So much to do

Before our trip, a lot of people asked me what I was going to do here.  I had ideas, but no plan.  Six weeks into our trip and I still have no plan, but there is plenty to do.  Here is a list of ten things I might do on a typical day.  They are in no particular order.

10.  Cook with Cristi.  The woman who cleans our house and who plays with Helen and our neighbor’s son, José Andres, in the afternoons is a fantastic cook.  She is teaching me how to make different regional dishes.

Cristi with Chilaqueiles de Tomate, quesillo, and tasajo (tortilla chips soaked in tomato sauce, artisan cheese, and grilled beef fillet).

The chef with her assistant, who tries not to get in the way while sneaking a taste.

9.  Look for someone to teach me some Mexican songs on the guitar.  I had big plans to learn Mexican music, but so far this has been a bust.  The only place I have heard live music, besides the Peruvian pan pipe group in the Zócalo and the roving marimba players, has been on buses.  Every now and then a person with a guitar boards the bus, sings a few songs, then asks for tips.  This has happened to me three times, and each singer has been worse than the last.  I am not being a snob.  Two of them were so horribly out of tune I considered getting off the bus.  I will keep looking for the rich music scene I know is here.

Busride serenade.  Looks better than it sounded.

8.  Grocery shop.  I do most of the shopping, since Natalie takes Spanish every morning.  Sometimes it requires going to the big grocery store, Soriana, but usually I can get what we need in one of several markets.  By far my favorite market is "La Central de Abastos," although it is farther from our house than the others.  It is huge.  They sell everything, from produce to hardware to clothing to pirated CDs.  I have never seen anything like it.  There will have to be a separate blog entry on La Central.

I switched to a blue shopping bag after a taxi driver said only women use these bags.

Bulk Frosted Flakes, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Flakes, and Fruit Loops at La Central.  Dried chili peppers are in the back.  Not to be eaten with the cereal.

Is the stuffed baby opossum on top of the nuts supposed to attract customers?

One shopping trip's haul:  Tortillas, celery, kale, a pot, water glasses, shot glasses

7.  Walk kids to school.  All four of us usually walk to school together.  It's a highlight of the day.  For me and Natalie, that is.  Probably not for Max and Helen.

Walking out the driveway

6.  Watch Helen and Max at school.  Actually, it is difficult to observe much because parents are not allowed to wander beyond the front courtyard.  On Monday, however, we were invited to participate in Helen's biweekly psycho-motor class ("psicomotricidad").  It is like Gymboree with a lot of pedagogy attached to it.

Clearly designed for smaller people

Making it look easy

The kids in psicimotricidad.  Practicing their solutes in a safe position?  (Helen is bottom left.)

5.  Make Fruit Loops Valentines for breakfast.  (Did I mention that one of Helen's best friends at school, a cute little boy named José Manuel, brought her a dozen roses today?  We assume they are a late Valentine's Day gift, but we are not positive.)

Valentine's breakfast.

Roses from José Manuel

4.  Plan birthday parties.  Helen's and Natalie's.

Helen's party at Poing Poing.

Natalie's party in our backyard.

Grilling skirt steaks with José Manuel for Natalie's birthday (not the same José Manuel  who gave Helen the roses).

3.  Go sight-seeing.  In earlier posts I described visits to the rug-making town of Teotitlán del Valle, and the Zapotec ruins at Monte Alban.  Last Sunday we visited the town of Ócotlan de Morelos, which is where the renowned (but previously not known to me) Mexican artist, Rudolfo Morales, lived.  Morales was dedicated to improving the town.  He started a foundation that has sponsored many projects, including renovating the church and the attached monastery.  Now the monastery is a museum for his art.  The church and the museum both are very impressive.

Gallery in the Morales museum with some unique cylindrical paintings.

Tourists at the restored church in Ócotlan

2.  Make a hammock.  Some people did not believe me when I said I wanted to learn how to make hammocks.  It was true, and I am learning.  A hammock maker I met at a market is teaching me.  This is another subject that will get its own blog entry one of these days.

My first Mexican hammock, still on the rack.

Two good reasons to make hammocks.  (I did not make this hammock.)

1.  Play video games.  Once or twice a week, Max and I go to a place where we can play Xbox for about a dollar an hour.  It is a nice escape.  And, after this whole blog entry, if you are still wondering what I do to fill my time, check out this next picture:

Angry Birds Excellence.

This list is not exhaustive, but it gives an idea of where my days go.


Before I sign off, a special shout-out to Ms. Friedman's Spanish I class at Berkeley High.  Que bueno que están leyendo este blog.  ¡Están muy padres!  --Harrison