Southern Hospitality

All Good Adventures Must End.

2010-08-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Our Mexican adventure is now over. Thankfully, we had an amazing time and we will keep visiting Mexico as much as possible. The places we visited, the things we learned, and the people we met will all be a part of our memories. Thank you for following my blog!

While this adventure is over, we have another one we're planning. Another blog will follow. Keep in touch!

2010-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am sad.

Mexico, my second home, my home-away-from-home, my go-to vacation spot, and our next-door neighbor is hurting.
The drug war is not really working. Mexico is trying to fight the drugs, because their President knows that Mexico cannot and will not get much U.S. support until this is under control. Unfortunately, until the U.S. can get immigration under control, and stop fighting wars on the other side of the world, there is no public support in the U.S. for helping Mexico to de-corrupt their government.

As The Drug War Rages On, Will Mexico Surrender
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129009629

In my summer office job, I helped to coordinate mission trips to Latin America (and a few other Eurasian and African countries.) Part of my job is to moderate the security warnings from Mexico.

Unfortunately, we won't be sending mission trips to Mexico anytime soon. These are the articles that have come to my inbox in the last 2 weeks:

Mexico drug cartels thrive despite Calderon's offensive http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-cartels-20100808,0,5731725,full.story

Mexico: Cartels Pay Corrupt Cops $100 Million a Month http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14091&ArticleId=362206

Former Mexican president Vicente Fox has called for the legalisation of drugs http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10921975

Violence paralyzes Mexico border areas http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38685423/

members of a drug cartel blocked off at least 13 major roads in Monterrey on Saturday http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10977501

Under threat from Mexican drug cartels, reporters go silent http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-narco-censorship-20100816,0,4152944.story

Drug hitmen kidnap Mexican mayor near U.S. border http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100816/ts_nm/us_mexico_drugs

Gunmen Dressed as Cops Kidnapped Mexican Mayor http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14091&ArticleId=363478

A surge of drug violence in Mexico's business capital and richest city has prompted an outcry from business leaders who on Wednesday took out full-page ads asking President Felipe Calderón to send in more soldiers to stem the violence. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704557704575437762646209270.html

As Drug War Turns Into Quagmire, Fear Rules Mexico http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128804488

English is a crazy language

2010-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I do not have more news or commentary about living in Mexico. Moving 'back' to the US has been personally and professionally challenging. Our next adventure is still in the future, it seems, so right now we're just trying to stay connected with our friends and experiences of Mexico. Dave is lucky bc he is meeting with some of our Mexican friends in Tokyo this week - they're all there on a business trip.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a funny story I just read about the English language. There's a joke in Mexico that goes, "Why is it every Mexican speaks 75% English?" The truth is, most Mexicans can barely say 10 words in English. And that's because English is hard:

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. We take English for Granted.
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So.. one moose, 2 meese?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. What other reason could there be for saying that people recite at a play and play at a recital? Or, ship cargo by truck and send cargo by ship? Or, have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course, isn't a race at all.)

trust me, every language has it's weird parts. And knowing those idiosyncrasies is what proves we're 'good' at it. I'll never learn all of those for Spanish, at least I don't think so, but it's still fun to try.

This is my Song

2010-07-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

We went to church today. As one of Dave's favorite blogs stated, on holidays at church, anything goes. http://stuffchristianslike.net/ (see blog #251, July 3)
I was prepared for all the regal patriotic splendor of an independence day service - God Bless America, honoring veterans, a sermon about how all the founding fathers were Christians, etc.
While I do pray that God continues to bless America, and I do pray for and honor our veterans, after living abroad, I feel differently today than I used to. This is a great country, and it has been blessed by God, and I am proud to be an American, but I know better than to think that this is the 'best' country in the world, or a 'Christian country' or the only 'land of the free and home of the brave'. Lots of countries have dedicated veterans and honored heroes who fight for freedom and showcased bravery. Every country deserves freedom and democracy and peace.
So, I felt blessed to sing this song for the first time:

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a prayer that peace transcends in every place;
and yet I pray for my beloved country --
the reassurance of continued grace:
Lord, help us find our one-ness in the Savior,
in spite of differences of age and race.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done.

I am a proud citizen of the earth, and an even prouder citizen of America. The continent, not just the country.

Funny Moments

2010-06-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

We asked the GPS yesterday to give us directions to "go home" and were wondering why it had a map to show us, but no arrival time.
The GPS gave us directions to our "home" in Metepec, Mexico. :)
No one knows our next arrival time there.

We had a garage sale on Saturday and at least 3 hispanic groups came to shop. We wrote "se habla espanol" on our sign (spanish spoken) and so some took us up on our offer! We even met a family - from Toluca!

I will sometimes come home and look at a sink and a counter full of dirty dishes and think, "ummmm.... how did this get here?" and then, "did I think a fairy would clean my kitchen?" Oh, yes, that's right, I did think a fairy would come. Her name is Carmen, and she really did try to crawl in our suitcases...

I took a taxi and forgot to put on my seatbelt. Also forgot to check if the meter was on - that was a HUGE mistake!

Whenever I go to Chipotle and order carnitas or barbacoa or salsa verde, I will slip into Spanish and then try to do my entire order in Spanish. Sometimes, the worker is Hispanic, and doesn't mind. That is much less embarrassing than the weird look from the white teenager.

We went to a new Mexican restaurant bc we had heard they served 'authentic' Mexican food. When we ordered a "torta milanesa" the waitress had no idea what we meant. We repeated it 3 times, and I finally pointed at the menu. "Oh," she says, "You want the chicken sandwich." Um... nope. we could get a chicken sandwich anywhere. What we really want is a torta milanesa.

At work, a Spanish-speaking Latino pastor called and talked with my co-worker, who was struggling to keep up with the conversation. Finally, in desperation, I hear him croak out "Pooh-way-das hab-lahr cone me ahm-ee-go Kelly?" (can you talk to my friend, kelly in the worst accent I've heard in a long time). So... then I continue to talk with the guy for about 15 minutes. *sigh*

A little less American

2010-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

I walked out of the house yesterday. With nothing but my purse. And just started walking.

In Mexico, it was normal to walk around places. We would go out for dinner - and walk. We would go shopping - and walk. We would leave for the airport - and walk. We would walk just to walk! Some of our favorite excursions being the "mountain" near our house that was a climbing challenge while getting ready to go to Europe. The last 2 months, while I lived in the apartments, I walked to work, I walked to do my laundry, I walked to go visit friends.

But in the states, I get funny looks when I'm walking. In fact, I feel a little funny walking. Leaving my house through the front door - not the garage - is awkward. Walking jauntily past my garage door and driveway with no keys in my hand feels strange.

But for a few weeks now, I have been relying on my feet, and my new bike, and the local bus system for transportation. (and on my DH's car. I can't be too mexican!)

So, maybe I did manage to keep a little part of Mexico with me. If I can only speak Spanish and pretend that I'm fighting with mangy dogs and unruly taxi drivers for space, then I'd feel right at home!

What can I say?

2010-06-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

A lot of people - new coworkers, acquaintances, old friends, even some family members - have tried to start conversation by asking "what's it like to be back home?" or the very similar, "are you getting used to life in the states?"

Until very recently, I winced at the question.

What did people want me to say? I heard the very strong implication that I was supposed to say "It's so good to be home" implying that MI/USA alone is my home, that I disliked my time away, that it was easy to re-adjust, etc. I know most people are just making conversation, and really wanted a one or two word answer (kind of like when people ask, "how are you doing?" when they really don't care, they just need something to say after "hello").

But I don't have an easy answer. At least, not one that most people want to hear.

I wanted to scream and shout and rail against the U.S. ethnocentrism that made it difficult for Americans to understand anyone or anyplace else. I wanted to explain how I had left behind some of my very best friends. I wanted to complain about the hassle of moving with suitcases and trucks. I wanted to wax poetic about the culture of Mexico.
I wanted to do a lot of things, but I normally mumbled something like "oh, it's ok" and desperately tried not to cry.

Now, with some wise counsel, I'm ready to own my answer.

"Even though it was time to leave, I wasn't ready. We loved Mexico, and it will always be a part of our hearts. I hope you get a chance to enjoy it someday like we did."
I might cry the first thousand times I repeat it, but I can do it. I can tell people. I can accept if they nod and walk away, but I'm hoping that person after person after person will ask why I loved Mexico so much, and where they should visit, and what part will be the hardest to leave behind.

Because I want to shout loud and clear that I love Mexico, I love the people, I love the culture, I love the food. I think everyone should try to understand immigration before they make a judgment call. I think everyone should eat real tacos. I think everyone should visit Mexico - if even once in their lives - without visiting a beach or going on a mission trip. Just enjoy it like you would enjoy Paris or Cairo or Tokyo or New York City. And then come home and tell someone else.

Dazed and confused

2010-06-17T13:06:00.001-07:00

My eyes glazed over as I looked at the options. It was just too overwhelming.

Hundreds of cuts of meat were wrapped in sterile plastic, arranged neatly on spotless white shelves, illuminated by bright lights. There were so many options, and all of them looked so disconnected from each other. There was so much space and so much cleanliness that the meat locker at Meijer reminded me of a morgue or a museum.

It was all too much.

Now, I have to admit, I have never really liked meat shopping. And, while in Mexico, I never did work up the courage to buy my meat from the butcher at the outdoor market who would cut a chunk off of a dangling carcas and wrap it in plain paper. Still, the shock of grocery shopping finally caught up with me.

I miss Mexico.

I miss walking to the outdoor market, carrying my cloth bags and a pocket full of coins. I miss the smell of fresh tortillas and tamales and roasted corn and tacos al pastor while we're shopping. I miss driving to the supermarket and hiding my reusable bags in my purse bc I wasn't allowed to bring them in. I miss tipping the bagger and buying water and getting really excited at the pick-your-own pastries counter.

Here at Meijer, I had to buy a cake for 20. And it probably wasn't made in the bakery right there. The tortillas were full of preservatives in the refrigerated section. The salsa was so pathetic, I didn't even look, lest I get more depressed.

In my Mexican History class, we read an article exerpt from the 18th century explaining how Mexico City was the place for upper-class Europeans to visit. The colors were so unlike anything in drab Europe: the food, the dishes, the clothing, the flowers, the sunshine, the buildings, everything is bright with colors. And during the dry season, when it seems God has turned the world to gray, Mexican mujeres will still wear bright red scarfs and the men will paint their houses yellow, as if by coloring their world they can bring the rain sooner.

Now that I'm surrounded by green forests, and clean rain, and quiet nights, I'm still missing the colors and sound and feel of Mexico.
Maybe I will for a long time to come.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-06-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

At the final faculty party, the teachers who were leaving received presents from the board. (It is kind of telling that in a staff of 8, it's normal for 3 teachers to leave each year)

These are handcrafted pewter frames from a town near where we lived. Thankfully I had room in my tight suitcases for a 5-pound picture frame!

My last day was a week before the end of school. (I just couldn't stay for such an emotional week. it was too much.) I tried to get a picture with every kid, but
2 left before I got the camera out.

7th & 8th graders (missing D)

9th & 10th graders (with everyone!)

11th & 12th graders (missing B)

After school, my best teacher friends - the ones at the apartments who hosted me for 5 weeks over my last 2 months in Mexico - took Dave & I out to dinner. This was a delicious restaurant and a bittersweet time together.

This restaurant was full of witty quotes. They're all in Spanish, of course, so I won't share all of my pictures. (Dave says that one in the men's bathroom, above the urinal, said "the future of Mexico is in your hands" which I honestly thought was hilarious)

Much money, little work, cheap tequila - long live Mexico!t

Culture Shock

2010-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

There are officially 5 stages of culture shock: anticipation, excitement, negotiation, adjustment, and mastery. Unfortunately, 60% of expats never master the new culture. 10% of expats master the new culture so well that they choose to stay, basically forever.
"Some people manage to adapt the aspects of the host culture they see as positive, while keeping some of their own and creating their unique blend. They have no major problems returning home or relocating elsewhere. Approximately 30% of expatriates are these so-called Cosmopolitans." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock)

I guess we're 'cosmopolitan'.

So, of the 90% of expats who return home, most of us go through something called 'reverse culture shock'. Basically, getting used to our old country is nearly as unsettling as getting used to the new country. Most Americans are unsettled by this. People think that we're not very American if we don't immediately re-adjust to our 'old' life or our 'real' life here.

Truthfully, culture is all-encompassing fact of life. We have to get used to dozens of lifestyle changes here:
air conditioning
rain then sun then clouds then drizzle then half sun
cruise control
early morning sunrises and late night sunsets
hockey (not soccer) all over the news
mowing the lawn
expensive restaurants
daily mail
and new jobs, just to name a few.

So... I miss Mexico. 2 years ago, I thought I'd be so happy to see this day, and I am in a way. When we came home for our 6 month visit, I was trying to fill my days with US things and my Spanish was all but forgotten. Last summer, we were in the US and England for over a month, and I forgot some Spanish and didn't miss tacos. 6 months ago, I had a hard time NOT eating avocados with Christmas dinner. Now, I miss my friends, and my beautiful rented house, and the delicious food, and the warm sunshine, and the challenge of speaking another language. I'm sad from leaving my kids and saying good bye to my friends; I'm exhausted from unpacking and cleaning our house while starting a new job.
I'm hopeful that we can bring our Mexican personalities and habits and - can I claim it - culture will come with us to the U.S.

Done

2010-06-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Our time in Mexico is officially "done".

We packed up our beautiful house, and returned our "fancy" car. I ate all the Mexican food and gave away my used clothes. I cleaned out my classroom and sold my Mexico phone.

I completed an exit interview and took pictures with my kids and hugged my friends and got on a plane and flew away.

After months of answering, "so when are you really coming home?" and weeks of living out of suitcases, and days of waking up and wondering where I am, the truth has finally come.

We live here now. We're not going back (anytime soon)

This is our house. My books are on the shelf and my shoes are in the closet and my water bottle is on the bedside table. Dave installed the flooring and I painted the walls and the only thing on our shelves that we didn't pick out ourselves is a kerosene lamp left by the last owner which I can't throw away because of some sort of sentimental value.

Our suitcases are stored in a closet somewhere.
Our passports are in the safe.

My calendar is filling up with "Michigan things" like birthday parties and the farmer's market and bike rides. There aren't any "Mexican things" like spanish class or hotel reservations.

I'm not going back. (well, not anytime soon.)

And it's just not that easy to walk away from a perfectly good life.

Controversial Herb

2010-05-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Like politics and religion, cilantro elicits strong opinions. People love it or hate it. For some, it's an acquired taste, thus attracting its share of proselytizing converts, such as myself. Even the name of the plant can be controversial. In the U.S., the leaves are called cilantro, while the seeds are called coriander. In Europe, the leaves are called coriander, while the seeds are also called coriander. To confuse matters further, cilantro leaves are also known as Chinese parsley.

We LOVE cilantro, and it's very popular in Mexico. For recipes and a full article about this delicious herb, check out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127092887

Immigration

2010-05-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm an illegal immigrant.

Yep. I'm a white-skinned, red-blooded, Protestant Christian, college educated, born-in-the-USA, tax paying, hard working American citizen. But I'm also an illegal immigrant in Mexico.

"WAIT!" I hear you shouting. you can't be illegal - you're working!

Of course I'm working. I'm working for a Christian school who refuses to get me legal paperwork and instead pays me under the table. So every time I cross security at the airport, I can't be a Christian witness and tell them "I'm teaching at a Missionary school in Mexico City". I have to lie. I am visiting my husband; I'm staying with a friend; I'm learning Spanish; I'm avoiding the cold northern winters. Basically, I have to pretend that I'm spending every day tanning and drinking margaritas when I'm working a full-time schedule and putting up with kids who don't do their homework and parents who don't speak English and board members who don't know how to run a school.

None of this makes me legal. A little piece of paper makes me legal, and I don't have it.

To Clarify: I am NOT sneaking across the border. I'm crossing into Mexico legally. I'm returning legally. I have a valid passport and a 'tourist visa' which gives me permission to stay in Mexico for up to 180 days at a time as long as I do not commit a crime or ask for government resources.

So, I feel that the following facts about U.S. immigration should be shared:

1. 40% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. arrive with legal documentation, only they overstay their visas. (I can see how easy this is! Once I'm in, no one calls to remind me to leave, or anything.) Once someone has overstayed his or her visa, that person officially has an 'illegal' status and his or her application for legal residency or citizenship will likely be denied.
Myths about illegal immigration: http://www.urban.org/publications/900898.html
how to become a legal resident: http://www.ehow.com/how_2083009_become-legal-us-resident.html
how to become a citizen: http://www.visaus.com/citizen.html

2. Most U.S. citizens are ok with letting current illegal immigrants (about 12 million of them) become legal residents or citizens as long as they learn English, keep a job, and stay out of prison. In otherwords, as long as they act like us. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/opinion/02fri3.html

3. Children who immigrate illegally while minors are still held responsible for their crime. In other words, if a person came to the U.S. illegally as a minor, s/he can be deported with his or her parents if under 18, and once that immigrant graduates from U.S. high school (passing government class, in English) - a feat that up to 25% of U.S. citizen children are not able to accomplish on time - s/he still cannot apply for legal residency or citizenship. Ever. That is why this recent story on CNN really got me angry: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/georgia.student.immigration/index.html
and also why I support this guy from my hometown: http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-man-faces-deportation-following-arrest-in-arizona/

4. While a legal path to citizenship has not yet been proposed (as I mentioned above, most U.S. citizens are ok with this), the DREAM act has been. http://dreamact.info/students This would help law-abiding young people who were brought here illegally by their parents to apply for citizenship, basically forgiving them for living with their parents when they crossed the border.

5. Most illegal immigrants pay taxes: sales taxes & gasoline taxes, of course, but also 2/3 of illegal immigrants pay payroll taxes: income taxes, social security, and medicaid taxes even though they will never receive federal or state benefits. http://reason.org/news/show/122411.html
The only services illegal immigrants can receive are K-12 education (less than 5% of school children are either illegal or children of illegals) and emergency room care.

In short, the US needs a more humane and logical immigration system. Christians need to support immigrants, no matter where they came from or how they got here, because those are our brothers and sisters in Christ. http://faithandimmigration.org/content/about-ccir

Baby Drama

2010-05-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

As my avid readers know, I'm currently staying with friends in a small apartment building about 1/2 block from the school in Mexico City where I teach. This is giving me a closer look into the lives of my neighbors than I had when I lived in the condo complex in Metepec. (although, in metepec, I did notice that the men dressed up in suits and smoked by their cars at 10am, watching the portero wash their cars, and then their wives would get all dressed up in athletic gear and walk back and forth on the small road in front of our condos at 11am. This, apparently, was how upper-middle-class Mexicans assert their economic status - they dress well, and mainly separate themselves from the working class Mexicans who wash their cars and their kitchens.)

The apartment building where I am right now is mainly other teachers from my school, but there are 2 apartments with Mexicans - one apartment with 2 single women and one apartment with a Mexican family.

The apartment with 2 single women is only occupied occasionally. The women likely live in a small town near DF, but work or go to school in the city. So they share a cheap apartment to sleep in when they're in town. This is common in Mexico City. It has the most jobs of anywhere in Mexico, but it's crowded and dirty, so people try to work here but live somewhere else.

The apartment with the family is kind of crowded. A 20-something man with his dad, his pregnant wife, and his preschool-aged son are living in an apartment that we consider to be for 1 person (maybe a married couple). They do not have a car. This family seemed nice, and pleasant, and relatively happy, if crowded.
This weekend a huge family drama played out. I speak enough Spanish to get the gist. The wife had her second baby, her family came to visit, and then she left with them. She did not take her children. There was lots of confusion. What exactly happened is basically speculation on our part (we do have some biased details) but through this, I did learn a lot of facts about Mexican society:

1. The local police can be called on in domestic disputes. While they may or may not show up, when they do, they will do basically what U.S. cops do - take down some names, make sure no one is dead, and dispel the situation. Then leave. They will not talk with the children or ask about their welfare.
2. Mothers in Mexico have complete custody of their children. (We had to consult our Mexican co-workers to get this info.) Whether or not they married the mother of their children, fathers are generally not consulted in custody disputes.
3. A mother has to have physically left her child for at least 2 months before she can be considered absent. Children are only considered abused or malnourished if they are routinely hospitalized. Children are only considered neglected if they lack basic food (1 tortilla with beans every 3 days is considered basic nutrition), shelter (anything with a roof counts, even if there is no electricity or running water), and clothing (1 complete outfit with any kind of footwear - even flip-flop sandals - counts).

Some things I already knew about the child welfare system:
4. Once DIF takes the child into custody, any family member without a criminal record can claim custody of the child. As less than 1% of all crimes in Mexico are ever punished, very few "criminals" have a record. Once that person has claimed custody of that child, DIF rarely follows up to be sure that s/he is still caring for the child. (keep in mind that "caring" is a minimal requirement)
5. Less than 100 children from Mexico are adopted outside of the country every year, mainly by Mexicans living abroad and/or married to U.S. citizens who claim responsibility for their distant relatives. Mexico does not want to admit that they have trouble caring for their own children.

So basically, an infant and a toddler have been abandoned (perhaps only temporarily) by their mother in the apartment next to me. The mother has the right, at any time in the next two months, to retrieve the children and take them away from their father forever. In the meantime, it's unclear who will care for them. Even if the father does a great job in caring for these children, and loves them immensely, he doesn't have any right to the kids. If neither the father nor the mother want the children, it will be years - if ever - before permanent caring custodians can be found.

All of this while thousands upon thousands of caring individuals could and would take these children into their homes and care for them.

Today, I am praying for that family and thousands of others for whom the "system" has failed.

International city

2010-05-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I always knew that DF is a truly international city, but one dinner this weekend really drove the idea home. First, this is where our restaurant was located:

And this is what it looked like at the entrance:

So, yes, we went to a Japanese restaurant on a street named for an American state in Mexico's capital city.
Welcome multicultural evening!

When Public Transit Works

2010-05-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

After living in Mexico City for nearly 2 years, I was pretty convinced that cities this large just can't work with modern technology. Then, I went to Tokyo - an even larger city - where not only did tens of millions of persons move around every day, but they did it effectively and effectively. If I wasn't already, Tokyo convinced me that public transportation is the way of the future.

Dave & I shared a car for 2 years in mexico, but right now we are both working and "living" here without a car. (and without a house or apartment of our own - officially we're just 'visiting' this time) Trying to get around this huge metropolis like a Mexican, without a car of our own, has been challenging but exciting.

This weekend, we took a suburban light-rail train car (pictured above) which was clean, on time, and very fast. Then, we took a metrobus, which was crowded, but also amazing. The past few weeks, my co-teachers and current hostesses have taught me to use taxis, buses, and "combis, a kind of mini-bus the size of a VW bug.

I'm starting to think Mexico really can handle their traffic problems. By doubling their light rail and metrobus routes, they can decrease traffic and increase on-time transit for residents.

In related news, I have also recently used the bus routes in my hometown in the U.S. I live in a city that sold all of it's street cars to Mexico City in the 1950s, and is the only major US city without a comprehensive rapid transit system. These buses are less effective than a light rail system would be, but still friendly and helpful and well-used.

this is talking about Americans: Mass transit is highly desired by the young, highly educated "creative class" who want to get around a metro area after relaxing downtown — without having to designate a driver.

Maybe mass transit is a way that Mexico can help the US develop?

Common Sense, part 1

2010-05-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/new-drug-policy-praised-10513

Most Mexicans are fed up with the "Drug War" started by Pres. Calderon when he took office 3 years ago (Mex. presidents serve 1 6-year term). Trying to fight all 3 major drug cartels at one time is incredibly ineffective. Mainly, the drug cartels are better armed and more prepared than the Mexican army, and although they hate each other, they will band together to fight this war. Attacking only one cartel at a time could work, bc the other cartels will basically help the army. Of course, not everyone likes that strategy... aligning itself with any cartel is generally a poor choice for governments. (Although, I have heard that each administration basically cuts a deal with a different cartel - this cartel basically gets federal immunity as long as they don't kill innocent civilians and also keep the other cartels in line. Sounds ridiculous, but it basically worked for 20 years.)

Anyway, the average Mexican - and I - think that the "drug war" is a problem that the U.S. can and should solve, but that the Mex. gov't is currently unable to solve.
problem #1: North Americans buy most of the drugs. If we stopped the demand, either by lowering our usage and/or making marijuana legal, then the prices would drop and fewer cartels would be profitable.
problem #2: All of the guns used by the drug cartels are legally purchased in Texas and then smuggled across the border by U.S. citizens, who are often allowed to cross back and forth without being searched. U.S. border patrol can't regulate firearms, bc that is a states' rights issue.
problem #3: Mexico does not have enough schools for children over 12. Less than half of all Mexicans attend jr. high, less than a quarter attend high school. These numbers are the worst in rural areas, where high unemployment makes the sacrifice of getting a high school education pretty worthless. This means that millions of Mexican young people have 2 options --> illegally cross into the U.S. to work or sign up with a drug cartel. The 'good guys' are the ones who cross into texas to wash dishes, bc at least their mama can go to bed without crying.
problem #4: The U.S. is training Mexican police - who are all corrupt - rather than investing in education or job training in Mexico or drug rehab programs in the U.S.

A new drug policy was announced today by Pres. Obama (see the link above). The new administration is going to make drug policy a public health issue, rather than a public safety issue. This should decrease drug use and drug demand in the U.S., which will help the drug war. This is common sense #1.

Until we get comprehensive immigration reform (common sense #2) and investment in Mexico's education system (common sense #3) the drug war will continue to rage.

BTW - just like on Law&Order, CSI, NCIS, and a dozen other U.S. shows, most everyone who is killed by drug violence is involved in illegal activity. A few innocent citizens can be caught in the crossfire, but this is less likely than dying in a car crash. I am perfectly safe in Mexico, and I encourage others to visit, especially central Mexico, where the drug cartels are a relatively small presence.

Tough to breathe

2010-05-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/air-quality-is-bad-for-half-of-the-year-10510

We all know that DF is dirty. Literally. First off, bc it doesn't rain for about half of the year, and 23 million people live there, soil quickly becomes a fine filmy dust that floats everywhere and sticks to anything - your hair, your car, your storefront - which gives the impression that Mexicans don't care about being clean. This is not true. Mexican women will water the dirt in their front yard to keep it from floating into their house.

Mainly, though, Mexico City is polluted. Millions of cars, buses, trains, and people every day in a mountain valley pump a LOT of pollution into the air.

If you live in the midwest US, you may know about ozone action days - those few hot days in the summer when we're encouraged to fill our gas tanks and mow our lawns after dark to avoid hurting the atmosphere? Well, Mexico has those days half of the year. Literally, half of the days of the year, children are encouraged not to run outside, bc it's bad for their lungs. Every other day of the week, people with asthma need to wear a mask if they leave their house.

We're used to it now, if that's possible, although my nose is runny most of the time.

The more things change...

2010-05-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

"When are you moving back? Are you already moved in?"
So many well-meaning people are asking me that question, and I"m trying to remember that they haven't already asked it a million times so I should be nice in my answer.
"We are in the process of moving back. It will take a few trips."
When exactly are we moved back? When the truck leaves? When the truck arrives? When we step off the plane? When I don't have any more airline tickets planned? When the GPS is switched to calculate in miles rather than kilometers? Or is the moving day just a date on the calendar?

Two years ago, I was wrapping up my time at LHWL. I was sad about leaving my students, nervous about finding a new job, harried from preparing a complete curriculum for the next teacher, exhausted from running a my last show without David, and completely scared about what the future would hold. I didn't know what the future would hold, and I was scared of the unknown.

I'm feeling almost the same now as I did before. Even though I know where I will live and where I will work and what I will be doing (basically) this summer, I'm still feeling nostalgic. I had the opportunity to work in a high school this week: substitute in a Spanish classroom and help with a drama production. It brought back so many memories. I got a few days to relive my old life and reconsider my next stage.

Taking a year (or more) out of the classroom will feel very strange.

Addict

2010-04-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Kelly, and I am addicted to the television.
Not the programs, so much. Just the noise. And the sound. And the news.

I thought everyone needed the TV on when they were working. I thought everyone watched the news at breakfast, and at dinner.

Ok, so I'm over-reacting a bit. according to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/465910/4_signs_that_youre_suffering_from_television.html?cat=25 TV addicts schedule their lives around TV and overreact when they miss a program. That's not really me.

But after a week with no electricity, and then another week with no TV connection, and now 2 weeks with no cable, I'm starting to get used to the silence.

It's like being on vacation.

An earthquake happened in China, and I didn't know about it for a day or two. My students started talking about last night's episode of one of my favorite shows, and i had to admit I hadn't seen it. I can hear noises from the street during breakfast and I talk with my friend(s) during dinner bc there are no newscasters keeping me company.

This very helpful (sarcasm implied) website http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/tv-addiction-as-serious-as-drug-addiction-382100.html#axzz0lw8P5n9p
exercising, watching TV, playing board games, and actually leaving the apartment as the cure to my addiction.
So... extra novel from the library - check!
Twilight scene it board game played on a laptop with a battery - check!
Taking a 2 hour bus ride to the nearest starbucks for computer access and to read the novel mentioned above - check!
Yoga on the roof at sunset... well, i'm still hoping to try that one.

Seems like my addiction may soon be cured! Only side effect is watching "Glee" episodes a few days late... but that can be acceptable.

Free Time

2010-04-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

For most of 2 school years, I had a loooong commute. Now, we Detroiters are used to long commutes. Driving is how we 'drive' the MI economy. Without cars, we're all out of a job.
But still, 2-3 hours per day, sometimes in stop-and-go traffic, sometimes through 8" puddles, sometimes across precarious bridges, sometimes through narrow mountain passes had become rather exhausting. Few North Americans, outside of southern California, ever have that kind of commute.

So... since I no longer live in Metepec but instead in an apartment building just meters from the school, the popular question now is:
"What are you doing with ALL your free time, now?" Implying that I now have 2 to 3 hours of extra time every day when I used to be driving.

Honestly, I also thought I'd have lots of free time.
I had planned to wake up early, with the sun, and actually make time for exercise and spiritual reflection before school. I had planned to get home early from work with time to bask in the sunshine, reading a novel. I had planned to spend my weekend scrapbooking memories of my time in Mexico.

Yeah, not so much.

Problem #1: While I no longer drive for 2-3 hours per day, a bus trip to the buy groceries, register my cell phone, print my pictures, or pick up something I need for school will take me about 2 hours, even though the location of these places is about 5-10 km away.

Problem #2: With daylight savings time, the sun is barely up before I leave for school, and I am not so motivated to get out of bed before the sun unless I really really have to do it (and most days, I do have to shower and eat before the sun is up. but I don't have to exercise or meditate...)

Problem #3: I spent my first week in the apartments without power. So we spent a lot of time and energy getting electricity from alternate sources, or using as much electricity as possible during the hours when it was on.

Problem #4: I had previously used my car time to my best advantage - listening to books, talking on the phone, buying cell phone minute cards from the guy on the corner. So now, all of those activities are still happening, even though I'm not in the car, so that is not really time 'gained'.

In short, I spent most of my first week settling in, and most of my second week doing school work. Not really exercising, or praying, or relaxing, or scrapbooking. Just living like I normally do.

I'm going to try again in May.

The Other Mexico

2010-04-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

After nearly 2 years of living in our beautiful house in Metepec and only 2 short weeks living in a small apartment on the poor side of DF, I have learned a lot about the "other" side of Mexico. I now refuse to call it "real" Mexico, bc the way I was living before was real to me. That cushy way of life is also real to the millions of upper-middle-class Mexicans - like many of our co-workers and friends - who actually live in beautiful houses with manicured lawns and housekeepers and big screen TVs and pantries full of food (kind of like what we call 'normal suburbia' in the U.S!).

But for most working class and poor Mexicans, their daily life is a little different than what I was used to.

As a background, my co-workers who live in the apartments are living off of a salary roughly equivalent to $5.50/hour with unpaid summer vacation. And for those of you who think "well, it's cheaper cost of living there" you're mainly wrong. Some things are cheaper, some things are about the same, and some things are pricier. But living in small apartments, using public transportation, and buying only enough groceries to get you to the next paycheck is always going to be cheaper than how I am used to living.

So, here in these apartments on the poor side of DF, this is what I have learned:

1. electricity, hot water, garbage pickup, internet strength, and working laundry machines are all sporadic and cannot be counted on to be available when needed.
2. standing on a bus for 45 minutes without falling into the lap of the lady next to me is a serious workout
3. carrying my groceries through the market, over the steps across the highway, onto the long bus ride, and then up the stairs to my house is also a serious workout
4. when the electricity and washing machines are not working, it is pretty tricky to carry my dirty clothes, laptop bag, and purse onto the bus to find a laundromat and an internet cafe
5. it is super tricky to keep Mexican germs - picked up during the multiple bus trips - from spreading through my apartment if I don't have hot water to wash my hands when I return
6. shopping for fresh produce saves me lots of money, but then I need to find a place to store all of it in the closet-sized kitchen, which I can't find, so I eat all the food right away, esp. because anything that needed to be refrigerated was probably lost bc we don't have electricity and anything that needs reheating has to be done in the oven bc the microwave isn't working bc we don't have electricity, so within 2 days I have eaten all of the fresh produce I bought and now I need a 2 hour bus trip to go get more.

It's been an interesting two weeks.

Bilingual

2010-04-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yo x 2

por Jane Medina

Leo por dos
Escribo por dos
Pienso y sueño
y lloro por dos

Yo río por dos
Yo grito por dos
Canto, pregunto,
Intento por dos

Hago mucho más
que hacen todo ellos
Porque yo hablo por dos,
Lo doble que aquellos

Me x 2

I read times two
I write times two
I think, I dream
I cry times two.

I laugh times two
I shout times two
I sing, I ask,
I try times two

I do twice as much
As most people do,
'Cause most speak one,
But I speak two!

Happiness is...

2010-04-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about happiness. It all started with The Happiness Project http://www.happiness-project.com/ which was interesting. Now I'm reading The Geography of Bliss where a reporter travels around the world searching for happiness.

Of course, true joy comes only from a relationship with Jesus, and this joy gives me strength to carry on during my roughest days. But most days, when I'm just a little cranky, I'm wondering what I can do to be a little happier.

Today, Happiness was a hot shower in the morning, electricity at night, reading a book in the sunshine eating a cookie, and humming a tune while cooking dinner. The tune was one I remembered from a musical my mom directed a few years ago ("You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"):

HAPPINESS IS FINDING A PENCIL.
PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE
TELLING THE TIME.
HAPPINESS IS LEARNING TO WHISTLE.
TYING YOUR SHOE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
HAPPINESS IS PLAYING THE DRUM IN YOUR OWN SCHOOL BAND.
AND HAPPINESS IS WALKING HAND IN HAND.

HAPPINESS IS TWO KINDS OF ICE CREAM.
KNOWING A SECRET.
CLIMBING A TREE.
HAPPINESS IS FIVE DIFFERENT CRAYONS.
CATCHING A FIREFLY.
SETTING HIM FREE.

HAPPINESS IS BEING ALONE EVERY NOW AND THEN.
AND HAPPINESS IS COMING HOME AGAIN.

HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.

HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.
SHARING A SANDWICH.
GETTING ALONG.

HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,
AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.

FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.

Experiences make us happier

2010-04-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/15/materialistic-people-less-happy-less-liked/?hpt=Sbin

After 2 years in Mexico, I have precious little to "show" for it. 5 extra pounds, maybe, from all the flan and arrechera and sopa tortilla and tres leches and jamaica water and tacos arabes and... well you get the idea. (or maybe you don't, bc it's in Spanish, but just assume that anything with a name you can't pronounce is NOT low in calories!)

We have a few pieces of artwork for our walls and our bookshelves, a few pieces of clothing for our closets, a few pieces of jewelry for special occasions, an amazing bedroom set :) and thousands of pictures.

But I also have a lot of experiences that can't be cataloged on an insurance form. (we're talking house insurance this week in math class). Learning to rely on each other when there's no other friends or relatives or neighbors or co-workers or church acquaintances who know our names or speak our language. Floating on a boat through a canal smelling flowers and watching the birds while debating the history of Cuba in Spanish. Negotiating a lower price on cheap souvenirs and paying double for my avocados. Teaching others how to teach or how to engineer or how to speak English or how to survive in Mexico or how to get through airport security so that after we're gone, even if we're forgotten, we still left a little piece of ourselves behind here in Mexico.

Yesterday at Spanish Class/ Bible Study, we found this question in our book: "What will we do when someone tells us that the best God has to offer us has passed us by?" We had a nice long discussion, in Spanish, about whether or not the Bible supported the assertion that God would let His plans for us slip by unnoticed. We basically decided that no, He would not, although some in the group were still skeptical, asserting that God might put them right in front of us, and we just wouldn't take the chances being offered to us.

Is it possible that God has great things planned for us, but we can decide not to do those things? Sure, I guess so. But is it also likely that no matter what our choices, if we keep coming back to Jesus, He'll keep giving us great opportunities?

The author (of the book we were using for our study) also seemed to remind us that not everything God wants us to do is something we want to do. Or even something we think we're good at. Or something we think is important. A lot of the "best God has to offer us" is stuff we don't want to pick up and take.

Sometimes Jesus calls us to raise babies or care for an aging parent or sick spouse, when we'd really rather not clean up after these people. Sometimes He calls us to lead craft time at VBS when we'd rather not be covered in glue. Sometimes He calls us to make sandwiches for the homeless, when we'd really rather be at home eating steak and potatoes (or, in my case, advocating on capital hill for better homeless funding).

Sometimes, Jesus calls us to move to a new place, where we don't know anyone or anything and we are working for incompetent people and we don't know why He couldn't have called someone else to do this because our lives are really going to be interrupted by this little "break" far away and when are we going to get back to the life we had planned and a slightly larger checking account, Lord?

Sometimes, Jesus explains why He asked us to do this, and sometimes He doesn't.
I'm still not sure exactly why He asked us to move to Mexico, and work here, and live here, and absorb this culture. But I do know that I feel, deep in my soul, that this is where we were supposed to be for the last 2 years, and that even though part of me wants to stay here, and part of me wants to go back to the life I had before this experience, I'm peacefully ok with the fact that our next adventure just might not be anything I had ever imagined.

Jealous, are we?

2010-04-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/children-greet-us-first-lady-10415

The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, visited Mexico this week. She had a youth-focused tour, so she met with some Mexican children, of course, but she also met with the embassy kids - those between 8 & 14. One of the kids at our school got to go! I am super jealous.

Rumor has it that she said only 3 words in Spanish while she was here: "Si, se puede" which roughly translates to "Yes, We Can!" the campaign slogan of Obama 2 years ago. This was also the slogan of the farm workers movement/ latino civil rights movement in the 1960s. So very political. ;)

Another of our students met Barack Obama last spring break & when the pres. shook his hand, told him, "I used to have a haircut like that"! which is true. they had matching afros. This student of mine is a great kid and a reader, so I told him to read Obama's books before he runs for president. All of us teachers have been promised a place in his administration, so we're definitely pushing for this kid to be president in about 20 years. As long as he remembers us.

Teaching doesn't pay much, but I'm basically in it for the side benefits - starbucks gift cards as end-of-the-year thank you presents, calls from alumni saying "you made a difference in my life", parents who say that their kid turned a corner this year and isn't acting out as much as s/he did before.
But honestly, seeing the first couple would be a benefit I wouldn't turn down. If it was offered.

Hermano is watching you...

2010-04-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

There's a funny episode of "Arrested Development" where a main character is looking for someone named "hermano" and keeps punching guys until he finally figures out that "hermano" means "brother" and isn't a name so much as a title. :)

Mexico is used to "big brother" watching them. Many Mexicans do live "off the charts" because it's pretty easy to avoid paying income taxes, and also pretty easy to live without an address. Think hermit in Montana, times 14 million, all squished into a tiny polluted valley and you've got Mexico City.

Well, big "hermano" is now watching out for Mexicans, too. The Mexican government, in an attempt to persuade criminals and other annoying persons from using pre-paid phones, has passed a law that all cell phones must be registered with the government. This will be like a yellow pages of cell phones, except that since Mexicans don't have an address, their cell phone number will be listed with their CURP - the Mexican equivalent of a social security number.

Important background information: Currently, most US cell phone users have a contract tied to a credit card, which is tied to a bank account and a permanent address. Most Mexicans have a pre-paid cell phone tied to nothing. US police can subpoena to access those phone records if there is a warrant for your arrest (I think - that could only be on Law & Order, I'm not exactly sure). Mexican police can call your number and see if you're stupid enough to answer.

Anyway, since I am not Mexican, I don't have a CURP. I'm not going to get one, either. It's against the law. But, I still need a "registered" phone, because unregistered phones are going to be cut off from service. Basically, until I register it, the phone company doesn't know I'm a foreigner, so they have to assume I am just a Mexican with a procrastination problem.

Mexicans with this special ID number can just text it to the company to register their phone. I have to take my passport to a very special elite phone service center and ask politely for them to register my phone.

Except, now that I have moved into an apartment on the poor side of DF, registering my phone actually went something like this:

Buying a new phone card: $200pesos
Going to the mall twice(4 bus rides, 2 taxi rides, a car ride, and a long walk): $150 pesos + 4 hours
Finally being able to make a call to the U.S. without a Spanish error message: priceless

Got to love Mexico!

"real" Mexico

2010-04-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

"So... are you all settled in?" well meaning acquaintances are trying to small-talk about our recent "move". I should be better at small talk - at least more polite - because I talk so much. But I have this crazy tendency to actually say the truth, or at least something resembling the truth.
So, no. We are NOT settled in. Our truck left mexico 2 weeks ago (today) and isn't likely to arrive at our MI house for another week or so.
we arrived at our house with 10 suitcases (no joke!) and unpacked them. Then, we had to "reorganize" the house to move the renters' items into storage and our items into display.
But really, we've been living at our house, out of suitcases, every time we visited MI for the past two years! So, no, I don't feel "settled" at "home" bc my home is still here in Mexico.

It was very sad to see our beautiful house in Metepec returned to the landlord, to be repurposed for the next family. It was also sad to "leave" Mexico.

But I'm back already!

I flew back to the DF airport, took a taxi to my friends' apartments by the school where I teach, and started work yesterday morning.

I'm more settled in the apartment(s) than I am back home.

And as such, I get to experience "real" Mexico. Not the beautiful, well-manicured lawn and housekeeper-cleaned mansion we had in Metepec. A very small (600 square feet?) apartment. With no hot water. or electricity. I don't own a car. I walk to work.

But I'm still liking it. :) I get to spend time with my friends, and practice my spanish and eat tortillas.

I do miss Dave terribly. But I think he misses Mexico, too, already, so I'm trying to soak up as much "real" Mexico as I can. for him.

"traffic"

2010-04-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Riding with us this weekend, a friend of ours commented that Dave drives "more aggressively than [he] used to". I didn't notice. I thought Dave was driving not only normally but also pretty calmly.

Truth is, we'll have some weeks of driving here before we re-adjust.

Driving in Mexico means speed bumps, crowded lanes, slow trucks, dangerous curves, rude taxis, swerving scooters, jaywalking children, stalled VB bugs, stray dogs, toll booth lines, traffic light lines, left turn lines, right turn lines, short exit ramps, passing police officers, and "hoy no circula" rules (emission testing regulations). This translates to a very stressful stop-and-go driving experience with lots of waiting, bumping, brake slamming, and aggressive driving. I would regularly zip between 3 lanes of traffic - passing cars left and right - and while I was the fastest driver I was still 10 km under the limit.

Driving this morning in Michigan - during "rush hour" - meant straight roads, long entrance and exit ramps, wide lanes, plenty of space between cars, driving 75 miles per hour, lots of signs, and otherwise calm and organized driving. But I just couldn't drive casually. For 45 minutes, I was constantly checking my mirrors for police officers or unruly drivers, I had both hands firmly on the wheel, and I had to remind myself to use the cruise control. I spent most of the time in the right "slow" lane, even though I was driving 5 miles OVER the speed limit. I was so busy driving, I didn't even have time to change the radio channel or drink my tea!

It might be a while before I am so confident driving casually that I can pick up my phone and make a call while driving. Then again, maybe I shouldn't ever get that comfortable.

Tonight at the restaurant...

2010-04-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

I knew I had been in Mexico for a while when I...
- thought the gal who took our order had a really good American accent
- saw everyone standing awestruck in front of the big-screen TV and thought "must be a world cup finalist game"

I knew I was in Ann Arbor when I...
- saw that everyone was intently watching Pres. Obama play basketball in his backyard
- the "burger of the month" was a homemade black bean patty

I knew I was in the U.S. when I...
- ordered a water and got an empty plastic cup (to fill myself from the spout for free)
- figured out that Pres. Obama playing bball was a commercial during the NCAA basketball semi-finals

*sigh* Reverse culture shock has already sunk in!

6 hours

2010-03-31T07:36:00.001-07:00

6 hours. That's all it took. Only 6 hours to wrap up, box up, pack up, and load up all of our stuff from our house in Mexico onto a big box truck headed to our house in Michigan.

Of course, these 6 hours were bookended by 4 long, hard, stressful days of organizing, sorting, packing, cleaning, saying good bye, and ending contracts. By the time it was over, I was mainly glad that Dave & I had done this a few times and were able to handle the stress without a divorce.

But, in the end, I'm sad to leave. We have loved our time in Mexico. We love Mexico, love the people, the food, the culture, the history, the weather, and also our laid-back way of life here. If only I could have been paid a little better and spent a little less time on Mexican roads, I probably would have signed up for another few years, if that was an option.

Maybe we'll be able to spend another few times here in the future.

Future Plans

2010-03-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

As this post is published, big changes are happening in our house.

After nearly 2 years of living in our beautiful house in Metepec, Edo. de Mexico, Mexico, we are packing up. David's "tour of duty" in Mexico is just about over. I'll be staying with friends to finish up the school year here. (As much as I'd love to work somewhere else, God seems determined to keep me here a while longer.)

We have absolutely loved Mexico. We love the sunshine, the friendliness, the beauty, the colors, the food, the music, the language, the history, and the culture. If I could find a better paying job, I just might sign up for a longer stay. Unfortunately, we have known from the time we arrived that our time here was short.

What we have accomplished:
- we now speak Spanish well enough to socialize for up to 4 hours completely in Spanish, visit an history museum with only Spanish-language displays, watch CNN en Espanol and understand what is happening, and fully participate in a Spanish-language protestant liturgical worship service
- we have visited most of Mexico (26 out of 32 states plus the capital and nearly every major city)
- we have learned more about Mexican history and politics than most Mexicans know (I'm teaching Mexican history!)

I also learned how to write a blog. In fact, due to popular demand (since I only have like 5 readers, I figured 3 was a majority...) I've been blogging 5 days a week for the past 6 months. This has been a LOT of fun.
BUT, the time for daily blogging has come to a close. I'll be posting about once a week through April and May, but then our Mexico adventure will be over. For now.

I truly hope that we will have another adventure to share with all of you very soon.

It's all in the carriage

2010-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mexico City has a castle. Most non-Mexicans don't know about it, but it's true. The castle was originally designed as a lavish home for the Spanish viceroy (like the king's ambassador) but wasn't finished before the Mexicans called for independence from Spain. After Mexico got a constitution, they put the castle to work as a military academy. The castle achieved infamy during the war of North American Invasion (oh, you haven't heard of that war? we call it the "Mexican-American War"...) where the cadets at this academy died, wrapped in the Mexican flag, at the hands of the U.S. generals.
I know, I had no idea we actually invaded Mexico and murdered teenagers in the name of war, either, until I moved here. That was the last battle of the war, so that's good.

Today the castle/ cadet academy is a historical museum. Most of the museum is full of really interesting Mexican history that you are probably not interested in hearing. :)

But, there was one exhibit that I thought succinctly showcased a crucial piece of Mexican history.

In 1861, the first Mexican President of Native Mexican heritage was elected: Benito Juarez. He was a very liberal president at his time, and refused to pay debts to rich countries in order to have enough money to pay for education (and other important reforms). The U.S. - likely feeling guilty after the Mexican-American war - and Britain basically ignored the fact that Mexico owed them money. But France demanded payment and when they didn't receive it they sent their own emperor to rule Mexico and oust their liberal president. From 1864-1867 Maximillian of Hapsburg was the emperor of Mexico. This is the carriage he rode into Mexico City to assume his throne:

He had this carriage sent over from France to Mexico on a boat with him, and then he rode it from Veracruz to Mexico City.

Maximillian actually supported many of the liberal reforms that Benito Juarez had promoted, but he also sent money to France for 3 years until the Mexicans revolted and executed him. They reinstated Benito Juarez, who rode to his 2nd inauguration in this carriage:

This carriage would have been made in Mexico City by local artisans.

Today, Juarez is on currency, has his own federal holiday, and is one of the few presidents most Mexicans can name when asked. Maximillian, on the other hand... is best forgotten.

Paricutin

2010-03-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Mexico is built on volcanoes. We're used to mountains and volcanoes now, so this pic might not be super exciting.
Except that this volcano is only about 70 years old!
In 1943, a farmer family noticed lava and ash coming through their fields. They initially tried to scoop dirt into the fissure, but quickly realized that running was the best idea. Within a week, the volcano was 5 stories tall. It kept erupting, slowly, for a year, until the eruption had caused the population to leave the town and create a new town 20 km away. After a year of eruption the volcano was over 1100ft. tall and the volcanic rock had covered the entire town.

Well, almost the entire town. The lava flow left the 2 belltowers of the old cathedral standing, as well as the altar. Town residents saw this as a sign from God. Whether it was a sign of thankfulness for their prior piety or a warning to future generations is unsure, but either way the Mexicans feel that visiting this site is really important.

Not important enough to build a road or a safe bridge, but important enough to drive for hours over ashy roads up a mountain and then climb over a pile of rocks. I didn't feel confident enough to get right up to the altar, but it was pretty amazing to climb over the volcanic rocks.

The Alley of Romance

2010-03-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Guanajuato has an alley of kissing (I blogged that Nov. 4, 2009) but Morelia has a whole street of romance!
A poet named "ortiz" wrote a long poem about the "Romance of my City", referring to Morelia, and when the city renovated part of the town, they redid this alley to be very tourist friendly and also having tiles with lines of his poetry mounted on the walls.
It was beautiful!

Aqueduct

2010-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Mexico has really beautiful currency. They use more coins than we do in the U.S., including a $10peso coin which is roughly equivalent to our $1 bill. Each coin and each bill is a different size, to help blind people, and each bill is a different color. The $50peso bill is roughly worth $4USD right now, and has a picture of the aqueduct in Morelia as well as the monarch butterflies from the state of Michoacan. We got our picture taken with the bill in front of the part of the aqueduct on the bill. We even managed to get a pic without any cars in the background!

Morelia = land of morelos

2010-03-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Morelos is famous for a few things - capital city of Michoacan, one of the prettiest states of mexico; its beautiful large cathedral; the site of the aqueduct on the $50peso bill, which I'll blog about tomorrow; and possibly most importantly, the home of Jose Morelos, national hero.
In fact, the city used to be called "valladolid" after a city in Spain, until hometown hero Jose Morelos fought for Mexico's independence. After independence was "won" with a constitution separating them from Spain, the city voted to rename itself. So, "Morelia" was born.

Jose Morelos did not start the Independence movement. But after the priest who did declare independence was executed, Morelos and a few of his friends took up the fight. Morelos was a priest and also a war genius who fought for 4 years before being executed himself. (check out a map of his battles at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Campa%C3%B1a_de_Morelos.png)
Morelos' many military victories paved the way for independence from Spain.

Modern statue of Morelos:

This may be an urban legend, but I had always been told that in a statue of a solider on horseback, if the horse is depicted with one hoof off the ground, the soldier was wounded in battle (and may have died later from the wounds); Two raised hooves indicate that the soldier died in battle. If the statue shows all four hooves on the ground, the rider survived all battles unharmed. I guess that being executed for treason means he died after battle?

The women in this statue are meaningful, also. The woman on the right is holding broken chains in her hand, symbolizing the independence movement breaking Mexico's chains of "slavery" to Spain. The woman on the left is holding fabric that may have been meant to symbolize the flag and also a scroll that symbolizes the constitution.

Morelia

2010-03-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacan, and is about 300 km - 3 driving hours - away from where we live in Toluca. Like every major Mexican city, it has a beautiful downtown cathedral. This particular one is widely considered one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Mexico. It is built of local pink volcanic stone and combines the architectural styles of Neo-Classical, Herreresque and Baroque because it took almost a century to complete and kept changing styles to follow the modern changes in architecture.
Inside the cathedral, highlights include a silver baptismal font in a side chapel (Mexico's first emperor, Agustín de Iturbide, was baptized here), a beautiful organ with 4,600 pipes, and a 16th-century corn-paste statue of the Señor de la Sacristía. The statue's gold crown was a gift from Philip II of Spain.
Every Saturday at 8pm, they light up the cathedral and send up fireworks behind it. (well, they told us it was every Saturday night, but we went on Sat. night and there was no fireworks)

I really liked how the sun shined into the cathedral when we visited, which made it seem as if God himself was smiling on the chapel.

This is the 2nd largest pipe organ in Latin America:

This pic shows how pink the rock is:

Violence = Less Tourism

2010-03-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Some of the information in the posting is from a CNN article. For the full article, please go to http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/19/Tijuana.mexico.tourism/index.html?hpt=Sbin

There was an unfortunate act of violence this last weekend in the border town of Juarez. It is very sad that consulate employees and their families were targeted by drug cartels. Unfortunately, it is not surprising. Embassy and Consulate workers know the danger they encounter when they choose to work for those places. I teach some embassy workers' children; we had a state department employee visit our class. Anyone in known danger is regularly or constantly supervised by bodyguards. Some of them have 24-hour security at their house. It seems that the incident last weekend specifically targeted the employees who were careless - they were in a residential area of Juarez without protection on a weekend evening. I would never do this.

Tourists need to know that they are generally NOT in danger in Mexico. Tourists who are in tourist areas during the daytime are not targeted by violent drug cartels. Just like anyone visiting Manhattan or Chicago or Miami, innocent people are sometimes injured, but that is not limited to Mexico.

Please consider visiting Mexico. If you are too nervous to drive across the border, fly into Mexico. Visit the beach towns or central Mexico, where there is almost no drug cartel presence. Spend money at locally owned restaurants and hotels, tip everyone who helps you, buy cheap stuff in the market, donate to charities, and do volunteer work. Also, ask your government representatives for comprehensive immigration reform and additional gun regulations. (The guns used in the attack last weekend were legally purchased in Texas and then illegally transported across the border.)
Mexico is our neighbor; we cannot ignore them.

Journal Entries: "How can quality of life in Mexico be improved?"

2010-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

I ask my students to write in their journals every day. When I grade them (which isn't often) I get great insight into their brains. My 7th & 8th grade Geography class is very ESL & LD - most of the students in there speak English as a 2nd or 3rd language, and some of them don't speak it very well, and the few who are "native" English speakers have either grown up outside of the U.S. or have trouble reading and writing in any language due to learning disabilities. It's an interesting class, to say the least, but my favorite (I know, we're not supposed to have favorites, but we do) bc they work so hard and have such good insights. They are excited to learn and I can see improvement from week to week and month to month.

We were learning about Latin America recently, and so I spent almost a week on Mexico. They don't know much about the place where they live bc few of my students and little of my curriculum is Mexican. I wanted them to reflect on what they already knew about Mexico with this question: "How can quality of life in Mexico be improved?" (First, I had to describe what "quality of life" meant, but once they got it, they gave good answers):

by not eating oil foods that make you fat. by not eating so much and doing exercises. by eating just fruits and vegetables. This might be a good idea for the U.S., too!

well, instead of complaining, they could actually do something about it [the pollution] ... compared to where I used to live, Mexico City is very clean Believe it or not, she's telling the truth; she used to live in the Dominican Republic, which shares an island with Haiti.

They should make new laws... we should not spit either. Also they should build everything people needs in one town so that people won't travel for long time. This girl travels over an hour to get to school bc of bad infrastructure and heavy traffic. I think DF is actually trying to build everything in one town... but that town is HUGE!

all of the people should help to change it. because most of the time they complain. Good advice for life in general, don't you think?

i don't think Mexico can get any better. Some people could leave. huh.

they could use more money for a clean country. true.

Why do people keep whining? good question!

Mexico is just one of a kind. My thoughts, exactly

El Juego - the ball game

2010-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

The Mesoamericans had a crazy ball game. They played in a narrow passageway between 2 stone walls, trying to get a rubber ball into specific locations. They believed that the gods would bless one group, so often there was a lot of gambling around these games, and the losers would be killed as a sacrifice to the gods. At this "stadium" there are hills nearby for common people to watch the game and big rocks sitting nearby as "box seats" for the important people.

I am not sure I would want to be a player - 50% chance of death is kinda scary - and I also don't think i'd like to watch - games sometimes went on for hours. But now it's fun to imagine what the game would have really been like. (no one knows for sure; the game died out when the Spanish came)

El Tajin - Veracruz

2010-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when we're visiting places in Mexico, I'm reading in our Lonely Planet tourbook. This visitor guide is designed for eco-conscious and budget-conscious active-ish travelers. Most of their hotels are reasonably priced, many of their recommended restaurants are very local-friendly. Since we speak Spanish, this has worked out for us, bc we can go to places most "gringos" can't. Also, this book gives a lot of history about the archeological places we've visited so that we don't have to pay a tour guide to tell us in Spanish about the place.

We assumed that Veracruz would be very tropical, and the very green trees made it seem like we were in a tropical place. Thankfully, though, the temperature wasn't too high when we went. (about 80F)

The Mesoamericans (natives from central America with civilizations before the arrival of the Spanish) were the first to create a 365-day calendar. But they didn't have paper, so no amazing agendas or wall calendars with pictures of puppies. Instead, they used sculptures to remind the townspeople what day of the week/month/year it was. The "pyramid of the niches" is famous at El Tajin bc it has 365 little "niches" or little boxes - 1 for each day of the year. Likely the priests moved a little statue from one box to the next every day to help people figure out what day it was.

Wind Energy?!

2010-03-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

some information from this posting came from an article in THE NEWS, the English-language newspaper in Mexico City. For full article, please go to http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/mexico-to-head-wind-energy-in-latam-10310

Baja California is a miserable place to live. Some parts, on the coast, are very beautiful - like Cabos San Lucas, which we visited September 2009. But most of it is wasteland desert. I went for 6 years to Mexicali for mission work; we had to go on Spring Break bc temperatures in the summer can reach 120F. Because of its extreme heat, and lack of local water sources, this state uses more electricity than most other Mexican states (per person) and pays more for it also.

The current Mexican president has decided to invest in Wind energy for this area. It should provide jobs for a largely uneducated workforce, provide cleaner cheaper energy for the residents, and also produce a little bit of extra money that can be invested in government services for the poor.

Maybe the U.S. can learn something from this plan?

Bread Basket

2010-03-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

Little History Lesson for today (sorry - I'm a history teacher, I can't help myself!)

In the U.S., at many restaurants, a free basket of bread is delivered to your table while you're waiting for your food. There is often butter in this basket. In Europe, bread is also often available, but no butter. At "Mexican" restaurants, we often get a basket of fried tortilla chips with salsa.

Most North Americans are often shocked to discover that Mexicans love bread and butter, too. In fact, we often get a "bread" basket full of rolls, butter, tortilla chips, and salsa - but the salsa is actually a sauce, not a chunky tomato dip.

This is the history part - the Spanish were sent to Mexico to look for gold, and while they did find some, what they found more of was edible gold - corn. Mexicans had survived on corn for hundreds of years. While the Spanish king strongly encouraged the colonists to Mexico to grow wheat, teach bread-making, and eat only "civilized" food, most of the colonists just couldn't do it. At their fancy Spanish dinners they would eat bread, but then after hours they would sneak into the "ghetto" side of town to eat tacos made from corn tortillas. The men were "slummin' it" in more ways than one!

Today, Mexicans just embrace both sides of their heritage - the Spanish part and the American part. The basket is just a small example of their Mestizo heritage.

Furniture!

2010-03-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

We have a furnished house/ condo that we're renting here. The style is very beautiful. Lots of wood - exposed beams, wood furniture, wood cabinets, as well as iron drawer pulls (and some cold tile floors and ugly art, but we can't have everything).

Wooden furniture in Mexico is called "rustico" or rustic. Most Mexicans don't really like it anymore, bc they think it's old fashioned. So a lot of upscale furniture stores sell "modern" furniture full of leather and carved iron. But we really like the wooden stuff! Locals hand carved a beautiful bedroom set just for us and delivered it to our house for an amazing price. Not IKEA cheap, but definitely closer to Art Van clearance center than Amish furniture center. We can't wait to add a little Mexico to our MI house.

furniture

"Marianisma"

2010-03-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

information from this posting is based on an article from THE NEWS, the English-language newspaper in Mexico city. For the full article, check here http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/womens-roles-polled-1038

A lot of North Americans have heard of "Machismo" which is the Mexican stereotype/ideal/legend of the "ultimate" man. Not so many have heard of "Marianisma" which is basically that every woman should be like Mary - pure but also a mother (hard to be both, but you get the idea). Every man wants his mom, wife, sister, and daughter to be modest and good at homemaking. Or at least, that's the idea.

In reality, most Mexicans are poor. And like poor women throughout history and across cultures, Mexican women do not have the opportunity to be a "stay-at-home-mom". They might stay at home, but they are working, making money however possible, and often sharing in running the family business. Women run small tiendas, work as housekeepers, hawk items in the street, run boarding houses and laundromats, and even run lunchtime restaurants out of their garage.

Perhaps it is this idea that explains the results of a study that an American found "surprising": 91% of Mexican women think women should work outside the home but only 42% do work outside the home. Most women want access to their own spending money, so that they can buy a book to read or shoes for their children or meat for dinner, rather than rely on their husband's infrequent and/or inadequate income. But not every woman has the option of leaving her house to work - there just aren't jobs available.

OTOH, 77% of U.S. women work outside the home while onkly 58% of women prefer working outside the home. In a country where staying at home means wealth rather than poverty, we'd rather show off our wealth.

BTW - March is women's history month, so I'm going to try to add some "women-focused" posts this month.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-03-02/news/17285004_1_stay-at-home-mothers-fathers-spend-more-time-suzanne-bianchi
http://women.webmd.com/news/20070906/women-prefer-working-outside-the-home

My own Happiness Project

2010-03-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

2 years ago, I was begging for someone, anyone, to tell me what I'd be feeling right now. I was so worried about moving to Mexico (check out my first blog http://southernhospitality-mexico.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html ) I just wanted to know that in the end, we had made the right decision and these would not be 2 wasted years but instead 2 amazing years.
Years of discovery.
Years of growth.
Years of happiness.

And they have.

We knew, very strongly, that God had plans for us here, but we didn't really understand why. Why here? Why now? Why not?

Mexico has been my "Happiness Project". Kind of like a mini-quarter-life-crisis or pre-retirement. I got to see what my life would be like if I wasn't a slave to my job. If I wasn't busy every minute of every day. If I wasn't freezing half the year and sweating the other half. If I read more books and watched less TV and learned to blog. If I shopped less. If I met different people. If I stopped doing housework. If I caught up on all the things I was going to do "whenever I got the tiem". If I finished writing the book in my head. If I focused on eating delicious food rather than losing 5 pounds. If I soaked up Vitamin D every day. If I backpacked in Europe and climbed a Volcano in Mexico and walked the streets of Japan.

Turns out, doing all of those things has made me a better person. (I think.) I am more happy with my accomplishments, more comfortable doing "nothing", more confident in my personality, more aware of the big world around me.

Seems like I've got this Mexico adventure all wrapped up.
I'm ready for a new adventure now.

Happiness Project

2010-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

Living in Mexico has given me a lot of extra free time. Even working full time and driving up to 3 hours per day, I'm still working fewer hours and those hours are less busy than what I was doing before I came here. So, I've been reading a lot - books, blogs, webpages, ebooks, audiobooks... well, you get the idea.

One of my favorite books recently was "The Happiness Project" (you can check out other books I've read on www.shelfari.com). This book also has a blog, which is fun if you don't have time to read the whole book - although I do recommend at least borrowing it from the library and skimming it. http://www.happiness-project.com/

The blog for Wed. March 3 was about the 10 myths of happiness:
No. 1: Happy people are annoying and stupid. This is an automatic assumption that many people make.
No. 2: Nothing changes a person’s happiness level much.
No. 3: Venting anger relieves it.
No. 4: You’ll be happier if you insist on “the best.”
No. 5: A “treat” will cheer you up.
No. 6: Money can’t buy happiness.
No. 7: Doing “random acts of kindness” brings happiness. The emphasis here is on the word "random."
No. 8: You’ll be happy as soon as you… Falling into the "arrival fallacy" is something that many people (including me) recognize in themselves.
No. 9: Spending some time alone will make you feel better.
No. 10: The biggest myth: It’s selfish to try to be happier.

Maybe one of the reasons I liked the idea of a "Happiness Project" is because moving to Mexico has been my happiness project. Tomorrow my blog will be more about that ;)

Starbucks

2010-03-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

I am off of school this week, which means lots of free time. I learned a long time ago that if Dave is working but I'm not that I need to use that time to do all the things I never seem to have time to do - lesson plans, scrapbooking, cleaning the house, etc. and reserve vacations and fun stuff for the times when we're both off. I also learned a long time ago that if I am in my pjs when Dave leaves for work, I'm still in my pjs when he gets home. :) So, this week I woke up and got ready for "work" with Dave and instead went to Starbucks for a few hours to work on lesson plans for 4th quarter.

Well, lesson plans and next week's chapel message.
Well, lesson plans and chapel and blog writing and internet searching and daydreaming and people watching.

What can I say? people watching is even more fun in a foreign country!

I know that North Americans love their coffee, and their coffee shops. But this is a new fun trend in Mexico, too. The coffees cost about the same, so there are only Starbucks in "rich" areas of Mexico. In central Mexico, that means most of the people here are pretty "white" looking. At the Starbucks in Santa Fe - THE upscale DF suburb - I can often hear more English than Spanish.

8am - 10am is mainly "business breakfasts" with people who work together meeting for coffee before work. They normally do not get their coffee to go, but it does happen occasionally, esp. if someone is buying for a large group.

10am - 12pm is a lot of prepa (high school) and university students, "studying" together. It's not uncommon for teens here to go to school only in the afternoon or to have a flexible schedule that's more like what we would have for community college.

12pm - 2pm is a slow time. Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. The staff is cleaning and prepping for a busy afternoon. A few people like me, with laptops, "working" might be around.

2pm - 4pm is full of teens. These folks are already done with school for the day but don't want to go home and are rich enough to meet their friends at starbucks for a latte and a sandwich.

4pm - 6pm is a lot of babies in strollers with their moms and grandmas. Presumably visiting before Dad gets off of work. Also older teens/ university students (it's hard for me to tell the difference) on a date. Dinner dates are kind of rare for this age group who might be expected to be home by dinnertime (8pm).

6pm+ I'm normally not at Starbucks, so I can't be sure, but I have been there at this time and it's a common meeting place for families and friends and co-workers of all ages and sizes to meet for a snack after work. They'll go home for dinner at 8pm or so.

I've heard that U.S. starbucks are full of unemployed/self-employed people during the day (using free internet) and college students during the night (using free internet) with a wide spattering of rich and bored SAHMs. Can't be sure, but we seem to have a different vibe here.

Green Tacos & moldy tortillas

2010-03-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Most Americans have read "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. The funny part of this story is that NONE of us want to eat green eggs or green ham! Veggies can be green, but not anything else. Definitely not meat.

Um... Mexicans eat green meat. In fact, it's a local specialty. Toluca (where we live) is known in central Mexico, for their "chorizo" which is a kind of sausage. Except that in Toluca, there are 2 kinds: red and green. Red sausage looks like, well, sausage. Green sausage looks kind of like... moldy sausage. This is a real food, bc I've seen it in the grocery stores and at meat markets since we got here.

Took me almost 2 years to work up enough courage to try it.
Sheesh.

The tacos pictured above are chorizo tacos - the two on the left are red tacos and the 2 on the right are green tacos. (the white stuff on top is locally made cheese.)

oh, wait, you're wondering what that blue stuff is?
It's moldy corn tortillas. :)
Those I've been eating for a while. They're delicious. :)
And officially, it's not a mold, it's a fungus.

Corn is from central Mexico. Mexicans lived off of corn ("maize") for centuries, developing the largest capital city and largest empire in the entire world while Europe was still in the dark ages. (Un)fortunately, the Mexicans did not have chemical pesticides. There was this nasty blue fungus that sometimes grew on the corn, and they couldn't find a way to get rid of the fungus.

Hmmmmm...

So one day a Mexican ate the blue fungus-riddled corn. S/he didn't die! S/he didn't even get sick! And, bonus - it was kind of yummy! So now, there are yellow corn tortillas and blue corn tortillas. (maybe some of you have seen blue corn tortilla chips in your local U.S. grocery store? the blue corn is real, whether or not any was actually used in the making of the chips is a different story, as I've also seen red corn and green corn tortilla chips in the states which are definitely NOT natural!)

So, on Saturday, Dave & I ate fungus tortillas full of green sausage. Delicious.

One last Japan story...

2010-03-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

Japanese ride bikes.
A lot.

Basically, Tokyo was full of thousands of bikes, none of which were mounted or locked on to anything. We discovered that the back wheel is locked, preventing would-be thieves from riding the bike away, but not doing much to keep someone from carrying it off. I guess that carrying a bike would look strange, and loading bikes into a truck would also be too much of a hassle.

In short, we were often standing on sidewalks with lines of dozens of bikes standing neatly in a row.

Our last Saturday morning, we got up very early and had a long day of touring.

While Dave was looking at the tourbook, I turned around and my backpack brushed a bicycle next to me. In slow-motion, I turned to see the bike slowly leaning to the left. Then, the next bike fell. And the next one. And the nextoneandthenextoneandthenextone....

Until an entire line of nearly 100 bicycles had all fallen over.

A small Japanese boy stared at me with a look on his face that said, "you're in trouble!"

I looked Dave in the eyes and said, "RUN!" We started hoofing it to the nearest metro station in a desperate attempt to avoid whatever punishment the police felt like handing out.

Another travel adventure!

the one surrounded by the police???!!!

2010-03-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

Imagine me telling this story with a lot of hand motions and voice inflection....

Somehow, with the help of GPS technology, I managed to get to the DF airport in record time on Saturday to pick up David. Still, he arrived earlier than I expected, so I felt rushed and harried. I found the parking garage, carefully stowed all of my electronics, packed up my items, locked the car, and walked into the airport to meet Dave and have some dinner. An hour later, we walked into the parking garage with our paid parking ticket and I pointed David in the direction of our car.

"The one surrounded by police?"

Um, yep! The one surrounded by not only airport security but FEDERAL POLICE. WITH LOADED WEAPONS. oh, yeah. Our car was somehow a security hazard.

Why? I had managed to keep the car running while locked.

How is this possible? because of the genius electrical engineers at Nissan, who developed a key-less ignition with an important safety feature: the car will keep running after the keys are removed from the vehicle (theoretically, to prevent a car crash after your deranged passenger throws the keys out the window, rather than to keep a car running while parked).

As we approach the car, 2 US tourists with suitcases, the police are pretty much shocked. The car has DF license plates - how/ why would tourists have a locally plated car in the parking garage (rather than a rental car, for example)? Then, they explain, very slowly in simple Spanish that the car is still running.

So, I unlock the door, turn off the ignition, smile sheepishly, and apologize in Spanish.

We could practically hear their jaws drop.

Again, in very slow, simple Spanish, one security guard mentions that in Mexico, they generally turn off their ignitions when they park their cars at the airport, because of airport security.

Ah, got it. Thanks for the info.

Thankfully, we speak enough Spanish now for me to joke that it was all my fault; normally my husband drives the car, but that these new Nissans are much to advanced for women & they need to have female engineers design these things! (Women are seen as very bad drivers in Mexico.) They smiled at me. :) The guy with the gun did not seem to be brandishing it... which was good.

Then, in Spanish, we went through 5 minutes of trying to show the paperwork for the car. We don't understand the paperwork, even though we speak Spanish, so they 3 officers ended up holding onto 2 passports, Dave's FM3, my driver's license, insurance paperwork, and receipts for oil changes, new tires, emission testing, etc. By this point, they're trying not to laugh at us.

We thanked them, in Spanish, at least 3 times for their dedicated service, and apologized for our mistake, which seemed to confuse rather than flatter them. ("why aren't they mad at us?" we could see their expressions asking.

And then we drove away!

Ah, it is good to leave the police behind.

READ

2010-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

New research shows that Mexican adults read on average only about 3 books per year. This is very sad, considering that Mexico claims to have a 93% literacy rate. But it's not so unusual, when compared to the U.S.

The U.S. has a 99% literacy rate, but unfortunately 25% of American adults do not read books at all. Of those who do read books, the average was 5 per year for men and 9 per year for women.

Once the averages are better compared, American men don't seem to be reading much more than the average Mexican. Remember, also, that 50% of Mexicans have almost no discretionary income to purchase books and they Mexico does not have public libraries with free reading material that can be checked out. (Their libraries have mainly research and non-fiction books that can only be used within the library. There is no check-out process bc there is no guarantee the book would ever come back and no way to track down the book once it leaves bc so many Mexicans have no official address and there is no good way in Mexican law to demand payment for something after the fact.)

American women with a college education, otoh, seem to be big readers. Which explains why there are more female-slanted titles in Borders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101045.html

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/mexicans-read-few-books-a-year-10218

"calm zones" on Mexico City streets??

2010-02-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

I'm still comparing Tokyo and DF; it's hard to stop.

The crowded-ness of Mexico is often shrugged off by Mexicans. As in, "there's nothing that can be done, we just have to live with the bad traffic and rude people bc that is what happens with large cities". When I have mentioned that better road construction, requiring adequate driver's training, forcing buses to keep to a route and a schedule and designated pick-up zones, and actually enforcing traffic rules amongst drivers/buses/pedestrians/bikers, Mexicans have dismissed those ideas as if I have recommended that Mexico City be relocated to the moon where there is more space.

After staying in Tokyo - another very large, very crowded city - for 10 days, I know that crowd control can be well done. Despite the business of every train station and every store, I did not feel pushed or crowded in Tokyo. There is always space between the cars when they are driving. The buses pull off the road to pick up people. Pedestrians wait their turn to cross the street. Bikers stay in their bike lane. Everyone respects each others' space, which is crucial in such a crowded environment.

So when I read that Mexico City is going to "give priority to pedestrians and bikers" I had to laugh. Really? Who is going to enforce that priority? Drivers could be fined $150 - $225 USD for infringing on the rights of a biker or pedestrian, but who will issue the ticket? The corrupt policeman or the impotent traffic guard or the absent federal police? When is the fine paid - after someone is lying dead in the street? Where exactly will these pedestrians and bikers travel? In the road with the out-of-control buses or the untrained drivers? In the broken narrow sidewalks crowded with dead dogs and trees growing out of them?
Yeah, I'm not so much seeing this happening.
Now, if those fines went to pay for bike lanes or bike helmets... then we might be onto something.

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/new-priority-on-the-citys-streets-10218

Mexico's Metro

2010-02-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Back in Mexico City after 10 days in Tokyo, I can't help but compare the 2 largest most crowded cities in the world. Except for their similar population size and density, Tokyo and Mexico City couldn't be more different.

No where is this highlighted more plainly than in the metro/subway/train system.

Tokyo has at least 4 different train lines that provide above-ground and underground service throughout the city and it's suburbs. There is also a complex network of buses that transport people directly from the train stations to other places where the train does not go. 2 other large Japanese cities also have a metro/subway system, and a series of high-speed trains connect the large cities together. The trains throughout Tokyo are clean, efficient, quiet, and modern. The train stations are busy but not "squishy" with plenty of attention and space given to elderly, infirm, tourists, and babies. There are clean, free restrooms. There are signs and maps in English (and Japanese, of course) liberally spaced throughout the station. There are helpful bilingual station staff who are available to answer questions, fix ticket problems, direct traffic, encourage safety, and retrieve lost items.

Mexico's system is completely different. Mexico has no passenger rail service; there is only a tourist train that goes on a set route through the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua (see my posts on this from October). Mexico City, the capital, is the only city with train service and this underground only goes through the central area; it does not extend to most of the suburbs that are now integrated with DF. The trains have no schedule. They are loud and pushy and dirty, there are few signs, no restrooms, and many many beggars and peddlers. There are many buses, but we have never taken a bus in DF or Toluca (we do take a tourist bus from Toluca to the DF airport, but that is a different story). The buses seem to have no schedule or set route, they pick up anyone anywhere anytime. The buses are notorious for being highjacked by young men with black market guns.

On the other hand, it often costs $10/day/person for the multiple trains needed to get around Tokyo. Each ride on a Mexico City metro (with free transfers) is only 20 cents. It seems that we get what we pay for.

Mexico City has recently raised its rates a few cents and is promising many new reforms: more cars and more trains, more security, more restrooms, fewer peddlers, and also more station services. I still doubt that many Japanese would feel comfortable on a DF train.

For more info on Mexico City Train improvements see -->
http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/series-of-improvements-set-for-metro-system-10114

Japan is... Beautiful!

2010-02-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

I had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Tokyo National Museum on Thursday while Dave was at work. (I was mainly excited that I got to figure out the trains and metros alone!) This was a large, imposing museum - with 3 separate buildings - so I was nervous that I hadn't scheduled enough time to see everything. Thankfully, like all things Japanese, the museum was well-organized and flawlessly designed. The exhibits were spaced out so that many many people could visit at one time without being cramped or crowded; since I visited on a weekday after school groups had left, that wasn't a problem.
The museum provided a number of English brochures explaining the displays. The point of the museum was to use the highlights of Japanese historical artwork, presented chronologically, to give a visual history of the country. This was amazing. Of course, pictures don't do the artwork justice (no flash, art behind glass, etc.) but I still thought I'd share.

Most of my favorite art, and what westerners think of as "Japanese" art is from the Edo period of late 1600s to late 1800s - when Japan was just beginning to trade with Europe but not westernizing at all.

This was my favorite kimono

Some kimonos were embroidered and others were woven with different designs, some had designs sewed onto them.

Some screens had natural scenery painted on them, others had caligraphy, and still others used ink sketches of dragons or snakes. This was really interesting, I thought:

I had never seen this kind of art, but it was very much highlighted in the museum. Small items made out of wood were often carved with gold leaf designs and then painted and then laquered for a shiny beautiful design.
This is a small bookcase, about 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall and 1 foot deep. It must have held small books.

There was a room of ceramic items that were made out of what we would call "China" but was actually a fired and painted ceramic style popular throughout Asia - it was brought to Mexico and used there to make some of the beautiful Mexican tiles we love.
ceramic tiered box

The museum even had a room full of "modern" art. By modern, I think they actually meant "recent" as most of that art was 20th century (although before WWII). Some of those styles seemed specifically to be using traditional art forms and art styles with a modern twist or modern theme.

Japan is... international

2010-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

One aspect of the United States that I really didn't appreciate until we moved internationally was our cultural diversity. We have a lot of ethnicities, races, religions, and cultures within our borders and we celebrate them. We all eat international food (well, US versions of international food!) but also have a lot of other cultural influences from our diverse society.

Not so much in Japan. Something like 98% of the population is ethnically Japanese. (there is such a thing as "native" or indiginous Japanese, but that group has largely mixed with whatever "normal" Japanese is.) It's so homogenous that whenever I see an American (black or white or brown) I want to run up and introduce myself, as if we should all know each other! ;)

But, there are still a lot of international influences in Japan. By "a lot" I mean more than I would expect from such a homogeneous group.

The most notable is the Buddhist religion, which was imported from China, by way of India. Today, few Japanese are Buddhist, per say, but many do respect Buddhist principles.

There are some American foods, namely hamburgers and starbucks. Also we had a delicious American breakfast at the hotel (complete with coffee, orange juice, eggs, bacon, and toast). Japan's entire constitution was practically written by the U.S., and some would say they have managed to be even more American than we have, showing how effective "do as I say, not as I do" philosophy can actually work.

But we're "Mexicanitos" or "casi-Chilangos" now, so we could hardly go a week without salsa and tortillas and Jamaica and Limonada. We found the only Mexican restaurant in Tokyo and tried it out!

The recipes were more authentic than those in most Mexican restaurants in the U.S., but their execution was not as delicious as at Mexican restaurants in Mexico. Still, super yummy!

Japan has a bathroom fetish

2010-02-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

Japanese are obsessed with their bathrooms. Obsessed may not be the right word. They are very modest about the bathroom use. Not sure whether this is an extension of their technological focus, or a response to western toilets being forced on them, or a very high standard of cleanliness, or whether living in such tight quarters has necessitated extensive bathroom etiquette.

Japanese traditionally take off their shoes when entering the house and then put on "house slippers". This keeps outside dirt out of the house. (This is actually the #1 way to keep allergens, dirt, and pesticides out of our homes, and the Japanese have been doing it for hundreds of years.) They also take off their home slippers when entering the bathroom and put on special bathroom slippers. Our hotel room came with special bathroom slippers.

Once inside the bathroom, they have very strange technological toilets. Apparently, western toilets are a recent post-WWII addition to Japan. Some public bathrooms still have "Japanese-style" toilets which are actually more like urinals but placed on the ground horizontally rather than on the wall vertically. They flush, and women use toilet paper, but the idea is to sort of position yourself without sitting on anything. Women all over the world think that sitting on public toilets is nasty, so in some ways it makes sense to just avoid that gross feeling altogether, I suppose.

Most public bathrooms have western-style sit-down toilets. But almost every stall has a soap dispenser full of "toilet seat cleaner" and instructions on how to use the toilet paper and cleanser to clean the toilet.

The toilet is attached to multiple contraptions that provide a variety of bathroom conveniences. Every toilet has a seat warmer; Japanese find that cold toilet seats are very uncomfortable and so public toilets normally are pre-heated. The toilets also are designed to mask any personal toilet-using noises. Upon sitting, the sound of rushing water (or actual water rushing into the toilet) is designed to keep your own noises a secret from other public bathroom users - or, in the case of our hotel bathroom, private from other hotel room inhabitants. Many public bathrooms also have a variety of other noises available on demand from an electronic thermostat-shaped control on the side of the stall. Toilets also have a built in "bidet" which is a European bathroom appliance designed to wash your personal areas after using the toilet. (in the picture, this is translated as "shower toilet") Again, Japanese men and women seem to have an unparalleled personal desire for cleanliness. These bidet washers are in almost every public toilet. (personally, I would feel weird getting washed in that way from a public toilet...). All of this technology means a lot of controls and a lot of instructions in the bathroom. It's so confusing that often the "flusher" button has to have a HUGE sign and arrow so that westerners don't keep pushing every button in a desperate attempt to flush the toilet (or push nothing and leave a mess behind - even more scandalous in Japan than anywhere else, I'm sure).

toilet controls

directions for using the toilet controls:

Not all of the bathroom technology is related to their awkwardness of natural functions. Some of the technology is designed to save space and/or save resources (both are in high demand in this crowded country).

When this toilet fills up the tank after flushing, the clean water is first available in sink format for people to wash their hands; the 'gray' water left after washing can then be used for flushing the next time.

This sink is an amazing all-in-one combo. The faucet on the right automatically dispenses water and the faucet on the left automatically dispenses soap. The grey controls on the bottom of the sink, near the user, is an automatic hand dryer. This saves space and also keeps germ transmission low!

Japan is techie

2010-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

From the time I landed in Japan, I felt that Japan was somehow more "technological" than the U.S. Maybe it's just more techie than Mexico. or Michigan. Manhattan may be just as techie as Tokyo and the rest of Japan may be just as unplugged as central Mexico. Still, I wanted to show my fabulous readers just what I meant when I said Japan is techie.

Of course, there is the issue that nearly everyone on the trains is being electronically entertained - by their phones, ipods, playstations, and even TV advertisements on the train itself. Even those who are reading often have headphones. I saw a businessman about my dad's age on a playstation. I have yet to see a geisha texting... but i'm sure it could happen. (also, no ereaders!! Maybe Japanese books aren't available for this technology yet? Is it one of the only technologies that was not invented by Japan?) I don't have pictures of electronic metro use bc it somehow seemed rude to photo people up close.

But there are other things I got a picture of.

The cars are small (there are some Japanese minivans, but more like the Nissan Cube than the Nissan Quest) but very wired. In a line of parked cars, I saw a number of them with multiple screens turned on - one for GPS maps in full color (and 7"!) and one for video entertainment to go with their radio. Again, I felt rude taking a picture of a person in the privacy of their car, so I only have a screen that's not in use:

And cars aren't the only place that Japan has televisions! They are all over the street, used as advertisements for nearly anything. Again, this may be similar to times square in New York City, and it may be very unusual throughout the rest of Japan, but it seemed excessive to me. This is only 1 TV on the street, but busy corners are often inundated with these. And not just one major corner but instead multiple corners, at the very least, are full of these.

The restaurants are somewhat techie, too. People dining alone often use their phones or ipods, of course. And electronic bills run through a computer by the waitstaff is nothing unusual for us North Americans. But fast food here is often extra-techie. Ramen shops sell bowls of noodle soup (which are nothing like the cups of ramen we eat in the Americas, by the way!) for a small set price. So, what customers do is to pick out what they want and pay for it through a vending machine. The machine spits out tickets that we can take to the counter.

Japan is healthy!

2010-02-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

The Japanese are very small. Dave & I are not tall, so it's kind of nice looking in everyone's eyes here (seriously, when we traveled home at December I was surprised to realize how many of our family and friends are so much taller than we are!). Still, compared to them, we are huge. Japanese adults are about the size of junior high Americans. They're short and very very slim. After living like Japanese for a couple of days, I can see why.

Most Japanese families own a car, but it is not used to get to work and/or school. It's used for family outings (vacations, yes, but also shopping, restaurants, visiting grandma, church, etc.). So, most days Japanese ride their bike for a few miles and/or walk to the metro, where they then walk through the station, stand on the metro car, walk through another station, and then walk to school or the market or work or the park. 5 miles per day is average for the Japanese, while the avg. American walks less than 1 mile. (The Japanese invented the concept of 10,000 steps per day for health, did you know that? http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/wellness/steps.html)

I have to say, this is an exhausting amount of steps. We walk a lot, and we like to walk, and this was still a lot of steps.

Also, the Japanese eat really really healthy food.
The most unhealthy thing we ate all weekend was Tempura (i ate it before I took a picture, so this is from google):

As you can see, this is fried vegetables and fish. But, it was served with a bowl of rice, a bowl of tofu miso soup, 2 kinds of cooked vegetables, and hot tea.

Even with the fried part, I'm guessing our large lunch was less than 500 calories.

For dinner, we had sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. This picture is sukiyaki, but they both look really similar. (I have no idea why this is crooked, sorry)

As you can see, this is a pot of meat and vegetables cooked at your table. The menu explained that Japanese really didn't eat meat (pork, chicken, and beef) until the late 18th century. The Japanese people found this meat really yucky looking and were not interested in eating it - kind of like Americans feel about fish, I suspect! So, to "ease them into it" someone came up with this idea of cooking the meat yourself, so that everyone knew what it was. The vegetables are put into the boiling pot of water, to make a delicious broth and also some cooked vegetables. Then, the very thinly sliced meat is cooked one piece at a time in the pot. Each person cooks their own meat and then puts the meat in their own bowl. Each person can add seasonings to their cooked meat as they wish. Sukiyai meat is dipped in raw egg after cooking in the pot and before eating. That sounded gross but was actually delicious.
The amount of meat in this meal was minimal; mainly we ate vegetables and noodles. I would be really surprised if we ate more than 700 calories with this meal.

This was the Denny's breakfast menu. I do not think any American would find a meal here that s/he was used to ordering at Denny's. Also, each meal was posted with its price and its calorie count. Most everything was between 500 and 700 calories.

Dave ordered a very Japanese breakfast, which included sticky rice with sesame seeds and bacon shavings, and a pot of noodle soup with tofu. Very delicious and very filling.

I'm pretty sure if I was here for a few weeks, and was able to avoid the Outback steakhouse and the McDonalds near the hotel, I would lose a few pounds!

Japan is organized!

2010-02-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Tokyo rivals Mexico City in size (depending on who is counting, one of those is the largest in the world) but they have almost nothing else in common. Both are very crowded, but the Japanese seem to have organization in their blood. In Mexico City, there is a desperate sense of "squishing" that takes some time to get used to. After years of watching out for rogue cars, buses, pedestrians, motorcycles, and even dogs, I was shocked to see this:

Yes, it's a huge intersection, but do you notice anything else? Look again.

Everyone is waiting. This is the largest, busiest intersection in the world, and people actually follow the rules. Thousands of people wait for the pedestrian crossing light, when they actually cross at the marked crossing, and deliberately do not push anyone near them. The cars wait patiently behind the lines and some even stop on the yellow light, so that they are not in the pedestrians' way. I was completely shocked.

Also, when waiting for the metro, the Japanese will line up and wait their turn. When the doors open, they patiently wait for those on the train to come off (in an organized line) and then the line of people waiting calmly enters the train. The line enters calmly, with those in front moving to the middle of the car.

I'm not kidding.

Kindergarten teachers in Japan must be very proud. Although, on second thought, maybe the students have to already know this kind of polite consideration in order to start school here?

Japan is clean! (First Impressions)

2010-02-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest - I had no idea what to expect in Japan. I visited China when I was in Jr. High, but that was a long time ago, and Japan is supposed to be very different.
It sure is!

My first impressions of Japan:
it is very clean, efficient/organized, technological, and healthy.

Take a close look at this subway picture; what do you notice? You might not notice much at first, except for the Japanese signs. Look again; what is missing?

I'll help you out: there is NO graffiti, scratched windows, torn seat covers, broken handles, food wrappers, used tickets, old newspapers, outdated posters, etc. The entire train is very very clean. It is also well-lit and spacious and generally new-looking. David saw a train official removing a can of soda from a train car with the kind of disgusted look we would expect from someone carrying a dead mouse.
We've been on metros throughout the Americas and Europe. I have to say that only London came close to the cleanliness on this metro; both London and Tokyo have relatively expensive metros. But the central London trains were nicer than the ones in the suburbs. We rode a lot of trains throughout Tokyo, and this isn't just the nice tourist train. It's a normal train.
After years of Mexico City Metros, I also noticed the quiet of Tokyo's Metro. The train itself is quieter, as it is modern and well-sealed, but also the people are quieter. They actually turn their phones to vibrate and refrain from all but private conversations. Needless to say, there are no pirated CDs for sale nor unemployed musicians playing their harmonica/guitar/accordion!

Every restaurant gave us wet towels when we sat down so that we could wash our hands. This was one of the first times that I felt that my hands weren't even all that dirty! Also, every bathroom (they even had free, clean, well-stocked bathrooms in the metro stations!) had toilet paper, running water, and soap; 90% had paper towels, but I saw many moms carrying a washcloth in their purse for kids to dry their hands if there wasn't any paper - very organized moms!

EASTERN hospitality

2010-02-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

We're traveling to Japan for about a week so even though it will have nothing to do with Mexico, I'd like to share our pictures and stories with you. So... this site will temporarily be "Eastern Hospitality" until about Wed. Feb. 24. If you're not interested in Japan, just check back then.

The reason we get to do so much traveling is bc Dave gets more vacation time with his international assignment. (also, Mexicans get more vacation days than U.S. folks.) We both feel very blessed that we have had the opportunity to travel throughout Mexico, but also to Great Britain (last summer) and Japan (this spring). We absolutely love traveling and are hoping that I can get a job when we move back to MI so that we can keep traveling around the world!

Oaxaca - pt. 5 FOOD!!!

2010-02-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

What's the best part of traveling? EATING!!!!

Every region in Mexico has slightly different food, bc the dishes all developed independently; the geography did not allow easy travel between areas until recently.
The Oaxacan food was very yummy.

Oaxaca is known for 2 foods made from the Cacao plant: chocolate and mole. Mole is actually a mix of nuts, chocolate, and chile pepper, as well as up to 15 other spices. It's delicious, and we bought many jars of it to bring home to MI to share. But a popular mole/chocolate store in Oaxaca will mix the chocolate for you on site! This guy is mixing cacao beans, almonds, and sugar to make a dry chocolate mix that people can take home and cook in some recipes and also make hot chocolate to drink.

All of Mexico eats tortillas, and Oaxaca is no exception. Except here, for some reason, the tortillas are HUGE!!! about twice the size of U.S. "tortillas" - maybe 15" diameter? Normally they will fold these in half to make a giant Tlayuda which is filled with beans and cheese and avocado and red pepper slices and maybe something else. I ordered a "Tlayuda" but instead got this huge open-faced volcano of a sandwich. It was a huge shell just covered in yumminess. Honestly, it was tough to eat.

Before the Spanish showed up, Mexicans didn't eat a lot of meat. Oaxaca City is not near the coastline, so they had no fish, and there are no domestic-able animals in Mexico. meat was limited to birds and rabbits that were hunted. To augment their limited protein intake, some traditional societies learned how to collect and fry grasshoppers. That's right, grasshoppers. blecht.
Now, it's a tradition for gringo tourists to buy some grasshoppers (which a few people still eat, only ground up so that the obvious bug-eating is less obvious, I guess) and eat them. I refused, but Dave went ahead and ate one.
He said it tasted like a bug with lime and chile powder.
double blecht.

Oaxaca pt. 4 local towns

2010-02-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Oaxaca City, where we stayed, is the capital of Oaxaca state, which has a large group of small native villages. We had a chance to visit 5 of those villages to see the locals and their beautiful handicrafts.

Big Tree (literally, this is the biggest oldest tree in the world, and it's this one town's claim to fame):

alebrijes:

These animals are hand carved from wood and then hand painted and assembled. This is a new art that the locals developed about 20 years ago in order to preserve their traditional culture but also sell something that modern tourists would wan tot buy.

woven rugs:

local wool is naturally dyed and woven on looms to make rugs, blankets, pillowcases, and other things.

We also went to a city that sold black pottery. We were not a fan of that as much. It was rare and pretty, but not something that we would want to buy. No pictures, unfortunately!

I'm going to post again tomorrow (Saturday) which I normally don't, so I thought I'd warn the dedicated readers!

Oaxaca - pt. 3 Dresses!

2010-02-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

There are a variety of traditional indigenous dress styles throughout Mexico. Unfortunately, most Mexicans today prefer international modern style, rather than the traditional styles. That's understandable, as many native Mexicans are still discriminated against. Also, there are a lot of cheap hand-me-down clothes and/or asian-made clothes available; most families don't want to invest in a traditional outfit that really can't be worn to school or work where uniforms are required.

Oaxaca had the most variety of beautiful native dress styles. I'm not sure which groups used which styles. I didn't end up buying anything (many dresses were hand embroidered, so they were very costly) but did love the pictures!!!

Oaxaca - pt. 2 Cathedral

2010-02-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

The Spanish were notorious for building catholic chapels, cathedrals, and monasteries on top of indigenous sites. Today, of course, we think that's very sad, but back then it was part of the deal: winners tear down the losers' stuff.

Anyway, Oaxaca has a beautiful central cathedral and attached monastery. The cathedral is still being used as a catholic church, but the Franciscan monastery has been converted into an historical museum about the ancient peoples who lived in this region, the story of the conquest, and the modern lives of Mexicans in this area. The museum was fabulous and also the monastery was HUGE! I did some research and discovered that the Franciscans were given the task of converting and educating the natives and the Jesuits were in charge of educating the peninsulares (persons born in the Iberian Peninsula - Spain- but living in Mexico) and the criollos/creoles (persons of 100% European/Spanish heritage born in Mexico.

This was a fantastic meditation garden behind the monastery that is still kept up but visitors are not allowed to walk through.

Oaxaca - pt. 1 - History

2010-02-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

Mon. Feb. 1 was a holiday in Mexico - Constitution Day - and we used the time off of work and school to visit "quintessential" Mexico: Oaxaca.

Oaxaca is about 6 driving hours south of Mexico City. (DF is about 14-16 driving hours south of the most southern tip of Texas, just for reference). This city is separated from Central Mexico (DF, Puebla, Toluca, etc.) by a very serious mountain range that was immensely difficult to cross until very modern road construction. Even as few as 10 years ago, the drive from DF to Oaxaca could take a couple of days through windy mountain roads.

Most people think that the insurmountable terrain is what kept the Spanish conquistadors out of Oaxaca and let the natives there continue their way of life for so long (even today, Oaxaca State has the greatest number of living indigenous peoples in all of Mexico). The terrain certainly was a major factor, but there was also another factor: cochineal. The Zapotec Indians formed a labor union, of sorts, that harvested the cochineal's red dye and sold it to the Spanish, who in turn sold it to the English (for their red-coat army uniforms) at a hefty mark-up. (see this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal for more info)

Due to the undesirable climate, the difficulty of traveling there, and the locals' willingness to do a job they wanted done but didn't want to do, the Spanish didn't really "conquer" the Oaxaca region like they did central mexico. Even today, it's harder to travel to this area, which is warm but not beachy, so there are fewer tourists coming. As such, the natural beauty, the traditional handicrafts, and the ancient archeological sites are in much better shape than elsewhere in Mexico. I felt like this was the "heart" of Mexico. Much like most tourists would visit Disney Land or New York City but have no idea how the rest of us live in central U.S., most tourists visit Cancun or Mexico City and not really understand Oaxaca.

The first thing we did was visit Monte Alban, an ancient city center for the Toltec nation, the mother nation of Mexico.

Climbing Monte Alban Steps:

Finally at the top!

Ball Court:

Behind me is the court where the Toltecs played a ball game. They thought that the gods would choose the winner, so often the losers would then be sacrificed or enslaved or something, but at least no one had to watch boring advertisements during time-outs!

Pina!

2010-02-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

We don't have fresh pineapple in Michigan. At least, if we do, I don't know where to buy it or when it is fresh.
Dave was very intrigued by the fresh pineapple on the side of the road in Mexico. Thankfully, our friend Rachael knew how to turn a full pineapple into a bowl of pineapple pieces.

First, she cut off the leafy green top:

Then, she cut the fleshy parts in half.

Then she trimmed off the sides and cut it into small pieces. I guess that the center of the pineapple is normally not eaten in the U.S. but is eaten in Mexico.

In the end, this was a VERY sweet pineapple. Rachael said it was almost too ripe, but I think I just was surprised by my first fresh pineapple experience. The pieces we couldn't eat went into the freezer for smoothies next week.

Yum.

Bilingual?

2010-02-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Since I've been studying Spanish for 15 years now (really!) I often get asked if I'm "bilingual". When I give a completely automatic and definitely not intentional funny look, sometimes the questioner will rephrase and ask me if I'm "fluent".

*sigh*

Bilingual: using or being able to use 2 languages equally. For example, someone from Quebec is likely bilingual bc they could have a conversation, watch a movie, read a book, go to church, etc. just as comfortably in either English or Spanish. A person can have an accent and still be bilingual.

Fluent: mastery; capable of using a language effortlessly. For example, some people, like my dear husband, are much more fluent in mathematics than I am. (yes, math is a language. it's a language of numbers. it's spoken internationally.)

For language teachers, fluency is a range. Kind of like reading fluency = literacy. Some people can read better and faster and easier than others, but nearly every child in america is literate.
Language fluency involves reading, writing, speaking, and understanding the language. My Spanish I students are theoretically "fluent" in Spanish, even though they can only understand me, and only know about 10% of the language - in other words, seriously flunking Spanish use in daily life. In order to get a job using both languages, I would have to be significantly more "fluent" in Spanish, to the point where I was only confused about 10% of the time - still getting an "A" in my daily Spanish use, but clearly not a native speaker. (how many of your friends and neighbors misuse English 10% of the time? if they did, would they still be your friend?)

According to this really interesting online quiz http://language.bin.org/FXM/level.htm I was at about 50% fluency when I arrived 18 months ago. I could survive Spanish, and even understand about half of what was happening. Still a "failing" grade, but not horrible. Now, I'm at about 75%. I can write emails, read the paper, listen to the news, and share intimate stories with friends. This is a huge improvement, of course, but I'm an "A" student and I still, even after 15 years of exposure, 3 months in Spain, 18 months in Mexico, and over 100 hours of individual tutoring, I'm still a "C" student in Spanish. Sometimes that's discouraging.

Here is what does encourage me:
1. I can have a 30 minute spanish conversation at the lunch table with fellow teachers and make sense. Conversations normally involve sharing opinions (which is a complicated verb tense we don't have in English but that is really important to use correctly in Spanish) and also a LOT of past tense (what I did this weekend is all a past tense story).
2. I can pick up a newspaper or watch CNN en Espanol and understand the basic news stories: the who, what, where, and when at least, even if not the why.
3. I can now read easy stuff. When I first started tutoring 18 months and 100 hours ago, I was using a junior high workbook. It would take me an hour to read a 500-word story, answer 10 questions, and write a 3-sentence summary. Now, I can read a chapter of Max Lucado in about 20 minutes and then go on to have an hour long group discussion on the topic.
4. Dave & I have started "spanish night" where we try to talk to each other about our day only in Spanish, watch Spanish TV, and also do some Spanish online tutorials. The first couple have been a huge success. It is good that we can do this, bc when we go home, we may have only each other with whom we can keep practicing.

The "moles"

2010-02-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

There was a bit of a viral reaction to a facebook status update circulating this week. Ok, I suppose that's not really news, but this particular debate centered on whether or not the U.S. should bother helping less-fortunate countries, such as Haiti, when we have so many of our own issues to deal with at home.

I won't make my entire argument here, nor did I do so on the FB comment, but those who know me can probably guess what I was thinking.

Mexico definitely has more domestic issues that the U.S. Up to 40% of Mexicans do not eat regularly. Children are only guaranteed 1-5 grade education, and there are no national tests to discover whether that education is actually producing literate citizens. Still, despite their own problems at home, Mexicans are generously donating to help the Haitians.

Mexicans know what it is like to live in an earthquake zone. They know what it is like to wonder if you will eat today. So they understand more fully than most North Americans what it is like for those 2 crises to collide. In 1985, a major 8.1 earthquake hit central mexico and killed tens of thousands of people. The government was unable or unwilling to do much to help. ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake#Emergency_response for more information)
Most Mexicans who were rescued can thank their friends and neighbors for volunteering to help.

After that Massive quake, an elite team of rescuers was formed called "Los Topos" or "the moles" so called bc they will burrow into any hole, searching for survivors. They are a completely volunteer team of rescuers, the most elite in the world. They have not lost a rescuer in 25 years and 22 natural disasters around the world. Unfortunately, they do not get a lot of press, no government support, and survive completely on donations.
This article is in English http://guanabee.com/2010/01/los-topos-de-mexico/

Please spread the word about these amazing rescuers and even donate to their cause if you can! (a donation link is on the bottom of the article)

(Note: The Mexican government is part of a Pan-American aid organization that is sending military, medical, and other support to Haiti. Also, many individual charities are collecting donations. The largest university in the State of Mexico - where Dave & I live - made a huge donation. http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/uaem-ships-11-tons-of-haiti-relief-10119 I don't want anyone to think that Mexico is doing nothing, even though they are not supporting this amazing volunteer team.)

Tamale Day!

2010-02-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Back in December, I promised to write about the final end of Mexico's Christmas celebration.
February 2 is 40 days after Dec. 25. As such, it is the celebration of Jesus' presentation in the temple. Protestants don't normally observe such celebrations, and I don't think many catholics do anymore either, but Mexicans still do.
So, on Dia de los Reyes (3 kings day/ epiphany) Mexicans eat a cake in the shape of a wreath. hidden in that wreath is a small plastic Jesus. Anyone who gets a Jesus in his or her cake is responsible for hosting a party on Feb. 2. That party normally involves delicious "tamales" or baked corn cakes, which are normally eaten for breakfast. Offices who shared the wreath on Jan. 6 will have tamales today when everyone gets to work. Families may have a party early this morning or tonight.

I also wrote in December about our difficulty finding a nativity scene that included the baby Jesus. We were told that most people have a separate Jesus that doesn't match the rest of the holy family. That sounded really strange to us until we remembered "tamale day".
Today, Mexicans carry their plastic baby Jesuses from their home nativity scene (yes, the nativity is still on display - the picture above is from the hotel where we stayed this past weekend - notice how HUGE Jesus is?!) to the church for the priest to bless it before they put the Jesus away. This is to remember when Mary & Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple for His dedication at 40 days after His birth.

We did notice that some churches were doing Jesus blessing this past Sunday, as many modern Mexicans now have to go to work and school on Feb. 2 and don't always have time to stop by church with their baby Jesus.

Drug Crime in Mexico

2010-02-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Some information in this post is from an article in THE NEWS, the English-language newspaper in Mexico City. see http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/pri-proposes-public-security-system-reform-10125 for the full article.

Every 85 minutes, someone loses his or her life due to drug crime in Mexico; every day sees 17 drug-crime related violent deaths. In the U.S., on the other hand, about 2 people die every day from drug-related violent deaths. We are not afraid of drug crimes in Mexico, nor are we afraid of the lousy local police system. This is for 2 reasons: most of the drug crimes involve drug criminals (which we are not) and most of the drug violence happens in border states (which we are not). It is too expensive and dangerous for serious drug cartels to run their business in or through central Mexico.

Thankfully, though, the U.S. is finally helping to support Mexico's war on drugs. American demand for Mexican drugs is huge - 60-80% of the drugs run through Mexico are used by persons in the U.S. The average Mexican cannot afford to be an addict. The U.S. is training Mexican federal police & drug dogs and sending equipment that will help them to catch drug cartel leaders. Quite a few major leaders have already been arrested.

Hopefully, once the economy is stabilized and we're no longer focused on a far-away way, the U.S. can direct more attention to the drug problem and our relationship with our neighbors.

Constitution Day

2010-01-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mexico has a lot of holidays. Some of them are Catholic, but most of them are national pride. Like our Presidents' Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day - which few Americans truly recognize or celebrate - Mexicans have a handful of holidays for which they get a day off of work and school but don't really understand what or why they're celebrating.

February 5 is Mexico's Constitution Day, celebrating the day in 1917 when the current, democratic, constitution was finalized. This was a big deal, bc it happened over 100 years after declaring independence from Spain and also 7 years after Mexico's revolutionary war started. They had a constitution-like document before that, but it strongly favored corrupt governments and encouraged corruption within the catholic church and systematic racism. The articles 3, 7, and 13 provide for public education, freedom of the press, and public courts - freedoms that Americans had from their bill of rights.

This is the first year that Mexico is celebrating all of their "bank holidays" on Mondays, to give workers and students a 3-day weekend rather than a random day off. The fact that Feb. 5 is a Friday this year, and they could get a 3-day weekend while also celebrating on the actual day, was apparently lost on the Mexicans.

check out this wiki link for more info on the constitution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Mexico

Labor Reforms

2010-01-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

Dave found this picture on a website about crazy "fixes" that people do. He was shocked, until a few key points showed us that the picture was from Mexico - the Spanish sign on the side is advertising the power company (no joke) and there is a Mexican juice bottle on the top of the sign. Once we knew it was a Mexican picture, we were not surprised at all - just amused!

A few months ago I posted about Mexico's light and power industry, which is a shambles. This picture helps to reinforce that idea. :)

In general, Mexico's labor force is a mess. Those groups, like teachers & electricians, that are lucky enough to have a union, can often be paid decently high Mexican wages regardless of the amount of work performed or the quality of work performed. (As a teacher and electrical engineer, we know how hard those employees could be working, and we can see how little they are actually working here.) Mexicans with working contracts often get paid per day, rather than per hour, so sometimes they will work only 4 hours. I suppose that "salarymen" - that's a Japanese term that roughly translates to "white collar" - in the U.S. often are at work for 10 hours but spend half of that time on the internet or around the water cooler, and those U.S. employees are getting paid a lot more. Maybe I should reserve judgment ;)

Check out this article on THE NEWS, Mexico's English-language newspaper, about labor reforms:
http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/labor-reform-unlikely-soon-10119

Mexican Mullett!

2010-01-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, the "mullet" hairstyle - with a mohawk and a tail - has long been a rare sight on both sides of the border. Still, I thought that the mullet hat was a bit extreme. Funny, but extreme. This way, many locals can protect their modern hairstyles from the 'extreme' cold of the central Mexican mountains while still sporting this fun style.

Butterflies and Sparrows and Pennies

2010-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

There were so many butterflies at the reserve that it was hard to walk at first. We didn't want to run into a butterfly or step on one accidentally. Quickly, though, we realized that we had to walk somewhere, and it was up to the butterflies to get out of the way.

Sadly, there were some butterflies on the ground that looked dead. Maybe they had flown too far or got dehydrated or had a full-speed butterfly/human collision. Or maybe they were just at the end of their very short lifespan (the average monarch only lives 2 months; many of these had already lived 5 months and were hanging on just long enough to lay eggs).

These butterflies are mainly still alive, but it's hard to tell:

I wanted to pick up a dead butterfly and bring it home, but even the dead ones are considered protected species and it is illegal to pick up the dead ones. How funny that 15 people a day die in Mexico from drug violence, but the dead butterflies are protected by national law and respected by all the visitors.

Which made me think of a Bible verse:
Matthew 10:29-30
29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[a]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Souvenirs here, like throughout Mexico, were not sold in official shops but instead hawked by Mexican locals for a few pesos. Namely, 5 small monarch magnets for 10 pesos (80 U.S. cents). Kind of like 2 sparrows for a penny, huh? And I could not imagine a God so omniscient that He would know when every one of them fell to the ground. Nor why He would want to bother to mind these things since the Butterflies die so soon after being born.

Maybe I just needed a good reminder as to how important we are to God.

Mich.

2010-01-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

When my Dad came to visit last year, he noticed that the "arrivals" screen at the Mexico City airport listed planes from "Mich." and asked me. He was sure that wasn't "Michigan", and he was right. It was "Michoacan" a state in central Mexico only a few hours from our house in Toluca.

The Monarch Butterflies winter in the cool mountains of Michoacan and summer in the cool trees of Michigan. I wish that I could do the same! But the butterflies have such a short life that the same ones will not be able to see both "mich"es. The ones that are here in Mexico will mate in March and then start flying north. They will lay their eggs along their northern route, likely in SE U.S. Those new caterpillars will turn into butterflies and continue migrating north to Michigan. Sometimes it is 4 generations before the butterflies will make a round trip.

It is an amazing act of God that those butterflies know where and when to fly, as there are never any "experienced" butterflies to lead the way. Yet, they keep flying and eating and reproducing and flying.

I wish that I could trust my creator so fully to just keep flying, no matter what, knowing that I was going in the right direction.

Thank you!

2010-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Good to know that I have very smart, thoughtful, and great blog readers. I'm used to talking to anyone and everyone, but here I have a small audience that can understand me ;) so sometimes I get too caught up in my own thoughts. Thanks to some amazing responses to my Friday blog, I now have some great ideas as to what I can "do" with my time once we move back to MI. And those great ideas got me thinking about more good ideas, so now my ever-vivid imagination can start to plan out imaginary days in my future.

I'm looking into substitute teaching & library clerking - both of which I'm overqualified to do, but are flexible and pay a little bit - as well as some regular volunteering work, esp. with the Latino mission and the American Cancer Society, and finally supplementing with a few university classes I've been wanting to take.

Maybe I'll finally learn the piano and get into shape. I have to be really bored to finally get to those things on the bottom of my "whenever I have extra time" to-do list.

Transition

2010-01-21T23:09:00.000-08:00

I never wanted to be a desperate housewife. The opportunity to move to Mexico initially seemed like a 2-year stint at home on my couch, albeit a couch in a warm foreign country. Thankfully, God provided an amazing opportunity for me to teach full time while we were in Mexico. While it meant a few less vacations home and a few more expensive tickets when we did travel, overall I'm glad that I was able to work.
Now, I'm seriously considering how to avoid desperation after our return home.
With so many people unemployed (and underemployed) it seems highly unlikely that I will be able to seamlessly re-enter the job market.
So, what to do with my time when we move home?
My number one priority is to finally finish the home renovations we started 4 years ago. But after that's done, I'm not sure. I want to use my Spanish, so maybe I'll have a chance to volunteer.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Countdown

2010-01-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

We can now say that we have only a little while left here in Mexico. No specific dates yet, but we'll likely be moving back to the US this spring or summer. So we're trying to figure out how to use the last few weekends we have left.
I'm writing those goals here to keep me honest and make sure that we actually finish all of them!

Mainly we still want to travel!
Veracruz, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, and Morelia are still on the list, as well as a few specific shopping trips and a few places in DF we haven't seen.
I want to read a few more books, spend time with our new friends here, hopefully go to language school for a week, and scrapbook our pictures of Mexico.
Unfortunately, we've still got to work full time to earn our keep here, so our fun activities are limited to the weekends.

Unless someone wants to come and visit us! That would be a great excuse for a last-minute vacation.

One last Push

2010-01-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

Being amazing procrastinators, I'm actually kind of surprised that we have used the time here in Mexico to our best advantage. Back in Oct. 08, I wrote about my/our goals while we were in Mexico. I wanted to be sure that when I came back I would have an amazing story to tell. Rather than just starting every conversation with, "when we were in Mexico..." which would probably annoy all of our current friends and family and make it hard to make new friends, I would ideally like to have some truly interesting stories to tell.
It probably won't happen but a girl can dream, right?

So how many of those goals were accomplished?

Super thankful that almost everything happened: I can speak Spanish well enough to figure out a newspaper and follow a dinner conversation with a few people. Also well enough to work at a job with "Spanish language fluency required" or teach Spanish without working nearly as hard as I used to.
We have traveled all over Mexico: Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Cancun, Yucatan Peninsula/Merida, Puebla, Aguascalientes, Taxco, Guanajuato/Leon, Valle de Bravo, and Mexico City.
I got to teach Social Studies, the subject I actually majored in, and loved it! I also got to make significant changes to the school library, and loved that, too.
I read a lot of books - many more than I normally can when I'm working full time. Caught up on scrapbooking, finished writing my book, and spent trips home visiting with people more than accomplishing errands.

Now that we have only a few weeks or months left in Mexico, we need to make sure that we can finish the rest of our goals. Can we do it?

Snow!

2010-01-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

After 2 weeks of very cold weather (for this area) we finally had some sunshine yesterday and warmer weather (upper 50s, low 60s) so we went walking at a local park. Also the air was bright and clear, so we took a picture of the "Nevado" or local volcano. Tough to see, but there is a LOT of snow on the top of the mountain. It goes down below the treeline.

I can handle the cold, but honestly, if I'm going to wear 3 layers of clothes and huddle under 2 blankets drinking hot tea and taking extra Vitamin D pills before I pass out at 6:30 bc it's already dark - I could have stayed in MI.

Embracing Change

2010-01-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/personal/01/11/rs.10.ways.embrace.change/index.html Some information in this post is taken from an article which can be found at the link above.

Coming to Mexico was a huge change for me. Now that I love it here, and we've been here for a while, it's hard to imagine how scared I was to come here. But sometimes I can remember how frightened I was to drive, how unsure I was about my Spanish, how confused I was by the cell phones, and how frustrated I was by the lack of assistance by the relocation company or the U.S. embassy. Now that we're moving back, I'm nervous about what the next year will bring. Thankfully, after a few crazy moves and lifestyle changes in the last 5 years, God is finally helping me to be patient. I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing this time next year, but I know that it can be a really exciting adventure.

So, this is what I'm trying to do as we prepare for the next step in the adventure we call life:
keep up routines as much as possible
try not to worry about stuff I don't know
imagine lots of possible positive scenarios
ask people for their advice
try new things

Whatever is worrying you right now about the next step in your life, please know that God has an amazing plan - even if there are some missteps in the meantime.

Reading List

2010-01-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

Since we were in the U.S. for 3 weeks and then self-quarantined in our house for 2 weeks due to illness, I don't have much exciting Mexico news to report. So, I thought I'd share with you a reading list of great books about Mexico. Many of them can be found at your local library.

Kid's Books
My Mexico / México mío by Tony Johnston
Confetti: Poemas para ninos/ Poems for Children by Pat Mora
These are beautiful picture books filled with poems in both Spanish and English that truly evokes the sights and sounds of Mexico.
Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre
I haven't read this one yet, but it sounds great: a selection of stories that explain the food and traditions of latino holidays.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
This is an elementary chapter book about a Mexican girl and her family who moves to the U.S.

Adult Books
The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy
I only briefly looked over this cookbook, but it's on my wishlist bc it seems like the Mexican version of Julia Child's classic.
Stories from Mexico : Historias de Mexico by Genevieve Barlow
This is a small book with about a dozen short stories written in both Spanish and English (and a few sketches) that tell the history of Mexico. It's kind of like Mexico's mythology and legends; sort of the Mexican version of Paul Bunyon and the big blue ox.
A Brief History of Mexico by Lynne Foster
I am using this short book as my Mexico History text next semester. It is in English but is not very biased and gives a concise overview of Mexican history.

Cold!

2010-01-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/mexico-cold-snap-leaves-nine-dead-20100110-m0d2.html

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/severe-weather-continues-10112

I know that it's been super cold in the U.S., and no one wants to hear me complaining about the "cold" in Mexico. This is because most Americans view Mexico as either coastal beaches or barren deserts, either of which are never truly "cold".
Toluca (where we live) has been below freezing each night for a week. So, yes, it is cold here. Theoretically, that is not as extreme as what most of my dear readers are experiencing, but let me clue you in on what it's like to live here:

Concrete walls (no insulation), tile floors over concrete foundation, drafty thin windows, and doors with a gap (of an inch or more) between the door and the floor. No heat - no central heat, no electric space heaters, no propane heaters, no fireplaces, no electric blankets, no hot showers. When the "cold" temperatures are 60F, those aren't real problems. When the cold temperatures are 30F, people start getting sick.
We are lucky bc our house has built in electric heaters in our bedrooms and a lot of hot water on demand. We also have warm sweaters, coats, and slippers. Our car has a working heater, and we have insulated thermoses. So, we're not complaining.
But our Mexican friends are getting sick.

Check out the links at the top of the blog to see local news reports about this.

Silence

2010-01-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

After 3 days of a snarky cold, I woke up Thurs. ready to go to work/school and get out of the house. Unfortunately, that was the day my vocal cords decided to rebel. As the day of teaching wore on, it was getting tougher and tougher to talk, let alone teach. (Teaching inherently involves the use of the "teacher voice" which implies authority and demands respect. Without it, I sounded like a muppet trying to run a classroom.)
By Thursday night, I could no longer hum. By Friday morning, whispering was painful. Teaching was out of the question.
So was talking.

Dave had work, so I settled into my 4th day that week of sitting in front of my TV doing not much of anything. Also, trying to whisper in Spanish to my housekeeper. And thanks to a few gruesome remarks by my seniors, I was actually gripped with fear that God had condemned me to a life of listening and my voice would never return.
Which got me thinking about what a life without my voice would mean.

First, Dave would have to start talking. Not a few people have joked that the poor man doesn't get a chance to say much, being married to me. Have you seen the movie "Up"? There is a scene at the beginning where a little girl says to her new friend, a little boy who has not yet had a word of dialogue in the movie, "You don't say much do you? I like you!" And Dave and I saw that and fell over laughing. Someone has to listen, and he does a great job. I do not, so much, but he has encouraged me to listen more to him that I do to most anyone else, and I suspect that I get the benefit of more Dave words every day than nearly anyone else.

But no voice would also mean no more singing in the shower, no more phone calls home, no more small group Bible studies, no more drama directing, no more haggling in the fruit market, no more arguing with my brother, no more responsive reading at church... well, you get the idea.
I was kind of surprised at how much I use my voice every day, and how much God might really want me to shut up once in a while and listen. Maybe, if I wasn't talking so much, i might actually get better at a few other things on my list of things I may do someday when I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with: practice piano, meditate, learn photography, get in shape, plant a garden, knit a sweater, adopt a kitten, memorize scripture, write poetry.
I wonder how many of those things I would be good at if I wasn't so good at using my teacher voice?

Why I keep working

2010-01-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Some people who don't know me very well thought that after my 3 years of stressful working, I'd be excited to spend 2 years in Mexico NOT working - like being retired in my 20s! Most of the wives who come to Mexico do not work; while many of them are grasping at the opportunity to become SAHMs, some of them, like me, don't have kids! But I would have none of that. I had spent some boring summers bookending my stressful teaching years and I knew that I had to do something in Mexico.

Here is a case in point:

Why was I working in McDonalds?

Short answer --> the car battery died
medium answer --> i was trying to work at Starbucks, but when we had to take a taxi, the taxi dropped me off closer to McDonald's than Starbucks
longer answer --> Since I hardly ever get work done at home, I don't like to be at home when the housekeeper comes, I packed up all my stuff to do lesson plans at starbucks while dave was at work, then meet him for lunch, and then go get a pedicure or something in the afternoon, but none of that happened and I ended up at McDonald's.

What really happened --> after I dressed for the day, packed up all of my stuff, etc. we find out that our car battery is sooo dead it won't even take a charge. Dave had to take a taxi to work and while there beg for either a loaner car, or a loaner battery (there are no tow trucks in Mexico). Since I was dressed and ready to go (and still not wanting to be here with the housekeeper), I decided to ride along in the taxi, having the taxi drop me off at Starbucks. Once Dave got the loaner car, he would pick me up for lunch, and then I'd have the car in the afternoon to go grocery shopping or whatever. But our taxi driver drove a wierd way to avoid construction and dropped us both off in front of the McDonald's, about a mile from the Starbucks. So... I decided to try out McCafe's hot tea and electrical outlets.
Dave didn't get a loaner car, so he came to have lunch with me at McD's, and I was there from 8 to 5! Sheesh.

(but, I did get lesson plans done!)

Books and more books!

2010-01-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

In one of my first posts, April 2008, I was wondering what I would do in Mexico without reading material!
Now, almost 2 years later, I'm happy to report that hasn't been a problem! An addict can always find her drug, no matter the cost.

1. I packed some books to bring down with me. Since the moving truck took 12 weeks to arrive, I had a slow summer 2008, but I made it through.
2. The library at the school where I work has some books. Most of their adult selection was pretty lousy, though, so I have been actively soliciting donations and also donating quite a few. In the last 18 months, I've brought back hundreds of books for the library - often reading quite a few before taking them in!
3. I found out that the DF airport has a decent selection of printed magazines, newspapers, and books in English. Not much, but enough to get me through a tough time. Thankfully, they don't have more, as their prices are quite high.
4. I've been listening to audiobooks during my loooong commute, which often enables me to hear 2 books per month during the school year - more than twice what I was reading during my last teaching job!
5. I will visit the library during my trips back to MI, and if we or a friend of ours is traveling soon after, I'll often bring library books down with me and then send them back with a willing helper (thank you to those readers who have helped!)
6. I just got an e-reader!!! Dave wanted to get me one of these last year, but I was concerned about paying $10+ for each book, when I'm u sed to getting 90% of my reading material free at the library. My new Sony e-reader is compatible with library ebooks, so I can still check books out of my library without flying home! Technology is amazing.

Finally, I am happy to report that after 2 years of hard work, I'm almost ready to start reading in Spanish. I can basically get through a newspaper, and I understand the headlines of most magazines. I'm going to start with kids' books this summer, as their plot is easier to understand and they use simpler vocabulary.

I am happy to have total and complete access to English reading material when I get back, but I'm proud of my ability to persevere.

The War of U.S. Invasion

2010-01-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a slightly less biased explanation of the conflict between U.S. & Mexico during the 1830s & 40s:
Mexico was still a territory of Spain until about 1820. During 1800-1820, white Europeans settled Texas under a treaty with the royalty of Spain, pledging to become Spanish citizens, learn Spanish, and become Catholic. They didn't.

In the 1830s, Austin encouraged Texas to become independent (not part of the U.S.) and the rebels who followed him fought the battle of the Alamo after much attempted negotiation on the part of the Mexican government. About 200 Texans died and about 400 Mexicans died. This battle angered Texans, and Santa Anna, the leading military general and working president of Mexico, knew he could win no more battles, so he signed a secret peace treaty with Texas. Texas was independent for almost a decade.

Then, the Mayans in the Yucatan demanded independence from Mexico (remember, Mexico is a relatively new government and is still determining it's borders at this time) and Mexico sent its troops to that area. Seeing a weakness in Mexico, U.S. President Tyler asked congress to make Texas a state, and they did - sort of. But they were claiming the western border of Texas to be much farther west than the Mexicans had ever agreed to.
Under the then-current U.S. belief of Manifest Destiny, U.S. President Polk was willing to fight Mexico for Texas (and buy the rest of the land from there to the Pacific), knowing full well that Mexico was currently under poor leadership and their budget was being stretched fighting in the Yucatan. He figured that the U.S. could win a couple of battles in the Texas area, while the Mexican troops were in the Yucatan, and that dangling millions of dollars in their face would force a Mexican surrender.
He was basically right.
Pres. Polk got congress to declare War on Mexico after a skirmish that killed only 16 soldiers. Mexico needed a few weeks to figure out their war strategy, and in that time the U.S. was more than ready to beat them, and they did. For some reason, Santa Anna retreated after a battle in Monterrey. General Scott's march from Yucatan to Mexico City roughly paralleled General Sherman's march to the sea in the U.S. civil war. He massacred Veracruz, marched to Mexico City, massacred them (killing more than twice as many civilians as soldiers) and went straight to Chapultepec Castle. This castle has formerly been the residence of the Emperor of Mexico, but since it's recent independence, was now housing a military academy of young soldiers. Those soldiers chose death rather than surrender (typical for 17 year old boys) and hurled themselves into the front lines of the U.S. soldiers. They were quickly epitomized as the "child heroes" and came to represent a new national fear/distrust of North Americans.

The U.S. invading a young country like Mexico would have been roughly equivalent to Spain invading a young America in 1806. It takes about 2 decades to work out the kinks of a new constitution, build an army, and create national communication and solidarity. Mexico hadn't quite finished that process when the U.S. invaded.
In our defense, although we received almost half of Mexico's land, that area contained no known natural resources and less than 2% of Mexico's citizens. It didn't seem very valuable to the Mexican people. Giving it up to the Americans hurt their pride more than their wallets.

Until 1849 - just 1 year later - when gold was discovered in California. Soon after, the new immigrants to California also discovered the amazing agricultural resources of the area. Today, California is our largest state, and a huge source of American-grown food. If California had been under Mexican control when gold was discovered, the history of both of our countries would have been significantly different.

Remember the Alamo!

2010-01-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm preparing to teach Mexican History next semester. Yes, that's right, a white North American is teaching Mexican History in English to a bunch of Koreans, a Puerto Rican, and a few other North Americans.

Anyway, I thought I'd clear up a few bits of confusion regarding the Alamo and the U.S-Mexican War.

Here's what we are taught in the U.S: The Mexican army, under the command of Santa Anna, attacked the Alamo in Texas, killing women and children and possibly Davy Crocket (the nerve!). Then, Pancho Villa ran around Texas shooting random civilians. So, the U.S. fought to save Texas, and we won not only Texas but also half of Mexico's territory at that time during something called the "Mexican American War".

Here's what Mexicans are taught: The Americans invaded their country from the northern border and then put their own women and children in danger by demanding independence. Then, the Americans entered Veracruz (a port on the Gulf coast) and destroyed much on their way to Mexico City, where they murdered the "children heroes" without so much as a how-do-you-do. Also, the Americans secretly helped to extend a war in the Yucatan, one which eventually led to the destruction of the Maya culture.

Confused? I had never known that U.S. troops went farther than Texas. I had never known why, exactly, the U.S. got half of Mexico's territory. And I definitely had never heard of a battle in Mexico City! So, who's telling the truth?

No one, unfortunately.
Tomorrow's post will explain this a little bit better.

Hispanic vs. Latino

2010-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't taught in almost a month, I'm sort of itching for the opportunity to educate people, and thought I'd use the poor souls who read this blog :)

In our PC-culture, many North Americans, especially white ones, try very hard to use culturally sensitive terms to refer to people who are not like themselves. This is fine, of course, if you have any idea what you're talking about. But, as a Social Studies and Spanish teacher, an international traveler, and an illegal immigrant in Mexico, I have some knowledge on what you're supposed to call brown people who may or may not speak Spanish.

hispanic: anyone or anything that speaks Spanish or reflects the Spanish language, regardless of where it is from. For example, Mariachi and Flamenco music is Hispanic, bc it is from Spanish-speaking countries and often includes Spanish lyrics. Octavio Paz is an Hispanic writer, bc he writes in Spanish. Anyone who speaks Spanish as their first language, or who spoke both Spanish and another language since childhood, can be described as Hispanic, whether that person grew up in the U.S., Cuba, or Mexico. Or, in the case of my students, even though they look Asian, they are officially Hispanic bc they were born in a Spanish-speaking country and grew up speaking Spanish. Native Mexicans who speak only Nahuatl or Maya, and not Spanish, are NOT Hispanic, even though they were born and raised in Mexico.

Latino: is anyone or anything from a Latin American country, regardless of what language is associated with him/her/it. For example, tortillas are a Latino food, bc they are originally from Latin America. Rum and coffee are also Latino beverages, bc they are originally from Latin America. A white Brazilian, a native Amazonian, and a Black Jamacian, are all Latino, bc they are from Latin America, even though none of them are Hispanic, bc none of them speak Spanish.

Chicano/ Chicana: a U.S. citizen or resident of Mexican descent, or a U.S. "thing" that is derived from the Mexican culture. This person or thing is Latino, but may or may not be Hispanic. Carlos Santana is an example of a Chicano person, and his music is an example of a Chicano "thing" - both are from Mexico, but their unique identity is definitely tied to U.S. culture.

Race: a quality defined by common perceptions rather than biological components. There has been no scientist in the last 3 centuries who has been able to better define race based on genetic or biological components. Since Europeans invented the concept of race, their definition still holds: there are 3 races: white, black, and yellow. Red and Brown people are, by definition, race-less.

There is NO Hispanic, Latino, or Chicano race.

Ethnicity: a shared heritage or culture. Persons or things of the same race may or may not share an ethnicity. Latinos generally share an ethnicity, even though they may or may not share a race. (There are black, white, brown, and red Latinos.)

Those who share the same race, ethnicity, religion, and nationality, generally have very similar characteristics. Many North Americans falsely assume that all Mexicans are the same, but they aren't. About 60%-80% of Mexican citizens have a mixed European and Native bloodline, speak Spanish, and claim to be a part of the Catholic church. This is roughly equivalent to the 60%-80% of U.S. residents who have a mixed European heritage (with 1 or 2 variants in their tree), speak English, and claim to be a part of the Christian church. But United States-ians would shudder to think that anyone could assume we're all the same.
Mexicans feel the same way.

So, next time you're talking about someone or something who may-or-may-not be from south of the border, call him/her/it "Latino". Next time you're talking about someone or something definitely connected to the Spanish language, call him/her/it "Hispanic". And, please, avoid the term "Caucasian". As explained in an earlier post, only people from the countries of Geogia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (between Russia and Turkey) are Caucasian. The rest of us are just white Americans/Europeans.

Teamwork

2010-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that moms/wives do most of the childcare and housework in American families. Not sure how true that is... but I thought I'd take an opportunity to brag on my DH, who does most of the meal prep and cleaning in our house. In Mexico, we have a full-time housekeeper and a rental house, so there I sometimes forget how much Dave normally does when we're at home in MI. Over this break, when we were back home, he and I worked together to clean the house and prepare Christmas dinner for my family, plus he took the lead on some small house repairs that needed to be done. He also is very popular with our niece and nephew, likely bc he plays with them when we visit.

Meeting our most newest nephew (he's currently super easy to take care of!)

Resting with our sick nice & nephew

Cooking in our kitchen

Normal Day

2010-01-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

In a season of high travel, with lots of traditions and special times with family and friends, I get impatient when I have to do "normal" things like go to the grocery store and to work and such. Coming home from such a great vacation, the homesickness is especially profound. I found this poem recently, and it helped me to get some perspective:

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

MARY JEAN IRON

Feliz Navidad!

2009-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday and I hope we can get together soon.

"El Maraton" - 3 Kings Day

2009-12-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

Some churches in the U.S., catholic and protestant, celebrate Epiphany. When I was small, we always went to church on Jan. 6, even if it was a weeknight evening. Honestly, as a kid, it was a let-down holiday, bc we were already back at school and there weren't many traditions to make the holiday interesting.

In Mexico, on the other hand, January 6 is a kids' day. The kids normally have vacation from Dec. 12 (guadalupe day) until Jan. 6 (kings' day) which provides a really long time off of school.

Also, Kings' day is when kids get presents. They don't put stockings on fireplaces (well, some people do now, bc they have seen it in U.S. images, but normally they don't have fireplaces as much as open fire pits or wooden cooking stoves, which isn't as charming). Instead, kids put their shoes outside their doors with grass or hay in them. Then, the "camels" that carry the 3 kings to visit Jesus will stop by and eat the grass or hay. In exchange for helping their camels, the rich kings will leave candy or small gifts in the shoes for the kids.
This has morphed into a huge gift-giving holiday for kids, when they get lots of presents from their parents and grandparents.

Adults are not left out of the fun. Although adults rarely exchange presents (sometimes with their spouse or significant other, in richer families, but most families have enough trouble finding enough money for fancy dinner and kids' presents), they have a "rosca de los reyes" dessert tradition. The adults share a huge sweet bread shaped in a circle and decorated with red and green dried fruit strips - it's supposed to look like a Christmas wreath. Inside of this cake is at least one small plastic baby Jesus.
I do not joke.
Whomever gets the baby Jesus in his or her portion has to host a party on "candlemas day" otherwise known as Tamale Day. I'll write more about that in February, but if you're dying to know, check out http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/CUSTOMS/year/february.htm.
I'd love to do the rosca tradition in the U.S. but Dave pointed out that if only one American chokes on the Jesus, the situation would be very negative PR for both Christianity and Mexico. Not to mention that we'd be sued by someone.

"El Maraton" - New Year's

2009-12-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

Like everywhere else on earth, Mexican's celebrate at 12am Jan. 1 with huge party. Since Mexico is normally warm enough to celebrate outside (even in central mexico, where it is kind of chilly) most towns celebrate in the town square. Unlike our giant electric ball in Time's Square, Mexicans ring their church bell or the clocktower bell in the central plaza at midnight. For each of the chimes of the bell (rather than a 10-second countdown), Mexicans eat a grape and make a wish. Any of the 12 grapes swallowed by the end of the bell's ringing will signal a wish that will come true in the new year.
Also, wearing red underwear at midnight will lead to good luck in your love life in the following year and wearing yellow underwear at midnight will lead to good luck in your financial life in the following year.
Packing a suitcase and walking to the corner will mean that you will have good travels in the year to come.
Since Mexicans party all night long throughout the year, they have no problem starting the party at midnight and continuing until dawn!!!

*note* I asked where to get the "lucky underwear pack" and was told that no one in Mexico had thought to sell special red and yellow underwear just for the new year. Sounds like a business opportunity to me!!!

"El Maraton" - Navidad

2009-12-15T22:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are celebrated a little bit different in every culture. These are just a few of the uniquely "mexican" things that we've been told about.

- Most Mexicans celebrate at midnight Christmas Eve. The kids only get a few presents, but almost no presents on the 24th or the 25th. Instead, they will go to "midnight" mass and then have a large meal and family celebration in the middle of the night. Like American families, they often have multiple family celebrations on different days.

- Ponche is a punch of hot sugar water and dried fruit. It's sort of like Mexican cider, I suppose, and is popular to drink at holiday parties. Fruit and cheese and sweet breads are common snack foods. They don't eat cookies.

- Like in the U.S., companies and social groups often have Christmas parties in the weeks before the holiday. These parties involve dinner at 9pm, dancing and drinks until midnight, and then a mariachi band with more dancing until 3am.

- Christmas trees are a new tradition here, that they have incorporated from images of Christmas movies and TV shows and such from the States. Nativity manger scenes, on the other hand, are very popular, and are at lots of places (stores, libraries, government offices, schools) where they are not in the U.S. Sometimes the mary is really huge and out of proportion, and sometimes the baby Jesus is, too.

"El Maraton" - Dia del Virgen de Guadalupe

2009-12-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Dec. 12 is Virgin of Guadalupe Day. On this day, thousands of people visit the Basilica del Virgin de Guadalupe, north of Mexico City. It is the 2nd most popular Catholic visit site in the world, behind only the Vatican. For Millions of Mexicans who can't visit the Basilica, they will go to church with their families.

The very first chapel built at the site of the original image of the Virgin:

There is a very nice garden area by this small chapel on the hill:

They started building her "basilica" in 1531 but it wasn't finished until 1709. It became a pilgrimage site in the early 1800s.

While the basilica is very large, it quickly became too small to hold all of the pilgrims, so they built a new one in the 1970s. Now it's very very large with an even larger courtyard to hold everyone else. We want to go on the day of the festival, but I'm kind of afraid of the crowds.

The Virgin of Guadalupe is not a person, per se, but rather an image of the Virgin Mary. This is the story:
When the Catholics came to Mexico, they tried to convert the natives, with limited success. One of the natives, Juan Diego, was working for a priest when in December 1531 saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen to sixteen, surrounded by light. Speaking in the local language of Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. He shared the story with his Priest employer, who suggested he return to the site and demand a sign. The Virgin then asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. He gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his peasant cloak. When Juan Diego presented the roses to the priest, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth. This image appeared on Dec. 12.
Mexicans say that this is how they knew that Mary (who spoke Nahuatl and was dark-skinned) wanted Mexicans to be Catholic.
Historians say that this account couldn't possibly be accurate, but most Mexicans don't care. Juan Diego was canonized (became a saint) in the 1990s.
The image became the symbol of Mexico during the fight for independence in 1810-1820 bc the leaders of the independence movement (who sparked the war) were Priests who used the dark-skinned Mary to rally the natives behind their cause.

"The Marathon" Mexican Holiday Traditions

2009-12-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mexicans call the holiday season "el maraton" or the marathon because they have 4 large holidays in one month: Dia del Virgen del Guadalupe Dec. 12, Navidad Dec. 24 & 25, Ano Nuevo Dec. 31 & Jan 1, and Dia de los Reyes Magos Jan. 6 Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (the patron Saint of Mexico), Christmas, New Year, and 3 Kings Day. So, this week, I'll explain some of the holiday traditions that Mexicans have. Unfortunately, we won't be here for much of the holidays bc we go home but we've seen and heard about some of the traditions.

Remember the Jerry Lewis Telethon that used to be on TV labor day weekend? Mexicans do a similar thing the first weekend in December. There are a lot of children in Mexico who suffer from birth trauma and disabilities, more so than in the U.S. The teleton is on TV, but people donate in person to volunteers throughout the country on street corners and donation receptacles in small businesses.

Mexicans also have specific rules about dispensas or holiday bonuses. Companies are required by law to provide a holiday Christmas bonus equal to one month of the employee's salary. Official employees are also required to be paid for some of their holiday vacation time. Because half of Mexican workers are "under the table" these rules can't be enforced, but they are still normally followed. For example, we will pay our housekeeper a month salary bonus, plus 3 weeks of paid vacation and maybe also buy her a small gift. If we don't, the government doesn't care, but she may not come back in January, and we'll get a reputation for being stingy.
Dave doesn't qualify for dispensas, bc of his unique international employment status, and my school buys us a plane ticket to go home for Christmas as a "gift". (We have to go back at Christmas in order to keep our tourist visa legal)

Tomorrow - Dia del Virgin de guadalupe!