Guadalajara & Ixtapa

Happy Columbus Day! Or as they prefer to say here in Mexico: Feliz Dia de La Raza!

My first two trips out of Mexico City couldn’t have gone better. To begin with, I spent four incredible days in the “garden-city” of Guadalajara, training teachers of the Programa Nacional de Ingles en Escuelas Basicas (PNIEB) on collaborative learning methodologies. The group was so enthusiastic and grateful to have me there. Not that it is a huge surprise, but I’m finding Mexican educators to be very delightful and hospitable people. Although they have a complicated love/hate relationship with the US, I have been treated with nothing but exceptional kindness.

Ixtapa was no exception. I was in this resort on the Pacific Coast to attend the annual conference of the Association of University Professors. While there, I gave a well-received presentation on “The Art of Mentoring Teachers”, ate lots of wonderful food, managed to take some long walks on the beach (mostly at sunrise and sunset as the pictures below will attest), set a hundred baby turtles free into the ocean, and met like-minded people from around the country.

When I’m not on the road, I continue to explore the capital…Went to the Centro Historico with a former Visions buddy of mine, Rick Kraince; Checked out the Ciudadela Handicraft Market as part of an Embassy field trip; Walked around the artsy bohemian neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma, etc.

My next destination: Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco. I will be giving two workshops in this humid jungle environment (nestled between Veracuz and Campeche on the Gulf Coast). While there, I also hope to visit the famous Mayan ruins of Palenque.

Stay Tuned!