La Paz for the Pigment Challenged

San Agustin through the gate, Jan 6, 2023

Since I last left you, dear reader, Jon and I had the fun of seeing what Three Kings Day is all about in San Agustín as it swirled about us. In the U.S., we generally don't make that big of a deal out of January 6, unless, of course, we're storming a capital. Thankfully, in San Agustín we were spared the drama of that anniversary, and instead found ourselves bombarded by the sight and smell of Rosca de Reyes being sold everywhere we looked. What is Rosca de Reyes? Why, Three Kings Day Cake, of course!

Within the cake, 5 or 6 little plastic dolls are hidden, and the person who finds one has to perform a pre-determined task - usually something silly. Essentially, Three Kings Day is a day for the children. Also known as Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, it is the day when the three wise men supposedly reached Bethlehem with their gifts for the baby Jesus. Wandering around the town on that day, we found a fair, complete with free rides set up for the kids, as well as stand after stand of toys for sale. There were also multitudes of tables selling Rosca to the point that we thought, "how will they ever sell it all?" Well, apparently, they do because people buy it and eat it for days after. My friend Maria makes her own version, and her husband Frederico was selling it at our landlord's cafe where it flew off the shelves as long as it was available. In fact, that night, a lady rang our doorbell, wanting to know if my neighbor, who is also a baker, had any for sale. I told her that the neighbor wasn't there, but directed her down the street to the cafe where I knew she could get the best Rosca available. She was very grateful, and I felt like a real local. 

La Paz

Three days later, I was on the plane bound for La Paz, Baja California Sur, for the midterm reunion of Fulbright/Comexus. Sadly, I arrived there with a slightly off stomach and so did not participate in the first day activity, which was a boat trip to Espiritu Santo island, about 40 minutes across the water from La Paz. When the organizers mentioned that it would an all day excursion, on the beach, including swimming with seals, with a lunch of ceviche tostadas, and only one bathroom on the boat, I asked if I could bow out. Not only was my stomach not up to it but I had not yet received the full-lenght-sun-protection wet suit I'd ordered, and I felt like it was going to be way too much exposure for a redhead. The trip was planned, I think, more with the younger crowd in mind, and from the stories and pics they shared, it seemed like they had a great time. However, some complained that the boat was cold and the beach was hot and the lunch wasn't great; that the water was chilly and snorkeling with the seals a little scary, making me feel like I had made the right decision. Sure, I experienced a bit of regret at missing out, but what I did instead that day was take two lovely walks along the waterfront (with LOTS of sunscreen slathered on), stopped in at an adorable cafe for brunch, and holed up in my hotel room, catching up on The White Lotus. It was kind of the rest I needed. 

Sunset in La Paz with some of the group

The next two days were taken up with non-stop meetings, during the majority of which attendees shared presentations about their time thus far in Mexico, whether about classes, community, friends, food, projects, or any other relevant information that could be squeezed into five minutes. My presentation was called Mujeres Extraordinarias (Extraordinary Women) and it focused on the women I've met in San Agustín who have impacted and inspired me in some way. It was hard to confine it to five minutes that's for sure, because everywhere I go I meet extraordinary women who seem to run this community with the utmost love, kindness, and ingenuity. Many have become my good friends and I anticipate gettting to know more in the four months we have left here. 

The café where I ate in La Paz

My yummy brunch

Me and one of my cohorts, the amazing Ashlyn Anderson

A smattering of Fulbrighters  

Returning to school after that was satisfying, in that it was great to get back into the routine, and I found myself experiencing an even greater sense of belonging. Everywhere I go on campus, the staff and students know me and greet me, and going into the classrooms and seeing the familiar faces smiling enthusiastically at me makes me really happy. My writing project continues to move forward and I feel like I'm in the groove. 

A colorful classroom

My goals for these next four months are to spend as much time as possible with our friends here, travel more widely in Mexico, teach as effectively as possible, support those in my writing group to bring their projects to fruition, and to enjoy every single aspect of being here - even the inconvenient ones. This is the opportunity of a lifetime; I plan to live it to the fullest. 

Photo credit: The church of San Agustín Through the Gate to Jon Ellis

Amor, Paz, y Abundancia

As I write on this thundery, rainy New Year's Eve 2022 in San Agustín, I wish you all love, peace, and abundance. Here, we are a little sad because Nacha, the Pug who lived in our patio, has passed away. She got out the front gate yesterday and was hit by a truck. And though she didn't die, her injuries were very serious, so our neighbors decided to put her down. Poor Pompón, the Akita, will be very lonely.

In spite of this bit of sadness, Jon and I have had a wonderful holiday. My mother Pat, my sister Susan, John, my brother-in-law, and his sister Carol came all the way to this far-flung area of Mexico to spend Christmas with us. It's not necessarily an easy trip for a ninety-year-old lady and a man with some physical challenges, but they braved the three-hour flight and two-hour drive, and arrived unscathed. In fact, they were up for adventure. The first to confront them, about two hours after their arrival, was our downstairs toilet flooding. This situation was not confined to the bathroom, but came oozing out into the living room and kitchen, and was only kept from spreading farther by our using every towel available to sop it up. Keep in mind, this was Friday, December 23rd. We frantically called around for a plumber, Jon and I dreading the idea of having to spend the Christmas weekend without the use of our toilets - or any water in the house - and of having the family visit ruined. Eventually, the plumber showed up and discovered that the blockage was not accessible from the toilet. Instead, he had to dig up the cement in the front patio to find the culprit, exposing raw sewage. Oh boy. I had sent Susan, John, and Carol to their hotel to check in and get away from the stench, but Mom was staying with us, weathering it all with good grace. The plumber had found the problem and fixed it by the time we returned from dinner out. Thank god our fears had come to naught. We spent that night without the use of the downstairs bathroom, which was okay, and with a stench in the front yard, but the next morning it was all fixed. I scrubbed the entire house just for good measure and we got on with our Christmas celebrations.

On the 24th, we took the gang out into the marketplace to experience the crazy wonder of the swarm of people doing their last-minute food shopping for the holiday. Carol, John, and Susan did some exploring of their own around town, impressed, I was happy to hear, by the quaint charm of our sweet little town. For dinner, we had tamales from my friend Anna, and taquitos that I bought in the marketplace. Susan read her traditional Christmas story after dinner - this year, it was The Legend of the Poinsettia, a beautiful Mexican tale - and we felt as cozy and contented as could be. 

Now, I have to back up and relate the story of the tamales, which we acquired on a very special day: that of the Festival de la Gordita here in San Agustín. The festival has been an annual tradition for six years, though it was paused for two because of the pandemic. Arlo was one of the festival's main organizers and pulled it off with great success. Gordita, which means "little fatty," is the name of a food that consists of an oblong, thick corn tortilla, split in half and stuffed with all varieties of fillings. In San Agustín, they are famous for panza de res, which is beef belly, making the gorditas de panza de res a local delicacy. At the festival, which took place on December 17th,  vendors sold gorditas of all kinds, those of panza de res being the most popular. For the festival, the whole center of town was converted into an outdoor food fair with two blocks of tables and chairs set up so folks could dine in comfort, plus many blocks more of artisans selling foods and crafts from all over, and tables set up by the local merchants, lining the streets. (In this video promoting the Festival, Anna sings https://youtu.be/FmIy3XBeC6w. I hope you'll take a look - just skip the preliminary ad.)

There was a main stage where musical acts and folklore dance groups performed, and another where a puppet troupe performed throughout the day. Jon and I feasted on the gorditas in the morning, and caught some wonderful dance performances in the afternoon. We bought some artisanal chocolates, coffee, and non-artisanal sunglasses for me. We socialized with many friends we ran into, and then, at seven that evening, headed to Anna's neighborhood for a posada.

The Pilgrims

The Posada is a Mexican tradition wherein families welcome "pilgrims" from the neighborhood, who come representing the holy family looking for shelter. The family inside the house sings a kind of call and response with the pilgrims, refusing them shelter, until the pilgrims convince them to let them in. They come in bearing figures of the holy family, and place them in the nativity. Then there's more singing and a short service, followed by...tamales!!! The host family gifts tamales, sweets, and ponche (punch) to all their guests and a party ensues. We left there laden with extra tamales, most of chicken, some of chocolate! We promptly put them in the freezer to save til Christmas Eve because my family has had the tradition of eating tamales and other Mexican foods every Christmas Eve, having adopted the tradition from living in Tucson for so many years. 

To return to Christmas day: the family gathered at our house for a breakfast of homemade blueberry coffee cake, bacon, and eggs, then we exchanged little gifts. This year, of course, our gifts were each other, but Jon and I received organic chocolates which we'd been sorely missing, and gifted soaps and lotions to the others from Anna's shop of natural products. Though Christmas was on Sunday, the tianguis, or street market, was in full swing and I was thrilled to be able to share with my family one of my favorite weekly events. 

On Monday, we toured my university - kind of. Jon, Carol, and Susan walked the mile and a half there, but Mom, John, and I, for lack of a taxi, ended up taking a combi - as you recall, the little vans that make up a network of local transportation. As we could see the university from the road, we told the driver we were going to stay on and ride with him on his route. This took us up into the hills behind Tepa, through farmland with chickens and sheep, on dirt roads, and into an even more "real" Mexico than Tepa, which is about as real as you can get. The driver became our tour guide, pointing out interesting things, and when we got back to town, only charged us the price of a round-trip ride to the Uni and back - though I gave him a little extra for his kindness. That evening, Carlos and his boyfriend joined us for dinner: pastes from the local shop that makes them extra spicey.

Tuesday morning we had a brunch for Anna and her family here at the house, then in the afternoon, went to Actopan for a stroll, to see the beautiful convent, and to have a nice dinner out.

Convent in Actopan

Ceiling of the basilica in Actopan

Wednesday was my family's last full day here. Anna's mom had told us how to rent our own personal combi to take us to the archeological site of Tula (see previous post for more images), a comfortable and easy trip for everyone. While Susan and Carol clambered up the pyramid, I walked with mom, taking our time, as it's about half a mile from the main building to the site on a dirt path. Doing the mile round trip was a challenge for her, but she accomplished it like the trooper she is. All were impacted by the historical significance and the beauty of the place. 

Thursday they left in that same rented combi, and Jon and I were left with our heads in a whirl. Other than that first day disaster, it couldn't have been a more wonderful visit. 

Friday we had a visit from one of my Fulbright comadres who spent the night and caught us up on all the happenings with our fellows in other areas of Mexico. I will see them all in a week when I travel to La Paz, Baja CA for our mid-term reunion. 

We've spent the evening quietly, watching movies and basking in thoughts of family, friends, and this amazing place. We can't wait to see what the New Year will bring. 

Fulfillment

Stairs in Real del Monte

I'm now able to talk about my literary project because it's finally coming to fruition. It's taken just about three months. I don't know what I expected, exactly, because it's kind of a complex project. My idea was to gather a group of women to do a writing workshop for the purposes of self-expression in Spanish. They would be able to write about anything or in any genre: memoir, poetry, stories, essays, novels, recipes, or anything that serves as a means of self-expression for them. I was hoping to attract women who have already delved into some form of writing as well as those who never have. I was willing to work with women remotely, in other parts of Mexico, but mostly I was hoping to work with them in person here in San Agustín. 

The Harvest, Tepatepec

Here are the problems that arose: Fulbright wanted me to do this project specifically here in the community, though they didn't make that clear until I arrived in Mexico. I had already connected with some artists I knew in Mexico, who put me in touch with writers quite distant from San Agustín, and soon after I arrived, we started working together by zoom. There are four of them, and they are all brilliant. So that part was good. But I could not, for the life of me, get women in this area interested. It is, after all. a very rural area, and writing just didn't seem to be a popular pastime for women who are working hard and raising children and more concerned with day-to-day life than with self-expression, and who can blame them? 

I call this the saint of LGTBQ+

And yet, a miracle occurred. After three months of my handing out flyers and sending them by text to local women I know, and talking to people all over town, including the teachers at the school, a small but fierce woman named Cristina made it happen for me. Cristina is a PhD in Chemistry who teaches at my university. I edited a research paper of hers that she'd translated into English, but that had been rejected because of the mistakes. So, I fixed them, and it was accepted. I considered this, at the time, part of my literary project because at least it was working on writing with a person in the community though the paper was extremely technical. Since then, I've edited two more for other professors. Anyway, I told her I was trying to get people interested in my workshop and she said she'd find them. Two months later I'd given up hope and was thinking of pivoting altogether to just doing English conversation groups, which was not really what I wanted, when she texted me that she had nine women ready to join the writing workshop. We met yesterday afternoon for the first time - ELEVEN highly motivated women, plus more who are planning to attend in the future. We had an amazing workshop, will meet one more time before Christmas, and then start again in the new year; and, since this is a university-sponsered workshop now, the participants will receive credit. To give you an idea of some of the projects the women have in mind: Cristina wants to write children's books about science, and the history of the region, in three languages: the indigenous Otomí, Spanish, and English. Another wants to do indigenous and family recipes in the same way, and some just want to spruce up their writing in preparation for their masters' theses. Others are not sure yet but I gave everyone a writing prompt to prepare for our next meeting to get them off and running. I am completely over the moon. This is what I've wanted from this fellowship from the beginning and it's happening! Oh, and get this, they want to call the group: "Precaución, mujeres escribiendo," which means, "Caution, women writing."  I LOVE IT!

17th Century Convent in Actopan

Another reason I'm feeling particularly fulfilled is that our house is finally getting to where we want it to be. We, along with our landlord, have done as many repairs as is reasonable for the time being, we've furnished and decorated it to our satisfaction, and it feels really comfortable and beautiful. Maybe we've spent a little more money on a house that we're only going to live in for nine months than we should have, but we always knew we'd probably have to do that. Finding a furnished place in this area is impossible and we began to see that before we came, though the dining set, sofa, and antique sewing machine were already in the house. It has been a kind of art project for us, especially since we've created actual art to put in it. Many of the things we've used to decorate are everyday objects we've picked up at the marketplace and put on the walls such as palm mats, blankets, ponchos, and dried chiles and herbs. One of my friends here said it looks like a Mexican grandmother's house, which made us laugh. 

Post Thanksgiving Gathering with Friends

I will admit the house is a little chilly because none of the houses here have heat. We have bought two small space heaters but they only go so far. It's also kind of echo-y and still has only one door, on one bathroom. The other bathroom and the bedrooms only have partitions to provide privacy. That said, if you are reading this and you are at all tempted to come and visit us in this magical part of Mexico, please come! We love to have visitors! You will have a comfy, but small, guest room, with some, but not total privacy (enough to get dressed without being observed at least). 

Painting on palm mat entitled: Time Machine

Below, and sprinkled throughout this post, you'll find photos of our house, which we hope will entice you, and also pictures of some cool places we've visited as of late such as the beautiful town of Actopan, the archeological site of Tula, and the actual Magical Town (that's an official designation) of Real del Monte. There's so much to see and do here, and so much to love. I feel very fulfilled in this place. I hope you will be too. 

Our house: 

Street in Real del Monte

Center plaza

18th Century Church

Monument to the miners

Coolest bathroom in the world

These figures represent great warriors

View from a distance - see the people on top for scale

Pyramid of the Sun

The site of many human sacrifices

Wall carvings

A dormant volcano, sacred to the Toltecs

¡Viva la Revolución!

The Uprising - Diego Rivera

Today is Revolution Day in Mexico so I have the day off. It is also the week of Thanksgiving which, of course, they don't celebrate in Mexico. They have a name for it, though, which is Día de Acción de Gracias, which means, "day of the action of giving thanks." I love that. 

I will be doing a Thanksgiving presentation for the school on Tuesday, in which I will talk about the reality of the impact the colonizers had on the Native People as well as how we observe the day in my family. Then, on Sunday, Jon and I will host an open house for the friends we've made here, which feel very much like family, serving whatever versions of the traditional foods we can cobble together. There won't be turkey, though the bird comes from this area of the world originally, because we can't find one here. Instead, we'll serve spicy rotisserie chicken from a local joint with our Thanksgiving sides. 

So far in this blog, I've talked a lot about what Jon and I do and have done here, about the people, and the mishaps, and the adventures, but I haven't talked a lot about my purpose in being here, which, is, of course, my grant. One of the principal directives of the grant is to serve as assistant to the English teachers at the Universidad Politécnica Francisco I Madero (UPFIM) with the idea of making their classes more effective. I do this by bringing entertaining and useful activities to supplement their lessons, and to serve as the model of American speech and pronunciation. Besides the classes, I give a weekly English language workshop for the students in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, and I also provide a couple of hours a week of English conversation for the teachers and administrators. 

Workers are valued here

This all sounds very official, but here's the reality:

During the first quarter of this year, while I was kind of getting my footing at the university, the teachers I was working with would sometimes, essentially, ditch me, leaving me to conduct the class in their absence. There was no malice in it; they just seemed to have better things to do. However, conducting a class on my own, unless it's a workshop, is strictly against the terms of my contract. Not wanting to appear bitchy, I didn't say anything until it happened so many times that, without naming any names, I mentioned it to my coordinator. He assured me it would not happen again, and it has not. Other than that, the teachers are sweet as can be. They run the gamut from wanna-be rappers to former Fulbrighters. Most are very dedicated; others just phone it in. My job is to never phone it in. My role is to be enthusiastic and energetic, which the students really respond to. Old as I am, I've even detected some crushes among them. Occasionally someone will shout out from the back of the classroom "I love you!" There have also been treats left on my desk by anonymous admirers. In general, the students are fun and funny, while also quite respectful, and I love working with them. 

Teacher/rapper, "Moonly Rap."

The university itself is kind of a pretty campus surrounded by cornfields and sunflowers. Some buildings are very old, some brand new. When I first started there, teachers would give me their room number, and I'd find myself wandering endlessly trying to find it. One teacher was like: it's in building D. I could only find buildings L-Q. I sent her a text message: "I can't find it." She sent me a picture of the D on the building. I was like, oh, that's helpful, and not one person that I asked seemed to know where it was. I don't remember how, but I eventually found it, on the other side of an irrigation canal and through a small forest. 

The "Mexe" Building where they're
always protesting.
Mexe is the native word for Spider

There are also buildings mixed in with UPFIM that are actually totally different universities. One is in a constant state of protest - about what, I'm not sure. The other is a series of fenced-off buildings with communist murals on the walls - I'm talkin' Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and maybe Tolstoy? It's pretty intense, but they don't mix with UPFIM, which is highly patriotic practically to the point of nationalistic. 

One thing that is very baffling to me is the bathrooms. Only one bathroom is equipped with toilet seats, and that's the one in the area across the canal and through the forest. The rest have none. You gotta perch, baby, perch. Also, there is no toilet paper in the stalls. You have to grab it from the dispenser as you come in the door and it often runs out so you better come equipped with your own tissues. Some have mirrors, some don't. Only one has hooks for your purse on the stall doors. The one in the library is the nicest and most modern, but there are still no toilet seats. 

This mural is on one of the walls of UpFim.
The message is, essentially, "hands off our bodies." 

All in all, though I enjoy the teaching aspect of this experience, it's not really the thing that makes me most excited about being here, and I never thought it would be. Teaching English as a Foreign Language is something I did for many years and I don't want to continue to make it my career. Doing so here in Mexico, though, gives me the opportunity to fulfill the other aspects of my grant, those that are, honestly, more important to me. One of those is my literature project which I'll talk more about later. The other is simply interacting with this community: giving them all I can of myself through friendship and laughter, listening and learning. This is my own personal revolution - the thing that is transforming me. ¡Que Viva!