Family Blessings

Today is the 5th anniversary of my host brother Iker's death.  Iker died as a result of complications from Down's Syndrome when he was about 2 years old after spending most of his life in the hospital.

Yesterday, when Zury told me about the anniversary, I asked her if this was a sad day for her.  To my surprise she said no, that she's glad because she knows Iker is in a better place.  She and Mauricio went to the cemetery for a little while this afternoon, but they are incredibly open about this loss in their lives.  This day felt like any other in my family.  If anything, it's been one of my better days with my family recently.  Mauricio has been eating lunch at home lately, and today the whole family, plus Estefania, was able to eat together.  As we were finishing our meal, we started playing a game: We took turns asking each other questions, and the first person to respond with "si" or "no" lost.  After playing this for a while, I introduced them to the question game, where you start a conversation with a person using only questions, and the first person to not be able to respond with a question loses.  Our lunch table soon turned into lots of smiles and laughter.  Maury, my 9 year old brother, finds many things hilarious and kept collapsing into giggles.  It was a good afternoon and makes me incredibly thankful for this family that has opened their doors and their hearts to me.

December tidbits

December kind of got away from me, so I'm going to attempt to share a few stories here!

Work at ALEM: ALEM has stayed mostly the same this month.  More research projects, some time helping in the workshop, afternoons watching Rosy cooking comida for the team (I am slowly learning how to cook a few things!), sleeping kittens in my lap, etc.  There was one exciting morning where a group from Portland came to visit us.  They were staying at the convent where the Mexico YAGMs stayed for orientation, so I got to say hi and chat with Hermana Raina again.  She is possibly the sweetest woman ever.  I also just enjoy anytime that I get to talk with people from the Pacific NW, as I miss it so much!  One woman somehow recognized me from PLU (I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but it was pretty cool).  I shared some of my work with them, and even translated a few questions at the end when Mayra was busy.  ALEM's Christmas event this year was a trip to Xochimilco.  Xochimilco is a series of canals in Mexico City.  You rent a boat, and then float down the canal.  We ate lots of food, and just enjoyed life together.  The entire time, different food and souvenir vendors and mariachi bands were floating by on their own boats, trying to sell their products.  It was a fun way to celebrate with the team!

Garfield and Pirata keep me company while I work on my computer

hundreds of brightly colored boats!

enjoying some of the music at Xochimilco

CEDISH: I didn't really work with CEDISH in December.  Lots of things in Mexico kind of shut down in December in preparation for the holidays, and CEDISH was no exception.  However, I was invited over to bake cookies one evening, which was pretty exciting.  We baked M & M cookies, as chocolate chips are difficult to find here.  I was the master baker, and taught everyone how to bake.  Mitzi's son had even invited a friend over so that he could join in on the baking.  I was a little surprised that Mitzi and Magnolia don't really know how to bake much.  Unfortunately, baking (and baked goods) aren't really a big deal here in Mexico, so it shouldn't be too surprising that most families don't do much (my host family is always surprised by the things I like to bake).  Mitzi even showed me a chocolate cookbook she bought but doesn't know how to use, so I foresee many other baking parties!  It's a positive first step in building relationships.  They also invited me to visit Ocotepec with them to view many of the nacimientos (nativity scenes) that families had set up outside of their homes.  They were quite elaborate!

YAGM Christmas Party:  On December 15th we had our YAGM Christmas party!  I attempted baking my family's cinnamon pull apart bread with Casey, and it was a great success!  A familiar taste of home for the holidays.  There was also lots of other delicious food, and I ate so much that I almost felt sick.  We also had a White Elephant gift exchange.  Everyone brought a small gift, and when we arrived Andrea informed us that there were also other presents for us!  Turns out that the Mexico YAGM program has a tradition of leaving behind presents for the next year's group.  A big THANK YOU to the Mexico YAGMs from last year.  It's a little bit absurd how excited we were for Tide to-go pens, half bottles of lotion and hair stuff, and the pop-tarts from Andrea.  But with our stipends, even the simplest presents are exciting.  We finished off the evening by going to St. Michael's for their Lessons and Carols service.  It's still not quite the same as going caroling in the U.S. or attending the Christmas Eve service at my church, but it was the one chance to sing any English Christmas carols, so it was greatly appreciated!

Christmas:  I celebrated Christmas with my host family.  On Christmas Eve I had been told that we were going to Zury's mom's house for comida and then to Mauricio's family's home for dinner.  Although I still had no idea of what to expect, having a general idea of the schedule was nice.  Then Christmas Eve happened, and I remembered that in Mexico I had to throw all my ideas of what my day is going to be like out the window.  Zury was in and out all morning, running errands and prepping food.  She came back from one of her many trips at about 2:45 (we were supposed to have arrived at Ana's house at 2).  I started chopping celery at around 3, and then helped wrap some presents at 3:15 or so.  At 3:30 Zury tells me to get in the car, as we have to go to the supermarket again.  At this point I just assumed she had forgotten to get something for our meal.  I was completely off-base, as usual.  We go into Soriana's (the grocery store by my house) and Zury goes to speak with a manager of some sort.  She then heads to the appliance section, grabs the barcode for an oven, and then takes it over to a cashier.  Turns out we were at the store to buy a new oven as a Christmas present for her mom!  This whole transaction took maybe 10 minutes, but then it took another 20 minutes to figure out how to load the oven into the back of her tiny car.  We finally crammed ourselves in, stopped at home for 2 minutes to grab the presents, and then take off.  It was a pretty chaotic afternoon, and we finally got to Ana's house at 4, only 2 hours behind schedule.  Comida itself was fine; I got a little overwhelmed with the sheer chaos of that family all afternoon.  While handing out presents there was a great deal of chanting and singing (along the lines of "open it, open it").  I got a couple of small presents from my family, which was pretty sweet.  We finally got home around 9 pm, but were only home long enough for Zury to finally take her shower (she had run out of time in the morning).  Then we headed to see Mauricio's family.  4 generations live in the same house, so there are always lots of people around.  There were fireworks for about 2 hours, most of which were just loud bangs, and then we got around to presents by about 12:30 or so.  Maury then fell asleep on the couch, and our "midnight dinner" started at around 1:15 or so.  I didn't really eat much, as I was far too tired.  We finally made it home around 2 am.  Then on Christmas Day I attended church with Catie and Colleen before heading home to skype with my family.  Then we headed to Zury's aunt's home for a quiet afternoon.  We played some video games on the kinect, ate more food, and had a couple of piñatas.  I felt much more relaxed at this family gathering, as it included less awkward small talk, and the games reminded me of my family's holiday celebrations.  Then I raced home to finish packing so I could leave for my vacation!  It was a jam-packed couple of days.

Vacation: I traveled with Colleen to Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, which is about an 8 or 9 hour bus ride from Cuernavaca.  We took an overnight bus, so were a little exhausted the first day.  Our vacation was full of relaxing days on the beach, lots of reading, snorkeling, swimming, meeting lots of cool people, and my first surf lesson!  Our first night at dinner we started talking to a friendly Canadian man vacationing with his young son.  He secretly paid our bill, which was a great way to start our vacation!  Something I want to pass along at some point...  We also hung out some with a couple staying at our hostel.  They were from the UK, and they had both quit their jobs to spend a year traveling through Australia, Central and South America.  As they had been in Zihuatanejo for a few days already, they were able to give us lots of tips for what to do.  This week was a nice relaxing break from life in Cuernavaca, but it has been so nice to get back home!  It was also a little weird to be spending so much more money than I do on a regular basis here.  I was aware the entire time of how privileged I am to get to go to the beach for a week at Christmas.

Colleen and I ready for our overnight bus!

the main beach in Zihuatanejo - everything was pretty crowded, because most Mexicans have a week or two of vacation around Christmas, and a lot of them head to the beach

welcome to the Pacific coast of Mexico!  So nice to see the ocean again; 4+ months is a long time for a Washington girl!

enjoying the heat

Happy New Years everyone!  I head back to work tomorrow, go back to language school for a week on Monday, and then have another YAGM retreat to look forward to at the end of the month.  I can tell that the rest of my YAGM year is going to fly by...

retreat reflections

Our November retreat was all about globalization and food security issues.  Prior to the retreat we had to read Field Guide to the Global Economy, and then during the retreat we talked about the book, a documentary about food in the U.S., NAFTA, corn farming in Mexico, and all sorts of other related topics.

Things I learned:

• NAFTA has kind of screwed Mexico, in several ways.  Among them: NAFTA allowed the U.S. to flood the Mexican market with super cheap corn (corn subsidies allow corn to be sold at a cheaper price than Mexicans can grow corn.  As corn is the backbone of the Mexican diet, this is a problem and puts many Mexicans out of work).  At the same time, immigration policies were stiffened, basically forcing Mexicans to cross into the U.S. at the most dangerous places, ensuring that only the most physically fit Mexicans (and thus some of the best workers) survive the trip.  This policy has resulted in the deaths of millions of Mexicans.
• Corporations really are people!  Only not in a good way.  In a we-can-now-sue-the-government-for-anything-that-could-possibly-affect-free-trade way.  NAFTA lifted all restrictions to free trade, which means corporations can sue governments for laws that might affect free trade.  As an example, a Canadian mining company tried to sue California for a law phasing out the use of a dangerous chemical, because this was going to negatively impact their business.  In other words, companies have an absurd amount of power and the potential to change laws enacted through the political process.
• Countries are not necessarily allowed to put controls on their imports.  Examples: genetically modified foods can't be legislated against, in Thailand the government was forced to allow cigarettes to be imported which resulted in a 10% increase in cigarette consumption.
• Companies leverage the threat of pulling their factories from a country when there is the possibility of having to accept union workers, higher wages, paying taxes, etc.  When productions costs rise in the host country, many companies leave in the middle of the night, leaving suddenly unemployed workers (I saw this firsthand in Namibia).  Many companies are also enticed to set up operations in a given country with promises of tax breaks (again, I saw this in Namibia).  This means that a corporation receives large tax breaks, and all the country gains is increased local employment.  Granted, this is a good thing, but is it worth the cost?
• Reminders about the (usually) awful conditions in factories around the world: their labor practices, low wages, environmentally suspect policies, and increased questions about what impact I can possibly have as a consumer, especially when it's so hard to learn about individual companies' practices.

Every  morning on these retreats we start the day with some sort of reflection.  One morning Alicia led a short Bible study on part of John 9.  The last verse in the chapter reads:

"Jesus said, 'If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.'" John 9:41 (NIV)

I know it's pretty dangerous to take just one Bible verse and use it to prove a point, but you'll just have to trust me here that these conclusions came from a longer discussion of the rest of the chapter as well, and reflect the context from which we were thinking during the retreat.

Our group decided that this verse was an affirmation that we are not allowed to claim ignorance on issues of globalization and food.  It's a challenge to us.  Now that we're (at least semi-) educated, we can't be innocent of the actions we take and choices we make.  I believe an exact quote from this discussion was, "Now that we've seen some things, what are we going to do about it?" 

So that's my challenge to you.  Now that you've read this blog, try to educate yourself a bit more on some of these issues.  Choose one that pertains to your home community, a country where a YAGM is currently serving (a list of most of their blogs can be found here), or research your favorite clothing company to see if you can ethically support them.  Try to be an educated citizen of our global community, because the choices you make have greater implications.

Now that you've seen some things, what are you going to do about it?

November Retreat in Photos

Here's the start of my reflections on my first retreat here in Mexico.  It was an incredibly life-giving week with close friends, and here's some photos!

This plaque is on an old building in Mexico City, close to where we stayed on the retreat.  It commemorates the Irish soldiers who fought on the side of Mexico in the Mexican-American war and were later executed by the U.S.  The plaque reads, "In memory of the  Irish soldiers from the heroic Saint Patrick battalion.  Martyrs who gave their lives for the Mexican cause during the unjust invasion by North Americans in 1847."  Just another example of the victors writing the history books.  It's a good thing to be educated!

Mexico City was a lot colder than Cuernavaca usually is, and it was the first time the 8 of us had been reunited for longer than an afternoon since orientation.  Lots of cuddling time!

giant poinsettia Christmas tree - Christmas has definitely come to Mexico!

Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City (on the Zocalo): according to my guide book it's the largest cathedral in Latin America, and we had some free time to look around inside.  Like everything else on the Zocalo, it's pretty big.

The Zocalo with the GIANT Mexican flag.  It was a little overwhelming, just because of the sheer size.

We had one short afternoon of sightseeing in Mexico City.  It was just enough time to learn how the Metro system works, visit the Zocalo, walk around inside the cathedral, eat lunch, and visit Templo Mayor/Tenochtitlán.  Templo Mayor was the center of the Aztec world, and the ruins were discovered in the heart of Mexico City in 1978.  We got to visit and walk around a little.  This is part of our group at Templo Mayor, with the cathedral in the background (that's how close it is to the Zocalo!)

Thanksgiving dinner!  While our Thanksgiving was a little late, it was pretty delicious, and well worth the wait.  Dinner with all the fixings!  Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, jello salad, roasted veggies, stuffing, bread, homemade applesauce, and the ever-important pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream!

I got a few cards at the end of the month that helped brighten my days!  These cards are from the Sunday School classes at Memorial Lutheran Church in Toledo, OH, one of the sponsor congregations for our country coordinator.  It was pretty exciting to get homemade cards, complete with stickers and drawings of tigers.

After the retreat ended we all headed to Tepoztlan to hang out and climb to Tepozteco again.  It's amazing how much easier hiking is when you can see!  It was also just a good time to continue our group bonding with some hiking, a movie, and walking through the Sunday market.

This is what Tepozteco looks like during the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the first Thanksgiving where I have never been home with my family (and that list will just keep growing this year, as I've never been gone for Christmas or my birthday either).  I could easily make a list of things that I am frustrated with in my life, but now is not the time.  Even though I am far from home, I am so blessed!

I am thankful for:

• warm days and cool nights (and missing Seattle's gloomiest day in 3 years!)
• supervisors who bring pumpkin pie to work
• country coordinators who share their pumpkin pie spice and support me through all my freak out moments
• fast and reliable internet and skype
• kittens to cuddle with at work
• family who love and support me
• a host family who has taken me in and accommodated all my (sometimes odd) requests
• friends who write me letters and send me numerous emails
• past and present YAGMs around the world who are accompanying me on this journey and working to change the world one relationship at a time
• relationships with all the other Mexico YAGMs
• the relative safety of having an American passport
• not feeling culturally obligated to get up early tomorrow morning to go shopping

I made my family roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes,  and pumpkin pie today.  This is just the first step, as all the Mexico YAGMs are cooking Thanksgiving dinner together during our retreat next week.  My brother ate some mashed potatoes, tried one bite of pumpkin pie (he doesn't like it), and then told his friends that his dinner was "muy rico" (very good), while I think my host mom was just happy to not have to cook for once.  My supervisor at ALEM bought a Costco pumpkin pie for everyone to share at work today, and then let me leave early so I would have time to cook.

This Thanksgiving has not been much like any of my previous Thanksgivings.  I'm not in a food coma (although who knows after our Thanksgiving dinner next week!), I didn't get to make or eat several of my favorite foods, and I'm not curled up in front of the fireplace with a movie and my cat.  But I know that I will have those experiences again, and in the meantime, I get to eat lots of tacos!

pumpkin mania

I've always loved any type of food with pumpkin in it.  Pumpkin bread? Check.  Pumpkin cookies?  Most definitely.  Pumpkin cinnamon rolls?  Delicious.  Pumpkin gelato, ice cream, truffles, pie, cake, you name it, I have probably eaten it and loved it!  I told this to my host family one day, kind of lamenting the fact that it was fall but that no one in Mexico really eats pumpkin the way I do at home.  

Well, be careful with your words!  My mom came home on Monday afternoon with two giant grocery bags filled with pumpkin chunks from Walmart, telling me that she bought it all for me so I can bake pumpkin pie.  I just kind of looked in astonishment at the sheer amount of pumpkin sitting in our kitchen, at a loss for words as to what to do with all the chunks. 

This is about a quarter of the pumpkin that I had to work with, and this is how it comes from Walmart!

As a disclaimer, I have never cooked with fresh pumpkin before.  I love creating pumpkin baked goods, but my pumpkin has always come from a can.  So I looked at this as an adventure!  I've also been a little sad with the fact that I don't really get to cook or bake at all in my house because my family loves to take care of me.  But that all changed today!

 I spent almost 4 hours in the kitchen today, cooking pumpkin, roasting pumpkin seeds, creating the pumpkin puree, and packaging it for easy access in the freezer.

some of the pumpkin cooking in our tiny oven

pumpkin puree

the finished product!  8 cups of pumpkin puree

As I was working with the pumpkin, my mom looked over and remarked on the quantity.  She commented that I will be eating this pumpkin all year.

I sure hope so!

Día de los Muertos

On November 1st and 2nd we celebrated Día de los Muertos here in Cuernavaca.  My family was out of town for a wedding, so I was hanging out with Colleen all weekend. 

Thursday night we headed to Ocotepec, which is a community in Cuernavaca.  It's one of the few communities where homes are open to the public for Día de los Muertos.  Every family that has lost someone in the past year creates an ofrenda in their home.  People are invited to view the ofrenda/altar and eat the provided food.  Colleen and I arrived as dusk was falling, and immediately bought some candles, as it's tradition to give a candle to each family; it's a kind of exchange, with visitors giving candles and receiving food and drinks in return. 

We then met up with Andrea and her family at the church in Ocotepec, before heading out to visit homes.  At each house we waited to enter, then viewed the altars set up for the deceased family members.  Each altar included some sort of physical representation of the person being remembered, usually with photos and some of their old clothing.  Around that, all sorts of food and other items for the dead to use.  These included: bread, tamales, piles of fruit, tools, dishes, photos, cigarettes, marigolds, items shaped like skulls, etc.  After saying hello to the families, either Colleen or I handed them a candle (then put into a box, I have no idea what they are used for!), and then headed for the food!  I ate a taco, a tamale, several pan dulces and pan de muertos, and drank many cups of hot punch (kind of like apple cider, but with different fruits).

Friday morning Colleen and I headed to Jardin Borda, a giant private garden in the Centro.  From Thursday through Sunday entrance was free, there were several large ofrendas throughout the garden, artisans selling their wares, and lots of decorated catrinas, or skeleton ladies.  We wandered the park taking pictures and just taking in the atmosphere. 

catrinas at Jardin Borda

some of the ofrendas

I think this one is for Frida Kahlo

marigolds are everywhere on Día de los Muertos

Many families go to the cemetery on Nov. 2 to decorate the family graves and eat food, but I didn't know anyone who was doing that.  Día de los Muertos is a way to celebrate and remember your ancestors, as the dead come back to wander the earth.  It's a way of engaging with our own mortality while remembering those who we were close to.