As always, it has been a little while...there are many things that have happened since my last post, but I will leave you with the highlights version.
First off...I now have a cat...something I am not sure how I feel about. About a month ago this little guy showed up at my doorstep and after a brief courting period of 2 days, a time in which I tried to resist her advances, we decided to move in with each other. Gone were my proclamations that I would never have a cat (I prefer dogs), forgotten was my mild allergy to cats that now leaves me waking up with a scratchy throat, and left behind are the days where cat hair did not adorn my clothing. What can I say? When you know, you know and now we are in the process of learning how to cohabitate. Prayers welcome ;)
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| Me with the cat...still working on a name |
Also in October, I made a quick trip back to the states to check out some grad schools. I wasn't back for long and didn't get back to Tennessee, but I did get to see my Mom for a few days as she met me in Pittsburgh! I have since made my decision on where to go to grad school and I will find myself back in South Carolina this time next year as I pursue an International MBA at the University of South Carolina.
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In Pittsburgh with my Mom. It was great to see
the beautiful fall leaves! |
Also, because it was October...aka festival season in Ciudad Guzmán...there were many parades going on throughout the month to honor our city's patron saint, Saint Joseph. Here are the famous Sonajeros of Guzmán on one of their many pilgrimage parades to the cathedral! Click
HERE for the more detailed post I wrote about these festivities last year.
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Sonajeros of Guzmán
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México REALLY loves parades. They love them to the point where I can't even begin to keep track of the significance of each parade. It isn't uncommon that I will be walking downtown on a weekend and some sort of parade is happening. Just one of those cultural quirks...it does keep life interesting as I often have to take detours due to streets being blocked off for parade traffic.
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| Me watching what seems to me like my 127th parade in Mexico :) |
Here is a pretty picture of the Ciudad Guzmán horizon at dusk. You can see the ash plume from the Volcan de Fuego's latest exhalation.
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| Cd. Guzmán at Dusk |
And now on to why my blog is entitled the long goodbye...
There were three volunteers living here in Guzmán for the past year, but today one of the 'Guz Gals' (as we have monikered ourselves) completed her service and returned to the U.S. Whitney is on her way back north as I write this. While I am excited she has completed a productive and fulfilling served and is embarking on her next adventure, it is always a bit sad to say goodbye to someone you have come to know well. I have spent the last 1.5 years knowing I could walk a few blocks down the street and say hello to a friend. I have not known a Ciudad Guzmán without Whitney so it will be an adjustment for us remaining volunteers to not have her here. That said, I am thankful for all the adventures we had together and wish her all the best in the future!
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The 'Guz Gals' in our 2015 Halloween costumes.
We are the Mexican flag, get it?!? |
In true Mexican fashion, we could not say our farewells to Whitney without first having several parties in her honor. These are called despedidas and in total I think she had 4 official despedidas. One was hosted by her office, one by the Scout organization she helped with, one by the soccer team, and one by a friend. Essentially, every organization and friend group she was a part of in Guzmán threw her a party. These parties began weeks ago, each one honoring Whitney for her time and service here. I attended many of them, which made for a very long goodbye. At times, it seemed like her despedida tour would go on forever and she would never leave (my secret hope!) as there always seemed to be another one around the corner. But alas, the time came today to say our final goodbyes. I do not have photos from all of the despedidas, but the following photos are from the party our soccer team hosted. This team gathered for food, dancing, and a touch of karaoke after sending Whitney out on a 7-0 victory in her final game.
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| One of the 3 'gatorade baths' Whitney received after the final whistle |
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| The banner the soccer team made for her final game |
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| Photo-Op with Whitney |
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| The Soccer Team...¡Vamos Spartans! |
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| Everyone taking their turn to dance with the guest of honor |
Ciudad Guzmán will not be the same without Whitney, and her departure reminded me how fleeting our time is as Peace Corps Volunteers. It is amazing how long 2 years seems when you first arrive in country, but between meeting new people, learning a language, figuring out how to be productive, and just overall building a life from scratch in a foreign city the time does fly by. Whitney's departure has inspired me to take advantage of every last day I have in this city. Before I know it my own despedida tour will arrive and I want to make sure I have no regrets when I return to life in the United States.
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From my first visit to the park with Whitney
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We will miss you down here in Cd. Guzmán Whitney, but wish you all the best. Como dicen en Mexico, no es adiós es un hasta luego :)
