Tonight, I and all of "my" people will be celebrating Mexico's independence from Spain in the main plaza of every village, town and city of México...and in some parts of the United States. The festivities start at 11:00 p.m. with a reading of the original declaration of independence by the mayor, governor, or, in the case of Mexico City, the president. There is pause between sections when everyone shouts, "¡Viva!" Finally at the end of the reading, everyone yells "¡Viva México!" three times and then the fireworks begin. There is food, music, more fireworks, embraces, dancing and slaps on the back until the wee hours of the morning. The celebration reflects the pride Mexicans have in their country...and their ability to throw a great party. All of my students will be on the main square of Mérida with their local friends. They are currently taking siestas in preparation for the all-night event. I will be there, too. After all, Mexico has been good to me. The least I can do is add my voice to the celebration.
9.15.2011
¡Viva México!
Tonight, I and all of "my" people will be celebrating Mexico's independence from Spain in the main plaza of every village, town and city of México...and in some parts of the United States. The festivities start at 11:00 p.m. with a reading of the original declaration of independence by the mayor, governor, or, in the case of Mexico City, the president. There is pause between sections when everyone shouts, "¡Viva!" Finally at the end of the reading, everyone yells "¡Viva México!" three times and then the fireworks begin. There is food, music, more fireworks, embraces, dancing and slaps on the back until the wee hours of the morning. The celebration reflects the pride Mexicans have in their country...and their ability to throw a great party. All of my students will be on the main square of Mérida with their local friends. They are currently taking siestas in preparation for the all-night event. I will be there, too. After all, Mexico has been good to me. The least I can do is add my voice to the celebration.
9.11.2011
Ten years ago
I was in Guadalajara, already at my desk, when I received a phone call from John in California screaming at me to tune in to CNN immediately. About 20 minutes later, Montse was at my door to take me to her house. I spent the rest of the day glued to the television with her, her family and our other chicas who stopped in. The streets of Guadalajara were deserted as everyone stayed home to watch television.
For the rest of the week, I was stopped by people on the street and in the shops in my neighborhood who shook my hand and told me how sorry they were about "las torres gemelas" as they call them in Spanish (the twin towers.) They wanted to know if I had lost any friends or family and were relieved when I said I hadn't. Their thoughtfulness and genuine sadness were touching.
To add to the sadness, just the day before I had received word of the death of an old friend from my days in Washington, DC, Nancy Nolf. Nancy and I were exactly the same age and met at a Weight Watchers meeting in downtown Washington. We loved telling the story of how we met: we were the only white women in the meeting, and the only two women who did not need two chairs to support ourselves. The meeting didn't end until about 8:00 pm by which time the streets of DC were deserted. We took the same metro from the Farragut West station to the same stop at the Pentagon and then the same bus to the same neighborhood in Alexandria. Of course, we had not exchanged a single word; we later admitted we were each thinking the same thing....why is this woman stalking me? When we both got off the bus at the same stop, we finally spoke to each other at the exact same moment. We were instant BFF. This would have been in 1978! We stayed in contact after I returned to California, and we got together several times over the years.
Unfortunately, Nancy's forever was cut short. She met the man of her dreams in 1999, married him in January, 2000 (I attended the wedding in Maryland), was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January, 2001 and died on September 10, 2001. Because of 9/11 and the cancellation of all international flights, I was unable to attend her funeral. Her husband later told me my last letter to her, which arrived on September 10, was read as a part of her service.
Sad days.
For the rest of the week, I was stopped by people on the street and in the shops in my neighborhood who shook my hand and told me how sorry they were about "las torres gemelas" as they call them in Spanish (the twin towers.) They wanted to know if I had lost any friends or family and were relieved when I said I hadn't. Their thoughtfulness and genuine sadness were touching.
To add to the sadness, just the day before I had received word of the death of an old friend from my days in Washington, DC, Nancy Nolf. Nancy and I were exactly the same age and met at a Weight Watchers meeting in downtown Washington. We loved telling the story of how we met: we were the only white women in the meeting, and the only two women who did not need two chairs to support ourselves. The meeting didn't end until about 8:00 pm by which time the streets of DC were deserted. We took the same metro from the Farragut West station to the same stop at the Pentagon and then the same bus to the same neighborhood in Alexandria. Of course, we had not exchanged a single word; we later admitted we were each thinking the same thing....why is this woman stalking me? When we both got off the bus at the same stop, we finally spoke to each other at the exact same moment. We were instant BFF. This would have been in 1978! We stayed in contact after I returned to California, and we got together several times over the years.
Unfortunately, Nancy's forever was cut short. She met the man of her dreams in 1999, married him in January, 2000 (I attended the wedding in Maryland), was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January, 2001 and died on September 10, 2001. Because of 9/11 and the cancellation of all international flights, I was unable to attend her funeral. Her husband later told me my last letter to her, which arrived on September 10, was read as a part of her service.
Sad days.
9.06.2011
Meet the Señoritas of Fall 2011
We are already two weeks into the semester. The señoritas are settled into their living arrangements with 6 of 9 living with families in the neighborhood while 3 are living in the Central House. We have students in beginning, intermediate and advanced Spanish classes. Four are taking a humanities class at one of our affiliated universities. While they are taking the same class, they are all in different sections. Their collective reaction? "I promise to always, always, always talk to the new student especially if he or she is from another country. I have never felt like such an outsider." By the end of the evening, however, the natural warmth of the Yucatecans kicked in, and they all returned home with nicknames, Facebook links and cell numbers.
All nine are involved in some kind of community based learning project, too. We used to call this volunteer work but no longer. Several are teaching English to adults while others are helping young children at a nearby orphanage with their homework in Spanish. Two of the young women are involved in a domestic violence education and advocacy program. One is working at an animal shelter. (I thought I was going to throw up when I took her to the site, but I made it through the tour. The student, on the other hand, is thrilled. I practically made her sign an oath that no strays will find their way to the Central House.) One student is working with pre-school children and another is giving piano lessons at an after-school arts program.
Half the group have already made friends and are going out regularly while the other half are much more reserved. In some groups, the partyers vs non-partyers sometimes devolves into a mess, but this group seems to have a "live and let live" attitude...for now at least. We will see what happens.
8.20.2011
Water Aerobics + Zumba = Aqua Zumba!
Image is thanks to Google. Smiles are the same whether in my class this morning or wherever this photo was taken. My gym has also added Aqua Kickboxing to keep the water aerobics fun and challenging. I cannot wait.
In other news, Fall 2011 is underway. Three of the nine students have arrived with 4 more expected tonight and the final two will be here tomorrow. All señoritas. Four from Central, five non-Central. At this time, only three of the nine are living in the Central House. We have some new adventures planned including a visit to one archeological site that can only be reached by boat!
7.28.2011
¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Naphtali!
Your mom took care of French. We are assuming Aidan will take care of Mandarin. Your multitude of loving, caring friends will take care of English. Welcome to the Spanish version of your birthday wishes.
7.25.2011
7.07.2011
It could be worse...
... is my main mantra for dealing with the inconvenience of a broken wrist and the cast. "This is only temporary" is another. Plus I do have a few blessings to count. My number one blessing is the help that is available from the Central House staff. From re-hooking my bra to doing my laundry, they have been wonderful. This morning, Doña Lupita, the cook, prepared this fabulous eggplant dish. She also keep me stocked with chopped/cut fruits and vegetables. Yes, it could be worse.
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