Mexico Part VI: Extracurricular Activities

Back in August when we got here, trying to be friendly and meet people, I began talking to one of the muchachas and the tennis instructor, and I was semi persuaded to put Eva in tennis.  We started slow at first because I didn't want to overwhelm her with a new sport, and since I was paying up front for 15 lessons, I also wanted to make sure they lasted me awhile.  Lessons went on and I didn't feel like she was making the progress that she should be making.  I could see why the tennis instructor was pushing to see her three times a week versus two.  There was clearly too much time between lessons and he was loosing momentum.  So, we changed to three times a week, which just about killed me.  I realized one thing about myself, while yes, I have come to the realization that I am a taxi driver for this family, I don't like to overwhelm myself with being at multiple places at specific times feeling like I am always rushed.  But, we kept plowing through the lessons, while by now I started practically dragging Eva to go to tennis lessons because she didn't want to go to them anymore.  In her mind, they were making her "too tired."  What does that mean?  I thought.  Isn't that what physical activity is supposed to do to you?  I kept wondering if I was turning my kid into a couch potato.  So, all the while she was taking tennis lesson, it was very clear to me that what she really wanted was ballet, not tennis lessons.  The reason why I knew this was because she kept putting on her old tutu and would wear that thing all around the house every day.  I would sneak up on her and catch her dancing around her room like a beautiful ballerina with her fairy wings.  It was super cute!  Keeping my eye open for places to take her, I saw that right by where we go to church there was a dance studio.  I called and found out that they had just started their four year old ballet class at a very convenient time for me and it was twice a week!  Matthew and I discussed her starting ballet and we went for it.  For a while we were going to ballet, rushing home for tennis and then leaving to pick up Matthew from school.  It was crazy.  So something had to change.  But, then, to top it all off, she started saying she didn't want to go to ballet anymore either.  I could not believe this kid.  She mentioned that her teacher was too loud and she hurt her ears!  I didn't know a four year old could make so many excuses.  Well, I got to the bottom of everything.  With a broken heart, we had to pull Eva from tennis.  She really didn't want to go and Matthew and I had to realize that we weren't going to have a star tennis player on our hands to make us rich.  He is under the full impression that there are two sports that  women can make it big in and tennis was one of them.  The other if you are curious is golf.  It's okay though because we have another kids and if Elijah doesn't change in stature, we for sure have a football player on our hands.  Anyway, she really was getting good at tennis by the time we decided to pull her but it wasn't what she wanted and now she doesn't even miss it.  We thought if she did we would consider putting her back in but I don't think it's going to happen.  And now, about a month into ballet, Eva loves it.  I think  her teacher grew on her.  Not everyone can be as sweet and loving as her old teacher, SalliJune.  Her new teacher, I believe is trying to teach them technique and discipline and I think that is good for Eva.

Now I only have one extracurricular activity to take her to and I love it.  The moms are starting to warm up to me and talk to me and that's great!  And since Eli and I can't watch Eva during practice we usually leave and walk to the plaza (which is like Sunset Esplanade, I don't know what else to call it).  I pick up last minute things for dinner that I might need and at the grocery store, there is a sweet, little old lady that loves to see Elijah on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  She's become a constant in our life.  And then we go over to the merceria (which is where they sell buttons, ribbon and yarn) and we visit the two nice lady owners of the store there too.  They are the other constants in our life.  I love to hear them struggle to pronounce Elijah's name.  I always have to tell them that in Spanish you could say Elias and sometimes they just call him that but he doesn't know how to answer to that name.  We really did give the Mexicans here a hard name to pronounce.  Who would have thought.  All that matter is that things are good!

Pictures:

1.  Elijah hanging out at tennis.  I paid way too much, here, for that car you see in the picture, but I think that car finally taught him how to walk so it was worth it.  He's funny, he just hangs out by himself a lot of the time.  So different from Eva, but such a relief to us.

2,3,4.  Eva at tennis lessons on one of the last days of practice.  By then she had started ballet and would refuse to take off her ballet clothes to go to tennis.  I thought she looked cute though.