You might want to sit down for this one, every so often I am able to rip off a story that no one would believe, and would put them into stitches, today is your lucky day. Never say I never bared the embarrassing moments of my life…

First day of school, YES! 🙂 Early, out the door, all started somewhat great! Except the night of sleep, for some reason, I have woken up with bites, insect bites all over! I realized last night where it came from. mosquitos, yuck. I woke up in the night hearing the buzzing, I thought I was dreaming at first, literally hearing the buzzing in my bedroom and hearing them whiz past my head, but this had not occurred the first few days of being in the apt, but even though I thought I was dreaming, I walked out of the bedroom, into the living room, buzzing gone, into bedroom, buzzing back. LOUD, and when I covered myself up completely with the sheets, even my head, I could hear the buzzing outside of the covers waiting for me. Turn light on, no trace of ’em anywhere? I thought I was going MAD! (Sounds like the telltale heart here), but I somehow managed to get out without any majorly new bites, contemplating how I was going to rid these buggers so I could get a good night’s rest Wednesday night.

Experiencing this, again, has reenacted a two day week wrapped in one, but has made me ever more tired……can you believe it? As I look back, I laugh at the blood I had on my pants in leaving the day today, but realized I navigated alot of events in a short time! The blood came out in the wash, and I was able to reflect on the merry go round known as …

Another day in Mexico….:) Geez, the blood made me look tough on the metro…..

The one cool thing. despite the bite-a-rama Tuesday night, was I was able to find NPR in Mexico City and tune in, loud and clear. This reminded me of being in Delaware since I was able to get it on the eastern shore, so I left out the door in an awesome mood despite the obvious…

Early in, checked in movies from the previous day that had been returned, caught up with things all way before the day started for the first day! 🙂 8:00 orientation for the whole upper school, very nervous, but walked over with Afra, the new technology teacher and we just the students in – they were from everywhere! Funny to see students brought to school by drivers, with security cars in front and behind them as well, a full red carpet entrance! What a difference! Orientation begun, I found out I was to help hand out 10th grade schedules, moved over to the table, readied the schedules, intros began… Believe it or not, this was the best part of my day, lol….oh yes, wait and see….

As the students sensed the end of the speech, a rush, as someone said “like the running of the bulls” occurred and our table was completely submerged in students, all speaking in accents and voices at the same time, somehow we managed to get all but 6 their schedules, I hurried out and hung out on the blacktop monitoring the clumps of students during brunch time. Bell ring, corralling students into the school as they have 5 minutes to their 1a class, (they experience all classes today and this is a block schedule)…I make my way into the library and begin catching up. This is the part you will want to remember for a long time….:)…

I make my way up to the top floor of the library, shelving the DVD’s and I notice there is a security metal strip hanging out a little too far of the DVD case, I try to slide it back in, so it is hidden, moving it moving it, (these are made of metal remember), ding! “What? Where is all this blood coming from? What the heck? Gabby! (Our awesome reference librarian), Do you have an extra kleenex?!” Blood is everywhere, knowing I sliced into my finger, and it of course being the fleshy part, lots of scenery for a horror film going….I make my way downstairs quickly explaining to Elaine on my way out, trying to hide my bloody hand, I will take care of this at the nurse…:) I did a good job of hiding the results of my hand, and as soon as I enter, we clean it, yep, looks like stitches…:( I am not happy of course but you know when you have a cut, and you know it is deeper than you thought…I knew. Period. I knew the nurse was right, if I kept a band aid on it,it would keep bleeding, opening up, etc so yep.

American/British Hospital here I come, I trudge back over the the library in defeat letting Elaine know I am the first casualty of ASF School by security tab in the library and have to get stitches, (I don’t want to know her thoughts at that time because I could see mine…:) ) The nurse knows I am a lowly ignorant of Spanish as of yet and goes to the hospital with me, we check in, the receptionist is awesome, the school nurse is able to catch up on the latest since it has been awhile, :), go in and the doctor is truly great despite the circumstances. You know the worst part, right? You have to numb the finger, and to do that, well, there is going to be a needle involved here, I am not going to imagine that part, but imagine going down a slide on a razor blade, yeah, it felt like that for about 30 seconds, then my finger just felt like a blob of something, lol. The doctor was great, only three stitches! I walked back with the nurse with the white wrapping and holding my finger up, knowing, it would be a matter of time before the thumping set in.

Continue the day, looking Einstein ready to say something brilliant with my thumb up the air, :), monitored lunch, witnessed a student dropping water from the second floor balcony trying to bomb someone and managed to give that, “Want me to hurt you with a library security tape dude?!”, he ran.

Worked through the day, stepped out for lunch to grab a hamburgesa and hot dog with good old chilis, onions, the works….it seemed fitting and deserving…:)

Worked in the fiction room, putting texts in order, organizing details to help a teacher with The Holocaust, my finger reminding me of the antics earlier more and more…Bell! Last bell! Worked until four, used my finger as a signal to get me home, (it seemed like it was like a weathervane or something…:) , got home, grabbed my clothes, ran to the laundromat up two streets, and forced myself to figure it out whether I knew spanish or not….

They still appeared open, I motioned to the machines, the lady started the machines, even thought there were slots for the machines, apparently I did not try to make any of my coins as she interrupted me and shook her finger side to side meaning no. She stated something to the younger manager as she took clothes out of the washer that seemed to be there awhile, which seemed to be the topic of her conversation. The younger manager smiled, I did too imagining the wrangling the older proprietor was saying….my turn of novelty would come next! 🙂 She started the machines for me, I added the soap, put my crate on the machines, and took off back to the apartment. On coming back, someone’s car was not starting, he was attempting to push the car, I slid behind and helped him push it to the corner, Gracias, I said it back…got to the apartment, and typed in to SpanishDict how to say “How much for two loads of clothing” and also “I can dry these at my house” – one is “Me puede secar en casa” and the other is Cuanto por dos cargas de ropa?” – I will let you figure it out because darnit, I had to! – I made it back to the launrdomat, it looked closed, I am thinking, “You have GOT to be kidding me!”, They still had an opening, I slid in, retrieved my clothes, asked How much it was for two loads of clothes, (I must have done it perfectly because she instantly responded, “Sesenta”, I tried to ask, “Manana”, and pointed to the clock, (wanting to know time they were open tomorrow), I am still not sure on the response on that one, but I could tell from the look on their faces I was the entertaining one now…:) Agj, Gracias!, I head back to the apartment,
…hang the clothes up on the line, make my way, after after checking email quick, to the market Mark the awesome connected masseuse to everything in the area to a market that sold pots. I figured out during the day, the clippings of plants, in WATER must have attracted mosquitos last night! Ah ha! I speed walked 10 blocks to this indoor market, and after some careful looking, found a vendor with pots, looked arond, found 5 plastic trays and one earthen ware style pot. Heading around the corner, asking the man selling flowers if they have any dirt handy….no go, e states manana! I know I cannot cope with another night of mosquitos and the dirt has to be! I head out on some random streets, make it to a couple in the middle street gardens , not being beneath me to scoop down and filling a pot full of dirt to take home, see a couple other parks remaining, run into a colleague of ASF! Found a part of the garden further down, much softer! I looked both ways, down, scoop, scoop scoop, done! In this fashion I obtained a tote full of dirt, and made my way as fast as possible back to the apartment!

Rooted the plants, dumped the water, ( no mosquitos!) and filled in with my newly acquired dirt…as I sat here laughing at the whirlwind day, lightning starts, rain and my door buzzer goes off ( it has never worked since I moved in!) and all of a sudden, it comes on but does not turn off! I head back down in the rain, flip the bell button in attempt to listen for a short, nada. I come back up, ready to cut/splice the wires, however, I moved it and it goes off! Silence, at the house, whew, it comes wonderfully!
A day like this should be in the record books…:) or not….:)

Harry