Celebrating everything...and then some.

This past Sunday we celebrated the Dia de San Miguel Arcangel, who is the patron saint of San Miguel de Allende. There have been and still are events every day commemorating him.



There were several parades featuring festive paper stars, traditional dances by local indigenous groups (Otomi, Chichimeca) and an hour-long fireworks show in the jardin both Saturday and Sunday.



Celebrations go all out. It's the first time in my life that I've attended a parade and the procession passes by two times(!) with music, dancing, cheering and the lighting of rockets that explode in the air and sound like a gunshot. The rockets went off throughout Friday morning until 4:30. I just groaned, rolled over and fell back asleep.



Also in celebration of San Miguel Arcangel, there have been at least five bull fights. I went with one of the volunteers, and after killing four bulls per ritual (spearing, pricking with tissue paper-covered spikes, stabbing with a saber and finally, severing the spinal cord at the neck with a dagger), they made an open call for members of the audience to enter the arena to play a 'game' wherein a bull is released and participants try to lure it through goal posts to win, whilst avoiding being impaled by the charging bull's horns. It was just incredible and so dangerous.

In addition, there has been a fair going on for the past three weeks that will continue for the next week with all kinds of amusement rides, fried foods and cotton candy, and nightly live concerts on two large stages. Since it's sponsored by the government (the town's President), admission is 15 pesos and you can go on as many rides as you want at no additional cost.

In addition, the town is celebrating San Francisco de Asisi (St. Francis of Assisi), with large parties to honor him. The past two nights I've listened to live concerts in the jardin that go on until 3AM interspersed with shouts and cries of the enthused crowd. And yesterday there was a parade to finally conclude the celebrations of San Miguel Arcangel. How is it possible to celebrate so much all the time?

I have realized that culturally it is so much different here than what I'm used to. Japanese culture is very inward, reflective, meditative and self-contained. Here in Mexico, everything is alegre and about spending quality time together, festivals, folklore, music and noise. It's great, but I just think I've reached my saturation point, especially on the parades. There have been at least five in the past three weeks! I just stopped going out to see them.

The next big celebration will not be until early November, which is All Saints' Day and the Day of the Dead. Oh, and also Halloween. I'm reminded that I'm still in North America when I go to the American-owned superstores and see stands full of cheap masks, gaudy pumpkin decorations and even Christmas ornaments.

Life is still good, though. Volunteers are coming and going, the weather is sunny often enough for me to get my laundry done and I have a bag full of fun-sized Twix and Snickers bars in my room, courtesy of my parents.

Until next time!

BIG WEEKEND

It was a full weekend, that's for sure. Get ready for a long post with lots of pictures.

Friday: Grito de la Independencia at the daycare

Some of the cuteness. Marichul and her little bro, Father Hidalgo (we had three dressed up), and Aldo

 

Posing with the teachers. (L to R) Mari, Cinthia, Flor, Donna, Sofi, Diana, Erika, Ana, me

Rina (volunteer), Nesvi, little Ignacio Allende (Alan), and Vero

 

Volunteers. Rina, me, Andreas, Alice, Gabriel. "This is the first time volunteers have ever dressed up for El Grito!" Donna remarked in passing.

To celebrate El Grito de la Independencia (the shout which marked the beginning for Mexican independence from Spanish colonial rule), we all gathered in the main square to shout Viva Mexico! among other things (view the video here). Many of the children didn't quite get what exactly was going on, but it was fun all the same, because after shouting we had snacks of all kinds (pork skin two ways, pretzel-like sticks, potato chips, jello) with horchata.

In the evening we had another celebration of El Grito for church. It was a potluck with everyone bringing something to share, and everyone showed up in some version of Mexican dress or the colors of the flag (red, white and green).

Some pictures snapped by Rebeca. We played musical chairs.

 

Rebeca, me, Megan, Ana

 

Saturday: Guanajuato

On Saturday the volunteers and I left the house at 6:30am to walk to the bus station in the drizzling rain for an 1+ ride to the town of Guanajuato.

 

Snapshots of the city.

 



Guanajuato is much larger than San Miguel de Allende, and actually, there are a lot less Americans there, which is kind of a relief. It's a bit less tourist-y. Not every store sells the same overpriced "authentic" Mexican artisan wares. As Laurita would say, Guanajuato has much more variedad.

Don Quixote. Guanajuato has a theater dedicated to Don Quixote! Posing with Andreas and Alice.

La Pipila. We took a tram on rails up to this lookout, and right after taking this photo it started down-pouring. Gabriel, me, Andreas.

 

Since it was Gabriel's last weekend, we definitely made the most of the 10+ hours we had in Guanajuato! We visited the main Teatro (built in the 1900s and restored in 2004/2005), went to the Diego Rivera Museum (where he was born and lived seven years), went up to see the statue of La Pipila (legend and hero), walked all the way to the Mummy Museum (almost gave up half way there because there were so many stairs and hills), found the callejon de besos (where a small crowd gathered to cheer couples on who were kissing there?) and finally, exhausted, ate dinner at a restaurant famous for their enchiladas. Apparently it used to be an aquifer for the rainwater runoff, so you feel like you're in a bomb shelter. But the enchiladas rojas were delicious!

 



 

Alice, Andreas and I will be returning to Guanajuato in October for the international arts festival, el Cervatino. We have tickets to see a group of musicians from Veracruz that play traditional jarocho music. Since we've seen basically everything there is to see in Guanajuato, we'll probably take it much easier this time around.

 

Sunday: Grito de la Independencia

Sunday was the "big show" in the jardin (the main square in San Miguel de Allende). In the Volunteer House we had a potluck, with each person cooking something to contribute to dinner. Gabriel made mojitos two ways with chile relleno. Alice and I made nopales (cactus) and arroz rojo. Andreas made potato pancakes and beef. It was a feast! And Donna was so nice as to make us cinnamon buns for dessert.

 

At 9:00pm we left the house hoping the downpour would subside, but it just kept raining. None of us had rain jackets and Alice only had an umbrella for one. The jardin was crowded with lots of young people, although there was an older man that was so drunk he couldn't even stand up. It reminded me of my days working in Pioneer Square. We ended up ducking into a Thai restaurant/bar of all places and popped back out to watch the fireworks. It felt so dangerous because they let them off literally in the middle of the entire crowd. It looked spectacular, though! The rain really killed it. The bartenders blamed it on the hurricanes. Ugh.

 

Monday: Desfile

Monday was the parade to commemorate the Mexican independence movement. Students from schools in the area participated, wearing their uniforms and marching behind their banda de guerra (the drum lines were so cute! And there were a lot of female percussionists!).

 

 

The parade lasted for more than an hour, concluding with a tour of the firemen, police and national guard.

 

Lots of celebration, don't you think? Well, back to work now! Viva Mexico!



Más adelante yo voy a recordar

The weeks seem to be getting fuller and fuller with different experiences and memories. Today there were nine new volunteers and I found myself surprised telling them, "This is my eighth week here."

Visit to Mexiquito

This past Wednesday Donna drove me out to visit Casa Hogar Don Bosco "Mexiquito," which is the orphanage where Ángel, Erik and Fernando live. It's a peaceful place with lots of room to roam. Although it make be technically labeled an "orphanage," Donna pointed out that it's more like foster care. All of the boys who live there have parents who are living, yet cannot care for them--either because of lack of resources or substance abuse problems. "You know, any of our kids at the daycare could be here," Donna explained to me, "The mother's could easily have given up their kids like the mothers of the children in Mexiquito have, but they are choosing to fight." I love that Hogar de los Ángeles makes it possible for families to stay together.

Cute Pictures of the Kids

After being here awhile the weeks become clumps of memories balled into an indistinct mass. Until now I've been very diligent, making lists at the end of the day of "moments" where I saw God in the kids--trying to be hyper-present all the time. It was a great relief when this Friday a pastor from Texas prophesized over me saying, "And don't worry so much about remembering everything--God will bring them to mind and will remind you of how he loved you, how he loved through you, when you need it." So now I just enjoy and let the moments pass by, absorbing them--not desperately grabbing at them.

Jose Maria and Beto in matching cachucas

Juan Pablo and Yoselín doing rompecabezas

The Late Pick-Up Bunch: Brisa, Beto & Yoselín sitting on the bookshelf

Believe it or not, I have only a week and a half left with these kids! August is the time for graduations and the beginning of a new school year--many kids will move on to kínder (Erik, Fernando, Ángel, Brisa), teachers will change classrooms and perhaps even daycare centers (I have a hunch that Marisol will be transferred to the Santa Julia daycare, where I will dutifully and cheerfully follow her). Time is precious with these precious little ones!

Fine Arts

Cuyos Quartet from Morelia, who played a mix of Mozart and Mexican tunes

Earlier last week I went to a couple of free concerts as a part of the Festival Internacional de Música de Cámara which feature young hotshot musicians from around Mexico playing chamber music. The musicians were all incredibly talented, and it was such a relief to think in neither Spanish nor English--to think musically! Teatro Ángela Peralta is a small, but quite classy performing arts center and the audience was filled with many gringos jubilados--retired Caucasian Americans. It was pretty awesome.

Adventuresome Eating

Sope de Panzita y Quesadilla de Raja

Was so psyched to eat me some more street food yesterday after church! Right nearby is a tarp-covered area by the side of the road with tables, chairs and a handful of women in aprons gathered around a portable grill of sorts. By the time I got there after service was over, all the chicken was gone, which was no matter for me. With gusto I chomped down a sope of stomach lining (I think it was pork?) and a quesadilla filled with delectable spicy green chiles. Accompanying me was Laura, the 12-year old daughter of a couple of leaders in the church, Angelina and Alberto (nicknamed Beto). She's soft-spoken and quite timid, but she has a big heart for little kids. Last Thursday she even came in to volunteer at the daycare! :)

As we were waiting for the food to arrive, I saw in the cemented stone siding, hidden under some ivy a teensy mouse. ¡Un ratón!--"A rat!" I cried out to her, laughing. It scampered along the wall, plummeted into the brush and was never seen again.

At the Movies--Mexican Style

Later on Laura and I walked up to the "mall" named La Luciérnaga to watch for the first time Toy Story 3. Sadly enough, it was already gone from the theater--we've got a bootlegged copy of it at the daycare already, so I guess it's old news. We ended up watching Despicable Me in Spanish, which was retitled Mi Villano Favorito. Watching it, I was struck at how, if I hadn't known otherwise, I would have thought this movie was made originally in Spanish the dubbing was so well done! Afterwards I asked Laura what part she liked best and she said, "Everything!" I thought it was pretty good, but nothing can beat Pixar.

Luckily, I didn't end the night disappointed! After some delicious enchiladas and horchata, Amanda (another volunteer) and I watched her pirated copy of Toy Story 3 together while tossing a spit-covered tennis ball for Noela (the dog she's sitting) to go fetch. I must say, the bootleg quality was pretty splended--the audio track was in Spanish but all the writing, quite puzzlingly, was in Ukranian. Despite how far the copy was from its original form, though, by the end both of us were tearing up at the sight of Woody being given to a new owner.

Thanks!

At Parque Juarez with Emilio and Ángel

Thanks so much for reading my blog, leaving comments, sending packages & letters, supporting me in your prayers. If you can't tell, I'm having a great time here, and can't wait to blog more about my adventures in the coming weeks!

Sightseeing Photos and Prayer Requests

End of week two! Whew!

Sightseeing

Sunday I took a bus ride out to el Santuario Atotonilco with one of the other American volunteers, Jennifer, who is going to be down here for another couple of weeks. Since there is so much tourism in these parts, many of these holy places have been turned into corrals of people with cameras in hand, talking amongst each other. I was hoping to find a place nearby to pray, but looks like that might not be the case! Oh well.

Today, after venturing to the Jardín in the center of town to pick up a copy of Atención, the local newspaper, I happened upon el Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez (a.k.a. Bellas Artes). It was empty and tranquil, and some students were practicing classical guitar and piano upstairs. It's located next to the church called "Las Monjas" and used to be a convent, but now offers art classes and opens its galleries to the public for viewing. It was definitely a "find"--it just transports you to another place, away from the barking dogs and the noise of trucks barrelling through.

Hogar de los Ángeles

With nearly all the kids at the Santa Julia location out with varicela still, I've decided to just stay at the original center with Marisol's two-year old class. This week has been a lot less glorious and a lot more 'real'--poop on the floor, two puking episodes, peeing of the pants, food fights.. It's actually been pretty exhausting, and sometimes I feel at the point of losing patience. How do parents do it? :)

L to R: Ángel, Fernando, Erik

Although most of the children come from single-mother, working families, the above three boys are an exception. All three live in Casa Hogar Don Bosco, which is an orphanage run by Dominican nuns.

Ángel: Ángel, as a baby, was found abandoned by the highway, and to this day has an acute fear of cars. Early on I noticed signs of delayed development and symptoms of what might be mild Tourette's syndrome: muscle twitches, arm flapping, always having something in his mouth, screaming for no reason and limited verbal expression and affect. Later on I found out that he is really five years old, but in the two-year old class. Marisol described him as torpe (clumsy), and many times he has spilled things, hit or harmed others on accident. However, he is a very happy child, laughing. His favorite thing to do is make clear which things are his and which things belong to others, "Mío. ¿Es tuyo? ¿Tuyo?"

Fernando: Fernando is also old to be in the class, four instead of two. He comes from a family of five children, all in the orphanage system because their mother is an alcoholic and cannot care for them. He is still being potty trained, and has had three accidents since I've first met him. At times he can be very disobedient and grosero (rude), throwing his socks at me during changing time, lifting his hand up to hit peers or teachers when he doesn't like what is being said to him. Yet, it seems to me that what he needs most is some TLC, some uplifting words and a gentle touch. "Todos necesitan cariño. Todos," (They all need affection, all of them) Marisol said to me today, when telling me more about the three.

Erik: Erik, I have to say, has been one of my favorites from the get-go. For awhile his grandparents were caring for him, but they got too old so they had to put him up for adoption. His younger sister lives in the girls' orphanage, Casa Hogar Santa Julia, and goes to the other daycare, but it seems like he does not get to see her very much. I would say that Erik is the most well-adjusted of the three, interacting well with his peers and on-track developmentally. He is just too cute! I can recognize his voice from far away now or if I'm in another room.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for Ángel, Fernando and Erik--for their adoptive situations, that they would be cared for well, that they would grow up to be strong, healthy, happy boys.

Please pray that I would be able to love and treasure these children in a way that would please the Lord. There are definitely trying moments, though, so this is no small task! I want to see my time with these kids as a gift, and to appreciate every little thing, every little blessing.

Please also pray that I would be able to connect more with the mothers of the other children and earn their trust. One of the biggest things I wanted to do was to be able to get to know the mothers--not just the kids. Please pray for opportunities to talk with them!

Thanks again for all of your support! I love hearing from all of you.