The Early Stages: Packing and Inspiration

Packing is never easy. It seems even harder when it feels like you just moved in to the place you're leaving. We have lived in our Arcadia apartment for one year and the time has flown by. We have made friends with kind neighbors, enjoyed the refreshing pool, have taken advantage of Ritas (a place of delicious and unique icys), and found peace on our front "porch." We will sincerly miss our home.

We can not predict everything that is coming our way in the coming year (what kind of advanture would that be if we could anyway?); however, we can describe overall what we will be doing in Mexico. We are teaching at Instituto Thomas Jefferson (ITJ) in Guadalajara, Mexico. It's an international school whose population is approximatly 80% Mexican students and the other 20% from Europe, Canada, Korea, and the United States. I am teaching English Language Arts to middle school and high school students and Tenaya is teaching Social Studies to middle school students. We will be in Guadalajara for at least one year, and depending on how things go, we may be there for longer.

I'm most looking forward to improving my Spanish, gaining valuable teaching experience/knowledge, traveling in and around Guadalajara and Jalisco (the state which Guadalajara is located in), sumptuous Mexican food, and simply diving into cultural events/fesivities the best I can. Tenaya is most looking forward to working with students, cultural exploration/experiences, growing closer with me, and ancient historical landmarks and museums (e.g. Teotihuacan, Calixtlahuaca, the National Museum of Anthropology, etc.)

I think it's important to take a step back and look at our inspiration for going to Guadalajara in the first place; for I know there will be times when it will be very challenging. My interest in Mexico derives from a more general interest in Latin America's history, culture, languages, literature, music, and more. You probably would not guess it either, but I'm also half Mexican, which whether or not I admit it, probably plays a factor in me wanting to go to Mexico to "discover my roots" so to speak. I think I sound silly even saying that considering that my ethnic and cultural upbringing was far from a traditional Mexican one. However, I don't think my view is all that abnormal considering how millions of Americans are (and have been) seeking some sort of cultural and ethnic solice within themselves because of our ever-diversifying and shifting "American" culture. I'm sure I will have more to write about this topic in later posts as it applies to Mexican culture.

For Tenaya, her inspiration derives from a desire to travel, to teach, to see and experience new cultures and historical sites, to meet new people, to try new things, and more.

Much more could be said, but good writing and reflecting takes time and patience. Tenaya and I hope you will enjoy sharing in this journey with us! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

salud,

The Nunez Duo

#inspiration #packing #itj #ethnicity