Inditas

These are the girls dressed as indigenous for the Day of the Virgen of Guadalupe. They wear ethnic skirts, embroidered blouses and necklaces. Occasionally there is a little girl dressed as the Virgen.

Juandieguitos

Today is the Feast of the Virgen of Guadalupe, the most important religious figure in Mexico. Little boys are dressed as Juan Diego to whom the Virgen appeared. They will wear sombreritos, huaraches, special shirts and pants. Many have a beard and moustache and sideburns.

Manual labor

Most all the construction in Oaxaca is done by hand! See those people down below street level? They dug those holes and ditches by hand. See those large squares of greenish cantera stone (natural to Oaxaca and comes in green, rose and white)? Each piece was carried by hand and placed just so. Another thing that is interesting about road construction here is that the streets aren't closed to pedestrians. You are free to walk right through the area, sometimes stepping over the cavernous holes.

La Virgen de Juquila

December 8 is the day to celebrate the Virgen de Juquila. Pilgrimages to the small pueblo of Juquila located on the southern coast of Oaxaca where the small statue of the Virgencita, as she is affectionately called, is located, are made on foot or on bicycle, but also by car, truck or bus. From Oaxaca by foot is six days on a road through mountains which is water-covered and non-existent in some spots. Thousands of people of all ages go: babies, disabled, seniors, teenagers. The season to visit the Virgen is from November 28. Once there, there are mariachi bands, food and of course, souvenirs. Here in Oaxaca, the cojetes (fireworks) started at 4:30 a.m. and continued throughout the day. In the evening there was a parade starting in the Zocalo with a brass band, a painting of the Virgencita as well as a statue (actual size) and a very large arrangement of red roses.

Rosas

For some reason I have had trouble getting breakfast before school lately. So this morning I made an effort to leave the apartment early with enough time to buy the papers, eat and get to school without breaking into a sweat. Well that plan was short-lived because just a few blocks down from the apartment was The Flower Lady sitting on the sidewalk arranging bunches onto the straw mat that would be rolled up and slung over her back. Then she walks through the area looking for buyers. A couple weeks ago she came into the coffee shop and I asked her how much for a bunch. Thirty pesos. I would take two bunches. She could not calculate the price for two so a clerk told her sixty pesos. I knew that at times she had roses so I was waiting for our paths to cross again. Breakfast could wait for another day. I picked out red and pink roses and returned to the apartment to trim and arrange the roses in a vase. The photo is taken on my patio.

Papayas

This photo was to be part of the previous blog but uploading four photos of fruit proved to be too much fiber for the system. I just couldn't let this photo of papayas be omitted.

The Official ChristmasTree

The governor of the state of Oaxaca lit the official Christmas tree that is located on the Zocalo in front of the Governor's Palace. It could be cheesy because of it's artificialness but I love it anyway. It is a very tall white fabric cone that is covered with gold garland and lit from inside. I love the effect.

Fruit

Fruit in Mexico is so enticing and alluring that I can not resist eating it in vast quantities. Eating fruit here is such a different experience that it is difficult to believe they are the same fruits as in the United States. I love some fruits in Mexico and do not care for them at all in the United States. Mexican fruits are brilliant, the flavors intense. Fruits in the United States are big, beautiful and without flavor. Papayas in Mexico have no equal in the United States. I have had papaya juice, or papaya cut in pieces and sprinkled with limon (key lime) and chile (chile powder). In the markets there are great expanses of platanos (bananas)--red, purple, dominicans, green and many yellow kinds. They have hardly a blemish on them as they have just come from someone's trees. As you can see in the photo, a bunch can have 15 or more bananas and heaven help you if you ask for less. It would be easier to get world peace. Although when you are paying $1 for that many, just go with the flow. Fruit is offered cut up and para llevar (to-go) or freshly squeezed in almost every block. My favorite puesto (movable stand) offers juices and fruits that you can top with granola, yogurt, honey and amaranth, as well as limon and chile. Today in the mercado (market) I bought guayabas (guavas) and duraznos (peaches). Peaches here are very small and look like an apricot. They can be so small that you could put them in a dixie cup and roll them around. And don't get me started on orange juice that is so common that garbage smells like oranges. You'll have to trust me on this until they come up with blog-a-smell..

Candy

This afternoon I was on the way back to the apartment after meeting with my intercambio when I gave a closer look at a puesto (street cart) that is stacked with candy. I was surprised to find that the vendor is making all of the candy herself in the style of Puebla which is a state just north of the state of Oaxaca and is famous throughout the country for its candy. Of course I had to do some taste-testing for research purposes. All the candy is made with fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. The large round dark red paste is tamarindo, It is delicious but contains the seeds so with every bite you have to spit out a seed or two--and the seeds are the size of raisins. The yellow round is pineapple and coconut, and tastes exactly like that. The pink cylinder is very special, strawberry and sweet potato, and tastes just like that. Candy made with sweet potato is classic in Puebla. There are other fruits with sweet potato like coconut, pineapple, zapote. The white cylinder was my favorite in this group, coconut with cajeta. Lastly, the most special and impressive is lime filled with coconut. There is only the outer shell of the lime which is candied then filled. It is delicious! This puesto was quite a find. Who could mind eating their fruits and vegetables this way?

Nochebuenas

Last night thousands of pointsettias, or nochebuenas, were delivered to the Zocalo. Everywhere you looked, there they were. In the photo there is an iron park bench in the midst of pointsettias wrapped in brown paper sleeves. Then they started planting them just before 8 p.m. This morning, the Zocalo is red and ready for Christmas.

Monos de calenda

It isn't a party unless there are monos de calenda or giant puppets made on a bamboo frame with heads and upper bodies of paper mache. Every parade has at least two, maybe three or four or more depending on the budget. Many weddings have bride and groom monos, as this one did in the photo. The monos are dressed for the occasion and are worn on the shoulders of young men (can you see the feet?). There is a look-out hole usually at the "waist" of the mono so the guy underneath can see. As the brass band plays the monos twist and turn to the beat of the music and the arms of the mono twirl to the beat of the brass band that accompanies the parade so the monos look like they are alive. Some monos are personalized in face features and dress to look like the guest of honor. A mono weighs about 18 pounds and can be rented, or sold for $1000 - $1500 pesos.

Up on the roof

There are a few ways to get your laundry done in Oaxaca. You can take it to a lavanderia and have them do it--this is the most common way--or you can find a self-service landromat. Very few people have washers and dryers in their houses. I am lucky to have a lavanderia that is full -service as well as self-service in the next block. This morning I washed three loads including sheets, towels and a few clothes. I could have dried the laundry there but most every house has clotheslines that are on the roof. This is a perfect place for drying laundry as it is always full sun up there. With the low humidity and sun the laundry can be dried in no time. My apartment has clotheslines on the roof and the photo shows the view that my laundry has. By the way, roof tops are also where the dogs live. Dogs are for guarding, rarely for friendly pets so the rooftop is their turf.

Agua

Because of the lack of treatment of water from the taps in Oaxaca, I buy purified water for drinking and brushing my teeth. Some locals buy huge jugs of water--garrafones--an carry them home, but most wait for a water man to come down the street calling "agua!" and buy garrafones from him. So that is what I do. The guys come down my street about 8 or 8:30 a.m. most every day. When I need water I listen for his cry of "agua!" and I run out to the street and call "un, vidrio". This means I want the garrafon to be of glass, not plastic because the plastic jugs look like they have been around the block and besides, glass looks so cool. The guy goes back to his truck that is parked somewhere around the corner, carries the garrafon into the apartment, removes the empty jug and puts the new jug in the stand. The small 1.5 liter bottle in the photo costs 12 pesos (about 92 cents) and the 20 liter glass garrafon costs 40 pesos (about $3). A plastic garrafon costs only 15 pesos. Today two of us went to the gate asking for vidrio and the guy carried both garrafones at once to our place. What strength.

Comida corrida at Doña Elpidia

One of my favorite places to eat lunch is the Cafe Doña Elpidia located five or six blocks south of the Zocalo. It is in the home of Señora Elpidia at the back of her patio filled with flowers so it feels as if you are in a secluded private garden, which I guess you are. Señora Elpidia is the cook, waiter and clean-up person--she does it all and has for many years. Her cafe is open each afternoon and serves one complete meal for 50 pesos, about $3.89. By the way this has been the price since we first ate there in 2001. Today she served agua de papaya, botanas of chicharron, quesillo, empanada then caldo with tortilla strips then the entree of mole mantmenteles with beef, potatoes, chayote and pineapple. The dessert was strawberry cream.

I stopped with my mouth hanging open when I saw these flowers being sold by a man on the street. You can buy the whole pot of lillies for 30 pesos, about $2.50, or buy the bulbs or the seeds. The bulbs are smaller than tulip bulbs and tinged with color so the man could tell which bulb would produce which flower. I was surprised that there are seeds. I thought bulbs came from bulbs. The man explained to me that the bulbs are only a food storage for the plant, inside are seeds. The downside to buying the seeds is that it takes years to get bulbs.

Beauty in Oaxaca

Friday night there was a wedding party outside the Santo Domingo Cathedral getting photographed by a professional--and every tourist nearby. The dresses were gorgeous purple with iridesence. The color was so striking in the lighting and against the golden cathedral. And there were six little kids in the wedding party. I guess they didn´t want to leave any one out. They provided the aawww moment.

Saturday once again I was sitting at Santo Domingo when a quinceañera arrived with her escorts. She had on the ruffliest black dress with a long train and a black bouquet. The escorts were dressed as if they were in a marching band. I have never seen the boys dressed in anything other than suits or tuxedoes. These teenagers were having a great time. I bet that was a great party.

Just a block away a bride was arriving for her wedding at another cathedral. She was simply gorgeous and radiant, the smile never left her face. Her attendants were wearing orange.

Nieves

One of my goals each day in Oaxaca is to have a dish of two different nieves, a scoopable very icy frozen treat like sorbet. You can find nieves everywhere, on the streets, in stands in doorways, in the mercados. I have eaten many nieves but my favorites come from Chonita who has a stall in the Mercado 20 de noviembre. This sign shows all the nieves that Chonita makes and sells along with her son.

For me, the nieves of Chonita are the best because they are not too sweet. The balance of sugar and water or milk is very important for the taste and texture.

The challenge when selecting nieves for the day is to match two that complement each other. Some good combos are chocolate and coco, nuez (pecan) and cajeta (caramel), but the best, classic pairing is tuna (fruit of the prickly pear cactus, not to be confused with the fish) and leche quemada (burnt milk). Burning or toasting are characteristics of Oaxacan foods.

Desfile para el veinte de noviembre

What a way to start the day! As usual I went down to the Zocalo to buy my newspapers but this time there were police and military at every corner, and in big groups. I asked the woman at the news stand what was happening. Desfile para 20 de noviembre, a public celebration celebrating the start of the Mexican Revolution.

There was quite a show of military, all so young and serious looking. Howver I was able to catch these drummers at ease. I am not sure they approved of the taking of their photos and it was a little unsettling to have so many guns within feet of me. I hoped they were fake guns.

There were little boys dressed as Pancho Villa, complete with guns. Some had mustaches drawn on their faces.

Working towards my goal

This morning I took a placement exam at the Chicago branch of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico as a prerequisite for attending a conversation class that begins in May. And I lived through it!

The test was oral and written. In the oral part, I was asked where I lived, where I had studied, why I was interested in learning Spanish, where I worked. The first part of the written test was fill-in the blanks with the correct verb. As expected, it progressed from present to past to subjunctive (my weak point), ser, estar, irregulars. But I was feeling good as I came to the end, thinking that was easy. But much to my dismay there was one more task: write a composition on how traveling to foreign countries affects our relationship with people. Wow. What an exercise in choosing words that I know, can spell and can conjugate. I knew what I wanted to write but I had to use words I knew. I hope I made sense and the people of UNAM aren’t passing my composition around the office, laughing their heads off.

UNAM is the oldest university in Latin America and is highly regarded. It has three branches in the United States, San Antonio, Los Angeles and Chicago. I would bet money that the branch in Chicago is the smallest. I would not have known about the branch of UNAM except for my former tutor who brought it to my attention. They should advertise more as Chicago has over one million Mexicans living in the city so knowing Spanish is very important.

I want to take the class as a way to practice conversing in Spanish. I think talking in another language is like playing the piano, the more you do it the better you get. And that is the goal as I work towards living in another language.

All smiles

I just returned from six weeks in the city of Oaxaca where I was studying Spanish at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca. While there I had the opportunity to visit several women who want to better their lives by getting a loan through an organization that microfinances.

This woman is Soledad, a widow with a 19 year old daughter, who earns money by weaving for a patron (that is, using his materials and his instructions), as well as through Avon sales. Soledad wants the loan so she can earn more money and get paid faster. She wants a better life so her daughter can go back to school and get out of the weaving rut.

What struck me about all these women was that they smile all the time, easy, beautiful smiles. Their lives are simple and rustic, their lives are difficult, filled with physical labor but they are so happy. Could it be all the sunshine?