Te Acostumbras

For the past two weeks there have only been two volunteers in the house, so it's been a nice and chill time. I've been reflecting a lot on what it means to adjust to life here in Mexico. While I would certainly admit that the life I live now is one of relative extravagance, and that I lack nothing that I need, there are small things here and there that, though they be small, are still adjustments nevertheless.

 

Things I've learned (mostly) the hard way:

 

· The freshest and cheapest eggs are available at the pollería on Canal Street, where they keep whole raw chickens out on the counter, ready to butcher. However, they are closed on Sundays.

· It is shameful to be seen in public with unkempt hair, rumpled clothing or in sweats.

· It’s common for men to wear backpacks but for some reason, women don’t. Women also don’t wear shorts or capris if they can help it.

· I can fit exactly three pairs of jeans in my sink to wash them. Laundry day for jeans is every fourth day.

· The public library closes at 7:00pm and the post office closes at 4:30pm on weekdays.

· When it rains really hard, the pilot light on the water heater may go out and need to be re-lit. I learned this after two days of cold showers.

· Before going to the kitchen to prepare dinner, apply bug spray liberally. Mosquitos will bite the arch of your foot if you so give them the opportunity.

· When in a public place, remember that using the bathroom will cost you three or four pesos.

· Commodities that only non-Mexicans would buy are subject to extreme price discrimination, so choose wisely: peanut butter is $8, women’s shaving cream is $9, a bar of dark chocolate is $4, Prego spaghetti sauce is $6, tofu is $5 and shoga is $5.

· Good luck finding cheddar cheese anywhere.

I think to myself at times about my life of luxury and convenience in the United States. It was definitely a nice life. But in terms of the cost/sacrifice of moving to Mexico, they are far outweighed by my current level of life satisfaction. The fact that I am satisfied with the nature of my work (a delicious mix of administrative, multicultural, multigenerational and social tasks), and the balance of my work and leisure time is huge.

I was commenting to my friend via Skype the other day about the difference between my former job in downtown Seattle and my current job with Casa de los Ángeles in San Miguel de Allende. Since graduating from college I have been seeking a job that will (i) grant me opportunities to use my talents and abilities, (ii) supply my basic needs and (iii) contribute to anti-oppression/social justice work in a way that is ethically compatible with my core values and beliefs.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I may have hit the mother lode here because so far, all three criteria have been met if not surpassed in my past five weeks on the job. What can I say? I am happy here.

Little hassles here and there aside, I’m pretty freaking sure that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. Thank you, Lord!

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!



Old Friends and New

I had just left the house and was walking to the daycare with five of the other volunteers when all of a sudden I heard a little voice shout out "¡ABRIL!" I looked to the left and there was a small girl, wearing a uniform beneath a checkered apron, as all kindergarteners do. Her hair was in pigtails and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how in the world she knew my name.
 
Then I saw her mom and it all clicked for me. "No sé si te acuerdas de.." ("I'm not sure if you remember..") she started to say to me as I broke out into a grin. "¡Martita!" I exclaimed, "¡Ya eres muy grande!" ("You're so big!") Marta was in Male’s class when I was interning back in the day. Her mom would tell me that when they were on the bus to go home together, she’d see me walking in the street and tried to yell out to get my attention. In this picture taken in 2010 she is the furthest to the right.
 
It was so nice to see a familiar face and to be greeted after all this time; it just warmed my heart. "¡Adios!" she cried as she ran off with her mother and younger sibling following behind.
 
With small interactions like that I begin to feel that even though I have been away for three years, not everything has changed. Last Sunday I went visited the Vega family’s (Evangelina, Alberto and Laura) church which is called “Amistad Cristiana.” It’s an evangelical protestant church, and was packed out with at least 300 people. After church they invited me to their home in Manlanquín and while Laura (~14 years old) and I talked about our favorite books and movies and how we get annoyed by the frivolity of youth group meetings, Evangelina made salad and enchiladas verdes. As we ate we talked about the culture of Catholicism in San Miguel de Allende, the adoration of saints, and the reason Evangelina and Alberto chose to change churches.  

Andreas, Melanie, Sheila, me, Rina and Zelina at La Posadita restaurant.

On the work front, it’s been a pleasure spending time with and getting to know the volunteers. Some I really get along well with, and it’s sad to say goodbye. But I appreciate whatever time I have with them. It is energizing being around such big-hearted people.

Sometimes I get worried about my job because I’m afraid that we won’t be able to raise enough money through volunteers and donors to remain operationally viable. We rely completely on both to stay afloat. I just need to trust.

Happy Friday, Everyone!