When It Rains, It Pours

And I mean that literally and figuratively. As I mentioned a few posts back, I arranged a meeting with my Fulbright advisor to discuss my concerns about my ETA placement—few hours, no office, no English department, etc. Well, let me say that expressing my worries was a REALLY STUPID IDEA. Who ever said that open communication is a good thing? Fulbright decided to move me to a different school in DF. No problem…I really was excited. But, they wanted to move me to the same school that another ETA was already at. Weird, right? There are thousands of universities here in Mexico, and they decide to put two out of the eight ETAs at the same school. I tried contacting my advisor to discuss the situation, but I could not reach her. I even went to her office in DF, but she wasn’t there.


In the meantime, the students at my university got word of my “possible departure” and decided to do something positive about it. They wanted me to stay so they tried to make my situation better by organizing a few conversation classes that I could lead. They told me that they would actually show up to class.

I was happy, but that really put me in a predicament. Should I move to a different city and another school where there is an established English department, or should I stay at my school and try to develop an English curriculum on my own for the small group of students that actually wants to learn English?

Well, yesterday, out of the clear blue I get this e-mail from my advisor saying that Fulbright is threatening to take away my scholarship. What? I couldn’t believe it. I was frantic. Please…I didn’t mean to make you mad. I just thought I should let you know that you were paying me for not doing any work. What is wrong with telling you that? I have been trying to work through this nightmare of a situation since then. At this point in time, I have no control over what happens. I don’t think (cross my fingers) that they are going to take away my scholarship, but I’m not sure whether I will be staying in Cuernavaca or moving to DF. Yep…when it rains, it pours.

As far as the literal meaning to the saying goes, let me give you some advice. If you live in Cuernavaca during the rainy season, do NOT leave your house without bringing an umbrella. Even if it’s bulky and annoying, don’t even think about walking out the door without it. And, if it has already rained once earlier in the day, it can ALWAYS, ALWAYS rain a second or even third time.

So, yesterday it rained buckets around lunchtime. It wasn’t a big deal because I was in a classroom at the university. Jump forward a few hours…I was invited to go bowling with my neighbor Claudia. I had to take the bus to get there, and I decided that I wasn’t going to take my umbrella because it had already rained. Stop. Can I rewind? Big mistake. Let me tell you that on my journey to the bowling alley, it rained like I’ve never seen it rain—cats and dogs, torrential downpour, whatever you want to call it, it rained a lot. Once I got off the bus, I had to walk a good distance to the bowling alley, and by the time I arrived, I was soaked from head to toe. I mean it looked like I had jumped into a swimming pool. Well, I learned my lesson. An umbrella is essential during the rainy season in Cuernavaca!

Despite my wet condition, bowling was a lot of fun. I didn’t do too bad considering that I hadn’t bowled for quite a while.

Anyway, this past week really hasn’t been the greatest, but I’m still hanging in there. If you get a chance, think of me and send some positive thoughts my way. I could really use them after this insane week.

Abrazos (Hugs), Nicole