See You Later Mexico. Adios Mexico.

Hi Orca Friends,

Thank you to all the orcas and their teachers who skyped with me while I was in Mexico. It made me happy to see my friends and students in Chicago, and I was impressed by your inquiries about Mexico.

I promised Tony in Mr. Gribble's class and some of the kindergartners that I would show you what it looked like in Mexico. Here are pictures of the different types of places you can see if you go to Mexico.

I lived in a big city where you can see big buildings. This building is a big church.



I went to a city on top of a mountain. This is what the city looked like, and this is what I saw when I looked down from the top of the mountain.





We visited a farm and saw people working to harvest the plants. This man is called a jimedor, and he is harvesting a plant called blue agave. If you bake agave, it tastes like a sweet potato. I was a risk taker and tasted it.





I also went to the beach and saw the ocean. That's me waving to all my orca friends in Chicago.



Mexico is a big country with many different places to visit. I saw the city, the mountains, the country, and the beach.

On my next adventure, I'm going to Europe. Do you know where Europe is? Can you name any of the countries in Europe?

I'll send pictures from Europe to my orca friends, and, if it's OK with your teacher, we can talk on the computer again.

Your Friend,
Mrs. Ellis

My favorite game in Mexico!

Hi Orca friends,

I hope that you had a good week last week. I learned a lot of new spanish words in my class. What have you been learning?

Have you ever played a game called loteria? It's my new favorite game! It's a lot of fun, and it helps you learn lots of spanish words.

Loteria is a lot like Bingo.

Everyone takes a board with different pictures on it.



One person has a deck of cards with all the pictures on the cards. This person goes through the cards one at a time calling out the word on the card and showing everyone the pictures.

If one of the pictures on your board is called out then you cover up that picture. The first person with a whole line of pictures covered up yells "LOTERIA!" And that person is the winner.

But you have to watch out, because the person calling out the pictures goes really fast!





Loteria is so popular here in Mexico that there are many different types. There are loteria games with letters, numbers, food, jobs, or sports. There are even loteria games for weddings and baby showers. I found a giant loteria game at the market!





Who wants to play?

Your Traveling Friend,
Mrs. Ellis

A Special Hello to the First Grade

Hi First Grade Orca Friends!

It was awesome to talk to you yesterday. It made me very happy to see all of your faces!

You asked great questions! Thank you for those questions and for the ones you wrote on the blog. I am happy to see that you are all still inquirers.

Here are the questions you asked me and a few pictures to help answer some of them.

1. Have you eaten any Mexican food yet? (Laura)

I have eaten lots of Mexican food! My favorites are tamales and tortas ahogadas. Here's a picture of tortas ahogadas. It means "drowned sandwich" because they put so much sauce on it.


2. Have you drank any good Mexican drinks? ( Damian)

There are two special drinks that you can get lots of places, and I've tried both. One type of drink is called "liquados." This drink is made with fruit and milk and a little ice that is all blended together. The second type is called "agua fresca." This is my favorite and is made from fruit and water. My favorite flavor is lime. It's yummy and it's healthy! Are you remembering to eat fruit everyday?

3. Have you seen any Mexican animals? (Vincent)

I saw some really cool birds at the park!


4. Do you have any friends there yet? (Alexandra)

I have made friends in my Spanish class. Here's a picture of them and me.


5. Have you met any new kids that want to be your friend? (Joey)

I've met lots of adults, but no kids. AGC Orcas are still my favorite kid friends!

6. Have you ridden any horses? (Eliza)

I haven't ridden a horse yet, but I might have a chance this weekend. If I do ride a horse, I'll make sure to take a picture.

7. What is your Spanish teachers name? Sra. Santana? (Lucia)

My spanish teacher is Senorita Saray. Here's a picture of her.


8. Do you have a dog there? (Steven)

I don't have a dog here because I'm living in a hotel. And they don't allow dogs.

Keep the questions coming, and make sure you tell Ms.G thank you for letting us talk on the computer.

Adios Amigos!
Mrs.E

PS Ms.G, please give Damien a big hug for me. I miss him too.

Hola Amigos!

Hola Amigos!

First, thank you Aylin for your note. I miss you too, and your note made me smile. You answered the secret question perfectly! Muy Bien!

Second, I hope that all my orca friends have learned a lot in school this week. I have learned a lot of new spanish words. Do you know what this means?

Me gusta Guadalajara. Yo quiero ver mis amigos de AGC.

Guadalajara is a city muy bonita. Look at these pictures of the city. What could these places be?




The first picture is a fountain in the park. Guadalajara has many parks, just like Chicago!

The second picture is a cathedral. A cathedral is a big church.

Would you like to travel to Guadalajara one day? Where else would you like to go?

In Mexico, you would say, "yo quiero viajar a __________________." That means, "I want to travel to ___________________." Put the name of the place you want to travel to in the blank. Paris? Japan? The Arctic? Write me a note about where you want to travel.

Keep learning,
Mrs. Ellis

P.S. Did you know that Cristy in the first grade has a purse shop in Guadalajara? I saw it today. Bolsas means purses.

Mrs. Ellis is in Mexico!

Hi AGC Orcas!

I miss you all so much. I wish you could be here with me to see Guadalajara, Mexico!



Guadalajara is a big city in Mexico. Can you find Guadalajara on this map of Mexico?



Today you came back to AGC after Christmas break. Today I'm starting school too. But I won't be the teacher, I'll be a student! I'm going to learn how to speak Spanish. Click on the video below to hear a secret question from Mrs. Ellis. Do you know what I said? Can you answer the question?



Adios Amigos,
Mrs. Ellis

Howdy Friends!

Hi kids,

This blog is so you can follow me on my adventures through Mexico, Italy, and Belgium. I'll even be visiting a few places in the United States. You'll also be able to find out what it's like living in Oklahoma.

Remember some of the other adventures we've used the blog for?

This was when Ms.G and I went to Tanzania. Click on "Tanzania" to see the blog.

This was when Mrs. Ellis went to the edge of the Arctic Circle. Click on "Arctic Circle" to see the blog.

I loved those places. Now, are you ready for a new adventure?

On the move,
Mrs. Ellis