Finally, the letter from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that says, "It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on your selection for a Fulbright award to Mexico." Correspondence until now has been tentative pending my submission of paperwork and acceptance of the information contained therein. So...finally, yippeee! Xalapa! Acquí vengo!

Here's a photo of my cat Fred, who will take on a new caretaker in my absence. He seems amenable, provided the next caretaker gives him his food on time--and the food he likes--while letting him in and out as he feels inclined, scratches his head when he desires it, and puts fresh water in the bathroom sink when he wants a drink.

That caretaker will be my friend Sharon, who is in the process of selling her house and wants to live in mine while the money from the sale of her house sits in the bank for a year. Of course, this plan is contingent on her selling the house before or fairly soon after I leave for México.

I've been looking for an apartment for Isabel and her husband César near CNM's Main Campus. Isabel tells me she would like to walk to work rather than take a bus. And Isabel has been looking for an apartment for me near the Centro de Idiomas in Xalapa. A few days ago, she emailed me about an ad in the paper for an apartment for rent that was located two blocks from the school, but I haven't heard from her since then, so I don't know whether she found it to be suitable.

I've told Isabel I'd like a sunny, two-bedroom apartment near the school so that I can walk there. She tells me the bus service in Xalapa isn't punctual and is usually very crowded. I don't mind the crowding, but I have to be able to get to work on time, so it sounds like I will need to walk. Riding a bike is out of the question, too, she tells me, because the traffic is "a real problem here."

I'm also starting to think about getting internet and phone access. The information I found on the Mexico 501: Learning to Live in Mexico blog makes it sound difficult to choose a cell phone service, but maybe it's because I don't know beans about cell phones. I'm more encouraged about what I read about internet access. I'll ask Isabel for her recommendations.

Another thing on my to-do list is to buy and send teaching-and-learning materials to a U.S. consulate near to Xalapa. The Fulbright Program will reimburse me for purchases up to $500 that will be stay in México when I leave.

Jennifer Herrin, a CNM ESL instructor who is currently living in the Ukraine on a year-long English Teacher Trainer fellowship (check out her blog, which recounts her adventures there) kindly sent me a long list of books she recommends, so I will start there. Also, other CNM ESL instructors--Amy Christensen, Tom Pierce, Bill Ancker, Carol Culver, and Penny Mortimer--and I fear I'm forgetting others--have shared favorite books and materials with me and offered advice. Now I just have to buy the stuff and ship it. Actually, $500 isn't a lot of money for books these days.

Bright idea! Start an English as a Foreign Language blog to store some of the resources others have suggested so far, and then when I get to Mexico, I can add to it and share it with my fellow EFL teaching colleagues at the Centro de Idiomas--and add their resources as well.

An aside: Awhile back, Jennifer and her husband Joe kindly compiled a top-ten list to help me prepare to go on my exchange:

1. Label all the boxes you pack with numbers; keep a list of what each numbered box has inside it. Recently, we needed a tax form retrieved and my Mom had a hell of a time finding it as I didn't put it in my list!

2. Bring souvenirs from NM to give as gifts (good ones are those litte NM calendars they sell at Walgreen's); they also have some good ones in Old Town at the souvenir shops. I go to Palms Trading Company and get pretty Indian-made pins (many people don't have pierced ears or are picky about gold/silver). Pins seem to be universally loved. Keychains are good for guys.

3. Bring a pack of "pretty" thank you cards. They sure come in handy for when people give you gifts or if you stay with someone.

4. Always pick up a business card where-ever you stayor go.

5. Ship yourself a box of paperbacks (Joe's tip). Start hitting the garage sales. There is usually aspecial rate to send books. I think they call it"media mail."

6. Keep in mind that you may not have a washing machine or dryer; so bring clothes that you wouldn't mind a housekeeper washing by hand and hanging on the line.

7. Bring dollar bills for tips when going through theairports, hotels, etc. It's a shame when you don't have a tip for someone who's helped you; also keepthem in a special pocket. Not near your "real" money.(If you don't have pesos, everyone loves a dollar bill.)

8. ATM cards work everywhere and you can draw Pesos on your account. At the airport, you can directly pull pesos instead of messing with changing money.

9. Bring your own business cards to hand out.

10. Make sure your digital camera has a one-Gig memory card; bring family pictures and pictures of your colleagues at work maybe? People are always curious...

The Fulbright Pre-departure Orientation, which is required of all exchange teachers, takes place in Alexandria, VA, from July 30 to August 3. I've already made my flight reservations and arrangements to stay with my brother Guy and his wife Carla, who live in Alexandria, rather than stay at the hotel where the orientation will take place.

Comexus, the U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange, also invited U.S. exchange teachers heading to Mexico to meet with Mexican exchange teachers for a pre-Pre-Departure Orientation meeting from July 29 to July 30, so I'll fly to Alexandria early on July 29 in order to attend the dinner and introductions that evening. This will be my first opportunity to meet Isabel and her husband.