Swim to Guatemala, but don't get shot

La Gringa Rica

2006-08-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Note to all: Had my purse stolen a few weeks ago which contained my cell, wallet, and (damitall) my camera, so no more pics 'til I buy a new camera or my mother figures out how to email the photos from her camera. (Let's not hold our breath on that one, shall we?)

But the rumors are true, Virginia Gaye survived a near two week trip in the wilds of Mexico. When I say "wilds" I mean, of course a cute B & B in Oaxaca with a trip to a pretty cool cooking school, followed by four nights in a luxury resort in Acapulco, followed by two nights in cosmopolitan Guadalajara, and one night in Euro-flavored Guanajuato. When I told this itinerary to my Mexican friends they got a dazed look and commented, "That's a lot of bus time." Then I waved an airy gesture and said, "Oh, my mother is paying for planes." Then we all nodded wisely; we know how it is to have relatives in the States.

Drunk Women in Embroidered Dresses

2006-06-26T18:31:00.000-05:00

Another Friday night in the Istmo.
Tehuana skirt.

Birthday Girl

2006-06-21T17:08:00.000-05:00

This is Andrea. She turned two on Saturday. She's not too sure about this crawling doll with the Exorcist head.

Guy With a 10-foot Surfboard in a Bar at 5:22 a.m.

2006-06-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

Why? Ni idea.

Elena Poniatowska Comes to Juchitán

2006-06-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

I know the picture's bad. This was close as I could get without some stout Juchitecta hip-checking me to the side. Went to hear Elena Poniatowska last night. She's a really big name in Mexican literature and I hope the non- lit people will forgive me for geeking out a bit. She seemed really cool. I want to be her. I'm going to put become Polish princess escaped from Nazis turned Mexican novelist/human rights activist married to an astrophysicist on my to-do list as we speak. Of course the conflict between the state and the teacher's union strike came up, but nobody got too rowdy. Yay, Culture!

Vela Season Kicks Off

2006-05-25T14:59:00.000-05:00

Expect many more of these what is she wearing and has she finally lost her mind?!? photos in the months to come:
You can never have too much embroidered satin in 95 degree weather.

Old habits die hard: Instead of a whiskey in the cleavage at a UGA game we've got tequila in the petticoat at a vela. Can't decide if it's post-modern or retro.

Oh, and I Went to the Beach

2006-05-23T18:29:00.000-05:00

This is the rocky corner of the beach in front of my place. (The two sets of train tracks I cross to get here and the trainyard security guard that I always scare with my white-girlness are not pictured.)

Life as a Trophy Date

2006-05-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

I went to wedding on Friday night with a guy I know here. In my experience, you don't so much get invited to Mexican weddings as you run into someone who happens to have another invitation on them and you tag along. It was good times but I was amused as time passed and I realized that I was a trophy date of sorts. Dude took me around and carefully introduced me all the people he'd gone to high school with before going to live in the big city of Puebla for the past decade or so and now having just come back to work in his home town. He'd answer questions for me: "Yes, she's American . . she works at the university donchaknow . . . she has a master's . . . she is pretty, isn't she?" Then he'd look at me and say, "¿Verdad, Caro?" I'd shrug but smile cooperatively and knock back the tequila provided for each table. Good music, good food, and tequila; I'm willing to pimp out the dubious bragging rights of having brought La Guera de Salina Cruz. I went to a massive vela on Saturday, but no photos yet. Later, I promise.

Semi-Arty Bar Photo and A Giant Pineapple

2006-05-15T16:50:00.000-05:00

It's getting to be the fiesta season as evidenced by the heat and that they expect the women to be wearing satin and/or velvet in the traditional garb which we, like idiots, do. My own town had their party last weekend. A friend felt compelled to break out the Ansel Adams mode and took some black and white photos. I'll spare you the close up of the tequila worm.

Also, we had a parade which means a lots of cute kids and a giant pineapple: Never let it be said that I can't title accurately.

Risking a Broken Ass for No Good Reason . . . As Ususal

2006-05-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

I hear there were some protests and such on both sides of the border on May 1st. This would be a more interesting post if someone had thown rocks at me down here, but I've got nothing. Instead, we had "The Day of the Worker" off, making it a three-day weekend. So I rounded up a couple of like-minded friends and we went to the beach in Huatulco. At one point, I left them looking for shells and I scrambled up the side of a rocky point. (That person risking the aforementioned ass would be me, naturally.)

Spring Break

2006-04-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

Hey, Y’all,

I spent Semana Santa (the week before Easter and my university’s spring break) traveling. The Mexicans generally exit en masse to the beaches so I went to opposite direction to avoid the body-carpet on the coast. I hit Mexico City for a couple nights to take the Foreign Service Exam (yes, even I grow tired of being desperately poor) and I find out in late July if I passed, so let’s have some world-wide finger crossing, please. Then I headed to the beautiful state of Michoacan about five hours west of Mexico City for the rest of the week with another professor from another university. Colonial cities, cathedrals, local crafts fairs, rivers, volcanoes, and a little dancing on top of non-traditional surfaces at bars . . . you know the drill. Good times had by all. Take care!

Love,

kca

2006-04-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

Among the dirty, drunk and/or disorganized and in the back of functionally unusual transportation; you can tell I'm back home. Tehuantepec, Oaxaca

Isla de Janitzio, Michoacan
Part of a mural in Morelia.

The big Cathedral (as opposed to the five or six minor ones within a stone's throw) in Morelia.

People sit outside the churches on Palm Sunday and weave crosses, Marys, baskets, and pagan-looking flowered branches out of palm to sell. Morelia, Michoacan

2006-04-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

National Park in Uruapan, Michoaca. Purty.

This is the church near the baby volcono, Picutín. It popped up in the 40's and the lava very slowly ate the nearby town and the church (obviously.) That little spot of green shirt is my long-suffering partner-in-crime, Abby. We also met a nice couple of gringos who are teaching in a nearby city. They were very excited when we snagged a ride to town in the back of a truck. As for me-the thrill is somewhat over.

¡Toro, toro! At some church courtyard in Morelia, Michoacan.

Children in masks always want something. Patzcuaro, Michoacan

The Zen exercise of finding the perfect ceramic pineapple. Uruapan, Michoacan

Big-Time Prom Hair

2006-03-27T11:12:00.000-06:00

I had my birthday party on Saturday night. It was in the 19th century house of a friend whose great-grandmother was the patroness of Tehuantepec and incidentally the mistress of a powerful president. I would be the blonde slumped over in the middle of the group. ‘Cuz we couldn’t take a picture at the beginning of the night when my dress was crisp, my face shineless and with me . . . well . . . sober, now could we? Later we went dancing. Good times.

You can’t see it but I have Big Time Prom Hair. I told the hair lady (my friend’s next-door neighbor) that my dress was on the elegant side and I needed hair to match. She said no problem and two cubic feet of ozone layer later we had a cascading ponytail studded with a big, pink rose. This is a good look for the women with thick, gorgeous Latina hair, for this WASP, though; she had to tease my baby-fine hair to hitherto un-attempted heights covered by a thin layer of smooth hair to hide the rat’s nest underneath. I woke up the next morning with a small community of hairpins scattered in my bed.

200 For Him, 29 For Me

2006-03-22T12:51:00.000-06:00

I broke down and bought the English-language newspaper when I was in Oaxaca City yesterday. Here's the forecast: "IF MARCH 21ST IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: Peacefulness and tranquillity are your lot for the coming 12 months. Because you are usually content and serene, you may not actively compete in the dog-eat-dog world of commerce."

I'm pretty sure that means I will be unemployed

Ah, well. Anyway, we had a four-day weekend as yesterday was The 200th birthday Benito Juarez (the Abraham Lincoln of Mexico.) I kicked off the weekend by going to some local springs, the next day I went with friends to the beach, Monday I was in Oaxaca City shopping, and in the evening I went to a cantina and listened to mariachis, drank to tequila and flirted with any boy who crossed my path. Tuesday, I went to the village of Benito as they had a bunch of dancing and music exhibitions. It was lovely. My friend from Kansas (another professor at another university) and I stopped at a resturant with a view for a beer only to have a group of 19-year-olds offer to buy a couple rounds. Not bad for woman who's 29-for-the-first-time, eh?

We stopped by a local artist's workshop before we went to the springs. He was fat and crazy but he does good work.

These are some of the dancers from the bicentennial celebration. You can't see it, but these are actually kids at the age where the girls are taller than the boys. It's fun to watch the part where they are supposed to be stealing a kiss and the little guys have to reach up on tip-toe.

My friends' kid at the beach. This is Andi of the piñata-addiction fame. She's got a thing for water, too.

Secure Balloons

2006-03-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

Meet Abi and Andrea. They're the kids of one of my professor friends. This is not some new form native gear. They came over with their folks for dinner and as my child-friendly toys selection consists of balloons or slightly duller knives, the girls got loaded up with globos. Perhaps I've never mentioned that the wind blows to mid-sized-rock-lifting proportions this time of year but they thought it was hysterical to go out to my balcony and let their new toys get whipped away at twenty miles per hour. Auntie Caro didn't have time for this so I ended up tying them to the children. They loved it. Kids are weird.

Blah, blah, democracy has no place in a university, blah, blah, disco, blah

2006-02-22T09:53:00.000-06:00

Had a conference in the flagship university this past weekend in a town--perhaps you've heard of it--Huajuapan de Leon. Nothing accomplished, naturally. Did get to listen to the the head of the university system drone on interminably about how freedom of thought has no place in a university. Ah, well. Then I got to go to a disco-er-club with other professors. I went to Oaxaca City the next day. More discos-er-clubs. Have I mentioned that they call clubs "discos" in Spanish and I don't want to hear any lip when I invariably slip up on my trips back to the States? Consider it done, then.

Pretty star lamps in Oaxaca, Oaxaca. February 19, 2006

Random crumbling church on the road from Huajuapan to Oaxaca, February 19, 2006

No Students Were Harmed in the Making of This Party

2006-02-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

I made spaghetti for my students last Friday which I was able to do because--even if they got drunk and fell off my building--Mexican laws prevent their parents from suing me. I've got to say that I figured there were two ways that this could go wrong: They could get drunk and obnoxious or everyone could be bored to tears. My fears were for naught as they came over and it needs to be said that my students are absolutely precious. (Can I say that about a group of 20 to 23-year-olds? Screw it. They were adorable.) They were all slicked up and on their best behavior. They brought three bottles of fruit wine (hello, Boone's farm!) which they drank along with the red wine I gave them (see lack of tort law mentioned above.) They had a good time and thought a home-made tomato sauce was something miraculous. They are dying for my 18-year-old sister to come here but I told them hands off.

On Sunday, I had a dinner for 14 people (grown-ups) to celebrate one year in Mexico. I made this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink traditional Mexican soup called pozole. Aaaaaand tequila, natch. My neighbor gave me the little statue of a traditional Tehuana in the picture. She and her family are so nice to me that I'm patiently waiting for when they ask me to be their drug-mule. Holy moly! One year!

Another Friday, Another Vela

2006-01-31T13:10:00.000-06:00

Went to another one of those big local fiestas on Friday. This one, however, was sponsored by Pemex--the national petroleum company so the Pemex wives were decked out in big jewelry and they were giving away cars (as a nationalized company often does . . . ) What can I say? I'm a sucker for free music, cheap beer, and the newly rich. God bless 'em.

They really should open nap stations for adults at these things.

Yes, for once I wasn't in the local gear except for the potato chip-sized earrings.

All the Pemex wives dressed up like those charming locals but with the added bonus of husbands on the take. Ha, ha! Just kidding Pemex, please don't riddle my body with bullets!

. . . But This Is A _Different_ Beach Cliche Pic . . .

2006-01-27T13:21:00.000-06:00

I went to Huatulco--the resort town about two and half hours from Salina Cruz--last weekend for a little change of scenery. Banish the cabaña boy fantasies. We (my friends and I) slept in hammocks on the beach and stuck to a Puritan-esque one tequila-per-day regime. (Alright, I was feeling a little delicate after a Friday Night Bad Idea experimentation with mezcal, but still; no piña coladas this trip.) A bit crowded for my spoiled sensibilities but the water was crystal clear and fish are pretty so it was a successful trip.

Above: My friend's kid playing "Torture the Crabs" and the obligatory, "Pretty Beach!" shot.

It wasn't all snorkeling and harassingng the wildlife, of course. As we sat down for cactus-juice nightcap, a dude dressed in the country dude uniform of torn jeans, t-shirt, baseball cap and a machete came weaving up to our table. He asked if we would take his money to buy beer from the patroness who apparently doesn't like him. He offered the guy in the group a hit of his home-made mezcal from a scuffed plastic Coke bottle, but he politely refused--I find it easier to remember manners when the person you're talking to is holding a foot and half of sharpened steel.

Oh, and I ate an iguana tamale. Pretty tasty. But they told me once you eat iguana you can't leave Oaxaca--so start sending letters to Sephora to open a branch down here as an act of global charity.

Bed-Hopping Holidays

2006-01-04T14:19:00.000-06:00

Hey, y’all,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holidays and I wish you the best for 2006. Don’t get too excited by the entry’s title. I was quite well behaved. I was a busy little güera this holiday season, though, traveling over 1,000 miles by the time I was done. I was bouncing from house to house of my friends from the university and taking ruthless advantage of their hospitality and the fact that professors travel half-price during vacation-time.

I kicked off the vacation by going to a wedding of a professor here. It was really pretty with lots of interesting traditions thrown in for good measure. I was caught by the bouquet . . . No, I’m not confused. As many of you know, I’m the girl who actively avoids the thrown bouquet at weddings but here, the single girls dance in a circle around the bride as she’s blindfolded. In theory, she can’t see but in my case, bitch was gunning for me (they are very concerned that I don’t have a boyfriend; me—on the other hand-- not so much) and she actually grabbed my shirt to hand me the flowers. I tried to sell it or palm it off, but the locals were having none of that nonsense. They told me I’ve got two years. I laughed.

Soon after, I went to Oaxaca City and enjoyed some good art, great coffee, and an interesting festival where they carve giant beets into sculptures for a competition. Next, I went to Guadalajara which is the second-biggest city in Mexico and one of it’s most typically “Mexican” being the home of tequila and mariachis. It’s lovely with really good shopping and lots of public works of art. This is where I was for Christmas and I’ve got to admit that after ten months in the centro de nada it was a bit Aunt-Lurlene-comes a-visitin’ -from-the-country as my friend pretended not to know me as I went into ecstasies over the supermarket freezer section (we don’t have one in Salina Cruz.) I hung with her family and wandered around the city and regretted that I didn’t have a car to stuff to the roof with pretties from the shopping mecca of the nearby town of Tonalá.

After Guadalajara, I braved massive Mexico City. However, another friend from work and his family were at my side from moment one to the end so I didn’t feel too worried. I’ve seen some big cities and lived in one of the biggest, but I must say that Mexico City is a whole different level. It’s fascinating, though. A 17th century cathedral next door to a pre-Hispanic temple is just the tip of the iceberg. I spent two days there and saw a fraction of the Anthropological Museum, the Zocolo, some ruins, and a bit of the nightlife. I didn’t know it, but I was resting up for Veracruz, which is a port city on the Atlantic. The people there live up to their fame as great dancers and tireless seafood eaters. This is where I was for New Year’s. I went dancing every night and saw the first sunrise for 2006 with hundreds of other people out mingling on the seafront promenade. For January 1st, we nursed our hangovers by sitting in a warm mineral spring and I’ve got to say that spending the day in a bikini isn’t a bad way to start the new year.

I hope all of you are well. Lemme know how your holidays went. Take care!

Love,

kca

2006-01-04T13:45:00.000-06:00

Random people at 6 a.m., January 1, 2006 on the seafront promenade in Veracruz (my best friends at the time.)

View of Mexico City from my host's roof.

El Zócalo (Main Plaza) in Mexico City. I was interested to see how much this place reminded me of the central plaza in Marrakesh . . . cheap Chinese sunglasses unite the world, I guess.

2006-01-04T13:30:00.000-06:00

The Templo Mayor in the front and the 17th century cathredral in the back in Mexico City.

The library at the huge main university in Mexico, UNAM. This is a mosaic created by a famous Mexican artist, Juan O'Gorman. It's about Latin America and snakes and stuff.

The famous wall of skulls (Aztecs don't mess around) at the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.

The spires of the big cathedral in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Not many cultural photos here as I spent much of my time shopping . . .

2006-01-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

This is a sculpture made of giant beets. They have this big festival the 23rd of December in Oaxaca, La Noche de los Rábanos (Beet Night) where the local artists make these really elaborate sculptures out of the vegetables. Sorry, it actually sounds more plausible in Spanish.

El Tule, Oaxaca. The Mexicans always say proudly, "This is the biggest tree in the world (pause) well, at least the fattest."

Here's my friend's kid with a piñata (obviously.) But, yo, this girl had a freakish sixth sense for the presence of piñatas. Her mom and I would be walking down the street and she'd start saying, ¿Dále, dále? (Hit it? . . . part of the piñata song) and we'd look around to see a tiny piñata decorating a store window. Girlfriend likes her candy, for sure.

Here we're at the wedding doing the traditional dance-around-with-large-pieces-of-pottery-which-will-soon-be -broken-on-the-floor-much-to-the-surprise-of-the-resident-foreigner-who-didn't-know-this-until-the-woman-came-up-to-her-and-smacked-her-plate-into-the-jar-the-güera-had-on-her-head-while-dancing dance. (I'm the first to admit that tequila makes all this much more understandable.)

Happy Virgin Day!

2005-12-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

Yep, today is the day that Juan Diego found the miraculous roses to present to the bishop as proof that the dark-skinned Virgin wanted a church built in her honor atop an old Aztec sacred site. There are processions and special masses and adorable little kids dressed as Juan Diego complete with a little penciled-on moustache. Being neither Catholic nor religious I'm merely discontented that I work in state where we don't get the day off. Virgins just don't get much respect in Oaxaca, I guess.

Music in the Isthmus

2005-12-05T15:06:00.000-06:00

I went to two concerts this weekend. The first with a guy from the big city (i.e. the BIG city, Mexico City) who sang a lot of ballads and made me wonder once again if breaking one's heart is the national pastime. They may want to consider yoga or chess . . . The next was to listen to my friends present their new CD--that's them in the black and white. If I can figure out this music-posting stuff, I'll put up one of their songs. I'm quite fond of them . . . as people and musicians, of course.

El Rey de los Pavos

2005-11-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

I had 38 folks to my place for a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. ¿Loca? Yeah, probably, but it was good fun and we danced the traditional salsas of Thanksgiving until two in the morning and drank the traditional tequilas. It was worth searching high and low for that damn turkey (they don't usually have them available before December) just to watch the disbelief followed by bliss on the faces of the Mexicans as they ate the turkey and dressing. Hah! Americans can't cook, my ass! We're chubby with good cause, thankyouverymuch!

Me, sitting down for the first time since 6 a.m. We ate out on my terrace the weather was really nice . . . not that I'm bragging.

But, damn, look at that turkey!! Now I'm bragging.

The Cross-Dressers' Prom

2005-11-22T16:38:00.000-06:00

Ah, the surreal joys of the Isthmus: I went to another massive vela the last weekend but with a twist; this one was for the local cross dressers. Have I mentioned that cross-dressing is seen as no big deal around here? No? Well . . . imagine my surprise. Particularly in the nearby town of Juchitan it is quite common to see somebody swanning by in the traditional women's clothing and sporting a prominent adam's apple and very large hands. I had a very animated discussion just a little while ago with one of the muixas ("gays" in Zapateco) about the difficulty of finding an underskirt long enough for tall people like us. Anyway, the vela was great. It was kinda a cross between prom and sweet sixteen parties with all the local cross-dressers dressed to the nines. Two great bands and massive quanity of beer. My group (with nary a cross-dresser, more the pity) danced 'til three. Good times.

Juchiteco cross-dressers don't mess around . . .

The queen of the vela. I so am going to buy one of those crowns.

Everybody Loves a Güera

2005-11-16T17:31:00.000-06:00

November has been ridiculously social. Thus far:

Regular throw-down parties: 2

Velas: 4

Beach trips: 2

Dinner with friends: 3

Parties crashed: 1

The last is from Saturday when I was at dinner at a friends and suggested we head to Salina Cruz to dance. The other guests weren't buying it but the hostess pointed out that we could hear music playing in the barrio that obviously came from a nearby party. We followed our ears to a local vela. The others got bashful the last minute but I figured "Screw it, we're here, aren't we?" and walked to the middle of the place and commenced dancing. The others followed and the other people seemed thrilled that we were there. Two minutes everyone has at least one beer and I had three in hand with offers of more. I told everyone that we were "friends of Maria" but I may as well not have bothered. Everyone loves a güerita (blondie) 'round here. Note me dancing with random local (I'm the one on the right) in the invaded territory. A friend here said I was looking real Klassy (he may have not used the "k" but it was implied.) The sepia picture is a cute kid from said crashed fiesta and the other is me, a friend and another friend's kid at the beach. Good times. And, yeah, I know the month's only half over . . . we've still got my Fiesta de la Acción de Gracias to go. Whee!

Bury Me in Mexico

2005-11-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

Here's the cemetary in Salina Cruz, all decked out with flowers and candles. My neighbors sat around the tomb eating fried fish and drinking tequila with the grandmother having a running conversation with the dearly departed. There were mariachis wadering around singing and little kids running everywhere. Please bury me in Mexico. I think I'm a bit too social for a WASP graveyard . . .

This was the death alter my friend set up for her party on Tuesday. You put out candy, a special bread, flowers, tequila, and--if your alter is for a specific dead person--that person's favorite food. We ended up stealing the tequila from death.

Yeah. So did I have anyone coming over to see my version of the death alter?

No.

Did I let that stop me from making one despite the fact that I'm not Mexican and not Catholic?

Hell, no.

But Death may have been disappointed with my offereings of cheap wine and potato chips.

This is me (looking quite like my mother circa 1969, I might add) and Maria José at my neighbors' restaurant in front of their alter.

Death and Candy

2005-11-04T09:12:00.000-06:00

Cempasúchils (marigolds) and coxcombs for the graves and alters in the central plaza.

They set up a ton of these fruit/flower/death candy (sugar skulls, coffins, chocolate coins for the dead, etc.) all over the main plaza. Gives "death merchants" a whole new slant, no?

36 hours in Oaxaca

2005-10-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

Hey, y’all,

I went to Oaxaca (the city) last weekend and good times were had by all--particularly by me-- even as Wilma beat the snot out of the Yucatan Peninsula. We were all blue skies having had the snot beat out Oaxaca and Chiapas a few weeks ago by Hurricane Stan and God giving us a breather. I know it didn't garner the press of a Rita, but it was pretty bad on the other side of the Sierras. My side of the state came out without a scratch.

Despite it’s proximity to the beach, drunken women in embroidery and a very nice refinery, Salina Cruz is not known as a cultural mecca. Thus, it was good to get out and see some museums, ancient ruins, public concerts and a native procession or two. I also went to a well-known local pub famous for serving the local stronger-than-tequila liquor, mezcal, where a nice, well-educated guy who was taller than me (!) tried (unsuccessfully) to pick me up. Still, change is good. Oaxaca gets full marks and recommendations. I’ll probably have more pics next week as November 2nd is the Day of the Dead and happy skeletons will abound. I’m going to the cemetery that day with my neighbors and somehow tequila will be involved. Damn, I love Mexico. Hope y’all are well.

Love,

kca

2005-10-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

Monte Alban, Oax. 23 Oct. 2005

The ugliest pair of pants courtesy of two German tourist who I assume were told their dog would be shot if they didn't wear them.

Mexicans never give up. Oaxaca, Oax. 23 Oct. 2005

2005-10-24T12:56:00.000-05:00

Angels on a truck for . . . ummmm, some saint or another. Oaxaca, Oax. 22 Oct. 2005

2005-10-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

Wedding procession from Santo Domingo. Oaxaca, Oaxaca 22 Oct. 2005

2005-10-24T12:54:00.000-05:00

Dome interior, Museo Arte Contemporenea Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 22 Oct. 2005

2005-09-26T18:27:00.000-05:00

Marimba!! Tehuantepec, Oax. 25 September 2005

2005-09-26T18:26:00.000-05:00

Dancing Tehuanas, wearing "halos." Tehuantepec, Oax. 25 Sept. 2005

2005-09-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

My neighbors' kid on the beach, running away because I wnted to take her picture and she didn't think her hair looked good. I'm serious. Playa Azul, 17 Sept. 2005

2005-09-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

It was really hot, poor babies. I went to the beach. Salina Cruz, Oax. 16 Sept. 2005

2005-09-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

My friend singing with the mariachis. She was feeling no pain, either. Salina Cruz, Oax. 15 Sept. 2005

2005-09-20T15:40:00.000-05:00

My co-workers and I went to a pueblito to drink beer and eat fried fish when we got out early on Thursday. Have I mentioned life is good? Lalloraga, Oax. 15 Sept. 2005

Independence Day

2005-09-20T13:34:00.000-05:00

Hey, y'all,

Everything is still good here in the centro de nada. My classes start in October and it seems that I have been selected to teach a special class of English to the executives from the local petro-chemical plant. I'd like to think it's because I'm a great teacher, but I think it's more that the director of my school wants money from this program and has an inflated opinion of my charms. Regardless, I'm looking forward to teaching again as I'm bored silly with preparation.

I just got through a long weekend as we had Thursday afternoon and all day Friday off to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day. I kicked it off by going out with my co-workers after work on Thursday to a little village with good food and cold beer. Then I went back to Salina Cruz, thinking to catch a nap and then go to the plaza to see the festivities then to the restaurant of my neighbors to hear the mariachis and whatnot. They have the parties for Independence Day the night before the actual fiesta. Across the nation, the mayor or other head-dude comes to the plaza around 11 pm and yells a bunch of ¡Vivas! (Yay, Mexico! Yay, Virgin! etc.) and then have fireworks. However, I didn't make it to the plaza as Flor, my neighbor/owner of the restaurant, saw me darting past and yelled that I needed to get back there by 9:30 to come and sit with the family during the party. (Keep in mind it was 8:30 and I'd been drinking since 3.) I'm weak, though, so I agreed and ran home to change and threw on my "Mexican peasant blouse." I sat with the family consisting of big, multi-generational group who all seemed thrilled to have a random guera sitting with them. The ones that I didn't know from before told me that Flor had said what a lovely girl I was. I can't quite imagine how I managed to get that description as almost everytime I talk to Flor or her husband, José Maria, I'm having some type of problem. "Pain the ass" sure, "lovely?" not so much.

The party did rock, though. There was a great Cuban band to get things going and later dancers and mariachis. The tequila and fine wine was poured down my throat. I made a few, feeble protests but then they would look reproachful and tell me how this was a bottle of of very special wine that they don't open for customers and since I had lived in Spain (José Maria is from Galicia) I would appreciate it . . . what could I say? They had opened the bottle for me! By the end I was handing out tequila like I owned the joint. The family was also trying to set up with some family friend who was visiting from Mexico City. He was blandest Mexican man I've ever met in my life. Quite nice, fluent in English, tall and apparently well-off--if the aunts are to be believed. However, couldn't dance to save his life and was rather constrained. To my shame, I preferred the adorable 17-year-old who- if my sister was here- I would definitely be setting her up with him and then demanding to live vicariously through her.

The next day I caught the middle of the parade but watching sweaty children march in formation didn't really do it for me so I headed to the beach. Afterwards, I swung by Casa Flor to say thanks and make sure I'd been forgiven for breaking two glasses and handing out their liquor. Everything was good, they still loved me, though still for reasons I don't understand. I ended up hanging out with the family, drinking more wine, and agreeing to go with them to the beach the next day. They are so nice to me it makes me a little uncomfortable.

Beach was great, fish was great, I played with Flor and José Maria's kids, Santi and Maria José, and didn't look Family-Friend-With-Whom-I-Didn't-Hook-Up in the eye once. A lovely day. Hope y'all are good. I'm having a party for La Fiesta de Gracias (i.e. Thanksgiving) and you're all invited. Take care!

Love,

kca

Vela Week

2005-08-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

Velas are "candles" in Spanish, but 'round here that's what they call the local fiestas where the women get dressed in the Tehuana gear. (I've actually lost weight since the States, but it's difficult to see with a petticoat, an over-skirt, and a shapeless velvet tunic.) Beer, a band and lots of dancing with men and women (they're equal opportunity dance partners around here) equals a good time. I went to two this weekend and there are three more this week. I may plead vela-poisoning and opt out, though . . . assuming the locals don't find me and force me to go.

I do work, also, by the way.

Me and my friends, Elsa and Rocio, who are professors at the University with me. We all felt like idiots the first hour, but tequila covers a lot of social awkwardness.

Me dancing with my boss' wife.

I have no idea who these kids are, I just thought they were cute. Notice the dazed look of terror on the bigger one's face as the mutant-like blonde giantess (5'6 in my heels and towering over almost everyone) holds her hand. Good times.

2005-08-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hey, Y’all,

I just got back from two weeks’ vacation (What? You didn’t? Well, that’s why you make the big bucks.) I was determined to be good and not go anywhere. Yeah. We all know how that turned out. I bobbed around the local beaches and entertained myself by buying a bed-stand. After nine days of this I broke like a wild horse: Stupid Salina Cruz! Stupid heat! Stupid ocean! Stupid girl who runs to my hammock when I need another beer!

It was time for a change.

I ran to the mountains of southern Chiapas (the state to the south of Oaxaca) to the region called Los Lagos de Montebello—The Lakes of Beautiful Mountain (again, mighty literal, these Spanish-speakers.) It is ridiculously beautiful there. I can only imagine the first reaction of the conquistadors that had hacked their way through miserable jungle to see cool, piney mountains, but I’m sure it involved fist-pumping and a conquistador happy dance. I stayed in the lovely, polite town of Comitán the first night and then in a cabin near the lakes for the rest of the time. I swam, hiked, and messed with the heads of some of the young men (all favorite pastimes) and generally had a fabulous time. I found that my blood has thinned to the point that anything under 25 C —uhhhh, around 77 F—gets me shivering.

I’m back at work now. Much to my surprise, I’ve taken another 6 month contract, so there’s still time to check flight prices to Mexico. For the first time in my adult life I’ve got a guest room! OK, it only has a hammock, but beds can be bought. Take care!

Love,

KCA

P.S. Speaking of hammocks, I’ve got a field trip with some friends to the local prison on Saturday. Apparently, the prisoners make really good, cheap hammocks and we’re going to buy some. Now we know how those rumors of “an American-incited prison riot” get started. Good times.

2005-08-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Beach, beer and a hammock: My first week and a half of vacation. Proof that even paradise can get tired.

Playa Azul, Oaxaca
You can't see it, but these guys are plotting my death after I harrassed them for an hour and a half to find the bed stand I wanted and then made them carry it up three flights of stairs.

Salina Cruz, Oaxaca

2005-08-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

Donkey! Lagos de Montebello, Chiapas
I like to refer to these tennis shoes as my "4th grade on the Southside" pair. Those rocks are about nine feet under the water.
Lago Cañada, Chiapas

Sunset over the lake in front of the cabin I stayed at.

Lake Tsizcao, Chiapas

"Yankees get out of Latin America" . . . Yes, they would be talking to me.

Comitán, Chiapas

2005-08-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Mayans after the great Classic Era didn't produce much wonderful art, but they did have an eye for real estate . . . they were like the Pre-Colombian Yuppies.

Chinkultic Ruins, Chiapas

Do I look like I'm freezing my ass off? 'Cuz I was.

Lago Tziscao, Chiapas

You can't believe how blue the water is. This photo doesn't do it justice.

Lago Cañada, Chiapas

2005-08-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

This is Guatemala and my new best friend, Adriana. I thought about swimming to Guatemala, but I was afraid I'd get shot. Also, the water was really dirty.

Lago Internacional, Chiapas/Guatemala