Chio, My Sis

I just got off the phone with my sister Chio, we talked for about 10 minutes and she had me cracking up the whole time. When people talk about my sis that's usually the first thing they say, "Omg, your sister is SO funny!" It's true, she ALWAYS has something funny to say...but she is also one of the most generous, intelligent, and dedicated people I know. I decided to dedicate this post to her since I don't often have the chance to let her know how much she means to me.

Since we were little, I've always considered Chio my hero. Although she is younger, she has always been more brave and courageous than I. While I was always (and still am) the overprotective, cautious older sister, Chio was never afraid to take risks and strike out on her own. And yes, even at a young age she would have everyone cracking up. One of my favorite memories is of my mom teasing her hair really big and her lipsinging to Amanda Miguel, hilarious!

Over the years we have been through so much together, some experiences are uniquely ours, which I can't say for many people. No matter how difficult the situation, Chio finds a way through it and makes it look easy.

I am so proud of her. She is one of the best moms I know. On a daily basis I reflect on the fact that she is raising Nicolas on her own, granted she gets a lot of help, but at the end of the day, she's the one putting him to bed and reading bedtime stories. None of this is easy and there are times when it's overwhelming, but again she gets through it all and remains the strong mujer I have always known. Watching Nicolas grow up has been the biggest blessing, sometimes I'm amazed at how much he is like his mother. Seeing his silly moments, as well as tender ones, reminds me of Chio when she was little. Although I cherish every moment, I anticipate Nico in his adulthood, I KNOW he will be an amazing man because he was rasied by an amazing woman.

Chio will be receiving her teaching credential soon and I know that the second she steps into her own classroom she will have found her nitch. She is a natural with children. Any person, especially a child, who comes in contact with her is left with a great sense of love and caring. I look forward to the day that I have children of my own so that they can experience "Tia Chio".

God has blessed me with my little sis Chio, for this I will forever be grateful...love you sis!

Obama @ Garfield

Obama visited Garfield a year ago when he was first starting his campaign. I took these pictures (and about 200 more) from the second row.

Hope (a week later)

What an exciting time to be a History teacher (or as my girls like to say "Herstory")!!! The events of the last week will NEVER be forgotten, it's like Pearl Harbor, the first time on the moon, the assassination of JFK, or 911...you will always remember what you were doing when OBAMA became president. I had my students write about it so that they could document history in the making. They did so using my favorite political cartoonist, Lalo Alcaraz's most recent cartoon. They loved it!

On election night I was working the polls against Prop. 8. I stood out in the cold for 3.5 hours passing out pamphlets and encouraging people to vote NO. My phone ended up dying during the process so I wasn't receiving any updates. As soon as the polls closed I got into my car and turned on the radio (and the heater)...I had to pull the car over because as soon as I heard that Obama won I started sobbing uncontrollably. I immediately called my mom and she answered the phone screaming, "We did it! We did it!" It was such an emotional night. I drove over to Clara's and celebrated with her, the baby and Christina. It was there that we found out that Prop 8 was winning...my joy turned to sadness.
The next day was bittersweet. I was SO excited about Obama, but also really upset about Prop 8. How could we have made such a huge step forward and taken like 10 steps back?! I thought about the three happy couples that I witnessed get married over the last month and wondered how they felt. I also thought about gay couples who were looking forward to getting married. I was glad to see that people weren't going to give up that easily and was proud to see so many people on the streets protesting. I know that we will prevail, it's just going to take a little longer.

In the meantime I will be happy about Obama and HOPE that things will change. Si Se Pudo!!!

My New Place

So I decided to move…it was time. I hate to admit it, but my old place was starting to depress me. My original goal was to buy a house, but given the horrible economy, I felt very weary about making such a drastic decision without feeling completely financially sound. So the moving process began.

I spent two afternoons driving around Montebello and saw about a dozen places. I was also looking on Craigslist but everything on there was too expensive. After the second day I still hadn’t seen anything I really liked, so I ventured north of the 60 freeway into Monterey Park. Almost immediately I noticed two signs on a busy street, but kept driving because I couldn’t imagine living there, but since I was in the area, I thought what the heck and I stopped. The first place I saw was ok, but it reminded me too much of my old place. So I headed to the second place. I called the number on the sign and could see my future landlord answer the phone. I asked if I could see the apartment and she said that they wouldn’t be showing it until the weekend. I told her that I was standing right outside and after she found out that I would be the only person living in the two-bedroom apartment, she let me in.
Have you ever had a strong gut feeling about things? I have gut feelings all the time and the second I walked into the apartment, I knew that this was the place! What immediately struck me is that it was so well taken care of. My landlords have put a lot of work into it: new tile in the kitchen, fresh paint (with colors I would have chosen), new carpet, ceiling fans, custom made drapes, and the list goes on. I walked through the place and fell in love. I took an application and my landlord said to bring it by on Saturday.

I knew the apartment would go quickly so I went home and immediately filled out the application. The next day I called and her husband answered. I explained that I had looked at the apartment the day before and that I had the application ready. Right away he asked, “Are you the teacher?” I knew that was a good sign since she had told him about me. I dropped off the application that afternoon and spent an hour and a half talking with the couple.

A week later they offered me the place, I was SO happy, especially when I found out that they had shown the apartment to over 20 people. I really feel that it was meant to be.

Mom's 50th Birthday

My beautiful Mom turned 50 on September 13. Look at her, she looks way younger! People always think we’re sisters.

Chio, Luis and I wanted to treat our Mom like a queen on her special day and I think we accomplished it. We started the day by taking her to her favorite breakfast spot, a little hole in the wall in Riverside. After that we headed to the Galleria at Tyler for some shopping. We spent a long time there, Chio and I were pretending to be on one of our favorite shows, “What Not To Wear”, it was fun. My mom got some cute outfits, but our favorite purchase were her tight, sexy jeans…we had to do a little convincing to get her to like them, but she looks hot in them!

After tiring my mom out we drove her to the Mission Inn’s spa where she was treated to a rose bath, facial and massage. While my mom was receiving her spa treatment, Chio and I checked into her room at the Mission Inn. My mom had NO idea that we would be doing any of this. We gave her the impression that after her treatment we would pick her up and head to Chio’s house. When she was done, the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries that came with the room hadn’t arrived so I had to find a way to stall her. Twenty minutes later the room was ready and we headed up, pretending that Chio wanted us to check out some view. When we got closer to the room Chio opened the door from inside the room and walked out. My Mom was shocked and said, “What are you doing?” Then we yelled SURPRISE and she burst into tears. We were all crying as we opened the champagne and toasted.

Immediately we started getting ready for dinner. Although my mom knew we would be having dinner, she didn’t know that we had invited some of her family and friends. The restaurant, Las Campanas, was beautiful and the food and margaritas were awesome! We spent the rest of the evening there. At one point each of us went around the table and shared with my mom what she means to us…there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

After dinner we headed back to the room and my mom, my Tia and their friend Patty stayed up talking and taking tequila shots. Chio and I crashed, we were so tired from all the running around. The next morning my mom had a nasty cruda, so we bought some menudo.

All in all it was an unforgettable day, it was the least we could do for such a deserving mujer. I love you Mom!!!

Kirsten turns 10

Kirsten is my Goddaughter. Her parents are Veronica and Mikie. I’ve known Mikie since 2nd grade, a LONG time! I met Veronica through Mikie and now we’re very good friends. Kirsten turned 10 on August 11th and we celebrated at a bowling alley. I can’t believe she’s 10!!!

Mariluz - 12 weeks

Mariluz is now 12 weeks old. It seems that every time I see her she changes drastically. As you can see she is now talking and singing. It’s the cutest thing to have conversations with her.

I especially LOVE this picture of Mariluz with her Daddy!

And look at Mami, doesn't she look great!

Brett and Erick

Brett and Erick got married last month. I was so excited to be attending my first gay wedding. I took Christina with me, and we got all guapas.

I met Brett at UCLA in 2002, he was my field supervisor and we’ve remained good friends ever since. Brett and Erick met on a swim team, Erick is an animator for The Simpsons, cool huh! When I met Erick I got a really good vibe from him and couldn’t be happier that they’re now married. Felicidades!!!

Hello strangers

Wow, so it’s been a while since I last blogged…things have been busy. I’m on vacation, that’s what happens when I go on vacation, it seems like I get busier. Here are some posts for you to look forward to:

1. Brett’s wedding
2. Mariluz update
3. Kirsten’s bday
4. Mom’s bday
5. Moving
6. Christina’s man (yes, you read it right!)
7. and of course…my bday

Happy reading :)

Nickie y Su Novela

I'm sure that Nickie will appreciate the fact that I finally found some free time to blog about her, during John McCain's acceptance speech, lol. (More on that later!)

Before I explain this blog's title, I want to share about my dear friend. I met Nickie when we participated in an internship program in Washington, D.C. during our last year of college. Nickie was going to UCLA, I was at UCR. Along with Nicki, I also met Tanya another close friend of mine who I will share about later. Destiny brought all of us together when we were assigned to be roommates.

We instantly clicked and spent a wonderful three months together (6 with Tanya). Every person that knows Nickie will tell you that she is the funniest person you will ever meet. This girl had me crying with laughter EVERY DAY that we spent together. Just so you understand the level of her humor, her favorite celebrity in the world is Martin Lawrence. I recently visited Nickie at her new apartment in Oakland and displayed right next to her TV is the entire Martin DVD collection, lol!

Just as funny as Nickie is, she is also one of the most caring, intelligent, and genuine people I know. Over the years we have stayed in touch and although our face-to-face visits are seldom, they are always memorable and treasured. We love discussing race issues; I consider her an expert in this field and get so excited when I can bounce ideas off her. I've learned a lot from Nickie and look forward to learning more...

Ok so you know I can't end on such a serious note...when I visited Nickie we went to eat at a place similar to the Farmer's Market in downtown LA. We chatted for a while, mainly about Obama, McCain and Canada, oh and the possibility of having kids. At around 8:30pm, Nickie glances at her watch and says, "Oh we gotta go!" I was a bit startled, then she asked, "Do you watch novelas?" "Hell no!", I said. She seemed disappointed by my answer and went on to explain that she's hooked on Fuego en la Sangre, I was like, "What the heck is that?" Apparently I've been out of the loop! Since visiting with Nickie I've realized that this is the most popular novela at the moment. Of course my next question to Nickie, was "Why the hell are you watching novelas?!" Well it turns out that my dear friend is learning Spanish and her teacher recommended to the class that they watch novelas to learn more quickly-- genius!

I told Nickie that I had to see it to believe it, so off we went back to her apartment to watch the novela. When we got there Nickie's husband, Selassie, already knew why we were back so early and there he sat ever so patiently watching his wife expand her knowledge in the Spanish language. Nickie shared that at first she would crack up at the funny clothes and dramatic scenes, but after a few episodes she was hooked. While we were watching, Nickie explained the entire plot and characters and swore that I would be hooked too...sorry girl, still hasn't happened ;)

While she's watching, Nickie writes down words she doesn't understand in a little notebook. The other day she texted me asking what "metiche" means...I LOVE my friend!

Are there any Chinese novelas???

Dodgers Fan in the Bay

Christina, an unsuspecting Dodgers fan enjoying an outdoor concert in San Francisco (aka: Giants territory)

The mischevious Giants fan, Dina, sets up Christina's travel arrangements...

What a good sport!

Dina

Dina and I have known each other since 1993...yes people 15 solid years of friendship. She was my roommate at the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP) http://www.clylp.com, the conference that changed our lives and turned us into some down, in-your-face Chicanas. Remember that in the early 90's email was only accessible to those with mula, since we had none, we resorted to writing actual letters. I still remember the excitement of opening one of Dina's letters; on average they were 20 pages long (front and back) and she would always include a sample of her latest art, she's an amazing artist. Her letters always came in thick manila envelopes and are still among my most prized possessions. Once in college we discovered email and the letters stopped, but the communication didn't. Dina lives in the Bay and we get so see each other at least once a year.

I had the chance to visit Dina last weekend and as usual the trip was memorable. We both love to eat so that was first on the list. This time she took me to a bomb ass Salvadorian restaurant where we had pupusas, frijoles, crema, y platanos fritos YUM!

After our stomachs were full we went to the San Francisco Museum of Art to view Frida Kahlo's exhibit. We are both huge Frida fans so being there was a bit surreal. There were hundreds of people but we got lucky when a couple who were members of the museum gave us the "express entry" to get in. Having the opportunity to see Frida's work up close and personal was overwhelming! Her art was brought from all over the world. This is a must-see exhibit, I know that travelling is so expensive now-a-days, but San Fran isn't too far away. The exhibit ends on Sept. 28, don't miss it! http://www.sfmoma.org/

After the museum we went to a little bookstore called Dog Eared Books. One of Dina's friends was DJing for the guys who wrote Goodnight Bush http://www.goodnightbush.com/ a parody of Goodnight Moon. The people there were a little odd, but we were supporting a good cause, plus they had some interesting books as you can see ;)

The next day Dina's mom hooked up some menudo and handmade tortillas...damn Mama Suarez can cook! Everytime I stay with them she feeds me to the point where I can barely walk. How could anyone resist though?

After stuffing ourselves (again) we went to Stern Grove http://www.sterngrove.org/. It's kind of like the Greek Theatre, but all lawn seating. We were treated to the former band members of Santana. Getting there was hilarious though since we were carrying so much stuff. On top of the little carrito you see here (notice the Doritos) we also had two lawn chairs and a moral full of blankets and sweaters. At one point I asked Dina, "Damn girl, are we camping out?!" Chio and I have a theory that when us Mexicans have an outing, we are way overprepared, it's totally our moms fault! But once we got there it was good times :) Love you Dina!

Mariluz

So I still haven't figured out how to create a slideshow on here, but I want to post more Mariluz pics since some of you have been asking. Here she is :)

Jose and My Students

Last week I had the privilege of taking some of my students to Hammel Elementary School (site of the future Esteban Torres H.S.), where they spent the morning with Jose Ramirez, a renowned Chicano artist. Check out his work at http://ramirezart.com/.

Jose was hired by LAUSD to create murals at the new school. Being a teacher and community advocate, Jose requested to work with students on the murals. Thanks to my friends at Inner City Struggle, my students were invited to participate.

Jose led the youth in a quick art workshop where he demonstrated his idea for the mural, he wanted the students to think about their favorite fruit or vegetable and draw it. Jose told us that when people see the completed mural, he wants them to remember what used to be at the construction site...before humans messed with it - brilliant!

In a matter of hours my students produced some amazing work! I joked with them that I was going to hire them to paint my house (if I ever get one).

Gracias Jose!

Sorry it took me so long to post these, I was trying to figure out how to create a slideshow with no luck (Norma please help!).

In any case here are my two favorite pictures of Mariluz and her proud parents. More to come...

Clara

Clara is one of my closest friends, I first met her about 11 years ago on a long plane ride to Madrid, Spain. Clara had just turned 2o, and I was still 19. We didn't know it then, but we were embarking on one of the greatest experiences of our lives--a year studying abroad.

The way I met Clara is the way I will always remember her...as soon as she was given permission, she was out of her seat, meeting as many people as possible. She approached Norma and I, and I remember thinking, "Damn this girl is outgoing!" I soon found out that she was from Happy Valley in Lincoln Heights and that she was in her third year at Santa Cruz. Our first encounter was short but memorable.

The next memory I have of Clara is when we had already arrived to Madrid and were settling into our dorms. She came into our room with the same energy and beautiful smile, she invited us to explore the city with her...how could we resist! From that moment on I was hooked and can say honestly that everytime I see her I feel the same excitement in knowing that whatever we do, it will be memorable.

The year we spent together in Spain was life-changing. Looking back, I realize that we were just kids, thinking that we knew everything, not truly understanding the big decision we had made to study abroad. In Spain, we became engrossed in the culture: renting pisos, riding the Metro, using pesetas, eating jamon, shopping at Dia and El Corte Ingles, participating in la marcha every weekend, oh yeah and going to school, lol. With Clara I got drunk for the first time in my life and experienced many other "firsts" that I probably shouldn't mention in a public blog! We visited 13 European countries together, ghetto style! We supported each other through homesickness and heartbreak, and relished in the joys of self-exploration and awareness. We entered adulthood together and set the foundation for a friendship that will last a lifetime.


In a matter of hours, Clara will give birth to her first child, Mariluz Diaz...just writing those words brings tears to my eyes. It is difficult to explain the overwhelming joy I feel in knowing that mi querida amiga Clara is bringing life into this beautiful world...the sheer miracle of it is amazing! What adds to my happiness is knowing that Clara and her husband David created this life together. Clara met David just days before we left to Spain. Their relationship developed through letters, emails and phone calls. Anytime David would call her, Clara would come over starry eyed sharing about their conversations that lasted for hours. Quite the romantic, David would serenade Clara with songs he composed on his guitar...no wonder she was head-over-heels!

Their love has now culminated in this little bundle of joy who will bless us with her arrival...stay tuned for the first slide show featured on this blog, there will be TONS of pictures of this kid!

Te quiero mucho tia!

Rose & Thorn

On uneventful days, I'll share one of my favorite "checking in" activities, the Rose & Thorn.

Rose: I made it to the gym today (hadn't been since Saturday).
Thorn: My right knee's been bothering me, couldn't run at my normal pace.

Mr. Gibbs

Although I don't want my new blog to become a place where I only share about teaching, I have a feeling that a lot of my posts will have to do with the profession that I love, I hope you bear with me!

Today was one of those days that seems never ending...and it was a minimum day. My students and I had to deal with the ridiculous procedure of getting textbooks, I know it sounds silly, but it really is a pain. The whole process is a waste of time, and in my opinion, could be done so much better, but we deal with it, just like so many other things in LAUSD. L-R: Katie, Me, Claudia, Brian Gibbs, Maritza, Brian Fritch

I knew I was having a long day when my students left and I started packing my things to go, only to realize that it was only 1:4o and I still had "professional development" meetings to attend.

The light at the end of the tunnel was in knowing that after more wasting of time, I would be meeting with Brian Gibbs, my mentor teacher since I began teaching. Also present would be Martiza and Claudia, my former student teachers who I have gotten very close to. Knowing how tired I was, I figured they would be feeling the same so I went for a Coffee Bean run and treated everyone to some blended goodness.

Every time I meet with Brian I am amazed. The minute you walk into his classroom you feel as if you have entered a shrine dedicated to his students. Pictures of them engaging in an array of learning activities cover every square inch of the walls; scattered in between you're also treated to Brian's favorite inspirational quotes and posters. Once my brain adjusted to the awesomeness of his classroom, I listened to Brian sharing his teaching secrets with us. He shares his wisdom in the most humble of ways, not realizing how many students and teachers he has impacted over the years. As I sit listening and taking notes, I have to remind myself that I'm not in high school anymore and that I'm there for a purpose--to learn from one of the best and share with my own students. Time passes quickly and before we know it it's past 6:00pm. I joke with everyone that Brian's wife no doubt misses him and try to get us to go. Half an hour later we're still there...I guess that due to our crazy, busy lives as dedicated teachers, we know that these moments of collaboration are rare and none of us really wants to leave.

ps--Visuals

I'm still getting the hang of this, I wanted to include some pictures in my last post. Here they are:

This is what the Alexandria looked like in the 20's...sometimes I really wish I could travel through time!









Rashid Taha...pretty cool looking guy.