¡¡¡Thanksgiving in Acapulco!!!

Since I couldn´t spend Thanksgiving with my family this year, I decided to crash another family´s Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving wedding….in Acapulco! AND, as if that wasn´t good enough, I actually had 95% of my trip paid for!!!!

So how did I swing this, you´re asking yourself…well, none of this would have been possible without the collaboration of Kristen Dickens, who did, in fact, invite me to crash the Thanksgiving and the wedding. Kristen, as many of you know, is one of my sorority sisters and good friends from Furman. Kristen´s dad, who I have gotten to know fairly well over during my time at Furman, is a Baptist pastor, and was asked to officiate the couples´ wedding. He was the pastor at the couples´ church for a period of time, and led them on a mission trip to Russia, so he has been very involved in their lives. Kristen didn´t really know too many people going to the wedding, and Acapulco is only 4 hours from Cuernavaca, so she invited me to keep her company, and the couple very kindly agreed to let me come!

Now, just to paint you a picture, I should mention that the couple, Charlie Seely and Joanna (ohhh I can´t remember her maiden name) were both previously married and have grown children and many grandchildren. So the wedding party was about 35 people. Charlie paid for all of his guests´ stays, including mine, and he certainly didn´t skimp on the accommodations! Have of the guests (most of the younger people) stayed in the 5 star Fairmont Acapulco Princess – absolutely the most beautiful hotel that I have ever seen/stayed in (check it out http://www.fairmont.com/Acapulco/). The other half stayed in a rented house that is on the market for $2 million dollars that has the most beautiful view of Acapulco. Luckily, Charlie, who is in the oil business, could afford it. Really, most of the people in the wedding party lived very comfortable lives, but they were mostly very humble and salt of the earth kind of people.

I am getting a little ahead of myself, so let me back up. I left Wed., Nov. 21st on a bus for the 4 hour trip from Cuernavaca to Acapulco (side note: there was a bird´s nest in the luggage compartment above my head and baby birds were chirping the whole way). I was going to sleep, but the views were so beautiful, I couldn´t close my eyes – Mexico is really so breathtaking. After about 3 ½ hours, we arrived in Acapulco. The outskirts of the city are basically slums and Mexico´s equivalent to shantytowns. Generally speaking, in Acapulco, the poorest people live the furthest from the ocean and the big tourist sector of the city. And Acapulco has some of the very poorest people in Mexico. Another generalization that is largely true is that the Mexican poor become even poorer as you head south in Mexico – that is the severity of the destitution is greater in the southern states of Mexico than in the northern states. So again, relatively speaking, Acapulco has a very large poor population that is especially poor – we drove through the shantytowns for a good 20 minutes before reaching houses that were at least made of concrete. And not long after we passed these neighborhoods, we began passing homes worth millions of dollars. It really got me to thinking. I don´t know that I have ever seen poor and rich juxtaposed so poignantly. I kept thinking, Why does God love me so much? – that I have a nice home, nice things, a great education…that I was going to spend the next 4 days on the beach in a 5 star hotel for free? Why does God love me so much? It eventually occurred to me that I was implying that God loved me more than the people I saw walking barefoot alongside the bus. What I really wanted to know was why I was born where I was born, and what I am supposed to do with my privileges. It was a question I had asked many times before, and a question that will stay with me forever, but it had never been so tangible – so in-my-face real. It was at the same time very humbling and very motivating. The question stayed in the forefront of my mind throughout my whole trip – problem is, I don´t think that I got any closer to the answer.

Well back to the story…Around 2:00, I arrived in Acapulco, and took a very expensive taxi to the Acapulco Princess. The taxi driver was great and basically gave me an entire free tour of Acapulco! I found out the city has a population of 2 million people and used to be a retreat and vacation spot reserved for Aztec rulers! The Princess is away from the main tourist area on a private beach and cove. It is shaped like an Aztec pyramid (ironic and sad, but admittedly absolutely stunning) I found the room and Kristen and I were reunited at last! But our salutations were cut short because we were leaving for dinner. All of us staying in the hotel piled in vans, so I quickly got to know many of the people, who were all very welcoming. Dinner was held at a house owned by some friends of Charlie and Joanne´s. Appropriately, the house was named La Mirada (basically, the view). It had the most gorgeous view of Acapulco – all of the mountains and the coves with the lights glittering – amazing!! Waiters walked around with piña coladas and margaritas. And there was also an open bar with anything and everything. The tables each had beautiful flower decorations and pink and white linens – every detail in place. Kristen and I caught up and mingled with the other guests. Close to our age, there was Sarah (Another semi-rando like me, who got a lucky invite), Slava, Ben, Charlie, and Kevin. Kevin is 28ish, and the rest of the people I just mentioned are 16 or 17. We ate chicken enchiladas verdes, chips and guacamole, beans, chimichangas, and then coconut ice cream for dessert – incredible! Then Kristen and I played cards with the rest of the young adult crowd. We had such a great time – it was like we were all actually family! We went back to the hotel and Kristen and I hung at the bar sipping $13 drinks (what a profit!) and catching up.

Thursday, we woke up, got our swimming gear on and went to the hotel´s breakfast (also paid for by Charlie). I had never seen a breakfast like that. They catered to every single possible taste bud – Mexican and otherwise. They had every kind of fruit and bread imaginable, several different kinds of eggs and an omelet bar, pancakes, French toast, all varieties of breakfast meats, and then of course the traditional Mexican breakfast with salsas and beans and enchiladas or orange chicken or fish quesadillas. You might be wondering how anyone could eat that for breakfast, but after being here for over a month, I don´t understand why everyone doesn´t eat like that for breakfast! It´s so much more filling and delicious!!! After breakfast, Kristen and I waddled to the beach, decided it was too hot, and waddled back to the pool/manmade waterfall. The temperature was in the upper 80s,low 90s, so we never laid out for long. Soon the rest of the YAC, I´ll call them (young adult crowd) came and joined us in the pool, and we had dunking wars. We only got out of the pool to eat lunch, and then to get ready for Thanksgiving. We had Thanksgiving dinner in an outdoor side wing of the hotel that was beautifully lit with lanterns. Mariachi bands came and serenaded us and I translated a little, which was good fun because a lot of Mariachi songs are funny and/or have double meaning (usually sexual), and I had never paid that close attention to the words before. Then we had our feast! We didn´t have turkey and stuffing, etc. , but I did have a wonderful corn soup for starters with a Chilean Sea Bass to follow and then cheesecake for dessert. Not too shabby. Then the YAC again stayed up and played cards until bedtime.

Friday, Kristen and I again stuffed ourselves at breakfast, then hit the beach to play in the waves. In the afternoon, Kristen and I went into town, along with her Dad, and two of her Dad´s friends, who were absolutely hilarious! We went to the artisans market, where I got to talk with some of the vendors. I talked with one girl for awhile, Stephanie she called herself, and her family. Stephanie had just studied English in the States for a year, and her father was getting ready to go to the U.S. to try to make some money. I have not met a single Mexican person here that does not have someone in their immediate or close to immediate family who is in the U.S. or Canada, who has been to the U.S. or Canada, or who is going – not one single person. They were a very pleasant, open family, who told me all about the struggles of their business and the rich/poor dichotomy of Acapulco – they considered themselves fairly well off compared to others, but admitted that their life was difficult. After the market, we went to Tres Lobos (Three Wolves), the 2 million dollar house where some of the guests were staying, and, as it turned out, the site of the wedding. There, again, we enjoyed all the piña coladas, margaritas and wine we could drink while gazing at another enchanting view of the city. During the wedding rehearsal, the rest of us also watched a not-so-enchanting High School Musical 2 (nauseating really). Then, we ate pozole (delicious traditional Mexican soup, guacamole chips, and quail!!! I am actually salivating right now thinking about that quail. Not long after dinner, we went to the princess, and Kristen and I went to the bar again. The boys of the YAC came down to join us, and we all sat around yacking for a couple hours about everything and anything. Actually, Kristen and I were mostly just teasing the boys about their girlfriends. It was a great way to end a great day!

Saturday was the big day! The YAC all went to the pool and tried out the hotel slide. Then we went to the market next to the hotel and helped Ben pick out something for his girlfriend, and I got some tamarindos - a fruit that they candy with sugar, salt, or chili; they´re considered a specialty of Acapulco. We stayed too long in the market and had about 20 minutes to get ready for the wedding, but we made it happen. We got to Tres Lobos and I about died when I saw the decorations – you´ll have to see the pictures, I can´t do it justice. The ceremony commenced at sunset – both the bride and the groom looked lovely and very happy. Dr. Dickens, Kristen´s dad, did a wonderful job as the officiate, and even gave a blessing in Spanish! After the ceremony, we ate from a beautiful buffet and a huge Tres Leches cake (tastes like butterscotch). Then I danced with a 70 year old – I was the only one who danced besides my dance partner. He had been taking ballroom dancing and thought he could show me a thing or two. Fortunately for me, we all went back to the hotel not long after we ate. The YAC and a few adults stayed up playing a spades tournament, which Kristen and I actually won! Then we all said our good-byes, which was really hard! I guess I had great success as a wedding crasher because I really felt like part of the family, and they certainly treated me that way! US YACs had a really great time together, and I still miss the rest of them very much! Luckily, we are keeping in contact, and I´m crossing my fingers that we´ll see each other again someday.

Sunday began as a painful day. Not only did I have to say good-bye to the beach and luxury living, but I had to say goodbye to Kristen. It was so nice to have those days with her, with someone that I can talk with about home. Leaving, I began to feel a little homesick again. I had to get up early to catch my bus, and as the taxi drove me back through the city, I saw two enormous Coca-Cola Christmas trees (trees decorated with Coca-Cola caps as ornaments and with a huge blinking star on the top that says Coca-Cola). That made me even more sick – both because Coke was destroying the true meaning of Christmas and especially because I knew I wouldn´t be with my family for Christmas. And that hurt. So basically, reality came crashing down upon me, but luckily I had a peaceful 4 hour bud ride to think things over. I was actually looking forward to getting back to CCIDD. It was very nice to have a break, and I wasn´t sure how I would feel coming back, but I was thrilled to be back! I had really missed my coworkers, who didn´t fail to make fun of me the second I walked through the door. I had told them that I was going to come back “morena” – or tan – but really I just got a lot more freckles. So they started calling me “pecosa”, or “freckly”. Nevertheless, it was good to be back after that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Weekend in Mexico City

My coworker, Abril, invited me to go with her to Mexico City on Sat., Nov. 17 for a birthday party of one of her friends. At this point, I didn´t know Abril very well, so I was hesitant to go because I knew I would feel awkward, and I´d have to stretch myself to be extra social in my not-so-native language. But, after this initial uncertainty, I kicked myself, and decided to go – if nothing else to get to know Abril better. Abril is writing her thesis for a doctorate in Anthropology, and is one of the smartest, most interesting people that I have ever met. It turns out she also has some of the most interesting friends, too.

Sat. afternoon, we took the Pullman (bus line) to Mexico City. Our plan was to first go to her frien, Arturo´s, house for a barbeque, and then to go to a bar later that night to meet the birthday boy and have a party. So we got to Arturo´s apartment, and, as is customary here, bellowed as loud as we could in front of the open window with the hopes that someone would hear us and come let us in. Well, as I looked up at the open window to bellow, I saw smoke pouring out of one of the rooms. I looked over and Abril saw it too, but she was smiling and it didn´t seem to bother her in the least. So when I explained to her that I thought the building was on fire, she started cracking up. Turns out people barbeque INDOORS here – who knew?! So we got upstairs and Abril recounted the story to her friends, and immediately I was a big hit as the adorable, unknowing gringa (American) – not usually my favorite role, but at least it was an ice breaker.

Those at the apartment were Arturo, Arturo´s dad in from Chihuahua, Abril´s anthropology friend Javier, and his girlfriend. It turns out that everyone there was very involved in politics and social rights movements, which made for amazing conversation. Arturo´s dad was in for a huge protest taking place the next morning in the town square. The protest was held in response to the fraudulent election of the current president, Felípe Calderón, in 2006. Calderón ran against Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and won by a very slim margin, even by using extensive tactics of voter fraud (his brother-in-law designed the software to count the votes, whole communities´ votes weren´t counted, voter bribery, etc.). Not that López ran a squeaky clean campaign, but he was certainly the people´s choice, and far less militant towards Indigenous communities. So after Calderón was announced the winner of the election, López staged a huge protest in the town square (100s of thousands of people – truly incredible) to demand a recount of every single vote (and there is no doubt that he would have won had this happened). Long story short, they recounted 9% of the votes, and still declared Calderón the winner, despite all the evidence against him. So…back to my story, Arturo´s dad was going to the second annual protest of the political and electoral fraud in Mexico. Javier was also going. He is a Zapatista – or a sympathizer of indigenous peoples of Mexico who have started the Zapatista social/political/economic/philosophical justice movement to fight for the rights of all indigenous peoples around the world. Again, very interesting company.

So our pre-dinner and dinner conversation revolved around Mexican politics and the Zapatistas. I helped cook the best way I know how, which was by staying out of the way. We had guacamole with pomegranate, barbequed beef (no barbeque sauce, but oh so juicy!! – sorry to all of you vegetarians), and of course, tortillas. After we had stuffed ourselves, we left for the birthday party.

The party was in a bar owned by a man who only opens to bar for private parties for his friends. The guests bring the booze, and he works the bar. The bar owner was from Cuba so the whole place was decorated with Cuba paraphernalia - pictures of Che Guevara, the Cuban flag, cigar advertisements, etc. And he served mojitos, which originated in Cuba. The birthday boy, Intzy (I think that´s how you spell it) is Mexican, but he is dating a Cuban girl, Wilma. Apparently names like Wilma, Wilmer, Wilber, Elda, Elmer, etc. are very popular right now in Cuba. Well we all talked for awhile, and then Abril, Wilma, two other girls, and I played billiards. We were awful, but we had a great time!! Every time anyone got a ball in the hole, everyone screamed and jumped up and down and hugged that person. It was like everyone wins! After that it was dance time, and with several Cubans in the house, I decided to watch for awhile, because even Mexicans admit that Cubans put them to shame on the dance floor. However, soon the Cubans began to help out us less coordinated folk, and I actually got pretty good! This one married couple started showing me a bunch of steps and then they would dance together so I could see what it looked like, and then I danced with the guy to put it all together – it was certainly engaged learning! At about 4:00 in the morning, we called it quits, and Abril and I went back to stay in Abril´s sister´s apartment.

Abril and I had every intention of getting up to go to the fraud protest, but it started at 10, and we would have had to get up by at least 7:00 to get there at little early for a decent spot. And I got sick in the morning, and stayed sick for an hour or two. So instead, Abril, her sister, Rosa, and I stayed in our pjs and watched TV until Abril´s brother got back with some breakfast supplies (Abril´s brother lives in the same apartment complex as her sister). I didn´t eat, and within a couple hours, I had cleansed my system. There´s no better way to get to know someone than to get sick in their home, so by the end of my time with Abril´s family, we were thick as thieves.

Eventually, I felt good enough to walk around, so Abril and I went to a suburb of Mexico City to an anthropological museum that exhibits only indigenous pieces – art work made by Aztec descendents, tools used by the people to make tortillas and to harvest, ceremonial clothing, etc. There was also a live exhibit of traditional Mexican dancing, as well as a special exhibit showing different pueblo´s traditions for celebrating El Dia de los Muertos. It was absolutely fascinating! Afterwards, we walked through the artisans´ street market and then grabbed a quick bite to eat at Sanbourns (a department store/restaurant that helped make owner, Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world –yes he has beaten Bill Gates…for now). Then we left for Cuernavaca, tired, but very content. All in all, it had not been too awkward, and I had really really enjoyed myself! I was soooo glad I went!

A great day to be a tourist!

On November 2nd, everyone from my work skipped out and went to the Zocalo (town center) to observe Day of the Dead celebrations. Besides las ofrendas, which I’ve already described, another important aspect of the Day of the Dead are the Catrinas. Catrinas are paper-maché skeletons. Artists mold the 8 ft. tall skeleton, and then they “clothe” her with all sorts of designs. The Catrina traditionally appears in late 1800, early 1900 aristocratic-style dress, usually with an ornate fashionable hat or a parasol, and a big billowy dress. The Catrina derives from a mixture of pre- and post-Hispanic Mexico. The Catrina is the more modern representation of Aztec goddess of the underworld, Mictecacihuatl, but she is also a representation of a high society women in the early 1900s when the skeleton Catrina was first drawn by Jose Guadalupe Posada. She is a reminder that even the most glamorous and wealthy person is just as susceptible to death as the poorest and lowliest. Anyways, enough of the history, back to the semipresent day…

In the Zocalo (town center), there were over 25 Catrinas set up during the last week of October and the first week of November. I have posted pictures of them, so please take a look - they’re gorgeous! There was even a contest for the “best dressed”!
After meandering through the Catrinas and the Ofrendas, I began to notice more and more half naked men running around in loinclothes. A big crowd was gathering at the far end of the Zocalo, and I figured if men in loincloths were involved, I should probably go see what all of the commotion was about. Well it turns out that traditional tribal dancers – men and women and children – were gathering to reenact an ancient ceremony in honor of the Day of the Dead!!! I felt like I had hit the cultural jackpot! The dancers were still getting dressed in their huge, elaborate headdresses made of real feathers, bone, leather, etc. They also painted themselves in customary designs. Those who were ready were busy making a mandala-like ceremonial space. Instead of using sand, they used flower petals, seeds, corn, plants, and soil to make a very intricate, elaborate design including replicas of ancient depictions of skulls (in case you haven’t figured it out already, skulls and skeletons are primary features of the Day of the Dead).
Now, I should back up a little bit and explain that traditional Aztec dance is part of the curriculum for every school. This might be true for all of Mexico, I can’t remember, but it is certainly true in the state of Morelos. It is a beautiful way to commemorate and maintain their history and heritage. The only downside is the kids’ families have to pay for the costumes themselves, and they are expensive, so poor children have to buy the dance outfits as part of the school curriculum, and it can be a huge financial burden on their families. However, the majority of the children really enjoy the dances and ceremonies, which they perform at special school celebrations and on holidays.

To commence the ceremony, three drummers played on drums that were exact replicas of those used by their ancestors. Then, a man blew the ceremonial conch shell, which indicates the official commencement. Then the dancers circled around the ceremonial space, forming an inner and an outer circle. In the inner circle were the tribes’ leaders, with their bigger, more brilliant headdresses, and everyone else filled in the outer circle. As the dancers danced into their circles, the tribal leader – an elderly woman who looked every bit the part of a tribal leader – blessed the space with incense and added more dried corn husks to the mandala design. Then she spoke to the rest of the group for awhile in a Nahuatl dialect. After that, the drummers commenced again, and the dancers began to yelp and jump around as other instruments joined in – a small recorder-like instrument made out of bamboo, maracas, among others. Some of the dancers had strings of nut shells tied around their ankles, so their every movement produced a clacking noise. Gradually the jumping around evolved into an actual dance, with a few of the tribe leading the way. First they danced in place, then circled to the right and left. They also danced facing each of the four directions - north, south, east, and west. I have pictures and videos, so please check them out, because I am not at all doing the ceremony justice.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the dance early, but it wasn’t too unfortunate because I was going to a free showing of traditional post-Hispanic Mexican dance and traditional folk music. The show took place in the gardens that were previously owned by Emperor Maximilian – part of Austria’s Hapsburg family who reined Mexico very briefly from 1863-1866. The gardens are smack dab in the middle of the city, but like every beautiful space in Cuernavaca, it is hidden behind a deceiving wall. As soon as you walk past the wall and through the entrance, there’s this huge, lush garden with tons of fountains (something like Furman, actually). Sister Kathy, my “date” to the show, treated me to an ice cream of guava fruit (incredible!!!), and we wiggled our way through the huge crowd to find a seat around a large pool with several fountains. The stage was set up behind the pool. The mayor of Cuernavaca spoke, and the first act began with several dance couples. The girls wore the traditional long skirt with LOTS of extra material, to allow for movement. The girls keep their hands on the ends of their skirts, and constantly twirl their skirt, so as to “flirt” with the male dancers who march around them doing all sorts of complicated feet stompings. In the second act, couples danced more with each other, and spinned and twirled around, which I have since found out is terribly difficult (I tried to dance with someone like that myself with very little success). The last dance act was more of a play scene than dancing. A man and a woman first came on stage walking arm in arm. Then the girl got mad at her escort because he flirted with another woman, so the man tried to apologize and win her favor again. But after repeated failures, the man became frustrated, threw a fit, and then gestured that he was done with her too, at which point the girl came running back and tried to regain his favor until they both made up and lived happily ever after. I preferred the actual dancing, but the acting was interesting.

After the dancing act, the program included a special string musical number of traditional songs. So we waited anxiously to hear them play. And we waited, and waited, and waited. I made friends with a little boy, Miguel, who was sitting next to me with his mother. Soon the whole family came over to talk with me, and Miguel and his brother showed me some moves they learned in their traditional dance class, which were incredibly impressive! So that kept me occupied, but after about 45 min. the crowd started to get restless, so they brought out the Catrina – a person dressed up as a Catrina that walks through the crowd on these huge stilts, and dances as part of the show. Well, the Catrina couldn’t dance without any music, so after she had walked through the crowd, they started setting off fireworks. The fireworks show lasted about 15 minutes, and was mostly these really huge fireworks that they set off too low for comfort. Eventually their stalling ideas ran out, and we waited for a total of an hour and a half for the band! It turns out they never showed up! I have sinced learned that no-shows are fairly common in Mexico, but even Miguel and his parents were saying that the event was pretty poorly planned. So finally, the last act came on (who were also very late in arriving due to bus trouble), and played several different varieties of guitar and a native African instrument that sounds like an accordion, but looks like a big box. They played, and were very good, and the Catrina came back out and danced with the band members. The show ended after 3 hours – it was supposed to be 1 ½ hours – and I went back and went to sleep. Despite the slow finish, I had certainly had one of the best tourist days of my life!

Dia de Los Muertos

La calavera tiene hambre,
¿no tiene un pancito por ahí?
no se lo acaben todo;
déjenme la mitad!
Tacos con chile.
Tacos con sal.
¡La calavera quiere cenar!
Si no me dan, no me voy.
Si me dan, ya me voy.

My skeleton is hungry,
Isn't their any bread around here?
Don't eat it all yourselves,
Leave me half!
Tacos with chili
Tacos with salt
My sekelton wants to eat!
If you don't give me anything, I wont go away.
If you do give me something, then I'll go right now!

While walking through the town center on October 31st and on November 1st and 2nd, children dressed in costumes kept running up to me and everyone else asking for candy or pesos. However, instead of using the traditional mantra of Halloween, “trick or treat!”, the children sang the Spanish version of the song written above. This song is more reminiscent of their indigenous cultural heritage and speaks more to the Mexican celebration of El Día de los Muertos, or “The Day of the Dead”.

The Day of the Dead has its origins in a pre-Hispanic indigenous festival that the Aztecs celebrated throughout the whole month of August. The festivities honored their goddess Mictecacihuatl, the guardian of the afterlife dubbed the “Lady of the Dead”. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived and colonized Mexico, they changed the dates of the festival to coincide with the Catholic holidays, All Saint´s Day (Nov. 1st) and the Feast of All Souls (Nov. 2nd), as part of their effort to Christianize the Aztecs. Today, Mexicans still celebrate the Day of the Dead on Nov. 1st and 2nd. November 1st is the “Día de los Angelitos”, or the Day of the Little Angels. On this day, they commemorate deceased infants and children. November 2nd is the Día de los Difuntos, or the “Day of the Dead” – the day they remember adults who have died. Nevertheless, the festivities of this ancient Mexican holiday begin several days before the start of November and include beautiful, culturally significant traditions that are truly impressive – especially for gringos, like me, experiencing their first Dia de los Muertos.

The signature, and perhaps most striking ritual that Mexicans observe during the Day of the Dead is the construction of ofrendas. According to ancient Aztec beliefs, the souls of the deceased return to Earth for the celebration of the Day of the Dead in order to mingle with their living friends and relatives. Ofrendas are altars that families build to honor their departed loved ones and to nourish their souls after their long journey from their afterlife. Typically, the families adorn the altar with salt, water, marigold flowers, candles, pictures, ornate tissue paper banners, candy skulls, fruit, and “pan de muerto”, or “bread of the dead”. Each of these adornments carries a special significance. The four elements of nature – earth, fire, wind, and water – are represented by the food and flowers offered, the candles, the tissue banners, and the glass of water, respectively. In addition, each of these elements also serves to welcome and rejuvenate the spirits in some way. For example, within the elements of “earth” - the candy, fruit, and bread - nourishes the souls after their journey, and the salt, they believe, purifies the souls. Furthermore, the marigold flowers are the flowers of the dead and signify friendship and everlasting love. Fire, the candles, light the way for the souls´ homecoming; and the water serves to quench their thirst. Families may also offer tequila, cigars, the favorite foods of their beloved deceased so as to honor and please their spiritual guests.

The altars may be small and modest in nature, such as the majority of those built by the families in their homes. However, some families go all out, erecting huge, elaborate, and very beautiful altars, which they proudly display in the Cuernavaca town center (the Zócalo), or in mini chapels. Other families build altars over gravesites, and many even sleep in the Panteones (cemeteries) during the holiday! Then on Nov. 1st or 2nd, they have a picnic at the gravesite with all of the food and drink they have offered to the soul. We constructed our own altar here at CCIDD in honor of departed coworkers and to commemorate the deceased family members of the current workers. As I said in the beginning of this article, also I went to the Zócalo during the festivities to see the progression of the ofrendas there. Whole families collaborated in the Zócalo to construct their altars, which, admittedly, were much more beautiful than our ofrenda at CCIDD. However, even the ofrendas in the Zócalo paled in comparison to those constructed in Ocotopec, a pueblo just outside of Cuernavaca.

On the evening of November 1st, I went with some friends to Ocotopec, which is widely known in the state for capturing the essence and the spirit of El Día de los Muertos. There, families spend weeks creating ofrendas that take up entire chapels! Large crowds (thousands of people) walk from chapel to chapel admiring the ofrendas. The ofrendas in Ocotopec often include a life-size coffin, huge flower arrangements, and a full banquet of food as an offering. As I walked from ofrenda to ofrenda, I was increasingly amazed at the extent of the festivities. How much the Mexicans love and honor their beloved deceased! I began thinking about the ways, or lack there of, that I commemorate my departed friends and family. Sure, I think about the people from my life that have passed, but I very rarely visit their gravesites, much less celebrate their deaths. In this way, it was very humbling for me to experience the Mexican Day of the Dead. I was also humbled by the generosity of the Ocotopec citizens. Not only do they share their ofrenda and their love for the person(s) for whom it was constructed, the citizens also offer each visitor something to drink and/or eat – after every ofrenda! Remember that thousands of people pass through the many ofrendas! It was truly astonishing the time and money spent by the Ocotopec families in order to ensure that everyone who visits may celebrate the life and death of their deceased. And in Mexico, the Day of the Dead is truly a celebration. It is a bright, colorful, gregarious, and joyous occasion – the reunion of the dead with the living. Here in Mexico, it is their culture to accept death as a natural part of life. For them, death does not mean utter and complete isolation of the departed from the living, and therefore death isn´t afforded such a negative connotation. In my opinion, it is a very refreshing take on death, and I feel very fortunate to have been included in the celebration.

Job Description

I know most of you haven´t a clue as to what I am doing down here, and for good reason because it wasn´t until my first Monday here that I really learned of my specific responsibilities and 'job description' so to speak. Let me first explain what CCIDD does, and then i´ll go into my
primary assignments for the upcoming year.

CCIDD (Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialgoue on Development) is a retreat center where groups come to do service work and/or learn about the economic, social, and political realities of Mexico and Central American countries as a result of globalization. The groups that come stay for 10 days to 2 weeks. They are mostly from the U.S. and Canada; some are from universities, others from high schools, still others from divinity schools or church groups. The groups that prefer a service-oriented itinerary (about 1/2) work more in the community with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Salvation Army. These groups still conduct social analyses and learn about current issues facing Mexico and its people; however, they do not delve nearly as deeply into these issues as groups, such as the group from Furman, who come especially to examine the econosociopolitical reality of our neighbors in the south. The retreats can be religious (ecumenical) or secular. If groups request a religious retreat, we lean heavily on liberation theology, and focus on the Christian response to globalization and neoliberalism. All that I´ve relayed in this paragraph can also be read on the CCIDD webpage, which we are currently trying to update. However, if you´re interested go to http://www.ccidd.org/. There you can find pictures and descriptions of my co-workers, pictures of CCIDD, which also happens to be my home since I live at my worksite, and a more thorough explanation of our mission and work here.

Alrighty, where do I fit into this picture? I am part of the 5 person program staff. We are in charge of working with the group leaders to create the itineraries, and then we are the primary leaders of the group activities when the groups come. So I will help transport the groups, translate for them, and help them complete their scheduled projects. I will also be responsible for leading some morning reflections (all groups have a reflection each morning) and for facilitating some of the social analysis activities. Besides these responsibilities, I fill in where I can - writing for our monthly newsletter, organizing the office, making copies, etc. Our first group arrives Dec. 29th, so until then, I am focusing on preparing the schedules for the 5 (yes 5!!) groups that come in February, and I am also getting to know some of the people that CCIDD works very closely with. For example, union leaders and workers; people involved in various social movements - especially within the Zapatista movement; and the youth of El Pregón, a progressive newspaper written mostly by women my age who use the paper to protest against unjust politics and laws and to fight for the rights of the indigenous people. So one of my most important tasks right now, and the one that I most enjoy, is going around the city, locating certain people, and just talking with them about their experiences. I´m sure I´ll be talking more about some of these very inspirational people that I have met or will meet.

So that´s my job in a nutshell. Please do look at CCIDD´s website - http://www.ccidd.org/ - it has many great resources about Mexico and Centrla America, and it gives a better sense of our work and my experiences here.

¡Salsa Dancing!

Tuesday night, I met up with Ashley at Los Arcos - a beautiful outdoor restaurant that has free salsa dancing on Tuesdays. Even professional dancers (mostly my age) come to dance and give free lessons. A TON of Ashley´s friends were there - she practically knew the whole place, so I think Tuesday night alone I met about 25% of Cuernavaca´s population. Ashley introduced me to one of the professionals, who she knew through her university - i can´t remember his name among the millions I learned that night. He started whirling me around, and eventually I got the hang of it. I did pretty darn well for a beginner if I do say so myself! I learned the basic steps and a few turns and fancy shmancy moves. Eventually, we stopped to watch a dance-off between these two guys, who danced with each other, but each also tried to outdo his partner. They were absolutely incredible! They could move their hips even better than Shakira! Eventually, they kissed and made up, each declaring that the other was the better dancer. At that point, the party had died down, and I went back to CCIDD.

First night out on the town!

I got to sleep in Saturday, which was glorious, and then I met Ashley Berkland for lunch. Ashley was on my freshman hall at Furman, and we remained friends throughout our time at FU. She is staying in Cuernavaca for the next year working as an English teacher in a local university. I can´t even begin to explain how grateful I am that she is here with me. I feel so much more at ease knowing that I have someone here with whom I share a history. So naturally I wanted to see her asap when I arrived, and through the magic of gmail chat, we made it happen. We ate molletes for lunch - toasted bread covered with beans, cheese, and salsa - then she gave me a brief tour of the city until she had to go b ack to her señora´s house on the other side of the city.

I took a taxi to Ashley´s house later that night, and from there we went to Bull, a small, but very popular bar with the most amazing live band! The band sings covers in Spanish and in English absolutely perfectly - usually better than the original! It was absolutely packed in the bar, which was all decked out in spider webs and weird lights for the Day of the Dead (I´ll explain in an upcoming blog). There we met some of Ashley´s Mexican students from the university, who have since become some of my good friends here. Her friends ordered a beer for me, and I was surpirsed to discover that in Mexico they serve liter beers (usually the brand Victoria) with salsa around the rim of the cup. So after I had a liter of beer sloshing around in my stomach, mixing with the tangy aftertaste of salty ketchup, I didn´t exactly leap at the suggestion that we move our party to a dance club. But off we went to Therberna, a pretty posh club that plays all sorts of music. Luckily by the time we got there, my stomach had settled. I tried to bust a move with the others, who quickly offered me some dancing lessons. By the end of the night, I didn´t stick out so much as the gringa dancer, and my friends assured me that with practice I might actually be halfway decent. I continue to hold onto that ray of hope.

We danced at Theberna for about 3 hours, and then Ashley wanted to leave and get some food. So Ashley, her boyfriend Arturo, Arturo´s friend, and I went to a taco called La Gringa. Tacos are open-air restaurants that are only open at night, and they stay open until about 5:30 in the morning. "Gringa" or "gringo" are the terms that Mexicans use to refer to a woman or man from the U.S. It´s not entirely derrogatory, but its not entirely friendly either - it depends on how they use it. Anyways, we all had the famous "gringa" dish, which is essentially incredibly fatty meat (pork or beef), pinaeapple, and salsa on a tortilla. Since it was approahing 4:30, and our stomaches were so full of grease we could hardly move, we decided to call it a night, and Arturo drove all of us back to our houses.

First Day of Work

I started "working" the very first day after I arrived. There was a big celebration in the Cathedral to commemorate the 100th birthday of a beloved local bishop, Sergio Méndez Arceo, who passed away 10 years ago. The Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development (CCIDD; the organization that I work for) was responsible for making sandwiches to feed the several hundred people who would come out to the midday ceremony. So my co-workers and I got up bright and early and whipped up a gazillion very delicious sandwiches. It was a great way to get to know everyone because all of my co-workers were involved and we talked casually while we worked. We finished with the sandwiches just in time to bring them to the Cathedral and go to Mass.

The Mass was absolutely beautiful. Bishop Sergio worked very closely with the indigenous population in the area, so the Mass incorporated many indigenous worship practices to honor his memory. For example, native women dressed in their traditional clothing began the Mass by dancing up the isle to the altar carrying urns filled with burning incense. They then danced around the altar to bless it. A huge entourage of priests, seminarians, and altar boys followed these women, and once the women had finished, two of the priest blew the ceremonial conch shells - a native practice that indicates the commencement of the ceremony. The music was performed by a Mariachi band, but the singers were indigenous men. These singers have a very particular sound - they don´t seem to sing in a major or minor key, and their sound is very gutteral, but at the same time nasily. I really enjoyed their music - if I can figure out how to download a link to an indigenous song, I´ll post it because it´s certainly worth listening to.

After the Mass, the several of the indigenous singers gave a concert and we passed out the sandwiches and Boings. Boing rivals Coca-Cola here as the preferred soda. It is natural fruit juices with carbonation. They even have fig and guava flavors! After the concert ended, the ceremony was over. My co-workers and I cleaned up, and then our day was done. It was Friday, so everyone went home. Kathy and I went out to eat, and then I turned in early.

My Arrival

I arrived in the Mexico City airport on Oct. 25th. Mexico City, or the "D.F." as it´s known colloquially in Cuernavaca, is the world´s largest city, and after flying over the city I don´t doubt it. It absolutely extends as far as the eye can see, stretching over mountains and the entire expanse of the vast valley formed by those mountains. Sadly, from the plane I could also see a thick layer of yellow-brown smog that perpertually hangs over the city. I could even smell it as the plane decended through the smog cloud - yea, gross.

My "supervisor", Kathy, came to pick me up at the airport and take me to Cuernavaca - an hour´s bus ride. I put supervisor in quotes because she greeted me with a big hug, and we live in the same complex, so she´s more or less adopted me as family. We arrived in Cuernavaca around 7:30 pm (the time difference is only an hour or so). I got settled in and we ordered pizza for dinner (a very traditional Mexican dish). After eating and talking a bit, we called it a day, and that was Day 1.

For those of you, like me, who are feeling-, rather than fact-oriented people, I´ll recount a bit of how I was feeling during that first day. For starters, I had to say good-bye to my Mom and my youngest sister at the airport and that royally sucked - to put it bluntly. At that point, I was ready to turn around. I had a great summer in my home city, Cincinnati, and in the few weeks before I left, I had realized what I was leaving behind, and I very quickly lost interest in moving for a year to a foreign place with a foreign language and foreign people. Honestly, the morning that I left, and especially during the preceding days, I was not even the slightest bit excited to go. So I was pretty grumpy while on my first plane to Houston. Fortunately, my attitude began to change slightly on the flight from Houston to Cuernavaca. I wouldn´t say I started to look forward to arriving, but at least I didn´t dread the experience. Once the plane hit ground in Mexico, I had fewer and fewer negative thoughts running through my head, and that horrible gut feeling that I had made a big mistake finally started to subside. The hug from Kathy helped a lot, and as the day came to an end, I became increasingly curious, even little excited, to explore my new surroundings.