Play Like a Pirate

This weekend I met up with a few co-workers at Plaza Nautica in the posh neighborhood of Juriquilla.
Plaza Nautica is located on Juriquilla lake, and offers fine dining in a fun nautical atmosphere.
We felt like we deserved to treat ourselves to a few drinks and a nice meal. 🙂
We chose to check out an Italian restaurant, which shall remain nameless.
I ordered minestrone soup and the other girls ordered lasagna. For 65 MXN, I had envisioned a heaping bowl of vegetables, beans and pasta, with some bread to dip alongside.
My expectations fell short when a small cup, no bigger than my fist, appeared in front of my plate. The cup was barely large enough to contain a few measly beans and a broccoli floret. The other girls agreed that their entrees were lacking in both quantity and quality. We LOVED the environment and the great company, but we would all be needing a second dinner. 🙂

To make matters worse, I had been sucking down these bad boys that afternoon. I can only handle one, MAYBE two drinks, especially when they are the size of a fishbowl. 😉
Needless to say, I started to get a bit tipsy. 😛

Whether it be from the alcohol or peroxide in my hair, I had a blonde moment and mistook this stir stick for a straw. Hah.

Luckily, for the enjoyment of all, my co-worker was able to capture this moment on camera. 😛Fortunately, there was plenty of bread to soak up all that liquor and I recovered from the event just fine. 😉
Anyway, the highlight of the meal had to have been when this little ol’ grandma came over to play matchmaker and introduce me to her grandson. She was so adorable and it definitely seemed like something my grandma would do.

For our next girls night, I invited them over to MY house, where I will be preparing the meal. I am a pretty mean cook, so I know that they will go home full and satisfied. 😀

Work Like a Captain

This week, 6th grade has been reading Onward, the story of how Matthew Henson and Robert Peary fearlessly navigated across the arctic, and became the first explorers to reach the North Pole.

To recount this journey, I had the kids create comic strips as a way to chronologically organize the trek, as well as, bring out their creativity.
In addition, we were fortunate enough to organize a relevant guest speaker for both grades. 🙂

Stretch, as he is nicknamed, was a Tugboat Captain in Alaska for over 15 years. He navigated the arctic for oil tankers, in order to ensure safe passage through Prince William Sound.

His position was created in response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, in which almost 40 million gallons of oil poured into Alaska’s waters causing extreme environmental damage that is still felt today. By taking on this position, he had hoped he was doing his part to prevent any further accidents that could harm the pristine ecosystem found in the Gulf of Alaska.

He was able to talk with the kids about daily life in Alaska, as well as, a few dangerous missions he undertook during his career. It was a great way for the kids to relate to what they had been reading in their stories. We have been analyzing characters and questioning why people would sacrifice their lives for dangerous missions such as this. It was a great talk and his pictures of Alaska were just breathtaking! 😀
It was also relevant for 5th grade, since they had been learning about endangered species. Last week, they were asked to research an endangered animal, and create a collage that demonstrated what was threatening their survival and also ways to protect them. Oil spills are the perfect example of man-made disasters that could potentially destroy an animal’s habitat, and threaten their survival.
Overall, another fantastic week with my students and co-workers. Feeling blessed.

As the saying goes, “work like a captain, play like a pirate.”Life is about balance. You need to be able to work hard, but also have fun.

To wrap things up, I’ll leave you with a lovely view of historic Querétaro, where I enjoyed a leisurely morning listening to music and drinking coffee in the plaza. The perfect end to the week.

Good bye and until next time. 🙂