Today, which still feels like tomorrow because I haven't yet gone to bed from Monday, I'll be writing my Spanish 10 final. I've been doing it through a distance learning school, what we used to call "by correspondence" back in the day.
If I had been 21 or younger, it would have cost me far less than the $500 they charge students over 21. You get a full year to complete the course. For my $500 I'm provided a teacher who I can call or email if I have questions. Lessons are submitted electronically, marked and sent back to me via the school's Dropbox. I can also submit the oral part electronically but I'm a dinosaur and have no idea how to do that, so I call the marker (not the same person as the teacher) and do it over the phone. I'm sure there are cheaper ways to learn Spanish but I need the structure of a class setting.
Arranging to write the exam has been a logistical nightmare. I requested it to be sent post mail. The local school I was having it sent to (I have to be in a supervised setting) gave me their street address which isn't the same as their mailing address. Small town = post office box. After 10 days, it still hadn't arrived and I had a devil of a time trying to track it down. Turns out it got sent back because of the wrong address.
So they've had to send it electronically. Today is absolutely the last day I have to write it. I have to have the course completed by Wed and, since I work Wed, I'm not able to write it then. So now I'll have to get a lesson from the exam supervisor on how to do the electronic oral part. GAH!
To make things even worse, the last 2 lessons were submitted to my marker last Monday. They still haven't been marked and, technically, that all has to be done before I can write the exam. I also still have to do the oral part but haven't been able to get in touch with my marker to do that.
I was on target to have this all done last week which may seem like a close shave to most others but, to my procrastinating self, is looooots of time. Aahhh...the best laid plans and all that. Oh well. I'm going to write the exam and then deal with the rest.
Soooo...if I may toot my own horn...I'm really proud of myself. I haven't told anyone my marks because I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm certain that all of you who have taken up the challenge of learning Spanish will be supportive. The lowest mark I've received through the whole course is 91%. That was on my midterm exam and it pulled my mark down to 96.5%. My goal was to complete the course with a 97 or 98, which is where I was until the midterm. I'd have to get 100% on the final and that just ain't gonna happen. I do well with reading comprehension. It's the recall to write my own stuff that suffers. Isn't midlife grand? Not! Oh well. My ultimate goal is to be proficient and I'm sure that once I've completed all 3 levels, I will be.
Anyways, wish me luck!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Preparations Have Begun
We'll be heading down in about a week's time so it's time for me to get started on things.
Digging through the stash of sunscreen, I realized that one of them had expired and the spray can of aloe (in case for when I get a sunburn) had sprung a leak. I learned many, many moons ago, to keep liquids I travel with in ziplock bags and this hard won wisdom paid off. They were all still in the bag from our last trip down so all I had to do was wipe off the bottles and exchange the bag for a clean one. Do you know what spray aloe does when it dries? It's get all gelled. As I wiped it off the bottles, it balled up similar to the way the glue from those infernal stickers on glass items does. Happily, it was much easier to get off but it still took a bit of elbow grease.
My box of stuff-I-want-to-take-with-me doesn't have much in it. There isn't much we need, anymore. Well, actually, there isn't anything we *need*. Now it's just the little things that are nice to have. Like a felt marker. And an apron. And some small Tupperware containers. Yeah, we can get everything we need down there but not all things are available at any given time. Sometimes it's just easier to get it here and bring it with us.
I still need to go buy some school supplies. We always bring some down and take them to Richard and David at Bolom Balam on C80, if we can catch them. If we miss Richard and David, we give the items to a lady in the complex who takes them to a local school.
I've been working on a couple of crocheted sweaters for kids. The second one is almost done and I'd like to get that finished before we leave so I can bring them both, too.
Had to buy a new suitcase because the retracting handle on one got damaged in a previous flight. We got one of those fancy schmancy ones with the 4 caster-type wheels. Sears had them on for half price after Christmas. Our friends, who came down with us in Nov, have them and they're just the cat's bum. We gave the old one to a friend who fills old suitcases with goodies and then sends them to her friend in Jamaica who disperses everything amongst the less fortunate.
I have to get Señor B to pull a suitcase down from the shelf so I can start packing. It seriously takes me a week to pack, even with My Packing List . I'm in awe of Señor B. He can pack in less than an hour. How does he do it? I suppose his lack of hair means no hair products needed and he doesn't wear make-up so he doesn't need to pack that. But his real secret? He doesn't worry about making sure all the other stuff gets packed. Like the sunscreen. And the "pharmacy". And the TP for forays into pay bathrooms that don't always give you enough . All he looks after is his clothes. He leaves all that other stuff up to my much more anal personality to take care of.
I have my to-do-before-we-leave list going and everything's being taken care of expeditiously so I don't have a boatload of running around to do too close to our flight date. I hate that chicken-with-no-head feeling.
Eight more sleeps til our flight and nine more until we hit Progreso. Can't wait!
Digging through the stash of sunscreen, I realized that one of them had expired and the spray can of aloe (
My box of stuff-I-want-to-take-with-me doesn't have much in it. There isn't much we need, anymore. Well, actually, there isn't anything we *need*. Now it's just the little things that are nice to have. Like a felt marker. And an apron. And some small Tupperware containers. Yeah, we can get everything we need down there but not all things are available at any given time. Sometimes it's just easier to get it here and bring it with us.
I still need to go buy some school supplies. We always bring some down and take them to Richard and David at Bolom Balam on C80, if we can catch them. If we miss Richard and David, we give the items to a lady in the complex who takes them to a local school.
I've been working on a couple of crocheted sweaters for kids. The second one is almost done and I'd like to get that finished before we leave so I can bring them both, too.
Had to buy a new suitcase because the retracting handle on one got damaged in a previous flight. We got one of those fancy schmancy ones with the 4 caster-type wheels. Sears had them on for half price after Christmas. Our friends, who came down with us in Nov, have them and they're just the cat's bum. We gave the old one to a friend who fills old suitcases with goodies and then sends them to her friend in Jamaica who disperses everything amongst the less fortunate.
I have to get Señor B to pull a suitcase down from the shelf so I can start packing. It seriously takes me a week to pack, even with My Packing List . I'm in awe of Señor B. He can pack in less than an hour. How does he do it? I suppose his lack of hair means no hair products needed and he doesn't wear make-up so he doesn't need to pack that. But his real secret? He doesn't worry about making sure all the other stuff gets packed. Like the sunscreen. And the "pharmacy". And the TP for forays into pay bathrooms that don't always give you enough . All he looks after is his clothes. He leaves all that other stuff up to my much more anal personality to take care of.
I have my to-do-before-we-leave list going and everything's being taken care of expeditiously so I don't have a boatload of running around to do too close to our flight date. I hate that chicken-with-no-head feeling.
Eight more sleeps til our flight and nine more until we hit Progreso. Can't wait!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
This from the online weather site we use. For you non-Metric folks, the two scales converge at -40.
Summary
Wind chill values of minus 40 or less developing tonight. This is a warning that extreme wind chill conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.
Details
Cold Arctic air has moved into Alberta and will cause overnight temperatures to drop below minus 30 tonight. Winds of 15 km/h are forecast to persist into Tuesday morning producing wind chill values below minus 40. Wind chills will warm slightly throughout Tuesday as temperatures rise above minus 30, however, wind chills below minus 40 will return Tuesday evening. At these extreme wind chill values frostbite on exposed skin may occur in less than 10 minutes.
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Since this is supposed to last all week, this would be a good week to be much further south than here.
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Since this is supposed to last all week, this would be a good week to be much further south than here.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Downsizing Begins
Today I set up the Christmas tree. It's kind of odd knowing that we only have 2 more Christmases in Canada after this year. I expect we'll come home for Christmas now and again, but I doubt I'll be putting up a tree in the limited time we'll have. And so I wonder, do I get rid of the tree and all the decorations in a couple years, or do I hang onto them for when Señor B and I reach an age that we don't want to be gone so long? Maybe we'll end up deciding to live in Mexico full time. Right now we say no, but never say never, right?
As I was sorting through all the stuff, I decided to get rid of some things. I went through the large box of lights. Because of Señor B's previous hip problems, he hasn't hung exterior lights in years. I asked him if he wanted to hang them this year, even though we only have two more Christmases here. He said there really wasn't much point so I set aside several strands of those old-school lights that have the pointy chandelier type bulbs. I'll either find someone to give them to or list them on a local site that's similar to Kiji. I also have 6 strings of icicle lights that one of our daughters is going to take. Oh, hey. Look what I found. A set of musical lights that blink. I don't want these anymore. And here are three strings of lights that don't work. Why was I keeping these? All these lights lived in a cubic metre moving box. It'll be good to clear that out of the basement.
I also went through all the decorations as I was doing the tree. There were a few that belonged to one of the girls. I'll have to get those to her. Oh, and here are some of those motors for some Ornamotions. Remember those? I've always bought each of the girls an ornament for Christmas so that they would have some for their first tree. They've all taken their ornaments but I must have forgotten to give them the motors because I have about a dozen of them.
I use strings of faux pearls to wrap the tree. I had two very long strands in a colour I didn't want. Why? Gone.
I have some colourful country type ornaments that don't fit the colour scheme of the tree. Many of them are gifts, some of them from our kids and g'kids. I held each one, caressing them gently and...I couldn't do it!! I couldn't get rid of them. Last year I had thought that I would clear them all out this year, but I really don't want to yet. In time, I'll pass them on to whoever wants them. For now, I'll re-purpose them into wall decor. Gotta love push pins. I did throw out several that were not gifts and that were just plain ugly and I don't understand why I kept using them year after year.
So I guess my downsizing was more of a declutter. Still, it was a bit unsettling, in a good kind of way, knowing that it was being done because of our approaching retirement and not just because it needed doing.
As I was sorting through all the stuff, I decided to get rid of some things. I went through the large box of lights. Because of Señor B's previous hip problems, he hasn't hung exterior lights in years. I asked him if he wanted to hang them this year, even though we only have two more Christmases here. He said there really wasn't much point so I set aside several strands of those old-school lights that have the pointy chandelier type bulbs. I'll either find someone to give them to or list them on a local site that's similar to Kiji. I also have 6 strings of icicle lights that one of our daughters is going to take. Oh, hey. Look what I found. A set of musical lights that blink. I don't want these anymore. And here are three strings of lights that don't work. Why was I keeping these? All these lights lived in a cubic metre moving box. It'll be good to clear that out of the basement.
I also went through all the decorations as I was doing the tree. There were a few that belonged to one of the girls. I'll have to get those to her. Oh, and here are some of those motors for some Ornamotions. Remember those? I've always bought each of the girls an ornament for Christmas so that they would have some for their first tree. They've all taken their ornaments but I must have forgotten to give them the motors because I have about a dozen of them.
I use strings of faux pearls to wrap the tree. I had two very long strands in a colour I didn't want. Why? Gone.
I have some colourful country type ornaments that don't fit the colour scheme of the tree. Many of them are gifts, some of them from our kids and g'kids. I held each one, caressing them gently and...I couldn't do it!! I couldn't get rid of them. Last year I had thought that I would clear them all out this year, but I really don't want to yet. In time, I'll pass them on to whoever wants them. For now, I'll re-purpose them into wall decor. Gotta love push pins. I did throw out several that were not gifts and that were just plain ugly and I don't understand why I kept using them year after year.
So I guess my downsizing was more of a declutter. Still, it was a bit unsettling, in a good kind of way, knowing that it was being done because of our approaching retirement and not just because it needed doing.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
We're Home
I managed to make it through the whole trip without getting more than a couple of bug bites the first day or two that we were there. For 4 weeks, nothing. Wouldn't you know it...the last night there, I got chewed alive. I woke up Thursday morning to 5 or 6 bites on each leg. I normally wear my jeans on the final trip to lighten the load in my suitcase but I couldn't because the bites itch like the dickens if anything touches them. So I had to wear my shorts. This isn't a problem in México but it sure does garner you some odd looks when you hit the airport in Canada, in December, in shorts.
Thursday morning, Gustavo arrived to pick us up 10 minutes ahead of schedule. In the land of "mañana", this is an astounding event. Liz told us he's always there and always early. I expect this is why he's earned himself a good reputation at the complex. He's a chatty guy who speaks pretty good English. We helped him out with a few words and he helped me out with some Spanish.
We took the bus at the CAME station. Oh my. You come into Mérida on a fairly wide road but the closer you get to CAME, the narrower the streets become. They almost felt like goatpaths. Each turn in the road gave the feeling of being drawn deeper and deeper into an elaborate maze of concrete, traffic and one-way streets. Sure glad it was Gustavo driving and not Señor B.
We took an ADO GL this time. It's not quite as posh as the Platino but it was still nice. I slept almost half of the way to Cancún. I tend to do that. Put me in a moving vehicle and I'm asleep in no time. Señor B finds it amusing.
From the ADO station in Cancún we took an $18USD cab ride to our hotel. We spent the night at the Royal Solaris, an all-inclusive resort. It was cheaper to stay there than to get a regular hotel room and then buy meals on top of that. The resort is pretty typical of most of the resorts we've stayed at. It seemed to be on the smaller size, which we prefer. We're not fans of the mega-sized resorts. The buffet was your standard buffet food and it was all tasty enough. The "concierge" aka Time Share Guy, tried to hide his disappointment when we told him we already had a condo and he didn't pressure us to attend the half hour morning meeting when we declined.
The cab to the airport the next day was a much shorter ride than the one to the resort but it was $30USD. What a rip-off. Whatever. It's still a whole heap cheaper than renting a car.
The flight home was uneventful. We had a layover in Canada which meant going through customs, claiming our luggage, re-checking it, and going through security again. What a rigamarole. If you had purchased any alcohol at the duty-free shop, it had to go into your checked luggage.
We arrived to our home airport shortly before 9pm. The weather wasn't too bad but we had made the decision, before leaving México, to stay overnight. The temperature was much milder than we usually have when we get back. It was -2C instead of the usual -30C. The drive home wasn't too bad. A bit of blowing snow near the city but that only lasted for about the first half hour.
The last 2 trips we've used a new parking company. It's more economical, which is always a plus, but they also offer a couple of services which are nice add-ons. They have a luggage check right there. It's only available for a few airlines and, fortunately, we've been flying with one of the ones they accept. It's extremely handy to not have to haul your suitcases to, and through, the airport. Upon your return, the van driver asks your name and relays it to the parking lot. By the time we got to the parking lot, the good folks there had our truck running and the young gal was busy scraping the frost off the windshield. I think we'll be using this outfit on a regular basis.
And that's that. We're already checking out flights for our next trip.
Thursday morning, Gustavo arrived to pick us up 10 minutes ahead of schedule. In the land of "mañana", this is an astounding event. Liz told us he's always there and always early. I expect this is why he's earned himself a good reputation at the complex. He's a chatty guy who speaks pretty good English. We helped him out with a few words and he helped me out with some Spanish.
We took the bus at the CAME station. Oh my. You come into Mérida on a fairly wide road but the closer you get to CAME, the narrower the streets become. They almost felt like goatpaths. Each turn in the road gave the feeling of being drawn deeper and deeper into an elaborate maze of concrete, traffic and one-way streets. Sure glad it was Gustavo driving and not Señor B.
We took an ADO GL this time. It's not quite as posh as the Platino but it was still nice. I slept almost half of the way to Cancún. I tend to do that. Put me in a moving vehicle and I'm asleep in no time. Señor B finds it amusing.
From the ADO station in Cancún we took an $18USD cab ride to our hotel. We spent the night at the Royal Solaris, an all-inclusive resort. It was cheaper to stay there than to get a regular hotel room and then buy meals on top of that. The resort is pretty typical of most of the resorts we've stayed at. It seemed to be on the smaller size, which we prefer. We're not fans of the mega-sized resorts. The buffet was your standard buffet food and it was all tasty enough. The "concierge" aka Time Share Guy, tried to hide his disappointment when we told him we already had a condo and he didn't pressure us to attend the half hour morning meeting when we declined.
The cab to the airport the next day was a much shorter ride than the one to the resort but it was $30USD. What a rip-off. Whatever. It's still a whole heap cheaper than renting a car.
The flight home was uneventful. We had a layover in Canada which meant going through customs, claiming our luggage, re-checking it, and going through security again. What a rigamarole. If you had purchased any alcohol at the duty-free shop, it had to go into your checked luggage.
We arrived to our home airport shortly before 9pm. The weather wasn't too bad but we had made the decision, before leaving México, to stay overnight. The temperature was much milder than we usually have when we get back. It was -2C instead of the usual -30C. The drive home wasn't too bad. A bit of blowing snow near the city but that only lasted for about the first half hour.
The last 2 trips we've used a new parking company. It's more economical, which is always a plus, but they also offer a couple of services which are nice add-ons. They have a luggage check right there. It's only available for a few airlines and, fortunately, we've been flying with one of the ones they accept. It's extremely handy to not have to haul your suitcases to, and through, the airport. Upon your return, the van driver asks your name and relays it to the parking lot. By the time we got to the parking lot, the good folks there had our truck running and the young gal was busy scraping the frost off the windshield. I think we'll be using this outfit on a regular basis.
And that's that. We're already checking out flights for our next trip.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Time, Gentlemen, Please
Well, the party's coming to an end. We've thoroughly enjoyed our time here and can't believe it's over already. For the past couple of days I keep doing an "I Love Lucy" WAAAHHHH!!!! throughout the day. I'm so sad that we're leaving.
The power went out last night so I wasn't able to post. Not that there was anything of much note. Jorge, a handyman who does quite a bit of work for the complex, came by to install a dryer vent for us. It'll be nice to have all that lint go outside instead of accumulating in the laundry room.
It was almost midnight and there was about 15 minutes left to the show I was watching when the power went out. It was so dark you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I was sitting on the couch and had to feel my way to the lighter in a bin by the fridge. Then the darned thing wouldn't light. It finally did and I made my way back to the candles that are on the end tables by the couch. Got ready for bed, hit the sheets and the power came back on shortly after. I had forgotten to shut off the lights so up I got. Grr!
It's been cool and windy since Sunday. Today was a bit warmer and we thought we might go for a final swim at the pool but it was still too chilly, so we went for a walk at the beach instead. Sunday's storm took some of the beach. The erosion has created several drop-offs that are a good couple of feet high. We were wishing that we had donned our rainslickers, courtesy of Xel-Ha, and gone down to witness Mother Nature's power that day.
There's an abandoned building where the soccer field is, so we went and poked around there. It looks like it might have been a beach club but you can't tell that from the front. In back are two pools, one of them for kiddies. There's a kitchen, showers, bathrooms and storage areas. Another area looks like it was a bar and there's a large open space that must have been used for tables. There are holes in the ceiling where fans would have hung.
I always wonder about the stories behind abandoned buildings. Who owned them? Who were the people who lived there? Why did they leave? Was this beach club someone's dream that didn't work out? Or someone's get-rich-quick scheme that was more work than they had anticipated?
Tomorrow we'll be leaving here at 7am. Gustavo, a local taxi driver who has earned himself a good reputation at the complex, will be picking us up and taking us into Merida to catch the ADO bus into Cancun. We'll stay at a hotel overnight and then we fly out Friday around 1:30pm.
WAAAHHHH!!!!
The power went out last night so I wasn't able to post. Not that there was anything of much note. Jorge, a handyman who does quite a bit of work for the complex, came by to install a dryer vent for us. It'll be nice to have all that lint go outside instead of accumulating in the laundry room.
It was almost midnight and there was about 15 minutes left to the show I was watching when the power went out. It was so dark you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I was sitting on the couch and had to feel my way to the lighter in a bin by the fridge. Then the darned thing wouldn't light. It finally did and I made my way back to the candles that are on the end tables by the couch. Got ready for bed, hit the sheets and the power came back on shortly after. I had forgotten to shut off the lights so up I got. Grr!
It's been cool and windy since Sunday. Today was a bit warmer and we thought we might go for a final swim at the pool but it was still too chilly, so we went for a walk at the beach instead. Sunday's storm took some of the beach. The erosion has created several drop-offs that are a good couple of feet high. We were wishing that we had donned our rainslickers, courtesy of Xel-Ha, and gone down to witness Mother Nature's power that day.
There's an abandoned building where the soccer field is, so we went and poked around there. It looks like it might have been a beach club but you can't tell that from the front. In back are two pools, one of them for kiddies. There's a kitchen, showers, bathrooms and storage areas. Another area looks like it was a bar and there's a large open space that must have been used for tables. There are holes in the ceiling where fans would have hung.
I always wonder about the stories behind abandoned buildings. Who owned them? Who were the people who lived there? Why did they leave? Was this beach club someone's dream that didn't work out? Or someone's get-rich-quick scheme that was more work than they had anticipated?
Tomorrow we'll be leaving here at 7am. Gustavo, a local taxi driver who has earned himself a good reputation at the complex, will be picking us up and taking us into Merida to catch the ADO bus into Cancun. We'll stay at a hotel overnight and then we fly out Friday around 1:30pm.
WAAAHHHH!!!!
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