Dear friends and family:
It's only 4:15 a.m. (5:15 at home), and here I am, in front of my computer, ready to report on yesterday's adventures. I've been waking up extremely early each day, unable to go back to sleep. I get so excited about what the day is going to bring that I can hardly stand it. So rather than lie there, bursting with energy, here I am. Trying to summarize what's been going on the past 24 hours.
On the way to Mass yesterday morning, we passed the language school. The door happened to be opened so we went in. Long story short, I'm signed up for 2-hour-a-day Spanish classes this week, starting this morning. I'm impressed with Sara, the director, and hope this is the opportunity I've been looking for - a chance to get really comfortable speaking the language. I only signed up for a week, wanting to try it out to see if it fits for me. If not, there's a multitude of other options, including private tutors. If so, then I'll continue for as long as I'm getting something out of it.
Yesterday we went to Mass at the San Francisco Church. Built in 1779 and taking 20 years to complete, construction was with donations from wealthy local families and funds from bullfights. I'm told it's a fashionable place to be buried, and has numerous plaques to that affect. The interior is a spacious neoclassical design. Very old with a very holy feel.
The Mass, of course, was in Spanish. But I picked up a Mass guide in the back of the church, and we were pleased to be able to be appropriately part of the responses.
It was heartwarming during the handshake of peace to watch the children go up on the altar to shake the priest's hand. He seemed to enjoy the experience as much as they were. After Mass kids up to age 12 or so and their families gathered around the priest for perhaps 10 minutes while he gave them a simple lesson. Although I couldn't understand most of what he said, the non-verbals indicated that this was a gentle man who loved children, and that they loved him very much.
One of the things that I love about the Mexican culture is their piousness, and how seriously they take their religion. I'm also touched by the family values that I observe each and every day...young people carefully assisting an elderly grandparent, parents lovingly playing with their children, siblings who seem to take great enjoyment in playing together, grandparents openly expressing love for their grandchildren. This is a good country, with good people.
The highlight of the day was sitting in the Jardin after Mass, and watching the children play out their ritual of breaking eggs filled with confetti over one another's head. I took a ton of photos of this joyful game.
Rick and I really wanted to examine one of the eggs close up, so I approached a family with a number of children, holding out a dollar and asking if I could buy an egg from them. The oldest boy (maybe 11?) quickly got the message, snatched my dollar and gave me an egg. I took it back to the bench where we were sitting to examine it. A couple minutes later the boy, whose mother had said something to him, came along and gave me a second egg. So Rick and I are sitting on this bench with our two eggs, enjoying the frivolity, when suddenly Rick reaches out and smashes his egg on my head. I was taken totally by surprise, and screeched so loud that everyone around us turned around and smiled. A moment later, I got my revenge. So there we both sat, our heads covered with egg shells and confetti. A few minutes later a little girl (maybe 8?) who had been watching us came up to me and smashed an egg on my head. I loved it, and had Rick take a picture of she and I together. Before she walked back to her family, she gave me another egg, which I promptly smashed over her head. What a joyful, playful time that was. Although we know that this tradition has something to do with the coming of Lent, we don't really understand the meaning. But we know that it's great fun for all ages, whether participating in the smashing or just watching. This was one of the most delightful things I've ever seen. Oh...neither Rick nor I removed the debri from our heads for the rest of the day. We wore it proudly, wanting to let the people know that we proudly participated in their charming ritual.
In addition to being the weekend preceding Ash Wednesday, it's the weekend when the locals buy their plants and flowers for the planting season. We walked over to Benito Juarez Parque, where there were thousands upon thousands of beautiful plants, flowers and pots for sale. The entire area was stunningly beautiful and alive, and I took several photos.
We had a simple lunch at a small, off-the-beaten-track cafe. We've become adventurous in our food choices, wanting to sample as much of the local cuisine as possible. And we've not been disappointed. We find that people around here are extremely friendly. We conversed with an older couple from Oregon who have been coming here for 6 or 7 years. They gave us a few tips, and told us how much we're going to love it here. I told Rick that it feels like we're retired American expatriates in training.
San Miguel is a historic town that was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan Monk. It was an important stopover on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas. It's about 7,000 feet above sea level, and surrounded by mountains. The population of the large area it covers is 139,297. It's an attractive tourist destination for wealthy Mexican City residents (many of whom are here this long holiday weekend), and has a large American and Canadian expatriate community, primarily comprised of retirees. The town manages to be very tourist friendly, without compromising it's Mexican flavor. The people are friendly but not at all pushy, like many tourist areas we've been to. That's refreshing.
Oh, by the way. In one of my letters I talked about all the levels and steps in our casa. Well, I finally counted the steps inside and out - 57 in total!!! It's a good thing that we're used to climbing stairs in our home in Michigan, because there's no avoiding them here. It's definitely not an disabilities-friendly setting. But that's o.k. - it works for us.
We spent last evening at the casa of some friends of ours from Traverse City (Christie and Bob). This is their 3rd or 4th time here, they're staying for 3 months this time, and they're in the process of looking for a place to buy. They drove here with their two dogs, Gus and Phoebe. Christie gave me a lot of info about the area, and I'm looking forward to following up on many of the things we talked about. She served us a delightful array of local foods, including Jicama with lime, homemade guacamole with chips, hibiscus tea, and hibiscus quesidillas with an interesting hot pepper sauce. All very yummy and exotic tasting.
Well, I've been composing for the better part of an hour so I'd better go. My plan is to take a long walk as soon as daybreak hits. Our 3-day- a-week maid, whom we've not met yet, will arrive at 9 a.m., then my Spanish class begins at 11 (I'm both excited and scared with anticipation). Beyond that - who knows. After rising at 4 a.m., I'm certain there will be a little afternoon siesta.
Take care. "Talk" to you tomorrow.
Love, Judhit
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