Wednesday, December 1, 2010
I am sitting in my freezing cold room beneath 4 thick Mexican blankets at 8:45pm and everyone in the house is in bed. This is a typical night although I have to admit I am a little bit disappointed that because of the work my host father has had this past week, the cable has been turned back on. I wondered why there were so many tvs in the house when no body really watched them, but I was glad because since I’ve arrived I’ve had so many opportunities for great conversation sitting at the dinner table well past everyone’s last bite just talking. Tonight, the night ended with some woman killing some other woman on a telenovela. I guess there goes my happy campo image.
Who knows when I’ll be able to put this post on the world wide web, but I figured I’d write anyway, seeing as though I have plenty of time on my hands. My feet are finally starting to warm up as they are wrapped in 2 pairs of socks and beneath previously mentioned blankets. Today, I woke up and had egg, ham, and cheese tacos with a cup of green tea. Then I decided almost 3 weeks later, that I should officially unpack my bags (because we are technically allowed to leave and find our own homes by next week, but I’ve decided to stay with my host family) so I made myself feel at home and lot more organized. 1 ½ year old Dilan, one of my nephews (I’ve been adopted into the family so I now have 3 nephews and 1 niece) played in my room while I put away my things so when I was all done we went outside to play. So I chased Dilan and Gisel (3 years old, another family member) around in the grass for a while and then we made mole azul out of dirt. It was quite a busy afternoon. When Alondra came home from school I played cards with her and Mari (Itzel’s sister) until comida at around 3pm.
For comida we had fresh tortillas from my Aunt Juanita’s tortilla store (which we have with every meal), noodle soup, string beans and eggs, & black beans. It was all delicious of course. Then we all went outside to play jump rope and then volley ball. Hung out for a while and at around 7:30ish we sat down to a light dinner of bread and hot chocolate. I have become accustomed to hot milk most nights so when we run out of milk I turn into a spoiled child and can think of only one option – I will buy more milk. Tonight it was to my benefit that my host father also wanted bolillos, these delicious rolls from the panaderia, so I hopped in the car with my host brother, his wife, and his sister and took advantage of the ride to the tienda. Oh yes, I would have my hot chocolate.
Which brings me to where I am right now, in my office – well okay, really my bed. Eventually I plan on getting a little desk, but for now this will have to do.
And here’s a little recap on what I’ve been doing the past 3 weeks:
Lindsay and I have had the opportunity to get to know the municipal president, who is kind of like the mayor and we’ve gone on little outings with him and his colleagues to deliver efficient wood burning stoves and to meet people in the communities that would be given bathrooms and cement floors (of which they do not at this moment have). He seems to be a very good man and the people seemed touched that he actually follows through with what he promises.
Our compañeros at the park have taken us on little hikes and acquainted us with the various programs the park has in place to support the local communities and where we will fit in. The only sticky point really is that because it’s the end of the year, all the money has been spent, so it’s our job living in the communities to meet and listen to the people to understand what projects will be the most beneficial next year. (This might sound a little complicated, but for example the support this year was spent on green houses, and wood burning stoves).
We both have really hit it off with our families and to show our gratitude (and perhaps longing for some good old-fashioned American comfort foods), Lindsay and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for about 30 Mexicans. We made absolutely every Thanksgiving dish you could name and then some. It was a total success, and in my host mom’s words has earned me my own estufa in my room.
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| From Left to Right: Alvaro, my mom Susana, aunt Juana, Luz Clara, Pati and Said, & Sheli |
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| Lindsay's Fam |
I know you, mysterious non-existent reader, will get confused reading my blog with the many different names I will mention, so I will try to break it down as best as possible:
Angel (dad) & Susana (mom)
5 kids:
Sylvia, Alvaro, Analleli, Pati, & Alondra
Sylvia I have not met yet, but she lives in Pachuca with her husband and son
Alvaro lives in this house with Ana Itzel (his wife) and his baby, Said (Syeed)
Analleli lives in La Estanzuela (the community where Lindsay lives) with her husband and daughter Irlanda
Pati lives in Carboneras up the road with her husband Luis, and son Dilan
Alondra is 10 years old and lives in this house
You will also read about the following family members:
Mari – Ana Itzel’s sister. Has 2 daughters, Gisel 3 years old, and Alison 5 months. Her husband’s name is Juan.
Tio Capi is Angel’s brother and Tia Juanita is Susana’s sister. They are married and their daughter is Luz Clara, and she is over at the house all the time.
Pati’s in-laws are also regular visitors: Her sister-in law Lucero and her mother–in law Doña Carolina
That should be it for now, but just know that this is just a small percentage of the people and family I have met over the past few weeks. Imagine the next 2 years…
