TWO blogs in one day!!

OK, I am loading a video for your pleasure. It is from the Jardin this afternoon. Everyone from town meets in the Jardin (after church)and they buy ice cream, fried pigskin with salsa, bags of nuts,etc. and stroll around in their Sunday best. In the center is a stage where a band plays while people dance. There are so many kids around, as well as very old people. A family affair.

Where is my camera?

I went out on my own this morning. This may not sound like a big deal, but I am usually with at least one Spanish speaker, and today, not so much so. I have had one week of class, and I feel no closer to understanding the language. I have been frustrated to the point of tears, and don't even START to talk to me about ser vs estar. So imagine my surprise when a car pulls over and asks me for directions in Spanish!!! And imagine my greater surprise when I answer IN SPANISH where they need to go! OMG. (or DM, if in Spanish). I bought a paper and when heading back home I walked behind a man with three burros that were carrying firewood. Then I turned the corner to home and right in front of me was an ancient old man herding an ewe and three baby lambs! So picturesque, but no camera.

Today's pictures are from yesterday's trip to Guanajuato. Such a beautiful town with so much history.

Oh, and the rooster lives in next door, although at 4am he sounds like he is sleeping (or not) in the bedroom.

And, yes, that last shot is my purse (bolsa). Handy, no?

Hola!

The first week of class is almost over!! It has flown by, and been painfully slow at times. The teachers are incredibly patient with my lack of knowledge. Verbs...who would think they would be SO importanto? Anyway, tomorrow after school we are taking a cooking class and tasting the results, then Saturday (Sabado...hahaha) we are taking a trip to Guanajuato, which is the town of Diego Rivera. For those who are not in-the-know, he was a famous artist AND married to Frida Kahlo. And if you don't know who she is, you are missing out. We actually went to a fantastic gallery of a recent discovery of a box of hers that held very secret love notes; some sweet, most very painful, and now not so secret.

Anyway, I am posting pictures of our school classroom, some of my fellow students, and one of a restaurant we went to last night (Nirvana is the name..a huge goblet of Malbec for $4, and a steak for $15!!)

Yo

So today was the first day of school for us. Ei yi yi!! My head hurts from so much thinking! The day began with an interview with one of the professors to determine which class we should be in...(let the laughter begin). You know the cartoon that shows what cats hear when people are talking to them? That was me. "Blah blah blah, hola, blah blah blah, gracias." They actually have a slang term for it in Mexico...something like "cara what?" meaning you get this blank look on your face that says "what they hey did you just say?" Anyway, I am in a class with three other people. One is Lisi's new roommate, as she moved onto her homestay today. Ella nombre es Ali. (I had to ask Denise how to say that...which clues you into which class I am in). Then there is a woman from Manhattan, and a woman from London. The gal from London is a professor of Moda (fashion...see how much you are learning from me?) at a university in London. She is of Nigerian ancestry, and is 6'2" and funny as all getout. She was the comic relief many times when I needed it. I have homework tonight, no kidding.
And for those new to the blog world, if you want to leave a comment you just click on anonymous and it should let you post. Sign your name in the post if you want me to know who you are. I could probably guess for the most part!
Also, I am attempting to add in a small video of our front entry during a rain storm. Not so interesting to watch, but it gives you a good idea of the sound here when it rains (minus the thunder!)
Hasta luego!

Apparently I am not the only one who turned 50 this year. The Biblioteca Publica (public library) of San Miguel celebrates its 50th this year. It is considered one of the best bilingual libraries in Mexico. But it is more than just a library. You enter from the busy street into a relatively unremarkable building, which opens into a beautiful courtyard with fountain. It is also host to a wonderful café, and the Teatro Santa Ana, where we pay the equivalent of $5 to watch the movie “Greenfingers”. The theatre is small, and Lisi points out the dead scorpion on the floor behind us. I must also point out that all those expats from the States and Canada are old. And when I say old, I mean older than me. By a long shot. So there is shuffling around while certain people get closer to the front (eyes) or away from the speakers (hearing aides). All in all I feel young, and that’s not a bad thing.
In spite of the large expat community there are no more fireworks than usual on this Independence Day, and when I go into the bank to exchange money I have to ask the date!

On our way home we have taken to stopping at the local panaderia. I am including a picture of my new best friend!

One of the amazing things about San Miguel is the variety of sounds that define it. The rooster crow, the dog bark, the distinctive whistle of the scissor sharpener (legend say if you jiggle your pockets when you hear him whistle, money will come to you). The clanging bells of the garbage truck signaling one to bring out their garbage to throw on the truck. The chapel bells calling all to Mass, the trucks laboring to crawl up the hills, the whistle of young men. The birds. The thunder and the thunder of fireworks.
When it is quiet it is startling.

We decide to go to el Jardin Botanico, the natural reserve right over the hill from our Casa. It is 220 acres of plants and wildlife with hiking paths throughout. We are accompanied by Perro, who acts as though we own her. We spotted the “No Dogs” sign upon entry, but perhaps she did not. She left us after two hours of hiking.

This last photo is for my friend Dan Dan. Nuf said.

June 30

We set out to find a vegetarian restaurant that is known for the quality of its food. The Naturalismo has four tables, and ignorant of the street traffic, we choose one closest to the beaded doorway street side. So as we are feeding ourselves beautiful, nutritious food, we battle to hear each other speak over the loud buses rumbling past, and the overpowering smell of exhaust fumes. Then we hear the sounds of people singing. A hearse drives my on the narrow, cobble stone street, followed by a host of children and adults, walking slowly behind. The Mexican men with their straw cowboy hat use them to shield the sun, but will not lay them on their heads. It is a somber site.

Later this day we explore the edge of town with stairs that climb to hundreds of feet above the steeple of the Parroquia. It’s grueling, but the payoff is a spectacular view of the city. Legs aching we stumble down, down, down and join the less adventurous.

July 1

Today I fall in love. I am not sure what provokes such feeling…yes, I had coffee, but I hadn’t yet eaten! We are walking along to revisit the afore mentioned restaurant when I realized that I am loving this adventure! Maybe it is my rigidity loosening up. So what if we don’t have a set schedule. Relax.
Wow! OK then. We get to the restaurant to see the metal doors shut tightly and secured with a lock. Uh oh…the good feeling starts to fade. I rebound with a suggestion to go to that beautiful courtyard with a restaurant attached. Ah. Tranquility returns.
But it is a big day, and there is no time to just sit around. It is Tuesday and the Market is today!! We take a cab, and the driver drops us at the fringes of what is perhaps the biggest flea market/food market I have ever seen. There are blankets on the ground with old tools on them, tables piled high with underwear, the table next has chicken parts being picked over, and of course, the table stacked with deep-fried pig skin. But this is not those little chunks you see in packages… these are full sides of pig. The next area has t-shirts, one of which says “men are pigs, but we all love bacon." Ironic. The sites and smells of this market are overwhelming, but we manage to buy some bootleg DVDs and battle for a cab. We barely reach home before a huge thunderstorm sets right down on our casa. The power blinks on and off, and we stay clear of the windows as lightening strikes so close you can’t count between flash and thunder. It’s been two hours and the rain pours down like a river.