The days have started to fold into themselves, and before they get away from us, I wanted to share some of the places and updates about the three other Dehners! Places Uxmal:
A couple of weeks ago, the four of us scrunched into the back seat of a Nissan sedan and joined Ryan's colleague and her husband on a day trip to the Mayan ruin, Uxmal. About an hour away, it was awe-inspiring to walk around and on top of these stone structures. One impressive note: Uxmal has the only giant pyramid in the Yucatan with an oval/rounded corner structure. It was formed this way to echo the traditional Mayan houses of the everyday person in 700 A.D. I, personally, was fascinated by the trees, especially giant ceibas which stand like guards amongst the structures. Touching them felt sacred.
Campeche: We got fearless last weekend (we had yet to rent a car in our name!) and drove to the coastal town of Campeche. A colonial, walled city rumored with a past of pirates, the scenery and the beach were a welcome change of pace from the hustle and bustle of urban Merida. The colors (every house and door are unique) and flavors (hot chocolate with chili and grilled octopus, to name a few) made it such a treat.
Mayan ruins like Uxmal and Chichen Itza get a lot of traffic, so lesser, tricker-to-get-to ones like Edzna don't get as much attention, but since we had a car, we took advantage and are so glad we visited this tucked-away ruin. Buried deep in tropical, humid forests, we felt like real-life explorers. Ryan described it as his favorite so far. It's crazy to think that there are more than 27 sites we could venture to and compare to one another on the peninsula alone. It speaks loudly to how profoundly thriving the Mayans were and still are integral to the culture today. People: Ryan:
The semester ends this month, and Ryan is preparing his midpoint report for his Fulbright project, which will be in Puebla next month. To avoid academic jargon - he's been essentially working to create an in-house English oral proficiency test for students in the university's English teacher training program. Basically, how to validly and reliably determine a student's level of spoken English. Easier said than done. It's involved countless hours of interviews, surveys, research, and lots of WhatsApp messages (the preferred formal communication method!). He will train instructors to administer the test next semester and then flex his superpower muscles, teaching an elective course he's designed from scratch for students in their third or last year.
Madeline: Finding herself in the middle of being a little kid and wanting to be a big one, Madeline has had her fair share of "big feelings" while we have been in Mexico. Like her Libra momma, she is usually even-tempered, but when she's not, she's not. She is uber-perceptive to the world around her and knows she draws attention with her blond hair and blue eyes. Despite some rougher moments (missing snow, being extremely tired, not wanting to do math homework), which are usually smoothed out by some alone time with Mom or Dad and/or some food and/or a nap, she readily goes to school. She has a gaggle of friends, and according to teachers, she speaks and interacts primarily in Spanish. Though we don't know everything that goes on in her brain, we have loved witnessing her waffle through this strange adventure that she seems to have both thrived in and been significantly challenged by.
Reid: Recently, having had parent-teacher conferences, we were not surprised to hear that Reid is clever and kind but sometimes just will not stop talking (both in English and Spanish) despite all the kindest reminders. While occasionally mercurial, Reid, from what we can tell, is approaching his days the same as if he were in Iowa. He is obsessed with playing Legos, drawing, and looking for excuses to talk about or repeat the same jokes. He knows how to push all of our buttons, both for the good and not-so-good. While there have been moments of hesitation about school, swim class, or whatever someone is asking him to do, he bounces back. He doesn't like it when we speak Spanish at home, but his teachers say he understands most everything and speaks just fine. His sweet school friends say 'bye Reid' every day after school, and he bashfully and proudly waves back. Sometimes, he even sneaks in an 'adios.'
Thanks for reading!
The kids got a hold of my phone while we were watching the sunset and got goofy - video evidence below.
oh this makes my heart ache! missing Mexico and also you four wonderful souls.