living in the shadow of a volcano

As the title of this blog suggests, I thought I would share my thoughts on what it is like to live...you guessed it...in the shadow of a volcano.  Guzmán is nestled in a valley that is overlooked by 2 volcanoes, one active and one not so much.  Lucky for me, the active volcano, aka Volcán de Fuego or Volcán de Colima, just happens to be the most active volcano in México.  You cannot see much of the active volcán from the city as the Nevado blocks most of it from view, but on a clear day you can see the top of the volcán peeking out from behind the mountain ridge.

Normally, this volcán has several mini-exhalations of ash every day.  These are nothing major, just little 'burps' as I like to call them.  Here you can see one of those little 'burps'.  I took this photo last summer.

View of a mini exhalation from the Volcán de Fuego
 as seen on a day in the Parque Nacional Volcán Nevado de Colima.
~5 kilometers as the crow flies

Now you may have noticed that I said 'normally' the volcano has these mini-exhalations.  This is because starting in November, the volcano has decided to remind us that it is our living, breathing, and very much geologically active neighbor.  Since November it has not been uncommon to look towards the volcano and see ash plumes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters tall, sometimes even reaching 5,000 meters tall, interrupting the skyline. It is now mid-March and the volcano is still treating us to spectacles such as this:

The snowy Nevado peak with the erupting volcán in the distance as seen
on my morning commute to work- not a bad way to start the day!

On average, this volcano has a major eruption every 100 years.  The last major eruption was in 1913- a little over a hundred years ago.  This likely explains why it has been more active of late. When I first heard about its 100 year eruption cycle and then the volcano started having these bigger 'burps' I became slightly concerned. This makes you think a little bit about what you would do in the event of a volcano eruption.  This is not a natural disaster we prepare for in schools.  Somewhere in the middle of all the tornado drills, earthquake drills, and fire drills we had in elementary school they forgot to include the volcano drills! I guess I'll let my school off the hook on that one though considering it is not a situation we really have to worry about in the U.S as there are not many active volcanoes around...

Side note: This got me curious about which volcanoes are closest to East Tennessee.  I found that there was an active volcano in Virginia 47 million years ago.  Incidentally, the remnants of this volcano are now known as Mole Hill.  I must say I kind of feel bad for this volcano, nothing takes the wind out of your sails like being named Mole Hill as this is not exactly a name that makes you quake in your boots. Volcán de Fuego (Or Fire Volcano) is a name much more befitting of a volcano.

Ok tangent over- So these bigger exhalations made me reflect somewhat on what to do if there really was an eruption and my conclusion was that there really seems to be no excellent option other than to just get out of there.  I even asked my neighbors, native Guzmanites, if they knew what they would do in the event of an eruption and they just chuckled and said 'go inside I guess'.  Not exactly a fool proof option. 

However, I don't mean to worry anyone. With today's technology if there were any significant eruption that seemed to be on the horizon, we would be given sufficient warning to high-tail it out of there (no big eruption is predicted anytime soon by the way).  After 4ish months of bigger exhalations I am no longer on edge about this lovely volcano neighbor of ours. I think he just wanted some attention, which he has received.  When he first started acting up I would receive texts from family and friends at home saying they saw an article or news clip in the U.S. news about some volcano in México erupting and wondered if I lived near it.  Peace Corps staff have also checked in on us just to be safe.  If attention is what it wanted, the volcano gets an A+ for its efforts.  Now the act has gone on long enough that seeing exhalations like this signifies just another normal day...which is too bad as it is pretty neat to see the ash plumes decorate the sky.

Ash plume being redirected by the wind

However, given that the volcano is so near to us, there are a few drawbacks to these larger exhalations. Aside from the potential danger, when you have a large amount of ash filling the sky, eventually it will start to affect you.  

Exhibit A:

 I ride my bike to work most days, and one day as I was returning home I noticed I was inhaling what seemed to be a lot of dirt and it would also get in my eyes.  This was in the early days of these exhalations, so I didn't immediately connect the dots, but eventually I realized this 'dust' was actually ash.  On the 'ashier' days you will see people on the streets with face masks, sometimes I wish I had one as inhaling ash can irritate your throat and nose a bit.  

Exhibit B:

On occasion, the ash will put the city in a haze that you may mistake for just a cloudy day. However, this misperception is cleared up when you go online and see that sure enough- there has been a big exhalation that day.  

Exhibit C:

At times I have even seen the ash fall from the sky and onto my arms.  I will also return to my bike after it was outside all day and have to wipe the ash that has accumulated that day off my seat.   On occasion, you will also notice that all of the cars in the city appear that they have just returned from a day of mudding or something.  It took me a second to realize why all the cars in the city looked like this one day...hint: it's the ash.

Ash residue on a car

There you have it...those are some of the tales that come from living near a very active volcano. After making peace with the fact that this volcano is just having some fun being noticed :), I find it pretty remarkable that on any given day I may get to see a volcanic eruption.  

Also, I wanted to mention that this past week marked one year since my arrival in México.  My group arrived for training on March 19th, 2014.  It is hard to believe I have already been here one year.  It has certainly been full of adventure, lots of learning, and many surprises. I can't wait to see what excitement and experiences the next year brings!

1 year in México!

A tourist in México

Well...I'm back!  Sorry it has been quite awhile since I posted.  Since I last wrote, Christmas has passed, a new year has begun and I am 2 months older.  My bad on that...hopefully the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" applies here and you will love this blog more than ever after reading this post.  Fingers crossed.

So to catch you up on what has happened...

December- Went back to the states for Christmas.  Split my time between Tennessee and Florida so I could see all my family.  It was great to be back and see everyone after 9 months away from the homeland.  I was sure to gorge myself on all the American food I do not have available to me here.  Papa Johns, Barbecue, and Panera were some of the highlights.  Oh and Christmas cookies as well!

January- My office is pretty slow over the winter months so nothing to note work wise.  However, At the end of January my parents, aunt and brother came down for a visit.  This is where my blog picks back up again as I will fill you in on this adventure.  I played the part of host and tourist on this trip as I showed them around Ciudad Guzmán where I live, while also visiting many places that were new to me as well.

The group at the Pyramids of Teotihuacán (outside México City)

The first few days of the trip were spent in Guadalajara, which is the closest major airport to me and a 2 hour bus ride from Ciudad Guzmán.  After meeting them at the airport and checking into a hotel and we promptly headed for a Mexican cantina where fittingly a live mariachi band was playing. This allowed them to experience in its full glory how loud Mexicans like their music, something I have the pleasure of enjoying daily.  We stayed in the artisan Tlaquepaque area where we enjoyed walking the pedestrian streets while exploring the galleries and artisan shops that it is known for.  We also ventured out to Guadalajara's Centro Historico (Historic Center) where we saw the Guadalajara Cathedral and the murals by the famous Mexican muralist, José Clemente Orozco, who incidentally, is from Ciudad Guzmán. 

Guadalajara Cathedral in the Centro Historico

Sitting outside of Mom's favorite
gallery in Tlaquepaque

On one of our days in Guadalajara we took a day trip to the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco (which is a big state and the one I live in). This is the birthplace and home of that beverage that maybe has caused you a headache or two, but only after it  provided you with a few good stories first.   In order to be called Tequila the drink has to be made in the state of Jalisco (with Tequila being the epicenter of where the distilleries are located) and the beverage has to be 100% made from the blue agave plants famous to the area.  While in Tequila we took a tour of the distillery Herradura to learn about the process of making Tequila.  If you go on a tour of a distillery this is the one to go to, it is the only distillery still located in its original location.  So while they have the modern-day sophisticated Tequila-making distillery, you can also tour the original factory built in 1870.  We had a great time learning about the agave plant and the entire process of making Tequila, from plant to bottle.

While it is still not my favorite alcohol, I have a much greater appreciation of Tequila.  I also know the kind of Tequila I prefer now thanks to the tasting they give you after your tour of the distillery...I prefer the blancos (white) to the reposados (amber).  Fun fact: the only reason that some tequilas are the amber color is because they were aged in barrels, whereas the blancos were not.  Knowing this, you can kind of taste the slightly smoky flavor the barrel aging process gives this type of Tequila.  So I guess I am one step closer to being a Tequila snob, perhaps a requisite for anyone who has lived in México.

Preparing the blue agave for the ovens

Loading the agave in the ovens where it bakes and
the sweet juices are then used for the drink

Blue Agave juices post baking...it is very sweet!

Barrel aging process for the Reposado variety

Final step- taste testing!  The blue capped bottle is my favorite

After our exploration of Guadalajara and our newfound expertise in Tequila.  It was time to continue on with our trip by heading south to Ciudad Guzmán so the fam could see where I call 'home' these days.  It was great for them to see my apartment, city, and work and get some perspective as to what my daily life/living is like.  Now my family knows has an idea of what it means when I say "I just got home from the market".  Ciudad Guzmán is no longer a mythical place they have to imagine in their heads.

Mike checking out produce at the market.  They were
impressed by the low price of berries here.

I enjoyed showing them around the city, despite it being an extremely hot day.  Family being family, a subject of much concern upon seeing my apartment was that I didn't have any decorations on the wall in the living room.  It seemed as though if I did not fix that soon, the trip may be derailed, so we went out and bought double sided tape so I could put decorations on the wall.  With this problem resolved we could all breath easier.  I will say upon reflection that it is nice to have something on the wall, makes the place seem more homey.

 Kitchen tour, they brought me
spices and Reese's cups from the U.S.!

After our tour of Guzmán the next leg our trip took us to México City or D.F. as they call it here. México is home to between 23 and 26 million people depending on who you ask, making it one of the biggest cities in the world.  I had only ever been to the airport before so I was excited to explore the big city.  We went to museums where we learned about the history of the Mayans, Aztecs, and other indigenous groups who at one point called México home.  We also visited México's national history museum...of note there was that México considers the annexation of Texas to the U.S. one of its greatest losses/national tragedies in its history, so be sensitive if the topic ever comes up in conversation with a Mexican national.   We toured the city's historical center and Zócalo plaza (this is the main city square in México City, one of the largest in the world), wandered around the Bosque de Chapultepec which reminded me of Central Park in terms of size and its location in the middle of the city, visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Pyramids of Teotihuacán, walked around the Polanco neighborhood, saw some of Diego Rivera's famous murals and enjoyed some fine dining.

The tilma, or cloak, with the image of
the Virgin Mary

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination in the world.  Six million people visit the church on Our Lady of Guadalupe Day on December 12.  On a normal day, thousands are there and Mass is celebrated on the hour from 6am to 8pm.  It is an impressive amount of people to see visiting the site.  Having attended Catholic school, I have heard the story behind the significance of this place many times, so seeing this landmark was a big deal.  The jist of the story is the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant named Juan Diego on top of a hill and told him to build a church in her honor on the same hill.  The church elders were skeptical of Juan Diego's story so in order for Juan Diego to prove to them he had really seen the Virgin Mary, she provided him an assist by making an image of the herself (the famous painting of the Virgin Mary you now see everywhere) appear on his cloak, or tilma. To this day, the image has not faded even though it should have given that this ever occurred in 1531.  I believe this is what they call a miracle.

Avenue of the Dead at the Pyramids of Teotihuacán

We also were able to visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Located 30 miles outside of México City they were built in the Pre-Columbian period.  The city was established in 100 BC and fell in 550 AD.  At its zenith, Teotihuacán was the largest city in Pre-Columbian America with a population of 125,000 people.  They are still excavating new sites, only a fraction of the city has been discovered, while also restoring the pyramids you see today.  The pyramids don't look particular steep from afar, but when you are standing close you can see how steep they are.  I am happy to report that we all made it to the top where we enjoyed a bird's eye view of the ancient city.

Pyramid of the Sun: The biggest of the pyramids

Park in the Polanco neighborhood of México City

On Sundays in México City they shut down one of the city's main streets and allow bicycles and pedestrians to walk around care free that day.  This is quite a big deal considering México City has some of the worst traffic in the world.   This was our meandering around the city day so it made for a very pleasant walk as thousands of bikers took advantage of the car-free street.  We walked around Polanco, which is a nice neighborhood with great restaurants and enjoyed the leisurely atmosphere that only a Sunday can bring.  México City has a great cosmopolitan vibe, which inevitably is a result of its size.  Maybe it is because I live in a place so opposite of it right now, but I really enjoyed exploring this big city.

Guacomole with chapulines (crickets) on top

Crickets are a popular appetizer in México so I made sure we tried them on our trip.  We had them on top of our Guacamole.  They don't taste like much, just crunchy and slightly salty.  The main thing they add to your Guacamole is a crunch.  Maybe this could on the menu for next year's Super Bowl Party!

Evening view of the Zócalo in the city's Centro Historico.
To the left is México's Parliament building

"Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central"
by Diego Rivera

We were able to see a couple of Diego Rivera's murals including his famous "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central".  Fittingly, we saw this mural after walking through the same Alameda (a park) on a Sunday afternoon.  It is quite amazing how much historical significance is behind all the images in the mural.  I loved the bright colors in this particular mural.

An Evening in México City

I think that covers most of the highlights from our trip.  In true Soike fashion we made it a busy one, but we were able to experience a lot in just 8 days!  I joke that I consider a vacation unsuccessful if you don't feel like you need another vacation to recover from your vacation as we really try to see all that we can when visiting a new place.  We all had a great time and I enjoyed showing my family around México and also exploring places that were new to me as well! 

If anyone is feeling a trip to México is in order I'd be happy to show you around!

'Tis the season...of Posadas

It's Christmas time!  While billions of people celebrate Christmas each year, the manners in which we celebrate are highly variable.  Just as each family has their own traditions...mine likes to tap into our Danish roots by baking up some aebleskivers for breakfast...so does every country.  Over the past few weeks I have learned how the Mexicans like to celebrate...and no surprise to this volunteer, it includes a lot of fiestas.

In México, December 12 marks the Día de la Virgin Guadalupe, or Day of the Virgin Mary.  This holiday is particularly significant in México City as thousands of people travel to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe to pay homage.  In Guzmán, the main celebration includes a gathering of people outside one of the churches with live music, food, and again, no surprise to this volunteer, a castillo! I don't think you could call it a holiday here without igniting one of these firework-laced contraptions but I digress...

December 12 is significant in terms of Christmas celebrations because it marks the beginning of Posada season.  Starting on December 13 and running until the 24th (Posadas also begin earlier in December, the timeline is not really strict) people begin hosting Posadas.  These are essentially holiday parties.  Posadas are hosted by a variety of people including; offices, organizations, friends and family.  I was able to go to a handful of Posadas, some for work organizations, one where I take Spanish classes, and one with friends. They can be big or small, elaborate or simple, at a restaurant or in a house.  While these characteristics vary, most of them seem to include the following things...

Ponche: A warm, cider-esk drink with slices of fruit bobbing around in it for you to consume. Apple is the boldest flavor of this drink.  It is also perfectly acceptable to add a few drops of tequila in your glass.  I was told that doing this was the key to staying healthy during the chillier winter months in México.  Not wanting to put my health at risk I obliged and added a little tequila myself...safe to say it kicks it up a notch.

Tamales: Your traditional tamales...some with meat, some with cheese, some with fruit.  There are a plethora of varieties here.

Buñuelos: A thin and crispy, fried cookie most commonly found in the form of a snowflake/flower form depending on your interpretation. They are quite tasty, but how can you really go wrong with fried dough and sugar?

Piñatas: Fun fact- instead of cardboard they put candy in a clay jar and decorate around it.  I participated in one Piñata bashing (blindfolded) and was confused when I struck the Piñata as it felt like I was hitting a wall...When I took the blindfold off a few strikes later I investigated and saw it was a pot inside the piñata I was hitting!  It takes a little longer to break the Piñata when it is a pot...

Somewhere under the pink there is a clay pot
full of candy

Now that we know what happens at a Posada, what is the significance? Posadas (which means inn and "dar Posada" means "to give" shelter) are meant to represent the journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem and how they had to ask for places to stay along the way.  So by hosting Posadas, the invitees are representing Mary and Joseph while the hosts represent the Inn owners.  There is even a song that is sung at the beginning of some, Posadas that represents a back and forth conversation between Mary and Joseph and Inn keepers as they request lodging.  A group of people will stand on one side of a door or gate while the other group will be on the other side and they sing back and forth to each other.   There are different versions of the song, but I will share the version I heard.  

Afuera- Outside group representing Mary and Joseph

En el nombre del cielo,                     In the name of heaven,

os pido posada,                                 We ask for shelter

pues no puede andar                        because my beloved wife cannot go further

mi esposa amada

Adentro- Inside group representing the innkeepers

Aquí no es mesón                              This is not an inn

sigan adelante                                   Continue on

yo no puedo abrir                              I cannot open my doors

no sea algún tunante                        You may be a rogue

Afuera

Venimos rendidos                            We are worn out                         

desde Nazaret;                                 all the way from Nazareth               

yo soy carpintero                             I am a carpenter

de nombre José                                named Joseph

Adentro

No me importa el nombre                 Nevermind your name

déjenme dormir                                 Let me sleep

pues ya les he dicho                          I've already told you

que no voy a abrir                            I will not open the door

Afuera

Posada te pide,                                 We request lodging,

amado casero,                                  dear innkeeper,

por solo una noche,                         for only one night

la Reina del Cielo                            for the Queen of Heaven

Adentro

Pues si es una reina                        Well, if it is a Queen

quien lo solicita                                who is asking

¿cómo es que de noche                    Why is it that she's out at night

anda tan solita?                               wandering so alone

Afuera

Mi esposa es María,                         My wife is Mary

es Reina del Cielo                            She is the Queen of Heaven

y Madre va a ser                              She will be mother

del Divino Verbo                             to the divine word

Adentro

¿Eres tú, José?                                Is that you Joseph?

¿Tu esposa es María?                     Your wife is Mary?

Entren peregrinos,                          Enter pilgrims,

no los conocía                                 I did not recognize you

Afuera

Dios Pague Señoras,                      May the Lord reward you

su gran caridad                               for your charity

y los colme el cielo                          and may the sky

de felicidad                                     be filled with happiness

Adentro

Dichosa la casa                               Happy home

que alberga este día                        harboring on this day

a la Virgin Pura                              the Pure Virgin

la hermosa María                            the beautiful Mary

While the Door or gate is being opened everyone comes together to sing the following verse:

Entren Santos Peregrinos                 Enter Holy Pilgrims

reciban este rincón                            receive the corner

no de esta pobre morada                  not this poor dwelling

sino de mi corazón.                            but my heart

Este noche es de alegría                  Tonight is for joy

de gusto y regocijo                            for pleasure and rejoicing

porque hospedaremos aquí             for tonight we will give lodging 

a la Madre de Dios Hijo                   to the Mother of God's Son

After the song ends, the Posada begins!

I took a video of this song at one Posada, but the sound quality was bad.  However, if you click here you can hear a version of the song (it doesn't follow this version exactly, but it is pretty close).

Nativity Scene in the Centro

Aside from Posadas, México has another unique tradition, Pastorelas Navideñas.  These are similar to Christmas pageants, but with a twist.  The storyline for a pastorela is the shepherds from the Christmas story are trying to visit Baby Jesus, but are faced with many obstacles on their journey.  These obstacles are crafted by the Devil and his helpers, but the shepherds receive help from the angels in order to overcome these obstacles and eventually are able to find their way to Baby Jesus.  There isn't a set script for these Pastorelas, which allows for some creativity especially when it comes to deciding what the obstacles will be.  The teachers at the school at take Spanish classes at wrote and performed one that I was able to watch.  It was quite entertaining as all of the teachers were very into their performances...it reminded me of the notoriously dramatic telenovelas Spanish speaking countries are known for!

Pastorela Navideña performance 

So there's your account of how México does Christmas.  I will not be in México on Christmas Day itself as I am heading back the States for the holidays.  This will mark my first trip back home since arriving in México. I plan to spend time with family and friends as well as gorge myself with foods you can't find in México (Chick-fil-a, sweet tea, barbecue etc.)  I guess based on these cravings you can definitely tell I am from the south!  

From this volunteer to you...

I wish you a...

Surprise!

The other week I closed out my classes with the schools I had been working with over the past semester.  Christmas break was near and it seemed to be the right time to end my term as a visiting teacher.  The plan is to start up with new schools in January and embark on a new adventure and see where those partnerships lead me. On my last day at one of the schools I was treated to quite the surprise.  When I walked in the door I was fully anticipating teaching my final class.  We were going to play a game reviewing the concepts we had gone over since I began teaching classes there.  However, upon entering the classroom I was greeted by this performance:

I was completely surprised, but the fun didn't stop there! They had also brought in snacks and which made this a full blown fiesta to commemorate my final day at the school.  I quickly realized I would not be doing my review game, but "ni modo" as they say here, which means 'what are we going to do about it'.  I think all parties involved had a better time enjoying the food, chatting, and taking what seemed to be a never ending stream of selfless with me anyway.  I was quite surprised by how many kids had phones with which to take photos with....these kids are in 6th grade mind you!  I very much enjoyed this impromptu party and am grateful for all the support the 2 schools I have worked with this year have given me in my first months as a volunteer. 

After my classes ended there hasn't been much going on in December as it is a slow month.  Taking advantage of the slowness, I was able to help out Whitney with her mural in the park last week.  I had previously worked on the mural in August and just thought I would post a picture on the progress.  It is coming together nicely!  

Wall #2 complete!

Painting close up...lots of detail!

Other view

A Mexican Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is probably the most uniquely American holiday we celebrate.  While people may argue that the 4th of July holds this distinction, I disagree.  Every country has their own version of the 4th of July to celebrate either the signing of a declaration or the end of a revolution.  How countries celebrate their Independence may differ from country to country, but the sentiment is the same, it's a birthday party for the country.  Thanksgiving, however, is uniquely American- something I don't think I entirely appreciated until I spent this holiday in México.

Firstly, try describing to someone who has no prior knowledge of the holiday, the significance of Thanksgiving.  This past week I found myself explaining Thanksgiving to my coworkers and as I was talking, I realized how silly it must seem to someone who has no prior knowledge about Thanksgiving that we have a holiday to celebrate Indians and Pilgrims sharing a meal together???  Growing up as an American, I know there is more significance to the holiday than that, but at its most basic, this is what we are celebrating.  For their part, in order to try and understand the significance of Thanksgiving,  many of my coworkers would try to equate it to another Mexican holiday..."Is it like 16 de Septiembre?" (their independence day) or "20 de Noviembre" (Revolution day).  After them throwing out many holidays to try and find one that is even a little bit similar, we come to the conclusion that there is not a similar holiday in the Mexican calendar.

Secondly, given the the fact that there is no other holiday quite like it in México, or anywhere else, how does one explain why it is such a big deal in the states.  How has celebrating a meal shared between the Pilgrims and Indians become what is in my opinion, one of the two most significant holidays in America (the other being Christmas)?  That is something I could not even begin to explain to my coworkers, as I do not know the answer myself.  While I think Thanksgiving is deserving of its stature as one of the top holidays, I do not know how such a seemingly insignificant act of sharing a meal ad giving thanks for the year's blessings has come to be so significant in American culture.

Despite the fact that I have rambled on here for quite some time about Thanksgiving and how American it is, the funny thing is, I have probably never had a more American Thanksgiving than I did here in México.  For starters, Whitney invited us to Thanksgiving at her house.  She invited Cassie and me, people from her office, and friends in the community. Her idea being, what a great opportunity this would be to share an American tradition with those that have shared so much with us about the Mexican culture...something I couldn't agree more with.

For some time this was the only thing I thought I would be doing to commemorate Thanksgiving, but very suddenly my week became very full with Thanksgiving activities, hence how I had one of the most Thanksgivingy Thanksgivings ever.  Here is a rundown of some of my activities:

-Bring apple pie bars to the office to commemorate the day with my coworkers.  I enjoyed doing this as no one expected it and I got to share a little bit about Thanksgiving with everyone.
-Judge an English Spelling Bee at the school where I recently began taking Spanish classes. There was also a Thanksgiving celebration afterwards with the English students and teachers dressed as Pilgrims, Indians, and Turkeys. They also performed a skit commemorating Thanksgiving.  See what I mean when I say my Thanksgiving was very Thanksgivingy...I felt like I was in the states...I mean the skit was even in English!
-Thanksgiving Feast in the evening...finally!

Whitney describing each dish

It is a little bit tricky to make a Thanksgiving dinner in México as they do not carry all the same ingredients as we do. This meant we had to be a little creative with some of the recipes.  For example, there are no fresh or canned cranberries to be found here, but they do have dry cranberries.  Whitney had the foresight to look up a recipe to see if you could make cranberry sauce from dried cranberries and what do you know, you can...and they are quite tasty!  Completing our meal was turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, honey wheat bread, apple pie, a strawberry tort, and my additions of green bean casserole, sautéed spinach, and dipping into my southern roots-homemade mac and cheese! All in all I felt we did an excellent job creating a traditional Thanksgiving meal in México.  The only 'missing' items were sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.  All the food was excellent and we had a great evening celebrating the holiday.  Our Mexican guests all seemed to enjoy the food, even if they asked where the chile was!

The complete spread

Cassie whipping up the whipped cream

After Thursday ended I thought that besides eating leftovers, this would mark the end of my Thanksgiving celebrations.  Oh how I was wrong.  Friday, I had a Spanish class and my teacher invited me to the annual Thanksgiving that was later that night that the school hosts for the employees and any Americans they know in Guzmán who may be missing out on Thanskgiving (I believe there were 3 Americans there). I showed up not really knowing what to expect, but turns out there was another traditional Thanksgiving feast awaiting me.  There were probably 30 people there, none of whom I really knew, but I enjoyed getting to know some new people in the city.  This feast included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, fruit salad, AND sweet potatoes!  If you recall sweet potatoes were one of the foods I was missing from the previous night's feast.  And to further satiate my southern taste buds they happened to be mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. After devouring the food, enjoying some of Guzmán's traditional Ponche de Granada (a pomegranate flavored alcoholic drink), and listening, but not participating in, karaoke, my second Thanksgiving for 2014 was in the books.

After my second feast- notice the sweet potatoes!

Again, I thought I was done with Thanksgiving activities at this point, but at the feast I was invited to a little program the next day the school was hosting.  So the next day I appeared yet again at the school to find little booths full of thanksgiving facts and food samples the teachers had prepared for the students at the school.  Food samples included cornbread, mashed potatoes, pizza (?), and PUMPKIN PIE.  Now pumpkin pie was the only traditional food I had been missing from my previous two feasts and while they called this pumpkin pie it tasted nothing like the dessert.  It was more of a cheesecake flavor, but I did appreciate the fact that I still got to eat a dessert that someone at least called pumpkin pie.  Also, I'm not sure where they got their information about eating pizza on Thanksgiving, but the teachers were saying it is traditional to eat pizza before the Thanksgiving feast.  I personally have never eaten pizza on Thanksgiving, but I was amused hearing non-Americans describing the Thanksgiving holiday and the traditions even though some things may have been slightly off.  I also "learned" that apparently pumpkin pie is only traditional for African Americans to have on Thanksgiving!

After this event, my marathon of Thanksgiving activities came to an end.  I must say it now feels strange to think that I had worried that I may not be able to do my favorite holiday justice in México.  After not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Thanksgiving themed activities I managed to celebrate this holiday more thoroughly than I probably would have in the United States.  Now I may not have had my immediate family with me to celebrate Thanksgiving, but my family in México of fellow volunteers and new friends sure came through to make Thanksgiving 2014 one I will never forget.

Thanksgiving skit by students from the English language school

Work Update

You may have been wondering what I actually do here in México, or if you haven't I bet you are now...
The first few months of any volunteer's service are spent figuring out what you can do to help your community.  For me, I quickly found myself venturing out to the schools in Ciudad Guzmán inquiring if they had any interest in a gringa coming around to teach the kids about environmental topics. Fortunately for me, the schools said they did and off I went!
So far I have taught at 2 schools, primarily teaching students in the 5th and 6th grades. I started in September and this week will mark my last week at these specific schools as I will find new ones to work at in the new year.  This has been a learning experience for me for a couple of reasons:

1) I had no formal classroom teaching experience prior to this
AND
2) I had to teach in Spanish, a language I am still getting the hang of and probably will be for the rest of my service and beyond...so many things to learn!

Here are some photos from my classes:

Students digging for trash pieces in the mini landfills we
made to observe decomposition rates

Happy kids!

I will be eternally grateful to these schools for letting me come every week.  They were very patient with me as I learned how to teach.  Some classes went better than others as I tried out activities and figured out what works and what doesn't.  I'm happy to say that in my opinion I have progressed greatly in 3 months (most of that due to my Spanish improving) and I look forward to continuing that trend in the coming year.

Lately I have also been out visiting rural communities in the area.  This past month my other mission at work right now is to find a rural community to work in (I think after much searching I have finally found one, yay!).  In my efforts to find a suitable community I have been traveling to various communities and here are some photos from those trips.

Inauguration ceremonies in the community of Ferrería in honor of
 the opening of their Casa de Paja
(aka a straw house, a cheap and durable way to build a building)

Respiratory section of the medicinal garden located
behind the Casa de Paja

Lombricomposta (worm compost)

View of the completed Casa de Paja

View of the medicinal garden in the community Epenche

My office works in various rural communities by providing them with the training and funding to build medicinal gardens, worm composts, and casas de paja (among other things).  Usually it is a group of between 15-25 women, or Señoras, in the community that provide the manpower for these projects. Once the women learn the ins and out of growing the medicinal plants they are able to sell products such as soaps and oils.  It seems to take a few years for the women to learn the tricks of the trade and organize themselves to do this, but once they do it is an added income source for their families...every bit of money helps in these small communities far away from cities.  I love the warm and welcoming people you find in the more rural areas which is why I'm looking to work in one, plus I feel I could be useful. My plan would be to go and visit the community every week or so and provide assistance as needed whether that is teaching kids or picking up trash, I am open to whatever!

For the inauguration ceremonies in these communities we were served A LOT of food.  Here is a view of one of the meals I was served...although this one was a little oily and greasy for my taste and I am 99.9% sure was the source of a recent stomach bug I had, I still appreciate the gesture!

Meat, beans, rice, tortillas, and coke to wash it down: typical Méxican meal

While touring a community I  found corn about 10 feet tall! 

Here ends your little update on my work happenings in México.  I also want to say Happy Thanksgiving! to everyone back home.  Be sure to eat a little extra pumpkin pie for me as that will be missing from my Thanksgiving meal this year...turns out there is not enough demand for pumpkin pie mix in México for it to be found in the supermarkets.  I will have to 'settle' for apple pie this year :)

October 23rd

Before I get to the significance of October 23rd, I wanted to quickly recap a few events that took place.  It has been a busy few weeks here in México.  In September, all the volunteers in my group, PCM-16, traveled back to Querétaro for a week long training.  In Peace Corps lingo this particular training is called, Early In-Service Training or EIST.  EIST comes after your first 3 months in site and serves as a time for the group to get back together and share stories and experiences from our sites.  A large part of EIST focuses on how to develop and manage projects.  Now that we all have 3+ months in site and we know our ways around our offices and cities a little better there it is about time for us to plan and implement projects.  This training helps prepare us for this undertaking... (I realized recently I haven't really posted a blog about what I do here, so that post will be coming up shortly...my bad).

After our EIST finished, all of the Peace Corps volunteers in México joined us later in the week in Querétaro for two events. The first was for a technical forum on Climate Change our counterparts attended as well.  We had a keynote speaker, roundtable discussions, and then a variety of afternoon sessions you could choose to attend. Personally, I chose a session on classroom management skills as I have been working in schools and thought this would be useful...and what do you know, it was! This was a well thought out and professional event organized by Peace Corps. I think everyone who attended learned something new that day which is what I would call a success!

Picture of all the México volunteers and their counterparts during the technical forum

The second event all the volunteers participated in was the All-volunteer conference.  A much more casual affair :).  This was volunteer led and organized and consisted of a variety of sessions we could choose to attend.  Everything from project development to Mexican cooking to a storytelling workshop were session topics.  The sessions were all facilitated by volunteers and provided a chance for us to learn from each other's experiences.  This was very useful as there are only a few people who can relate to the experiences and challenges you go through as a volunteer in Peace Corps México and those people are your fellow volunteers.  This type of conference usually happens every 2 years so I may or may not be around to attend another one, but it was a great experience to meet ALL of the volunteers (I had not met a good chunk of them before this event).

Enjoying late night tacos at the hotel, I love everyone's faces in this picture!  It was awesome to see everyone from PCM-16 (and all the other volunteers) during our week in Querétaro.  

More recently, and in terms of recent, I mean yesterday, Ciudad Guzmán celebrated their Patron Saint, San José (Joseph).  I think just about every city in México has a patron saint and each year there is a celebration in honor of their Patron Saint.  For Guzmán, this day is the 23rd of October.  Leading up to the 23rd, we have had the Feria in town (think of a small scale state fair type event, with a ferris wheel, pirate ship rides, games where you win stuffed animals, carnival food, arts and crafts, and LOTS of fireworks/castillos).  The culmination of these celebrations come on the 23rd in the form of a parade that ends on the steps of the Catedral de San José.

Top: Empty streets in the Centro lined with chairs people set out the night before to save a spot

Bottom Left: Cassie looking like a tourist and passing the time before the parade by writing postcards.

Bottom Right: Catedral de San José

We were warned that you need to get to the parade route early to claim a seat. Cassie and I took that to heart and arrived at 9am...the parade didn't start until 12pm.  However, we did end up with good seats. A lot of people had set out chairs the night before so in the end it was probably a good idea we got there early, but it meant we were in for a long day of waiting and sitting.  Not only did we wait a long time for the parade to begin, but the parade itself was 4 hours long.  It didn't help that it was a swelteringly hot day as the sun baked us in our seats, but we were true Guzmanites this day as we stayed until the end of the parade. In total we spent 7 hours at the parade, including waiting for it and then watching.  It was good there were two of us as we were able to take breaks and walk around as the other guarded our spot...teamwork!

Horses made up the first part of the parade.  I think we watched horses walk be for about an hour.

Top Left: This was maybe my favorite part of the parade, a man standing on his horse, swinging his lasso around the horse...impressive

Top Right:  If you look closely you will notice the rider holding a beer, this was not an uncommon sight, something I found quite amusing as the riders drank their way through the parade.

Bottom Left: Least favorite part of the parade- for whatever reason boys are allowed to whip these 'toy' whips at every possible moment.  When they whip them they make a loud noise which isn't fun, but they whip their whips in crowded areas, making innocent bystanders have to dodge these dangerous toys.

Bottom Right: Not really sure the story behind these guys, but their costumes are fascinating

Top Left: Looks like the heat has gotten to this boy

Top Right & Bottom Left: The Sonajeros.  The majority of the parade consisted of the various groups of Sonajeros that exist in the area (there are a LOT).  I'm not entirely sure of their significance, but they have fun costumes and rattles they shake as they do a simple dance step as they pass by.  

Bottom Right: There were 11 of these 'floats' that passed by depicting various religious scenes honoring San José

Besides the Sonajeros and the horses, these Aztec inspired dance groups were the other main feature of the parade.  Their dances were a bit more complicated than those of the Sonajeros and the costumes even more elaborate.  As you can see in the bottom left photo they start them young! 

Those pictures pretty much sum up the parade.  There was not a huge amount of variety in the parade despite its 4 hour duration. We saw horses, a lot of Aztec dancers, and even more Sonajeros, but it was still fun to experience.  After witnessing this event that people mention all year, I feel like I am one step closer to being a full-fledged resident of Ciudad Guzmán!