My ESL students had written some congratulations on the White Board on May 5. It was Mexico's national holiday, known also as Cinco de Mayo (May 5).

Next they worked in two groups and created two PowerPoint presentations about the history and significance of Cinco de Mayo in Mexican and American history.

The students of Mexican background were very proud when they spoke about the victory of the Mexicans in the battle of Puebla of 1862 and the talented General Ignacio Zaragoza who won the battle with the French.

Some kids were wearing T-shitrs with the Mexican flag or with Mexican saints.

On May 5, 2005 we went to the movies. With Koo, Margaret, Joyce, and MaryLou we met outside the Harkins Theatres at the Chandler Mall at 4:00 p.m. It was a matinee and the ticket cost $6.50. We bought Pepsi and popcorn, dressed the latter with grated cheese and salt and took the food and the drinks in the cinema hall. Next we saw an American movie - A Lot Like Love whose release date was April 22, 2005. The official site of the movie is at http://www.a-lot-like-love.com.

A Lot Like Love is a romantic comedy about love at first sight, destiny, connection and friendship. It traces the relationship of Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) and Emily (Amanda Peet) who meet first at the airport in Los Angeles, next on the plane, and in New York City. The story covers seven years of their connection - from the time when they are acquaintances to the moment when they realize that they are real friends who have fallen in love with each other. It takes Oliver and Emily seven years to figure out that maybe what they really have is something...a lot like love.

After the movie we went to Famous Dave's Restaurant. It is a BBQ restaurant in Chandler Mall. There we had pork and chicken barbeque and talked about Cinco de Mayo (May 5), schools in Bulgaria and the USA, movie theaters and our trip to Chicago.

At Famous Dave's we were welcomed by a pig.

May 3, 2005,Tuesday, was an English Tea Day. The Student Council treated all the teachers to an old-fashioned English tea with sweet breads, scones, sticky buns and cookies. The breakfast was available at 6:30 a.m. That was the way the Student Council had decided to show its appreciation of all of our hard work.
 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
The week of May 2-6, 2005 was a Teacher Appreciation Week at HHS, Chandler. It began on May 2 with a huge cake that stated the principal rule, i.e. Hamilton Teachers Rule.

This Is a Sub

Lunch was available in Teachers Lounge on May 6, 2005 during all lunch periods, compliments of Dr. DePrez, school principal. Subs (long sandwiches), potato salad, chips, cake, lemonade and soda were beautifully arranged.

The tables had yellow, red and green tablecloths. I sat at a table with a green tablecloth. When I joined a few teachers at the table, Dough gave me a video cassette with music and dancing of the world famous Bulgarian ensemble Pirin.

There was iced soda in that container. I had a canned Coca Cola.

We spent the evening with friends in Phoenix at a BBQ dinner. We ate on the patio and enjoyed the breeze.

On our way back from school we took pictures of a dairy farm which is in our neighborhood. It is special for one more reason - it is a dairy with a Web site: http://www.dugansdairy.com. We did not visit it as it was Monday and on Monday there are no tours. Maybe we can make it on a Saturday - May 7, May 14 or May 28!  

This cow is above the city skyline. It is easily seen and its question reminds the people about the importance of buying and eating dairy products.  

We tiptoed at the entrance of Dugan's Dairy. Maybe the cows were at work - whatever this might mean! 

We did not take a tour, but we took a few photos of the site. 

On May 2, 2005 we stopped at a dairy - it is at the corner of Germann and Dobson and we often hear the cows mooing and sometiomes I even smell them. The sign is painted on a bale of straw and it gives information about the work hours of the diary. 

Thank you, Koo. We value your friendship and we enjoyed the time we spent with you at the jazz concert on April 22. 

The chair, the techniques, the open area, the people who were waiting for a message or were just looking - everything was unusual to me. 

After the concert Koo and her peer Margaret took me to a chiropractic where for the first time in Arizona I experienced the massage of a chiropractic. I felt good when it finished, though while they were massaging me occasionally it was very painful especially in the back area. The friendly chiropractcs explained to me that the reason was the stress of my profession. I did not argue. 

In the courtyard of the San Marcos Hotel there were preparations for a wedding ceremony. 

Boyan is enjoying jazz, small talk and Koo's company on a cool April night in Chandler. 

The audience were people of all ages, some of them were there with their pets. Everybody had a chair. There were chirs for little children, chairs for adults, even chairs for people with dogs. Koo told us that everybody has a set of folding chairs in special cases in the car trunk.