Washing Clothes

The washing machine at my homestay is broken. Apparently it will fill up with water, but not complete the rest of the cycle. Of course, this comes at the worst possible time...I had no clean clothes, and I didn't know what to do. Today I decided to ask the housekeeper how she had washed clothes the other day. Sure enough, it was a washboard in the back patio.

So I spent a good portion of the afternoon, scrubbing my clothes on the washboard. This was new - I've been able to do my own laundry for quite some time and I know how to hang clothes on a line to dry, but washing by hand... It's harder than it looks. Actually the most difficult part was wringing my recently-rinsed clothes to get out as much water as possible before hanging them up to dry. If I had had a second set of hands, everything would have been much easier. My clothes were still dripping a little when I hung them on the line. Needless to say, I was soaked by the time I finished and my hands were red from the soap and from jean-burn.

On the plus side, I have no experienced how many Mexicans have to wash their clothes every time. The sad thing is that I still have a mountain of dirty clothes in my room, so I'll be repeating this experience in the near future. Hopefully, the washing machine will be back in business soon.

A Trip to Michoacan

This past weekend I fulfilled one of my goals for my time in Mexico - I went to Michoacan. This was not an original goal, but since I've been in Guanajuato, everyone I have talked to has advised me to go there. Adjectives such as beautiful, magical (in Spanish this doesn't sound so corny), indigenous, charming, and completely worth it were all used and captured my attention. This past weekend was also Dia de los Muertos which turned out to be perfect because Michoacan is famous for it's celebrations surrounding this very Mexican holiday. I'm spliting my trip up into two blogs...one about Michoacan and the other specifically about Dia de los Muertos. This one is about Michoacan.

My friend Jessica and I traveled by bus to Patzcuaro where we stayed for three nights. Patzcuaro is the largest of the towns surrounding the Lago de Patzcuaro and it really is a charming town. It is very different from Guanajuato, most noticeably through the architecture. All the buildings in Patzcuaro are white with red, slate roofs. The buses (called camis, short for camiones) in the city are basically vans that have benches around the edges of the inside...personal space is virtually non-existant. Everyone we met was really friendly and excited that we were there to visit. There was a huge market in the main plaza where vendors from all around the lake region brought their wares to sell to the people visiting for Dia de los Muertos.

The evening that we arrived, Jessica and I went to one of the muelles (docks) where there was supposed to be a performance of the Purepecha people which is the indigenous group that lives around the lake. While we were there we watched the sunset over the lake and ate some incredible fish at one of the small restaurants. As a side note, fish tacos are amazing especially with avocado and tomato.

The performance was a lot of fun - they showed all the different traditional dances of the Purepecha. My favorite was the dance of the viejitos (old men). The dancers are not old men, but they all wear masks, have canes and walk bent over like it's too painful to straighten their backs. The best part was that they had a tiny little boy dressed like this. He was three and was dancing and stomping as best he could. He was so cute!

Fishing is a huge part of the culture in the region and the people who live on the Isla de Janitzio have an especially unique way of catching the fish. The fishermen have small boats and huge nets called butterfly nets. They paddle out into the lake and then gather in a circle to dip their nets in the water and see what they can catch. It looks really cool when they raise the nets out of the water.

The next day we took a boat from the muelle to the Isla de Janitzio which is famous for its Dia de los Muertos celebrations. The island was a really neat place. There are no cars or animals larger than dogs on the island and all the people that live there are indigenous. They have shops lining the streets that sell local artisan products for incredibly cheap. The whole island is a hill rising out of the lake and at the top there is a statue of one of the heroes of the Mexican war for independence. We were able to climb up the inside and look out over the whole lake. It was beautiful, but climbing the spiral staircase was really scary. We spent a good part of the day in the Panteon (cemetery) looking at all the graves and how the families decorated them to honor their loved ones. My favorite part of the day was the sunset. There are mountains surrounding the lake and they get all misty in the evening and when the sun set, the clouds turned pink and orange and gold. All this was reflected in the water which just served to magnify how incredibly beautiful it was.

The following day, we decided to check out one of the other towns located around the lake. We chose to go to Tzintzuntzan (pronounced sin-sun-san) which means "place of the hummingbirds" in the Purepecha language. We had been told that there were some really neat prehispanic ruins there. It was true, there were ruins and they had round pyramids. The area where the pyramids were was beautiful and peaceful, so Jessica and I spent some time just relaxing in the grass. We visited the Panteon there as well before heading back to Patzcuaro.

It was a great trip and I'm so glad we were able to go. Not only did I get to see a beautiful part of Mexico and learn about the Purepechas and their lifestyle, but I was able to witness a holiday that is so very Mexican in the unique mixture of prehispanic and Catholic inspired traditions. Although Michoacan shares a border with Guanajuato, it is a very different place. By traveling there I got the chance to see another aspect of life in Mexico, specifically the impact that the indigenous groups have had in the area.

Cafe Culture

On of my favorite things to do in Guanajuato is to hang out in one of the various cafes sprinkled throughout the city. It's so wonderful to be able to relax with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and read a book or simply people watch. My friend Jessica and I are regulars at several cafes, but we also like trying out a new one every so often. Our favorites all have a unique atmosphere, wireless internet, a free bathroom and, most importantly, delicious hot chocolate.

Each cafe has a different personality and different types of patrons. Cafe Carcamanes is a favorite with the university students, probably because they offer wireless internet. The place is decorated with large photos and paintings of Guanajuato and there is a bookshelf full of the classics in Spanish. The Pasteleria La Calle del Sol has a unique idea for tables. They use old trunks and have put a clear glass top over the trunk. Under the glass there are photos and tickets and memorabilia from Guanajuato. This cafe is frequented by more business people than students. Their chocolate chip cookies are incredible and enormous. There is Bagel Cafetin, which serves actual bagels with cream cheese. It is a great break from quesadillas for breakfast, plus they have wireless internet and couches. Every time I've been in the cafetin, there have been a large number of tourists. I guess bagels are everyone's comfort food.

The one complaint I have with the cafes in Guanajuato is their failure to make a normal cup of brewed coffee. They make the coffee in an espresso machine and it usually ends up tasting slightly burnt. To top this off, they never give you milk or creamer, so the coffee is bitter like nobody's business. However, never fear. We have a Starbucks in the Jardin, and they know how to make coffee right.


So while my cafe experience began at Starbucks, it has been wonderful to spend time in the non-chain cafes. I've had the opportunity to chat with the employees and some of the other patrons. I've given advice to tourists about what to see and where to eat during their stay in Guanajuato. It's gotten me out of the house and provided me with a great place to do homework or just chat with a friend. I'm going to miss the convenience and the whole environment a lot when I get back to the States.

El Idioma

As I've been more and more exposed to the Spanish languages and all it's nuances, I've come to see not only how interesting and colorful a language it is, but also how humorous it is. Between conversations with people, listening to my homestay family, and reading for class or for pleasure, I have compiled a short list of some phrases and words that strike me as funny. Many of them do not translate literally, but I will do my best to explain them.

Phrases:
1. "el de los calzones" - this literally translates as "he of the long underwear," but is used to refer to the man of the house
2. "hacer la vista gorda" - literally "make/do a fat face," this phrase is used when someone is looking favorably on someone else
3. "manos de pulpo" - "hands of an octopus," used to refer to someone who touchy-feely
4. "pan comido" - "eaten bread," when something is set in stone
5. "que padre!" - doesn't translate literally but means "that's cool!"
6. "no son enchiladas" - is used when someone requests something with an unreasonable time limit; basically you are telling them that you can't finish whatever in time (enchiladas don't take long to make)

Spanish also has a lot of compound words which are fun:
1. rompecabeza: puzzle
2. parabrisas: windshield
3. trabalengua: tongue-twister
4. sobresaltar: to startle, make someone jump

These are just a few of the phrases and words I've learned here in Guanajuato. I've really enjoyed learning more Spanish and I've come to appreciate just how beautiful a language it is. I know that I still have a long way to go, but I'm proud of how much I've learned in the last few months. It's so wonderful to be able to give a presentation without stressing about verb tenses or vocabulary or carry on an actual dialogue with someone. I hope that over the next month, I am able to see even more improvements.

Cervantino: The Epitome of Diversity

The Annual Guanajuato International Cervantino Arts Festival started this week. It's been crazy. Guanajuato's population has increased significantly over the past few days, and it's noticeable. By about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the streets are filled with performers and tourists. Walking anywhere has become an incredible task that requires a lot of strategy. Guanajuato has been preparing for this for a long time and it shows. There are new restaurants all over the place, and the ones that already existed have gotten face lifts. There were artisan shops in the city, but now they are displaying their wares in the street and the amount of goods has increased dramatically. The street food vendors are out in full force selling tacos, gorditas, tamales, fruit, ice cream. The city is embracing this opportunity wholeheartedly.

The most impressive part of this whole festival has been the incredible diversity that it brings to the city. As I walk down the street or pause in the midst of a crowd, I hear people speaking Spanish, English, French, German, Chinese, you name it. There are artists, singers, musicians, dancers, and actors from all over the world that have come to Guanajuato for the next three weeks.

So far, I love Cervantino. I spent this afternoon walking around the Centro trying to take it all in. In one afternoon, I watched part of a opera/puppet show by performers from the Czech Republic, a clown who had the crowd roaring, a group of musicians who played music that was mostly about revolution and drugs but had the younger crowd dancing along to their music, several teenagers break-dancing, and a group of living statues. I also discovered a new market that had so many different types of people selling things that it blew my mind. I guess I've always grouped Mexican people into the categories of "indigenous" and "not indigenous," but this market had the potheads, the goths, the indigenous, the artisans, the families...you get the idea. There was so much to look at, buy or have pierced or tattooed.

I'm so excited about the next few weeks! I'm planning on spending the majority of my free time walking around, going back to the market, listening to the street performers and just watching the world come to me. What an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Heads Were Flying

This weekend I went to San Miguel de Allende for the third and probably last time. The original plan was to watch the Running of the Bulls that is part of the Festival de San Miguel. Unfortunately, it was not until after we arrived that we learned that this particular event has been canceled for the last three years due to people getting completely out of control. Apparently, several years ago some kids got really drunk and ended up killing each other in the heat of the moment. So, we didn't see the bulls, but the trip wasn't a total bust - there were several events in the Jardin featuring traditional indigenous dances and exploding dolls as well as a parade.
The most interesting indigenous performance involved five men climbing to a platform at the top of a metal pole where they tied ropes around their waists. These ropes were long enough to reach the ground and they were wound around the top of the pole. As one man played a flute from the top of the pole, the other men let themselves fall off the platform and as the platform rotated, they were slowly lowered to the ground. Of course, all this was head-first. It was really neat, but terrifying because the pole swayed in the wind and it was really high.

We also watched one of the strangest rituals I have ever seen. People had been making these paper mache dolls that were mounted on metal frames. They then put the frames on long sticks and lit the dolls on fire. They must have had firecrackers or something in them because after spinning the dolls around in the air, they exploded. The most entertaining part was that the dolls' heads went flying and all the children raced to see who could catch the head. At first I thought maybe this was a good luck thing, but after asking around, it's basically just so the kids get to run around and take part in the ritual. It was hilarious!

On our way out of San Miguel the bus was prevented from going to the bus station by a huge parade. We had to walk the rest of the way which turned out to be one of the best parts of our day. This parade knocked the socks off the Guanajuato parade from last week. Every indigenous group from the area was represented and the people were dressed in traditional clothes and everyone was dancing to the pounding of drums. I've never seen such a wide variety of crazy headdresses - including feathers, beads, pompoms, and so much more. There were people carrying huge wooden sets that were decorated with flowers and grass. They looked extremely heavy and were very elaborate. It was loud and colorful and completely worth having to walk to the bus station.

The parade and all the other events combined to make an impressive display of culture, history and pride for their city and heritage. It would be so neat if we could have festivals like this in the States. I suppose that our fairs and parades show our own traditions, but it would be so much fun to have something like this be a part of our culture.

Word Pictures

This morning I went with CIEE to San Miguel de Allende to get some migration paperwork out of the way. I spent the entire bus ride looking out the window at the countryside. Guanajuato state has a lot to offer, but unfortunately I have no pictures. I'll have to do my best to describe it with words.

The early morning sun glows through the mist shrouding the mountains. The peaks are invisible giving them an eerie appearance. As the light increases, some mountains are revealed to be covered in short trees while others are bare and have rock-face peeking through. Some are rolling and safe while others are sharp and foreboding.

In the valleys, the trees and bushes are slowly revealed by the morning light. Everything is very green - the grass, the trees, the nopales (cactus). Random patches of wildflowers show pink and yellow and white, waving in the slight breeze. Cornstalks mingle with sunflowers. Herds of cattle meander throughout the valley grazing and mocking the horses limited to a single spot of grass. Dirt roads, hardly plentiful than the shallow rivers, lead off into the distance ending in homes, haciendas, rancheros.

There is an occasional pueblo with small, run-down homes and the typical large church, but many homes are isolated on the edges of the corn fields. As we drive past, we see people washing clothes, repairing walls, walking to the fields. Do they still see and love the beauty that surrounds them? Or are they so accustomed to it that they no longer notice? Maybe that beauty makes their day just a little better when the hardships get to be too much to handle. Maybe they take comfort that those mountains will remain long past their human existence.