Getting Back to my real life

Leaving this group and leaving Oaxaca is very, very hard. Each day was such a delight, it didn't always turn out the way I planned, but who cares? Whatever happened was better. The last dinner party Jake planned moved us from the roof to inside because the group got larger...it turned out to be chilly that night and we were better off inside. The meeting Yasmine, Scott and I planned with an artist didn't work out but 3 seconds later we discovered the orchestra was rehearsing the concert we were going to miss (so we sat looking at the mountains and heard the whole concert for free). The pool we thought we'd swim in rained us out, so we sat having a wonderful lunch under the vine trellis. It was like that every day.Visiting Asar-O the protest artist group. We each bought a print, (100 pesos, 13 pesos to the dollar). That morning we received an e-mail that the Princeton Museum of Art just bought 39 of their prints. Oh to be so cutting-edge!
Last dance for me and Dr. Spores.
The amazing free concert, the bass guitar had 6 strings. The percussion section had bongos.
Nosferatu Travis. But we love him.
Dr. Stephanie Wood gets her new dress at the party. The band got rained out at one point.
Spooky remains in the Museo Anthropologia. The exhibition designer made you walk down stairs into the "tomb". Well done.
Out in the garden that surrounds the museum.

We had our farewell party with brass band, dancing (see me and my crush, Dr. Spores) food and Zak's new "stick Travis" which has evolved into Alebrijes Travis but bares a resemblance to Nosferatu Travis. Like I said, whatever turns out is just better.

On the way home I had a long layover at the Mexico City airport. I have traveled on subways in many cities and figured this one couldn't be that different. I had to switch twice and it took over an hour but I made it to the Museo Anthropologia. What a palace! The artifacts from all the sites we went to, the stelae in the adjoining tropical gardens, the tombs you have to climb down stairs to get into (spooky!). This was all accomplished with the kindness of the Mexican people. They never let me down when I had need of directions. One man led me all the way to the next train and it wasn't even the train he needed to get on.

This was a experience that will be with me forever. Viva Mexico!

Mucho Gracias! Last Mexico Post. Pearl

Pictures of the Zocalo...by Stef Tietz

Student Band

Symphony at the Zocalo

These pictures were the happenings on the big city square (Zocolo) on Sunday.  Every Sunday is a fiesta.  All the families come out and simply stroll or sit around the square.  There is numerous music ventures, some that simply pop up and some , like the Oaxaca symphony orchestra that are planned, yet free, events. The little school band was trying to raise money for their battle of the bands competition and they were really good.  Last year apparently they got second place, and this year they were going for 1st!  We certainly threw our pesos in to support that! Being in the square on Sunday made me realize just how far Americans have let their family life slide.  Here family is everything.  One sees it every day.  






Fathers are very involved with their kids, carrying them on their shoulders, playing soccer with them in the streets at night.  Families, even with older kids, are seen together everywhere.  Simply sitting on park benches or strolling through the parks. I think I have found my first bean by learning how valuable this is to my Mexi side :-)
(For those of you that don't know, the title to my essay that got me this grant was "A Burrito without Beans" referring to myself.  Being Mexican on the outside, but not on the inside since I know little about the culture. It is the name my Mexican students gave me.  So I am here trying to find my beans ;-)

The Wayward Son Returns…by Stef Tietz

The Wayward Son Returns…

                  I had seriously given up hope that I would ever reunite with my rebellious suitcase.  Despite the fact that the family that runs our hotel was extremely nice and helpful my trust in Mexicana Click was going down the tubes.  Every time the hotel called the airline for me, there would be no answer (???) and they would simply tell me they would call again “mas tarde, mas tarde”…but “mass tarde” there would still be no answer.  Airlines that don’t answer the phone ??? This could not be good. But, yesterday as I slowly came wandering into the hotel after dinner, the owner had a big grin on his face and informed me that he just took my suitcase up to my apartment!  Yeah! A whole month without my clothes and essentials would not have been fun…

                  So, this is our third day here and we are slowly orienting ourselves to Oaxacan life.  We became official yesterday by purchasing Mexican cell phones for a whopping 300 Pesos ($20). As we found out, we needed a way to stay in touch as we are wandering around doing separate things and then trying to reconnect. However, they aren’t really any good for calls to and from the US. So if anybody needs to really reach me, text me on my American cell phone or call me.  I have it on and with me. (Keep in mind that it will put me in the poor house if you call.  So unless something is bleeding or on fire text or email)

                  We met most of the people in my group yesterday, including the girl we are going horseback riding with in the Sierra Madres next weekend.  She seems pretty cool. The group is a very varied mix of individuals and I look forward to getting to know them all.

                  Eating has been somewhat of a challenge. It appears that the Spanish I know as far as food items are concerned, has nothing to do with what things actually are. I realized that a taco in Mexico, was somewhat different from a taco at home…the puzzling thing is that a taco is not a taco. Not even in the same restaurant. Apparently there are also separate words for the different types of meat depending on how they are prepared, which causes much confusion. You won’t find them in the handy dandy Mexican Spanish phrase book either, nope!  You just eat whatever they bring.  Sometimes you luck out, and sometimes…well, you eat a blob of pink cornmeal that all the mole and salsa in the world won’t heal. A few restaurants have their menu items translated into English.  One would think this would make life easier right??? Well, what exactly is a “friendly mushroom”???? How friendly is it?  How long will it take for me to recover from it?  Will I get arrested for trying it? And is a friendly mushroom related to the “muss hoom”? Or does it turn into a “muss hoom” when it is no longer friendly? Well, we stayed away from both since they were on the “appazatizer” menu…         

Greetings from the land of friendly Muss hooms!

Stef                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

An exorcism is needed... ...my suitcase is possessed...by Stef Tietz

An exorcism is needed...
 
...my suitcase is possessed...
 
So, after an excruciatingly tiring three leg trip, we finally arrived in Oaxaca.  Oaxaca's airport is teeny tiny and it was with much enthusiasm that I stood by the one and only luggage carousel anxiously awaiting my suitcase.  Sonja's suitcase was the first one that slowly approached...I swallowed and kept my enthusiastic demeanor, trying very hard to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my head that the family curse of lost luggage had once again struck. After all the suit cases were gone off the belt I saw nothing but a lonely postcard left slowly being carried around in circles.  I picked it up to find a picture of my suitcase living it up in a more tropical destination accompanied by the Roaming Gnome...
After filing a report with Mexicana Click Airlines (Lord help me...) I found out that they really have no idea where my suitcase is, but they expect it to "show up" tonight or tomorrow..."They always do".  Hmmm apparently luggage comes home after it's had a chance to spread it's wings and sow some wild oats.  My suitcase apparently is really bored with my destination choices and prefers to find it's own...EVERY TIME I FLY!!!  But, I am not a dumb child.  I have learned that one packs a weeks worth of clothes in the carry on, even if one's friend makes fun of one for bringing everything one owns.  So I am set for a few days at least.  
 
We have explored the immediate vicinity of our Hotel, which is very nice by the way.  Our suite is quite big and very comfy.  I will attempt to send some pictures soon.  The only down side so far is that it is quite cold.  Sonja and I both bought a new summer wardrobe for this trip, and well, today we have been freezing our buns off wearing jeans and the only long sleeve items we brought.
 
Sonja begins her language class tomorrow, which leaves me time for some well earned sleep and finally getting some of my required reading done before I start my seminar on Monday.
 
So, I am running on about 3 hours of sleep for the last 48 hours and am heading to Zombie land. 
 
Buenas Noches!
Stef

Happiness in Oaxaca

Short essay/blurb:  Happiness in Oaxaca  by Laura Hovey Ozuna


Buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches.
¡Buen provecho!
The constant greetings of almost every passer-by also flow like speech
bubbles from my mouth, turning stranger into friend.
The crispy melting quesillo between the bolillo, chile, avocado, and beans
on our tortas each day.
Dr. Spores’ voice in Yucundaa says we are walking on documents, living
documents, shards of pottery painted red like cochinilla dye weaving the
symbols of God, mountain, seeds, butterfly, lluvia de estrellas in the
tapetes in Teotitlán.
And the smell of mint, hierba santa, eucalipto carried in the wind in
Coixtlahuaca, on the street as we run to San Felipe del Agua, or striking
our cleansed spirits, scattered all around our bodies, stomped under our
feet, taking out the sadness, sickness, hurt. Breezes that brush our hair
against our faces in Monte Albán.
Rain falling on us in Mitla while we gaze upon mosaics and carvings
invoking the same clouds that shower above us now.
Can you hear all the music floating in the air at night, smell the fresh
roasted corn, feel the froth on your lips with cinnamon in your chocolate
de leche?  Sweet agua de coco, and Virgen del Carmen Alto with her gilded
veil outstretched, surrounded by lilies and mariachis.
How can I love two nations so much?  I think now you may understand.

Weaving and Eating in Teotitlan del Valle

The Zapotecs were already weaving cotton and when the Spanish got here wool was introduced. Just like in China, taxes were paid with bundles of loomed cloth. Every 3 months a family gave 400 bundles of embroidered cotton and 800 loads of loomed cotton. We set off today to see a town that has existed as a sacred place for over 2,000 years. The town has poverty but also some millionaires because decorators and even "Pier 1" has commissioned rugs from the weavers. Woman here set up a co-op to keep the commissions made to themselves. They learned how to apply for permits, run a business and be in charge.
Designs are traditional and modern, As any good artist knows you have to get the right images for the right market. To get to this point, you need...
to card the wall and wash it well.
This dye is made from fermented walnut bark. It ferments for a week, then boiled to just the right temperature. After that, the liquid from the fermented bark is added, then the spun wool.
This ladies' co-op had this traditional pedal loom and a back strap loom (I couldn't get a pic).
NOW LUNCH! We came to the home of a family that was know to this week's professor, Dr. Lynn Stephen an anthropologist. She lived with these people years ago and has had some of the town's children–she has 10 god-children here–come to school in Oregon (she works at the Univ. of Oregon). This abuela is making sauce for our lunch...
her daughter is making tortillas (two at a time on the press) for our quesadillas which were filled with queso (cheese) and squash blossom flowers...
yes here is the kitchen. Everyone lives outdoors all year long. There is nothing but a corrugated tin roof overhead and no walls. Sopa (soup) is in the big pot in front, it's made from green vegetables with some kind of root vegetable in it. Delicioso!
Here's part of our group, about 8 people had to sit at another table behind me. The rugs made in this family are hanging on the walls behind. They cost $750 to $1,500 pesos ($50 to $120US) THINK, hand-carded, hand-spun, hand-dyed, hand-woven for what only $120 US?
OK Now we get to eat---mole (chocolate, spices etc.) on your chicken and rice. I ate everything.
When we got on the bus and it was time to wave good-bye to our gracious hosts, this young man was coaxing a reluctant donkey loaded with sugar cane down the road.

Oaxaca festival in Mexico highlights indigenous pride By Ruth Maclean Oaxaca City

                                       http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10725066

Locations of Places that we will visit in Oaxaca City.

View Oaxaca in a larger map

Getting Ready

I am finishing up a course on Confucius at the NY China Institute and reading books about mesoamerican art. By having one foot in each culture I can't help but see similarities. I'm at a conference in New Jersey and killed some time in the old Newark library. The stacks had that great old library smell. I found a book of papers written by various authors of mesoamerica. One did address the natural possibility of asian influence in the "new world". He was focused on the zodiac animals, I see the design motifs. Some designs can be universal such as the "swastika" which some feel is just the abbreviated overlap you get from basket weaving. I hope to fill sketchbooks in Mexico of what I see on the walls of the ruins.

Oaxaca's Musical Treasure

 Education and community economic development through Music. The story is by Shannon Young, PRI's "The World"

Link: http://www.pri.org/arts-entertainment/music/oaxaca-creative-musicians1890.html