Oral and written exams are complete. The last conversation classes and talleres are happening as I write. We are, a la vez, excited and sad about our imminent departure from Cuernavaca. Our students have experienced so much of what Cuernavaca and the Cuauhnahuac Instituto de Idiomas has to offer. We have seen palaces and churches, homes and ruins. We have eaten mamey and chamoy, mole and enchiladas.
And why, might one ask, did we choose to come to Mexico? Why not go to Spain to work on our Spainish? We came to Mexico to learn more about our neighbors and their culture, language, and passion for sharing all that makes them who they are. Our students seem to better understand now why Taco Bell is not really Mexican food. Our students seem to better understand now why Profes. Kunze and Pereda have spent so much time trying to teach us their lengua materna with patience, care and purpose. Our students now know that our neighbors to the south are not just the caricatures we see in movies or on television; they are a people of great history, warmth and education who, like us, struggle to understand where the world is heading.
Thank you all so much for participating in our experience by sending in questions and comments and by simply perusing what it is we have had to offer as a glimpse of Cuernavaca, Mexico. ¡Muchisimas Gracias! and we look forward to seeing everyone Stateside!
