Posted in SMA on December 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Oaxaca Cactus living in the Botanical Collection at El Charco del Ingenio.
View of “Baker” atomic bomb explosion at Bikini Atoll on July 25, 1946 — the last of three American tests. Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS. Found on Karen’s Google Reader shared items.
Posted in SMA on December 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Cory Pontha struggled with merging a wordpress blog onto her news webpage. She wanted it to look seamless and for other authors to have access to the blog. She wasn’t sure how this was going to work; but she had the feeling she was going to have to install wordpress.org once she had access to the server and could upload files. Her heads were spinning. She wished she had been born knowing how to do all this stuff like tadpoles seem to be.
Posted in SMA on December 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I’m reading through all the Proyecto Itzaes documents Cindy gave me when I visted Merida. This student’s voice particularly struck me… there’s so much potential in these young people. They just need a chance to go to school.
My name is Laura. I am seventeen years old, and live in Ixil. I am a volunteer teaching assistant for Proyecto Itzaes. I currently study in the University Preparatory College (high school) of the State of Yucatan, which is located in the neighboring town of Chicxulub Pueblo. I enjoy studying and playing sports. I am now in my fifth semester of preparatory school, but as I have no further resources it will be the last year of my studies.
My life is very complicated now, because I am an orphan. My mother passed away a year and a half ago and my father does not live with me. I can only study now because my brothers and sisters help me with what little they can, but they also have to support their own families. I live on what they give me. They give me 120 pesos (~12 USD) every week, an amount which I must divide into transportation fare for the six days I attend school.
This situation is precarious; I must do odd jobs to be able to buy my books and school supplies. My foremost goal is to study teaching, with a concentration in languages, as I think that with these skills I can help my community to succeed. I consider myself a good student, receiving an average of 9.1. I enjoy working hard and learning all that may serve my in future life, but I believe that I will not be able to achieve this goal as I don’t have anybody who helps me 100%. Every passing day prices get higher and with them go my dreams of being able to be a professional, of being somebody in this life. I believe I deserve an opportunity to excel and I know that somewhere there must be someone who wants to help me; truly I hope so. I know it’s very sad not to have anyone to help you.
Posted in SMA on December 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Fernando and I spent Christmas Day at the Botanical Gardens, my favorite place in San Miguel. This ecological preservation zone extends over 250 acres of nature reserve. It includes a wondrous botanical collection and is rich in biodiversity. There’s a dam you can walk across and remnants of pre-Hispanic stone tools and ceramics. We spent half the day wandering around the dirt paths that lace the preserve. Fernando grew up here. As a young boy, he and his friends would run around the grounds all day. With all the rocks, water, trails, and hiding places, I can’t think of a more ideal place to spend a childhood, or Christmas for that matter.
Posted in SMA on December 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
When I walk the back way to grocery store, I pass by homes made of tin and cardboard. When I walk in the exclusive neighborhoods lining the orilla, I find myself in the midst of multi-million dollar homes. These neighborhoods are walking distance apart.
Posted in SMA on December 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in SMA on December 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in SMA on December 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
This street finishes in the jardin. The jardin, or garden, is where bands play on the weekend, dances are held, and people promenade or sit and talk on one of the many garden benches. At the end of this street, you can see a giant Christmas Tree. It’s directly in front of Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.
Posted in Bernal on December 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The drug war continues as nine more decapitated heads are found in a plastic bag. Over 5,300 people have been killed this year in Mexico due to drug related violence.
Posted in SMA on December 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Bernal on December 21, 2008 |
Posted in SMA on December 20, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Tony Globo’s body sculpting contest took place on Thursday night. First place went to a ripped trash collector. His torso was strapped in muscles; his legs were skinny. He doesn’t have a gym membership but gets plenty of trash can lifting all day long. Tony is big on diet as well. When Tony asked the champion what he eats, he responded that he eats scraps he finds in the trash as he can’t afford to buy food.
Posted in SMA on December 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
F and I walked to the movie theatre last night to see what was playing. We took the long way, up hills and through neighborhoods on the outskirts of town. Twice along the way, we passed a posada procession. They were winding their way along a dirt road, holding candles and singing. Many of the doors were open and as I looked in, there were more candles, more singing. Various times as we passed by a home, we heard posada behind its door.
It’s wonderful being here in Mexico during this time, steeped in ritual. There’s a unique comfort that comes from simply witnessing beliefs being honored in the same way they have been for generations.
Posted in SMA on December 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I showed up at the gym last night in my official capacity as juez but there were no muscles to judge as the contest has been postponed. Apparently, the main attraction, a young señorita who was to wear a thong bikini while dispensing the awards, couldn’t get the night off from work. So no bikini, no contest.
Later on in the evening, there was still a lot of noise at the mercado. Around 8pm, a mariachi band began playing all the classics. They were really good! So F and I headed down and hung out for a couple of hours. The singers sang with such conviction. The crowd requested songs and mouthed the lyrics or sang along. Most of the songs were so sad they made my eyes water. It was the first time I had really listened to the lyrics and appreciated how they were soulfully and beautifully sung. These are the lyrics a drunk recites into his bottle just as he’s ready to go down.
At one point, there was a song about how life isn’t worth living which proved to be an intoxicated listener’s favorite. He swayed nearby the lead singer while singing the chorus with amplified conviction. Later on, I saw an old woman help him deposit a donation for the Virgincita. She, and her shrine, were directly in front of the band.
Posted in SMA on December 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Firecrackers went off for an hour this morning starting at 7am. It’s almost noon and they’re still whooping it up downtown. Lots of drums, trumpets and loud cries of exultation. They’re celebrating the Patron Saint of the Mercado. With so many Saint celebrations, posadas, and festivities during December, it feels as though the entire town is on vacation this month.
Posted in Bernal on December 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Last night at the gym, Tony asked me if I would judge the Wednesday night’s body contest. He’s excited about his gym’s first competition and told me he thinks it’s important to have one female judge and one foreigner. Luckily I’m both. So I’ll be judging flexed body parts (I think) with three other judges to ABBA and the Grease Soundtrack if he’s playing his regular music. Should be fun.
Posted in Yucatán on December 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Yucatán on December 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Yucatán on December 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
This past week, I was fortunate enough to meet Peregrina and Esteban. This dynamic, fun-loving couple generously contributes daily to community development while also raising and supporting a family. Esteban pulls long hours. He farms cilantro and also works as a parking lot attendant in the city.
As I was traveling yesterday, I had the opportunity to go over some of the documents Cindy gave me in order to learn more about Proyecto Itzaes. I learned that after helping establish the early childhood reading program, Esteban was inspired to return to school and finish his middle and high school requirements. Having gone to night school myself for massage while working full-time at the library, I know what a huge commitment this is. But Esteban has two full-time jobs and three children! It’s incredible that simply having access to books and reading to one’s children would compel a person with limited resources and time to return to school. What an inspiration to his children, to his community, and everyone who hears his story.
Posted in Yucatán on December 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Today we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe Day, Mexico’s most religious holiday. Unfortunately, instead of running to another town barefoot, dancing in a parade, or otherwise honoring the Virgin in some way, I’ll be flying and bussing back to San Miguel.
