The Water under the Bridge

Still working, but not nearly as invested as I could be - and purposely so.  This distancing is feeling good, and I still need it.  My reflection is somewhat passive right now, and I know that I will have to kick back into gear relatively soon - and face the big questions of this coming business year.
To grow, or not to grow?  Do I have it in me?  Is it worth my while financially?
Maybe I should cruise on what I have built so far, and fine-tune the machine to run more smoothly. I will let some water flow under the bridge, and assess all that.

I'm enjoying this sort of half time, and I love to leave the books aside to spend more time nurturing my family.  Simple and so good.

With over a week after my return from Yucatan, I feel the impact that my sister had on me all along this journey and I must find a way to clear that from my system.  It's full of negativity and darkness.
I took position early on and decided to let her negativity slide, otherwise it would have became a series of pointless arguments.  She did have a lot of fun too, but she choses to remember and talk about the things that bugged her.   She is broken... more than I imagined.  I am convinced that the discomfort comes from within her.   I'm not sure if I should let it slide again, or spill it all out to her.  I will let water flow under the bridge some more on that one...

On a happier note - We are going to Jeanne-Marie's for dinner - I have not seen her since our return to Toronto.  Looking forward to seeing her!!!

Back to Work

The first work week since returning from Yucatan is going well so far (it's only Tuesday afternoon...), the deep rest is felt in many ways - I feel relaxed and yet solid.  Good for sure.

In retrospect, I was not able to do everything I had wished for during the trip, but it turned out great and I did accomplished some key goals.  The fact that there is a potential partnership in development is very exciting, and I am inspired to make it a beautiful and successful project all around.
As usual, I take it slowly but surely.  At this time I simply have to start by writing it all out, and get it translated in Spanish (my written Spanish is not adequate).

First there is the teacher training series, in Spanish, probably in English too, and possibly in French (I'm told there is a new French program in one of the schools).  This would finance part of my travel expenses, and I am also looking into eligibility to government grants.  Found some, but deadlines are still far off (which means so are potential funds).  We'll see.

Then there is the community project, which is the non-profit and philanthropic component - also possibly financed in part by the teacher training sessions.  Currently it's about to sustain some free music lessons and lend instruments to disadvantaged children, but it could also be to finance student and/or teacher's transportation, a series of classes in a public school, live performances of traditional music in the classroom, purchasing instruments, and so on.  It will all have to be assessed, and we'll deploy the best options.  This part of the project will require fundraising, and I think it should begin asap.  Oh boy... here's something else!

Okay.  I have to leave... going to teach music - I love my job!

If I keep going at this pace, I should be fine and make it 'til Friday - Ha ha!

Avoiding the blues

I returned home 3 days ago, and I must prepare to work through the final sprint of the school year. I think that the timing was perfect for this vacation - the upcoming 8 weeks are loaded with to do lists in all departments of my business. This break allowed me to take a nice, long, deep breath and I feel I have the energy and perspective to get to work. Nice change from the pre-departure... which was tainted by a chain of unfortunate events, adding weight to my shoulders every single day... I feel much lighter now.

Being busy is good for me right now. The last time I traveled to Yucatan, after my return I found myself in a stagnant phase of post-travel blues which I think may have been enhanced by the fact that I had too much time to think and reminisce. I made sure to not have so much time on my hands this time around... Should help.

Part of the work I have to do is to brainstorm and research financing options for the Merida teacher training project, which also includes an important philanthropic component. At this time I think that it should not be a problem to pull it off in about one year... it's not a very expensive operation. The teacher training is a simple series of 3 hour workshops made available mainly to daycare and elementary school teachers, which would take place at the music school owed by my partners in this project - Musicalia music school in Merida. The community outreach aspect can be deployed in many ways - from acquiring instruments, to financing teaching time, or a decent room to teach. The owners of Musicalia are already involved in the community and it's a matter of fostering what they have developed. One hundred dollars can go a long way... so it should not be too difficult to make a decent financial contribution on that front.

And at home - I am very much looking forward to pampering my family and my nest. Dylan just turned 13 last month, and Leo's 10th birthday is coming-up in August. The time has come to invest in the garage... empty it of all rubbish, clean it up, re-inforse the structure and fix the roof. Let the boys design the inside. We want it to be a cool rec room, and hopefully make it somewhat of a headquarter for our growing boys and their friends. Skateboarding ramp seems to be part of the plans, this is an exciting summer project for all of us.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and the boys - all 3 of them - decided to take me out for dim sum. My favorite! Enjoying this blissful weekend... Monday will be another story.

Back to the Caribbean

It was a great trip for the most part - I think that everyone enjoyed their vacation. No major glitch... the only mistake was mine... the night we had a mariachi band for Jeanne-Marie's birthday... and I had the brilliant idea to invite them for dinner. Not good Julie.  The food and the beautiful set-up was not intended for extra guests.  Most definitely the winner for outstanding bonehead move of the trip - and I will have to accept all pokes about this for the coming decade no doubt. Well deserved - I own it. Except for that very awkward episode, everything was pretty perfect in Telchac Puerto.

We had a great time in Merida on Saturday night too, and I'm delighted that we could enjoy a typical festive evening Merida style. On that front the only problem was that my sister and I were never able to check-in our hotel - Luz en Yucatan - because nobody answered the darn door. It was about 40 degrees, and we were stuck on the sidewalk with our luggage. No fun. I decided to join our traveling companions at Hotel Caribe, a couple of blocks away, and we took a taxi because of our big load. Because we did not have an apartment with kitchen as planned, our stay in Merida ended-up being much more expensive than anticipated. I don't like having to eat in restaurants for all meals... especially not in the more touristy centre of town. Oh well. It's very very hot in Merida these days, 40 celcius +. 

Our travelling companions left on Sunday morning, and my sister and I enjoyed the Sunday festivities. Because of the heat, we decided to get out of town and make our way to the Caribbean coast as soon as possible. I had a meeting on Monday afternoon, arranged by Judy, and I could not have possibly found a better group of people to connect with if I tried to. Judy knows a lot of people, and she is a master at connecting ideas. Now I can move on and develop a teacher training project, with a great group of partners in Merida. We will explore government financing options from our respective countries, and shoot for a series of workshops sometime in 2013. I am thrilled! As soon as my meeting was over, we picked-up our luggage and took the bus to Cancun. It was a scorching 45 degrees when we left Merida yesterday afternoon.

We arrived in Cancun at around 8pm and checked-in a big beach front hotel near the Club Med... and about 15 min. from the airport. I thought it was an all inclusive deal but it's not. Crud... more expenses... and now I can't wait to go home. My work here is done and at this point it all seems like too much. Strange to be writing this with a fabulous view on the pristine blue water of the Caribbean - I guess it's not at all what this trip was about for me so I have no urge to run to the beach.

Leaving tomorrow afternoon, and looking forward to being with my family.

Beautiful

Ah... what a beautiful time in Yucatan again! The first couple of days in Telchac were unusually windy, but now the weather has settled for the better and the sea is beautiful for swimming.  It's a fun time to come to Telchac, from May to September is prime season here and the owners of the beach houses come and enjoy their properties. We met our neighbours, beautiful people from Merida - they own a Sushi restaurant in Merida so it looks like our dinner destination is all settled for Saturday night.

I went to teach this morning, 3 classes at the little Diego Rivera Preschool in Telchac.  It was fantastic!
It felt very comfortable, I basically did the most popular activities from the program I did last year. The kids remembered me and it was very lovely to see them a little more grown-up. My sister took lots of great pictures, she has a very good camera. The school principal has asked me to come back, and informed me that the school will keep growing... next year they will have four groups of children there. Nice! I don't want to make promises, I'll see if things develop in that direction.

We all spent the afternoon in Progreso, most women wanted to shop for souvenirs and since Wednesday is a cruise ship day in Progreso, the craft markets are open (there are 2) and all the vendors are full on with cutting deals. I didn't buy anything, we have plenty of Yucatan memorabilia at home already. I know exactly what souvenirs I will bring back - and I will get them in Merida. We spent a couple of hours in a cafe by the pier, drank beer, ate nachos, and danced to the live band. It was a lot of fun!
Being there made me miss my family again, another place where we spent good times together.  I can't wait until I can squeeze them in my arms again. Soon.

In the meantime... I kick back and enjoy this great vacation. Tonight is our big birthday celebration for Jeanne-Marie - the reason we all gathered here in Mexico. She doesn't know yet, but we have a mariachi band booked for a private happy hour, and then a catered dinner. Should be another crazy night with the girls - so much fun!!! Time to get in the shower... Adios!