Finally an update

I know, I've failed at blogging these past few months.  I've had tons to say, lots of pictures to show, yet no motivation to actually sit down and write.  Recently however, some of my cousins have departed to far off lands such as Hawaii and Bhutan and I absolutely LOVE seeing pictures of their lives there and reading their daily updates....so it has re-inspired me to try this blogging thing again, because well, there might be some of you still hanging around who are interested in what the hell I've been up to in Mexico these past few months....because despite what the blog has portrayed, I've actually been partaking in some pretty cool things, so I’ll try to be better about telling you all about it.

Here is a quick update of my past few months (and then some pictures to boot):

Jonny and I went to an ex-pat, potluck Thanksgiving.  It consisted of 40 people and tons of food.  Someone's food made me sick and I woke up at 5am throwing up.

Once the puke subsided I took a 30 minute flight to the beach (it is either a 30 minute flight or a 6.5 hour bus ride of hell).  My friends were there, as was a 3 day weekend.  Life was good.  I read, ate seafood, worked on my tan and giggled with girlfriends.  I also helped to release 150 baby sea turtles into the sea.  I wrote a report about sea turtles in 4th grade, and have always wanted to see the babies swim out to sea.  Those little guys sure are cute – I can now check that off the bucket list.

  

Jonny also left that weekend to go to Belize for two weeks for work. It was my first time being home alone in Mexico.   I didn't like it.  I don't do well home alone. I make the dog sleep with me, stay up way too late, eat crap for food and read a lot.  The reading part wasn't so bad, the rest of it was.

We held a Christmas party at a Oaxacan Children's home.  It was super fun and really exhausting.  40 kids under the age of 8 is a lot of play time and a lot of work.  That same day, I held an evening Christmas party for my staff - it was fancy, delicious and fun and made everyone real jolly.  The importance of celebrating Christmas and having a big ol' party for it when you don't live in the United States and aren't around your families should never be underestimated.

I flew home to Duluth for Christmas and my time there flew right by.  I saw some family and friends, but not nearly for long enough.  Christmas was sweet, as was my family, and before I knew it, I was packing my bags to leave again.

I then flew out to NYC to celebrate New Year’s with the Roman clan.  Jonny is half Puerto Rican, so our celebration consisted of this amazing Latin party of drumming and music and lots and lots of dancing.  It was so much fun.  While I was there, I got really sick with the flu, which put a little damper on things.  Why is it that whenever you want to get out of work you never get sick, but when you are vacation that is when your body decides it is time to give it a rest? 

We came back to Oaxaca on the 2^nd and have been here ever since.  We went to a huge baptism for our friend’s baby – which by the way, had a party afterwards that would challenge any wedding reception in the US (and this was for their 1 year old son!  Holy smokes). 

One of my lifelong friends and his girlfriend came to visit and stayed with us for a week.  It was really fun having guests and it was so nice to spend time with him and just catch up.  We took them to the mountains and went caving, it was fun and nice to get out of the city. 

Both Jonny and I are overwhelmed with work, but have vacation coming our way in April when we head to Fiji for two weeks.

Other than that, we are just hanging and are excited to just be here for a while and not travel so much. Feel free to come and visit.  And as long as Camille and Iman keep updating their blogs, I’ll feel more inclined to update mine as well.  So Camille and Iman….you have a big responsibility now.  Keep going with your updates…and then maybe you will get to hear from me once and awhile as well

Dia de los Muertos

I am a little behind on posting, I know....but I wanted to fill you all in on the amazing Day of the Dead celebrations that we just had here in Mexico.  I realized that most Americans have no idea how Day of the Dead is actually celebrated, so here is a little educational post for you, with some pretty awesome pics to boot.... enjoy :-)

Dia de los Muertos is one of the biggest holidays in Mexico - it is a celebration that spans three days - where Mexicans do nothing but celebrate their loved ones who have died.  It begins on Oct 31 and lasts through Nov. 2, and unlike Halloween in the States where death is something to be feared, here in Mexico, death - or at least the memories of those who have died - is something to be celebrated.

Oaxaca is famous for their Dia de los Muertos celebrations and because of it the city was bustling with people for the entire week.  The graveyards were packed as people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, and everyone else just piles in to partake in the celebrations.  They decorate gravesites with an enormous amount of flowers and candles.  They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults.  They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.  They play music and are happy and it is such a fantastic way to remember those who you have lost.  Mexico does it right here in terms of memorials - as once a year, the dead are celebrated in such a joyous way - I think that we could have something to learn here....

Below are some pictures of the events to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about:

The Panteon General (main cemetery).  It was completely lit up - amazing.

One of the many altars built at the cemetery.

All of the flowers in the cemetery.  This picture does not do it justice, but there were flowers everywhere!  I've never been in a cemetery that has smelled so good!

As part of tradition they make sugar skulls that they decorate and put your name on :-)

Everyone also builds altars in their homes, so we built one in our office with flowers, candles, fruit, treats, photos and other memories of the people that we love who have passed on...

 And that's it for now....if you ever get the chance to come to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead - do it!  It will be an experience that you will never forget!

Ever wondered what it is like working in Mexico?

For those of you working in cubicals in the cold, windy weather.....this is how we do it here in Oax.  

My employee Blaze soaking up the sun

Well that, and since flowers are still blooming, we pick them and put them in our hair..... 

Why I am humbled...

Today was a day that I won’t forget for a long time.  It was a day that brought forth a lot of reflection – and a lot of humbleness.   

Jonny and I came to Belize on Friday for vacation.  We are here for 12 days, 8 of those days are vacation, and 4 of those days are to work with our offices and staff here.  Today was one of those “work” days.  We started off the morning by having a quick meeting with the team and then jumping into Nicole’s car to drive around town and see projects that ProWorld had recently completed.  We then left town and drove out into one of the nearby villages to one of our project partners who produces organic Mayan chocolate.  We went upstairs with them to the second level of their open air house and was served a homemade lunch of the most delicious rice, beans and chicken – with homemade hot chocolate and bites of homemade chocolate for dessert.  While we ate, Juan, the man who runs the chocolate farm, spoke to us about how they are producing the chocolate from the ancient Mayan traditions of sustainable agriculture, respecting the jungle and the ecosystem and about not forgetting tradition and respect in everyday life.  It was inspiring how much he knew about the sacred balance of our fragile ecosystem, but yet how much faith he still had in humanity and his neighbors to restore it.  He said that the weight of the jungle is on his shoulders and if he doesn’t carry it and fight for the change, then who will?  And as I sat on his porch, eating rice and beans in 95 degree heat with 95% humidity, with no air conditioning, three mangy puppies playing at my feet and two chickens clucking behind me – I was humbled for the first time that day – for I oftentimes forget that one person can make a change.  This man feels that he is holding the entire weight of the Belizean jungles on his shoulders – yet he is not overwhelmed by that thought – he is inspired by it and taking on the challenge on a daily basis.  There have been many times in my life where I have stayed quiet said to myself “ah, I’m only one person, my voice won’t mean a thing” – but today I was reminded that it does and that that overused Margaret Mead quote of “Never doubt that a small group of dedicated citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has” may actually be overused because it is true….

After we left the Mayan chocolate factory, we took an hour long drive, on a bumpy dirty road, out to Barranco – one of the most secluded villages in Southern Belize.  Barranco is the hometown of the famous Belizean musician, Andy Palacio.  It is also the hometown to 160 other Gariffuna Belizeans who rest together peacefully on the edge of the ocean, in the middle of the jungle.  Barranco is dense jungle like I have never seen it before – the jungle runs right down to the water’s edge, there is no beach, nothing – just jungle and ocean - and in-between that some grass roads, some huts and a small (think smaller than your smallest bedroom) corner store.  We walked throughout the village greeting friends of Nicole’s, sitting on their porches, sharing in smiles, laughter, stories and jokes and then continuing along our way.  It was so simple, yet so profound, and such a sweet, simple way to let the afternoon pass by.  

As night fell we made our final stop to visit a close friend of Nicole’s, Joan.  Joan is an ex-pat from the US and has two daughters around the ages of 8 and 11.  She has lived in Belize for the past 20 years and has quite the story.  Her house has no electricity, and one small candle lighting the house, along with some dim light pouring in from the street.  In the darkness we ate a simple, yet delicious dinner of rice, beans and fried plantains, while we swung from chairs that were hanging from the rafters of her thatched roof.  As we chatted and ate in the dark, I was amazed at how the darkness didn’t affect her daughters at all, they moved throughout the kitchen and bedrooms as if having no light was no big deal – and it wasn’t – it was part of life there.  The sun goes down at 6pm, which means it is time to eat, and then play for a little bit and then go to sleep.  The girls were so joyful throughout all of this, playing, joking and carrying on with their mother like young children do.  It was so refreshing to see; we don’t need all of this electricity that we pump into our houses, sure it is nice to have, but it is definitely not necessary to have a happy, functioning family.  As the girls ran around barefoot throughout their house, which connects to the jungle-ness of their front yard, the mother was telling us about a recent trip back to the States where they visited their family in Ohio and after observing life in the US, her oldest daughter said “Mom, people in America don’t walk barefoot on grass do they?”  And I thought, no honey, they don’t, because walking barefoot in long grass isn’t safe and if you do walk through it, then you have the chance of stepping in dog shit like I did today and Americans hate things that aren’t safe and more than that, they hate stepping in shit.    And it isn’t that you can’t do these things in America – it’s just that most people don’t.  We do step in dog shit, but we hardly walk barefoot through un-manicured grass, and we definitely don’t eat in the dark, in our living rooms, and enjoy it.  And so after this simple experience of spending time in their house, I was yet once again, humbled.

After we departed their house, we began our drive back home and Nicole started telling us more about Joan’s life and it is a rough life at that.  Joan used to have a 2 year old boy, and when she was out of town, the boy was taken by a drunk man and murdered.  She then had a 3 year old daughter who was hit by a car and killed.  Then her husband physically and mentally abused and controlled her so much that she almost died, so she took her two daughters and left the prospering business that they had created in another village in Belize, left the comforts of their home, and ran away from her husband.  Now they live in the little village of Barranco, where life was sweet until the girls were both recently physically assaulted by a man in the village.  He is now locked up – but when will this family get a break?  And I tell you this, not to make you sick to your stomach, but because it is their reality and it will make you feel humbled – as it did for me – that it is not your reality.  This mom now makes soap in Barranco and sells it for $2.00 USD a bar in order to support her family.  I bought 4 bars today, but that was prior to knowing her story.  Had I known her story, I would have bought out her store and given you all bars of soap as presents for the next 10 years, but I didn’t know her story at the time so will just have to send her lots of love and light in the meantime and buy more next time.  But the thing is, even after all of this – the family still has joy.  They still laughed throughout dinner and ran around barefoot - giggling - playing freely throughout the yard.

As so it is.   These are the stories of Belize.  These are the reasons that I am going to bed humbled tonight.  Today I learned a great deal about strength, humanity, simplicity and unity.  Today I once again fell in love with Belize, but yet was also scared like hell from it, and totally and completely humbled by it. 

My Grocery Store...

So I've realized that most people don't really understand the ins and outs of my day to day life in Mexico, so I am going to try to explain to you little by little.  I'm going to start with my grocery store, my Super Target, my Walmart..... my market.  The markets in Mexico are where I buy all of my fresh produce and many other necessities for life here - it's kind of like a massive Farmers Market, but about 95% cheaper.  The markets here are so alive; with vendors, friendly conversations, hundreds of aromas, bright colors and everything fresh.

The other weekend Jonny and I were incredibly low on food, so we went to a really big market that has just about everything - and bought so much food.  I can't remember exactly everything that we bought, but we bought about:

• 10 zucchinis
• 10 cucumbers
• 10 carrots
• 15 potatoes
• 20 limes
• 1 pineapple
• 1 cantaloupe
• a big bunch of bananas
• lettuce
• spinach
• parsley
• cilantro
• beets
• 1 lb of almonds
• broccoli
• apples
• tomatoes
• a huge bag of green beans
• and more that I can't remember....

• ALL FOR LESS THAN $20.00

What??!!  I know.  Amazing.  We have no excuse to never eat fresh fruit here, and typically we do a pretty good job of it as we have a market right next to our house and our office, so we can always get fresh food when we need it.  The downside of this is, once we buy it then we need to sanitize all of it because we can't eat it without washing it super carefully otherwise we get sick.  So once we get home, we fill a bunch of bowls with water, put some sanitizing stuff in it and let everything soak for awhile to avoid parasites and all of that other good stuff that come on Mexican veggies :-)

While at the market I also bought this beautiful, little hand embroidered apron.  I'm not sure why I look so silly in that photo...but whatever....

Here is the back...

And a close up of the front.  Don't I look just like a little Mexican Domestic Goddess?  :-)  Haha.  Right.  Don't let the apron fool you. 

The big girl life

Last week Jonny and I went home to Minnesota for 10 days, to visit, attend the Wedding of Champions, hang out in Duluth and go to the cabin.  It was so great to be around my family and to be home – but it wasn’t long enough.  I felt like I needed so much more time with my family, with my cabin and to reconnect with friends. 

Living abroad is strange sometimes because it makes me feel so disconnected with my once so-close friends at home.  I see them now and still totally love them and have fun with them, but there is also a level of strangeness there, a level of “well we definitely aren’t living in the same place anymore” and that’s ok because we still love each other – but maybe next time can we try to not make it so weird?  Maybe it is me, maybe I am the one who makes it strange, because I come home and I feel like everyone’s lives at home have really gone on without me and who at home misses me and really notices that I am gone?  It’s hard because I love my friends at home so much that part of me wants to move back just so that I can reconnect with them all and be really close with them, but then part of me knows that this is life and that we grow up and move away and do our best with staying in touch with the people that we can, while missing them along the way…. 

The thing about going home for a short period of time is just that – it’s too short.  For the first summer ever I will only have spent 2 days at my cabin, where generally I spend weekend after weekend at it throughout the entire summer.  When we were there it was cold and rainy and crappy weather – but I didn’t care – I loved it anyway.  And I soaked in those two days so hard and when it was time to leave and I knew that I wouldn’t be coming back again this summer – I cried – and not just a little, but a lot.  It’s hard being an adult sometimes and having to deal with the decision that you made of moving away from home and not being able to swim in your lake whenever you want to, or get hugged up by your Momma and Papa whenever you need it.  So yup, I cried because the little girl in me didn’t want to deal with leaving, and didn’t want to face my big girl life of living in Mexico that includes a lot of being stressed out with work and away from most things familiar.  But this is my life for the next year or so (and I’m not complaining too hard, because it’s a pretty good life at that) and I need to be ok with trading the experiences that I am getting from it now for what will someday hopefully be endless summers at Sweet Lake.  But that doesn’t mean that my heart isn’t allowed to ache for it a little in this moment….

Me and some of my cousins on the lake

So freakin' happy to be out on that lake

Playing in the waterfalls

Jonnycito playing the guitar at the cabin - I love all of the green!  It definitely is not that green here in Mexico

Lookin' silly in hats at Los Campones del Amor - aka the Wedding of Champions. 

Miss you all back home….and for anyone who wants to send me letters – I’m not opposed to receiving them, or writing you back - because in case you didn't know - having pen pals and receiving real mail in the mail box is hecka fun. Lemme know and I'll send you my addresscito. 

Adventures thus far...

Here is a quick recap of some of the adventures that Jonny and I have taken in the past month...we have been busy with work, Spanish classes and moving into our new dream house (pictures to come in the next few days), but between all of that we have been trying to have some fun as well....Last week I was given a pretty hefty promotion at work, and I'm now overseeing and managing the direct sales for the volunteer/study abroad, intern abroad and teach abroad areas of ProWorld. I'm both apprehensive, yet excited about the promotion as all of a sudden it is a lot more responsibility, so I need to step up my game - yet, the cool thing about this is that I am the highest a woman has ever gotten in this company. I work for a boys club and until now only men have held positions like this, so in a way I'm pretty proud to be representing the ladies.

Anyway, here are some pictures of what we have been up to lately.....

We got invited along to go on a Mezcal tour with some friends who work for the Mexican government. We had to ride in the back of a truck to get there, which I didn't totally love cause it's hecka dangerous, but it was kind of fun at the same time.

All of the Mezcal bottles ready to be filled

We also went to a Tejate festival. Tejate is a typical Oaxacan drink that you sip out of a bowl, it is made out cacao, corn, cinnamon, and the mamey fruit. I've never had anything like it, but it was pretty delicious. The festival was packed and essentially everyone was there just to drink this stuff....because there was really nothing else to the festival besides the Tejate.

Yum!

We also went to the mountains and spent two days hiking in the Sierra Norte mountain range. It felt so good to get out of the city and to be in fresh air and nature again....being in pine forests made me miss Minnesota and the cabin, and made me so excited to come home for a week or so this summer...

Jonny climbed to the top of this mirador (lookout), I wasn't feel very brave that day and was afraid that if my climbing skills failed me and I were to slip, I would fall 200+ feet to my death...

.....so I stayed nice and safe here, where it was still quite beautiful

We stayed in this little cabin while in the mountains. The villages in the mountains are all about ecotourism and provide these little cabins and everything, it was super great and really nice to see how well the trails, villages, cabins, etc were preserved and kept as "green" as possible.

After we returned back to the city, we found some really funny looking fruit. You cut it open and then eat the inside - its pretty delicious, but really crazy looking.

And I hung out with monkeys on the street....