My México Travels

On Tuesday I leave for Puebla City! I’ll be back for Dia de los Muertos and the San Miguel Jazz and Blues Festival in November. I am anxious to explore and observe a new city, but will be sad to leave a city where I know my way around and leave some people and places I have come to know and love.

Doors and windows around San Miguel have fascinated me. There seems to be quite an affinity for selecting an object (animal, religious statue, etc.) to adorn your door. In addition, ribbons and dried flowers seem to be quite popular to create interest in your business. I hope you enjoy the ones I captured below.

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Cañada de la Virgen is an Otomi archaeological site that was first excavated in 1995 with its first pubic access in 2011. It is presumed that construction of the seven structures at Cañada De La Virgen most likely began after the collapse of the Teotihuacan culture, around 530 AD. A local archeologist that worked on this site gives a really interesting tour!

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Coffee!

Those of you who know me, know that I love my coffee – dark and rich! I was warned in Mexico City that SMA didn’t really have good coffee. I have been looking for everyone’s list of best coffee in SMA and trying them all. My experience is that it is hit and miss. The Starbuck’s couldn’t even make their signature drinks correctly! The pretty ones look great, but are too sweet and I don’t think they got the “double shot” idea. I find the best route is to ask for “doble espresso, con hielo, no frappe, sin leche ni azucar” (double espresso over ice, not blended, without milk or sugar). I asked for cream once and got something very strange – caramel colored, lumpy and sour tasting. I am most intrigued by the inconsistent results I get with the same request and the looks of “I don’t understand”. I once ordered an affogato off a menu. The waitress left, came back and asked me what it was.

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Beer!

Warm climates go hand in hand with cool, crisp beer on tap! But SMA restaurants and bars don’t often have “cerveza de barril” (beer on tap)! The first photo shows a bottle of San Miguel de Allende beer. This beer is sold in store for about three times as much as other brands – and an import tax is added! Most bottled beer that you order comes without a glass, even if you ask for one. The beer on the right was awesome! Mamma Mia has tap beer which really hit the spot on this sunny day.

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Police

There has been a consistent police presence since I have been here. I understand that their salary is not really enough to live on, which is why bribes are so prevalent. I also understand that many times there is not enough funding to provide them with ammunition! The word is that the drug cartels are present in SMA, but if you are not involved in drugs you will be safe

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Weddings!

Apparently SMA is a favorite for weddings. Walking around town on weekends you see lovely decorated cars and trucks – evidence that a wedding is nearby. Flowers on cars?!?!

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Parking Lots!

I have been very impressed with parking lots! For one thing, they are generally hidden by large doors, so you don’t even see the possible expanse of cars. This one is my favorite as it has murals on the wall – and it has a bit of a view of the Parroquia to the right!

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Shopping can be scary!

Going to the mall, or the supermarket requires that you cross a very busy street. That requires you to climb a very open stairway, walk across the street on an insecure surface (you do see the tear in the metal below, right!) and descend on the other side – that was the easiest part. I didn’t go very often! And when I did I treated it like an amusement ride – I felt better.

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Some interesting things . . . maybe . . .

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Last week I felt sad and uncomfortable to realize my role was that of tourist, with little opportunity to practice much higher level Spanish. This week I’m trying on a different role – that of observer, and appreciator. It still doesn’t feel ideal, but I can live with it, and it feels more true. Thanks to all of you who checked in with me to offer your support and perspective. I feel loved.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Miguel de Allende

One of the contributing factors that lead me to start my travels in San Miguel was that it is home to the UUFSMA – one of the only UU churches in Mexico. During my first visit I was stuck in my own stories of my past experiences in UU congregations. I was reminded that my parents had determined that they were Unitarian while attending a multi-denominational church in Guadalajara during the late 1950’s. They sent letters home announcing that they were officially leaving the Catholic Church – it was a big deal at the time. My second visit I was able to see more clearly the impressive Fellowship they have created. Though the people in the audience look like older, white ex-pats, their mission and programs demonstrate a strong commitment to the local community. Over 50% of their income goes back to supporting the SMA community. They support undocumented Mexican Nationals who have been deported from the US. They include Spanish in their services and, this week, the service was presented by a couple who promote bilingual theater in town. This was cheery news to me and I look forward to seeing their theater productions in November when I return to SMA. Today we heard from a young ex-pat who directs an amazing project titled Caminos de Agua, whose mission is to create access to clean water solution with communities at risk. I can truly see that many ex-pats in SMA actively engage to make all lives better here. I find hope here and will return!

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Churches in San Miguel de Allende

I have been attracted to the many churches in town. I find the historic structures (several from the 16th century) to be captivating. The interiors are filled with exquisite art and I was quite moved by their beauty and significance (could be a remnant from my time in Catholic churches with my grandmother). I started taking pictures of them and became confused by which ones are which – there are about nine “churches” located in the center of SMA – each with similar domes, steeples and exteriors. Most of these represent the catholic faith – the historically dominant faith in Mexico. There are no cathedrals in town because there are no bishops! There two parroquias (parish churches) which control all the significant life events: baptism, marriage, death, etc. There are a number of templos (churches), designated as sacred buildings, and I found three capillas (chapels) which seem to be smaller.

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The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel is the most photographed building in SMA, and one of the most photographed buildings in Mexico. It is located in the center of town by the plaza, called El Jardín. It really is breathtaking and pops into view all over town. Yes, it really is pink and looks a little like Cinderella’s castle. Around 1880, a self-taught mestizo (of mixed race, Spanish and indigenous) architect, Don Zeferino Gutiérrez, was hired to build a new church façade. His inspiration came from the great Gothic European cathedrals—like Notre Dame. He had never been to Europe or seen their great churches, so he used postcards to guide his design. You can see the second photo shows how thin the facade was, because all he had was a one dimensional view.

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What is it like now that the excitement and novelty has worn off? Well, I’m struggling with constipation, Spanish classes are kicking my butt, I nearly faced the world without my phone, I don’t feel like I am fitting in, I am running out of money, I feel the edges of depression creeping in, friends and family feel far away, and the steep cobblestone streets are losing their appeal. “What am I doing? What was I thinking? Why was this a good idea?”

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Spanish lessons – I knew this would be a tricky one. The reality here is that I will not likely become fluent in Spanish by just taking lessons and being a tourist. My teacher says I have good intuition, but I am clueless about when I am selection the right response or why it is right. She says we need to take it day by day, but I see a big gap that I think I need to fill with a lot of remedial work. I have really enjoyed our teacher. She said that we need to start thinking in Spanish, as much of the work ahead of us, (as Intermediate on our way to Subjunctive) is not directly translatable. The nuances of what mode or time is base on the subtleties embedded in the Spanish language, not just logic of the English translation. I have one month before I start my next three-week language lesson in Puebla. I have subscribed to an on-line utility to help drill me in grammar. Wish me luck! I have enjoyed the other students in the classes – a very diverse group of people. We have gathered for dinner about once a week. Most of them signed up for one month and will be leaving soon. I signed up for two weeks and extended to a third week. For the first two weeks I lived in a family home very close to school with another student. They fed us well and engaged us in Spanish. The third week I moved to an Air BnB about a mile away from school. I now cook for myself and walk to and from school along a beautiful road called Cañadita de los Aguacates (Little Canyon of the Avocados). These photos are just some of the beautiful scenes along my walk!

I love terraces – and there are a lot of them in town! But they are not open for breakfast, just evenings and night. For safety reasons I had not been out in the evening. So when I had company and I staying in a home right downtown, I had my first opportunity to check out the terraces. Since then I try to find new ones. Below are the sights from a few of those that I have visited. My current favorite is La Luna Tapas Bar. As it is a little farther out, the 360 degree view is expansive.

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Art and Flowers and Pretty Stuff – one of my favorite things to do is to pick a coffee shop, or cafe, in a part of town I have not yet been to and walk there on a route I have not yet seen. I am delighted and amazed at the creativity people have used as they decorate their homes, as well as the public forms of art. I am moved by the religious art, too. It seems so embedded in the culture and I love how it is expressed on the sides of their walls. There is a tour to highlight the street art in SMA, but I have not yet been on it.

1958 to 1962: Chapala and Guadalajara, Jalisco

Mom read that a family could live in Mexico on $125 a month – just the amount of Dad’s WWII pension. Dad was interested as he was not satisfied in his insurance job and the one-hour commute to downtown Chicago. In the summer of 1958, with our stuff stored or packed, we drove down to our home in Chapala, Jalisco. I was 6, just having graduated kindergarten, and my brother, Thom, was 4. We only stayed in Chapala for six months, as there were no schools for my brother and I. After moving to Guadalajara, it took several trials before we found a good fit in the American School. Soon my Dad started teaching there and fell in love with his new profession. These four years were some of the happiest that I remember as a child. We left to give Dad an opportunity to pursue his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Education.

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I believe Mom loved life in Mexico the most and was the saddest to leave. The markets, the food, the cooking, the coffee, this loud and colorful culture fit her active social life.

Dad would always be approached by Mexicans as if he were Mexican. However, he never quite picked up the language. He did loved teaching social studies to grades 7 to 12!

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In my Jesusita en Chihuahua dance costume for my kindergarten recital – you can tell I loved the dress and the dancing (and smiling with no teeth)!

Thom was looking the part here, but he was usually grinning ear to ear with all the creative, new, fun things he did in Mexico!

I love what this photo captures – a charming street kid, named Juan, became quite a support for our family. Besides his stand-by of shoe shining, he would do odd jobs, including entertaining Thom and I – once by making a toy out of tying a string to an iridescent green, flying bug! We loved holding one end of the string and playing with the bug on the other end!

Summer of 1971 – Sehome High School Choir

This was Choir Director, Dale Matson’s, first of many Sehome High School Choir tours to Mexico. I had just graduated and was able to participate as an announcer. It was one of the highlights of my time in high school and the experiences and connections we made there are still felt today.

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July of 2002 – Guadalajara and Melaque

A two-week trip with one week in a language school in Guadalajara and staying with a three generation family. This trip re-engaged my interest in the Mexican land and culture. I struggled with the language, but felt honored that I could still talk death, religion and politics with the man of the house!

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Yesterday I moved out of a family home in the center of town with three meals and housekeeping and into a small apartment farther from the center of town all by myself. I am about a 25 minute walk to school. Into town won’t be too bad, but back home is all uphill! What I love about this apartment is that it is cool! I hadn’t realized how important having some part of the day under 70 degrees would be! I have found that cool nights help me sleep and keep me rested. I am looking forward to new adventures starting here! First, I signed up for another week of Spanish lessons!

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Below is where I enjoy doing my homework. The cafe is located in the library and I love the fountain in the background. This library is quite big and is very busy for people of all ages, both Mexicans and ex-pats. It supports a lot of one on one Spanish and English tutoring, too.

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The city of San Miguel blossomed around a culture of art. I am grateful it includes music! The Latin Jazz concert pictured below is part of their annual Jazz & Blues Festival. I will return to SMA in November to attend the Festival. Since it is the Festival’s 20th anniversary, they are sponsoring two concerts each month leading up to it. The last concert was “Muddy Waters” and featured musicians from the US. I particularly enjoyed the Latin Jazz concert! All the musicians are originally from the state of Guanajuato and now two of them live in New York City. A four person combo with two of them percussionists? How fun is that!?!

I was standing outside my home waiting for my Uber and I see the scene below! So, we have the purple city buses, and cars – and these two on horseback! The first rider is an older man and the second one is a young woman. By now it is 80 degrees out and they are wearing wool outfits. Not sure where they were going or what part they play, but I loved seeing them!

Mariachi Bands! In SMA, especially on a weekend night, walking around El Jardin (center plaza), in front of the Parroquía (large church), you will find a number of mariachi bands hanging out and warming up. I have even heard trumpet players warming up with classical music. Some are in black suits, some in white, some in grey and some in blue. All ages participate – some 10 year-olds are apprenticing with family members. It is a delight when they gather around a family, or couple and begin playing! You are lucky if you are close by. On these evenings Mariachis are only paid when people request them to play for them. Notice the stylish headwear of the women in front? Those flower crowns are sold everywhere, are worn everywhere. I find them beautiful!

Este lunes, comencé mi clase de español en la Academía Hispano Americano. Es un lugar muy amable, como se ves en la fotografías arriba y abajo. Me gusta mucho a mi maestra, quien se llama Aidé. Ella es muy expresiva y nos enseña sobre la cultura además de gramática. Soy en el tercer nivel y estoy aprendiendo mucho. Hay tres horas de instrucción intensa, incluyendo escribiendo, hablando, y escuchando. Después de clase hago mi tarea en una café. Este programa incluye la opción de quedarme con una familia. Me estoy quedando con una familia quien vive en el centro de la ciudad en una casa grande y bonita. La casa tiene una tienda que la Señora maneja, y el Señor trabaja en la Universidad local. Los dos son muy atentos y nos hablan durante las comidas. Comemos desayuno a las 7:30 am, la comida a las 2:30 pm, y las cena a los 8:00 pm.

This Monday, I started my Spanish class at the Academia Hispano Americano. It is a beautiful place, as you can see by the photographs above and below. I really like my teacher, named Aidé. She is very expressive and teaches us about culture as well as grammar. I am in the third level and I am learning a lot. There are three hours of intense instruction, including writing, speaking, and listening. After class I do my homework in a cafe. This program includes the option of staying with a family. I am staying with a family who lives in the center of the city in a large and beautiful home. The house has a store that la Señora manages, and el Señor works at the local University. Both are very attentive and talk to us during meals. We eat breakfast at 7:30 am, lunch at 2:30 pm, and dinner at 8:00 pm.

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Let’s Talk About That Hail!

On Sunday night, I awoke at midnight by the scariest sights and sounds a storm could make! There was the obvious thunder and lightening; but in addition, there was the howling of the wind and the deafening pounding of the rain! It went on for quite a while before I decided to get up and take a look. All my clothes were packed, as I was leaving in the morning, so I didn’t have my flashlight, my bathrobe, nor my slip on sandals that I wear as slippers. When I put my foot down, I felt water! Yikes, there was about two inches of water covering the floor of my bedroom. I found that it was coming from under the doors to the patio outside! And when I looked outside, I find that it was not just rain, but hail as well! About four inches had accumulated on the table and the floor. The largest hail was about 1/4 inch in diameter. By this time, I realized that it was quite cold, too! I was alone in the house but started to investigate. It appeared that my room was the only one flooded. I quickly emailed the owner about three emails with my discoveries! The water began traveling down the stairs and accumulating by the front door. So I started using my feet to move the water from my room, down the stairs, and then out the front door! I’m not sure this was helpful, but I felt I had to do something to get the water out. It was very slippery, so I quit after a while. Now there was only about one inch of water covering the floor. The hail had stopped and the rain decreased to a consistent pitter patter. I decided to go back to bed to try and get some sleep before I began my Spanish class. I took the following photos the next morning. This storm was unusual for SMA, and everyone I spoke with acknowledged it was due to climate change. Rooftops caved in on several businesses and homes. Trees lost their leaves. It in no way compares the several feet of hail that Guadalajara got, which they are still digging themselves out of.

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Happy Fourth!?!?!?

I have mixed feelings about this holiday, with anger, frustration, and sadness being the top three. We had an interesting conversation in our Spanish class today about this holiday. The conversation quickly turned to our mutual struggle and challenges with the current US administration. The five of us were in agreement that we felt fortunate to be outside the US at this time.

Later in the day I went to a party hosted by a lovely US ex-pat who has lived in SMA for ten years. The party gathered a beautiful and lively bunch of ex-pats – all older women from the US! The women next to me stated that she moved here (about 10 years ago) because of the higher standard of living at a lower cost. There seemed to be general agreement that SMA has exploded in size, in fancy eating places and is getting more and more expensive. Here too was discussion of climate change related to the recent hail storm, and utter disbelief in the downward spiral of American politics.

The first thing that hit me as I wandered about town, is how beautiful it is. Churches, gardens and parks a plenty! Almost all buildings maintain the stunning old-style wooden doors, handcrafted metal latches, stone and adobe walls with bright color paint. Wandering down the streets, glancing in and entry and a whole other world appears with gardens, hanging lamps, fountains, adorned with textiles and artwork.

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My first Sunday turned out to be Dia de Los Locos – day of the crazies! Fire crackers started announcing the day at 5 am on Saturday! On Sunday morning a friend and I went out for breakfast and families were already flocking to the center of town. Ambulances were blocking off streets and ropes were placed to delineate the parade route. The energy was palpable as everyone secured their favorite spot to view the parade.

I don’t know why anyone would put so much costume on during the heat of the day! There were families, groups, and individuals. During the parade they all seemed to be crammed in the street and bobbing in time to the loud music pulsating from large amplifiers. Periodically, they would shower bystanders with pieces of hard candy.

We soon tired of the excitement (and heat) and tried to make our way home around noon. However, the three-hour parade had begun! We couldn’t go through it, nor could we go around it! So, we found a pleasant cafe to wait it out. Walking home after the parade was breaking up was a treat to see all the delightfully funny, and scary, costumes!

Waking and Driving, oh my! Arriving to my home by taxi convinced me that I would never want to drive in this town. First of all, the streets are paved with round rocks and there are no (!) stop signs or traffic lights! The streets are narrow with no possibility of seeing if someone is approaching the intersection that you are approaching. When you add a big bus or two, and cars stopping in the street for any length of time, traffic travels slowly! I’m impressed that I have not seen any accidents nor hostile interactions between drivers. One strategy is to honk continually as you approach an intersection and dart into it. More frequently, I see drivers sneak up to an intersection and strain to see if there are other cars approaching. As a pedestrian I played it cautious and let cars have the right-a-way. However, I soon learned that drivers want pedestrians to walk quickly into the traffic and they will graciously respond by not hitting you!

The sidewalks seem harder to navigate at times. They are so narrow that you get to play chicken with each walking party you meet. Stopping is not encouraged because you block the parties behind you! There is no gazing at the beauty around you or the Google Maps on you phone because suddenly the sidewalk may slant into the street, or a pillar may appear in the middle of the sidewalk, or holes may appear and tempt you to fall into them.

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I have to admit that I felt a little fearful in visiting this large city known for it’s violence, among other things. It being the first stop on my trip also added some anxiety. For those reasons, and others, I signed up for four Air BnB “experiences” to help me explore some of the areas I wanted to see. Those tours were great and gave me a depth of experience that I would not have had on my own!

So, I am totally blown away with Mexico City! I believe I would feel comfortable living there. There is open acceptance of tourists and gays; the historic architecture is abundant and appreciated; there are lots of fresh food, healthy food, organic food; public transit works; protests were passionate and safe (in this moment), and the arts are celebrated! However, two of my favorite tour guides stated that living in Mexico is not good right now.

One of the events that I was looking forward to the most was seeing the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, who have been performing for almost 60 years at the Palacio de Bellas Artes without a break. I saw them perform when I was a kid in Guadalajara and have been a fan ever since. I had a great seat for their Sunday morning performance and it was breathtaking! Almost 100 dancers and a full mariachi band performed on the stage, on the orchestra platform, in the aisles and balconies. Don’t worry, I bought a DVD, so anyone who knows me may be subjected to a showing! To make this experience even better, I booked a tour of the historic district with Josias, one of the dancers in the Ballet (pronounce the “t”). He is so passionate about his dancing and answered my endless questions about the troupe!

I arrived on time at 7 am with all my stuff and no hassles – into the airport by 7:30! It is an open airport that is nicely kept up – no kids hawking chicle (gum). The first thing I saw was a Carl Jr. The Starbucks was a big resource as it had a mocha purchased with my Starbuck’s card and Wifi I could use (I couldn’t log into the airport Wifi). I spent quite a while with Verizon to set me up with my free text and talk (with WiFi only) and data (only .5 GB daily).

I had a thrilling taxi drive to my first home away from home and I settled in by unpacking. I had more struggles trying to find the WiFi in the apartment – but they did have a phone that I could use and add data. My first meal was at a fancy restaurant with white linen table clothes and waiters who stand along the wall in anticipation of your every need. I had a luscious meal with drinks, beers, coffee and an aperitif for $650 pesos ($33 USD). I can’t keep that up!

Today was a free day where I learned how to ride the metro, wandered into an unsafe neighborhood with a lockable, heavy metal gate across the street, walked 14.5k, met some aloof and some friendly people and generally took in the sights and sounds of this big city. It feels very different and like home.

Since I walked into the plane at the Vancouver Airport everyone has spoken Spanish and has expected me to reply in Spanish. As I was apologizing for my poor Spanish, one person said, “But I can understand you and you can understand me!” That’s a good way to start!

I love it – why leave it? Bellingham, with it’s moderate temperatures (pre-climate change?), situated between Mt. Baker and Bellingham Bay, and easily accessible to Vancouver BC, the San Juan Islands, and Seattle is in a great spot of the world!

I own my own home nestled in an intentional community that I helped develop 20 years ago. My neighbors are now some of my best friends. My family lives here, we’re close and get to see each other quite often.

So why take off for a year?

When I contemplated retiring, I asked myself “Well, what would you like to do if you weren’t working?” I have always wanted to go to a Spanish speaking country for an extended time to learn Spanish. As a kid I remember what fluency (for a 3rd grader) felt like; to dream in Spanish; to not have to grasp for the right word or tense. Mexico was closest and cheaper than some others. I also felt that my concept of Mexico needs updating. My home was already rented, which would contribute towards the costs of traveling. And I felt that getting away from my stable, daily life in Bellingham would help me transition into a more productive and satisfying retirement life.

Sharing dinner on the North lawn – yum!

The beauty of the trees in Whatcom Falls Park View from Mt. Baker Ski Area Celebrating WWU with blue lights in the downtown trees The Canadian Rockies from Boulevard Park The beauty of a flowering fruit tree in Spring The view of Downtown Bellingham from Camber Café The CCC bridge in Whatcom Falls Park