Christmas in Mexico

Christmas Eve started slowly, lounging around our house and hanging out with the other people here. Late afternoon, we ventured through the city to see what was going on. We met up with some friends and stopped at artisan market where they had traditional dancers. They were excellent and Mia was enamored by the dancing. People walked around serving shots of mezcal, which is liquor made from the agave plant like tequila, but with a distinct smoky flavor to it. Being grateful visitors to the country, we didn’t turn down the offer. After the dancing, we headed to dinner, this time for tlayudas, which is a thick tortilla folded in half and stuffed. We had flor d’calabeza, which is the flower of the squash plant, and quesillo, which is Oaxacan stringy cheese. Yum.

Next, we headed back to the Zocalo (main square) to catch a light show/movie that is projected onto the side of the Cathedral. The photos don’t do it justice, but it was amazing to see! It celebrated the local artisan work of Oaxaca – alebrijes (wooden animals), tepetes (woven rugs), black pottery, as well as the beauty of the mountains and the surrounding area. It lasted about 15 minutes, and as we walked away from the movie, there were bands, parades, fireworks that passed through the Zocalo as many of the church processions were making their way to the city center. The Mexican people sure do understand the power of celebration!

Our host, Yolanda, had mentioned earlier in the day that she was going to be having a party that evening and invited us to join her for drinks and snacks. When we returned, she and her daughters were working busily in the kitchen, and Yolanda said that we should come down around 10:30pm. So, we put Mia to bed, had a drink with our other housemates, and ventured downstairs. Yolanda had a beautiful red Christmas tablecloth, bottles of wine, and her finest dishware on the table. It was clear that we weren’t just going to be having “snacks”! She invited us to sit on the couches and she brought out bottles of beer, mezcal, and tequila. We chatted together for a while and around 11:15, she invited us to join her and her family at the dinner table. We had Mexican lasagna, salads, and wine. The moment the clock struck midnight, Yolanda’s youngest daughter, Lorena, got baby Jesus and invited us to join in their family tradition of singing and praying at the nativity. We passed Jesus around and kissed his forehead, and then Lorena placed Jesus in the manger.
After that most sacred of moments, we were invited to come outside with the family and light off fireworks. We laughed and acted like kids again. It was a great ending to an incredible day – one that basked in the poignancy and celebration of the Mexican culture and certainly one of the most memorable Christmas Eve’s we had ever experienced. Yolanda even had a gift under the tree for Mia!

Christmas day was low key after our exciting night, but it started with 8 am breakfast with our housemates. We then laid around the house, and ventured out later in the morning to see what was open – not much! But we found a restaurant, El Tipico, just around the corner from our house for comida (midday meal around 2 pm that serves as the primary meal of the day). We walked through the park near our house where a huge stage had been set up for “Feliz Cumpleanos Jesus” It was quickly evident that it was an evangelical Christian group/church that had put together the celebration, which served both as a concert and a revival. We didn’t stick around long for it, but it was definitely worth seeing. We topped our Christmas evening off with ice cream.

In sum, it was a wonderful holiday!

Noche de Rabanos, aka Lindsey's Birthday

Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radish) is a celebration unique to Oaxaca – nowhere else in Mexico is there a festival such as this. And believe me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! People come from all over the region come to compete, creating ornate pieces of artwork out of overly large radishes.
We ventured down to the Zocalo (main square) around 4 pm as we were told to get there early. As we got close, we knew that we were not early enough – it was clear that people take Noche de Rabanos quite seriously! The Zocalo is typically a crowded place, but on this day in particular the blocks surrounding the Zocalo were packed with

people. It seemed evident by the police and military presence with bullet proof vests, riot gear, and huge automatic weapons that this was not a typical day. Ironically, it was one of the most organized and peaceful crowds of people we’ve ever encountered.
As we approached, we could see the radish displays and the large walkway/viewing area that surrounded them, and figured we would make our way to the start of the line. We got to the entrance, and realized that the line extended the length of an entire block – and snaked up and back 4 times over (think airport security line, but the length of a city block). We decided to get in line to see how quickly it moved, not really sure if we’d stay in line depending on Mia’s tolerance for waiting. After an hour, Mia had consumed an entire sleeve of crackers and was nearly on the verge of epic meltdown, when a kind woman handed Mia a balloon, which was the saving grace we needed to make it 5 more minutes in line.
The first displays were made entirely out of flowers, then some made from corn husks, and the bulk of the displays were radishes. Most of the displays had religious significance – the Virgin de Soledad (patron saint of Oaxaca), nativity scenes, Virgin of Guadalupe, churches, and altars – and others that celebrated Mexican culture – dancers, parades, and even Freda Kahlo, a famous Mexican artist. They were amazing, had incredible detail and clearly a ton of time went into them.
After the excitement, we sat at an outdoor café on the Zocalo to get some much-needed nourishment and to sit down for a bit. We snacked on passion fruit, peanuts with lime juice, and agua de sandia (watermelon juice). After that, we ventured to a rooftop Italian restaurant for a bottle of wine and pizza with friends. Not the best pizza, but it was nice to have a change of pace for our taste buds. The view was wonderful and provided a great vantage point to watch the crowds and the occasional fireworks. All in all, a great day! Happy Birthday Lindsey!

A day in the life

Carla is writing her autobiography for her Spanish class and Mia is asleep, so I thought I would share some of my impressions from our time thus far in Oaxaca.

Life is busy here - Oaxaca is a very urban city. And we live in the heart of it. I feel safer here than I do in most parts of the United States that I’ve visited, but I feel like I always have to be “on” so I don’t get run over by a car, and that awareness is heightened with a 2 year old in tow. Pedestrians don’t have the right of way and traffic is insane. (I do believe that they yield to us more since we usually are pushing Mia in a stroller – if we were walking without her, I am sure I’d be counting my nine lives!) Oaxaca is a city of less than half million, though it seems far larger, much in part to the fact that people are outside all the time. Days and nights are spent in the plazas, restaurants, or parks.

I love the Oaxacan culture – so festive and celebratory. And we are at the height of it with Christmas just days away. There have been Posadas, performances, dancing, concerts, and special events. I’ve never seen such preparation as I have here for Christmas – and not in a consumerism sort of way – but a reverent celebration. Every business has a nativity scene in the window, piñatas are hanging everywhere, poinsettias are abundant, and everywhere you go there is decoration.

I believe this time away is more about being a part of Oaxaca, rather than just visiting it. We have established a bit of a routine to our days – breakfast at 8, then Mia and I walk Carla to school at 9, and we play, explore the city, drop off laundry, buy diapers, search for bubbles or find the church where the bells are ringing, etc – until noon when Mia goes down for her nap. She naps until 2 pm and then we wait for Carla to return from school, and eat the main meal of the day at 2 pm together. This week, we’ve been heading back to Carla’s school at 3 for piñata-making until 5. Thankfully, we have had the opportunity to get out of Oaxaca, too – Monte Alban and small villages where they make black pottery, do rug weaving, and albrijes (wood carvings). Those day trips out of the city have offered respite from the city life.

Our home stay has been wonderful – our host, Yolanda, embodies what it means to offer hospitality. She is a delightful woman who works hard to keep her guests comfortable and well-fed. Our rooms are cleaned 3 times a week; breakfast and lunch (comida) are exquisite. And, she is patient with me as I struggle to understand everything she says. Anything we need, she does her best to accommodate. And, we have other students who are studying at the same school as Carla staying in the house (more of a B&B, actually) with us – and we have served as community for each other.

And, a few random odds and ends to share:

**Mia has adapted like a champ – she knows not to throw her toilet paper in the toilet but rather in the garbage that sits next to all toilets as the plumbing system can’t handle it; she knows that after she washes her hands using tap water she also “gets” to use hand sanitizer, just in case; she brushes and rinses her teeth using bottled water; her “baths” are her standing in a bucket of 2 inches of water since we don’t have a bath here; she has eaten more meat this week than she has in her entire life – which I think is good to offset the energy she is expending during the day. (photo at left is Mia working diligently on our pinata)

**Most of the local people’s English is about as good as my Spanish, which is poor at best. I make an effort to attempt to communicate with sales people, vendors, and people on the street with the little Spanish I know, but the problem lies in their response – I think they must assume that I actually can understand what they are saying in response, so I usually do my best.

**We wear earplugs at night to minimize the sound of traffic, the local marching band that passes through at 1 am, the fireworks, and church bells.

But it’s been an amazing experience thus far and I’m grateful to be here. Stay tuned for a report from "Noche de Rabanos" on Friday - Night of the Radishes. (Who knew that you could celebrate radishes?)

Monte Alban

We spent yesterday morning exploring the ancient ruins of Monte Alban, the capital city of the Zapotec people for 1200 years, between 500 BC and 750. It is known as one of the most spectacular ruined cities of Mesoamerica. It was quite beautiful, breath-taking, and facninating. Mia did a great job climbing all the stairs and exploring the site before she fell fast asleep on the ride home.

The ancient Zapotec capital, Monte Alban

It's not quite Cameron Indoor Stadium, but it is the cities ball court



The view of the valley from Monte Alban (note though she is atop a grand historic site, Mia chooses to read a book)

Las Posadas!

I saw my first posada tonight! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Posadas) Of course I left my camera/phone and home and so did not get a picture but it was wonderful! Lots of little angles, lanterns and music in this one. There is one beginning near by tomorrow night but they are around the time I will need to be making my way to the airport to meet Lindsey and Mia. Hopefully we will find another one in the next week to be a part of.

Classes have been going well in the morning and this week I am taking salsa dancing as my elective. Everyone else in the class is very new at the whole concept of dancing it appears. It's nice to have one class that is easy for me and hard for others! I have fallen in love with the salsa music and dancing on the patio in the evenings with the breeze blowing through the Bougainvillea.

True, it's not me in this video, but you might get a sense of the music and the dance....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AGQSEcQgBQ&feature=related

The Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe

The Mexicans don't play around with throwing a party. It's an all out, all day, all night, ferris wheel and fireworks included kind of thing...at least that's how it is for the Virgin of Guadalupe today. Today is the fest day for the Our Lady of Guadalupe, that commemorates her appearance to the peasant Juan Diego. This morning there was a parade of the children, all dressed up as little Diegos or Lupitas, from the youngest little baby to kids around 7 or 8. They brought flowers to the church and received blessings. The party continues tonight with music and fireworks and if I understood our host, there will be a mass at 5am tomorrow morning. Right outside the church in the plaza is a giant market and carnival. Lots of games, things to buy, and yummies to eat.

As far as I can tell, there is not much of a line between the holy and the mundane. Venerate a saint and ride a speeding catapillar backwards all within the same squre block! Buy a ballon with an image of the virgin or of spongebob square pants. It was the same at the central square where I walked with my friend Diane last night. A sweet children's choir singing christmas carols in one corner of the church courtyard, clowns in another, and breakdancers in a third all with the back drop of the cathedral (and some giant balloon rocket things that the kids seem to love).

Saturday in Teotitlan

Saturday Dec 10

Today we visited the village of Teotitlan del Valle in the Oaxacan Valley about 30 min. from the city. Teotitlan is an area famous for it's weavings. The tour was hosted by a microfinance organization called En Via, http://www.envia.org/, and we met with 4 of their borrowers and also toured the church.

We begin in the market which is much slower and less crowded than the ones in Oaxaca. Then moved to the church that was built upon and with materials from an ancient Zapotec temple. Many of the residents still speak Zapotec as well as Spanish. The first picture is of one of the 12 or so altars that line the side of the church. A committee of men and women are responsbile for the altars and making sure there are fresh flowers every week. Imagine something like all the flowers at Easter, every week. Many stems of gladiolos adorn the altars right now. The second picture is from the church courtyard looking out.

After seeing the church we went to visit several of the women who have received loans. The first was a family of sisters who weave zapotes, or rugs in the traditional Teotitlan style. They use wool from a near by village and dye it naturally then use a foot loom to create the rugs. They have done fairly well in general but the rugs are not selling so much these days because tourism is down quite a bit right now so they are expanding into smaller items like women's shirts and bags.

We also had a chance to meet a women who used the money for a business in making tamales to sell at the market. She is known as being a very good cook and so will use her next loan to expand into catering. She has many requests to prepare food for people's special events. We also visited two other women, one who has a "party store" where she makes and sells pinatas and sells other items related to parties. The fourth woman and her husband have a small bakery that they sell from as well as in the market. The loan has allowed them to do well enough to not have to travel to other villages to sell their baked items. We ended our visit with lunch at a little resturaunt that was expanded with the loans.

It was by far one of my favorite days so far because I really enjoyed beging outside of the constant stimulus of the city. Slower village life is much more my speed! It was a beautiful day in the valley and the people we met (and the goats and turkeys) were as gracious and kind as they could be.

The First Week

Sunday December 3
Today I joined other students from the school in visiting two nearby villages reknowed for their craftsmanship. The first was San Bartolo Coyotepec (Hill of the Coyote) which is famous for its black pottery that is created from the clay.of the nearby mountains, blended with water and molded using two plates as the potter’s wheel. No pedal, nothing electric, just two cermamic plates-one face down the other on top, face up. We visited the studio of the family of Dona Rosa who perfected this technique and produced beautiful pieces of barro negro or black pottery now seen throughout much of Mexico. We then went to a craft shop in Arrazola, a village known for its alebrijes. Alebrijes are wood carved animals fantastically painted with natural or acrylic paints. The artisans use copal wood for the carvings and its bark creates some of the beautiful natural paints. Alebrijes come from the Zapotec peoples and the animals represent certain characteristics Each birthday has a special animal and that animal becomes the person’s protector. Here is an artical on the creatures and the place we visited.
http://www.ventanamagazine.com/html/articulo.php?ID=363

Tuesday, December 6
Oaxaca reminds me a lot of Jackson Hole in the summer only much larger. The mountains are gorgeously in view all around, the weather is crisp in the morning and at night, but down right hot in the middle of the day. It is different from Jackson Hole in that many of the houses are concrete and have corrugated metal for roofs. The land is very brown and there are not many trees beyond those in the the plaza or potted trees in courtyards.

Oaxaca is quite a bustling city in some parts and tranquil pedestrian walkways in others. The central area where I’m staying and where my school is located, is dotted with plazas that are filled with trees and fountains, vendors and families. Something is always going on in them…an art exhibit, a concert, an astronomical education event. The plazas and cobblestone roads are my new walkways and my feet can take me anywhere I need to go—the tienda, my school, the main plaza called the zocalo (as central squares are called everywhere in Mexico), the bank, the coffee house, etc.



Thursday, December 8
I got sick on Tuesday afternoon from something I ate at lunch. Really sick. In bed for another whole day but made it to class today. Grateful for the medicine I had. Enough said.


Friday, December 9
One week of school down and less than a week before my family arrives! I have been in the A2 class, which is one level up from the starting point. Thanks to my classes with Temis in Durham I didn’t have to start a ground zero and so the class is often interesting and challenging. I understand what the teacher is saying about 70% of the time. Right now we have 8 students which is rather large but a number are leaving and I imagine that as we get closer to Christmas, there will not be so many students.

One of my favorite parts of school is the intercambio, a conversation exchange between a Oaxauena (person from Oaxaca) and an English speaking person. My intercambio is Denise and she works for a hotel that serves many Americans so she is trying to improve her English. Of course her English is much superior to my Spanish but we have a wonderful time talking everyday in English and Spanish and getting to know each other. She is a lovely young woman and I am so glad we were paired together!

Tomorrow I am off on a tour of the Oaxacan Valley with a microfinance organization called En Via to visit some weavers they have made loans to and to see their work.

Arriving in Oaxaca

Friday December 1

I am making my way to Oaxaca during the Christian season of arriving known as Advent--those weeks leading up to Christmas that both remember and anticipate the arrival of Christ in our midst. I have thought of Mary often during these last days and how she and Joseph made their way to Bethlehem. Was her mother tearful when they rode off? Was her family worried about her safety? Did she hear the sounds of unfamiliar languages swirl around her? There must have been uncertainty and wonder, fears and expectations. And even when you do finally arrive, when you lean back on that hay bale and let Joseph rub your aching feet, when your head is on a pillow and you’ve texted your loved ones, “I’m safe at my casita!” the journey is still not over.



Saturday December 2
My host was not expecting me until Monday but luckily was home and my lovely room was ready. Though I roused her late in the night, she did not say with a surly voice, “We have no room!” She said welcome, welcome, welcome, gave me everything I needed and had breakfast ready when I came down this morning at 8. Unfortunately, my camera fell out of my main carry on and did not make it out of the shared taxi I took to her house. Perhaps the company will be able to track it down, but perhaps not. Some things are found, and some are lost. The main point being, until Lindsey arrives, this may be a picture-less blog. Well, perhaps the other main point is that I feel ridiculous and incredibly irresponsible for losing such an expensive item only minutes after I arrived to Oaxaca and it put a cloud over my day. At this point it will either be returned, or it won’t. Channeling Tracy Chapman…”it’s only paper, it’s only ink…” and remembering the wisdom I learned in parenting group--tomorrow is another day, a re-creation, a chance for a new beginning.