I have been thinking about finding some type of active involvement with the communities that we will be visiting. Teaching music in Majahual is definitely along those lines, and I will also look into collecting used instruments to fill a box for the school. But this is more my own project, and the school is 65km from our little beach home on a little sandy road, which makes it more of a weekly commitment.
While trying to learn more about the area in general, I came upon a Facebook page about the sightings of the first lion fish along the Costa Maya. It is a fairly alarming situation, and I think this is a cause that we can embrace as a family.
The lion fish is a fierce coral reef predator. It has no known natural enemies (except humans), it can wipe a reef of its fish population by 80% in about five weeks, and they reproduce at a rate of up to 30,000 eggs per cycle with a few cycles per year. Here is a very informative piece on the subject : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar0CX8dj948
Our little house is located inside the Xcalak National Reef Park, and this puts us literally in the heart of the matter. For a prime diving destination like the Costa Maya, the local economy relies on the preservation of that section of the reef barrier, as well as the Chinchorro banks located a couple of hours off shore from Majahual. Chinchorro is known as one of the last coral reef garden in the caribbean, take a look at this arial photo : http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/P1010093a-t.html . I really want us to go out there, it would be amazing.
So... a lion fish safari? Hey why not! After all that's what they do in the Bahamas, and they end it with a feast of fried lion fish on the beach. Now we're talking !
Somewhere between Izamal and Sudzal, Yucatan.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
We shall have some visitors!
A couple of good friends have confirmed that they will be visiting us at the ranch - yé! They will arrive on Boxing day - family of four - so we will be in very good company to celebrate the new year. Looking forward to it!
On the practical front, I have received the 'Roof Bag' for the car and we had the opportunity to try it last week when we went to the cottage. It's very easy to install, it's very sturdy, and it will be absolutely perfect for our Mexican adventure. It was not even filled to half it's capacity, and it allowed us to use the car trunk for instruments. So for the first time ever, we were able to bring a guitar, banjo, mandolin and violin to the cottage - and best of all, the kids had the back seat to themselves for a change!
While at the cottage I studied a great big book of French early childhood repertoire that I purchased last month and found a lot of new songs and activities to add to my program. Many of them can be easily adapted to Spanish, and I also found some traditional South American material - very inspiring. It makes me feel better about teaching in Spanish, I'll be just fine.
This coming week will be busy, I will settle a lot of business details for the fall. All I need is a good 'to do' list, my computer, a phone, and a few days. Voilà!
On the practical front, I have received the 'Roof Bag' for the car and we had the opportunity to try it last week when we went to the cottage. It's very easy to install, it's very sturdy, and it will be absolutely perfect for our Mexican adventure. It was not even filled to half it's capacity, and it allowed us to use the car trunk for instruments. So for the first time ever, we were able to bring a guitar, banjo, mandolin and violin to the cottage - and best of all, the kids had the back seat to themselves for a change!
While at the cottage I studied a great big book of French early childhood repertoire that I purchased last month and found a lot of new songs and activities to add to my program. Many of them can be easily adapted to Spanish, and I also found some traditional South American material - very inspiring. It makes me feel better about teaching in Spanish, I'll be just fine.
This coming week will be busy, I will settle a lot of business details for the fall. All I need is a good 'to do' list, my computer, a phone, and a few days. Voilà!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Majahual and Xcalak - aka the Costa Maya
This is what the Costa Maya looks like, with it's main town : Majahual. We will be there from November 16 to December 12 - 27 days. That first month will be very much about the pristine Caribbean water, the coral reef barrier and the creatures that live in and around it. It will also be about living on the ocean in a remote location, with limited commodities and lots of time to explore the coast. We have rented a one bedroom apartment on the second floor of a beach house, about 65km down the coastal road from Majahual. Xcalak is the most southern town on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and it is a jewel of a place on earth. This the view from the dining room. Looking forward to having breakfast there!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Good news!
I was thrilled to get confirmation on my first Mexican teaching gig today - a series of 6 to 8 classes in the elementary school of Majahual (Costa Maya). I will be running an after school program in Spanish and English from mid-November to mid-December, and the school is only 20 minutes down the sandy coast road from the beach house we rented in Xcalak. This is a dream come true for me (hell yeah!). I am hoping to develop a teaching circuit in the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan, and pursue a long time project that will be the object of another blog when the time comes.
So this will be a very steep Spanish immersion about one week after arriving in Mexico, pero asi le apprendi ! (that's how I learned it) and there's nothing like a little brain gymnastics for us - people of a certain age...
So this will be a very steep Spanish immersion about one week after arriving in Mexico, pero asi le apprendi ! (that's how I learned it) and there's nothing like a little brain gymnastics for us - people of a certain age...
Friday, July 2, 2010
Memories of Cancun
I have gone back and back again to the beautiful Yucatan peninsula, and along the past year I tried to identify what exactly is pulling me to that part of the world. It has fulfilled many things over the years, and now I think I go for the sheer simplicity. I love that my main concerns become to get the bread at the bakery in the morning, do some laundry and hang it on the line, get food and prepare the next meal. Get up with the sun after a cool, quiet, and dark night. That's what I seek there, but it was not always this way...
I first went to Cancun for a 2 week vacation with a group of students of Laval Univertity in May 1986. I moved there in late September of the same year. Living in Mexico had an important impact in my life when I was 21. The city of Cancun was only 18 years old then, and everyone working there were from somewhere else. A great mix of Mayan, Mexican and young adults from everywhere in the Americas and Europe. It was before the cell phone, and actually not many people had a land line either. Life was very simple, and friends visited each other... how about that !
Three weeks after I arrived I got hired as Public Relations for a Spanish company based in Madrid. They owned hotels in Majorka and the Canary Islands, and they had just purchased their first hotel on Mexican land : The Green Sixteen (on the golf course). They cut deals with canadian travel agencies and so all our arrivals were from either Toronto or Montréal. My job was to host a happy hour and briefing every Saturday, set-up on site entertainment and events along the week, manage the shuttle to the beach, and assist guests in getting around town. A heck of a job!
Money was not super but eventually I had my own room at the Green Sixteen, and because I was constantly referring tourists to my favorite local businesses, I had many free bees. I was able to do pretty much every excursions and cruises, had access to free water sports including scuba diving, and many restaurants did not charge me a cent. Great life for a 21 year old !
After the sixth month I came to Canada for 6 weeks, and when I returned to Cancun I was hired as PR by the Paradise Beach Club (a popular joint) to promote their condo development, and I also got hired by the Hard Rock Café to train their team of waiters (past life in restaurants...). If you ever go the the Hard Rock Café in Cancun, you must know that I drove the pink Cadillac to it's final destination before it got mounted on its post.
Life was moving at a faster pace, and I felt right at home. I was spending more time with my good friend Luis, who was also good friends with the federal minister of tourism and the sub-minister for the state of Quintana Roo. We had some great times, they liked to party big and were treated like royalty everywhere they went. We had access to the best Cancun could offer. Too much.
About 2 months after my return, I got offered the Public Relations position for the Cancun International airport - a fantastic job opportunity. I felt the decision was not only about the job, but also about settling in Mexico for the long run. It was a government position, and required for me to become a Mexican resident. I was not ready to commit, so I declined the offer and I moved back to Oh Canada ! It was like ripping me in half.
And so I will soon go back once more, and maybe I will finally get a piece of land... not far fetched!
I first went to Cancun for a 2 week vacation with a group of students of Laval Univertity in May 1986. I moved there in late September of the same year. Living in Mexico had an important impact in my life when I was 21. The city of Cancun was only 18 years old then, and everyone working there were from somewhere else. A great mix of Mayan, Mexican and young adults from everywhere in the Americas and Europe. It was before the cell phone, and actually not many people had a land line either. Life was very simple, and friends visited each other... how about that !
Three weeks after I arrived I got hired as Public Relations for a Spanish company based in Madrid. They owned hotels in Majorka and the Canary Islands, and they had just purchased their first hotel on Mexican land : The Green Sixteen (on the golf course). They cut deals with canadian travel agencies and so all our arrivals were from either Toronto or Montréal. My job was to host a happy hour and briefing every Saturday, set-up on site entertainment and events along the week, manage the shuttle to the beach, and assist guests in getting around town. A heck of a job!
Money was not super but eventually I had my own room at the Green Sixteen, and because I was constantly referring tourists to my favorite local businesses, I had many free bees. I was able to do pretty much every excursions and cruises, had access to free water sports including scuba diving, and many restaurants did not charge me a cent. Great life for a 21 year old !
After the sixth month I came to Canada for 6 weeks, and when I returned to Cancun I was hired as PR by the Paradise Beach Club (a popular joint) to promote their condo development, and I also got hired by the Hard Rock Café to train their team of waiters (past life in restaurants...). If you ever go the the Hard Rock Café in Cancun, you must know that I drove the pink Cadillac to it's final destination before it got mounted on its post.
Life was moving at a faster pace, and I felt right at home. I was spending more time with my good friend Luis, who was also good friends with the federal minister of tourism and the sub-minister for the state of Quintana Roo. We had some great times, they liked to party big and were treated like royalty everywhere they went. We had access to the best Cancun could offer. Too much.
About 2 months after my return, I got offered the Public Relations position for the Cancun International airport - a fantastic job opportunity. I felt the decision was not only about the job, but also about settling in Mexico for the long run. It was a government position, and required for me to become a Mexican resident. I was not ready to commit, so I declined the offer and I moved back to Oh Canada ! It was like ripping me in half.
And so I will soon go back once more, and maybe I will finally get a piece of land... not far fetched!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Chug Chug Chugging along!
Now that the flights, the car rental and the accommodations are booked and confirmed, the focus comes back to the present time. In the business zone, everything must be carefully planned and organised for a smooth operation while we are away.
Things seem to be moving much faster now. The kitchen reno is going so well that it seems that it will be finished by the first week of July. School is almost over for the boys. Effective today The Little Workshop is closed for the summer, and Le Petit Atelier's last classes for this school year will take place at the end of June. Many Little Workshop students and Petit Atelier clients are already confirmed for September, and the work will soon begin to fill available spots on both schedules.
With July comes the time to organize the fall, confirming teachers availability and looking at tentative training and work schedules, and preparing training material. It's also a good time for contacting prospect clients and advertise private music lessons for August registrations, and update the web sites.
With August comes the time to confirm all of that, clean and prepare the studio for Little Workshop students, buy piano and guitar methods, and begin training for the two new and fabulous Petit Atelier teachers, prepare payroll schedules, and start a new set of financial books for a new year of operations.
This is all the juggling required to run our two little businesses - and I absolutely love it!
Things seem to be moving much faster now. The kitchen reno is going so well that it seems that it will be finished by the first week of July. School is almost over for the boys. Effective today The Little Workshop is closed for the summer, and Le Petit Atelier's last classes for this school year will take place at the end of June. Many Little Workshop students and Petit Atelier clients are already confirmed for September, and the work will soon begin to fill available spots on both schedules.
With July comes the time to organize the fall, confirming teachers availability and looking at tentative training and work schedules, and preparing training material. It's also a good time for contacting prospect clients and advertise private music lessons for August registrations, and update the web sites.
With August comes the time to confirm all of that, clean and prepare the studio for Little Workshop students, buy piano and guitar methods, and begin training for the two new and fabulous Petit Atelier teachers, prepare payroll schedules, and start a new set of financial books for a new year of operations.
This is all the juggling required to run our two little businesses - and I absolutely love it!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
How?
How is this possible? Well, it did not happen overnight. Tim and I have always wanted to live abroad with the boys for awhile, we were dreaming of a one year venture somewhere in another country. Along the past few years my life has turned around for the better, and self-employment allowed me to make healthy changes. I took charge, for better or for worse, and it brought me a great sense of empowerment. The Little Workshop, our home based little music school, is exactly where we want it to be in terms of volume of operation. We have no plans to grow it bigger. As for Le Petit Atelier, my mobile music education service, it is growing steadily and it is proving to be a solid little business with a lot of potential for further growth.
So between the two businesses which will keep operating with our team of great teachers and coordinators, we will be able to manage a steady income while keeping a fluid communication all along the three months. The other important financial part of the puzzle is that we are subletting our house while we are away. A very good friend came forward with an offer that we could not refuse, and it will be great peace of mind to know that our house is in good hands.
As for the cost, we are paying very low rental fees because in each case (3 different houses) we are getting long term rate for properties that are usually rented for much more money on a weekly basis. The first house is in an amazing location on the Caribbean, and we are taking advantage of the end of the low season pricing-with long term rate. The very best pricing we got is for the ranch, which is costing us $500US for the month, and which allows us to afford some weekend trips while we're there. The last destination is the beach property we rented with friends in 2008, and the owner is giving us a great deal.
So with all these factors combined, our 3 month stay will cost us the same as what a family of 4 would spend in one week in an all inclusive resort. The timing is just right for all of us, so we're doing it. It feels both very crazy and very sound... and more importantly - it feels right.
So between the two businesses which will keep operating with our team of great teachers and coordinators, we will be able to manage a steady income while keeping a fluid communication all along the three months. The other important financial part of the puzzle is that we are subletting our house while we are away. A very good friend came forward with an offer that we could not refuse, and it will be great peace of mind to know that our house is in good hands.
As for the cost, we are paying very low rental fees because in each case (3 different houses) we are getting long term rate for properties that are usually rented for much more money on a weekly basis. The first house is in an amazing location on the Caribbean, and we are taking advantage of the end of the low season pricing-with long term rate. The very best pricing we got is for the ranch, which is costing us $500US for the month, and which allows us to afford some weekend trips while we're there. The last destination is the beach property we rented with friends in 2008, and the owner is giving us a great deal.
So with all these factors combined, our 3 month stay will cost us the same as what a family of 4 would spend in one week in an all inclusive resort. The timing is just right for all of us, so we're doing it. It feels both very crazy and very sound... and more importantly - it feels right.
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