PAVEing a Blog

Start a new list of your favorite Father Memory – Add them here, and this will serve as an inspiration to what Dad’s provide to your Father’s Day!

You favorite father’s memory would be a great addition to this blog, I will add mine last…:)  I would love to hear and read yours and have it on record!  🙂

One word came to mind today and a particular definition:

“Passion – boundless enthusiasm” – I love this.  Today seemed to be a record day for many reasons that honestly, I did not even realize until later – but think of this –

Less than a year ago – I uprooted everything I knew – after 6 years and moved to Mexico, having NO idea what I was getting myself into – yet – I found myself surrounded by teachers that had a passion and were from all over the world – I mean, where can you get something so exciting in an educational setting – and here we are today – many of these teachers are heading to Dubai, Portugal, Korea, and regions that are simply amazing to think about.  I have changed so much, and found, that I try to escape the formal goodbye’s because I do not want a goodbye to be a sealing end, I feel their strength and abilities will go to these parts of the globe and come back – they are that passionate about what they do.

It is so exhilarating to have been surrounded by a group of people that feel so – yes – passionate about what they do, what they see, and what they do to impact and influence others around them.  It’s funny, I am used to hearing the constant barrage of complaints, distress signals being sent out about this situation, that situation – yet this group of educators willing to push into the unknown, and go for what they see as improving the future – and having this risk taking of all parts of the globe, – I have to say it has been unlike any experience I have been involved in with education – and I have to say, my heart aches for gratitude with just being around these individuals for one year.

Let me go one step further, being surrounded by an amazing group of students, passionate about making a difference and taking risks, in less than one year I am hooked on being surrounded by such a talented young, hysterical, and fun group of individuals that I am quite amazed – yes, some come from amazing families that I just am in awe of, yet, each one of these young students have such an amazing set of talents – it would make the average teacher cry in disbelief.

I love the word passion – it is so general that it can take into consideration teaching, learning, leading, performing, expressing, and that is just the beginning…

I have been blessed with genes that still amaze me, I am able to not exercise then pick it up like I have been doing so and jump back into a routine and jump back into shape faster than I should be able to – my Dad’s energy, metabolism, and will to make a difference ebb in and out of my waking moments; I can never obtain a gift as generous as this that he gave me.  I have this knack for making some incredible friends I could never weight in gold – his gift passed onto me is perhaps one of the best things I have ever been given – combine this with a will of steel and an ability to see the good in others, the ability to have foresight and mike discerning decisions handed down from a long line of my mother’s genes – what could I possibly want more than I have been given.

No matter what the situation, no matter what the adversity, there is a huge difference between dealing with situations and working through them, and being passionate about them.  I am fortunate enough, through many twists of fate, to be immersed by individuals that are passionate about so many things, literally, my cup runneth over.  Yes, you may be moving to another side of the globe, but your spirit, your positive outlook, your contagious smiles and will to keep pushing forward definitely roll over any of the negative and pessimistic waves that exist – goodbye is not truly accurate – you have left a piece of yourselves thanks to your passion and optimism.  What possible gift could you possibly want to add to that? – In our heart of hearts, we always carry a piece of a person that has impacted us so much, add several characteristics of those people together, and there is NOTHING that will stop a vision, a positive attitude and passionate drive to achieve anything.

On the most negative days, remembering those that have come in our lives and affected like this make the day shift fast forward into positive – and the future is up for those willing to make the most of it…

Hey!  I promised a story about a Scottish man!  🙂  Okay, (this will sound like a joke, it is not, promise!)  – We are walking in Centro, a bright sunny day – and we are on a corner, and a man is walking towards us with a slightly confused and lost look on his face, and we enter into that eve cautious question – do you speak English?  Yes!  We end up walking to Centro, and find out he’s in the country for his job – we exchange details about living in Mexico, he shows us his beautiful little baby, informing us its his first time away from his child – we realize we have found an incredibly kind and gentle soul.  I am thinking – (and pinching myself) I am in MEXICO!  I am really in Mexico and – how can I ever rally truly process how cool this is with the amazing people surrounding me? – Alina – one of the most amazing students I ever met is in India right now – helping people less fortunate than most of the population, My friend Glenn is ready to travel there again for his second tour among orphanages, some of the most passionate (kind of like Pee Wee Herman’s word of the day when I say that!) – teachers I have met in a far are going to change the areas as far as Korea, students pouring in to be part of a magazine that will reach the far reaches of the globe – students that just are amazing when given a chance – and I am in MEXICO – sometimes it truly seems to be surreal – and then I realize, each of us has something deep down we are passionate about – and if we are lucky enough, we let it carry us to ideas we have only dreamed about –

I walked away that day from this man we met from Scotland realizing, there are so many people that we meet, by accident and by fate, that will change ourselves if we just let them – that to me becomes passion and defining moments rolled up in one, I am thankful for every one…:)

..that is right!  No one needs “stinking apartments!”  Here is a contact for someone that owns several apartments all over Condesa and the DF.  He is a good friend of Peter Winckers, Azteca guide in Mexico, and Mr. Basurto owns the Condesa Cafe as well.  His contact info is below:

Armando Prado Basurto      cell 0445536667370 armandoprado@hotmail.com          grupodespo@hotmail.com

Stay tuned for info n how we met a Scottish man in Centro  🙂  ,  more commentary on the new restaurants that have been posted, and finding yourself amid neighborhoods that you never knew existed!  More this week as we bring finals to a screeching HALT!  🙂    at ASF…

AND – just in case you want to PREVENT stinking apartments,  🙂  , here is some info about cleaning those apartments~

A reliable cleaning lady named Rosa (sorry, can’t remember her last name) and her cell number is: 0445515693246

She gets paid 350 pesos, and well worth it. She is completely trustworthy and always puts in the extra bit.

For 350 pesos she:

cleans apartment (very large apartment with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms)
changes bed linen.
does washing.
hangs out washing/folds washing.
irons clothes.
cooks, eg, enchiladas, soups, ensalta de nopales, other delicious Mexican food.
Rosa does some shopping if I don’t have enough washing liquid, or she needs food to cook.

“Those who can do, an those that can’t teach..”  Wow, if you think that, thin listen to this. and this!

More items that are the best of items to get for apartments before going out to the furniture stores!

We look around, and we are in awe, and we ask, how did we get to this POINT?  Yet, every one of us are happy we made the journey together.  Imagine that feeling, and multiply this by ten, and you would get an idea of what it was like to open the package that held our first International Magazine, Repentino.  I was DYING inside, and when it was revealed, I – speechless.  I saw the smiles of so many people, and realized, the bumps and bruises were worth it because the people I was sharing this moment with right now – I would remember for a VERY long time.  VERY.

Imagine a night filled with music, artistry, memoirs to Ray Bradbury, violin to set your mood to relaxation, comedy that made you crack up, odes to memories of castles in England, and you’d have just the tip of a night that affected many at Open Mic night at ASF, June 6th.  Better yet, imagine all those attendees filled with passion and energy taking it all in, and you have a crowd you would go to all ends with – just to be with.  For one night – Repentino/ being released had worked its spell on us, and we can never look back having made a journey of ups, downs, and all arounds.  The sponsors, the staff, the students, the supporters that made Repentino. a success was, well nothing short of a miracle.  However, when I look at the talent of those involved, it was nota miracle at all.

However, the feeling inside this production, made looking back, pretty hard to put it into words.  Listen to Billy Joel’s words, and somewhere in there, you’ll find a bit of us in this year’s issue of Repentino.  How did I get to be surrounded by such a talented group of people?  I am putting my head down, not asking, and just thanking for every day I have with them…    🙂  These students are – well, it’s just a matter of trust and they will surprise you every turn of the way…  🙂   AMAZING  🙂  Can I say it?  Okay…THEY ROCK 🙂

A second aspect that has been keeping my busy has been taking in the amazing activities that students have been involved in.  What?  You don’t believe me?  Take this in – the FIRST EVER performance in the new Performing Arts Center at ASF – Beauty and the Beast – I went to every night’s show.  Why?  Why not just go to one?  Here is the thing, it is so easy to take for granted the fact that these students that are seniors will always be seen, always be around.  Yet, in an instant, they grow up and move on, as we do too, and then are on their way to do great things.  It is QUITE amazing to see them in roles that they normally would not perform as, and before you realize it, they are capturing your attention in a way that they have never done.  I was AMAZED to see these students perform in a such as Beauty and the Beast, yet transform the meaning based on their abilities.  All three night’s was truly not enough, as something different was seen each night, thanks to the heart and soul these students put into the play.  This made me realize how much I was going to miss these students, that I had JUST been familiarized in less than a year! I could say more, but I can’t, it rests deep within me!    Let’s fly north to my former residence in Delaware – don’t think for a minute that I did not have the graduation of Seaford High, in my mind.  These were the last wave of students that were my army of doers, they never sat on the sidelines and let life pass them by.  In one year alone, the last groups of PAVE pulled together a movement to pull of Battle of the Bands, work at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C., raise funds for the Seaford Library, the Seaford Cultural Center, work with students at Blades, as well as spend time caring for the Soroptomist Park Garden.  I can’t think of a more impressive team of students that spare time they could be doing things and share with others…Priyanka Patel, Thania Sanchez, Uri Rebolledo, Tammy Pham, Akshay Patel, Jacques Jules, Ketsia Aurele, Emily Phifer, to name a FEW – that set their hearts out in front of them for the sake of others, and the :shakers and movers” of a community are now moving onto to larger and more diverse communities, that will benefit from their selflessness.  My heart, despite physical location, is always is awe and beats a few beats faster due to the strength these young people have and exert to others around them.

If you take time to skip back to Mexico, another major feat has been the advent of the ASF literary magazine.  (Repentino Cover ) This is a production that was formerly called Reflections, yet was resurrected due to the will of a small (SIX) group of students willing that art, their heartfelt words, as well as willingness to fight the adversity of so many odds against them to push, push, until… success.  This sounds so heroes, but if you war part of anything that seemed to have every odd against you, roadblocks put in you path each step of the way, yet still were able to overcome them, there is no act, small or large, that is not worth the recognition of achieving your goals.  This has become more than a magazine, it became an adventure into the unknown, and truly, these brave students put their insights of what felt right in their heart, what would touch people through their eyes, their minds, and their experiences, put this into a magazine worthy of the most developed yearbook.  After serving on a yearbook for 5+ years, and always struggling with a budget, I forced myself to stand back, and let the students grapple with struggles, and come in at times to help encourage progress; yet to the most unknown area of my soul I still have not yet reached, I felt their persistence and unwillingness to stop and wondered, how can they keep doing this?  I am very proud that they will have their last (flyer for mic night June 6th) tomorrow, Wednesday June 6th, but it is truly celebration of what can be achieved with not letting any dream go.  From traveling to New York, to the support of some amazing friends like Ms Kang and Mr Martinez, as well as so many supporters, to the many hurdles they had to overcome, they all came through as winners.

To end, the highpoint was being surrounded by a group of 18+ new students, interested in the 2012-2013 magazine that would be Repentino. next year.  I saw the hardships, the hurdles, and the energy that started with these six students who won the runner up for most involved club, through the faces that now filled a VERY  long table. I also imagined how amazing this production will be with these talented students coming in for a new year.   I realized, all the advice from others to spend more time on myself actually had been occurring, I was investing myself in the belief of these other young minds around me, and wow, could they soar!  I have had so many investments that you cannot see in a bank, but in the faces of those that surround me, and I have to say, I have never been richer thanks to the wealth of these young students that have so much to offer and have done so already at such a young age!

A HUGE congratulations to the graduating class of 2012 – both in Seaford, DE as well as in Mexico City Mexico.  I can guarantee some huge changes in the world around us thanks to these individuals that will go on to make many changes for the better.  Wait until you see the graduating classes of 2013 and 2014, the best is yet to come!

The past few weeks have been definitely ramped up and exciting, tons of things which will keep this blog updated and humming, but let’s go back to the walking tours…when a tour was offered with Mr Winckers (Azteca Travel Tours)  for Condesa last week, of course I thought I knew Condesa, but I hoped to gain a newer perspective of places I would not have seen originally.  Jackpot!!  many new things came up in the first tour of Condesa,

and second -in the Coyoacan tour. Recalling from the Condesa tour, we were able to understand the clock in Parque Espanza actually held a radio for individuals that wanted to hear the news, but did not have radios, very interesting!  We were able to see the location where practicing chefs served dinner to the public (we were assured it is safe and reasonable to eat!) – as well as taking in architecture that I often hd walked past.  I didn’t realize that the one whole area of the neighborhood was an exhibit of modern architecture of Mexico.

The little things that alot of people walk past, or that often do not stop long enough to take in re possible and so see to come out thanks to the tours!  What makes this even more meaningful is that we

get to sit down and   discuss the events together with new friends!

In going back to Coyoacan, I instantly was transported back to the original tour I had when we

arrived just off the plane, but then was shown areas I did not now even existed!  The artisan’s fair,eating at a restaurant called Fondu (2 plates of crepes!) and watching

authentic Mexican football  🙂 , it was a

GREAT day, and again, ending with a meal and good friends.  A “tour” does not really touch on a day that becomes a day for spending with friends!  

Hola!  🙂   I know, it has been awhile so this next blog will be a huge one!  This specific blog will be added to as I receive information, but so far, these are beginning items that are for sale – as the list grows I will add, so you will want to check this particular positing off and on for added items!  🙂

Here is the first batch!  Let me know via harrybrake@yahoo.com if anything is a need for you!

Sorry – those items all sold!  HOWEVER – we have a ton more and these items being posted on Tuesday, June 5th are items that will save you alot of time if you buy now!  🙂  Soon to be posted!