyball team.

So, anyway, what have I been doing here in the beautiful city of Cuernavaca? Not much...mostly relaxing. And I'm supposed to rest, right? I'm on vacation! The first night I was here, my legs got torn up by mosquitos. My left leg was all red from the bites. My sis had to work last week (the students' last day of school was 6/27th and the teachers' last day was 7/05th), so I stayed at home and worked on my dissertation (I know, nerdy, right). I did visit her school and a got a chance to see how much of an impact she's made with her students (I'm so proud of mi hermanita). I've also gotten a chance to see how good she is at salsa. Here's a link to a vid of her dancing earlier this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2W4XKYIBCw. She's good, right? I only know the basic steps, which I got to practice when we went salsa dancing. The man I danced with had a hard time keeping his hands from roaming (don't worry...that problem was nipped in the bud, thanks to my bodyguard/sister). He bought me 2 roses as a "thank you" for dancing with him.

In my first week, I went to my first quincinera, danced and clubbed past midnight (not getting home til 2 or 3 - something that I don't usually do), played in a volleyball game, and had to keep a guy from practically humping my butt while I was dancing (don't ask). Unfortunately, I was sick for most of last week (Tuesday to Friday) because something didn't quite agree with my stomach (thank god for Peptp Bismol...or, actually, my sis had the generic version of it, but it still worked). Anyway, I'm totally enjoying myself right now. We (my sis, her friend who's here visiting, and I) do get funny looks when we're walking around or going places. There aren't too many African American women here, so we stick out like a sore thumb. But it's cool. To them, we're exotic...unique - and I love it!

Oh, I can't forget about the interesting sounds. So, last year, I got a chance to hear the kissing lizard, which makes the sound people make when they're trying to get a dog to come to you. This time, I hear crickets that sounds like they're whistling (all night), birds that sound like men do when they see beautiful women, and some animal, bug or bird that sounds like a baby dinosaur (not sure what it is yet). So cool...yet, creepy. Anyway, I can't wait to see what this next week brings us. I do believe we're going to Acapulco for the weekend. Until then, enjoy the pics.

Mexico

So, I'm in Mexico now and I'm lovin it! I'm here from June 25th - July 29th. I figured, since I'll be here for a whole month, why not invite my blogosphere friends along for the ride? Instead of waiting til my trip is over - in the event that I forget some important detail - I'll blog each week (about 5 weeks). Starting next Sunday, you'll get a glimpse of Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico through my eyes. Let me tell you, it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL here...and we're not even by a beach (Acapulco is about 3 hours away). I think I'll name the next few blog posts...Mexican Paradise (I know Cuernavaca has its shortcomings like any other city, but, it's still paradise). So, stay tuned...