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Titles of Blogs on this Page
We Went to the Party. [Veracruz]
Silence in Noisy, Happy Mexico [Mexico]
Estadía—A Practicum We Would Call It. [Mexico]
A Gasoline Smell—Diesel Said the More Trained Noses. [Mexico]
New Mexico Says This Beautiful T-Shirt. [Mexico]
It's Great To Be Back Home [Mexico]
The Alligator Who Lives Down the Street [Veracruz]
Ivethe Graduated from College Last Night. [Mexico]
I’m Only Guessing, But I Think I’m Right. [Mexico]
We Pour It On, but Some Want Even More. [Veracruz]
Two Great Things Are Happening—An Update [Mexico]
Gardenia Blossoms Floating Upon the Pool [Mexico]
This Is a Test— for Medical School [Veracruz]
All Over the Road [Veracruz]
How to Save Twenty Thousand Bucks [Mexico]
The Bus Driver Left His Money Behind. [Veracruz]
Fourteen Students from the School Went to the Theater to Say Good-bye. [Mexico]
These Things Happen (and we’re always proud). [Veracruz]
Only Thirty Inches Long, But It Still Counts. [Mexico]
Guero Guero, Guera Guera [Mexico]
Buses Lined the Street. Cars Were Everywhere. [Veracruz]
He’s All Wet—One of Our Charlantes, That Is. [Mexico]
In the US We Wouldn’t Mention It, But Down Here It’s Worth Shouting About. [Veracruz]
We're Waiting for a Package [Mexico]
Gone Fishin’ but not Gone Very Far. [Mexico]
The Call and The Vote [Mexico]
Veracruz Shows Respect for Street Vendors [Veracruz]
Two Weeks of School and Then Yucatan and Guatemala [Mexico]
Close to Exploding [Veracruz]
How to Make a Perfect Parade Route in Mexico [Mexico]
Jazz Under the Stars [Veracruz]
Not Small Potatoes [Veracruz]
The Pianist Had to Wait [Veracruz]
Enjoying Old Friends [Veracruz]
Your Laptop--Even If It’s Broken [Mexico]
Wide-Eyed and Ready to Dive In [Mexico]
What's a Tianguis [Mexico]
Two Hours in the Market [Veracruz]
Mexico's Architecture [Mexico]
Mexico's Merchant Marine Academy [Mexico]
Plus One Dollar A Day [Veracruz]
Looking Back Over The Stats [Veracruz]
A Working Christmas [Veracruz]
Our Third Christmas At The Language School [Mexico]
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Veracruz |
We Went to the Party.
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It’s in the zocalo every fifteenth of September. It doesn’t really get hopping until about 9:00, but we get there early to get a good table. It’s Mexico’s independence celebration.
All our old friends were there. For the last three years they’ve been there on Independence Day, and they’ve been there
all the other times we’ve been there. We go to the zocalo about once a week.
Several marimba groups we know well was playing. The Salsa group was hard at work. Three or four Norteño groups were plying the restaurants’ seating. The mariachi bands were assembling. The Veracruz groups (La Bamba) we first got to know eight years ago were there.
  
 
The peanut, chili peanut, chili habas (we just call her the nut lady) came by our table and so did her sister. The indigenous dancer from Papantla came by. The lady who sells, but never to us, cigars was there. The older woman who sells coral jewelry showed up.
 
 
And so were the picture taker and the charcoal portrait lady and the kids selling flowers, and the shock-box jokester, and the pirated wristwatch sellers. The lady in the nursing uniform asking for a donation to some place we don’t think even exists was there.
  
There were dozens of unarmed cops lazing around—there’d be nothing for them to do—not there, not then
There were thousands of good friends whom we don’t know yet but we see all the time—the regular folk of Veracruz.
They were packed in shoulder to shoulder starting at about 10:00. It was a close to gridlock as a crowd can get by 10:45. It is every year.
 
The show on the bandstand ended. The military performed the flag ceremony. The Grito, Mexico’s most patriotic moment, was shouted. Our friends waved flags and cheered, “Viva Mexico,” and cheered and cheered. Fireworks filled the skies.
by Eric, Sept/16/07
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Mexico |
Silence in Noisy, Happy Mexico
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Movies, church, concerts, it’s in the culture, it’s part of the happiness, Mexico is never silent. Always and everywhere someone is talking. But, during the symphony? During
church?
At first I was shocked, and then (in culture bound fashion) maybe even a little offended. But with time I was able to place it in perspective, cultural perspective, and accept it.
Happy, friendly, emotional people talk to each other and talk all the time. It’s part of what makes Mexico wonderful.
I learned that the sounds of talking would never stop.
But I was wrong. I heard silence. I heard the silence of respect, of anticipation, of love.
The Alcalde, the mayor of Veracruz, stepped to the microphone on the balcony of the municipal palace right above us and the thousands in the zocalo. It was the moment before the Grito.
And during the moment, Mexico was silent.
by Eric, Sept/15/07
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Mexico |
Estadía—A Practicum We Would Call It.
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Miguel has been staying at the school the past three months. (We’ve been so full that he’s been bouncing around from available room to available room, but that’s fine with him.) He’s doing his estadía.
The dictionary isn’t much help. It says estadía is a stop or a stay. It’s far more. Miguel is here in Veracruz (he’s from Puebla)
working in industrial electrical and mechanical maintenance for a large business. The estadía is part of the graduation requirements for everyone taking his major. It’s 600 hours, and it’s unpaid.
The practical experience is valuable. He has another month to go to get all 600 hours done. Completing his estadía is the last thing he has to do to finish his AA.
He’s a great guy. The students enjoy talking with him—in Spanish. Talking to him offers fascinating perspectives on working in Mexico.
We’d like all our students to be able to visit with him. And we like having him with us. He’s Elia’s brother. His father, Don Rafael, is the finest craftsman I know in Mexico.
Miguel wants to continue school and get his BS in Industrial Engineering. There’s a fine university here in Veracruz to which he can transfer…
I pretty sure you already know the ending to this happy story.
by Eric, Feb/09/07
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Mexico |
A Gasoline Smell—Diesel Said the More Trained Noses.
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I walked the half block to the corner. That’s were the ocean is. And I saw 20 or so sailors, a fire department rescue squad, a unit from civil defense, two Navy motorboats, some police, a bunch of City employees, a TV camera crew, and a lot of onlookers.
It was just another beautiful sunny day on the water’s edge. I had no idea what was up. I thought maybe somebody was
making a commercial or a political ad; it just didn’t look real.
But it was deadly serious. I crossed the street, and then I saw the floating containment barrier. It was a spill. But I couldn’t see anything. The barrier made a semi-circle starting and ending at the water’s edge and at its most distant point was maybe 70 feet out.
Sailors were walking in the shallow water flopping what looked like white hand towels. What’s up, I asked. (No quotes because I asked in Spanish). Diesel, a sailor told me. It had been raining, and a storm drain was emptying into the sea. Somewhere inland the runoff water was getting contaminated with diesel.
I could smell it. It was as if a car had flooded. It was almost nothing. I couldn’t see any telltale signs of a rainbow on the water. The white towels were staying almost white.
I can’t imagine that there was even a gallon of diesel that these more than 20 sailors, 2 motorboats, rescue squad, civil defense, and etc. were combating.
Overreaction? No, not at all. Mexico loves its environment. It’s a very special part of the people’s “patrimonio,” their inheritance, their birthright. Often they don’t have money to protect it, or laws to protect it. But when they have the needed resources, they go all out.
by Eric, Sept/07/07
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Mexico |
New Mexico Says This Beautiful
T-Shirt.
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Paula is wearing it. We were sent 14 T-Shirts by a delightful family who spent 3 weeks with us, and Paula chose 2 that to her were especially beautiful.
New Mexico, home to the family and where Linda and I were raised, is written on the shirt. And, of course, it meansNew Mexico, the Southwestern state that has so successfully brought its three cultures together.
As I took the picture of Paula, New Mexico took on a second meaning. Look again at the picture. You’re looking at the face of the new Mexico—Mexico where young women are beginning to have opportunity at good jobs and good futures.
We love seeing this new era in Mexico showing itself all around us. We’ve very proud that our school is encouraging this new era.
The stories are sweet to the ear. When a mother of young children tells us her kids are going to go to a good high school because now finally for the first time in her life she can set aside a little money each week, being part (in our very small way) of the new Mexico fills our hearts.
So, on behalf of all of us here at the school, our deepest and warmest thanks to all seven of you in Las Cruces, NM for the T-Shirts. They were a most delightful surprise.
And also our thanks to Paula for bringing a second wonderful meaning to words so special from our childhood, New Mexico.
by Eric, Sept/05/07
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Mexico |
It's Great To Be Back Home!
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No questions about it, hands down, without even giving it a thought, that’s how it is and how it’ll always be—no matter how you say it, SAFETY FIRST.
A hurricane was coming this way,
and so we (students, staff, Linda and I) left town. Together, we went far inland. We just got back an hour or so ago. The hurricane missed Veracruz. It came ashore about 120 miles up the coast.
We were so relieved. Veracruz hasn’t had a hurricane in fifty years at least and maybe many more years than that. The folks here just don’t have any practice getting prepared. Many don’t have money with which to prepare. They sit and wait for the TV to say, as it always has, that the hurricane, once again, isn’t coming here.
So much injury and heartbreak was avoided here in the city. Up the coast is thinly populated, but even so we were still worried sick for them. There have been no deaths. It’s a blessing.
Maybe a hurricane never will hit Veracruz. It doesn’t matter. Anytime one is heading this general direction, we (students, staff, and us) are leaving. Forever, SAFETY FIRST.
by Eric, Aug/23/07
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Veracruz |
The Alligator Who Lives Down the Street
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Veracruz has so much to do. It’s a tourist town (the tourists are Mexicans), and so entertainment and happy moments are everywhere.
For instance—visiting the alligator who lives two blocks inland
from us. A little over six feet long, and a little over 18 years old, she’s never had anybody to eat. She only eats chicken.
And she sits around just waiting for foreigners to come touch her. Well a couple of days ago, six of us hiked the two blocks to see if she was receiving guests. She was. Our being there didn’t even cause her to bat an eye—or even open one.
We chose a good day. Flanked by Elvira and Ivethe from the school’s staff, Su Jin, a special education teacher from California, can now tell her elementary school students what an alligator really feels like.
Convincing as the photograph looks, I doubt her kids will really believe that you can trust an alligator who only eats chicken.
by Eric, Aug/07/07
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Mexico |
Ivethe Graduated from College Last Night
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Mexico is so full of happy moments. Last night’s moment was spectacularly happy for us. Ivethe (Yvette) graduated from college. We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
We want her to find a good job, but, of course, deep down inside
we want her to be here with us forever. She’s a terrific talent and has a terrific future. Good jobs aren’t easy to find in Mexico, but she’ll get one. And then there’ll be no stopping her.
Here’s how happy she was last evening.
Her family was there. You can imagine how they felt. If you’d have been there it would have touched your heart. Our deepest congratulations to her parents.
Ivethe graduated “ titulo por calificaciones,” and that made last evening even sweeter. In Mexico, after all your course work is done you have to write an undergraduate thesis, take a hammering set of undergraduate exams, and pay a lot of fees (unless, here’s the super-student’s loophole, you graduate and receive your “titulo por calificaciones,” title awarded by grades).
Ivethe’s grade point average is over 90%. She’s exempt from the thesis and the exams and the fees. She’s done; she did it and did it with excellence. The whole story is written for all of us to see in her warm and beautiful and ever-so-happy smile.
by Eric, July/21/07
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Mexico |
I’m Only Guessing, But I Think I’m Right.
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First of all we have to remember that we’re talking about Veracruz, both the city and the state. It’s so safe down here that we have to force ourselves to remember to be careful.
With us is a very independent student (he bused to school from the Texas), and over the weekend he traveled to a beautiful spot about two hours to the south. He went right through the town he was headed for without realizing it and ended up getting off the bus far out of town in exactly the middle
of nowhere.
To get back to where he was going, he tried to flag down every bus heading in the right direction. None would stop for him. He was standing in a tumbledown bus stop. There was a bus-stop sign. But still, none stopped.
Granted, they were rattletrap buses, but the fact remains, he couldn’t get them to pick him up. (You might ask why we’d let a student go on a trip like that. The answer is that it’s safe around here.) Finally a bus stopped.
It was going exactly where he needed to go.
Good luck? Maybe. But here’s my guess. The bus drivers who didn’t stop kept on driving by because they weren’t going where our student was going. They didn’t want to make things worse. They didn’t want to take him to another wrong place.
But the driver going where an American (standing alone along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere) needed to go stopped and picked him up. The bus drivers, all of them, were taking good care of him.
So that’s my guess, and I’m pretty sure I’m right. These are wonderful folks down here. And they look out for us foreigners.
by Eric, July/17/07
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Veracruz |
We Pour It On, but Some Want Even More.
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The majority of immersion schools have four hours of focused instruction a day. We have six hours of focused instruction, and that in and of itself is a lot. Six hours plus a native speaker available
to practice with you from seven in the morning until nine at night is more than most anyone can do.
Yet, once in a while we’re asked if we can offer eight hours of focused instruction—four two-hour sessions.
It’s not often that we’re asked, but it’s often enough that we’re adding in an extra daily two-hour session as an option. The latest request was yesterday. As the student said, she works eight hours a day anyhow.
So, if you need eight hours (heaven help you), you’ve got it.
by Eric, July/15/07
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Mexico |
Two Great Things Are Happening—An Update
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We’re going to offer Aviation English (ICAO Level 4), and we’re expanding.
AVIATION ENGLISH is coming in October. ICAO (The International Civil Aviation Organization) is about to hold international pilots to a higher level of competency in English. Air traffic controllers dealing with international traffic must also meet this more demanding competency.
With air travel safety going up a notch, passengers everywhere are the big winners. The ICAO requirement is Aviation English Level 4. Coming to Veracruz to participate in the Level 4 training program are two close family friends. The husband has flown for many years. Aviation English will be taught at our principal facility here in Veracruz.
Our expansion is happening out of town. We’re opening a SMALL BRANCH of OUR LANGUAGE SCHOOL in an isolated village sitting right on a beautiful beach about two hours up the coast. It is designed for intermediate and advanced students. It’ll be an English-free environment, and practicing with the happy, friendly locals (in addition to formal class work) will offer incredible opportunity for improving your Spanish.
by Eric, July/08/07
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Mexico |
Gardenia Blossoms Floating Upon the Pool
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It was thirty-some years ago, and the memories are so special. Friends who traveled Veracruz way back when they were graduate students came to visit. They’re family friends from our Pima College days.
She’s still with Pima and is a Dean of Instruction. Part of her reason for coming down was to review the school. She gave us the highest of marks and compliments thatwarmed our hearts.
Also they came, she and her husband, to revisit a wonderful part of their past. We shared that past with them for a day as we motored to El Fortin de las Flores.
The resort hotel they loved so much is still there, still beautiful, and still enchanting. Gardenias are no longer floating upon the pool’s water but instead bring color and fragrance and texture floating in the fountains. The formal gardens and the colonial architecture are so inviting.
Grand and Gracious Old Mexico in so many ways and so many places lives on today. Finding it is as easy as driving across town, or driving up the coast a little or driving west to the close edges of the mountains.
Mexico cherishes its past, and its past will live long into the future. We teach our students how to travel and encourage them to take advantage of the weekends. Finding wonders from the past enriches the years to come.
Many of our students will revisit Veracruz, revisit what then will be old and wonderful memories. Maybe we’ll be invited along to share a most special day.
by Eric, June/26/07
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Veracruz |
This Is a Test— for Medical School
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Entrance into the medical school at the University of Veracruz is based on the taking of a single test.
A month ago 1087 took the test, and Wendy,
who works here at the school, was one of them. This year the top 190 will be admitted.
The scores were posted on the Internet today.
Wendy got a look at where she placed, and I got a photo. See the smile!!!!!!!
Wendy starts medical school in September.
Congratulations to her parents for raising such a wonderful young adult.
Congratulations to Wendy. She’ll be a tremendous doctor.
by Eric, June/15/07
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Veracruz |
All Over the Road
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A pickup truck hung a U, and out of the bed fell an ice chest. The pickup stopped on a dime.
It was a scuba
shop’s truck and fortunately no tanks broke loose, but ice-cold bottle watered went helter-skelter. People from both sides of the street came running.
And because this is Veracruz, you know how the story goes. As fast as they could, dodging traffic, they scooped up the errant bottles and put them back in the ice chest. They lifted the ice chest and put it back in the truck. One of them banged (with his open hand) on the side of the bed to tell the driver they were all done.
The good folks of Veracruz scurried back out of the street, and the pickup drove off. No one seemed to give it a second thought.
From the sidelines (and in silence), we Americans cheered!
by Eric, June/14/07
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Mexico |
How to Save Twenty Thousand Bucks
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A student who was with us the past couple of weeks works off-shore on the petroleum platforms near Ciudad del Carmen. He also runs cattle on his place in Louisiana.
On an out-and-about down in el Centro with one of our instructors, he chanced to meet a man who turned out to be the president
of Veracruz’s cattlemen’s association. Our student was invited to a livestock auction.
The association’s annual get together (a huge state fair is what it looks and feels like) is going on. This auction, instead of being held on the cattlemen’s fairgrounds, was being held on the beach at a resort hotel.
Subasta is Spanish for auction, and this one is the annual meeting’s big membership event. It’s an auction of show stock, and its invitation list reads like a who’s who.
Our student met several ranking officials in Mexico’s equivalent of our Department of Agriculture, and he met the governor of the state of Veracruz.
He also met a cattleman from Monterrey who runs the same type of cattle. They ended up talking about importing breeding stock to the US. The talk got pretty serious. Our student is investigating the ins-and-outs. If it all goes okay, on thirty head he’ll save about twenty thousand dollars.
Studying Spanish can be very good for business.
by Eric, June/07/07
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Veracruz |
The Bus Driver Left His Money Behind.
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I sat wide-eyed. The bus driver of a rickety old bus loaded with poor looking passengers stopped, opened the door, set the brake, and left. And behind he left his cash box sitting wide open. You can see just how wide open that is by checking the upper right photo
on our page Cultural Tourism w/ Spanish.
He had around four hundred pesos just sitting there right up in the air in front of everyone. It would have been very easy to grab a bunch of it and then take off running.
I wondered if I’d rise to the situation and prevent a thief from dipping. I didn’t get to find out. After a tense couple of minutes the driver got back on the bus soft drink in hand.
Risking all that money (and down here that’s a lot of money) for a bottle of pop, it seemed pretty crazy to me.
But then I remember what I remember every time I see something like this. We’re not in NYC or L.A. or Mexico City or Paris. We’re in Veracruz. Nobody is going to take his money. It’s against the rules. Down here we just don’t do things like that.
by Eric, June/05/07
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Mexico |
Fourteen Students from the School Went to the Theater to Say Good-bye.
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Fourteen students and four staff went to the symphony a couple of nights ago. There was a fine, up-and-coming
violinist, and there were four choruses.
Tickets were hard to get, and we were split--half in third level boxes (palcos in Spanish) and half up higher in the gallery. At intermission we traded locations. We were kind of conspicuous. The locals think it’s great that Americans attend their symphonic performances.
The conductor, Carlos Miguel Prieto, is fantastic. He’s young, and we think he has an incredible future. We’ve never seen a conductor so animated and so enthusiastic. It may be déclassé to say it this way, but the musicians play their hearts out for him.
He said good-bye. I was dumbstruck. He said he was leaving. I was heartsick. Years ago I heard Ormandy live. Toscanini’s Beethoven stood out in our music collection. Probably all of us watched Bernstein spin magic on his children’s concerts. There are many great conductors, but this going-to-be-great conductor who said good-bye was ours.
He’s now the new conductor of the National Symphony of Mexico. It’s a big and important step up. I should be happy for him. Okay, I’m happy for him; I’m just very unhappy to lose him.
I’m proud that fourteen students and four staff helped carry on the longest sustained applause that I’ve ever heard. We’ll go to Mexico City so we can applaud some more.
by Eric, May/28/07
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Veracruz |
These Things Happen (and we’re always proud).
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We lost a teacher last week. She’d been with us from back when we opened. She’s very good, of course, and we’ll miss her. But we won’t
be sad. In fact, we feel good about it.
What it is we feel good about is that she’s decided to go back to the university to study French and Japanese (on top of her Spanish and English). Any business worth its salt cares about it employees and is into employee development. That she’s adding two more languages (for which a lot of the credit goes to the environment of our school) says that in addition to doing our job for our students, we’re also doing our job for our employees.
We’ll stay good friends; we’ll always let her pick up a few hours here and there if she needs a little financial boost. And we’ll have a party for her, maybe with a Pinata even though it isn't a birthday, when she finishes--and we'll be proud and happy as can be.
by Eric, May/22/07
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Mexico |
Only Thirty Inches Long, But It Still Counts.
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The other day we headed up the coast to check out an ecotourism spot we’ve know about for a couple of years but never had time to visit. At the end of the article I’ve included a photo of thirty-inches-long-but-still-counts.
Thatched roof cabins (clean and very roomy), incredible bird watching (along a major migratory route), nature tours of various costal
environments (foot tours, bike tours, boat tours, and since we’re in Mexico burro tours, and trips to a small but important near-by ruins are at the heart of their diverse activities. It all makes for a wonderful few days stay. You can see them at www.ecoturismolamancha.com
It’s a grassroots conservation activity, and I’m convinced that these are what will finally protect environments (piece by piece) world wide.
The president of this delightful small business is David Díaz Romero and the president of the vigilancia (those who keep the area extra safe for you in this already safe state) is Guadalupe Barradas Ramirez. They’re proud of their beautiful ocean side, and they’re proud of how they’re protecting the environment.
We got to go along on the mangrove tour (by motorboat on the beautiful and large lagoon), and that’s where we came upon our thirty inch friend. For the first time in my life I actually saw an alligator in the wild. It might not yet be big enough to bite off my hand, but it could easily manage a finger. And for me, that’s enough to make thirty inches count.
by Eric, May/08/07
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Mexico |
Guero Guero, Guera Guera
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Almost A Sorbert--that’s the best description of a typical Veracruz ice milk that’s a great treat all year around. Like so many wonderful things in Mexico, it comes with its own special
sales presentation. “Guero Guero, Guera Guera,” is called out from every one of the ice milk shops.
The flavors are guanabana, mamay, banana, mango, pineapple, coco, all-fruit, and even the street vendors roaming around on their tricycles (and carrying only a few flavors) call our Guero Guero, Guera Guera. It’s tradition.
What it means, loosely translated is blondie. Or more fully, “Hey blondie, come buy some of my ice milk.” Most Americans feel it’s aimed, with warm and friendly humor, at them. Most Europeans feel the same way. Even most guide books think it’s aimed at the Americans and Europeans. But, most Mexicans know better.
The vendors yell it at everybody. And everybody has fun.
I bought a delicious chorizo torta, spicy Mexican sausage on a roll, at the corner store yesterday. I ordered it in advance, and it was waiting for me at the counter. Guero Guero, it said on the bag. They didn’t yell it out loud. But still, I was honored.
by Eric, Apr/20/07
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Veracruz |
Buses Lined the Street. Cars Were Everywhere.
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All the buses, all the cars, we didn’t care. They parked in front of our garage access. That didn’t matter. They unloaded
a lot of people. That was great. They were here to have fun. As always, they behaved well. Many were family groups. The beaches were packed.
So was the Malecon. Over the sixteen day Easter break, according to government estimates, three million tourists came to town. The city was bulging.
Veracruz, is a tourist town. Three million tourists over Easter is proof of the pudding. It’s a happy and fun party town. But somehow it’s also a family place.
For the whole two weeks, with the exception of our school’s students, we saw only two Americans. I don’t remember seeing a single European. There were a couple of Orientals, but I think they were part of the crew of a ship docked in the port.
One of the many reasons Veracruz has so much to see and do is that it’s a tourist town. And one of the reasons there are so many people with whom you can practice Spanish is that the tourists (3,000,000 of them the past two weeks) are happy, friendly Mexicans.
by Eric, Apr/16/07
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Mexico |
He’s All Wet—One of Our Charlantes, That Is.
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Whitewater rafting is always exciting, and always wet. One of our Charlantes got wetter than usual. It was a big boulder, both long and high. The river was low, and so the only route was to go
close to the rock and then hard left.
He rode up with a family of four. Mom, Dad, and boys 13 and 10. “High side,” yelled Chevy. The family leaned high, water pushed in and the ten year old swooshed up, over and out the high side.
Jonathan, our charlante, went right in also—jumped in—and surfaced right beside the young guy. The rafting company, owned by Chevy and his three brothers, is strongly into safety. There was no real danger; Aventuras Sin Limite rafts with maximum safety. It was pretty scary, of course, and the 10 year old handled it like a trooper.
Real danger or just scary feeling, it didn’t matter. One of his charges, the very young one, was in the water, and Jonathan responded. We’re very proud.
by Eric, Apr/08/07
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Veracruz |
In the US We Wouldn’t Mention It, But Down Here It’s Worth Shouting About.
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We hear the comment, a comment conveying appreciation and even thanks, that our plumbing works great. And it does. And since we live here year round, we’ve very happy about it also.
Allow me to be a little indiscreet, but our toilets
flush well. In Latin America this is a big deal. Also, indiscretion continuing, our bathrooms don’t smell. This, too, is a big deal in Latin America.
If you reflect on it for a moment, it’s easy to see why the students’ comments carry a sense of relief and the fore mentioned thanks.
Our water is clean, and the couple of times I drank a glassful by mistake, I suffered no ill effects. For this too we’re thankful, but we still use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
Our hot water is hot. Our drain pipes don’t block up. We don’t suffer interruptions in city services.
The pressure isn’t the high pressure found in the US, but it doesn’t matter. The showers are more than amply supplied.
The bathroom fixtures are fully modern. (With the exception of one old-fashioned shower head that we left in just for looks. This too isn’t a problem because it’s fed by a standard modern shower valve.)
I wouldn’t go so far to say that we’re proud of our toilets (indiscretion unabated), but we’re very happy with them and so are our students.
by Eric, Mar/26/07
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Mexico |
We’re Waiting for a Package.
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We’ve been waiting for six weeks. Granted the package is coming from Denmark, but even so, the world’s not that big anymore.
Down here mail isn’t left
in your mailbox, and packages aren’t set inside the screen door. The service here is super—mail is handed directly to us.
Of course, there’s a downside. We have to be here for it to be handed to us, but that’s no problem because someone is always here.
There’s another problem, but it’s not a big one either. The mailman doesn’t ring the doorbell (well our old one used to, but he’s been on another route the past six months.). The mailman lets us know he’s here by blowing his Post Office whistle. Post Office whistles all sound the same, and they don’t sound like any other. There are plenty of us to hear the whistle. It all works fine.
So where’s the package? Maybe we know. Day before yesterday we got our old mailman back. Whenever he’s not running late (usually he’s running late) he stops for a few minutes to practice his English. It was great to see him again.
His old fashioned leather mail bag was overly full. Lots of mail he told us. It’ll be awhile before he catches up, he went on to explain. He’s got a mountain of mail to wade through and deliver, and packages too.
Why? I asked in Spanish. I didn’t want any miscommunication.
Our mailman of the last six months had been very sick for two weeks. So there’s two weeks to catch up.
What? I was so bewildered that I can’t remember if I continued in Spanish or fell back into shocked English.
He couldn’t deliver it. He was sick.
Our old mailman, and now our current mailman once again is great. He’ll catch up in a week or so. He smiled, proud of the super service. Our package is coming.
by Eric, Mar/19/07
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Mexico |
Gone Fishin’ but not Gone Very Far.
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A six year-old is with us, and the ocean for him (just like for everyone) is pure magic. He found our fishing poles, and thenall he talked about was wanting to go fishing.
Where better to go fishing than at the fishermen’s dock. Fishermen were everywhere and their 27 foot long, open, ocean-going boats were tied up on both sides. We weren’t having any luck. I could see they felt bad for the little guy.
Fishermen, glancing our way, clustered and re-clustered. They were talking up a storm and smiling at us like we were totally out of our tree and desperately in need of help.
A sixteen year old fisherman, named Michel, wandered over and asked how we were doing—like he didn’t know. Not having any luck, I told him. He stood and watched a little longer. What are you using for bait, he wanted to know.
Bacon! What could be better, bacon cut into fish-bite sized chunks. Only a silver platter could be more alluring.
Oh, was all he said. They’re all so polite, and they’d never butt in. He held out his fist and opened his hand. Lying in it were 5 minnow-like silvery fish. He smiled. He didn’t tell us we were wrong. He didn’t tell us what to do. None of the fishermen would ever embarrass us.
How do I hook them, was my question. He showed me how, and I kid you not, within ten seconds of throwing it in the water, we hooked a fighter. I handed the pole to the six-year old. He reeled it to the edge of the dock. The fish jumped and jumped again, and the little guy started bouncing around.
We put another silvery little fish on our hook and got another great strike. Something is tugging on my line, is how he described it.
A fisherman came over and pointed down the dock. All he said was Michel, and then he went back to working on repairing his nets. I went to see what Michel wanted. Lying on the dock were two handfuls of the little fish. I called the kid, and we loaded up. Fish in the ocean began to strike like crazy.
A retired-looking guy fishing about 10 feet from us was using shrimp—the best all around choice. You’re welcome to some of these I told him pointing to our tiny treasures. Politely he declined. I offered again. He jumped up and came and got some, only a polite few.
The kid caught another fish. Fishermen smiled. Veracruz, everywhere, is wonderful.
by Eric, Mar/13/07
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Mexico |
The Call and The Vote
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It was an urgent call. We went looking for Elia, and she called right back. The conversation was fast and emotional. The green one or the white one, we had to wait
for pictures.
Nothing is more special to a Mexican girl than her quinceañera—her sweet sixteen party (but here it’s sweet fifteen). Parents save for years to pay for these parties. The biggest single expense is the girl’s dress.
In Mexico City, they couldn’t decide. It was down to two dresses, the green one and the white one. They wanted Elia to decide.
These are big decisions, and Elia was touched. Family includes family in so many wonderful ways in Mexico. The photos came in. The green one was beautiful and vibrant. The white one was classic and regal. Elia needed help.
So, staff and students, we all looked at the pictures and talked it over, and then we voted. It was a split decision, and so we continued to talk it over. The vote held. Green was the winner.
The call went back to Mexico City. The memory of the magical moment will be with each of us forever.
by Eric, Mar/11/07
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Veracruz |
Veracruz Shows Respect for Street Vendors
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A couple months ago now, Veracruz removed all vendors from the malecon—actually from the main part of the malecon, the part in El Centro. The vendors didn’t take it very well. They called the mayor
to task and asked the governor for help. They gathered in the street and threatened to march back in.
Of course, this is Veracruz, and so they are too gentle, and too friendly, and too well-behaved to really march back in. To honor this and to keep the vendors from losing face the city had to act. The city filled the entries to the malecon with riot police. They wore flak vests, and helmets with face masks, and carried huge shields and big sticks. They were ready for action, and that made the vendors feel respected.
The action the swat teams were ready for was to joke with locals and tourists and buy bottles of yogurt and bags of potato chips at the corner stores. They were ready to lean on light poles and even sit on the curb with their helmets sitting next to them.
They were doing their jobs just right.
The problem is that the city limits the number of vendors on the malecon, and in fact they have to. So long as the distribution of permits is fair, that’s okay with us. The receipts from the permits help offset the malecon’s extra costs, and that makes sense.
Out of town vendors were coming in and squatting on the malecon. They were refusing to leave and making a scene. They truly were getting to be a problem. The city was right to act and has acted with admirable restraint (the use of swat teams not withstanding).
We want our vendors back. We never buy from them, but they’re part of the setting. Lots of Mexican tourists buy from them, and so they’re also part of the fun.
by Eric, Mar/05/07
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Mexico |
Two Weeks of School and Then Yucatan and Guatemala
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After his two-week study-stay, a student left on a trip he’d been planning for 20 years. His Spanish worked great. His trip was
spectacular.
The great ruins at Palenque was his first stop. Then he bused to Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan. There he went to Chichen Itzs and Uxmal. That would have been plenty, but 20 years to make a plan turns out to be more.
Via Belize, he went to Flores in Guatemala and the wonderful Tikal ruins. This surely was enough to complete any twenty year plan, but what about El Mirador in northern Guatemala. That’s the dream finish to a 20 year plan. In and out, it’s five days on horseback, four nights in a hammock strung up in the jungle-like growth, and plenty of time at the only partially excavated ruins.
This 20 year trip has turned out to have two phases. El Mirador has to wait, but not wait long. Time pressures, even a 20 year trip of trips has time pressures. Two weeks of school was all he needed to set him free on this trip. We love to see it happen.
He’ll be back in a few months to meet up with the horses and ride to El Mirador. Time pressures have taken him home. His love of cultures present and past will bring him back.
by Eric, Feb/25/07
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Veracruz |
Close to Exploding
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We’re closed for Carnaval. And so today we treated ourselves to a student’s first day. We took ourselves on the double decker
bus, had lunch on the Malecon, and toured the boulevard. We’ve been so busy that we get to do this for ourselves only about once a year.
Today there was explosion in the air. We felt it as we passed by the zocalo and then down by the artisans’ shops. The feeling continues as we passed the navy dock, the T dock and the small fort. As we got back on the downtown streets it was at a critical level.
People are walking a little too fast. They’re bouncing a little to high. They’re speaking a little loud and extra rapidly. They’re jaywalking worse than ever.
Then we went to the parade route and bought bleacher tickets for tonight’s parade and tomorrow’s. This place could blow at any moment.
It’s so close to exploding it can barely contain itself. There are red hot pockets here and there. I’m counting the minutes. The party is about to blow wide open.
Music and dancing and singing and joking and food and drink—it’ll be everywhere. And then the parade will come. Things will focus a little for about three hours, and then it’ll blow wide open again but even bigger. A million people come to Carnaval, but we just stay home. The school is 47 steps from the parade route, the party route.
by Eric, Feb/17/07
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Mexico |
How to Make a Perfect Parade Route in Mexico
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It takes a lot of people, and maybe half of them need to be workers. You also need to have a lot of
advice givers standing around.
You have to truck bleachers to town and then assemble them—about three miles of them. The parade route is about two miles long, and for a mile and a half or so bleachers are assembles on both sides of the street.
You have to hang lighted signs from every street light. Make it two signs per pole, lighted signs about four foot square. If you don’t have enough light poles, also use the coconut trees.
You need soft drink stands every hundred feet. Bring them in by the flatbed load and set then behind the bleachers. Do it at night so everyone living close by can hear. They’re sheet metal sheds, and so they’re plenty noisy.
Close the boulevard here and there, now and then, when you need to. Send the cars and buses scurrying for alternate routes. If we need a bus, we’ll just go looking for where they are. They can’t be more than two or three blocks away.
We don’t want rain, but Carnaval isn’t dry. Put in bigger sheet metal sheds for the beer companies. Beer companies like dancing girls (after all this is Carnaval), and so make the roof a dance floor and set up a sound system.
Mark the bleachers and sell the seats. Make the seats about the right size for a ten year old so you can pack in a lot of people. There are eight parades. Every seat is sold eight times.
Make room for the coconut vendors and for the hot dog vendors and for the pancake vendors and the raspado (snow cone) vendors and the ice cream vendors. Let them pick out (and pay for—the City needs to offset expenses so every vendor of every type pays) their spots. Make sure the tamale vendors and chili relleno vendors are nicely spread out.
And get the street cleaners and their 55 gallon drums on wheels ready—it’s great part time money high school kids. Have them ready by the dump truck load. They ride low in the dump bed on there way out from the City Yards and ride high on a mountain of trash to get back.
Most important of all, get the maybe a million tourists ready to come to town—maybe only for a day, maybe overnight or for a few days. And those of us living in town, we’ll suspend reality and be tourists for a few days too.
The floats, the marching groups, the soft drink sellers, the tamale vendors and on and on are important, but what really turns the boulevard into a perfect parade route is a million happy, partying spectators.
by Eric, Feb/13/07
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Veracruz |
Jazz Under the Stars
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A sax, percussion, a guitar, and a base—the jazz
was great. It was a free concert in the Museo de la Ciudad and well attended. A couple of folks from the school were there.
They had no idea the indoor concert was under the stars. There had been no reason to look up; the action was all around them on the ground floor.
But then the lights went out. No emergency, battery-powered lights came on; no emergency generator roared into action. Nothing. Well, nothing except more and more great music. The bass wasn’t quite as loud; the guitar was hard to hear. And above, the moonlit sky was visible.
For about ten minutes the slightly quieter jazz continued in pure darkness. The audience continued to listen as if not noticing the loss of electricity. But they noticed, of course. They just didn’t care. Nothing was wrong. The lights went out; that was all.
And ten minutes later the light came back; the guitar came back; the sky faded; the music continued to continue. Electricity comes and goes. (We don’t lose it often.) Good music is everywhere in Veracruz, and about this the people do care.
by Eric, Feb/03/07
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Veracruz |
Not Small Potatoes
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I bought large ones to go with a steak, but I could have gotten small potatoes. I venture to say that in the little corner grocery (14 ft x 50 ft) they have probably
three thousand different items.
I don't know how the owner does it. And I don't know how we'd do without the store. In spite of our best laid plans, we probably go there three or four times a day. True, it might just be for ice cream, but that still counts.
The store is fun to visit. It's a great place to talk about anything. Soccer is always a winner. Even the weather makes a great conversation. Anything in Mexico is something great to talk about.
Veracruz is filling with Oxxo's. They are like 7-11s or Circle Ks. They're showing up on lots of corners. They don't have several thousand items--and definitely not the several thousand we need.
And there's no hanging around at the long counter and talking or listening. Oxxo is a convenience store.
The corner grocery store is a great convenience, but it's far, far more than just a convenience store.
by Eric, Jan/21/07
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Veracruz |
The Pianist Had to Wait.
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Veracruz has a European style opera house. Teatro Clavijero is small, beautiful, has great acoustics, and
doesn’t have a bad seat. Reversed seating is called numerado, and general admission is galleria.
Last night about fifteen of us from the school went to a piano concert. It started late (only ten minutes, but even that’s unusual). Finally, the pianist took his place, focused, and then refocused. We all refocused.
We heard the sounds of children, lots of children. The sounds were ascending—not getting louder but moving up the stairwells. The pianist, all of us, waited.
Light flooded in from opened galeria doors. More than a hundred grade school kids came in, shushed and as quiet as a hundred grade school kids could be.
The pianist, looking relaxed and happy, waited. Veracruz loves its children. The galeria fell silent.
The pianist focused. Liszt, Brahms, Chopin, and well-behaved kids filled the concert hall.
by Eric, Jan/14/07
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Veracruz |
Enjoying Old Friends
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Spanish is such a beautiful language, and it’s a big language. There’s always more to know, more to
understand, more to share.
And so Spanish learners keep on studying. Many students come back to school for a second study-stay. This month 5 students are back for the second time.
And that’s great.
School’s an academic space, and even more it’s a human space. We always enjoy being together with old friends.
by Eric, Jan/10/07
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Mexico |
Your Laptop--Even If It’s Broken
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Bring your laptop on down with you even if it’s broken. We have Ethernet, wireless, and even excellent
computer life-saving.
Serafin Baldormar owns a computer networking and support business, and he’s good. Right now he’s getting one of our email computers back on line. The poor computer’s been around the world—more correctly, Chinese language software, Japanese language software, and all kinds of other stuff. The computer has served us well here in Mexico, in Ecuador, in Chile, in Peru, in the US (of course), and it’s like a member of the family. But finally, its innerworkings had been so stressed that it just completely gave up trying to connect to the net.
I, too, completely gave up. I was ready to throw it in the trash, in Spanish we say throw it to the trash, but instead Linda said Serafin was the answer. I’ve been watching him. Over the last two hours or so I’ve seen problem after problem ruled out. He’s deep into nooks and crannies of the operating systems, nooks and crannies I had absolutely no idea existed. Surgically he moved ever closer to the problem.
And now, we’re back on the net (using Ethernet); the months ago lost audio is back, and at the moment we’re moving toward being wireless. I say we because I’m supplying support (coffee, ice cream, cheering and heartfelt appreciation).
There’s lots of excellent talent here in Mexico. Like everywhere, there’s also lots of very bad talent. It’s all who you know. And for us knowing Serafin is very lucky.
by Eric, Jan/09/07
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Mexico |
Wide-Eyed and Ready to Dive In
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A nine-year old from the US is here at the school for an extended stay. Her eyes were so wide, her expression was so filled with happy anticipation—Linda had just set our
Rosca de Reyes on the table in front of her.
The King’s Day Ring, la rosca de reyes, is a ring cake with red and green and yellow and brown candied fruit on top. It’s pretty; it’s delicious, but best of all is what’s inside.
Down here children get some presents on Christmas, but the super special toys are King’s Day gifts. They kids open their presents on King’s Day eve, and the whole family plays together the entire next day.
“Oh no, I thought it would be this big,” said the young girl. Her hands signaled a size of about 8 or 10 inches long. She’d spotted a 2 inch long baby doll escaping from the side of the rosca. There are many more dolls inside. The rosca is cut, and whoever’s slice contains a doll wins.
What’s won is the chance (a social imperative) to give a party on February second. Everyone gathered for the rosca and chocolate milk on King’s Day will re-gather on the second for a “follow-up” party. (Mexico is the land of fiestas.)
A student who’s just arrived from California said they’d had a rosca yesterday brought to work by one of his staff. It was a big one, like ours, and it contained only one doll. “Not down here,” said Elia (and I’m translating). “With only one doll, with only one person ‘winning,’ the party wouldn’t be big enough. We put in lots of dolls—at least four but six is better.”
I sure hope the nine-year old gets one. We’ll ask her to throw the February second party, and everyone, whether or not they also got a doll will pitch in and help. And if she get’s a doll, I’ll have my camera ready to get a picture of her wide-eyed, happy-as-can-be expression.
by Eric, Jan/07/07
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Mexico |
What's a Tianguis?
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That’s a great question. It’s not a flee market; it’s not a thieves market. Most days of the week it’s nothing more
than steel tubes—vertical, horizontal, arched, and crooked.
But twice a week here in Veracruz, it’s a clothing market. It’s snazzy, and it’s cheap. It’s only here Thursday and Sunday. The rest of the week, the vendors are grouped elsewhere—we don’t know where.
Many of the young women who work for us shop at the Tianguis, and so do some of the guys. All of them love to take students there for Out-and-About labs. It’s a popular spot.
“Stores” are formed by hanging tarps from the tangle of steel tubes. Fancy shops also have tarp roofs. It’s all open front onto the interior walkways. And it’s noisy.
A lot of the noise is happy shoppers, most often families, and the rest of the noise is music. From all directions, from all over the place, stereos are blasting out all kinds of music. Most of it costs 20 pesos (about 2 dollars) a CD. Lots of the albums contain far more hits than the 18 dollar CDs in the music stores. The CD are “pirates.”
And there are tables. Lots of tables and mostly full. They’re in rows, and one family’s seating picks up where another family’s seating leaves off. The people are so friendly that there is no need for individual tables. Everybody sits together. And they eat, and eat, and eat.
So a tianguis isn’t a flee market or a thieves market. And it’s not a street fair. Nor is it a bunch of clothing retailers or a bunch of music stores or run-on restaurants.
For us, and for you, what’s a tianguis. A tianguis is an adventure in happy Mexico.
by Eric, Jan/04/07
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Veracruz |
Two Hours in the Market
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It would be easy to spend all day in the central market, but Out-and-About Labs only last two hours. Mercado Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla has hundreds of puestos. We’d call a puesto
a stand—a vegetable stand, a flower stand, a dry goods stand.
There are fifty or maybe even a hundred vegetable puestos. Many sell the same thing. I’ve never known what causes a person to choose this one or that one. Some of the sellers have been in the same puesto for years. So, my best guess is customer loyalty.
One likes to talk with old friends, even when shopping for carrots and chilies and potatoes. The market is full of conversations.
Some stands only sell citrus. Some only sell brooms and mops. There are butcher stands, some for beef, some for pork, and some for chicken. The meat hangs (un-refrigerated) above butcher counters. You can point at exactly the piece you want. (We don’t buy our meat at the market.)
There are canaries and parakeets, curtain rods, clothes, shoes, and shoes, and shoes. There are a few seamstresses, shoe repairmen, and a bunch of tiny individual kitchens, all in a common area and all serving to a common set of tables.
You’ll also find fresh flowers, potted flowers and plants, tools (of assorted quality), herbs, dried chilies (probably 30 varieties) repair parts for blenders, magazines (new and used), school supplies, natural medicines, and so much more I can’t begin to remember it all.
Two hours just isn’t enough time. But it doesn’t matter. You hop on a bus at our corner, and hop off six minutes later right in front of the market. You can go as often as you want.
It’s one of our favorite places. When two hours just isn’t enough for you, we can all go back together.
by Eric, Jan/03/07
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Mexico |
Mexico's Architecture
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The school is in a wonderful piece of old Mexican architecture. All our students are out for the weekend. All our staff has gone home to celebrate the coming of the new year. Linda and I are
here all alone—but that’s okay since all alone together is the purest of happiness for us.
What we can’t decide is where to be as we sit together. Right now we’re on the two-seater in the living room. We’re looking at the high ceilings and the arches and the concrete handrail that runs up the stairs. In a little while we’ll sit together out back in the open, covered classroom area. It’s a study in architectural volumes that Mexico does so well. After being there a while, we’ll probably go sit on the roof and look at the ocean. Or maybe we’ll got to a balcony to look at it.
Then maybe we’ll be together in the space next door. We just picked it up, and we’re busy remodeling it. It’s even bigger than this place. Its upstairs front deck is a great place to sit together. But sitting on the huge front porch, wrapped with ornate wrought iron, is fun because of all the people passing by. Also, there’s the outback turtle pond (without turtles).
The school is loaded with great places to sit around and study or practice Spanish or just to sit around and be together.
Usually we sit here and there and everywhere throughout the day and evening talking and practicing and visiting with students. But tonight, all alone together, we just can’t decide.
by Eric, Dec/30/06
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Mexico |
Mexico’s Merchant Marine Academy
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It’s right around the corner and right on the ocean. We’ve walked by it for two years every time we go to the school’s small craft. I’ve tried to get in for a look around, and today, finally,
I made it.
There’s a mockup of a ship’s bridge in which they ignite a smoky fire, and the students must enter in near zero visibility to “save” shipmates. The planetarium is fun, the ship machinery shops are a special treat to me, but best of all was (school’s out and nobody is there) getting to go to the restricted area high up next to the dome.
The view is fantastic. I was looking right along the seawall (it’s open to tourists) all the way to the mouth of the harbor. I had a bird’s eye view of the docks and the ships loading and unloading. We see them from dockside all the time, but this time I saw them from above. Even turning inward and looking across the rooftops deep into the city was beautiful.
Restricted “deck” it might be, today. Right after the holidays I’m going on a campaign to make it a “tourist stop” for our students. I’ll let you know.
by Eric, 12/29/06
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Veracruz |
Plus One Dollar A Day
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You can walk to the malecon, or to the zocalo, or the beach. It’s not really big exercise, but it’s healthy. Or for a dollar
you can ride there and back on the bus.
You’ll want to go out in the evening. You’ll probably want to take the bus, and so you need to budget this extra dollar a day. But if you’re trying to control costs, that’s all you need to budget.
A dollar a day (if you want to ride)--Monday through Friday a dollar a day is all you need in addition to our school’s weekly price. There are no hidden costs, no surprises, no “optional activities” list. Everything we do at the school is included in our price.
Here’s my caveat—you will have to eat recalentados for dinner. The freezer has plenty of leftovers, and everyone is welcome to them.
But that’s it. The Thursday field trip is included, all daily outings are included, study materials are included, breakfast and La Comida are included, personal laundry is included, internet access (including use of our email computers) is included. The list is on our Prices page.
You know, right from the start, what school will cost.
Weekends are on your own—your room remains yours, of course. (And usually there are plenty of recalentados.)
by Eric, 12/27/06
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Veracruz |
Looking Back Over The Stats
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It year’s end, and like everybody, we’re looking back over how things went. They went super, but there are always things we can make even better.
One big thing is
that our instructors and charlantes depend on what they earn here at school. We use mostly part-timers. We do it so you’ll get a broader variety of native speakers with whom to work and practice (we try to have you work or practice with at least 10 during a 2 week stay). Also this is their fun job, and it shows.
We staff to be able to maintain small groups even at peak enrollment. That means that during average enrollment we are overstaffed. We should tell staff to stay home. But we won’t.
Money is tight in Mexico, and the economy is harsh. Their part-time money for working with you is very important to them and their families. So, we pay them whether we need them or not. This is bad business. Here are some stats.
Over the year our classes averaged 2.09 students. Our fieldtrips averaged 1.39 students per charlante, and our Out-and-About Labs were almost always one on one.
So, is bad business in this case actually good business? Over and over, our students tell us it’s good for them. Good for you is good for us.
But far more than anything, it’s good for our staff. Paying them whether we need them or not—it’s not bad business; it’s fair and just and respectful. It’s good business.
by Eric, 12/26/06
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Veracruz |
A Working Christmas
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We don’t close for Christmas. And since we’re open we have a lot to do. That’s because we don’t let our staff or teachers work on Christmas day. Christmas is
for family, and the staff has all gone home.
But Miguel and Rafael are here working. They’re not regular staff (although they’re related to a staff member). By working two weeks at Christmas, they make enough for Miguel to afford spring semester at his university. He and Rafael will work here a couple of weeks this summer, and that’ll cover fall semester. This very little bit of money means affording or not affording higher education.
Next Christmas Miguel will be graduating. Rafael will only come back to visit. That’s because Miguel will be making enough to help him afford college, and also their sisters, Adriana and Estefania. Family taking care of family is an old and beautiful Mexican tradition. In small ways and only now and then the school gets a chance to help the tradition stay strong.
by Eric, 12/25/06
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Mexico |
Our Third Christmas At The Language School
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Time flies, as they say, when you’re having fun, and today is our third Christmas Eve here at school. Noche Buena—that’s what it’s called, and it is a most special night. I’ve never seen so much
food as we saw last Christmas Eve. Families come together and sit around a feast big enough for an army. Everyone eats too much, and even so the serving platters look to have been barely touched.
It’s great—all the left over food is just another excuse to get back together to try and finish it all up. The same groups get back together on Christmas Day and laugh and talk and eat and eat. We’d say they are eating the leftovers, and they say, with warmth and beauty, that they are eating the recalentados, the reheats.
Family, friends, and spending time together, maybe that’s why time has flown so fast. Maybe that’s why we have so much fun down here. And maybe that’s why having the school and all the happiness that goes with it for us is like a Christmas present.
by Eric, 12/24/06
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