Poverty Is NOT a Problem ...

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?!?

 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

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?

"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 ...

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?

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

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

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

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 …)