Oaxaca, Mexico
- A view from the airplane, approaching Oaxaca.
Oaxaca Airport is very small. It is a cross between some we saw in Hawaii and the airport in Winston Salem. I couldn’t see anyone that looked like a host family, so I just waited for my one checked bag to appear. It seemed to take a long time before the luggage belt started moving. At one point, a security person tapped me on the shoulder and asked (in Spanish) if I had been on an international flight. When Isaid yes, she sweetly pointed me to another waiting room and another luggage belt. When that one started moving, as I watched for my suitcase, another security person asked me where my plane came from. When I told him Mexico City, he directed me back to the first room. My mistake: yes, I came from the US, but no, my AeroMexico flight came from Mexico City. Anyway, my suitcase showed up and I started out of the building to look for my host family.
As I approached the outside door, a small attractive hispanic woman (about my age) held up a sign with my name on it. YES! They found me. She rattled off some quick Spanish and pointed to a car that was heading toward us, so I got the idea that that was our ride. The driver was the husband of the lady with the sign. They are Leo (I think it’s short for Leonarda) and Hector. We agreed right away that we would only speak Spanish. I could understand some of what they were saying (50%, mas o menos). Lots of Spanish was my original plan, so I was ready to give it a try. It was a short ride from the airport to their home.
We entered their driveway from a quiet little cul de sac through some iron gates into the front yard of a two story home. The main living area is on the first floor and includes the master bedroom. Upstairs there are three bedrooms about 12 x 12. One has a large private bathroom (mine, hurray) and another has a bathroom next door.
- My room in Oaxaca
I am not sure about the third room. My room has a bed, side table, two chairs, a closet with a chest of drawers, a desk (yes!!) and a TV. The house is very comfortable. The lack of a desk was my major complaint with my homestay in Cuernavaca.
I was introduced to Debra, another student from Wisconsin who is about my age and also studying at the same school. She is speaking totally in Spanish, too. Leo and Hector told me before I met her that we seem to be at the same level. If that is true, then I am pleased with my level, because Debra speaks quite well. She and Leo and Leo’s uncle, ‘Tio’ opted to watch Gladiator (in Spanish of course) while Hector and I went for a walk. He showed me how to get to school, pointing out lots of landmarks on the way. We walked through the grocery store (it was much bigger than our Disco in Argentina). Once we found the school, we backtracked and Hector showed me some alternate streets to take on the trip home. He said traffic isn’t as bad on these streets. Next we walked past several old, old churches and finally to the Zocolo, which was very lively and crowded with families and music and white Christmas lights still in the trees. (Jan 6th celebration, gifts to the children in their shoes – more on that in a minute).
The whole time we were walking, we were discussing this and that — all in Spanish. I learned that Leo is a retired school teacher. (I suspected as much by the way she gently corrects my Spanish). Hector is retired from Mexico Telegraph. He said when he was working there, everything was still in morse code. Now it is all computers and internet and cellphones. He has been retired for 10 years. He and Leo host students in their home to keep busy. They are both very pleasant and I noticed that they were holding hands later when they were watching the end of Gladiator. They have a daughter that lives in Portland Oregon who has a 2 year old daughter. The husband’s family lives in New York. I think the rest of their children and grandchildren live nearby.
Breakfast is at 7:45 and is large. We have a plate of fresh fruit (bananas, papaya, grapefruit, apple), fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee (very good) and tortillas with frijoles, cheese and avocado— one day quesadillas, the next another version of the same. It is all very good and stays with me all day without either feeling too full or getting hungry. After breakfast, Debra and I walk to school. It takes about 20-25 minutes walking briskly. Traffic is fast and fairly heavy, but most streets are one way, so it’s not too scary. It’s not as bad as the traffic in Cuernavaca, but you still have to pay attention.
- Sherry outside classroom at Español Interactivo
The school I’m attending in Oaxaca is Español Interactivo. I love it. At least for someone like me, who has a grasp of the language but needs lots and lots of hearing and speaking, this school is Great. Classes start at 9 a.m. Debra studies only 4 hours each day, then she leaves the school and explores the town. I have a short break and continue with an additional class (2 hours) and for that I am the only student. Perfecto. The teacher is an attractive woman, maybe in her late 40s. Luz.
There is one other student in the group – Gia. (Three of us, altogether). She is from California and is in her mid 20′s. I like her a lot. She is very intelligent and interesting and pleasant. She reminds me of Claire (remember Claire from England that Bill wrote about in Buenos Aires?) She also loves to dance — all kinds.
Class consists of constant conversation. Sometimes, Luz (our teacher) throws in some grammer and gives us common words or phrases to practice. Then she makes a little game of encouraging us to use those words or phrases while we talk. We talk about everything. Life, love, men, women, politics, our coutries, our life experiences. Todo. It’s great fun and the three of us are a very good fit.
I haven’t had any time to explore the city. Yesterday my class ended a little after 4:30. I made a quick call home to my sweetie and then had to run because the school closes at 5 and I told Leo and Hector that I would return by 6. Unfortunately, my “home” doesn’t have wifi, so I have to be on the school grounds to use Skype. Which doesn’t leave me much of a window. I’ll try to type my blog entries at “home” and then email them to Bill when I get to school.
Today was El Dia de Los Reyes. (Day of the Kings). It’s the day that children in Mexico receive gifts in their shoes. At school, we celebrated with a special sweet bread/cake (rosca) which is wreath shaped and decorated with candied fruit and powdered sugar. Inside, several tiny little dolls are hidden.
The lucky people that get the dolls in their share of the cake have the honor of providing food to the others on February 2 holiday. (They are making an exception for us — we lucky 4 (me included) will provide food for everyone on Friday. The plan is for traditional tamales, mole, salsa and hot chocolate. Yum! Debra and I are providing the tamales. Leo and Hector know where to buy some that are really good (and safe), so Hector will drive us to school on Friday so we can stop and pick them up on the way.
We also made hot chocolate with fresh chocolate that we bought yesterday. We stopped in a shop that makes chocolate. They only used cocoa beans, cinnamon bars and sugar. Nothing else. Even by the time we got to the school with it, it was still hot.
We rolled pieces of chocolate into little balls and let them dry. Then we dropped them in hot water (and some in hot milk) and frothed the mixtures with a special hand tool that we rolled between the palms of our hands. I had mine in the hot water mixture. Normally, I don’t like hot chocolate very much. This was wonderful. We’ll have more with our feast on Friday.
Later, everyone watched a movie (yes, in Spanish). It ran a little long, so I didn’t finish my last 2 hour session until 5:30. Again, I had to go straight home to eat. (It starts to get dark around 6. Debra comes home shortly after dark — walking — and it seems safe, but until I learn my way around……)
Dinner (la cena) is served based on my schedule. (Debra only opted for breakfasts). I try to return to the house between 6 and 7. Leo has my dinner ready within 20 minutes of the time that I walk in the door. She is a wonderful vegetarian cook and told me that she has had experience cooking for every type of eating preference including vegan. That was my only other complaint with my homestay in Cuernavaca – Rosa wasn’t a very experienced cook, and had little vegetable experience.
Anyway, here I had soup (different types) and tortillas and fresh orange juice both yesterday and today. Yesterday I had potatoes rolled in crisp flour tortillas with a black frijoles and avocado. Today, my main dish was cooked, sliced squash with a string cheese on top and rice on the side. Again, very good. Leo and Hector sit at the table and talk to me during dinner, which is so nice of them. Both days so far, Debra returned before I finished and she joined us at the table and we all talked for a while longer. Hector and Leo are great hosts. They are skilled at making us feel at home and are seeing to it that we get as much Spanish as we want. I will be very happy staying with them while I am in Oaxaca.
Except for writing these and speaking on the phone with Bill for a few minutes each day (under ten minutes, usually less), this is 100% Spanish. Classes are in Spanish, “home” is in Spanish and everything in between is in Spanish. Three weeks of this is going to help a lot. Bill joins me for a week in Guanajuato and a week in San Miguel de Allende (and a day in Aguascallientes), so we’ll speak some “American” then, but we’ll still be in classes, and I’ll have two weeks in Cuenavaca again after that, so this trip should really make a difference. We’ll see I guess.
Well, there you have it. Those are my experiences up to this point. I am a bit behind on writing about things. My classes take up most of the day and I only have access to WIFI during classes. We have one 15 minute break. Yesterday it was at about 11. Today it was around 12:30. Luz told me today that it is normally scheduled for 10:30. So, I don’t think I can count on a specific time. Skype has been spotty. So far it has “dropped” us several times in the course of a conversation. I don’t know what the problem is. In Buenos Aires (once we figured out the connection), it worked fine. Hmmmm. Any ideas, anyone?
I’ll have to do my exploring on the weekends. I don’t know if there are any trips planned. I hope to at least get to Mount Alban. I’ll also try to download photos, but I need to figure out how to do that on Flickr. Stay tuned. Feel free to ask questions or make comments.
Sherry Cooks in Oaxaca:
Today we cooked. We had a normal class until around 1 and then headed for the kitchen (cocina), again after receiving instructions to wash our hands well. Luz had already done some shopping and there were tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, garlic, calabaza (a squash similar to zucchini), pabalano chiles, dough for corn tortillas and espazote (this looked like a cross between parsley and watercress — mas o menos). Luz put everyone to work. The tomatoes and jalapeños were placed in a pan of water on the stove to cook. The garlic and a little salt was crushed by one person with a mortar and pestle made of rough lava stone. I roasted the poblanos over the flame of a gas stove while others diced onions and squash. There was a large wooden tortilla press in one corner of the little kitchen. Luz showed us how to roll the dough into small balls, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap, and then lay it on the press.
- Tortilla Press
A hinged top was closed over the dough and a hinged lever put pressure on it and flattened the ball into a thin tortilla. The plastic was removed and the tortilla was tossed onto a very hot ceramic plate on the stove. In the meantime, the onions were sautéed and the squash and strips of roasted pablano were added. By then, the tomatoes and jalapeños were cooked and ready to be crushed with the garlic and salt mixture. One at a time, a chile was added and crushed. Then the tomatoes were added (minus their skin which peeled off easily). We decided to use only two jalapeños. The mixture was just the right degree of hot without the last one. Finally, the espazote was added to the squash mixture and cooked just until it wilted. Everything was ready to eat. So, we had fresh toasted corn tortillas with the best salsa we ever tasted and a little queso fresco (cheese) on top. The squash was served on the side. We all cleaned our plates and all of the serving bowls until nothing was left. While we ate, there was a deep conversation (in Spanish) regarding the morality and dangers of cloning people, the dangers of altering the genes in crops (corn was at the top of the list) and the super collider that is being tested. I couldn’t follow all of it, but got most of it. Deep.
After our meal, my afternoon teacher, Luis, and I closed up the school and walked to the zocolo for our class. There, we sat on a bench while he used the surroundings to ask me questions in the verb tense of the day. It was difficult, but a nice change from the classroom.
Dinner was a flavorful mixture of mushrooms and tomatoes. On the side was another bowl of soup. Today it was lentils with plantains. (They added an interesting, mildly tart flavor to the soup.) I had juice that Leo made from red flowers called ‘jamaica’ (like the place, only pronounced the Spanish way). It was very mild-tasting with just a little bit of sweetness. Leo said it is very good for the kidneys. It was similar to a weak pommegranate juice and I liked the taste.
Monday and Tuesday at dinner, Hector brought out a special Mexican drink for us to taste. Monday it was a tequilla. It was very, very smooth and tasted wonderful. I had about a tablespoon or two in a small shot glass. That was plenty. I could feel it immediately. On Tuesday, he brought out a mezcal. Again, I had just a little and, while it had an interesting flavor, I didn’t like it as well as the tequilla. Tonight, Leo brought out a sweet mezcal that was made with a fruit from Brazil. Again, I had just a tiny bit. It was really, really good, but we all agreed that it was MUY PELIGROSO — very dangerous. Leo and Hector are doing a great job of helping us practice our Spanish while expanding our knowledge of Oaxaca and Mexico. So, that’s the news of today. Tomorrow we travel to a little pueblo where there is an interesting mercado. I’ll tell you about it in the next installment.
On Thursday, Debra, Rosie (another student from California), the teacher Luis and I walked about 10 blocks to a tiny bus station. We caught a bus to the pueblo of Zaachila. The journey took about 40 minutes along a long autopista (in this case, a two lane highway) through an areas of dusty farms. I think the majority of the crops growing were either sugar cane or corn, but at this time of year they were brown and there were signs that the sugar cane was being harvested (large, black burned areas of ground). There were also little stores and restaurants dotting the side of the road along the way. At one point the bus had to stop while a farmer in a wagon being pulled by a bovine of some type (brahama ?) and pulling a mule (or was it a donkey?) crossed the road. Que padre! (Cool!)
Zaachila is a small town of indiginus Zapoteca people. They have a giant mercado where they sell everything, but they are known for their organic produce. I saw live animals for sale (especially turkeys). One woman was selling special eggs that are not eaten, but used only in pagan ceremonies to rid people of bad karma. There were household goods such as bowls and kitchen utensils and bowls and pitchers like the ones we used to make and serve our hot chocolate in. There was a huge area where they sold many, many different types of homemade bread. One room (warehouse sized) was stall after stall of pork products — sausages, raw meat from every part of the pig including feet and heads. (Not the prettiest site for a vegetarian, but an interesting cultural experience none the less!). We tasted a mildly sweet drink from a large round container (I think it was ceramic, but it could have been a dried gourd). The old woman (a very attractive person with a pleasant but very dignified grandmotherly aura) served the drink in a wide, bowl and added just a tablespoon or two of mezcal for ‘flavor‘. It was made from a fruit that I don‘t know. It was yellow and green, larger than a large lemon but the outside texture was similar to a papaya. Now that I think of it, the flavor was similar to mango.
After leaving the mercado, we walked a short distance to a very old church. There is current concern in the village because someone has recently stolen some religious artifacts. Next we walked on a dusty path leading up a hill to the top of a royal burial site. The site wasn’t discovered until around 1963. It is believed that a king was buried there and that the tomb is filled with gold. In the early 70′s, some foreign archeologists arrived at the site and started doing some digging. The people of the village were so enraged that they hung the archeologists from a tree growing on top of the mound. No further digging has been attempted. There are several ancient tombs in Zaachila.
The town government of Zaachila is based on ancient custom and tradition, so they do not operate as a democracy. (Note of caution to the reader: Remember, I am learning all of this in Spanish, so I may have misunderstood some of the things that I am reporting to you.) The selection of leaders comes from within a certain group. Women cannot hold office. Luis also told us that each family is required to send one of their young men into public service for a year. One of their jobs is to serve as a policeman and to guard the tombs.
They have another interesting custom. When a person is going to be married, the god parents of the man (or the oldest surviving child of the godparents) is required to purchase all of the wedding clothes for both the bride and groom. (This is not considered a gift, but an obligation.) For the wedding party, the groom to be asks each of his friends to bring something. One might be asked to contribute a barrel of mezcal and another may be asked to contribute 100 loaves of bread or other food and so on. None of this food and drink is considered a gift, either. When one of the friends later has a celebration such as a wedding or when a child is baptized or any other important occasion, it is time for the original friend who got married to repay his friend. He must provide the exact same amount of the same product for the new celebration. And so on. It’s an interesting system. The people of Oaxaca love celebrations.
Next we hailed a local mototaxi for a ride to a restaurant for some lunch. The taxi was fun and reminded me of a rickshaw. In the back where we rode was basically a cart with two benches facing each other. There was just enough room for two people on each bench. The cart was totally enclosed in a blue tarp-like material. The driver was on a motorcycle that was pulling the cart. It was an exciting ride up the hill but we notice the driver using his foot to push us along on one especially steep hill!
The restaurant was very large and unique. It consisted of rows of very long tables with benches. The menus that the waiter brought were large, about 4ft x 3ft (no kidding). There was some roofing, but for the most part the restaurant was open air. Most dishes were meat based, but there were several vegetarian options. They are famous for their mole, which was served first with some chips and salsa as an appetizer.
There was a bathroom sink for washing our hands. It was near our table and was attached to one of the support beams for the room. The kitchen was huge. It covered the whole length of the restaurant — I would guess at least 50 feet. There were all kinds of different wood ovens for cooking tortillas or grilling meat and even a dome shaped wood fueled oven for baking bread. The food was great. After eating (way too much!), we walked to another section of the restaurant. There we found a well equipped playground complete with a teeter totter, a trampoline, and a small zoo of monkeys, peacocks and a goat. We sure weren’t in Kansas anymore…….
As we were leaving the restaurant we noticed the parking lot filling with police and SUV’s with the word OFFICIAL on the hoods. Luis said it was probably just some government official grabbing some lunch. I think we left just in time.
We hailed another taxi (a regular car this time) with an ‘el centro’ sign in the window. That driver drove us all the way back to the zocolo in Oaxaca. Transportation for the round trip, including the mototaxi ride cost each of us $80 pesos. Lunch was another $60 pesos each. So that was a little over $10 each in U.S. dollars for the whole day. Not bad.
Random Thoughts About Oaxaca Mexico
Today is Saturday. I had a two hour makeup lesson at 10:30 because we missed one on Thursday when we went to Zaachila. After the lesson, I spent the rest of the day just walking around the city, taking pictures, people watching, exploring. There are lots of museums and ancient churches to see, but I will save the inside tours for another day. There was a lot of activity near the center of town. There were little stalls (puestos) everywhere along many of the streets where people were selling everything imaginable such as food, clothes, toys, souvenirs, kitchen supplies, vegetables and food, cosmetics, electronics, music CD’s and DVD movies. It was busy and the little narrow sidewalks were very crowded
There are a few things here that I have noticed that are different than in my city. For instance,
Someone rings a cowbell as the trash collector approaches. This way, no one misses him and no trash has to be left at the curb. Not a bad idea as long as someone is home at the time.
Water pressure in bathroom sinks is very, very low. In the home, in the school, in public restrooms it is the same. Showers and toilets seem to work just fine, but sink faucets allow just barely a trickle of water. I don’t know if it is a method of water conservation or something else.
I heard loud sounds every night that sounded like explosions. It scared me at first, but I have been assured that they are fireworks that are being used at fiestas.
Oaxaca seems to be the fiesta capital of Mexico. There are frequent fiestas every month. The citizens of this city like parties a lot and are always celebrating something. As I was walking from el centro to the house on Friday evening I could hear music and laughing behind many walls as I passed. This is a problem for teachers since there are many, many holidays when the schools are closed. It’s hard to teach.
People of all ages are out walking in the streets from early morning until after dark.
Public transportation is cheap and even the little buses around town are clean and relatively comfortable.
There are lots of similarities, but a negative one is that there is a lot of graffiti on walls everywhere, including out in the country in farming areas. It’s a problem that Oaxaca sadlly shares with the rest of the world.
A Night Out With the Girls in Oaxaca Mexico
A night out with the girls in Oaxaca…..
Okay, so Saturday morning was the adventure to Monte Alban. Saturday night was an adventure, too, but one of a different kind.
My new friends & classmates Gia and Rosa are leaving Oaxaca to explore another part of Mexico. So, we decided to say farewell with a night on the town — just us girls, me, Gia, Rosa, and one of our teachers, Luz.
We met in front on our school, Español Interactivo then walked a couple of blocks to the Zócalo to see what was going on. It was full of people, families, teenagers, toddlers, people of all ages. The little ones were having a great time snapping the end of their 6 foot balloons and watching them fly high into the air. Sweethearts were holding hands and stealing occasional kisses and the more mature group was talking and sitting on folding chairs, waiting for the show to start. Normally, every Saturday night there is some kind of live entertainment in the Zócolo, the city center. This night it was going to be a singer. The evenings are chilly here, there was a strong breeze and the show wasn’t scheduled to start for another hour. Rather than wait in the cold we decided to go to a little restaurant to try one of the local Oaxaca specialties, Tlajuga. Hector and Leo warned me to request it ‘sin asiendo’, which is lard, but, in the excitement of the night, I forgot. (I probably mentioned that I am a vegetarian). The fact is, I hadn’t had lard for many years PRIOR to becoming a vegetarian. It’s just never been my thing. Anyway, a Tlajuga starts out as a dinner plate sized flour tortilla. A layer of asiendo is spread on the tortilla for ‘flavor’. Next they add whatever you want. They had some filled with chorizo, a Mexican sausage, other meats, and, for those who prefer v to avoid meat, they had vegetables, cheese, frijoles, tomatoes and guacamole. They then fold the tortilla in half and cook it on an open grill over burning wood. Many people love them. As for me, I will try again when I can remember to ask them to hold the lard. My first taste wasn’t fair (or good). When our Tlajugas arrived, so did a little wiener dog (It evidently was the family pet). I guess he was positioning himself for anything that might fall to the floor, but he was annoying, so Luz brushed him away. He didn’t appreciate being asked to move and yapped at her until the restaurant owners retrieved him.
The four of us had a good time anyway. Gia and Rosa do an acrobatic act (among many other very interesting and creative things). Also, Gia does puppet shows, the marionette type puppets. She was trying to write a fantasy for an upcoming show in Spanish. She read the dialogue to us and Luz. We tried to help Luz understand some of the imagery that Gia wanted to use which didn’t make sense in Spanish. Then Luz turned it around and tried to keep the imagery while making sense to a Spanish audience. It was a lot like a game of charades. and a lot of fun.
After dinner, we headed for a local club called Cafe Central. Gia heard that there was a circus there but assured us that there were no animals involved. Luz said it was a very popular club so we decided to check it out. We paid our cover charge (about $4 USD each), had our wrists stamped with a black palm tree and made our way through a room that was already packed — standing room only. After squeezing between some people along a wall in the back corner, we ordered a round of drinks (wine for Luz, a shot of mezcal for Gia and Rosa, and a coke for me.). The stage was small, probably about 15 ft. x 10 ft. The performers waited in a little mezzanine just above and to the left of the stage. The technical people were there, also. They had standing room only up there, too. The show started with a comedy routine right out of vaudeville. I think the group was from Argentina because they definitely had the accent and the Italian mannerisms. I love the look and sound of their Spanish. First there was a funny guy that warmed up the audience by demonstrating different ways to applaud. There was the gentle and reserved clapping for the ballet, the friendly clapping after someone sings a song well, and then the wild clapping and whistling and hooting type of clapping. I don’t have to tell you which one he suggested and, of course, everyone obliged. There were guys on unicycles that pulled a couple of guys out of the audience for ‘help’ in mounting the cycles. It was pretty funny as the helpers tried to hold the giant bikes upright and the cyclist kept slipping and falling on them and even hung upside down from one guy’s back. Between each act, a guy that looked a lot like Harpo Marks (Latin version) walked across the stage while sweeping with a broom and then would balance something different on his chin each time—- the broom, juggling pins, a hat, whatever was available. Then the next act appeared. There was a man and woman who did acrobatics using two long strips of cloth hanging from the ceiling — Cirque de Soule Style. They were pretty good. Another act was a woman smoking a cigarette as she sang, Summertime (and the living is easy…) with Janis Joplin style voice. She was actually my favorite. After she sang a couple songs accompanied only by a guitarist, another female acrobat reappeared and did an act on a trapeze while the other woman continued to sing a few more songs. It was all fun, but one of the most interesting things was to watch the waiters move through the crowd to serve drinks to customers. They had to hold the drinks high above their heads while negotiating a thick, distracted crowd. I kept waiting for a drink to fall on someone’s head, but, with the exception of the sound of crashing glass in a far corner of the room one time, there were not other incidents that I witnessed. Another interesting part of that same bit of choreography was when someone reordered the same drink, the waiter would just hold up the glass and /or bottle, and the bartender would see it and have the order ready for the waiter when he arrived at the bar. Amazing.
Smoking isn’t allowed in restaurants and other buildings in Oaxaca, so I foolishly expected the same rule to apply at the club. I was wrong. Every chain smoker in Oaxaca was there lighting one cigarette after another. As I imagined the yellow tar filling my lungs, I saw a card hanging on the wall which described what actions to take in case of SISMO (earthquakes, which happen frequently in Oaxaca). As I looked around the room for a safe spot or a way out, I forgot about the smoke and my lungs and started planning my escape. Finally, the performance ended. (It was fun, but the smoke and thoughts of earthquakes were distracting me). It was after midnight and both Luz and I were getting tired. Gia and Rosa (both 25) looked fresh and ready to party for the rest of the night (which they probably did). As for Luz and I, we hugged the others and said our goodbyes and caught a taxi home.
My clothes hung in the bathroom for two days before some of the smell of smoke left them. However, if you don’t mind smoke and crowds and are preferably in the age range of 21 to 35, and want to see what a vaudeville act is like, this is your place. I recommend it with only the few reservations noted above.
Watching Barack Obama take the oath of office In Oaxaca
Bill and I were in Buenos Aires in November when Barak Obama won the presidential election. Today, here in Oaxaca, I watched Barak Obama take the oath of office. It was very interesting on both occasions to watch those parts of our political system in a foreign country with people from not only Argentina and Mexico, but many other parts of the world. It’s almost impossible to really get a sense of how the rest of the world feels about the U.S. from inside our own country. It’s not hard at all from outside our country. Without going into a lot of details about politics, suffice it to say that all of the people that we have met from other countries seem to have one thing is common. They have much hope and faith in President Obama and are relieved that the mantle of power has been passed at last.
So everyone was in a festive mood and this was a day for another cooking lesson. We made a mole sauce with chocolate this time. It was served over chicken with crispy tostadas. To add to the special occasion, Luz brought out a brand new bottle of Cream of Mezcal. It was a nut flavored version with coffee overtones —- very sweet and very dangerous. We each had just a tiny bit as we still had a couple of hours of school to finish. It was a wonderful feast, though. I am hooked on mole and have authentic recipes in hand and plans for making vegetarian versions without the chicken. I can’t wait!
I had a three hour Spanish class with Luis this afternoon which lasted until a little after 6. When I got home, Leo and Hector were trying to find the source of a problem with the electricity in their living room and dining room. They assured us that the kitchen still had light and dinner would be at 7 as promised. So, they lit candles and joked about the lack of light while we ate and they waited for their neighborhood electrician. Hector poured everyone a 1/2 shot glass of mezcal — in honor of the new President and even pulled down an old mandolin and played and sang, Dos gardinias para ti…… We all had a good laugh. Soon the electrician showed up and quickly located the problem and restored the light. It was time to head up to our rooms and do homework and relax a little before bed. Ah, the end of another lovely day in Oaxaca.
Sunday in Oaxaca Mexico
Today is Sunday. I had a late and leisurely breakfast. As usual, Leo sat at the table talking with me while Hector came and went, sometimes joining in the conversation and sometimes not. I just can’t say enough good things about them – they’re great. The food that Leo cooks always tastes wonderful and is made with great pride and care and it is artfully arranged on the plates. Both Leo and Hector always make themselves available to talk with the students that stay here for as long as we want. They are genuinely nice people and are teaching us many things about the culture, the language, the government and life in Oaxaca in general.
Hector says that every Sunday at 2:30 there is live music in the zocolo. So, I will study for just a little while and then walk over there to check it out.
I have been trying to write down the names of musicians or groups that have been recommended to me here in Oaxaca. I haven’t heard their music, but they might be worth checking out. The current list is:
Ricardo Arjona, From Guatamala, I think. For deep, meaningful lyrics. Special songs Quiero (about George Bush); El Norte de Azul (I think the last word was Azul)
Silvio Rodriguez, the song Ojalá
Lila Downs. She’s a young singer. They say she has a great voice. Her mother is from Oaxaca and her father is from the U.S. She gives lots of money from her concerts to social causes in Oaxaca.
My Last Day at Español Interactivo, plus The X Convent Santa Catalina / Hotel Camino Real
Last day of school in Oaxaca.
It’s Friday, January 23 and today was the last day of my classes at Español Interactivo. I woke up a little sad, but didn’t have time to dwell on it because I had a busy day ahead of me. After another wonderful breakfast and some leisurely conversation with Leo and Hector and my fellow housemates / schoolmates Dana and Brenda, I rushed out of the house. I stopped at the neighborhood lavandaria to leave some laundry, then went to Chedraui to withdraw some pesos from one of their ATM machines. I hurried on, walking briskly in the cool, sunny morning and completed the morning walk to class in record time. It took less than 30 minutes door to door even after the two stops.
Today, Luz and I would exercise my Spanish conversation skills while we walked a few blocks to visit the X Convent Santa Catalina.
- Convent Santa Catalina lavadero where nuns washed clothes in deep stone basins
The building fills a whole city block. Several years ago, after the building had fallen into complete disrepair and was dangerously close to crumbling down, the government of Oaxaca sold it to the hotel chain Camino Real. The people of Oaxaca were angry that it was sold to a private business instead of being preserved for the community, but the restoration was going to be very costly. So, the new owners of the convent agreed that the people of Oaxaca could enter the hotel anytime they wanted to look around and enjoy the space and began the restoration, converting the pile of rubble into a spectacular site.
- Convent Santa Catalina, stairs to the pool area
The building, although painted a bright terracotta orange, is simple and plain on the outside. However, as soon as we looked through the wide, open front doors, my eyes were filled with the sight of massive, arched ceilings leading from the street, through a wide, comfortable lobby and into a lush garden area surrounded with tables and a few guests enjoying their breakfast. Hotel staff greated us warmly here and there as we freely wandered throughout the building, exploring first one place and then another. We visited the original kitchen with three massive dome shaped fireplaces along one wall. Along another wall, tucked in the corner under a dark, wood framed window we saw a series of three beautiful stone basins, evidently used by the occupants of the convent to wash their dishes. They looked like one soft, rounded, sensuous sculpture. There were at least three or four large open gardens within the convent as well as wide, shaded areas on the second floor that overlooked the gardens. There were several stairways tucked into various corners of the building. One led back down to the main floor and opened into a beautiful view of a heated swimming pool, completely decorated with a random mosaic of tiny ceramic tiles a kaleidoscope design of shades of blue. The lawn and garden area around the pool was filled with a perfectly arranged and slightly curving row of white canvas lounge chairs.
- The pool and garden at convent santa catalina
The whole area was bordered by the ornate, grey stone walls of the convent. Beautiful. Striking. Awesome. In another garden, we found a round, building with large columns supporting an ornate, dome shaped roof. In the center of the room was a large pool of moss colored water, feeding deep stone wash basins that completely encircled it. This was the laundry area of the convent, their lavandaria. I am sure it was hard work scrubbing their clothes by hand and rinsing them in the basins, but the beauty surrounding them and the cool feel of the thick stone everywhere must have helped soften the task.
In one hallway we found a row of framed pictures showing before and after pictures of the restoration. I can’t begin to imagine the cost of such a monumental task. There was also a room with two large, antique carved wooden beds preserved behind a glass door. The rooms were surprisingly large for a convent.
The X Convent Santa Catalina / Hotel Camino Real is located on Calle 5 de Mayo, north of the Zócalo. Luz said she thought the rooms cost about $300 per night (another reason there is some resentment from the local citizens – this is the poorest state in Mexcio). Every Friday night they throw a large party, called a gelagetza complete with live music, dancing and food. Again, Luz thought the price was about $300. In a location like that, I thought it would be formal, but she said it was very casual. So, if you visit the city of Oaxaca, Camino Real Hotel would be a spectacular place to stay for a few nights, a beautiful place to explore and relax for a few hours or a fun place to enjoy a party on Friday night. Here’s the website: http://www.camino-real-oaxaca.com/
Next, we continued north on calle 5 de Mayo (does cinco de Mayo sound familiar?), stopping at a few shops along the way to admire beautiful hand woven and brightly embroidered dresses and blouses, hand crafted jewelry and other crafts. The street ends at the formal, cactus filled front garden of Central Cultural Santo Domingo. It’s a massive old cathedral and convent that is now a cultural center as well as a cathedral. Inside, the walls and ceilings are completely covered with miles of colorful religious carvings and decorations covered in gold leaf. In one area, a group of artists were patiently standing on a tall web of scaffolding, building an ornately carved wall in honor of a saint, whose large, oil painted picture was propped nearby. They were covering much of their carvings with gold as well.
Behind the cathedral is a huge botanical garden on the grounds of Santo Domingo, but, since we were a little tired and wanted to sit down, we walked across the street to a cafe. We found a table in front of a leaded window upstairs and drank latte and tea as we talked and watched the people mill around in front of Santo Domingo. Luz told me another story of a period in 2006 when the government of Oaxaca and the teachers union were locked in an angry struggle. She said that she and Luis sat at that same table and viewed the destruction left by a violent struggle between the police and the strikers. (I promise I will tell as much of the whole story of that difficult year as I can remember very soon.)
By the time we finished our drinks it was almost noon, so Luz and I strolled back to the school to meet with Luis, Brenda and Dana for an excursion to the mercado, x convent, museums and art in the pueblo of Ocotlan.
Mariachi at 5 in the Morning in Oaxaca, Mexico
Is that a live band I hear and is my clock right? Is it really only a few minutes before 5 in the MORNING??
It’s around 5 A.M. on Saturday morning, long before dawn on the last full day of my stay in Oaxaca. The sudden loud sound of music and singing pulled me from a deep sleep. At first, I thought it was someone’s radio, but in my whole three weeks here I had never heard it before. Maybe it was a party in the front garden of the house next door. After 10 minutes or so with the possibility of sleeping late — at least until 7 — completely out of the question, I got up in the dark room and walked to my window to peak outside. By now I was sure that it was live music and expected to see an 8 piece band, but all I could see was the shadow of a person or two at the very outside corner of our front gate. They must have been playing in front of the house next door. From the full sound of the music, I guessed there were several men performing —- complete with several very large musical instruments.
I went back to bed and covered up my head with a pillow to try to get just a little more sleep, but the music was too loud. So, again I got up and walked across the dark room to look out of the window. By now I could see a couple of shadows, but nothing more. They sounded good, actually, so I thought “go with the flow” and pulled up a chair and just listened.
After about 30 minutes of performing (remember, this is 5 a.m.), I heard what sounded like one lone note of a police siren. A few minutes later the music stopped and I saw 5 men in black mariachi uniforms briskly walking to a waiting car. They were carrying a guitar, a bass fiddle, a horn (it sounded like a tuba), and an accordion type instrument. They disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. I can’t wait until breakfast, still a few hours away, to ask Leo and Hector if they know anything about the music. In the meantime, it looks like I am going to have few more unanticipated hours to enjoy on my last day in the city of Oaxaca.
Sherry’s final day in Oaxaca Mexico
Update to Music in the street at 5 a.m.
I asked about the band at 5 a.m. Evidently, it is a tradition here to hire a band to serenade someone who is celebrating a birthday and 5 a.m. is the preferred time. What a nice way to begin the morning of your birthday……although, for some it is a bit early!
Friday excursion to Ocatlan
There is a special mercado (market) each day of the week. Oaxaca and some of the surrounding pueblos each have their special mercado day. Each town has a permanent mercado which is open 7 days a week, but on their special designated day, venders set up their little shops under row after row of brightly colored tarps to sell their wares. My visit to Zaachila was on a Thursday for their special mercado day. Today (Friday) I traveled to Ocotlan, a pueblo just a 40 minute bus ride from the center historical district of Oaxaca.
At 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, Luis (one of our teachers at Español Interactivo), fellow students Dana and Brenda and I took a 10 minute walk from the school to a little bus station nearby. Luis purchased our tickets and we each paid him $120 pesos for the round trip — less than $9 USD. The actual tickets were probably cheaper than that as I assume Luis and the school get a percentage for their time. Still very reasonable for a 40 minute trip each way and our own personal guide. Again, the bus was medium sized with two narrow, but comfortable seats on each side. The bus had a picture of Jesus on a screen behind the bus driver and there was a rosary hanging from the rearview mirror, both common sites in Oaxaca.
The bus slowly maneuvered its way out of the station and through the narrow streets of the city and out into the countryside. We traveled along a straight highway through a dry, dusty landscape. Most of the area was farm land and we saw a few cows and goats here and there as well numerous plots of corn. There were rows of pastel colored, flat-roofed buildings clustered in tiny communities all along the way. We could see stores of every kind as well as many tiny restaurants where local people were sitting down to the midday meal. As always, the tall, dark mountains (part of the Sierra Madre del Sur range) surrounded us as we passed through a flat valley. From time to time, we would stop in the middle of what seemed like nowhere or at a bus stop, a simple, structure with a wooden or sheet metal roof, to pick up or drop off a passenger or two. It took about 40 minutes to reach Ocotlan.
We stopped in the center of the market area which was filled with people, buses, cars, trucks all moving in every direction. There was a festive feeling in the air. we saw the now familiar rows and rows of colorful tarps shading artistically arranged fruit, wooden kitchen utensils, ceramic plates and bowls, leather goods, souvenirs and handicrafts, mezcal venders, food venders, animal venders, etc. etc. etc.
Dana was hungry, so we walked into a large, terracotta painted adobe building on the edge of the mercado where a restaurant on the veranda overlooked the mercado. As we enjoyed a meal of taquitos and quesadillas with (of course) wonderful, fresh salsa, we talked and watched people. Luis is very knowledgeable of the history and local stories of the places in the area, so we listened as he told us about the history and politics and what the pueblo was known for. While we were talking we heard a person’s amplified voice talking to the crowd. Ocotlan has many abandoned mines and a company wants to reopen a gold mine. The speaker was warning the people to resist the mining company. They would surely suffer with contaminated water and soil if the mine opened and a large portion of the little water available in Ocotlan would be used for the operation of the mine instead of the families of Ocotlan. His words sounded true,
After eating we walked a short distance to the homes of some famous artists. They are the Aguilar sisters and they specialize in ceramic figures. Each sister and her family have a different style. Some of the brightly painted figures were of skeleton people, others were religious works. One represented the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were standing under a tree. Eve had an apple in her hand. The apple was obviously missing a bite. A red devil was perched in one part of the tree and a serpent was making his way toward the people from another part of the tree. There were big figures (6 ft. tall) and tiny ones only a few inches tall. There were even some that looked like Frida Kaolo and Diega Rivera. These artists sell there work all over the world.
Next we walked through the mercado for a while, looking at all of the products for sale. In one area there were live turkeys (Pavos) In another there were chickens. Of course, there was a section that sold raw meat and sausages as well as roasted meats of numerous types. We stopped at a mezcal stand and the vendedora offered us tiny plastic cups to taste the different types of mezcal. There was plain, herbal, cinnamon, orange, apple, mango, guava, and numerous others. The orange tasted a lot like Triple Sec. Our favorite was the apple. Dana and Brenda bought a bottle to share with Leo and Hector. They also bought a bottle of mezcal cream. Apparently, it has cream as well as fruit flavors in it. It’s similar to a creamy liquor. Sweet and dangerous.
After the mercado, we walked to see an x Convent (I know the word should be ex but here it’s x, meaning no longer a convent, so x it is). The Temple Santo Domingo has recently been totally restored after almost crumbling to the ground from abuse and neglect. It started as a Catholic Convent, was eventually abandoned by the church and converted into a prison. Years later, the prison closed and it became a military barracks. Each time it passed hands, the building declined. Thankfully, help came in the form of a locally born and internationally known artist, Rudolfo Morales. He died in 1991, but dedicated his fortune for restoring churches, and public buildings in Ocotlan as well as for self help and educational projects for the people of the pueblo. With the help and money from Rudolfo Morales, the building was completely restored. The front facade is covered in mosaic tiles in bright blue, yellow and white. Inside there is a baroque gold nave ceiling. In one wing of the church is a room where they claim a miracle occurred. In that room, despite being dark and dry with stone floors, a tree grew up. Because it grew under such impossible conditions, it was assumed to be a sign. Eventually, the tree died (damage from the heat of too many candles being place all around it), but the thick trunk and some of the limbs have been preserved and decorated with some green vines. As we passed by, there were a number of people kneeling around the tree saying prayers.
Part of the convent has been converted into a museum. There is art from around Mexico, but especially some of Rudolfo Morales’ work. He is known for using mostly women in his paintings and they normally look sad. One large piece was especially striking. It was a painting of a large, stern group of women in plain colored dresses holding pistols in their hands while being circled by a pack of angry, vicious dogs.
It was starting to get late so we rushed to visit the home of Rudolfo Morales which has been preserved and is open to the public. We walked inside and were met by a stone sculpture of a horse’s head in a grouping of plants. To the left, the first room we saw was a dining area complete with a brightly colored table cloth covering. The entry wall was leaded glass that had been painted with vines and flowers. The opposite wall had a large window, also leaded and beautiful with bright blue and clear glass which also contained some painting. The next room was the kitchen. The walls were almost completely covered with every size bowl and cooking dish from thimble sized to the size of a large pot. There were gas burners set into a counter of yellow and blue tiles. At the other end of the counter was a sink also sunk into the counter and decorated with the yellow and blue tiles. In another corner stood a large wooden container filled with wooden cooking spoons. Again, they were many sizes from tiny to huge ones with long handles that could be used to stir a large pot of soup or mole without getting too close to the heat. It was beautiful in a really colorful way.
We saw bedrooms and workshops and other rooms. Most of the building was white, but there were splashes of bright blue here and there. An open garden and sitting area was in the center of the house and stairs lead up to the second floor. There was covered areas for sitting on raining days and open areas to enjoy the warm sun on a cool morning.
By now it was almost 6 and it would get dark soon, so we walked back to the central mercado to catch our bus back to Oaxaca. After about 15 minutes or so, it rolled into the street and we climbed aboard for the trip home. On the way, everyone was tired and quiet. As the sun started to set behind the mountains, all of the grass on the desert turned a bright golden wheat color. As the sun sunk lower, the mountains turned black against the yellowing sky and finally everything got dark. We stopped now and then to pick someone up or drop them off. At one place, two women got on the bus, each carrying a pinata that looked like Snow White (Disney version). The pinatas were as big as the women and since the bus was getting full, they placed their pinatas on seats and stood in the aisle. What a site. The bus driver was playing some mellow Mexican music just loud enough for everyone to hear. It was a really nice ride back to town. Luis showed us where to get off the bus so we would only have about 5 blocks to walk home. It seemed easy until we got to the end of the road and weren’t sure which way to turn. There were lots of people still walking along the streets and little restaurants and businesses were still open. We stopped and asked for directions a couple of times. I had my compass and we all had maps, so we knew we were heading in the right direction. When we finally found a street with a name on it, we had no trouble finding our house. Ah, another adventure in Mexico and a wonderful dinner waiting for us at Lea and Hector’s house.
This entry was posted on January 27, 2012
