she's at it again

since this is a random post,

i figured i'd stick a random picture on it.

success.

i'm a little bit crazy about a few things right now.

this blog. ever since discovering it two weeks ago, i have been looking at it every day. all of her recipes look so flippin' amazing and healthy. all of you healthy-food-haters out there are in for a dericious treat.

instrumental bands like this one. when i hear this song I feel like road-tripping under a starry sky with my best friend next to me, windows down of course.

making lists. it's not a new obsession, really. but it's getting worse.

reading the comments section at CNN. Look at these hilarious nuggets...

@ "Oprah has a half-sister"

"oh yeh? I have a toothache...stop the presses!"

"What is really sad is that there was a program on Oprah's heritage and someone actually watched this. Wow...you need to get out more. Maybe get a hobby other than Oprah worship."

"If I were Oprah, I would ask for DNA proof before adding them on the xmas list." HA!!

@singer Willie Nelson being arrested on pot charges

"Come down hard? For what? Pot? Tobacco, alcohol, red meat, McDonlds....these things are all worse for you, but perfectly legal...."

and in response to that last comment : "You don't lose your mind nor can hurt other people eating at MacDonald you dummy."

my personal favorite: "Live your own life and let people live theirs. I smoke weed and it affects exactly nobody but me. And the extent that it affects me is greatly exagerated by people like you. Sure there probally a few people that were high and drove off the road or something like that. But pot is like anything, it should be done in moderation and you shouldn't do dangerous activities while high. If i want to sit at home and get baked and play video games I am not a criminal."

"Willie makes no secrets about smoking pot. It would act a pain releiver to help him keep on the road touring. At his age and it more than benefits him." oh geez....

daydreaming about foods i will eat when i go back to the u. s. of a.

great harvest bread. oh, wheat bread in general will be niiice.

almond butter.

nuts that aren't doused in lime juice.

spinach.

baby carrots.

hummus.

grilled chicken+grilled veggies.

veggies in general.

milk.

imagining running in a neighborhood where nobody stares at me as i coast on by...

also daydreaming about running clothes. i happen to love spandex. yerp.

orygun coast and zion's are always on the brain when i need an escape hatch.

i imagine i will have a hammock in a week's time. psyyyche.

these little turkeys:

google video chat. remember the days when I came home to utah on the weekends and the children got super-hyper? well, this is almost the same, only I don't feel them grab onto my legs and not let go. :(

I really need to go now. I'll come back to this here blog latah. With a real, legitimate PHOTO POST.

ouch

i got it here

I just got done with another run. Ow. Let me explain.

Here in Mexico, running is pretty awesome because, uh, everything is way lower, meaning my lungs are automatically more mind-blowing.

Did that make sense?

However, all of the streets are also cobblestone, and therefore, my shins get a beating. Therefore, I have the worst shin splints of my life. Any tips on how to alleviate that pain? That is all.

oh yeah, and other stuff that makes me very sad:

the stuff happening in moscow

the stuff happening in mexico

the stuff happening in arizona

the stuff happening in brazil

{i didn't link to this stuff because I don't want you guys to get sad, too}

I just need to read stuff like this to stay sane. You should too.

Then go listen to this song.

"And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.
Get over your hill and see what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair."

a little somethin’ awkward, a little somethin’ awesome.

image from dis place

Ever heard of The Daybook? Well it just so happens to be a really cool little blog run by a fellow Rexburgian. Okay, and that brings me to my first awkward. Rexburgian?

Anyway, Sydney, the girl who runs it, does this thing called “Awkward and Awesome Thursday,” where she lists the awkwardness/awesomeness of the week.

I love lists.

Awkward moments define my life.

And of course, awesomeness is sprinkled in there too (as you know from my happy list Mondays).

So here we go.

Awkward:

*living in an apartment where the walls are paper thin. That includes bathroom walls. Ick.

*last night, in order to avoid being accosted by the plethora of Latin Lovers which came out of the woodwork when I walked down the street, I latched onto a woman with a baby. I walked pretty close to her, which I think freaked her out, and made her walk even faster. So much for Mexican hospitality.

*being one of 12 white people at a party (the rest were Mexicans, obviously) and having them stare at us incredulously when we started dancing. That bad, huh?

*leaving aforementioned party with an entire leftover cake for my roommates and I to share and getting weird looks from a few people. “Yes, it’s all for me. I’m on the LGFC diet.” (FYI, that’s the “Look Good Fully Clothed” Diet).

*when the people you live with eat your food and they know it…and you know they know it…so when you see them next, you give them the hairy eyeball, and they pretend like they don’t know, but they know. Oh, and that entire sentence was awkward.

*Using the wrong verb in Spanish and thus turning a normal, everyday comment into a really dirty one. Sorry, my bad.

Awesome:

*that cake we brought home is dericious. So is the salsa verde and the guacamole. I could drink it, it’s so good.

*discovering old music on the iPod that hasn’t been in heavy rotation for a long time.

*getting a tan in January. Benefits of living in Mexico, Part 210.

*that little cheek-touch, kiss-in-the-air thing that Mexicans do when they greet you/say goodbye. I just like it, that’s all.

*Alma 37. Go read it. Right now, okay?!

*I can’t believe I am confessing to this. But last night I spent a good amount of time on this website. It’s pretty cool, I think.

*discovering poems which I wrote freshman year. Like this one, containing some of my favorite words:

The swath began and ended

At the fire hydrant

Limbs were bruised

From the pelting rain

I could have bulldozed

The answers out of him

But didn’t bother

Because of the iron grip

He held on with both

Dusty hands

Because of that quixotic

Happiness I felt for him

Did I ever weep?

Why, no, I did not climb

Those steep stairs enough

Not enough to

Cause me to tremble

Then hide

Pouring onto the hideaway

Was the sadness

But I couldn’t guess

What the reason was for the

Seamless clouds

And this concludes my awkward and awesome post. Adios, my friends.

you thought I forgot, didn't you?

Remember back in the day when I made those wonderful happy lists? And then back in the day when I stopped for no reason at all other than laziness?

I hereby re-instate the happy list tradition. Feel free to air-guitar, do a happy dance, or smile. Or all three if your monday was as good as mine.

1. mr. andrew bird, cuz his music makes me feel like hammocking in a skirt (but hammocking in general is nice)

2. mexican mangoes. approximately one month ago, i still hated mangoes. "still" meaning I have always hated mangoes...they have a weird aftertaste. Then once upon a time I moved to Mexico. And the mangoes. Are. Amazing.

3. writing letters to people which I will probably never send. It's nice to just get my feelings out in the open somewhere.

4. hearing that crunch when you finally kill the cockroach. shudder.

5. imagining setting my feet on carpet 4 months from now. I'm betting you are close to some carpet right now. Please, for me, just go lay on it for a second. Appreciate your shag, folks.

6. the fact that it was 75 degrees today. I seriously think it's April and not January.

7. setting lots of new goals, making to-do lists for 2011, to-do lists for Rexburg, and figuring out my schedule for next semester. I'm a list-maker apparently.

8. practicing cumbia dance moves between classes.

9. early-morning spin class, early-evening run. Ragnar, I am coming for you. Watch out.

10. The gas truck that drives by our house every morning blasting the same song (which is now burned into my brain) and then some guy says, "Gaaaas!!" Hahaha!

11. stripey clothes

12. my new bangs. I'm finally getting used to them.

13. agua fresca. This is how Mexicans do juice: put water and some kind of fruit (the whole thing, peel and all) in a blender. Push button. Open mouth. Experience divinity.

14. playing "I love my neighbor" with my students today. One of my favorites, from one of my girl students: "I love my neighbor because they're beautiful." (she looks around cuz nobody moves) "Well, I'm beautiful!" (then stands up) HAHA

I'm sorry my lists are kind of lame...but I'll work on it! The happy list Mondays are back in action!!

mckenzie fox here, reporting for duty

i stole this from italia (my roommate, not the country).

she is OCD and therefore my half of the room looks bad.

but it's really not. it's clean now, i promise.

This is (como se dice en español?) a weekend update:

This week when we played hangman, my students made me the victim, complete with a foot of blood streaming out of my neck. Sorry, that was graphic. At least they didn't add knives below the gallows like they usually do....yikes.

Yesterday was "fun friday," so I let my students pick the game. They picked Sardines. It was probably the funniest game of Sardines I have ever played. They hid in the storage closet downstairs, which really should not fit 9 students inside of it. They somehow squished themselves beneath stacked up desks and behind old play sets. So, lesson learned: Mexicans are flexible.

On Thursday nights we play fútbol at the stake center with Mexicans. Okay, let me rephrase that. On Thursday night the Mexicans play fútbol and we run around and act like we know how to play. I have never enjoyed playing soccer so much before...or sweated so much playing it. Man, I am really descriptive in these posts. Just act like you don't mind all of the blood and sweat, ok?

This morning we went to breakfast at the house of one of my students' ...er....I mean mansion. In Mexico, everyone's house is surrounded by a giant wall, so you can't see the front of it until the gate opens. Anyway, his parents invited me and two other teachers, so we went. It was pretty sweet because we walked through the gates and BAM, there was a mansion! They proceeded to say things like "our house is your house," because that's how Mexicans are. Isn't it awesome? They fed us a delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon (with salsa, YUMMMMM), and toast. Don't forget the stinkin' amazing MANGO JUICE. I didn't used to like mangoes, but Mexico has converted me.

Today we finally took a taxi to Chadraui (like Wal Mart) and got some real food (besides peanut butter, mexican granola bars, and mandarin oranges, which we've been living off of for a week). Grocery shopping in Mexico is really funny because the aisles are super narrow and so turning around your shopping cart is really awkward. It's bad enough that everyone is staring at us because we're white, speaking English, and really, really ridiculously good-looking. Ok, forget that last remark, I didn't wash my hair today until 6:30 at night (gross). But seriously! Why is everything so stinkin' narrow here?

Tonight we got some dancing lessons from true Mexicans...haha. Teo, the stake prez, is a really fine dancer, and he taught me how to shake my hips. I'm serious...I really didn't know I could move like that until now! They take dancing seriously here. Dancing and soccer--you'd better be pro at them by the time you leave. Give me 4 more months and I will impress you all with my skills!

Number of cockroaches killed today: 5. Number of times we had to kill each one: 5. That's 25 stomps! They are invincible, I tell you!

this little guy (ok, he wasn't really little) was eating the colony of ants

which decided to camp outside our door today. maybe I should start naming all of my bug friends...

it's gonna be a mushy day when i leave

Last night I had a terrible but very realistic dream.

I dreamt that I went back to the United States.

I know, I know, not so terrible when you think about all of the positives:

no having to get a hot shower by lighting the boiler outside with a candle

no sweeping the floor constantly because there's no such thing as carpet

nobody whistling at your or makin' smoochy noises every time you walk down the street...haha

no being thousands of miles away from your family

But, in my dream, I was devastated. I just wanted to go back to Mexico, to my students, to the other teachers, to the whole dadgum place.

I cried and cried and cried at the airport. Teo (the stake prez and ILP director) gave us all of our money back and some McDonald's coupons as compensation (???). My mom came to get me at the airport and told me that she had gotten me an accounting job in Rexburg, but that I was too poor to live in the apartment I've been living in, so I moved into a super-ghetto one instead.

Sniffle. On top of all that, it was below zero when I pulled into Rexburg. I know right now it's January, but sometimes I forget.

Then I woke up in my apartment with the dusty floor, in a strange city that I've already grown to love, and breathed a sigh of relief.

I think it's safe to say that April 9th is going to be an emotional day.

The End.

p.s. i just thought of a solution: marry a mexican! what do you think, padres? at least my children would be fantastic at soccer!

the mind of a mexican child

(these aren't my students, but if they were...you wouldn't be deceived

by their smiles)

First day of school was yesterday.

All I have to say is "what did I get myself into" and "they're lucky they're cute, because if they weren't...."

Anyway.

Here's some funny things they said/did (I'm sure someday it will not make me laugh. not at all.)

student: "My older brother told me that in China, when they don't want their kids anymore, they eat them. The government gives them money, and then they eat them."

me: "Ooh, he did now? Well, that's not true." [stifling laughter]

upon seeing the rexburg temple as the background on my computer: "Is that your house?!"

me: "okay kids, write a story using the words 'orange,' 'texas,' and 'electric guitar.'"

student: "teacher! this is how my story goes! 'Michael Jackson and Shamu went to Texas and he learned to play guitar. Is that good? Haha, get it, Michael Jackson and Shamu!"

me: "Shamu, you mean the whale?"

him: "No, no, sham-poo!" (in Spanish, shampoo sounds like Shamu, FYI)

My roommate Italia introduced herself to her kids. They said, "Italia?! Italia es un país!" (Italia is a country!) Then they started chanting, "Italia Pequeña, Italia Pequeña!" Who knows there they come up with this stuff?

I walked across the "field" in the courtyard, which is actually just dirt with a few patches of measly grass. One of the little boys said, "Nooo, Teacher, noooo! Don't walk on the grass! Don't walk on the grass! It's groooowing!" Yeah, maybe in 15 years. Haha

Me, to a mischevious little boy: "What's your name...your REAL name?" (the kids like to play pranks on the new teachers and tell them the wrong name on the first day)

boy: "Uhhhh.....blebleblele!"

I saw he was drinking a juice box that said "Manzana" on it, so I said, "Ok, your name is Apple then."

Hysterical laughter ensued.

Oh geesh.

student: "Teacher, what is "pedimos ir" in english? (they're not allowed to speak Spanish but they do it anyway...oh dear. Too bad they know I understand them)

me: "It means 'can we go.' Ohh...wait.."

student: pedmios ir? pedimos ir?

me: no, 5 more minutes! (out of spite)

me, looking through the book they're supposed to read: "What story do you want to read?"

boy, flipping through the book 'til he gets to the end: "I know! Nothing!" Nice one.

me: do you know what my name is?

students: ma-ken-sie! ma-ken-sie FOX!

me: fox? what?

students, chanting: ma-ken-sie-fox! ma-ken-sie-fox!

me: do you guys know what an 'experiment' is?

girl: ooh, I know! It's when you put the googles on, and then you pour stuff in bottles, and then they go 'BOOM!' and everyone goes 'ahhhh!' Right?

That was day one, people. 119 more days to go. Pray for me.

i am in love....

(yes, I went in there)

....with tehuacán.

all of it.

more latah.

p.s. mexican food in america...does not compare. just so you know. feel free to be jealous of me. oh yeah, and it's 70 degrees.