Living in Mexico

Good-bye, Meat!

2012-02-23T20:35:00.004-08:00

A Torta Cubana (source: Prone to Wander Blog)

One folk etymology of the word carnival is that it comes from the middle Latin "carne vale" which means "farewell to meat." So, while I didn't watch any brightly coloured dancers or have any big festivities during Carnival, on Shrove Tuesday, I said good-bye to meat. I ate a huge meat-filled "torta Cubana" (a sandwich like the one in the picture - see Vitamin T - The Mexican Special) and drank a litre of beer ("caguama" is the word they use here in Mexico - see Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach and the label "Beer.") and said good bye to both for the 40 days of Lent.

As a side note, this connects to a theme I've been meaning to write about for a while, namely vegetarianism, and my opinion that the proper place of vegetarianism is as means that leads to another end - first and foremost religious, and also health and economy as secondary reasons. Interestingly enough, the "economics" of not eating meat is actually part of the religious reason; one reason to avoid eating meat (or abstaining from other items) is to save money to give to the poor. The other part has to do with focusing on God rather than the flesh (the other meaning of "carne.")

Vegetarianism (as I see it) is misled and misleading when it becomes an end rather than the means. But more about that when I finally get around to writing that blog.

In the mean time, good-bye meat and good-bye beer.

[Note on the etymology of Carnival: the more philologically accepted etymology seems to be that it's from Italian "carne levare" which means "putting meat away." It basically amounts to the same thing. See - http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Carnival.]

The Basilica of Guadalupe - A Pilgrimage

2012-02-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

The image of the Virgin Mary (not original)

This last Sunday, our family made our first pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Basilica is the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, a native Mexican, during the Spanish conquest. As far as I know the story, she instructed him to tell the bishop to have a church built in her honour on that site. The bishop refused to believe him until she re-appeared to him, burning an image on his cloak, and giving him roses to take to the bishop. Roses did not exist in this part of the world, and the bishop knew this; combined with the image burned on the Saint's cloak, the bishop was convinced and began the construction of the church, which took over 200 years, later given basilica status. The cloak was kept as a relic, and is on display in the New Basilica. The original Basilica still stands, along with several chapels built throughout the centuries. The new, modern Basilica directly beside the old one, dating from the 70s.

My wife and I had visited when we first met, bet I was visiting as a tourist then, only for the sake of curiosity. This time we came for mass, prayer and veneration. We also bought a few icons. The following are some pictures. I don't have pictures of the icons, and they are not with me right now, but I'll post more later on. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the above is a copy of the original; it is not possible to get close enough to the original to take a picture without flash (which is not permitted inside either Basilica), but it is in tact.

My family in front of the Old Basilica

A family - the father on his knees carrying their baby

This is a fairly common sight at the Basilica. Some pilgrims will approach the New Basilica (the one where the original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is now located) on their knees. Some will start at the entrance to the large plaza (500 meters?), others will approach on their knees kilometers before reaching the Basilica. Those approaching in this way have a special and urgent request from the Virgin Mary. In the case of the family in this picture, the request is for their baby, and for this reason the father (on his knees) is carrying the baby. He would carry the baby in this way the entire distance.

Devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Old Basilica

Lighting a votive candle for the Virgin Mary before Mass

(You can see my one-year-old poking his head out beside me.)

The new Basilica and the old Basilica

Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortalis, miserere nobis.

"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Have Mercy on Us." The Trisagion prayer, inscribed above the doors of one of the chapels.

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II has a fairly strong devotion in Mexico.

Poverty Is NOT a Problem ...

2012-01-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

This says: "I have time and money to waste ..."

... in a place where people so much money, food, possessions, etc. that they take a complete papaya, nice, ripe and perfect for eating, and smash it against a wall, letting it rot on the sidewalk, just because they feel like it. Or in a place where kids have enough money and time at their disposal to buy spray paint and graffiti walls all night. Or where people can buy their kids a coca cola and large bag of chips every day for their snack. Or where people can buy take out food and throw half of it away. Or ... I could make this list much longer, but I won't.

I live in a community which by many people would be considered "poor" or at least (even in Mexico) significantly below average. I've estimated that the average household income in our neighborhood would probably be a bit over $7000 CDN, annually. (Based on the cut off for mortgage requirements for buying a home.) From my experience, the cost of living is about 1/2 of that in Canada, so by Canadian standards we could say it's equivalent to about an annual income of around $14,500. By all the standards, it's well below the Canadian poverty line , which is about $30,000, I believe. (The Canadian "poverty line" is a joke anyway, since it has no relation to poverty; it's measured as the bottom quarter of household income, not by basic needs or standards of living, but that's a different story.)

Too much money? Too much to eat? (A papaya)

The average household income in Mexico is about $10,000 USD per year, according the CIA Word Factbook. So it's even noticeably below this country's average.

So, my community is officially poor. Yet, at the same time, I walked out of my house this morning to take my son to school and saw a papaya splattered all over the neighbour's house and sidewalk, left there to rot.
I go for walks every day, and every day I see new graffiti on the walls. I see garbage bags ripped open by dogs with half-eaten take-out meals strewn all over the sidewalk. I've been to countless parties where people pick a few things off their plate and throw the rest away.

On one level it's annoying that the first three habits make my community dirty, but that's a different issue. The issue here is that people are absolutely wasteful.

I think our definition of poverty has been very, very skewed. If we define poverty in terms of material needs - food, clothing and shelter in their most basic and necessary sense - then I've never seen poverty. I know it exists somewhere, but I've never seen it. I'd guess that people who REALLY were poor would absolutely never consider destroying any kind of food, just for fun, even to prove a point. I'd guess that knowing what hunger really is like, from experience (which I don't, and, as far as I know, no one I know does) would simply eliminate that possibility that you could throw away food. I'd guess that you'd never consider wasting what little money you had on a can of spray paint to graffiti your neighbour's wall.

Yet, all of these these problems are usually associated with poverty. It's strange, isn't it? I'd say the problem is abundance and idleness, not poverty.

The person I know who is closest to poverty does not consider himself poor. While his living conditions are substandard (by our standards), he does not feel he is lacking anything in life, and would never ask anyone for anything. He works hard, every day of his life.

Yet the "poor" people in my neighborhood can throw away food, give their kids money to buy spray paint, etc., etc. Then they complain about the government and big companies.

While it's less visually obvious, I'd say the problem is just as big in Canada. And we like to talk about the 99% and all of that. People like to talk about poverty, yet I see so much complete wastefulness, that I can't take it seriously.

My wife and I believe in helping the poor. And we do. We help the poorest people we know every time we have a chance. But as long as people have enough money and idle time to waste food and vandalize their neighbourhood, I don't feel sorry for them.

Crate training for ... kids?!?

2012-01-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

Planning for are upcoming return to Canada, we are getting our dog ready to come with us this time. (Last time he stayed with our former landlady, a dear friend of ours who loves the dog and treats him very well.) Part of our preparations were to buy a crate (yesterday.) If you know anything about dogs who've never been in a crate, you'll know that they don't like it, and it's a process to get them confident and comfortable to enter their crate. (See below.)

But we had an unexpected result of putting the crate out in our living room; our two kids transformed into puppies and decided that the crate was a great place to play. They spend the entire morning today fighting about who got to be in the crate. We had to make them take turns sitting in the crate, pretending to be happy puppies in their new house.

The one-year-old loves to take the dogs food and spread it all over the floor, so when we put the dog's food into the crate to help him get used to it and start enforcing the idea that the crate is associated with good things, the baby got extra excited and got in before the dog did. It was almost impossible to get the baby out of the crate at that point. When we did, he was angry.

If only the dog were this excited about the crate ...

Yes, the dog gets to use his crate, too.

Roasting My Own Coffee

2012-01-24T21:41:00.000-08:00

My home-roasted coffee

As of this weekend, I just discovered a very nice way to have very good, freshly roasted coffee at home all the time; roast your own coffee. Especially in Playa del Carmen, where there are no coffee roasters (as in Cuernavaca, Mexico City or Toronto.) The best I had found here so far was a coffee from Chiapas, but was pre-roasted and pre-ground; it was good, but, you know, there's nothing like coffee that was roasted this same day. (To be fair, there are excellent grocery store brands too, but I almost never go to the grocery store, so I don't feel it's worth the time walking through the whole store, going through the check-out line, etc.)

On Sunday, having found out that the coffee vendor had moved to a new spot inside the municipal market, I went through the market to find him. On the way, however, stopping by a shop that sells bee propolis (the pollen that the bees collect from flowers, before they turn it into honey, which is good for sore throats and colds.) Just out of curiosity, I asked if he happened to sell coffee; I felt that since my other coffee supplier moved his shop, I was justified in shopping around.

He didn't sell coffee, but he did sell the green coffee beans, he told me. The coffee was also from Chiapas, and it was less expensive (about $10 CDN / kg or about $4.50 a pound.) I remembered that my wife had bought a little coffee grinder (to grind grain for the baby.) Roasting my own coffee would be fun, I thought. So I bought a quarter kilo (about half a pound) and was happily on my way home to roast and grind my own beans. The result has been amazingly good coffee!

Here are pictures of the process:

The shop where I bought the green coffee beans

Another view of the shop (with me on the other side)

The green coffee beans

Coffee beans roasting - about half-way done.


Me stirring the coffee beans (about halfway done)

When the coffee is almost done, it will fill your house with smoke. Beautiful smell. My wife wasn't impressed.

Cleaning some of the left over husks off the coffee beans; I'm not sure if this is necessary, or perhaps it should be done when they're still green?.

The ground beans, ready to brew

Brewing ...

The finished product - delicious, home-roasted coffee!

Why is the Virgin Mary so Important?

2012-01-24T00:31:00.000-08:00

"a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet"

Many people look at Mexican culture or more generally Catholic and other Christian traditions and wonder why the Virgin Mary is so important. While I know there are a number of angles to take on this issue (tradition, her recognition as "Mother of God" in the third Ecumenical Council, etc.), during the fall of 2011, I heard one of the priests at my parish in Playa del Carmen (Father Patrick) address this issue from the point of view of the Bible.

Before pointing out Father Patrick's presentation of Mary's broader presence in the Bible, I'll briefly outline what I had heard before. Many people will consider the presence of Mary in the Bible to be limited to the Gospels, specifically the annunciation and birth of Christ (Luke 1:26-2:20, paralleled only partly in Mat. 1:18-25,) the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), and the death of Christ (John 19:25-27). These events are rich with meaning and importance in themselves.

In the Christmas story in Luke we see Mary as a humble servant of God, receiving one of the most important tasks/roles given to a mere human, and give the Church some of its best known prayers. In the wedding at Cana, generally considered to be Christ's first miracle, we see this miracle take place following the simple command of Mary to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you," - the same command that (through obedience) has given the Church so many miracles since then. Just before his death, Christ tells Mary that the disciple "whom he loved" (assumed to be St. John, the writer of the gospel) is now his son, and tells this same disciple that Mary is now his mother. The disciple, according to tradition, represents the apostles as a group; since the bishops of the Church inherit the role of the apostles, Mary, for the first time (400 years before its formal declaration at the Council at Ephesus), is declared by Christ's own words to be the Mother of the Church. A brief reference to her after the death of Christ (Acts 1:14) shows her to be among the most devout.

One blogger pointed out that Mary quite probably played an important role in the writing of the Gospels; according to this blogger, she would have been the only living source for the stories of the annunciation and birth of Christ, as well as details of the temple visit (Luke 2:41-52).

Just from what is obviously about Mary in the Gospels, she holds a place of importance in the Scriptures. Yet, from what the priest pointed out, this role is emphasized even more in the Scriptures as a whole, from the beginning to the end. He drew attention to the following (this is my rendering, as close as possible; there may be deviations from what he actually said):

Mary is the third human mentioned in the Bible:

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." (Gen. 3:15)

While the woman and her offspring refer to Eve and mankind, it's more specifically a prophesy of Mary (the woman) and Christ (her offspring) who strikes the head of the the serpent (i.e. Satan,) making Mary not only the third person mentioned, but directly linking her to the most important event in the history of mankind from the very beginning of the Scriptures.

Mary is one of the last humans mentioned in the Bible, in the Apocalypse of John:
"1 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. 3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days." (Rev. 12:1-6)

The image of the woman "clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" is the way in which Mary appeared to the native Mexican, Juan Diego, shortly after the Spanish Conquest, giving Mexico the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, permanently imprinted on his cloak, which is still kept in her Basilica to this day (in Mexico City.) If I remember correctly, since Mary as the Mother of the Church, her plight at the end (v. 6) represents the Church awaiting Christ. (I'm not sure if I remember this specific point correctly.)
Finally, there are several instances where the prophets mention Mary, including:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

These are the instances which the priest mentioned, but I've realized there are more. Of course, all of this depends on interpretation. I pointed out to a friend of mine recently, while some Christians read the Bible and see Jesus, speaking in tongues and the rapture, others read the Bible and see Jesus and then Mary (of course in both cases among many other things.) I suspect that the second is the older. In any case, to understand a culture and faith of people who honour Mary, it's important to understand her presence throughout the scriptures, and the

After 4 Years of No Pipe ...

2012-01-17T22:43:00.000-08:00


Pipe Tool, Pipe and Package of Tobacco

After more than 4 years of not smoking my pipe, I finally took a little detour on our last family outing to the beach and bought a pack of pipe tobacco downtown (Playa del Carmen). There was little variety, and the workers new nothing about the tobacco - they only read me the name from the package, as though I couldn't do it for myself. So I choose the flavour that sounded most like the ones I used to like - sweet rum.

Fortunately, the package was well sealed and the tobacco inside was still relatively fresh. (I've had some in Canada that was completely dry and crumbly, and hence virtually useless. Never from the Walper Tobacco Shop downtown Kitchener, though. Theirs was always fresh. They're located in the Walper Hotel, at the corner of King and Queen if anyone's interested. Best tobacco shop I've been to to date. I intend to go back on my next visit to Canada. See their Facebook page for some OK pictures.)

Me smoking a pipe in 2006 when my wife and I met - a favourite picture of hers

My pipe was safely put away in a box under the bed; I was actually surprised since my wife tends to through (or give) anything away that we haven't used in a year. She had stored it with her wedding veil and about 5 other items of sentimental value that have official and permanent immunity to spring cleaning (which never happens in the spring, but at random times throughout the year.) Perhaps she gave the pipe this immunity since was because when we first met I used to smoke my pipe. Or maybe out of thoughtfulness for me, since she knows how much I used to like it. In any case, I was touched.

My pipe tool (as seen in the picture above) was neatly stored in my old wallet where it has been untouched for the last 4 years. (The same old wallet I've used for almost a decade, I believe - the same one I've always used to store my pipe tool - besides cash and bank cards.) It's a great wallet, from Mountain Equipment Coop. Still as good as new - except that it's dirty. I could probably clean it. I'm sure if I didn't use it, my wife would throw it out. But that's beside the point right now.

My old MEC wallet with the pipe tool inside

On Sunday evening, I packed my pipe and sat down on my front lawn, with the cool evening breeze (refreshing after the hot day), packed my pipe, and enjoyed a good smoke for the first time in four years. I enjoyed it. I still like the flavour and the process packing, lighting, and doing something that is slow and, by it's very nature, not rushed.

(A little note: I thought it would be worth pointing out that I have smoked a pipe, it just wasn't mine, and definitely not often; I think it was probably 2 or 3 times.)

The Walper in Kitchener - I didn't buy my tobacco here this time, but I will next time.

The pipe tobacco selection in the Walper

A Young, Up-and-Coming Photographer?

2012-01-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

My wife has a habit of letting our children play with our electronic equipment. While I generally disapprove of the habit, at least one good thing has come of it; our 4-year-old son has learned to use a camera, and is actually pretty good at taking pictures (considering his age.) He usually manages to center his subject and get a pretty good distance so the subject is just about the right size. Take a look at some of his recent pictures. What you think? Will he take after his mother in being an excellent photographer?

Self-portrait; he missed the other person, but that's a question of the length of his arms

Friends of the family.

Friend, dog, brother, mother.

Baby brother's new trick.

Dad and baby brother "working" at their respective computers.

His mother. Light behind the subject, but, you know, details can be worked on.

The Morning Edition - Curses and Weddings

2012-01-13T23:28:00.000-08:00

This more of a "midnight edition" than a "morning edition" but the concept is the same, so I'll leave the title the same. After some time of mostly abandoning my blog, I've come back to find out that popularity peaked at a time when was ignoring it completely with almost 1800 visits during the month of November (yes, I know in the blogging world, these numbers are really low, but they're an accomplishment for me!)

Other than that, the big news is that just recently my blog passed 15,000 total page views. The totals are less interesting than the breakdown of popularity by posts:

The number 1 most popular is still The Curse of the Eye, a post about a very common superstition in Mexico - so common, that many people don't recognize it as a superstition; they see it more as a reality, like the common cold. It has a total of over 3000 visits, and continues to top the weekly numbers every week. I've realized, though, that a big part of its popularity is connected to the Sauron eye image I put at the top, which people look for in Google. Sauron's eye has nothing to do with the superstition, but I thought it looked good.

This post is followed up by My Mexico City Experience - Pulque, about a popular and ancient Mexican drink, What really makes you Mexican?, a discussion if I can really call myself Mexican or not, and Cuernavaca and Drug-related Violence, a post about a real wave of violence in a beautiful colonial city, and how that does (and doesn't) affect life there. Each of these is between 400 and 500 visits.

Finally, a new record was set by A Tragic Wedding, a sad (and true) story of an arranged marriage and a love lost for for life. This story has only 40 visits, but they were all the same day I posted it. I don't think any of my posts have gained that many visits so quickly. The "Curse of the Eye" has gained more than 40 visits consistently, but not when I first posted it - it took a while to catch on.

And the title of this post - well, it's just about the two posts that are most important in today's update. But on the other hand, the "curse of the eye" is a concern at weddings, I think. Also, rings seem to have to something to do with both of them (hence the picture, again stolen from unofficial imagery based on "The Lord of the Rings" even though it really has nothing to do with the post.)

Valladolid, A Mayan Colonial Town

2012-01-10T21:27:00.000-08:00


The Main Church in Valladolid

I spent this New Years in the town of Valladolid, about 2.5 hours inland from here, not far from the ruins of Chichen Itza. The town is a classic old colonial Mexican town, with beautiful sites to see like old churches and convents. The town square is also very picturesque.

While central Mexico has a much larger number of charming towns to visit, Valladolid is unique in the fact that it's not only colonial but also Mayan - not Mayan as in having dancers wearing large bird and animal masks and pretending to carry out long dead rituals for American tourists, but Mayan as in Mayan people actually live there. While Yucatec Spanish (distinct from "normal" Mexican Spanish from the central area) is the most common language, you can also hear Mayan spoken in the streets and homes if you walk around a little. It's rather un-romantic and quite contrary to the image of "Mayans" given for tourists as some sort of ancient mystics, since these are just common people living in run down colonial homes (small, one-story buildings with ornate facades that haven't been kept up in years - at least out side of the central tourist area), half-built concrete homes or even huts built out of wooden poles. I like both sides of Valladolid.

A older home, in the residential part of town

There's a restaurant in town that serves traditional food for the area, and is located right next to a "cenote" which is a large, natural pool of water at the entrance to the underground cave and water network. It's beautiful because you can have a view of the cave and water while you eat, and then go for a dip in the water - it's very refreshing.

I also like going to Valladolid because there I can get hand-made sandals with car-tire soles for about $12. People sell them right out of their workshops, which look similar to the old home pictured in this post. They last me about 2 years - a good bit longer than most footwear.

This was my second trip to Valladolid, and I plan to go back. It's a nice, relaxing place to visit.

A picturesque colonial street in the town centre

My 2 sons and I walking down into the cenote (baby in my arms)

A view over the water of the cenote

Baby and wife

Our son playing in the pool at the hotel

A Tragic Wedding

2012-01-07T20:22:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the sad love story of “Alfredo” and Lola, a tragedy that I watch play out every day of my life. This weekend, on Saturday, January 7, 2012, this story took yet another tragic turn.

Lola’s aunt, being single herself, was worried that the family wouldn’t be seeing any grandchildren anytime soon, decided to obligate Lola to marry Ramon, her family’s preferred son-in-law, in an official wedding, assuming that this would somehow help in bring about the desired grandnephew or -niece.

“Alfredo” was invited to the wedding, and, against his will, his parents forced him to go and sit quietly in repressed suffering while he watched the love of his life first make vows she could never truly believe in her heart, and then sign a contract, vowing and promising to remain loyal to the chosen husband of her arranged marriage, implicitly renouncing and disowning the true love of her life (“Alfredo"), forever.

Poor “Alfredo.” But such is life, and I only hope that he can overcome this tragic event in his life. Just now I saw him in his house, downcast, almost expressionless, as though reality was no longer real.

For anyone who didn’t read the first part ("Forbidden Love"), “Alfredo” is my dog Simba.

Lola and Ramon are the neighbours’ two Chihuahuas. The aunt is the owner’s 8-year-old sister, who really does believe that having a wedding would make the two dogs have puppies. Eager for the puppies, she really did have a wedding on Saturday, which included a wedding dress and a veil for the “bride,” a bowtie for the “groom,” and the traditional Mexican elements of the “crown” (like a wreath made of flowers) placed on the bride’s head after the vows, and the rope that is placed around the newly married couple to symbolize the new-found unity.

There were also vows (said on the dogs’ behalf) and a marriage certificate (signed by inking and stamping the dogs’ paws.) There was a reception where mole with chicken (a traditional Mexican dish, prepared by the girl’s mother) was served.

She also sent out hand-written invitations earlier in the week, one specifically to Simba, who really is in love with Lola. The rest is as told above. (I’m not sure if I should say this publicly, but I saw the way Simba was looking at Lola during the ceremony, and I suspect that he thinks he still has a chance …)

Come to Mexico for a Great Vacation ... at Starbucks?

2011-12-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Playa del Carmen's Beaches

I've complained before that people come down for vacation to Mexico and in reality see nothing of Mexico. But forget about culture, history and tradition. We know 95% of tourists simply don't care about that stuff. But what about the wide, beautiful beaches that made places like Playa del Carmen and Cancun so famous? It's the same story.

This afternoon my family and I went down to the beach. Weaving our way through the crowded Fifth Avenue (the main tourist street, running parallel to the beach, a block or two away) we saw crowds of mostly non-Mexican tourists (including many Americans, Canadians, Europeans, etc.) A block and a half later, after about 2 minutes of walking, we arrived to the beach. I would say about 90% of the people were Mexicans - a complete turn around from the trendy main drag, filled with stores and restaurants that you could easily find in any major North American city.

We arrived in the mid afternoon when it was still warm and sunny, and stayed until the early evening when the sun had gone down. I waded in the water with my kids, and later went into the water alone, floating on my back and looking at the stars and moon above me. It was absolutely beautiful!

Yet, I couldn't help but wonder; why do all these Americans, Canadians and Europeans spend so much money to come to come to the beach, and then not go to the beach? The big selling point here in Playa del Carmen is the beaches, which are some of the world's most beautiful - so beautiful and relaxing, in fact, that they made me (a former and very decided hater of beaches) fall in love with beaches. Yet instead, they go to drink beer at a bar.

It's not only downtown. I've been to resorts and seen pictures of others, where it's the same story. The pools, beach clubs, restaurants and tennis courts are full of people and alive. If there are lounge chairs or canopy beds down where the sand begins, an adventurous spirit may wander down. But the actual sand of the beach is empty of northern tourists, and you would think there's something wrong with the water, since no one's in it (even now in the middle of "winter" the water is comfortably warm; these tourists wouldn't know that, though.)

So, just my same question again - why would you spend all the money to come down here, and instead of enjoying some of the most beautiful beaches to be found, go to Johnny Rockets and Starbucks?

Mexican Beer for Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

Noche Buena Beer and A Nativity Scene

Mexico has special beer that’s only sold for a month or two before Christmas. It’s called “Noche Buena” which is both the name for Christmas Eve, and for the poinsettia flower. It’s a dark, bock-style beer with a strong, semi-bitter flavour, and it’s an important part of Mexico’s Christmas Eve celebrations (traditionally taking place at midnight, so technically on Christmas Day.)

Smashing the Seven Deadly Sins, and Other Observations about Piñatas

2011-12-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

A little girl, destroying the seven deadly sins.

Recently I heard of an interesting explanation for the Mexican tradition of piñatas at posadas (see also my post from two days ago: "Why didn't you tell me you were the Virgin Mary?") Traditional piñatas have seven points on them, which represent the seven deadly sins. The piñata is smashed during Advent and at Christmas to represent the victory over sin that Christ's birth promised.

Of course, to the children and adults hitting the piñata, the only thought in mind is breaking it open to rush for the falling candies, but the idea is out there.

So, here are some pictures of the piñata from our recent posada. The piñata in the pictures has 5 points, but right after we had a larger one with seven points.

By the way, notice how I'm standing between the child with the stick and the other children, who seemed oblivious to the fact that a passionately swinging stick meant to smash a piñata could hurt them. A neighbour later told me that these attempts at organization and safety showed how "European" or "American" (i.e. not "Mexican" or "Latin") I was. Apparently an injured child is part of the routine.

"We try to control the kids, but they just don't listen," is the usual explanation. I guess destroying sin has its price. Since there were no injuries, it looks like this year I spoiled part of the tradition! (Needless to say, everyone was happy about that part!)

My son, giving it all to put a hole in the piñata.

Kids rushing for the candies falling from heaven. See the rewards of battling sin?

All the neighbours from our street for a group photo.

“This Church Has Air Conditioning!”

2011-12-21T06:40:00.001-08:00

Reposted from “Imagine,” my blog about religion that I cancelled this summer.
I assume that if your church has an space for announcements below it’s name sign outside of the church, this space should be reserved for one of the most important messages that your church has to offer the public.

I’ve seen everything from offers of eternal life, to threats of eternal damnation, to communal welcome messages, to verses of scriptural consolation. The one that caught my attention the most was a church that I saw a couple of weeks ago with the following message in big, bold letters, outshining even the name and denomination of the church:

“This Church Has Air Conditioning!”

So has this particular church simply thrown in the towel - have they given up on the idea that they have truth to offer? Or do they truly feel that the most powerful point they can offer the community is a comfortable climate? Is it perhaps a kind of bait, and when unsuspecting people enter to enjoy their climate-controlled worship, they’ll hit them with the big one?

Physical comfort seems to be one of the key items of attention in church growth these days. I remember hearing the principal of church growth set forth in my childhood church that once a church reached 70% spatial capacity, it would need to expand, open new service times, or start new branches; at 70%, new people would simply stop coming, or current members would leave due to the lack of elbow room.

While I suspected the integrity of this theory all along, I rejected it flatly as an invalid formula for true church growth when I saw a church that had 5 Lord’s Day services packed to the brim with people standing up, and even standing on the steps and yard outside the church where speakers had been installed. The church is located in a hot climate and has very little “comfort” except for the large open windows and high ceilings; definitely no air conditioning. A branch church is currently under construction, and it seems it will be packed full the moment it opens. I have also heard of another church group which had very poorly designed buildings with low ceilings and bad ventilation which was experiencing similar problems; the churches were simply over-full despite lack of comfort and rapid opening of new church buildings. Also no air conditioning, and well over 100% full.

Conclusion; while I certainly have nothing against air conditioning and elbow space, neither have anything to do with church growth.

I hope that the the air conditioning invitation I saw was simply excitement over a newly installed feature, and would soon be replaced with a more meaningful message. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was really the most important item they felt they could offer their community.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the Virgin Mary?"

2011-12-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Would your recognize the Virgin Mary?

This weekend, I participated in my fourth Mexican "posada," which is a communal re-enactment of the scene where Joseph and Mary arrive to Bethlehem and look for a place to stay, which take place during the 9 days before Christmas. The re-enactment is followed by a party where a very traditional hot fruit punch is served to all those who participate, along with snacks, a pinata and other elements of Mexican festivities (=loud music & tequila.)

In the Mexican re-enactment, a group of neighbours and friends from the community get together, light candles, and show up at the door of a the person hosting the party. The people outside with candles play the role of Joseph and Mary (it doesn't matter how many people there are) and the people inside are the innkeeper. The re-enactment is in the form of a song where each "role" sings short verses in response to each.

Joseph asks for a place to stay, the innkeeper sends him away, threatening a beating if doesn't leave. Joseph implores him for the sake of his pregnant wife and finally, 12 verses later, convinces him to let them in. Everyone enters singing joyfully of the night Christ was born. I've been to some (like last night) where a prayer is said, then the punch is served, etc.

Last night I especially noticed Joseph's final method of convincing the innkeeper:

"My wife Mary is Queen of Heaven, and will be the mother of the Word Divine."

The interesting part is actually the innkeeper's response, after so vehemently denying them service:

The festivities beginning, just after the re-enactment (my posada last night)
"Are you Joseph? Your wife is Mary? Enter, pilgrims. I did not know!"

If he had only known that it was Joseph and the Virgin Mary! My first reaction to this is probably typical of a more reasonable Northerner; "What a silly little song! As if the innkeeper would've known or cared who Mary was."

Besides no mention of such a dialogue in the Bible, the idea that the innkeeper could've known who Mary the Queen of Heaven was is simply absurd and anachronistic.

But then I had a second thought. From what I understand, these plays are part of a long-standing Catholic tradition of re-enacting the Gospel, still very much alive during Advent and Easter time in Latin America and other some other Catholic areas. On one hand, there's a cultural element here; everyone knows who the Virgin Mary is. I'm guessing that one of the original purposes was to present these key stories to an illiterate population. These re-enactments pull the events out of history and put them into Mexico in the current day and age where it only makes sense that all Joseph would have to do is identify his wife as the Virgin Mary. The recognition of her roles and titles would also serve to teach and reinforce these concepts in addition to the story.


A Posada (not mine, just a good picture)

Purely for the sake of speculation, there might be something more to this. The idea of "showing what happens" was (and is?) also the main idea behind religious icons, according to Pope Gregory I (6th century) among others. I have also heard the Mass described in a function of "reenactment." Both icons and the Mass show "historical events" in eternal terms, not merely placing the past into the present, but actually showing eternity within the framework of time. (The reason why icons of John the Baptist show him with his head firmly attached to his shoulders, but also holding his own head on a platter at the same time, and the reason why the Mass seems to "repeat" Christ's death and resurrection; it is not "repeated" but is eternity reflected in the framework of time.)

Perhaps there is an element of this idea behind the Catholic reenactments and the Mexican Posadas; in eternity, the innkeeper would know the significance of the event that's about to happen (the birth of Christ), and Mary would not be a simple Jewish girl from Galilee - she would already be The Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God (as is believed in Catholicism) and it would be necessary to recognize her as such.

I'm not sure if I'm taking this idea too far, but this "anachronism" becomes much more interesting when considered in these term.

Can my kid watch that TV show?

2011-12-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

Do you check what your kids watch at their friends' house?

Today, my wife and I entered a new phase of parenthood; for the first time we had to address the question of whether a T.V. show that the neighbours' kids were watching was appropriate for our 4-year-old son. Ever since infancy, we had been selective about what he watched, and time has always been limited (he doesn't watch T.V. or movies every day, and the ones he does, it's max. one movie or the equivalent.)

But today, the neighbor's kids (who deserve a few blog posts of their own, and from now on are getting a special label on this blog) showed up at the door and asked if our son could go to their house to watch a certain T.V. show. Their mother pays almost no attention to what they do. (Today, for example, she left them playing outside, and went to visit a friend, locking the door to keep the house safe. The kids were out on the front lawn, outside of the safely locked house. This was after the T.V. incident.) So now the question wasn't just about what we select, but also about evaluating what other people select and approve of.

To be honest, when my wife shouted the question up the stairs, it caught me off guard, and I realized that I had forgotten that as a parents we would not only have to guide our son in the process of choosing his own movies and T.V. shows, but also in the process of deciding whether his friends' shows were acceptable or not. Knowing how the neighbour family worked, my first reaction was to assume it probably wasn't a good idea. But since I was working at my computer I took a minute to look up the T.V. show in question. (It's a pretty common show which I recognize from quite some time ago, but I couldn't remember much about it. I'm not going to mention the name of it here, because this post isn't about that show in particular, but the idea in general.)

The general consensus (from internet reviews) seems to be that the show is moderately violent, promotes some airy-fairy moral values and is generally low quality (some pre-teens called it "cheesy.") For this reason it got high ratings from "parents and educators" (I didn't waste my time to check who these "parents and educators" were.) Presumable, since the violence isn't severe that and some commentator can cut and paste some moral values out of the plot, that makes a crappy T.V. show good for kids.

If you haven't already guessed, I find this criteria less than compelling. First of all, it is STILL VIOLENT, even if it is "acceptable" violence. Secondly, lower violence is NOT the only criteria that makes a kids show good (this erroneous way of thinking is why Barney has made it so far in the world.) Yes, part of the criteria my wife and I use for T.V. shows is that they're not violent. But we also count positive criteria. We also consider whether it teaches anything positive either in terms of morals or education ("teamwork" because the heroes work together to rip the bad guy to shreds doesn't count) and entertainment value. If you exclude entertainment value, there's no reason whatsoever for T.V. or movies; even "educational" kids programs are made to entertain to some degree - if not, you could just use a book and pictures and probably get better results.

Back to the main story, after a quick review, I said no, not only because the show seemed poor both in terms of values and quality, but also because I remembered that my son had already watched a movie today.

So, we have now begun our role of teaching our son how to evaluate the shows and movies his friends choose, helping him to develop strong values, but avoid vast tyrannical prohibitions at the same time. The good thing is that now, at 4-years-old, it's fairly cut and dry - we just say "yes" or "no" according to what we know is better. I know the hard part will come later.

[This idea is actually closely related to that of the 3 posts ago: A Trip to the Library – Educational or Entertaining?]

How do You Show Reverence?

2011-12-08T22:46:00.001-08:00

I while back I think I posted about the difference between how we northerners tend to see morals (prohibitions) and how Mexicans tend to see morals (positive actions.) (I can’t find the post now – maybe it’s just something I told someone. If I find it, I’ll share the link.)

A closely related idea is how we see reverence. I recently saw a review of a movie (“The Greatest Miracle”) which attempts to depict the spiritual events which take place in the Mass. The writer took issue with the fact that in the movie, the characters were getting up and moving around the church during mass, even approaching the sanctuary. The movie takes place in Mexico, and I realized that this issue was actually connected to the fact in Mexico, people have a different concept of reverence. The following are some comments I made about the review:

While Canadians who arrive late for Mass I think would try to sneak into the back pews unnoticed, I’ve seen Mexicans arrive very late DURING MASS and walk right up to the steps leading to the altar to genuflect and cross themselves before sitting down. (During the movie, the angel actually complains about a family that arrives late.) They also get up and move around during Mass more readily. I think there are two factors involved in this. One is that Mexicans have slightly different idea of reverence; Mexicans can go to great lengths to show outward signs of reverence (crossing themselves, genuflecting, bowing, fully participating in the appropriate prayers), but not feel they are being irreverent by changing places in the church during Mass. In fact, if you just finished confession, you will always be moving to your “normal” spot, and (in my experience) this happens every Mass when 2 priests are available. … Mexican morality (and reverence) is more heavily based on active outward signs (bowing, etc.) more freely expressed, not only the prescribed time, while we Anglophones tend to focus on prohibitions (you shouldn’t get up or make noise during mass, you shouldn’t show up late, etc.) I suspect a balance of the two is necessary (I’m too new to Catholicism to say if either approach is more correct than the other), but I’ve seen enough of Canadian and Mexican culture to know that this factor is definitely related to how each culture views “reverence.”

The second factor of people moving around is that in Mexico Catholicism is the default religion. In the U.S., Canada and many other places, Catholics are a minority - a large minority, but for all but 2 days of the year, the only people who show up for Mass are the more devout Catholics. This means these devout few will be more dedicated to showing reverence and respect through silence and staying still. In Mexico, since it’s the communal religion, anyone and everyone - devout or not, sometimes even non-Catholic - shows up for mass. This means that you’ll have non-devout people in the Mass who may not understand or value reverence. So why do they go then? Because it’s the only place where you go to experience God more closely. Some people think they have to go, even though they are not devout. In many parts of Mexican culture, it’s almost just automatic. It’s what you do. So while you have some devout and reverent people who don’t feel it’s irreverent to move about, there are also plenty of non-devout Catholics who simply don’t know better or care much about reverence.

Closely related is that I’ve seen people in Mexico who just happen to be wandering by, or feel down on life, and stop in for a prayer - during Mass or not. Sometimes they stay for the whole Mass, other times they leave when they finish their own prayer. In fact, this is the whole context of the movie; it’s just that the story conveniently has the three main characters show up just as mass is beginning. If you imagine a real culture (like Mexico) where people will tend to go to the church as a refuge in times of personal turmoil, it’s not always going to work out so “neatly” that they show up just on time for mass.

Just to be clear, I agree with our northern ideas about reverence. Also it’s not that every Mass in Mexico has noisy distractions and lots of people moving around (depending on the specific community, there are churches that wouldn’t have this at all), but what I saw in the movie looked “normal” in the context of Mexico, and I think it helps us to understand why they made the movie that way.

So, how do you think reverence is shown most appropriately? Silence/prohibitions? Outward signs and visible affection? Both? Or maybe not at all?

Catholic Church in Decline in Canada?

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

I'm re-posting this from my other blog, "Imagine," which I'm deleting.

There seem to be two fairly strong (and false) ideas present in Canada these days. One is that Christianity is loosing footing among the younger generation; the other is that the Catholic Church, along with other traditional churches, is in even greater decline than Christianity as a whole, loosing numbers in droves to more contemporary churches and atheism. I would argue that both of these ideas are based in manipulation of numbers to give the illusion of decline, presumably to suggest a lack of integrity or relevance.

Consider these stats about Catholicism and Christianity in Canada:

About Catholics:

The population of Catholics in Canada between 1991 and 2001 GREW 4.5%, which is less than the population growth of 9.8% but nevertheless significant growth.
In strict numerical terms Catholics grew by almost 600,000 - a number larger than the population of most cities in Canada. Interestingly enough most "statistical" articles (including Stats Canada) present this as a decline. How does growth of 600,000 people represent decline?
By actual numbers (i.e. not percentages), Catholic growth outdid the #2 Christian group by over 5 times.

About Orthodox:

Interestingly, the #2 group (in terms of straight numerical growth) was Orthodox Christians who grew by 107,000.
The numerical growth of Orthodox is phenomenal when seen as a percentage; it was by far the highest percentage growth with 28%.

The only exception is "Christian, not included elsewhere" which grew by 110%; this stat can't be compared in itself since it refers to all miscellaneous groups, rather than one single group. However, it's important to note a few points.

One is that numerical growth in this "misc" category (425,000) was still well below that of Catholics.
Another is that I believe this growth reflects the rise of many new, smaller denominations, and also the ever more popular non-denominational movement.
Finally, it shows the fact that Christians in Canada are not so much abandoning their religion, but rather changing denominations or moving to a non-denominational concept (I think I read an article pointing this out about the U.S.)

Five months ago, I thought I was joining a church in sharp numerical decline, especially in a country like Canada, only to find out the exact opposite is true. As these stats show, it's simply absurd to claim that all traditional churches are in numerical decline in Canada. Some traditional Protestant groups are definitely in numerical decline (for example, Anglicans and Lutherans), but Catholics and Orthodox definitely aren’t.

Just to be clear, I don't believe that size, growth, or lack of either are necessarily important indicators of a church's integrity; I don’t believe that being “big” or “small” is any reflection of a church’s integrity. I am presenting these statistics only to show that the idea is false that the most traditional churches are in numerical decline, and that this imagined decline indicates some faulty approach or lack of ability to connect with the current generation.

However, I do believe that these stats show the beginning of an important and positive shift in Canadian Christianity.

My next post will be about the role of immigrants in this pattern.

Stats from: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census

A Trip to the Library – Educational or Entertaining?

2011-12-07T21:16:00.001-08:00

When I was visiting a library in Halifax this summer, I overheard a German family discussing some videos that the pre-teen children were choosing. The parents were looking over the case of a video somehow related to Shakespeare – I’m guessing it might have been that version of Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo Dicaprio.

“Is this really educative?” asked the mother. (She said “educative” rather than “educational.”)
The father took the case. “I don’t think they have anything to do with Shakespeare these days,” he observed.
They proceeded to discuss the item in terms of morality, quality, entertainment and educational value.

Listening to the conversation, I realized two things; one is that this is probably a good thing; the other is how rare this kind of care is among parents these days. In the whole week I spent in that library, this was the only family in which the parents were actively engaged in the values of their children’s choice of material. Everything about it would be foreign to so many people; encouraging kids to go to the library, going with them as a family, reviewing and discussing the material they choose, caring, talking to them about it, knowing something about it …

For me, it was as though the conversation was from another world. Where I live in Mexico, libraries are few and far between, and the few that exist are way underused. It would be a miracle that parents even encourage their kids to go to a library, let alone care what their kids are doing there. When my wife and I arrived to Canada, she was simply overjoyed to have a good library right in the community, within walking distance. While I think there’s a better culture for visiting the library, but I suspect it’s much more for entertainment than for learning. I also suspect that few parents actually supervise and discuss the educational, moral and quality value of what their kids choose.

With only a 3-year-old, I it’s not much of a task to review the content of the books yet. That’s coming in a few years. I suspect one day we’ll be that odd family in the library who actually cares about all of that stuff.

Forbidden Love

2011-11-14T13:15:00.001-08:00

Here’s a true story I’ve seen unfold over the past two years since I moved into my neighbourhood. Among the first to move into the neighbourhood was a handsome youth with wavy blond hair (a rarity in Mexico) whom everybody loves (we’ll call him “Fernando” to protect his true identity.)

Within a couple of weeks another youth (“Ramon”) moved in two doors down, and the two became friends. Somewhat later, the parents of Ramon became concerned that he was still single, and they decided to find a wife for him – yes, an arranged marriage! The lovely young lady (“Lola”) moved in with Ramon; however, although they liked each other on a certain level, they’ve never really connected, and to this day their marriage remains somewhat distant.

As Ramon and Fernando continued to spend their evenings together, Fernando and Lola came to a difficult realization; they were in love.

As the days, weeks and months go by, their love grows, as does their sorrow. While they find joy in the moments they could see each other, they were careful since they don’t want to hurt Ramon. Either he is so innocent that he doesn’t notice, or he notices and chooses not to react (perhaps out of sadness, perhaps out of indifference to his marriage) – I really can’t tell.

Lola and Fernando also fear Ramon’s parents who are determined not to let Lola disgrace their family. Fernando’s parents (he lives in their house, still) are suspicious and are both disapproving and vigilant.

Just this week, a possibly dangerous development took place. Lola’s godmother caught her and Fernando hiding in a home under construction – they were alone, with tears in their eyes and embracing. She angrily sent Fernando home and scolded Fernando telling him he ought to be ashamed of himself. While I don’t think that her godmother told Ramon’s parents, she did tell Fernando’s. They're furious, and have forbidden him from leaving the house when she is out – she’s very traditional, and usually only goes out with Ramon, with leave of his parents. (You could imagine the shock of the godmother!)

Yesterday I saw Fernando sitting his window, watching out of his window, trembling with desire and bitterness; she saw him, walked over to the window, touched the roses growing below the window, and leaned over to smell one of them; as she did this her eyes met Fernando’s for a moment, and then she walked away and went on her way with Ramon.

The sad part about this story is that it’s true. The happy part about the story is that it’s about dogs, not humans! “Fernando” is my dog, Simba. Ramon and Lola are the real names of the neighbours’ 2 Chihuahuas. The only parts I changed were a few details to “humanize” the story – e.g. the “godmother” is the owner’s mother often who takes care of Ramon and Lola. She didn’t really see tears in the dogs’ eyes, but the rest is true; I really did see Simba trembling with desire, Lola really did reach her head out to sniff the roses growing under our window, and their eyes really did mean. Of course, I didn’t point out that Lola was sniffing the roses because Simba had “marked” them; that just wouldn’t have sounded romantic.

Online in Mexico - the Mexican Way!

2011-11-11T22:51:00.001-08:00

Well, this isn't the connection I have, but I'm not sure which is sketchier.

After over a month of having internet access only at work and sporadically through a shared cell-phone network portable modem, I'm finally re-connected with a full-time internet connection at home! The best part about it is that it's thoroughly Mexican way of getting the internet as well.

Back in Canada, if you want the internet, you call your phone company, they come and set it up, and it gets charged on your phone bill. While this is definitely an option in a growing number of places in Mexico, phone lines have not yet been installed where I'm living - another difference, since I'm sure in Canada, homes wouldn't be sold before the phone lines go into the community. The two options here are a cell-phone network connection like I mentioned above, or a sketchy wireless service that requires someone to put a big antenna on their roof. I've now opted for this second option. (No offense to anyone reading this who provides sketchy wireless connections - I'm quite happy with mine right now!)

Fortunately I'm not the one with the big antenna on my roof. One of my neighbors did that and he's splitting the service with a few people in the neighborhood.

So, now I can get back into my bad habits of staying up till 2 in the morning writing blogs and checking Facebook.

Our New Kitchen

2011-10-31T11:50:00.001-07:00

Recently, we had a new kitchen counter put in, which ended up almost being a complete remodelling of the kitchen. Before the remodelling, we had a door and a window at the back of the kitchen, a solitary sink and no counter. The stove, dishes, toaster, etc. were all on various items of furniture.

We had the door and the window removed and filled in with concrete blocks. (All construction here in Mexico is concrete blocks and/or poured concrete.) The door was moved about 3 feet over to a place where there had been a tall window before.

Then we had a counter built across the entire back and side of the kitchen with a shelf under it, and a space at the end for the stove – all out of concrete, of course.

At this point, before the work had been finished, and before the wall had been sealed off, we were hit by a tropical storm – about 2 weeks ago. We spent much of one night mopping up water. (See picture 2 – notice how wet the new blocks in the wall are.)

After the sun had dried up the new wall enough, the person doing the work for us put tiles on the counter and the wall, installed the sink into the counter (along with the tap and drain) and sealed off the wall, finishing everything – the wall and non-tiled parts of the counter – with a grey stucco. (See picture 3) We also had the floor under the counter raised 2 cm so it could be used for storage.

Finally, we finished the job by painting all the stucco, which we did ourselves with the help of our 3-year-old son. (See pictures 4 and 5, below)

We now have a wonderful new kitchen with plenty of space to work that is not the kitchen table and is easy to keep clean. We also have enough space for all the dishes and dry food underneath. We chose plain white tiles, with a brown, blue and yellow traditional, Mexican trim. (See picture 1 – above - and 6 & 7 – below)

For another post about home improvements, see:
Another video blog - My new closet - I made part of it!
Renovation, the Canadian Way

Travel Safely in … Mexico City?

2011-09-23T19:30:00.001-07:00

My closest brush with crime in Mexico City was one day when I was coming out of the subway, and I saw a guy who was very well dressed in the trendiest clothes listening to his iPod, wearing sunglasses that were probably worth more than the suit I was wearing and the laptop I was carrying put together. Within about 5 seconds someone had approached him from the front, and someone else from behind, and stripped him of every last item of value he was carrying.

I had been carrying a briefcase and wearing a suit, but I guess these thieves know what they’re doing; although I was dressed for a business-type job, they could tell I really didn’t have items that would be worth anything to them.

For a place that has a reputation for being unsafe, I’d say it’s pretty impressive that during 2 years, this was my closest brush was crime – especially considering I lived in some not-so-nice neighbourhoods.

While I definitely been lucky, and had some excellent “guides” (my wife, friends, etc.), I think it’s also safe to say that a good way to avoid robbery in Mexico City is not to carry things worth steeling. Dress in regular clothes and leave the valuables at home.

With that rule of thumb in mind, I think that it’s also safe to say that it’s no more dangerous to be in Mexico City than in just about any other large city. People get nervous simply because of the city’s size; there are definitely places best avoided, and a common sense is needed, I would say this is even more true in cities like Detroit. According to Wikipedia, Mexico City isn’t as safe as “highly developed western European cities such as Frankfurt or Barcelona but is safer then cities such as Moscow or Washington DC.”

Lonely Planet listed Mexico City as one of its “Top 8 places to (safely) visit in Mexico now,” saying:

“There really is no more fascinating city in the world than Mexico’s misunderstood capital. With a population of over 21 million (and a crime rate about a third of Washington, DC’s), Mexico City had a serious scrub-up for its bi-centennial, and now some places like mariachi-filled Plaza Garibaldi are considered (like Times Square in New York) safe enough to be a ‘Disney version’ of its former gritty self.”

Mexico City has many beautiful places to visit, and my advice to travellers is definitely worth going; travellers need to use common sense (as anywhere else) but can go there with confidence that they will be fairly safe.

Does Your Phone Have This Feature?

2011-09-21T16:55:00.001-07:00

A while back, my son picked up the cordless phone, and came to show my wife and me one of the buttons on the phone.

“This button says ‘The Virgin Mary,’” he explained, pointing to one of the functions. “You can press it, and then you can talk to her.”

I figured that the feature was more likely in Mexico than in Canada.

Local History Expert – A Homeless Man in Halifax

2011-09-19T14:22:00.001-07:00

Although in some sense they may be less reliable in accuracy sometimes, local, home-grown, self-made history experts are far more interesting than than the official ones.

I had a chance to experience such an expert in Halifax. While my brother and I, along with our families, were walking down the street in Halifax past the historic church building known as the “Little Dutch Church” (pictured) and chatting about why this Anglican Church had been built for Lutheran German immigrants, a homeless man walking by overheard us, and took it upon himself to jump in the conversation and share what he knew.

Yes, the church was Anglican, he confirmed, even though the parish members were German immigrants. The round church building just a block or two away (St. George’s) was also Anglican. He knew about their history; he had slept in both churches in the past. The one we were looking at – the “Little Dutch Church” – had been the scene of some archaeological controversy as well; some excavation under the building had unearthed some bones, which were recorded by archaeologists and then re-buried (see picture.)

These stories were told with the enthusiasm and eagerness of someone who simply wanted to share what he knew, and had no agenda, purpose, format or guideline in doing so.

We never learned the significance of the bones since at that point we reached the soup kitchen where the man was headed.

The Great Canadian … Gut!

2011-09-17T11:20:00.001-07:00

2 or 3 months after moving to Canada, my wife and I discovered a problem; our pants were getting too tight! We found a scale, weighed ourselves and discovered that we had each gained about 10-15 pounds!

While weight comes and goes depending on different factors in lifestyle, there was no question about it; we had both gained considerably more weight during 3 months in Canada than we had at any point during our 5 years together in Mexico!

We have a few theories, some of which can be discarded, and others more plausible.

The discarded theories include:

Relatively recent childbirth: It’s a fact that most women gain weight during and after birth. But there are two problems; this doesn’t offer me any excuse, and my wife had actually lost all of this extra weight before we moved to Canada, and she was down to her normal weight! So this one’s out the window.

I started a second blog: More blogs means more sitting time. But this is no excuse for my wife. Also, I cancelled this blog, and we found no difference for the two weeks when we were in Halifax, and I wrote no blogs whatsoever.

Canadians eat more fat and more carbs: True, Canadians seem to know no limits to these two nutrients; even “healthy” Canadians seem to think that eating fried steak with fried eggs and mayonnaise is a good low-carb diet. But Mexicans are at least as bad. In fact typical Mexican food is probably worse. Mexicans eat lots of bread loaded with sugar every day, plus tacos and tortas and tamales with grease dripping of them. See ().

We came to these more acceptable conclusions:

Canada is built for cars: In Mexico, if you don’t have a car, you end up walking a lot more and getting more exercise. I would say 3/4 of the country’s communities are designed to be walked in. In Canada, most people have a car; if you don’t have one, you simply don’t go anywhere. Most communities are not designed to be walked in, and don’t have anywhere to walk to. (There are, of course, major exceptions.) We live in a small village that takes 5 minutes to walk across, which hardly offers any exercise. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a car made available to us when we need it. (We are really thankful for this! But we’re also sure the guts are somehow related …) We started daily bike rides, but it’s one thing to have daily bike rides as an optional form of entertainment, and a completely different thing to have a couple of hours of biking or walking as a normal, non-optional part of your daily routine (= our life in Mexico.)

It’s easier to eat healthily in Mexico: While the typical Mexican diet is at least as bad as the Canadian one, it’s easier to be healthy in Mexico if you want to. Fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap, as is freshly caught fish. Someone pointed out how much oatmeal we eat for breakfast; in Mexico, we ate twice much oatmeal for breakfast, but we also ate twice as many fruit and vegetables, and we almost never ate desert or sweet things, since it’s so easy by cheap and good alternatives (fresh fruit.) Red meat was a once a week meal, rather than the 2 or 3 times a day many Canadians seem to like.

The difficult thing is that it’s really hard to eat differently in Canada; fruit and vegetables are expensive, often imported from the other side of the world, and rarely of good quality. The fall is an exception here, since there is a good deal of local fruit available; yet if you are eating the fresh blueberries with Canadians, they like to mix them into ice cream! Fish is outrageously expensive (compared to Mexico.)

I guess the bottom line is, even though most people in Mexico aren’t interested, it’s much easier to be active and eat healthy on a low budget than in Canada. We’re hoping the guts will disappear when we get back to Mexico, and for our next time around in Canada, I think we’ll have to do more careful planning for exercise and healthy eating.

Made in Canada from Imported Ingredients

2011-09-09T11:28:00.001-07:00

A while back, my wife and I bought a bag of peanuts in their shells. Nothing terribly exciting interesting. However, out of habit, I like to read the list of ingredients even on the simplest products. The bag reads:

Ingredient

Peanuts.

May contain tree nuts.

So far, so good. Then, out of sheer boredom, and something to do as I peeled and munched on peanuts, I read the other side of the bag. This is how the first two lines read:

MADE IN CANADA FROM

IMPORTED INGREDIENTS

I understand one part of this: the one ingredient (peanuts) is imported.

What I don’t understand is exactly which part of it was “made in Canada.” Perhaps if it said “packaged in Canada” I could understand what they mean. But “made in Canada??”

I didn’t think we as Canadians cared enough about whether a product was domestic or not to make this kind of absurdity necessary. Then again, I could be wrong.

I guess I could call that toll-free number to find out exactly how a peanut can be made in Canada from imported ingredients.

On Prohibitions and Obligations

2011-09-07T14:36:00.001-07:00

If we divide morals into two categories – things we shouldn’t do, and things that we are obligated to do – in general I would say Canadian culture has more focus on the first, and Mexican culture more on the second. Of course, this is a very broad generalization, but I would say there is a definite tendency.

In Canada, when people speak of morals we generally formulate the idea in prohibitions; I remember my teenaged years that the measure of a moral life was often that of what we didn’t do; we weren’t supposed to listen to music that might have a negative influence on our lives, do drugs, etc. Even in adult life, we tend to look at doing good in these terms; men shouldn’t cheat on their wives, people shouldn’t steal or commit fraud, etc.

Even people who have “liberated” themselves from morals usually see life from the same point of view; the basic question is “How much can I get away for my own sake?” On the “moral” side people will tend towards saying “nothing” – we have to follow the prohibition. On the “non-moral” side people tend to towards the idea that you can get away with what ever you like for your own sake.

The downside of this angle is that the focus tends to be on a prohibition and how far someone can bend that prohibition to their own convenience – in the end the debates concerning these prohibitions tend to be self-centered. Of course, the good side is that there definitely are actions which are bad for us, or are unfair to others to whom we have responsibility, etc. and so they really are best avoided.

In Mexico, there seems to be less of a concern for prohibitions and a higher concern for obligations. From my experience Mexicans will see their morals in light of what they should do for other people; I should call my mother, because she’ll feel good, I should give things to other people who need them, I should let people stay in my house, even if I don’t know them, etc. Of course, a Mexican could reject this kind of morals as much as Canadians could reject prohibitions. The difference isn’t in how moral people are, but how those who see themselves as leading a moral life define those morals.

I’ve found along with this tendency in Mexico, people either take the prohibitions for granted, or simply ignore them altogether. There is less debate or tension about how far prohibitions can be taken. Of course, the second situation (ignoring the prohibitions all together) leads to some problems; i.e. a man helps his neighbours with work and gives to the poor, but cheats on his wife. He’s active in moral obligations, but not terribly concerned with prohibitions.

Again, these are very broad generalizations. Both Canada and Mexico include both views, but it’s a question of tendency. It makes a difference in how we view the other culture; at a first glance Mexican culture may seem very immoral to a Canadian concerned with morals because of the apparent lack of inhibitions. On the other hand, Canada may look very immoral to Mexican eyes – it may look self-centred, cold or even greedy. Understanding how another culture defines a moral life is important.

Wearing Religion on Your Sleeves

2011-09-01T17:35:00.001-07:00

Recently, in a Q & A post for a very popular expat blog, a soon-to-be expat in Latin America was worried about finding a girlfriend in a very religious country; the soon-to-be expat was atheist. The blogger reassured the concerned would-be expat that Latin Americans, although with very deep-rooted religious beliefs, don’t usually “wear their religion on their sleeves.”

I both agree and disagree.

In the normal meaning of this expression, meaning that someone talks about their religion to the extent that it might be uncomfortable for other people, I agree. Most religious Latin Americans I know (even some that I would call “very religious”) would not usually discuss their faith or try to push it on other people. They simply don’t seem to find that necessary. In this way, they’re very discrete and not at all obtrusive in their beliefs (again, generally speaking.) For this concerned expat, this would probably be enough; any girlfriend he found would probably not be pushy, even in this kind of relationship.

Yet, in another sense of the idea, I would disagree. If we consider the “concrete” (although definitely not usual) meaning of “wearing your religion on your sleeves,” I would say Latin Americans do; i.e. they actually wear their religion on their sleeves – or at least on their arms. Bracelets similar to the one in the picture are fairly common, in my experience. Mexicans who wear the Virgin of Guadelupe or Saint bracelets may not talk about them, or even expect or hope that other people will notice; I suspect (although I can’t confirm) that they wear them to remind themselves of something or perhaps to use them for prayer more so than to show other people something. While they wear their religion on their sleeves in the concrete sense, they don’t “wear their religion on their sleeves” in the sense that they are pushy and obsessed or are going to try to convert you or even talk to you about God.

I suspect many North Americans who wear “What Would Jesus Do” bracelets or the coloured bead bracelets would do so for a similar reason – primarily, even if not solely, to remind themselves of something. Yet, in English-speaking North America, we have a stigma that people who use these things will be obsessive about their faith. Although this is definitely not true all the time, it is true more often here (Canada or the U.S.) than in Latin America.

For Latin Americans, the same is true of household altars, icons, statues, rosaries, etc. You might see all of these things in someone’s home, car or bus (bus drivers take a lot of liberty in personalizing their vehicles,) but they probably won’t seem in any other way preoccupied or focused on the related themes. In the worst cases, any of them could be “trends” or just the thing to do in your family or community; in the best cases, I suspect that these people use these items to remind themselves of their faith, to pray, etc. but are content to leave it that. They’re instruments of personal devotion, not of outreach or conversion.

I suspect that for this concerned would-be expat this would also be OK.

Short Shorts in Halifax

2011-08-31T13:53:00.001-07:00

For people who live in a touristy beachfront town in Mexico like Playa del Carmen, where it’s common to see people in all places hardly wearing anything at all, it’s difficult to find a place where they can be surprised by the revealing clothing. This is the case for me and my wife, but on a recent visit to Halifax, we were, indeed, surprised by the shortness of the shorts that women were wearing there.

About two weeks go, my wife and I were parked at Tim Horton’s in Halifax (a very popular doughnut shop chain in Canada) for her to use the washroom. Just before she came back out to the car, a group of young women walked out of the doughnut shop; I couldn’t help but to notice how incredibly short their shorts were.

When my wife got into the car, she looked over at me and asked, “Did you see those girls?” She had also noticed. I don’t suppose too many people – male or female – couldn’t notice.

As we were driving, we came to several conclusions:

This was not an isolated incident; short shorts are much more common – and shorter - in Halifax than any other place we’d been recently. Out of pure curiosity my wife and I counted as we drove down the street and it seemed that half of all the young women were wearing these really short shorts.
Coming out of Mennonite country, this sight was probably surprising because of its sharp contrast. But …
even in less “modest” parts of Ontario (like Toronto) we were sure we hadn’t seen this many short shorts. My brother said it was because Halifax is a university town. But Waterloo is even more of a university town, and I can’t recall seeing ANY short shorts there; I visit the city once a week on average, usually driving right through the university district.
The most important fact is that for the past few years we were living in Playa del Carmen, on a Mexican beach where “modesty” is not an idea that really factors into clothing styles. Sure, on the beach women wear bikinis, and off the beach clothing is often fairly scanty, I don’t recall seeing shorts as short as the ones in Halifax, or in that frequency. While you can easily predict the shock of a couple coming out of Mennonite country, clothing really does have to be revealing to shock people coming from a touristy beach town like Playa del Carmen.

I don’t why, but Halifax seems to have a trend towards really short shorts. The weather most certainly doesn’t justify it; Halifax was no longer hot at this time, and the evenings were actually getting cool, at least by our standards. We’re not sure how they managed not to feel cold.

Martin Luther vs. Desperate Housewives

2011-08-30T17:39:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, there was a distinct pattern in our home. After the kids were in bed and asleep by about 8:30, my wife would be watching DVDs of the TV series Desperate Housewives, and I would read about Christianity. My reading is from various sources but focused on a book about the history of Protestantism which features a somewhat menacing picture of Martin Luther on the cover; besides this, when I first started reading the book, she would ask me questions about some themes, which usually lead back to Martin Luther (or sometimes John Calvin). Hence my wife refered to my reading as “Martin Luther” – for example, when we went to bed, she’d ask me, “So, what does Martin Luther say today?”

Our evening activities had thus become a contrast of Desperate Housewives and Martin Luther. Thinking about this contrast, I’ve come to an important conclusion:

If Desperate Housewives had existed during the 16th Century, the Reformation would not have happened.

Here are the reasons why:

If Martin Luther had seen the women and men interact in this series, he probably would have been afraid to marry, and would have pointedly decided to remain in good status with the existing church simply to stay within the safe bounds of celibacy, regardless of all the perceived deficiencies of that system.
Luther, Calvin and the others could have attacked moral deficiencies of the culture represented in the series rather than those of the medieval church.
Those looking for a a place to apply purer forms of Reason could’ve used it to analyse characters and plots, rather than the Holy Scriptures.
Viewers would also have realized that grown, educated adults are incapable of “rational” living, thus rejecting the proposal that all are capable to interpret the Bible for themselves, and perhaps even rejecting pure reason as a viable approach to understanding.
The Reformers would’ve seen some of the long-term results of “de-sacralization” of the physical world and abandoned their agendas of iconoclasm and re-interpretation of True Presence and the Eucharist (Holy Communion.)
Most importantly, if Luther, Calvin,Zwingli, Grebel and any of the others had seen this series, they simply would’ve become too addicted to spend any time on the agendas of reform, restoration or revolution. Upon conclusion, they probably would’ve sought out some other T.V. series with similarly addictive qualities to fill their time. (I find Desperate Housewives draws me in only a little, but the series Rome is much more addictive; most people I know, however, become very addicted to the first series.)

So, what would you choose – the Reformation or Desperate Housewives?

A New Direction

2011-08-29T12:37:00.001-07:00

Recently, I’ve decided that this blog needs a new direction, or, more correctly, a new title to reflect a new direction it’s already taken. Two changes have made this necessary:

1. I moved back to Canada for half the year, and I hope to do the same next summer. This means that some of my recent posts have not been directly or even indirectly related to living in Mexico. Instead of trying to limit what I can write about, I want to expand the focus of this blog to include a more general cultural exchange.

2. As of this week, I cancelled my other blog, called “Imagine,” which focused specifically on my religious experience. Most of the posts in that blog ended up being about religious-cultural observations anyway, which means they would fit into the new direction this blog has been taking.

The task now is to give this blog a new title which reflects the broader range of cultural exchanges I’ve been commenting on – Canada and Mexico, culture and religion, the modern and the non-modern, etc.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Why I Don’t Like Resorts …

2011-07-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

This may seem strange, but I don’t like resorts. I recognize why so many people love them, and I have enjoyed both times I stayed at a resort … for the first day. You can stay in a beautiful room, every need you may have is catered to, you have a large, luxurious pool at your doorstep, a slow relaxing walk to the beach (which you never take because a golf cart takes you,) there are excellent restaurants, and the list just goes on.

In short, you’re living like a king – with one major difference; YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO.

The planned events in places like these never appealed to me; yet, having the all-inclusive luxury at your disposal, you feel obligated to stay on the resort to take advantage of it; it makes no sense to go pay for food, drinks or entertainment somewhere else when you already have the luxury level of all of these in your plan.

Part of the total concept of the places, wireless internet is available. While I’ve never been one to watch any T.V. or use any internet while travelling on vacation; both times, however, that I’ve been in a resort setting, by the end of day 1, I’ve been digging out the laptop I never thought I’d be using on vacation and tracking down the password for using the internet. I simply felt bored and in need of something semi-productive to do.

I suppose part of the lure of resorts is that you can do just that; live in luxury, relax, and do nothing – unwind from all the stress of life.

Both resorts I’ve been in have been in Mexico. Yet, I’ve had several other vacation/multi-day-travel experiences in Mexico that have been far less luxurious, but, for me far more enjoyable. (These include my trip to Veracruz and to Progreso.) In places like this there are certainly lots of tourists, but you see them blending in with real life. In Veracruz my wife and I stayed in a cheap hotel where they gave us half price ($10) because the room had no TV. Although the hotel had everything I expected from it (comfortable bed, warm shower and cleanliness) I felt no regret abandoning the hotel to go out and see the city – see the people, the parks, the children playing in the streets, the colonial city square full of splendid lights, the market food, street musicians and the baker who went well out of his way to show the warmest welcome possible to an old friend (my wife) … to me this was 1000 times more of meaningful and enjoyable. In Progreso I visited the old expat bar, where retired Americans and Canadians that had been there for several decades complained of the (very unwanted) influx of tourists that the new highway would bring. Although some of them glared at me suspiciously as one of the unwanted outsiders, I found it easier to connect with more of these people than most of the people in the resort.

At the resort, I think the only person I connected to somewhat was the worker taking care of the kids who used to be a student at the English school where I worked.

I don’t oppose resorts in principle – there are some that have made real efforts to show environmental and social responsibility, although by no means all, just like any other business – but I still have to say honestly, I can understand the point on a logical level (i.e. why they should be enjoyable) but by my experience, I simply do not find them enjoyable.

Are You English, German or Spanish?

2011-07-20T12:06:00.001-07:00

While I would describe my ethnic background in the fairly universally understood terms of “Canadian of Mennonite background,” the people still belonging more fully to this group have other terms by which they describe ethnicities.

For example, they might describe my immediate family thus:

“His parents are German, and he grew up German. But now he and his sons are English and his wife is Spanish.”

Anyone who knows my wife, my kids and me knows that there’s nothing English, Spanish or German about us – least of all in terms of ethnicity or culture. Of course, what these people are doing is referring to ethnicity/culture by the language spoken. I’m English because that’s my primary language; my parents are “German” because they still speak the Mennonite dialect of the language between themselves; likewise my wife is “Spanish” because of her mother tongue.

I don’t know the exact reasons for this choice of terminology, but I can guess as to some of the underlying ideas:

An idea seems to have come about that there’s something inappropriate, embarrassing or sometimes even insulting to refer to people by their true ethnicity; while in the parts of Mexico where I lived, most Mexicans are proud to be called “Mexican”, a number of Mennonites who have lived in Mexico seem to feel that the people consider it insulting. I don’t know if this is true or if it’s just their impression.

On a similar note, numerous Mennonites whom I’ve talked to “correct” me discretely, yet pointedly, when I refer to them as “Mennonites.” For example, if I ask them if there were many Mennonites at the community picnic, they will answer that there were a lot of “German” families, slightly emphasizing the word “German.”

This leads to another point; while Mexican is clearly a national ethnicity, Mennonite is officially a church denomination; strictly speaking it refers to someone’s faith and religious views. A very strong case could be made that the nature of the denomination (which sometimes, but definitely not always, dictates laws about clothing, transportation, entertainment and even language of its adherents) has in many cases created a corresponding ethnic culture; a similar case could be made about certain Jewish groups. For this reason, it’s common to refer to anyone belonging to that ethnicity as “Mennonite” even if they have never joined that church, don’t adhere to its beliefs or have been excommunicated. On the other hand, there’s justifiable hesitation in calling someone Mennonite after they’ve joined a new church, even if they retain the cultural practices.

Finally, there’s a problem with calling the Anglophone population of southern Ontario “Canadians;” the problem is that it implies that the German-speaking Mennonites are not Canadians, when in fact many of them are. They are NOT immigrants – at least not most of them. They have been Canadian citizens for a longer time and for more generations than most Anglophone Canadians, having arrived to the Prairie Provinces during the mid- to late-1800s.

A similar problem arises with the term “Mexican;” a growing number of Mennonites are now Mexican citizens, since that’s where they and their parents were born. So, calling the Hispanic Mexicans only “Mexican” incorrectly implies that these Mennonites are not Mexican, when they are by all legal rights.

The biggest problem is that while ethnicity is clear, there is no clear rule for determining religion or citizenship of ethnically “Mennonite” people. So, in light of all of this, I could re-word the description of my family given above as follows;

“His parents are ethnically low-German speaking Mennonites of Canadian citizenship, and he was raised in this same culture; he and his children are now ethnically Anglophone Canadian but his wife is Hispanic Mexican.”

I'm not sure if this would go over so well with most people, though.

Our Daily Bike Ride – Part II – Leisure vs. Practicality

2011-07-08T16:49:00.001-07:00

I’m happy that we’ve started the habit of our daily bike ride here. It’s not only good exercise, but excellent family time. I’ve always loved biking, and I’ve always used a bike whenever I’ve lived in a place where it’s possible. I’ve noticed that my bike usage has changed.

When I lived in Playa del Carmen (as in Toronto several years before), I rode a bike for transportation; it was a practical tool. Sometimes I used it for personal exercise in the morning. Now, as during my teenaged years, I ride my book for pleasure. I go out with my dad, my wife, my three-year-old, and the two girls of the family we share a house with; it’s a big happy family/community bike ride. (My mother very kindly stays at home to take care of the baby.)

The bike rides are wonderful and I’m glad we’re in a place where we can enjoy them.

Another Odd Job; Butchering Chickens

2011-07-06T07:14:00.001-07:00

During the past week, some of the Mennonites ladies who live in the community found a new way to generate some income. They bought living chickens for 75 cents a piece, butchering them, removing feathers and gutting; then they sold the chickens for $3 a piece.

Recently, these ladies had been inviting my wife to join in their enterprises (including the garlic scrape cutting job I wrote about a while back.) However, although my wife spent a few months every year of her childhood on her grandpa’s farm, she could not, for the life of her, get herself to kill, pluck or clean chickens. What she could do was take pictures – of everything but the beheading.

Enjoy the pictures.

P.S. – I would have expected this to be a part of my Mexico experience rather than my wife’s Canada experience, but in any case, here it is.

Daily Bike Rides Part 1 - Our New Trike

2011-07-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

We've recently started a routine of going on a family/community bike ride about 5 times a week. Part of what mad this possible was the fact that my youngest brother bought himself an adult tricycle; he's never much liked 2-wheeled bikes, and he finally found a bike shop nearby that sells these trikes. Now, most of us can go for our bike ride.

He loves his new trike and usually leads the pack, going down the trail well ahead of the rest of us, sometimes doubling back, other times taking a break at some of the scenic areas along the way. We're glad that he can join us, and glad to see him so happy!

My brother on his trike

More to come about our daily bike rides.

Toilet Training a 6-Month-Old

2011-06-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

I would’ve never imagined that a six-month-old could begin toilet training, until, on the advice of my mom, my wife and I started toilet training our baby who is was just over 5 months old at the time. It works like this:

Whenever you check the diaper, and it’s dry, you hold the baby over the toilet. With any luck, he’ll go pee.
If you check the baby’s diaper after a long nap or just any long period, it’s wet, but you suspect it’s been wet for a while, you hold him over the diaper to go pee.

Surprisingly, it was successful! Even more surprisingly, we’ve had the following results:

The baby has started waiting to go pee until he’s over the toilet! Not every time, of course, but about 4 times a day.
Sometimes, he “tells” us by making a worried face, wining and waving his arms (again, this is only sometimes.)
Two or three times now, he’s woken up to “tell” us he has to go pee; one night he started wining, so I warmed up the bottle, but he didn’t want it. I checked his diaper, it was dry. So took him to go pee, and he went back to sleep immediately. All he wanted was to go pee.
He almost always makes his bowel movements on the toilet (I’d say 90% of the time.) He’ll “tell” us by making a scrunched up face, looking at my wife and grunting. He always waits until we have him over the toilet. Only once, when we were in a car and couldn’t get him to a toilet, he started crying and finally went in his diaper.

It seems that our baby at this age already understands that having a wet or dirty diaper is uncomfortable, and prefers to avoid it. He knows how to communicate distinct needs to some extent. I think it also helps that we praise him a lot for it; he always gets a proud smile on his face looking at us, clearly waiting for his praise.

Back to the Fields – Picking Garlic Scrapes

2011-06-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

I've always wondered what it is like for families coming from other countries that do temporary field work on top of their regular jobs to help get ahead in their new home; many Mexican immigrants, among others, have experienced this. Here in Ontario, many "Mexican Mennonites" who have arrived from Mexico over the past decade participate in this kind of activity, bringing their whole family out to the fields.
Two days ago, my wife and I decided to try it out for ourselves (we don't bring the kids along.) The job we found, through our neighbours, was picking the tops off garlic plants; after I finish my day's work on the computer, we drive out and start the field work.
The hardest part about this job is bending over. You half to walk along the rows of garlic, snapping off the tops. The second hardest part is that the juice from the plant burns, especially if it gets between your nails. Today, the only pain I feel is in my thumb nails; or perhaps it's just that the pain is so sharp that I don't feel the rest of it.
Both evenings we've been there, we go with neighbours, and see other families show up. The kids run along the rows breaking off the tops almost as fast as I do; it's easier in a way since they don't have to bend over. Apparently some families, eager to earn money, started taking their kids during the day, instead of sending them to school. The farmer realized what was happening and started sending families away if they showed up with kids during school hours. (The work is come-and-go as you please - you just have to ask him where to work when you show up, and report what you've done when you leave.) I'm really happy that he made that decision. It's good to see that at least one person values education over quick cash. He pays decently as well.
This isn't the first time I've done work like this, but it's the first time seeing families work like this together. My parents always told me about it (they had to do it when they arrived from Mexico as kids.) It's a new experience. For me it's not quite the same since it's not out the same pure necessity that the other families have. But at least I can see it, feel it, and do it, first hand.

Learning to Ride a Bike – A Father’s Day Gift

2011-06-21T06:12:00.001-07:00

This Father’s Day was very special for me since I had the joy of helping my son to ride a bike for the first time. A while back, I put up a post about the day my son first rode a tricycle, which was in Mexico (My son learns to pedal a trike!). Now, this next step of learning to ride a two-wheeled bike was here in Canada.

My goal for the day was to have him try to ride the bike without training wheels at least once (with help of course.) This was too ambitious, and my son simply didn’t want to. But by the end of the day he was confidently riding the bike with training wheels, moving ahead at a good speed and using the back-pedal brakes. I’m proud of him.

Ontario’s Cottage Country

2011-05-24T16:33:00.001-07:00

(Written May 21) I believe that today the first time I’ve been back to Southern Ontario’s cottage country since I first went to Mexico 4 and a half years ago. It’s as beautiful as I remember it! The winding roads, the forests of rugged pines, and tall spruce, the hills and stony cliffs, and, of course, the many beautiful, small lakes.

As I sit here on a deck overlooking one of these lakes watching the lights of the cottages turn on as the sun sets over the trees, and shores become dark, I realize I still love this part of Ontario, just as many other Ontarians do. There’s only a few sounds; the water lapping against the small, wooden boat dock, the chirping of a bird now and then, and even the call of the loon.

It’s a part of the world that I miss, and I hope to bring my wife and children some time soon.

Renovation, the Canadian Way

2011-05-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

My brother, myself and my dad, hanging drywall

In Mexico, drywall, wooden beams and insulation have nothing to do with house construction or renovation. Here's a picture of my father, my brother and me working to hang drywall on a ceiling of a room that we're renovating. My wife, who took the picture was fascinated by all of this stuff, and by seeing me with a drill in my hands doing renovation work; I'm not the do-it-yourself sort when it comes to home renovations, whether the Canadian style or Mexican style, so the rare chance to see me do this stuff was a delight for her.

Growing Up in Story Book

2011-05-18T10:15:00.001-07:00

When my wife first got to know me, to her I looked like Tom Sawyer – or at least the way she imagined Tom Sawyer. I think she imagined me as a boy, running around in a picturesque little town, barefoot wearing denim overalls and messy, curly red hair - like in story book.

Visiting, and now living, in Canada has only confirmed her imagination. Seeing the Mennonites’ horses and buggies, rustic bicycles with large baskets leaning up against old, red-brick store buildings (without locks) and the little red-haired, freckled children (to her, we all look like we have red or blond hair) run around in the large, open, fence-less grassy spaces of our village has made her more convinced than ever that I grew up in a story book. I didn’t grow in the village where we live now, but my hometown (Elmira) is still small, and to her still looks like it’s from a story book.

When I tell her that this is just normal life in these towns (until the kids become teens), and those who live here find nothing romantic about it, it again reinforces her suspicions; only those who grew up in a story book wouldn’t find it romantic - just like her grandparents, aunts and uncles find nothing romantic about growing up in an adobe house with a mud floor in Mexico’s isolated hills. As you can tell from my blog posts (see “Grandpa”), I also think that their life was charming.

I haven’t yet been able to convince my wife that I wasn’t Tom Sawyer at some point during my childhood.

Springtime in Canada

2011-05-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

While living in year-round warm weather sounds (and is) attractive for many reasons, there’s something wonderful about the passing of real seasons – seasons you can see, feel, smell and even hear.

I love the weather in Mexico – especially places like Cuernavaca – but the seasons really only pass on the calendar, and the change between sunny and rainy or hot and really hot (in the case of Playa del Carmen) really don’t match up with the traditional northern seasons I love so much, besides the fact that the complete appeal to all senses isn’t so noticeably present.

Today my wife, who can’t stand weather colder than 20 degrees Celsius, told me that there was something extraordinarily beautiful in seeing gardens full of freshly blooming flowers, bright green leaves just beginning to sprout from their buds, and lush, green grass, all against a sunny sky, on a day that’s finally warm enough to take off your sweater – after so many weeks of cold, grey, rainy days, with spring battling to emerge from a unseemly long season that resembled late winter more than anything else. You can smell the flowers and freshly cut grass. You can hear the birds singing in a sort of relief, a proclamation of the coming warmth.

Getting on an airplane and flying somewhere warm just doesn’t have the same rich appeal to the senses.

There’s is something very beautiful in this changing of the seasons in Canada. I love every season in Canada just because it is such a beautiful contrast to the one that proceeds it.

The Other Mexicans

2011-05-07T05:47:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, my wife and I met a relatively tall, white woman who was wearing a long, dark dress with flowers on it, and a head covering. She speaks both English and Spanish, with a very heavy Germanic accent, and, of course, a dialect of Low German. When my wife told her she was Mexican, she replied:

“Well, so am I. I’m Mexican. I was born there and I lived there all of my life.”

She is a part of the Old Colony Mennonite culture, which has grown so strong in Mexico, that many people informally call these people Mexican Mennonites.

I am very familiar with this culture, since my parents grew up as part of the Old Colony community in Mexico, and I grew up with close contact to the community in Canada; my parents have also retained a good number of the cultural traits, such as making cheese (see my post 2 days ago about Mennonite cheese) and the language. However, I was still a little taken back to hear this woman call herself Mexican without any hesitation. I’m also officially Mexican, but my first and also official nationality is Canadian (I was born here.)

This woman would have no other nationality to be if she weren’t Mexican. Her grandparents were probably Canadian (the Old Colony Mennonites in Mexico came mostly from the Canadian Prairies), but until a few years ago, she had never been here, and would have no official claim to being Canadian, and only a weak cultural claim.

So, although Mexicans themselves would probably have trouble acknowledging it, and even many Mennonites erroneously refer to themselves as “Germans” (this claim would be like Australians calling themselves British,) they are in reality Mexicans. A very different type of Mexican from the typical, but nevertheless Mexicans. They speak a different language, wear different clothes, eat different food (although they are adopting some Mexican cooking traditions) and they are definitely not touchy-feely like other Mexicans.

Furthermore, Catholicism has nothing to do with any part of their life – Mennonite is also a group of Christian churches. Almost every Latin Mexican is either Catholic or decisively non-Catholic, being very conscious of what they are rejecting, since just about everyone else around them is at least nominally Catholic. Old Colony Mennonites have held their religious culture for centuries and have long since lost the cultural background of Catholicism to pit themselves against. (More on this will soon come in my other blog, Imagine)

This reflects a point that Mexico, despite our perception of a single culture, is actually multi-cultural in a way, and a melting-pot in another way, having adopted and adapted elements of a variety of cultures brought by invaders and immigrants.

More to come on multiculturalism in Mexico and Old Colony Mennonites. Since it’s my own ethnic heritage, I’m fairly intrigued by it, and being back in Canada, I’m coming into more contact with it again.

Canadian Visas for Mexican Citizens

2011-05-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

A relatively recent event in Canadian-Mexican relations is the implementation of a visa requirement for Mexican citizens to enter Canada. 2 years ago, Mexicans could enter Canada with only a simple passport. Apparently, too many Mexicans were falsely claiming refugee status in Canada after arriving as tourists, and thus the visa – I problem I most certainly agree needed to be addressed. Unfortunately, though, from what I understand, it was actually Canadians who, in many cases were hiring out (illegal) services to Mexican visitors offering to show them how to gain refugee status in return for an absurdly large amount of funds. This really is sad that Canadians themselves would be undermining our own immigration and refugee systems (both important and helpful when they are run properly), helping to create immigration problems.

I’ve also heard that the main point of the Canadian visa was really to make sure Mexicans weren’t sneaking across the border to the U.S., using Canada as a stepping stone. Who knows.

In any case, the little annoyance for me is that twice now we had to apply for a Canadian visa for my wife, getting all the documents together, paying the fee, etc. The first time, we were unaware that the visa would last only as long as the passport; my wife’s passport expired in 6 months along with the visa, even though we had paid double for a multiple entry visa. She now has one valid for 5 years. This contrasts to the U.S. visa, which continues to be valid even if the passport has expired. Her U.S. visa is valid for 10 years.

I’m happy about 2 parts; one is that the Canadian visa is a thorough process, requiring a fairly complete set of documentation – if we’re going to have this, it might as well be done right. The second is that the people in the Canadian Embassy and the visa processing office are very organized, quick and helpful. For example, for the first application, we forgot to send 2 forms from the application package. They called us the day the application arrived and informed us. Of course, they are very professional, and say nothing about the application itself, but simply being informed of the missing forms so quickly was encouraging. We sent them the next day.

I hope some time down the road whatever the problem was that required a visa to be implemented will be cleared up and Mexicans will be allowed to visit with a passport again, but if not, it’s not the worst thing in the world.

Mennonite Cheese - A Favourite in Mexico, and at Home

2011-05-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

My mom heating the whey, after curdling.

One point I don't think I've mentioned is that my family actually has a history with Mexico; I grew up partially as an Old Colony Mennonite, also informally known as Mexican Mennonites because of their strong presence in the states of Chihuahua and Durango in Mexico.

The curds and whey.

In Mexico, the cheese that these people make is famous. The cheese is delicious. I've been fortunate enough that my parents, who grew up in Mexico, know how to make this cheese at home.

The pictures in this post are some pictures of cheese being made in my parents home. This was today. The cheese will be ready in about a month; my dad gets a little impatient, though, and starts eating the cheese before its ready.

My son and I pressing the cheese.

Oh well, the cheese is delicious anyway, as anyone who has bought it in Mexico will know.

Mexican Groceries in Elmira, Ontario

2011-04-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

My hometown is Elmira, Ontario. Upon returning to Canada, I found this calendar hanging in the house where my family is renting. Notice the juxtaposition of contrasting features:

A Calendar From Elaine's Mexican Groceries

· The calendar advertises a Mexican grocery store.

· The store is in the small, white Anglo/Mennonite town of Elmira; when I was growing up there, I think the closest we had to “Mexican” was Taco Bell in the city (sad, but true.)

· The calendar itself is in German; I suspect that this is to appeal to the area’s growing Old Colony Mennonite population, also known as Mexican Mennonites, because of their strong presence in the state of Chihuahua. This is confirmed by the fact that the actual calendar pages are printed in Manitoba by Klassen’s Printing. (Zoom in if you can.) My family is originally Old Colony Mennonite.

· The picture is of Villahermosa, Tabasco; I don’t think any Mennonites live in Villahermosa, and I don’t suspect that any Mexicans from Villahermosa live in Elmira.

I haven’t been to Elaine’s Mexican Groceries yet, but I’m guessing it’s pretty small. In any case, it’s a good thing. Mexican food is great, and a little taste of Mexico would be a nice touch colour and flavour for Elmira.

I’ll write another post after I go to Elaine’s some time down the road.

The Tortilla Factor in Detroit - A Little Taste of Mexico for a Canadian Child

2011-04-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

A package of tortillas from Detroit.

While much of what I've written about my experience living in Mexico as a Canadian has focused on the past few years of my life - when I've actually been living in Mexico - my Mexican experience actually goes back to my very early childhood. During my entire life, my parents have made several trips a year to Detroit's Mexican community to buy authentic tortillas, mazapans, canned enchilada sauce, and other authentic Mexican products. Since Detroit has by far the largest Mexican population anywhere nearby, it also has the best supply of items straight from Mexico. My parents continue this habit to this day.

In fact, a week or two ago, I went to Detroit with my dad again. We bought 100 packages of tortillas; my parents freeze them and heat them as they need them, in the microwave or stove top. The freezing part seems absurd to any Mexicans I mention it to. But the tortillas are cheap, and very authentic, made directly from soaked, ground up corn, rather than the instant "Maseca" brand corn flour which is even become standard practice in many parts of Mexico.

I remember the tortilla factory looking small and sketchy, like the rest of the community. The tortilla factory is now very successful, likewise reflecting the community's extreme transformation, which is currently an island of radiant and hopeful success in what is otherwise a decaying and lifeless city (the old part of Detroit.)

More on this community to come.

Back to the Blog - My New Canada-Mexico Experiment

2011-04-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back to my blog, and hopefully I can put a post much more regularly again. The reason for delaying my posts is that I've started a new experiment with my life.

After a few weeks of travels around the Mexico City area during late March, my family and I got on an a plane and flew to Canada. This time, it's not vacations. We're here semi-permanently; our new experiment is to live in Canada 6 months (summer) and Mexico 6 months (winter.)

Many retirees do it, so why can't we?

I've been fortunate enough to get a job that I can do online, so I can do the job from either location. So far, so good.

For the next while, more of my posts will probably be looking the other way - what Canada looks like to a Mexican (my wife) or to a Canadian who's been in Mexico for a while.

I'm excited about it.

The Stairway to ... Cuernavaca

2011-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

The Stairway in Cuernavaca

The stairs in this picture are the first of a series of steps leading up from the house where we were staying in Cuernavaca. The house was at the bottom of a ravine. The first steps you can see in the foreground are about 1/8 of the distance, and the steps in the background leading up to the black door at the top of the picture (left-middle) make up another 1/8.

From that black door, you have to walk about 5 meters to another flight of stairs similar to the ones in the foreground. From there, you walk another 10 meters to the last, longest and steepest flight. It's about twice as long as all the other stairs put together (I know, the math doesn't add up, but you get the idea.)

The step's are narrow, irregular, and wind up the hill. There are places, that if you fall, you would probably fall the full length of that flight, and you may not survive the fall. In a few of the most dangerous points, a fence is being put up, but it is still not complete.

For those of us not used to it, it's quite a workout, and a little intimidating.

At the top, there's a walk of a short block, and then there's a main road with stores, where buses and taxis go by.

When my wife was stung by the scorpion (see Scorpions in Cuernavaca) we almost ran up these stairs - as close as we could get to running. A few years ago, she was very athletic and would have easily beat me to the top, but this time, I had to help her up.

Most of the people who live down there are in pretty good shape. Some of them have stumbled down these stairs drunk. I'm not sure how they do it.

Scorpions in Cuernavaca

2011-03-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

My least favourite part of day to day life in Cuernavaca are the scorpions. They are small, but there are lots of them. Just about everyone has either had a scorpion sting, or knows someone who has. It's so common, that upon arriving at a clinic or hospital with a scorpion sting, you receive immediate, free and fast attention, after only giving your name and place of residence. It's not a shock or surprise, but they know that it's urgent, and easy to cure. On average, we killed on scorpion a day. The house we were staying in was especially bad because of being surrounding by forest with a nearby river.

The evening we were planning to leave Cuernavaca, my wife reached into one of our bags to take out a diaper, and was stung by a hidden scorpion; they like to hide in dark, small places. We had been keeping all our bags well closed, but this one we had left behind, and partially open when we went to her grandpa's village.

Within 30 minutes we had visited a local clinic, where a doctor gave her an injection to slow the spread of the poison, and sent us off to the general hospital. She was admitted immediately into emergency for supervision. When she started complaining about a dry throat and trouble breathing, they gave her an anti-scorpion injection, which is, ironically, scorpion poison. I have no idea how an injection of scorpion poison stops scorpion poison, but somehow it works. Within another 20 minutes, she felt better, and they sent her home. The place where they injected the I.V. hurts her more than the scorpion sting itself, which felt less drastic than an ant bite.

Despite common belief, most people don't react severely to scorpions and do fine with a simple injection to stop the spread of poison, or, as my wife's uncles later told us, a magnet, which supposedly draws the poison out. (This is a folk remedy, and I would only try it once I were already on the way to the hospital.)

A handful of people experience anaphylactic shock. It's more common to experience anaphylactic shock from a scorpion than from a bee sting (I guess since the poison is more potent), so it's highly recommended for anyone who gets stung to go the hospital for supervision and an anti-scorpion injection if necessary. I guess my wife is one of the people who suffers anaphylactic shock from scorpions - a point we'd have to consider if we ever moved back to Cuernavaca.

A Community Turn-Around Story in Cuernavaca

2011-03-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I visited a community where I used to lie in Cuernavaca called "La Barona." Years ago, it was the worst ghetto the city ever had; it still has a reputation for being the bad side of town, although it has changed incredibly over the past few decades.

Originally it was a village, and when it was swallowed by the city during the 40s and 50s, migrants from other parts of the country brought some local feuds with them, which eventually escalated into full-blown gang violence. During the 70's there was time that there was a murder every day. Buses stopped at the traffic circle which was the main entrance (there was only 3 entrances into a neighborhood of about 10,000) and taxis would also refuse to go further.

By the time I live there in 2006, it was a quiet, friendly neighbourhood, where the families who roughed it through the bad years (in return for really cheap property) had managed to build up their houses from little shacks into decent multi-storey, nicely painted homes – still mostly lower income, but nicer that what it once was. Now, children play in the streets, and there are a lot of little restaurants and local services. Fruit and vegetable shops are common, and everything tends to be the cheapest in the city (the bad reputation which it has never outlived is probably responsible for this). When I visited yesterday, there were more businesses and better businesses than four years ago.

My friends from Mexico City were surprised when they came and saw that it was a decent neighbourhood. Their friends who lived here had told them it was the worst part of the city, comparable to roughest parts of Mexico City. During the 70's, I guess this was true. The worst thing that happened to me there was being pestered by 2 drunks for money. (If they had wanted to rob me, they could've easily done so; but they didn't.) There was also a little incident with a ghost, but that's a different story.

Fortunately, I've never lived in a real bad part of any city. This is the closest I've come (along with the village of Santa Fe in Mexico City.) But it's a place I like to talk about and think about since it shows how a neighbourhood can go from a really bad problem, into a relatively decent family community.

Cuernavaca and Drug-related Violence

2011-03-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

To start, I want to point out that it's definitely an inaccurate perception that all of Mexico is ravaged by drug-mob violence. Most of the country is free of this kind of violence and the majority of Mexicans and visitors have no contact with this kind of thing; in day to day life, it pretty much shows up only in the news papers (it's real, but it happens a few areas mostly near the U.S. border.) That having been said, the reality is that recently, Cuernavaca has actually been one of the places to see an escalation of drug-mob violence since President Calderon's war on drugs started. While most people who live here are still not effected by it, it's a reality.

Since the Mexican marine killed one of the country's top drug lords in a suburb of Cuernavaca early in 2009, there's been a fairly gruesome violence within the drug mobs, with some fairly public displays of their violence. These events seemed to be worse during 2009; at least the news hasn't said much about them recently. I assume that these events are most noticeable and difficult for police officers and people with related jobs, since they're the ones that have to deal with it in some way.

Most people who live here don't seem to see, notice or think about these events. For the days I've been visiting, no one has been talking about drug violence and life in the city seems normal; in fact down town seemed very lively, full of shoppers, young people, old people and families enjoying an evening out, even more so than when I remember it. I really, really hope this means that it was a short phase, that has now abated. I love Cuernavaca and I'd hate to see it marred by violence.

Even now, I feel really safe here. I walk through the streets carrying a nice laptop bag (something I wouldn't do in a place I didn't feel was safe) and chat with people I see downtown. If that wave of violence from 2009 is still going on, it's behind the scenes.

That having been said, I don't doubt that the city will pass through this phase, if it hasn't already. The city has lived through much rougher times in the past. I actually have a nice little personal story here showing how a city or community can come through rough times. I'll share that tomorrow.

For two of the things I love about Cuernavaca, read:

The Low Cost of Living in Cuernavaca
The World's Perfect Climate

The Low Cost of Living in Cuernavaca

2011-03-17T07:16:00.001-07:00

In Cuernavaca, everything is cheap.

Vacationers arriving in Playa del Carmen think it's cheap, but when we arrived there, we almost packed up and left because of the prices (and the heat.) Cuernavaca really is cheap. When we arrived in Cuernavaca 5 days ago, we bought all of our groceries for the week for $20 at the local market. This was mostly lots of fresh, local fruit and vegetables, plus bread, tortillas, granola, rice and some other dry food like that. When we used to buy meat from the market butcher back when we used to live here it was only two or three dollars more.

My wife's cousins also gave us some oats, beans and zucchinis; they don't like oatmeal, and apparently brown beans are better than black ones (I can't taste the difference.) They've eaten so much zucchini that they don't want more. These people are not well to do, but I guess food is cheap enough here that they feel that can be picky. (Although I've known some very poor people in expensive places that were even pickier – a concept I've never been able to figure out.)

When we lived here, we paid $120 for rent. It was a small home with 1 very large bedroom, and a nice shared lawn. From what I understand, rent is still very affordable.

I guess that for most people, if you live here, it's hard to find a good income, so the two aspects balance each other out. It's perfect for someone who's income source is from somewhere else.

More about Cuernavaca:

The World's Perfect Climate

The World's Perfect Climate

2011-03-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

After an absence of almost 4 years, I've finally had the chance to return to Cuernavaca, to visit my wife's family here. (Travel was the reason for the week I haven't updated this blog.) To be honest, I don't know what ever made us leave. (Well, I do know. Work. But that's a different point.)

The weather is perfect. I've never been in a place where the weather is better. Mexico City is slightly cooler, and closer to an ideal temperature for me, but since most housing doesn't have heating, and cold concrete is as bad as ice, the winter can get a little too chilling, depending on which part of the city you live in, what kind of home you have, and how much sunlight it gets during the day. But Cuernavaca almost invariably has warm sunny days and cool nights. It's like late August in Ontario, all the time. Playa del Carmen, on the other hand, is about 10 degrees too hot, all the time. They call Cuernavaca the city of eternal spring, but I would call it the city of eternal late summer. I guess it doesn't have the same ring.

Cuernavaca has its downsides; there's not much of a cultural life here, but at least there are a few museums and a lot of history. Playa del Carmen has nothing. It's also very close to Mexico City (less than an hour), which has more culture than you could ask for. Being so close to Mexico City is actually one of the best things about Cuernavaca (next to the climate, I would say.) The advantage is that it's actually faster to and get around the downtown – southern part of Mexico City from Cuernavaca.

Over the next few days, I'll write more about some of the good things and not-so-good things about Cuernavaca. On the whole, I'd have to say it's been one of my favorite places to live.

For some earlier posts about Cuernavaca, read:

Interesting Expats part 3 - A traveller who never travelled ...

Coffee, Wonderful Coffee!

Don't Call Me "Teacher"

2011-03-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

"DON'T call me 'Teacher!' "

While in Canada and many other places it's usually a good thing to call someone by there name (since doing otherwise usually indicates you've forgotten it,) in Mexico, it's much more respectful to call someone by their title.

In Canada we use titles only for those who have gained a higher title, like "doctor" (for physicians or academics), "pastor" in a church, etc. Mr. and Mrs. are used for the older generation, but this usage is wearing away in favour of first names in may situations where it used to be necessary. We also almost always add the last name; for example, I would call a professor from my university "Doctor Faber" or "Professor Faber," and never simply "Doctor."

In Mexico, on the other hand, anyone who has a title or a professional position can be called by that title, and most often is. Teachers, for example, are always called "teacher" by students and others in the community; even an accountant is often called "accountant" as a title. (As in, if you see your accountant, you could say "Good morning Accountant! How are you?") Names are usually excluded, but sometimes first names are added.

When I first started teaching here, I listened to all the students call me "teacher," and I assumed they simply forgot my name. So after I made a habit of writing my name on the top left corner of the board as a reminder (without drawing too much attention to it), I realized that they still always called me "teacher." At that point I realized that it was a cultural difference, and starting explaining to my students that in North American culture a simple first name was fine (these were adults only slightly younger than me.)

One day, however, one student explained that in Mexico it was a matter of respect; it didn't seem right to call a teacher by simple first name ("teacher" + [first name] is fine, even from children). When I told her that it just didn't make sense in English or Anglophone culture, she, along with others wanted to know how they could show respect in English. I told her that between grown adults of the same general age group, especially in a setting anything short of very high formality, first names were just the way it was. I then went on to explain the more formal situations in which titles could be used, and that for teachers, other adults would only use a title if the person were a doctor or professor. So, from that day onward, she jokingly called me "Professor Wall." (So much for respect!) I appreciated the joke, though; it helped her learn a cultural feature of English-speaking countries.

Respectful forms of address, titles, etc. are much more important here, and many people, young and old, feel they are necessary. People who say learning a language is learning a culture are right; without understanding the culture, you can't get the language 100% right.

Cloth Diapers - Advantages and Disadvantages

2011-03-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

The "Fancy" Cloth Diapers - The folded diaper cloth is inserted into the decorated liner

While we used only disposable diapers with our first baby (who's now 3) we've used almost only cloth diapers with our most recent baby. Throughout North America, including Mexico, there seems to be a small but growing trend to go back to cloth diapers, along with breast-feeding, etc. The good news is that this makes cloth diapers more available The bad news is that as soon as something becomes associated with a "natural" or "organic" lifestyle, it becomes more expensive. The better news, however, is that even with more expensive cloth diapers, it's still much cheaper than even discount disposable diapers.

Our baby wearing one of these nice cloth diapers

When we tell people we are using cloth diapers, we get varying reactions, including, "Are you crazy? What's the point of making so much work for yourself?", "That's neat, but it's just too much work for me", and, very rarely, "Wow, we're doing that, too." Both of our mothers were very enthusiastic about the idea, but kind of shook their heads at the fancy and expensive cloth diapers we ordered over the internet; they both thought it would work just as well to use traditional diaper cloth and the nylon shorts.

We are now using both traditional cloth diapers (composed of a cloth, safety pins, and nylon liner shorts) and our collection of "fancy" diapers; the truth is at first the traditional cloth diapers were all we wanted, but we couldn't find the nylon shorts anywhere (diaper cloth is easy enough to find at any fabric store.) So, we looked on the internet and ordered some nice hand-made cloth diapers with colourful designs. My parents live in a Mennonite community in Canada, so finding the nylon shorts was easy enough. My mother sent some to us by mail, and they work great.

Generally speaking, the following are the advantages of cloth diapers, from what we have found:

They reduce garbage considerably
They are much better for the baby's skin (they're made of cotton.) With our second baby, we haven't had a single diaper rash, even living in a hot, humid climate. With our first, living in a cool, fresh climate (Mexico City) he had rashes quite often using disposable diapers.
They are cheap. For the nicer designed ones, a package of 12, which is usually meets our needs with a daily wash cycle, we spent about $200 dollars; even cheap disposable diapers run up close to $100 per month, so in three months that money and more has been saved back. The price of the detergent (which is a very simple detergent) is negligible, and since the daily wash load of diapers fits into the "small" or "medium" setting on the machine, our water bill hasn't risen noticeably.
They look nice (our "fancy" internet diapers.)

The disadvantages are:

They need to be washed every day. But once you're in the rhythm of this, it's five minutes in the morning to start the machine, and another 20 minutes to hang them and fold them.
"Solids" need to rinsed out. But this is usually only one diaper a day. It's also just a matter of a quick rinse; the machine does the real work. As my mother-in-law says, "It's just milk, anyway."
You need to carry the dirty diapers with you when your out and about. The cloth diapers we bought over the internet close up very nicely and don't let odours out. The biggest problem is the bulk of carrying them. We still haven't tried the traditional cloth diapers, but we'll probably just save those for at home.
They take a little longer to put on. The fancy ones from the internet go on just as quickly as disposables, but take a few minutes to prepare (inserting the diaper cloth into the decorated liners), which my wife usually does ahead of time. The traditional ones are only slow when you first start, and once you get the hang of it are almost as fast as the other ones.
If you're using the traditional ones, they need to be changed immediately. The fancy ones have an extra liner and help keep moisture away from the skin a little longer. In any case, it's best for the baby's skin to change any diaper (even disposables) immediately, so this really shouldn't be an issue.

The components of a traditional clothe diaper - cloth, safety pins, and nylon liner "shorts"

As you notice, I have a "but" for every disadvantage. The truth of the matter is, my wife and I are NOT super fanatics for "natural" trends; we try to do a little, but will give something up quite readily if it doesn't look like it's worth the trouble (I'm not proud of this, it's just to put this into perspective.) Cloth diapers are much easier to use than most people imagine.

In terms of the environmental point, some people will argue that the water used is as bad or worse than the garbage generated by the disposable diapers. This is especially true here on the Yucatan Peninsula, where otherwise correctly treated and disposed waste water still damages the coral reef. However, besides the huge factor that it's still better for the baby's skin, the water used for washing is equal to about 2 flushes of the toilet, or for what many people is a standard shower. While waste water and clean water usage is a real issue, it should be addressed in terms of rain water collection and alternative treatment and disposal methods, since even without washing diapers, it's still just as big of an issue. It should not be used as an excuse not to use cloth diapers.

Our baby using a traditional cloth diaper.

(I know some people who consider themselves people who "care about nature" but don't recycle, don't use alternative products and don't use in any other environment-friendly activity in their lifestyle, since for everyone of them, they've found a opinion that feels that the alternative is worse than the normal main-stream practice. So, care for environment seems to mean, for these people, doing everything like we are now, and discouraging any alternatives. I see this as a cop-out to avoid saying that they just can't be bothered. I'm less concerned when people say they just feel they're too busy, or don't care much; at least they're being honest, and those problems can be addressed by making things easier.)

Back to the main point, we're fans of cloth diaper use (both fancy and traditional), and we would recommend it to anyone who is wondering. Our baby's skin is better, we're saving money, we're doing one more little thing to reduce garbage, and our effort has been minimal. I would only recommend that anyone interested who has never changed a cloth diaper before use the fancier ones, to start at least. The nylon shorts for the traditional ones are harder to find these days, and if you prepare the the fancy ones ahead of time, they're really easy to change. Since they come with neat designs and look really nice, it's also easier to get excited about them; motivation is important since our modern lifestyle makes it hard to "get into" something like this. (The novelty wears off after a few times of washing the "solids" out, but excitement can give the routine a nice and necessary boost at the beginning.)

Our diapers drying inside (after washing!) on a rainy day - we don't have a dryer.

The Blessing of a Home - A Religious or Cultural Practice?

2011-02-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

The altar in our home on the night of the blessing.

I've written about a few things that Christians in Mexico do, although they officially shouldn't do them. Today it's kind of the opposite; blessing of homes, an other items, is something very acceptable that Catholics do in Mexico, but, from what I understand, is virtually never done in Anglophone North America.

On February 19, we had our home blessed by Father Patrick of our local church. It was my wife's idea, since she's the one who grew up Catholic, and who simply assumes that these sorts of things should be done, or at least are a very good idea. Inevitably I ask her why (I'm generally not big on doing things until I know what they mean,) and spend the next evening on the internet looking for information; some time within the week or month, we'll find someone at the church to ask.

In this case, her answer gave me the basic concept. We learned some further details from a nun at church, and later the priest when he arrived for the blessing. I found out that the usual custom is to have a home blessed when a family first moves in, but it is also sometimes done annually or when an addition is put on, or some other change takes place.

One point he made, however, surprised me. I told him that this was all new to me and I really didn't know how it worked.

"The blessing of homes," he said, "is also fairly new to me." He is American, and explained that while he was in the U.S., he didn't bless any homes. After arriving in Playa del Carmen, however, he had been quite busy blessing new homes; in fact, he knew my community and arrived quite easily, since the community is very new (see The Neighborhood I Call Home,) and had been here often for this very purpose.

His comment surprised me, since I saw this as a "Catholic" practice, so I assumed it would be common for Catholics anywhere - I assumed the difference between my wife and me in this case was our religious background, and not our cultural background. I hadn't thought of it as an ethnic practice.

He told me in the U.S. it's just not the thing to do. Here in Mexico, he explained, people ask for blessing on just about any major item in their life - homes, cars, businesses - or smaller religious items, like icons of Mary or the Saints, crucifixes, or Bibles. Our Bibles were blessed with the home, as was the cross seen in the picture, and the rosary hanging on it. We don't have any icons; I explained to the priest that I'm still learning about this concept before "diving in" and he said it was understandable. I've seen people at the church asking for blessings on a good variety of items.

I commented that it's something that could probably change in the U.S., imagining a shift towards stronger religious traditions; he agreed, but for a reason I hadn't thought of at the moment.

"As more Mexicans move in, American [Catholics] will probably see that they're having their homes blessed, and want to do the same."

I've read before that the Catholic Church in the U.S. is seeing a strong shift towards larger immigrant numbers. But could it be that the American Catholicism, or even Christianity in general, would be also begin to assimilate practices of Mexican or other immigrants? Or will the children and grandchildren of the immigrants loose this kind of practice as they become more American and realize that these practices aren't "normal" there?

Personally, I suspect it will be the first; Americans will begin to pick up ideas like this one, and many others, not specifically because of any desire to be like the immigrants, but rather because of growing interest for a deeper-rooted religious culture of their own, triggered or at least helped along by what they see.

I assume Canada isn't too different in terms of the blessings, etc., but it doesn't have nearly as many Mexican immigrants. If any change happened there, it would be triggered by a different source.

Will a change like this happen? Would be a cultural shift or a religious shift? Or perhaps a shift of religious culture? Perhaps a religious shift already happening will prepare for a deeper shift influenced by new cultural values? Or maybe none of the above, and I'm just imagining everything. Who knows.

The Morning Edition - What Living in Mexico is REALLY Like

2011-02-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

When people are considering living another country, they spend a lot of time looking for the "real story" about what life in at country is like. For Mexico, like any other country, we find all sorts of extremes flying around, with some people trying to promote as paradise, and others, who like to present themselves as "realistic," telling exaggerated horror stories. With the first people, you're left wondering what they're trying to sell, or what they've been doing to remove they're mind from reality, with the second, you're left wondering why they're still here if it's so horrible; the truth is that both are falsifying for the pleasure of telling stories and either pleasing people or shocking people (the two are not so dissimilar.)

From my point of view, the plain truth is that once you settle into day to day life, enjoying the simple pleasures that each day brings to you, or hating the mundane routine that you can't escape from (the optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the exact same things,) day to day life is about the same just about where ever you live.

This is not to deny or even diminish the importance of cultural differences, lifestyle and work routines, which are very dependent on where you live. But the point is that even the richest culture or the most comfortable lifestyle can be swallowed up by boredom and no pleasure to life whatsoever. On the other hand, the place most devoid of culture and anything remotely interesting in terms of human achievement could be beautiful to the open heart.

My life in Mexico is most defined by the same things that define the lives of people I know in Canada, Mexico City, China, the U.S., etc; I get up, I take my son to school, I do my work, sometimes I cook, I eat, I help clean the house or do the dishes, I write my blog, I help put the kids to bed, I read, etc. I'd guess that well over 90% of my life is taken up by these things. My friends who don't have kids wouldn't be doing those items, but most of the rest would be similar.

Of course, the places we live and the people near us define the flavor of these routines; but it is our openness to life that shows us the beauty of the place we live and the people we interact with.

I love my routine because it is with my family and friends, and in a place that is pleasant. The strange, interesting and wonderful little discoveries I come across (many of which show up in this blog) add flavor and spice to this.

In this blog, the posts that are most about my life every day here are the ones that are not much different from little things people everywhere would enjoy:

Our New Park
The Neighborhood I Call Home
Our Beautiful Bougainvilleas - Flowers, Flowers and more Flowers

These are like rice (I like rice); they are the base of my daily life. The other neat little things I have the pleasure of coming across are like the spices and other ingredients added to the rice to add flavor and variety:

Cafe de Olla - One of my Favorites!
Day of the Dead - The Symbols and Traditional Elements

Of course, there are things which aren't pleasant at all, but these are also a part of normal life.

So what is life in Mexico like? The short answer is, when the new wears off, just about like anywhere else; discovering and enjoying the little beautiful things and intriguing features unique to Mexico, which add some spice to life will depend entirely on how you view life ...

Our New Park

2011-02-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

My family in the park (this is the playground side, with fewer trees.)

About 4 or 5 months ago, a new park was opened in our community, just across the main road, a 3 minutes walk from our house. With the completion of the development, it's also our last park; there are a total of 7, all within walking distance. These parks represent one of the best features of the planning of our community; no other community anywhere in Playa del Carmen has this concentration of parks. All of them also have plenty of trees, which are mostly the native trees left in tact, adding necessary shade for the heat of the Caribbean sun.

Most of the other parks in the city, as well planned and beautiful as they are, have been completely cleared with a few scraggly palms added that do nothing either for shade or for the visual appearance of the park. (I still can't figure out the obsession with palm trees; in a suitable habitat they grow nicely, but they give little shade, and die as quickly as they grow. In Mexico City, some idiot city planners have tried to grow palms in Santa Fe, which is naturally a cool hilly climate where pines grow. The palms grow to about 3 feet tall, and whither up, looking quite sad compared to the majestic pines towering over the hill tops a few kilometers away.)

This new park is also the nicest in the community, providing an ideal balance of trees, walkways, benches and playgrounds. We're in love with this park and delighted that it's so close to us.

The park closest to our house (about a 2 minute walk away) is about 1/4 of the size. It was also nice, but was less planned. Worst of all, though, was the fact that within weeks of its opening it was vandalized. I could live with graffiti, but the kids who did it also nearly dismantled the playground, disfiguring every part they possibly could. It's now been put back together, but from the original parts, so it's still deformed and rather shabby looking. My wife was there when they wrecked part of it, and came home very upset and frustrated, nearly in tears, because they were very rude to her when she tried to convince them to stop. By the time I arrived they had left.

The worst part about it is that everyone on the street (not our street) knows who it was. But no one wants to say or do anything for fear of getting on the bad side of the parents of the kids. I wish parents would pay just a little attention to their kids. Disinterest and complacency are destructive.

No one has touched the new park yet. I hope they don't. After half a year of walking halfway through the community to get to the next park to avoid being reminding of how disappointed, upset and frustrated we were to see our first new park vandalized, we've finally got the best park in the community right across the street.

Moms, dads, kids, teens and dogs all come out every evening to play and relax, and it's really becoming sort of a hub for this part of the community. We love it.

Right now we feel like we live in the best place in the world!

For 2 other pictures (one before the development), read:
The Neighborhood I Call Home

Saint Death - A Uniquely Mexican (and Strange) Phenomenon

2011-02-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

A Saint Death Figure For Sale In a Store

"Saint Death" seems to be a primarily Mexican phenomenon, although I have recently been informed that there is a "San la Muerte" in Argentina. The following of "Saint Death" is not tied specifically to any one other Mexican cultural feature, but rather a hodge-podge of several of the most important ones. Saint Death is a unofficial sub-cult (sub-cult because it seems have many individual followers from various other religions, without being an official part of any of them - although it seems to be trying to emerge as an official religion). Adherents worship Death as cult object, or at least (much more commonly) ask it for favours as a saint. Saint Death is almost invariably represented by a grim-reaper like statue of just about any size (I've seen key-chains and human-size statues,) but it can also be portrait. People will ask Saint Death for many things, ranging from money, to a husband, to protection while working the night shift, to success in a crime they're about to commit.

Before saying much else there are some very, very important things to note about the cult of Saint Death:

This is not officially accepted or tolerated by Catholicism. (Originally I said "in no way Catholic" but some one pointed out that that statement is "tendentious.") The Catholic Church of Mexico has officially condemned the cult as satanism, and teaches that even the least committed adherence is unacceptable. (Out of pure curiosity, I consulted a Catholic deacon, and confirmed it on the internet.) This is very confusing since the part that is trying to emerge as an official religion actually has rites which are based on the Catholic liturgy; one group actually calls itself "catholic." Even more confusing is that many members of the real Catholic Church ignorantly keep Saint Death icons thinking that it is a legitimate saint. These last two reasons specifically brought the Catholic Church in Mexico to condemn the cult; it doesn't have strong enough presence in the U.S. yet to have brought any official statement from U.S. bishops.

It is definitely not Protestant or any other Christian group. Most protestants in Mexico will be very quick to condemn this kind of superstition. For the reasons mentioned above, many think that it's one of Catholicisms many faults. But here's a dark little secret: my mother-in-law believes that her father, my wife's grandfather, who is a staunch convert to Protestantism (which is supposed to mean opposition to all of Mexico's superstitions) is hiding a little figure of Saint Death in his bedroom, hoping it will help him discover the gold from the Mexican Revolution he's certain is buried in his land. I'm sure his pastor doesn't know about that one ...

(See Looking for a pot of Gold? Perhaps a heart of Gold? Grandpa Pedro, Part 2)

Saint Death, With Fake U.S. Bills and Canadian Coins

It's predominantly working class. Like the "curse of the eye" bracelets , this is a superstition with a very strong following in the working class, and seems to cross religious, regional and lifestyle borders withing the working class. Although, from my experience, it seems to be much more urban than rural. (So, it could be that my wife's grandfather, living out in the isolated hills, really doesn't know what it is; he says someone gave it to him for good luck. Although this doesn't justify his hiding it.) The main altars for Saint Death (yes, there are public altars - they are centered around the statue figures seen above) are located in Mexico City, with the most famous one in the very poor downtown community of Tepito, which is also the city's largest street market, a great place for everything cheap, stolen and illegal. That one is dressed as a bride. It's the only public altar I've seen, although numerous others exist.

(Compare:The Curse of the Eye, and The Morning Edition - Exotic Mexico)

It's not associated with the original Day of the Dead Celebration. As with Catholicism, followers of Saint Death have integrated traditional elements of Day of the Dead into their rites, and even have a special celebration on Nov. 1, which is the first Day of the Dead. But from what I understand, the Day of the Dead celebration is in honour of the souls of friends and relatives who have passed away, and does not celebrate "death" as a element in itself. I think that the Day of the Dead can be celebrated in accordance with Catholic beliefs, but I still have to check both the Catholic and Protestant view of this celebration. In any case, most people who celebrate don't make any connection to "Saint Death," unless they are already followers. ( Click here to read more about the Day of the Dead)

Most people who worship or adore Saint Death do so in secret. For this reason, I've seen very few people with their little figures. I have seen some in buses or taxis. As noted above, the open following of Saint Death is becoming more common.

A "Natural Store" Selling a Bazaar (but common) Combination of Items

One very strange feature of these figures is that they are sold in "Health Food Stores" - "Tiendas Naturistas." These stores are not like the vegan hippie shops up in Canada or the U.S. They don't sell TVP, soy-milk, natural peanut butter or quinoa; in Mexico, quinoa is sold as a candy rather than a health food. Rather they sell a supply of natural remedies (tree barks, leaves, seeds, etc.), along side ingredients for common spiritualism (or "witch craft" if you like,) superstitious objects (like the anti-curse-of-the-eye "deer's eye" bracelets), items for the Day of the Dead (when in season), Catholic icons and images, and Saint Death statues. This very strange mix also makes the confusions mentioned above difficult to unravel, and strengthens the perceived connection between all of these things in the eye of the common public; thus my emphasis on the lack of a real bilateral connection between Saint Death and anything else found in those stores, except perhaps the superstition items; I don't believe, that most of its adherents even practice any sort of witch craft, although I could be wrong.

This is one of those Mexican things closely tied to superstition, and verging on being its own brand of spiritualism; it probably hits rock-bottom on the list of Mexican cultural features I would actually want to participate in. Although it would be pretty hard to convince me to put one of those evil-eye bracelets on my child as well, I could see myself buying one of the bracelets just as a specimen to show people (not to use); on the other hand, I don't think I could find a place in all my curiosity for a Saint Death figure, even as a specimen. It is, however, a very interesting and unique cultural phenomenon.

What I've written here is based primarily my personal experience, and is, for that reason, quite incomplete. For more in-depth and better researched information, see Arturo Vasquez's posts in his blog "Reditus":

http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/tag/santa-muerte/
http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/tag/folk-catholicism/

For information about "San La Muerte" in Argentina, read:

http://arturovasquez.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/san-la-muerte/

"The seats on the bus go bump, bump, bump ...."

2011-02-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

A bus in Playa del Carmen near where I live.

A favorite activity that my son and I enjoy on the way to school is imagining all the different possible versions of "The wheels on the bus ..."

If you've only ever been on a bus in Canada or the U.S., you'd have no idea of how much fun this can really be. Our favourite is "The seats on the bus go bump, bump, bump." The most fun is trying to sing, as the seats, the whole bus, and the people on it actually go "bump, bump, bump" so much that you have to hold onto something to stay in your seat, or at least avoid ending up on the floor.

In the small mini-buses (like in the picture) the morning and afternoon school rush often leaves us standing up in the middle; usually when there's an adult with a seat, they'll at least give the three-year-old a place to sit, but when everyone else has a 3,4 or 5 year old, or just no body is that thoughtful, we're left standing, him holding onto my leg, and me holding on the rail at the top, not being able to stand up straight because the bus is just too small. We still sing our song, though.

When my wife was going to fly for the first time (this was after we were married with our first baby, who is now the three-year-old), she was concerned that he wouldn't handle the flight well. I reassured her that if the baby survived the buses on Mexico City's old roads (where we lived at the time), the take off and landing would hardly be noticeable. I was right; our baby didn't cry.

I've been on the old buses running through the mountains in Greece, and they're even more fun. Mexico's old inter-city bus services used to be like that - both my dad, my wife, and many Mexicans I know experienced those buses - but they're now quickly being modernized, with soft, comfortable seats and movies; the old highways that were almost wide enough to avoid oncoming traffic, and really made the bus bump, are being replaced with wide, smooth, modern highways.

In the mean time, many of the city buses still go bump, bump, bump, enough to be fun, and give people with motion sickness a hard time. Singing helps.

"I want Canada music."

2011-02-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

These days, my son loves the idea of Canada. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons.)

Ever since my parents left on airplane to head back to Canada after their last visit, my 3-year-old son has been very intrigued by Canada. When we get on the bus, sometimes he asks us if the bus is taking us to Canada. If I say no, he asks if the bus is going to Cancun, where we can get an airplane to Canada. When we ask where he wants to go in the evening, he says Canada. A few days ago, he was packing a little bag he has to go to Canada. (The baby's clothes, diapers, toy cars and a book were the key items.) He loves to wear a Canada t-shirt he has, and gets excited when he sees others wearing Canada shirts; this is fairly common among Mexicans here in Playa, since it seems fairly common for Canadian tourists to give away Canada paraphernalia to their hotel workers, tour guides, etc.

Yesterday morning I asked him what kind of music he wanted to listen to. His answer:

"I want Canada music!"

The music which best fits that description is Gordon Lightfoot. Of course, there is lots of great Canadian music of all kinds, but little of it is as Canadian in its essence. He was very happy with the choice, and kept coming up to ask me, "This is Canada music?"

The only problem was I couldn't get him to say "Canadian music." Every time I corrected him, he just insisted that it's "Canada music." Oh well, that will come. At least he's getting to like my music too; a while back, he always preferred his mom's music.

(See: Gordon Lightfoot for Mexico; A Musical Exchange)

No worries on the Mexican side, though. He proudly identifies himself with both countries, both flags (which appear on his blanket,) and both languages. The two concepts show up at different times, but currently he has a strong identification with both.

Cold or Alergies? Here's a Good, Semi-Natural Treatment

2011-02-19T17:00:00.001-08:00

An Effective, Semi-Natural Cold or Allergy Treatment

For the past 2 months, I've had an ongoing cold or allergies; the funny thing is that since I've moved to Playa del Carmen, a nice sunny, warm beachfront town, both have been noticeably worse than either in central Mexico or in Canada. And, on top of that, my allergies seem surprisingly similar to a cold. The very few times I've gone to the doctor, it's always turned out to be allergies, even though EVERYTHING about it feels like a cold.

This morning my 3-year-old son woke me up at 6:30, and I had a runny nose, I was sneezing and had a headache, and I had to blow my nose every 3 minutes. 10 minutes later, the baby was crying and wanted to eat. (Saturday is my wife's only precious sleep-in day during the whole week, so it's out of the question to take that away from her.)

I felt like closing myself into a dark, quiet room to just forget about the world. I thought about heading to the drugstore for allergy medicine, but then I decided to try our alternative approach first. The last time my family came from Canada, my dad had given us a bottle of tea tree oil as a natural treatment for ticks on our dog. (Ticks are very, very common here in the jungle, and all dogs get them if they are not treated. Most people use a horrible chemical that cannot be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone under the age of 19. The tea tree oil actually works very, very well - better than the chemical.)

A few months ago, reading the natural health booklet that came with it, I realized that it had lots of uses, including treating the common cold. I found it also works for allergies. So, this morning, this is how I treated my allergies/cold or whatever it is:

Tea Tree Oil - I heated a pot of water until it was steaming very well, and added 10 drops of tea tree oil. I place a towel over my head and leaned over the steaming pot inhaling the vapor of the oil. The relief in my nose was almost instant.
Hot Tea - I used Tetley Orange Pekoe tea, but I would normally us an herbal tea - we've run out. I prepared it while I was heating the water, so I could enjoy it immediately after the tea tree oil.
Paracetamol - I took one tablet to help with the headache. The only not natural part of my treatment. This is still much better than going to the doctor here; most doctors (although most certainly not all) in Mexico tend to way over medicate; I'm highly suspicious an hesitant when it comes to over-medication. We've found 2 doctors who are very conservative about medicine, and give treatments (which include only small amounts of medicine if any) whic, as we suspected, are usually much more successful. I also believe in generics, most of the time. Tylenol costs about 10 times as much, and does the same thing.

I probably could have done without the paracetamol, but on the whole the treatment was successful. Afterwards, I just felt a little sleepy, but otherwise fine. The rest of the morning was a very relaxing, comfortable Saturday morning.

To read more about my experience with healthcare and medicine in Mexico, read:

What's Wrong With This Sign?

2011-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

The sign announcing the power outage.

This is a sign that was posted throughout our neighborhood yesterday. For anyone who doesn't read Spanish, It says:

Dear Residents:

We are informing you that the electric company will be turning off the power between approximately 1 pm and 2 pm, for the purpose of repairs. Thank you for your understanding!

What's wrong with this message? Well, if you're not sure, the following are my complaints:

It doesn't state which DAY the power will be turned off.
Electric work is NEVER completed in 1 hr.
The paper signs were randomly pasted in visible, but completely unprotected areas, like on this electric power box, or on the walls separating the homes from the main road; this morning only one of the 5 we saw were remaining. This is as much a problem with social responsibility as with the community council's method of communication. This is a really big problem here; it's really common that people destroy, remove or deface things just to be a nuisance to other people. They could have put some in stores, etc.

The only sign remaining after less than 24 hours.

At least it's a small improvement. Up until this yesterday, we've never been informed of electric work and the resulting power outages. So, it's one small step ahead. Hopefully they put the date on next time.

It must be noted, however, that the date may not have been put on because they themselves were not sure of when they would do the work. The signs may have been a response to complaints, without any real intentions of solving the problems of lack of communication.

Our Beautiful Bougainvilleas - Flowers, Flowers and more Flowers

2011-02-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

As you can see in this picture, we now have a beautiful bougainvillea plant growing in front of our living room window. Of course, it's going to get much bigger than this. Our plan is to draw wires between the protection bars on the two windows so it grows up and covers the upper window, providing shade. This plant has been part of our house since we moved here a year and half ago and has grown marvellously since then.

The flowers grow almost all the time, and the neighbourhood kids love pulling them off and making heart shapes, or flower-covered walkways on the ground. At first we were going to tell them not to, but then we realized the flowers grow back so quickly that it really doesn't matter. We've just told them not to break the plant itself, and only pull of the petals. Yesterday my wife was going to take a picture of the heart they made, but the batteries in the camera were dead. Another time.

As you can see from the second picture, the plant was tiny when bought in August 2010. I'm impressed and happy with how it's grown.

To read more about our gardening, read:

Tepache - A Fermented Pineapple Drink

2011-02-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tepache, in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

Tepache is a traditional fermented pineapple drink popular in some areas of Mexico. As seen in the picture, it is a reddish colour. It is still fairly sweet, and only mildly fermented - perhaps similar to that of a milder traditional fermented apple ciders. (Not the Strongbow's sort, but the actual raw apple juice naturally fermented.)

The place where I have had it most often is in a small group of flauta shops in the Tacubaya neighborhood of Mexico City.

Flautas are tortillas, rolled up with a little meat in the middle, fried until crispy and brittle; they are served with lettuce and sauce on top of them, and, in the case of these shops in Tacubaya, with tepache.

Tacubaya is mostly a working class neighbourhood, and it's the end of one of the major subway lines, thus also serving as a major bus and transportation terminal. On Sunday afternoons, many young adults from villages to the west of Mexico City (approx. 1 hr away) come to Tacubaya, hang out in what's sort of a village square, and enjoy the dining and shopping of this vibrant neighborhood, all of which is really, really cheap (I got a pair of New Balance running shoes there for $40 - originals!) The neighborhood is in no way pretty or picturesque, but has a charm that only a place that has been given over entirely to practicality of the city and has been "discovered" only by those who need it's cheapness and complete lack of pretentiousness. It was one of the original Aztec villages that was in alliance with Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) when the Spaniards arrived at the time of the conquest.

So, needless to say, the flauta shops are also really cheap. If I remember correctly, the flautas are sold 3 for 50 cents, and the tall glass of Tepache seen in the picture is also about 50 cents. So, with $2, you'll be doing quite well in this place. (This is why I was surprised when I moved to Playa del Carmen from Mexico City, and realized that here, even with $10, you're better off staying home. One of the biggest charms of Mexico City is that you can go out with less than a dollar to your name and have a great time.)

Vats of Tepache in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

I found tepache once in Playa del Carmen. The fruit and vegetable store where we normally shop (the same one that had those wonderful tamales being sold in front of it, see xxx), sells fresh fruit juices at about 60 cents a glass. One day they had tepache as one of the choices. Although this doesn't really count as "fresh fruit juice," I was delighted and had a glass. I've never found it since. One of these days I'll ask them for it.

If you're in Mexico City, I highly recommend trying tepache. It's easier to find, and easier to take down than pulque. I'm sure there are many other places to try great tepache as well.

To read about pulque, another traditional Mexican drink, read:

My Mexico City Experience - Pulque

A note about the pictures: they are not my pictures, but they are from Wikimedia commons (with a shareable license) and the person who took and posted them noted that they are from Tacubaya; I also recognize the place.

The Morning Edition - Exotic Mexico

2011-02-16T06:01:00.000-08:00

I was just taking a look at the most popular stories in my blog, and the top 2, outnumbering the 3rd and 4th places by 2-4 times as many visits have to do with items very unique to Mexico's distinct culture:

The Curse of the Eye - This has been #1, almost doubling #2, and tells about a very, very popular superstition in Mexico, and how to protect children against it. While supposedly it's the "Catholics" who are more superstitious (in quotation marks, since these beliefs are in now way officially Catholic or approved by that church), recently an Evangelical mother visited me her newborn baby, and I caught a glimpse of deer's eye bracelet on the baby; if the Catholic Church disapproves, Evangelical Churches even more so; I find this paradox hard to wrap my mind around ...

My Mexico City Experience - Pulque - #2 has also doubled #3 in popularity. This is a traditional fermented drink, dating back to Aztec times, made from the same plant as Tequila. Originally it was a sacred drink, and now it belongs to the rural working class.

Another post about the dangers of being caught unawares by a beautiful Mexican WARNING: Mexico is DANGEROUS! Do not come here - unless ... is also very popular, with another one about illegal immigration, Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach, being fairly well liked. The top 5 are rounded off by one completely unrelated to Mexico, about my wife's luck with technology, Have you ever flushed your phone down the toilet?

Judging by the high popularity of the "exotic" theme, and because I really do like these topics, I'm soon going do another post or two on related topics; one will be about "tepache," a fermented pineapple drink, the other will be about "Saint Death" - a saint sub-cult focused on a grim-reaper like figure.

Our Mexican Marigolds - Cempoalxochitl, the Flower of the Dead

2011-02-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Cempoalxochitl (marigolds) in our garden

These flowers have been growing beautifully in our back flower bed. They are Mexican Marigolds, called Cempoalxochitl (pronounced cem-pa-SU-chil) in Mexico, which is the Aztec name.

The story behind these is more significant than our other gardening endeavours. At the beginning of November, we celebrated Mexico's Day of the Dead by making traditional alters to the deceased nearest to us. To read about the altars, and see pictures, read:

Day of the Dead - An Altar for my Grandparents
Remebering Someone Dear to Us

The main flowers used on these altars, as well as in other parts of the decoration are Mexican Marigolds. After taking down the altars on Nov. 3, we placed the flowers on top of our book shelf to dry. When my wife's mom arrived at the end of the same month, she found them, and remembered that they grow easily. So, she removed the seeds and sprinkled them into a flowering pot we had sitting in the back yard. Within a few days, the plants were sprouting out.

A close up of a full Cempoalxochitl flower

In January, when I transplanted them to our newly extended flower bed, they still didn't have any flowers. There is now a total of about 15 - 20.

For a little about the tradition of the flowers and other symbols related with the holidays, read:

Day of the Dead - The Symbols and Traditional Elements

Some more flowers - these ones never opened fully

For more about my gardening, read:

Our homegrown tomatoes
More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush

My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya

Have you ever seen a tree like this one?

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Notice the woven trunk, which is actually one single trunk!

I've never seen a tree like this one before. The trunk, as seen in the picture, is a series of "smaller trunks" woven together into the cylindrical shape seen; the really impressive thing is that the points where the "smaller trunks" touch, they are actually fused together sharking the same bark; they've actually grown together and become attached. So the trunk you see is actually one single trunk, shaped as a hollow cylinder with a woven service.

I've seen some larger trees around here, that seem to have multiple parts of one large trunk, sometimes even with spaces between parts of them, but never anything like this.

This was clearly planned and somehow "convinced" to grow this way. But I can't image how it is possible.

If anyone reading this blog knows how this works, please tell me!

We found this tree downtown Playa del Carmen, at the main city bus transfer point. Next time I go by, I might just knock and ask. I'm very impressed by this strange but beautiful plant.

I uploaded the photo with higher resolution than normal so you can view it with more detail if you like.

If you want to read about my own garden - a very easy to understand, but enjoyable mistake, read:

Our homegrown tomatoes
More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush
My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya

The best tamales in Playa del Carmen

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Barbequed Tamal - OK, it doesn't look like much, but it's delicious!

Playa del Carmen is generally not the place for tamales. Although different styles can be found brought from people from all over the country of Mexico (a natural result of the fact that the people who live here come from all over the country), the quality is generally lower than those in the place of origin; they tend to be dryer, lack flavor, and are over-priced. ($1 is average; in most places 50 cents is normal.)

About a week ago, however, my wife and I discovered tamales that are not only by far the best we've had here, but some of the best we've had anywhere in Mexico. (If any chilangos are reading, they are even better than most from Mexico City, as much as you could never dream of the possibility! I have to admit, though, until trying these, I was part of the "only Mexico City knows how to make real tamales" club.)

The unique part about them is that they are entirely barbequed. The lady who makes them first barbeques the chicken, then mixes with some other ingredients (including onions and boiled eggs) which are used as the filling in the tamale dough. She uses banana-leaf wrappers, and they are a flat, square shape (the common practice in the south and east of the country, as well as Guatemala, as opposed to the corn-husk and sausage-like shape predominant in the center of the country.) I'm not sure if she steams them are not first (the normal cooking form for tamales), but the final stage is to cook them over a wood-fired barbeque.

They are crispy on the outside, and the banana-leaf wrapping is almost burnt off by the end. The wood flame gives a very unique and rich flavour. Also common for banana-leaf tamales, a very slightly spicy red sauce is served on top.

The typical kind of tamal from Mexico City, in a bun.

We discovered these tamales outside of our fruit and vegetable store. When we finished shopping last week, we were waiting for a taxi, and the smell of the tamales beside us was unbearably tempting. Having had generally negative experiences (with only 2 exceptions) with tamales in Playa del Carmen, we hesitated buying. Then a regular customer came by and ordered 8. He told us that they were amazing - he drive halfway across the city to get them (this is only 10 minutes, but for residents of Playa, driving 10 minutes for tamales shows a fairly strong dedication.) So, we decided to try them, and we were delighted!

They are a little expensive (20 pesos, or about $1.70), but they are large - about the size 2 or 3 of the standard, Mexico City style tamales) and the flavour is amazing!

The lady agreed to let my wife take pictures of her making them. So, after she does that, I'll post the pictures. When ever I remember to take our camera vegetable shopping, I'll also take some pictures of her barbeque booth outside the store.

To read more about tamales:

Vitamin T - The Mexican Special

Our homegrown tomatoes

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Our accidental tomato plant

A bit less than a year ago, after filling our two flower gardens (front yard and back yard) with less-than-fully decomposed compost, tomatoes were among the first plants to sprout up. While we pulled up most of the other kinds of plants, I recognized the shape of the tomato leaf (my parents have grown tomatoes in their garden for as long as I can remember) and we decided to keep them out of sheer curiosity.

Another view of the same home-grown tomatoes

As you can see from the pictures, the plants grew very large and produced beautiful red tomatoes. Since my wife was running a little stationary shop for the local school at the time, kids took most of the ones from the front garden (seen in these pictures) but we enjoyed a few. The ones from the back garden were smaller and there were fewer of them (although the plants grew quickly along the fence like vines,) but we also enjoyed a few of those. They were delicious, as sun-ripened fruit always is!

More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush

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A Beautiful Mini Rose - about 2" in size?

This is one of 2 plants that we grew intentionally from the beginning, our mini rose bush, the currently stand about 20 inches high, and is having it's 3rd or 4th burst of flowers. It's located directly under the our living room window, with a larger bougainvilleas plant overshadowing it. One picture shows both plans a bit more than a year ago not long after they were planted.

The entire bush - notice new buds, and fallen Bougainvilleas pedals

The recent flowers have been booming the most beautifully, and a greater number of them are showing up.


The rose can faintly be seen on the lower right, above the rocks

My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya

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Our Papaya Trees

Have you ever grown your own fruit or vegetables? We don't do it with any serious commitment, and it started mostly by accident. We have a compost in our small back yard. First some of the seeds from the fruit we buy spilled out of the container (not many) and others were carried off by ants (there are thousands of ants around here.) Later more fruit and vegetables sprouted up from our less-than-completely decomposed compost when we spread it out through our newly created garden.

The first result of this accidental process was a papaya tree. At first I thought it was just a big weed; weeds around here get HUGE. But I hesitated to pull it up, because I had seen a similar plant in a neighbour's front yard, which seemed to be there on purpose. So I asked the neighbor, and he told me it was papaya. So, of course, I let it go.

Our first ripe papaya - today!

That was about a year ago, and now we have to little trees (about as tall as me) growing side by side. The smallest one was the first to grow fruit, but most of the little papayas kept falling off, very tiny and green. Finally, about a week ago, a larger one fell off, and we left it in the sun to ripen.

By "larger" I mean 6 inches - hardly the right size for a papaya. It's ripe now, and tomorrow morning we're going to try it. We're excited! This will be our second home-grown food; although the tomato plants showed up later, they produced fruit much quicker (last summer) - they were delicious!

Green papayas still on the tree

About 10 more papayas are currently growing and are already longer than this one, although they are thinner; hopefully this means they will fill out and become full-sized papayas.

I'll pictures and posts of our other plants over the next few days, both accidental (tomato, pineapple, avocado, beans and Mexican Marigolds - the famous Cempoalxochitl, pronounced "CEM-pa-su-chil"or flower of the dead) and planned growth (Bougainvilleas, and miniature roses.)

A papaya flower