(no subject)
"Down and out in Paris": "Up and at em in Mexico". What I have done is create (assembled) a folder of maps, notes, brochures, post cards, and other printed material set in no predetermined order and I will now start at the top and work my way to the bottom in presenting this "account" of our recent visit to San Miguel de Allenda, GTO Mexico. Indeed it does have an archaeological feel; start at the top and work your way down.
We were there from Tuesday evening, 11/7 through Tuesday morning, 11/15. The first item on the top of the folder is a small, hand made journal with a picture of Freida Kahlo découpaged on the front cover which I purchased at the four block long Mercado de Artesians. Actually we purchased most of our souvenirs at the Mercado de Artesians because of the "folk" quality of the wears and the demeanor of the artisans. I was able to write a few notes in the book, when I wasn't sidetracked by the experiences I wanted to keep notes on. While my first desire is (was) to place events in chronological order I feel that the experience as a whole is more like one big colorful whack on the side of the head so this is how it will go:
First item is a list of names of some kids I me at the Jardin (Garden, the center town square) in front of the Parroquis (big pink church, a Parish). The kids were in town on a class assignment, to interview obvious tourists in English. I of course agreed and had a blast, took a couple of photos, got their names for FB contact. They are: Rojo Cervanties, Leonardo Diaz, Anthony Liverpool, Charly Palafox and Estefania Barboza. I sent FB friends request to a few of em so I can forward the photo of the group. Nice kids.
Next a business card for Kathleen P. Muldoon, Case Manager, Enloe Regional Cancer Center, Chico, CA. We met her on the way into SM on the shuttle from Leon. Last time we saw or talked with her. Amicable and pleasant.
A receipt for air lines tickets in the amount of 1065.88. No explanation required. The flight was great, about an hour and fifteen minutes from Houston to Leon (the geographic center of Mexico by the way). We were served a meal in flight, unheard of.
The next item is is a note for contacting the shuttle service to take us from Leon airport to Animas 35, San Miguel de Allenda. The ride in the shuttle was comfortable the driver was competent the night sky dappled with a few stars hung like a quilt over the high desert country.
Next is a four page printout from a web site on San Miguel de Allenda.Of note is the dwemographics: the population is reported to be around 85,000 with approximately 6 to 8 thousand expatriates. The settlement was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk. A hand full up unrelated reciepts for food in Leon (air port) and at the IHOP in Bryant, AK on the 16th of November nd note written by Maggie listing some of our activities in SM (that's not S&M but San Miguel), for example: Wed; Jardin-breakfast Biblioteca, Mega Store (taxi). Thurs: Bibiloteca-book sale, lunch David Leonardo muralist (more on David later). A receipt for 316.00 (pesos) for supper at La Casa de Los Milagros, great meal and a fine local jazz band. I come across a receipt for a cash withdrawal from an ATM, one of several over the week for pesos' each receipt in the amount of several of thousands, the exchange rate was around 13 to one ( and the rich become richer). A note, info, on the shuttle service from the air port in Leon Mexico, the Bajio Go Shuttle. We arrived early evening and the shuttle driver met us with a sign saying "Curtis". Our travel mate, Dee, missed connections in Chicago and she was in route on a later flight. With the help of another "Norte Americano" and fellow passenger, who spoke a little Spanish and another Mexican shuttle operator, who spoke a little English, we were able to tell our driver who spoke no English what was up and he made arrangements to have Dee picked up later when her flight came in. The guy who spoke only Japanese was no help at all.
The next item is a brochure for "Patronato Pro Ninos" promoting their medical programs for needy children in the area. One of the programs is a guided walking tour of San Miguel conducted by ex-pats for around 30 pesos (10 bucks). Maggie and Dee took the tour while I sat in the Jardin (the center of town, or plaza, Jardin meaning garden, main square) and let Mexico come to me. I got the impression that a lot of social services for children and the aged are funded by groups of ex-pats and of course involved locals. I get the impression that the government is rather removed from providing social services for the impoverished. A coaster for Cantina de los Milagros, see the above entry. .
The next item, remember this is not in chronological order, is the service bulletin for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in San Miguel and as I understand the only Unitarian Universalist fellowship in Mexico. Of course all in attendance were ex-pats and their speaker for the service was a retired UCC minister, Bill Hutchinson who spoke very eloquently and passionately about his work in El Salvador for human rights in the eighties and nineties. As he re accounted the horrors of the era, of the friends he lost to the regime tears started to flow from his eyes and from the eyes of all in the audience. Very heart felt and moving. He is the author of a book titled "When the Dogs Ate the Candles: A Time in El Salvador", which is out of print but I got a hold of a copy through Hyde Brother Books. It is a hard read but worth it. After the service we drank coffee and chatted with the congregants while looking out of the floor to ceiling windows of the large open ball room in the hotel where they meet at the cityscape to the north with the pink Parroquis towering above the colorful buildings and cobbled stone streets shimmering in the bright, morning mountain sun light.
In one of the several and I mean SEVERAL small shops in the city I came across a small used-books store selling used and some new books in English. Staffed by ex-pats it became a stopping place as I (we) wondered about SM. One of the "clerks" a poet from "up-north" (I have lived and worked in Ireland, taught English while coaching in Barcelona and spent the better part of thirty years in London. I now divide my time between Florida and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.)
(she gave me a flyer on "French Sestina" poetry writing. She also provided me with her web site address which I have yet to access. A delightful woman and I look forward to checking her stuff out, poetry that is.
The next item will be overwhelming, a staggering amount of information and inspiration; the "Atencion San Miguel". The Atencion SM is a bi-lingual weekly news paper that comes out on Fridays. It was on this Friday, the eleventh of November, evening that we had dinner and listened to an outstanding jazz quartet at the Hecho en Mexico, a highly recommended restaurant by the Xpats at the UU. The jazz group we enjoyed consisted of a: key board player, a percussionist (who played a "Peruvian box drum"), an up-right base player ( who played the up-right base) and one hell of a violinist a well known symphony orchestra member, Pedro Cartas They, being musicians and all, went out a smoke break and I went out just to talk and get to know them a bit, they were very gracious, articulate and great guys (well that was my impression although the language barrier dictated the need for a lot of sign language and lapses into Japanese and, of course none of us spoke Japanese). Dee ordered, and paid for, a copy of their pending CD, I hope she gets it cause I want to copy it.
The paper is dated 11/11/11 and at around 11 AM, as we were walking to the Jardin, passing the Mercado de Artesians and entering another "plaza" the one with a large statue of de Allenda on horse back (much like Wayne on horse back in Freimann Sq. here in Fort Wayne only bigger) we saw a group of locals entering a labyrinth drawn out on the plaza court yard, there were people, young and old, drumming, shaking rattles, burning capol incense and being smudged by an apparent shaman as they entered the labyrinth. As we came to understand they were walking the labyrinth "to heal Mexico". As I (we) attempted to communicate in Spanglish (or Japanese, which none of understood) it became clear that htat was the intent of the gathering to Heal Mexico. I was impressed in that the process was not to make Mexico more powerful, richer or to make the participants wealthier, healthier or more powerful to invoke the grace of god but to "Heal Mexico". In reading the Atencion I came across and article on a one hundred year old local artist, Leonard Brooks. I learned that there was a retrospective at the municipal building across from the Jardin. His work was both dark and colorful impressionistic oil landscapes (cityscape also) very nice.
The next item is an e-mail from the shuttle service followed by a history of San Miguel de Allenda downloaded from the net (which I'll keep in a file). It, San Miguil not the file, was founded in 1542. Several receipts for thousand and thousands of peso's. Six colorful note cards purchased at the Biblioteca and three post cards that Maggie bought at a small shop selling good to support local children Actually we bought a lot of "stuff" there because of their mission.
We were there from Tuesday evening, 11/7 through Tuesday morning, 11/15. The first item on the top of the folder is a small, hand made journal with a picture of Freida Kahlo découpaged on the front cover which I purchased at the four block long Mercado de Artesians. Actually we purchased most of our souvenirs at the Mercado de Artesians because of the "folk" quality of the wears and the demeanor of the artisans. I was able to write a few notes in the book, when I wasn't sidetracked by the experiences I wanted to keep notes on. While my first desire is (was) to place events in chronological order I feel that the experience as a whole is more like one big colorful whack on the side of the head so this is how it will go:
First item is a list of names of some kids I me at the Jardin (Garden, the center town square) in front of the Parroquis (big pink church, a Parish). The kids were in town on a class assignment, to interview obvious tourists in English. I of course agreed and had a blast, took a couple of photos, got their names for FB contact. They are: Rojo Cervanties, Leonardo Diaz, Anthony Liverpool, Charly Palafox and Estefania Barboza. I sent FB friends request to a few of em so I can forward the photo of the group. Nice kids.
Next a business card for Kathleen P. Muldoon, Case Manager, Enloe Regional Cancer Center, Chico, CA. We met her on the way into SM on the shuttle from Leon. Last time we saw or talked with her. Amicable and pleasant.
A receipt for air lines tickets in the amount of 1065.88. No explanation required. The flight was great, about an hour and fifteen minutes from Houston to Leon (the geographic center of Mexico by the way). We were served a meal in flight, unheard of.
The next item is is a note for contacting the shuttle service to take us from Leon airport to Animas 35, San Miguel de Allenda. The ride in the shuttle was comfortable the driver was competent the night sky dappled with a few stars hung like a quilt over the high desert country.
Next is a four page printout from a web site on San Miguel de Allenda.Of note is the dwemographics: the population is reported to be around 85,000 with approximately 6 to 8 thousand expatriates. The settlement was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk. A hand full up unrelated reciepts for food in Leon (air port) and at the IHOP in Bryant, AK on the 16th of November nd note written by Maggie listing some of our activities in SM (that's not S&M but San Miguel), for example: Wed; Jardin-breakfast Biblioteca, Mega Store (taxi). Thurs: Bibiloteca-book sale, lunch David Leonardo muralist (more on David later). A receipt for 316.00 (pesos) for supper at La Casa de Los Milagros, great meal and a fine local jazz band. I come across a receipt for a cash withdrawal from an ATM, one of several over the week for pesos' each receipt in the amount of several of thousands, the exchange rate was around 13 to one ( and the rich become richer). A note, info, on the shuttle service from the air port in Leon Mexico, the Bajio Go Shuttle. We arrived early evening and the shuttle driver met us with a sign saying "Curtis". Our travel mate, Dee, missed connections in Chicago and she was in route on a later flight. With the help of another "Norte Americano" and fellow passenger, who spoke a little Spanish and another Mexican shuttle operator, who spoke a little English, we were able to tell our driver who spoke no English what was up and he made arrangements to have Dee picked up later when her flight came in. The guy who spoke only Japanese was no help at all.
The next item is a brochure for "Patronato Pro Ninos" promoting their medical programs for needy children in the area. One of the programs is a guided walking tour of San Miguel conducted by ex-pats for around 30 pesos (10 bucks). Maggie and Dee took the tour while I sat in the Jardin (the center of town, or plaza, Jardin meaning garden, main square) and let Mexico come to me. I got the impression that a lot of social services for children and the aged are funded by groups of ex-pats and of course involved locals. I get the impression that the government is rather removed from providing social services for the impoverished. A coaster for Cantina de los Milagros, see the above entry. .
The next item, remember this is not in chronological order, is the service bulletin for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in San Miguel and as I understand the only Unitarian Universalist fellowship in Mexico. Of course all in attendance were ex-pats and their speaker for the service was a retired UCC minister, Bill Hutchinson who spoke very eloquently and passionately about his work in El Salvador for human rights in the eighties and nineties. As he re accounted the horrors of the era, of the friends he lost to the regime tears started to flow from his eyes and from the eyes of all in the audience. Very heart felt and moving. He is the author of a book titled "When the Dogs Ate the Candles: A Time in El Salvador", which is out of print but I got a hold of a copy through Hyde Brother Books. It is a hard read but worth it. After the service we drank coffee and chatted with the congregants while looking out of the floor to ceiling windows of the large open ball room in the hotel where they meet at the cityscape to the north with the pink Parroquis towering above the colorful buildings and cobbled stone streets shimmering in the bright, morning mountain sun light.
In one of the several and I mean SEVERAL small shops in the city I came across a small used-books store selling used and some new books in English. Staffed by ex-pats it became a stopping place as I (we) wondered about SM. One of the "clerks" a poet from "up-north" (I have lived and worked in Ireland, taught English while coaching in Barcelona and spent the better part of thirty years in London. I now divide my time between Florida and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.)
(she gave me a flyer on "French Sestina" poetry writing. She also provided me with her web site address which I have yet to access. A delightful woman and I look forward to checking her stuff out, poetry that is.
The next item will be overwhelming, a staggering amount of information and inspiration; the "Atencion San Miguel". The Atencion SM is a bi-lingual weekly news paper that comes out on Fridays. It was on this Friday, the eleventh of November, evening that we had dinner and listened to an outstanding jazz quartet at the Hecho en Mexico, a highly recommended restaurant by the Xpats at the UU. The jazz group we enjoyed consisted of a: key board player, a percussionist (who played a "Peruvian box drum"), an up-right base player ( who played the up-right base) and one hell of a violinist a well known symphony orchestra member, Pedro Cartas They, being musicians and all, went out a smoke break and I went out just to talk and get to know them a bit, they were very gracious, articulate and great guys (well that was my impression although the language barrier dictated the need for a lot of sign language and lapses into Japanese and, of course none of us spoke Japanese). Dee ordered, and paid for, a copy of their pending CD, I hope she gets it cause I want to copy it.
The paper is dated 11/11/11 and at around 11 AM, as we were walking to the Jardin, passing the Mercado de Artesians and entering another "plaza" the one with a large statue of de Allenda on horse back (much like Wayne on horse back in Freimann Sq. here in Fort Wayne only bigger) we saw a group of locals entering a labyrinth drawn out on the plaza court yard, there were people, young and old, drumming, shaking rattles, burning capol incense and being smudged by an apparent shaman as they entered the labyrinth. As we came to understand they were walking the labyrinth "to heal Mexico". As I (we) attempted to communicate in Spanglish (or Japanese, which none of understood) it became clear that htat was the intent of the gathering to Heal Mexico. I was impressed in that the process was not to make Mexico more powerful, richer or to make the participants wealthier, healthier or more powerful to invoke the grace of god but to "Heal Mexico". In reading the Atencion I came across and article on a one hundred year old local artist, Leonard Brooks. I learned that there was a retrospective at the municipal building across from the Jardin. His work was both dark and colorful impressionistic oil landscapes (cityscape also) very nice.
The next item is an e-mail from the shuttle service followed by a history of San Miguel de Allenda downloaded from the net (which I'll keep in a file). It, San Miguil not the file, was founded in 1542. Several receipts for thousand and thousands of peso's. Six colorful note cards purchased at the Biblioteca and three post cards that Maggie bought at a small shop selling good to support local children Actually we bought a lot of "stuff" there because of their mission.