Güerita and Chapulines

Hello again from beautiful Mexico:

I love that sounds, smells and tastes in every country hold meanings that we each interpret differently. Last week I ate chapulines (grasshoppers), a delicacy to some in Mexico. But I am willing to bet that my sister and several other friends are reading this thinking, "OH MY GOODNESS ... GROSS!" (Actually, they weren´t bad. I don´t, however, have any deep inclinations towards making them a regular part of my diet.)

Sounds too mean different things to each of us. On Sunday morning in Querétero I woke up to the sound of fireworks (minus the fire part) being set off in celebration of San Antonio´s day. In between the loud bangs, the bells of about three or four different churches in the area seemed to quarrel with one another over which melody to play. I swear I thought that the city had suddenly come under attack and that the churches were ringing out for the men of the town to gather up their pitchforks and take to the streets in defense of their women and children.

Other than minor heart attacks I have suffered from fiesta celebrations of the past couple of weeks, I have been enjoying myself thoroughly. Rainy-season has begun so the days are considerably cooler and we often get tremendous thunder and lightening storms in the late afternoon/early evening. I have continued my adventures around Mexico with my host family.

Two weekends ago we spent Saturday at their alternative house and I thoroughly roasted myself in the sun (ouch!!) because I was an idiot and didn´t put on sun-screen. On Sunday, we went to Xochicalco, one of the most important archeological sites in Mexico. Just over ten years ago, all that was known of the grand city that prospered between the years of 700-900 A.D. was one pyramid. As archaeologists began searching the surrounding area they discovered that a huge city of pyramids, houses and temples lay hidden beneath what had appeared to be a mountain top. Today, you can walk around these beautiful and utterly impressive ruins. It makes you look at mountains in a different way, wondering all the time what secrets lay hidden beneath their surface.

Carved into the side of a mountain in Xochicalco is a man-made cave. Deep inside there is a hole in the ´ceiling´. One time each year, on summer solstice, the sun is in exactly the right place to shine through that hole, forming a perfect hexagon on the floor of the cave. The people that lived during the time of Xochicalco had a religious calendar of 52 years. Incredibly, 52 days before and 52 days after the hexagon, part of the sun shines through the hole. As luck would have it, we were there during one of those days. We were told that if you put water under the light you can see the stars and the moon reflected. Also, if you put your arm under the light at just the right distance from the ground, the light acts like an X-ray and you can see your bones. How it is that over one thousand years ago they created this in a whole without light is beyond me.

This past weekend, we drove about three or four hours north to see two lovely colonial towns particularly important for their roles in the Mexican independence movement, Querétero and San Miguel de Allende. The final soccer match was on Sunday as well as the festival for San Antonio so San Miguel de Allende was in a total uproar. We had loads of fun pottering around old Mexican streets and markets, watching an utterly ridiculous parade go through town and sipping cold cervezas in beautiful plazas.

Soon, these adventures will end however as this is my final week here in Mexico. The time has flown by and I am already beginning to feel the pangs of saying goodbye to another country that is becoming dear to me. I think about Cairo a lot here. I suppose it is because last summer was a time of reconning with the various, and occasionally conflicting, paths of my life. I find myself missing DC and Peace Fellowship, knowing with certainty that that is the place to which I am called for this time in my life. At the same time, however, another part of my heart whispers to me what I know to be true: that everything about me is made for different cultures and countries. So the challenge becomes how to be at home in a place without being so comfortable there that I am not willing to move nor too impatient for another place that I cannot make roots.

I am beginning to feel that in the duality of not being able to call just one place home and at the same time being able to make a home almost anywhere, my strange upbringing has gifted me. I can imagine myself here in Mexico, or in Cairo, or in Sudan, or Afghanistan, or Washington, DC ... if that is where God has sent me. Slowly I am beginning to understand what the Bible means when it says that I am a pilgrim, a stranger and an alien, in this world. I am beginning to find hope in the reality that my belonging and my home, something that has been allusive for much of my life, is rooted not in a country or passport, but in the home that waits for me in heaven. So here in Mexico I am "Güerita" (i.e. blondie) and much as I may hope I cannot fade into the Mexican background. But maybe that can serve to remind me of another reality that is always present.

Next weekend I will go up to Mexico City for Saturday and Sunday and I fly home to Boston on Monday. Tuesday, Mom and I will fly to Spain where I will continue my Spanish-learning, only this time with a listhp. I will meet up with Annina later in the summer in Scotland and she will join us for one week in Finland (I am so excited!). Dad left last Thursday for Scotland and England where he is visiting family and taking a few days of vacation time before he flies to Afghanistan. From what I hear he is doing well and I am really looking forward to hearing his reports from Afghanistan. I would appreciate your prayers as he travels and we all get used to the change.

I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to travel and relax. I miss you all very much and love getting emails from you. I will likely have less access to the Internet for the next few weeks but I will see what I can do to keep up with emails. Please do keep them coming.

Love and blessings to you all,

Katrina

PS - One more funny from Mexico: When visiting the United States several years ago, the father of one of my mexican friends went to a Catholic Church. Throughout the service the priest and several others kept speaking about a Mr. Cabody. Assuming that this man was very important, he asked someone after the service who Mr. Cabody was. The man responded, "No, no. Not Mr. Cabody ... Mystical Body". Today, that is his nickname. Also amusing from his trip were his attempts to translate his Spanish directly into english. When asking people to enter a room he said, "Between, between" (a translation of entre, entre in Spanish). When asking someone to take a seat he said, "Drink a seat" (a translation of the verb tomar which both means to take and to drink). Hope you all enjoy!

Silver and Gold: The Streets and Churches of Mexico

Dear all,

It seems utterly odd to think that I have now been in Mexico for almost two weeks. This week has been significantly more frustrating on the Spanish end as I struggle to communicate with those around me. Happily, everyone here is really encouraging and patient (for which I am utterly grateful).

This past Friday, after classes, I ate a quick lunch at my house and then journeyed back to my school for salsa dancing lessons. What fun! While I'm fairly convinced that I will never have the hips or attitude of local Mexicans, a gringa can always try. Saturday I went with my Mexican family to their other house in a small pueblo about thirty minutes away. The house and surrounding land is absolutely gorgeous, and I had a lovely time swimming and stuffing myself with delicious quesadillas. YUM!!! Then, on Sunday, my Mexican mother, sister and I went for a day excursion to Taxco, the silver capital of Mexico. MUY PELIGROSO (very dangerous)! Taxco is a beautiful historic town on the 'falda' (literally 'skirt' or side) of a mountain. White houses with red tile roofs and black lettering line narrow, twisting roads. Balconies cascade with flowers. The plaza is filled with people selling everything imaginable, including fried potatoes with hot sauce. On one side of the plaza is the sixteenth century church built by the Borda family, founders of the town. Every wall inside the church is covered with ornate gold sculptures and paintings. I could go on and on to describe the smells and tastes. We took breaks in a local cafe and restaurant where we sat on balconies overlooking the town. It was an absolutely magical day.

I am increasingly interested by the role of religion here in Mexico. The vast majority of people here are Catholic, a result of the Spanish influence. For some it is a truly real and powerful faith. For many others, it is an integral part of their culture that informs traditions but does not substantially challenge the status quo or induce significant change in people's lives. The devision between Catholics and 'Christians' is deeply felt here as many see the Catholic church as loosing members to more recent and more modern protestant movements.

Also interesting are the conflicting sentiments regarding the Catholic Church's influence in the colonization of Mexico and the abuse of indigenous groups here. Everywhere, one can see the mixing of indigenous beliefs and practices with the Catholic faith. Paintings on Cathedral walls have skulls and particular flowers important to the indigenous. During the colonial age when many indigenous people were forced to join the church, they often hid statues of their gods under the altar or inside a crucifix. They pretended to pray to to the Catholic God, all the while directing their prayers to their god hidden inside.

I find all of this both thoroughly interesting and terribly disturbing. One of my teachers told me yesterday that she could not believe in a religion that dismissed her culture. By many here, the church (particularly the Catholic church) is seen as a political entity as much as a religious one. People recognize the influence of the Catholic church in impressing one set of cultural values (those of the Spaniards) and seeking to destroy others (those of the indigenous people). They resent the church for that.

I begin to think about the final command of Christ, 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit' (Matt 28: 19). And then the words of Paul, 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal 3:28). Why has the church so often come with the gospel in one hand and the greedy desire to conquer in the other? Was it not the example of Christ to come not as a conquering hero but as a humble carpenter? Did he not abandon his 'heavenly culture' for that of earth? How far we have strain! As I have often commented, the church and believers are different from God and faith. But I am impressed here by what an influence the church and believers can have on people's willingness to know the God or embrace the faith.

I feel burdened here that the Church (both Catholic and Protestant) must repent for the ways it has distorted the good news of a humble servant God who did not come seeking earthly gain, but gave all that we might live. Heavy on my heart are the questions of how to have relevant ministries that embrace and celebrate the diversity of cultures in this world with humility.
I do love it here. Every day is a mini-adventure of new discoveries. Happily I have managed to avoid more adventures with birds or rutas (though I did wait for a routa that went to the centro for 40 minutes yesterday ... it's not like the centro is out of the way or unpopular so I'm not sure why it took so long). I love hearing from you all so please do continue to write when you can. A quick update and thanks to you all: my grandmother seems to have recovered nicely for which I am very grateful.

Big hugs to you all,

- Katrina
PS - More funnies: A few days ago when trying to remember the word for head (cabeza), I called my head cerveza (beer) evoking great laughs all around. A friend at the school when trying to say 'pecado mortal' (a mortal sin) said instead 'pescado mortal' (mortal fish). Hope you enjoy these little foibles.

Mi segunda leccion de Mexico

Buenas tardes mis amigos,

Well, it seems there are several people with the same questions: Why are you in Mexico? My mother's probably having a fit laughing right now because she says that I often begin speaking with the assumption that everyone else has been in my head and knows what I've been thinking or doing. So let me fill in the gaps. I am in Mexico for one month living with friends of my family and doing an immersion Spanish language program. Basically, it's speak, think, hear, be in spanish ... sink or swim ... fabulous and exhausting! The town that I am in, Cuernavaca, is about an hour and a half south of Mexico City. It's beautiful! There's a 16th century cathedral about two blocks from my house that I walk by several times a day and loads of buganvillias (flowers that are these brilliant hues of pink and purple and orange). I love it. After this month in Mexico my mom and I are going to travel around Spain for about three weeks and then visit family in Europe.

Happily I have avoided any more encounters with the birds in Cuernavaca, though every Mexican that I have told the story has laughed and said, "Si, es muy commun" ... "Yes, it's very common." Has no one thought to buy some bee-bee guns and take care of this little problem?

I had my second major lesson from Mexico today on the way to and from school: Do not trust the rutas (little buses that travel around the city). Every day, my school begins at 9AM with coffee and discussion for about ten minutes and then classes. The school itself is located in a different section of the city west of the center where I live so I need to take some kind of transportation to and from the school. I have two options: 1) take a taxi which costs about twenty pesos (approximately 2 US dollars) or 2) take a ruta which costs 3.50 in pesos (approximately 35 US cents). While taxis are certainly not expensive ... the more money I save on transportation, the more I have to spend on gifts so it is clearly to all our benefit for me to take the ruta. This all would be well and good if the rutas made any sense whatsoever! But they don't.

This morning, I had the adventure of trying to work out exactly where I was supposed to find the ruta going in the direction of my school. I asked several people, and either they did not know or my Spanish is not very good, because it took me a LONG time to find a ruta. When I did finally see a Ruta 6 (the number that I need) I flagged it down and got on. About thirty minutes later I was fairly convinced that we were going in the absolute OPPOSITE direction from my school so I got off the ruta. At this point I was already about twenty minutes late for school and had absolutely no clue where I was. I flagged down a taxi and it took us another thirty minutes or so to get to my school. On the up side, I had a lovely conversation with the taxi driver in Spanish.

Well, after many laughs over just how far away from the school I had gotten, I went through my various classes and then began my journey home. Now, "Surely," you say, "Katrina would never make the same mistake twice!" Oh, but I would ... two more times. I got on the ruta and twenty minutes later began to have the same strange lurking feeling that "we're not in Kansas anymore, Todo". So I asked the woman in front of me and she kindly told me that I needed to be going in the opposite direction. Good! I got off, had more adventures finding a stop in the opposite direction, waited for twenty minutes for a bus, and got on (this time after having checked that the sign in the window read "Al Centro"). Finally I was on the right ruta ... only this time I missed the centro stop because it was a part of the center of town that I did not recognize. Needless to say, I took a taxi home. As it turns out, the ruta 6 goes in four different directions. Why they don't just give thes e rutas different numbers, I have no idea. I blame my trouble both on the bad markings of the rutas and a head injury I incurred in the morning when I walked full speed ahead into a glass door I thought was open.

Well, other than the unfortunate adventures with rutas, I really am enjoying myself. I've done my fair bit of sightseeing and this weekend will do more. My spanish classes are really helpful and I'm learning an enormous amount. It's very tiring, but exciting as well when I'm able to have a conversation in spanish with a random person on the street. I feel utterly spoilt to have this opportunity. It's great fun!

I do enjoy getting emails from you all and I will do my best to keep responding. Please forgive me if they are generally short or tardy. If you would, please keep my grandmother and the rest of my family in your prayers. Two days ago she fell and cut her forearms and yesterday morning about 11AM was unresponsive when someone came to check in on her. She's doing much better now, but it gave us all a bit of a fright. We're not sure if it was a minor stroke or something else. I am thankful to God that she knows the Lord because she has so much peace with the time of life that she is in and the eventuality of death. For her it is a going home to be with her Lord. What a wonderful thought!

Okay, that's all for now. I do love you all and pray that your summers are fruitful and restful.

PS: One brief story on the importance of NOT assuming that you can turn all english words into spanish ones with a different pronunciation. I recently learned that preservatives in spanish are not "preservativos". One of the students in my school asked his Mexican mother if there were preservativos in his food only to discover that preservativos are condoms. Mexican cooking is different, but not that different. He also learned that if he said he was embarazada (which he thought might mean embarrased), he was telling people that he was pregnant. Ooops.

Buenas Días de México

Buenos días!

Well, I arrived safely in Mexico City on Thursday afternoon, excited and nervous all at the same time. The airport is your basic international airport, except, of course, every sign is in Spanish. It´s amazing how much your eyes can take in at one time, all the colors and sights. I managed to locate a little store where I could buy a Latadel phone card and the bus station to Cuernavaca. The bus ride to Cuernavaca made me a little sick with all the twists and turns in the road and the changes in altitude (Cuernavaca is higher than Mexico City), but the views were magnificent.

Perhaps the most amusing this thus far has been the way that my English is deteriorating. When someone asks me what we call a certain thing in English, I find it incredibly difficult to remember. Clearly my brain is not gifted with working on so many different levels. In Chicago (my stop over city) my french was challenged as well when I met a guy from Madrid. Do you know what it´s like to try to speak to someone in three different languages ... my head hurt.

Cuernavaca is a really lovely little city about an hour and a half south of Mexico City. It is the vacation spot for many people from Mexico City and is called ¨Eternal Spring¨. The weather is absolutely beautiful and thus far the people have been very friendly. The birds however, are not so kind. Yesterday I was pooped on TWICE while sitting on a bench. My first lesson from Mexico - it is not wise to sit under branches. I do find it wonderful, however, the way that everyone and everything seem to constantly be chattering to one another. Sitting on that unfortunate bench, the birds were clammering on (I´m now convinced that they were saying something like, ¨Look out below!¨). And all around the people were doing the same thing. I love the life of this place.

My Spanish is already improving and while I still struggle along to speak, I am able to understand a fair amount. I begin my immersion classes at Encuentros on Monday so hopefully we can accellerate the pace after that.

Okay, now off to more Spanish-speaking fun.

I love you all!

Adios