so now it just seems like i'm making this up, but currently, i am experiencing severe flu-like symptoms minus a cold.
i'm going to bed now, but i just wanted to put a reminder up here to write about how pleasant saturday evening was (but definitely not sunday).

the posada last night was really fun. it was the school's first, and all of the staff was invited, including the people who do the security, the maintenance, the cleaning, and the cooking at the school. everybody brought their spouses and kids, and there were about a million pinatas for the kids to break. there was a raffle where prizes ranged from humongous tins of cookies to a colour tv. there was pozole--a mexican staple at large gatherings--which is a tasty sort-of soup/stew. there was a lot of spirited dancing (it turns out one of our maintenance staff is a talented dj!), and i think the only thing stranger than watching teachers and administrators get drunk is seeing them dancing.
from what i could gather, the tradition of posadas is that people are supposed to go from house to house singing a song, asking to be let in. it's supposed to mirror how mary and joseph went searching for a place to stay on the eve of christ's birth. a preappointed house (i think it's usually the third one--the first two are supposed to deny entry) finally accepts the people, and then they party. we kind of did our own adaptation of this last night; half of us stood outside the school gate and the other half were on the inside, and we all held candles and sang the song (or tried to--it was, of course, in spanish--and the tune was kinda hard to grasp), which was kind of a back-and-forth thing until the final verse, where everyone sang in unison, and those of us on the outside were permitted entry through the gate. i sure hadn't done anything like that before.

and who would've guessed (just attribute it to the unpredictability of mexico) that i would be marching in a parade by the end of the night?!
to explain: the first 12 days of december are called the fiestas de guadalupe, and they're spent celebrating the virgin of guadalupe, who is the patron saint of mexico. coincidentally enough, december 12 is not only guadalupe day, it's also vallarta's birthday, so it's very hectic around here at this time of year. during these 12 days, all of the businesses and associations in vallarta make a procession downtown towards the iglesia de guadalupe, where a small mass is held for each group. the bigger businesses and associations have processions that resemble parades, because they hire folkloric dancers and mariachi bands, and some even have floats.
our school librarian's husband owns two fine-dining restaurants in town, so his restos did their procession last night. kim, lisa and i got to join in b/c the librarian invited us while we were at the posada. it was nutso--we got to hold candles and balloons, and we walked alongside the rest of the restaurants' staff while folkloric dancers wearing getups that resembled caribana costumes marched ahead of us. a sort-of marching band played behind us, and every so often we'd stop walking and the dancers would do their thing. they must've done their dance around five our six times, and it took about an hour to get to the church from old town.

it was a night of experiencing mexican traditions, and although at times they seemed pretty bizarre to me (as i'm sure some of mine might seem that way to mexicans), it was kinda cool to be a part of them.

this post shall be full of miscellany.

- one of my students had dinner w/ diego luna (y tu mama tambien, frida, the terminal) at the pv film fest last year. i am jealous of a 16 year old.

- i wanted to take a trip to china next summer (a student told me about a package deal that sounds really good: 2 weeks visiting something like 5 cities/towns, w/ 2 free days in shanghai for around $2800 CDN, which includes a return flight w/ airport transfers, all domestic flights, 4- and 5-star hotel accommodation, all meals, a tour bus w/ spanish and english-speaking guides, and all admission costs), but now i may have to postpone until the year after next b/c i'm to be a bridesmaid at my bro's wedding in july. anyone interested in joining me if i ever do pull off the china thing though? my parents just did the same kind of tour, and really enjoyed it.

- mexico is great for buying prescription drugs, mainly b/c you don't need a prescription to buy practically anything. you just have to write the name of the drug on a piece of paper, hand it to the pharmacist, y voila. the drugs are usually much cheaper, too. apparently, it's 52 pesos ($5.20 US) for a package of birth control pills.

- i've been reading a lot lately. there's a second-hand bookstore in sayulita that sells stuff in english, and everything i've picked so far has been good: melissa banks' the girls' guide to hunting and fishing (it's really not as fluffy as i expected it to be; it's actually quite well-written), ann-marie macdonald's fall on your knees (i expected this to be good), and now i'm onto david sedaris' me talk pretty one day (i've laughed out loud a few times). yes, i should've read this stuff years ago, but at least i've read 'em now! if you haven't read them yet, you should, too.

- last week, one of my students told me that i'm the only teacher they like that doesn't do what they wish i would do. i don't know how to take that, or exactly what it means (i think he meant i'm not easy on them?), but i think he meant well...?

- things i will immediately do when i get home b/c i miss them: taste lemon-flavoured things, like meringue pie and lemonade; get a good poutine from the fish & chip shop at the marketplace plaza; go out dancing to indie rock music; visit and stock up on CDs from soundscapes and/or rotate this!; catch up w/ friends (we need to meet up!); eat chinese food (they tell me it's not that great here, and i haven't worked up the courage to try it yet); take the subway!!!; and i hate to admit it, but i kind of miss driving.

- upcoming elections: blech. i really don't feel like voting, but i will. it's gonna be such a hassle doing it by proxy from mexico, too. eh.

alrighty, off to a staff christmas posada now!