Minutes from Mexico

La última entrada

2007-12-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

Last night the dog bit through the TV and internet cable, and so I thought I might not be able to post a final entry. The dog has since been banished from the roof to the garden, and the cable has been momentarily fixed. Meanwhile, I am packing for my 2:10 am bus ride to Veracruz. From there I fly home for Christmas, and so ends my Mexican adventure.

This time I didn't spell out my name for the bus ticket clerk:

Thanks to everyone who read some of my entries - I had a great time putting this blog together. I even started seeking out experiences and opportunities because I knew they would make a good blog post at the end of the day.

Un abrazote a todos los estudiantes, maestros, ultimateros y otros que me acogieron y me enseñaron un pedacito de la vida mexicana. Y a mi familia mexicana - mil gracias. Ustedes eran el corazón de mi experiencia en México - me acogieron como si fuera su propia hija, y siempre me sentí en casa.

I won't be continuing a blog -- my life in Canada isn't quite as exciting on a daily basis. (If you are still interested in Xalapa, I can recommend a friend's blog called Xalapa Tips.)

Que les vaya bien, y ojalá nos volviéramos a ver.

La gente indígena

2007-12-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

The majority of Mexico's population is mestizo, or of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood. This ancestral connection means that Mexico has great pride in its indigenous roots, touting indigenous imagery, music and foods as elements of the modern Mexican identity.

Before coming to Mexico I knew only of the Aztec and the Mayan people of Mexico, and assumed that the Aztec race had been killed during the colonization of Mexico. As it turns out, hundreds of thousands of Aztec descendents live in Mexico today, under the ethnic name "Nahau".

There are dozens of ethnic groups outside of the Mayan and Nahau population, including the Huastec, Totonac, and Mixtec peoples. Over 12 million indigenous people live in Mexico, making up between 10 - 12 per cent of the country's population. They live mostly in the south of the country, and many speak one of Mexico's 62 official indigenous languages.

Despite the abundance of native communities and the national pride in Mexico's indigenous heritage, many indigenous peoples live in underdeveloped and impoverished communities. (In this respect Canada and Mexico share something in common.) This poverty has historic roots, as the land of many indigenous communities was confiscated under the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz - although some was redistributed under later administrations. Many indigenous peoples also experienced pseudo-slavery as labourers on large haciendas - the Mexican equivalent of a plantation.

These inequalities have led to some civil unrest, most famously the Zapatista rebellion in the state of Chiapas. This movement is largely indigenous-based, and has fought for control over the state's abundant natural resources as a way to restore wealth to local communities.

Before coming to Mexico I thought the Zapatista movement would be a contentious point among Mexicans. From what I have gathered, the movement has much stronger foreign than local links, and so we hear much more about the Zapatistas than Mexicans themselves. The only opinion I have heard so far is that the rebels are too worked up and have lost public support since their major launch in 1994.

Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad

2007-12-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

As I type there are two small children outside of our front door holding a tree branch, singing, and shaking a can full of coins. The branch is decorated with balloons and a gold garland, and the girl is wearing a princess dress.

This is called cantando la rama (literally, "singing the branch") and is a Christmas tradition in Veracruz. Starting in mid-December groups of kids process door-to-door standing outside of a house and singing a song called La Rama until they get tired or someone comes to the door with money. It's a bit like Halloween, except money is the preferred handout and the kids don't normally ring the doorbell first. In fact, the kids who just came to our door rang the bell, and Adriana and Alejandro were a bit miffed.

Courtesy of Wikipedia
(I've taken enough photos of kids I don't know):

The Mexican Christmas celebrations spread out over the period of about a month, beginning with the feast day of the Virgen de Guadalupe and ending with epiphany and the celebration of the Reyes Magos (three wise men).

Another door-to-door tradition is called Las Posadas (the inns, or the lodging). The tradition celebration of Las Posadas features a group of peregrinos (pilgrims) walking through a neighbourhood and stopping to sing a song to pedir posada, or ask for lodging. This pilgrimage is in homage to the wanderings of Mary and Joseph in search of a place to stay in Bethlehem. The song has 12 verses and is sung responsively - the pilgrims sing one verse, and the people inside of the house respond. At the end of the song both groups join together and the pilgrims are welcomed into the house for a party.

As I understand, the door-to-door part of this tradition is becoming less popular, and instead guests will arrive at a house for a scheduled party and enter by singing the 12-verse song. We staged a version of this at the posada of the school for foreign students a few weeks ago. The word posada can also simply refer to a pre-Christmas party, such as a the pizza-and-cake gatherings that I've had to wrap up some of my university classes.

The bigger parties often include piñatas that look like three-dimensional stars. The traditional piñatas have seven conical points that represent the seven deadly sins of Catholicism. Destroying these points represents the overcoming of temptation and evil. I have seen piñatas in the star-style with anywhere from 5 to 20 points.

Like many Canadian kids, Mexican kids also stage small Christmas concerts for parents. I was lucky enough to go to Jiram's Christmas concert last week. The first act featured a cast of toddlers dressed up as chipmunks (whiskers and all) who shook rattles to the song "Jingle Bell Rock" and performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks.

It only got better from there, as a series of very bewildered-looking children tried desperately to remember their choreography while dressed up as stars, meringue dancers and elderly people. Sometimes a kid would fall down, or screw up her face and start to wander towards some relative in the audience.

The traditional part of the show came at the end, with a pastorela, or Christmas play. These plays tell the story of a group of shepherds trying to find their way to the stable to worship the newly born Jesus. These plays are usually humourous, and Jiram's was no exception. Granted, a large part of the humour came from the spontaneity of the kids, whose simply delivery of the lines could cause a laugh. Jiram played Panfilio, an assistant to the devil who helps to trip up the unsuspecting shepherds on their pilgrimage.

A pastorela always ends with a nativity scene as the shepherds overcome the obstacles and reach the manger.

Like the mixture of Halloween and El Día de Los Muertos, Christmas is a combination of the western Santa Claus and the the Latin American Reyes Magos and niño Jesús. The gifts technically come from Jesus and the three wise men, but the kids all know who Santa is and many believe that he exists. In a brief conversation with Jiram we decided that Santa brings gifts to Canadian kids, and Jesus brings gifts to Mexican kids.

The Christmas preparations have indeed taken over Xalapa. This is obvious in the decorations downtown - a giant Christmas tree, hanging wired-framed nativity scenes that light up at night, and a larger-than-life-sized nativity scene in front of the Cathedral with plastic figurines. In the following photos, note the sudden change in background scenery:

Nativity scenes have been set up all around Xalapa, including in my house. The markets have started to sell an assortment of figurines, such as this baby Jesus:

Even Dr. Simi has dressed up for the occasion:

Oddly enough, as I finish this post I can hear the "posada" song being sung at a Christmas party in the nearby school. Oh - and now they're singing the piñata song. Merry Christmas.

Yendo de compras

2007-12-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

Going shopping in Xalapa ranges from the typical American mall to smaller open-air markets. Some observations about my shopping experiences:

Most shops have very tight security - it is common to check a knapsack or purse at the door before entering. There are also a lot of men around with visible guns, although these are mostly to protect banks and other financial institutions.

Advertising for stores, products and services is quite unique. Sometimes this involves tactics to catch the passerby's attention, such as large dancing mascots (e.g. Dr. Simi) and women dressed in spandex. A lot of stores hand out flyers to passers-by - one flyer I have received at least a dozen times is for a dental practice downtown.

Shortly after arriving I noticed that most TV commercials are required to have small messages printed along the bottom of the screen. These messages have a social theme, and I assume are mandated to counteract some of the negative impacts of excessive advertising. For example, the bottom of a candy advertisement might read COME BIEN (eat well) or HAZ DEPORTE (exercise). Other messages include CUIDA EL AGUA (conserve water - often seen in detergent ads) and SALUD ES BELLEZA (health is beauty - cosmetic ads). I think that some advertisers include messages using a similar font to make it seem as though their message is for the social good, when it is actually promoting their product. For instance, the message LA LECHE ES PROTEINA (milk is protein) often shows up along the bottom of milk ads.

Many stores and banks offer credit on purchases or small loans. Liverpool - the largest department store in the mall - has an overnight sale where the biggest deal is the low-interest credit on large purchases.

There are a few places to shop in Xalapa where I really enjoy the atmosphere. Mercado Jauregui is a well-known market in the downtown area that is a Mexican version of Toronto's St. Lawrence Market.

The main floor of the market features a variety of goods, including fake flowers, dried chiles, piñatas, religious statues, incense, raw meat, tacos and shoes. (I will get into shoes later.)

Another hot spot to shop is Callejón Diamante, which I referred to as "hippie alley" before I knew its actual name. The Callejón is a small pedestrian street with vendors on either side selling jewelry, shawls, sweaters, buttons, wristbands and purses - all in the latest of bohemian fashions.

Several vendors advertise hair wraps, and display sample styles on doll heads:

Finally, there are the zapaterías (shoe stores). In the downtown area I am certain there are more than two dozen shoe stores - some of the same chain with franchises spread out over a few blocks. Mexicans, especially women, generally wear remarkably trendy shoes. I don't know what came first - the Mexican demand for fashionable footwear, or the prevalence of relatively inexpensive shoe stores. Most stores have their shoes behind glass; to try on a pair a customer requests the number and size of the desired shoes at the register. The cashier then radios the store room, and the shoes (often) descend from the ceiling on a pulley elevator.

Fotos de la semana: Los manglares de Veracruz (y más)

2007-12-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

While in Veracruz in November with my parents we took a ride in a fishing boat through the mangroves. It was really quite beautiful. My mom took some photos too; in this one you can see the tree roots reaching down into the water:

On another note, my mom also took this photo of a small child dressed up in our hotel lobby handing out lollipops. Keep in mind that this is around the "Día de los Muertos" celebration, which includes a hint of Halloween:

"Ch"

2007-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

A lot of Mexican Spanish words start with the sound "ch". I noticed this soon after arriving and started to compile a list. The following is what I have come up with so far - feel free to add to it.

Some words are commonplace, such as a chamarra (sweater/jacket), chillar (to cry/whine), charco (a puddle) and chipi-chipi (light rain).

Others are adjectives, such as chueco (askew/twisted) and chaparro (short - as in height).

Chamaco and chavo both mean "kid", although chavo can also mean "guy".

Some words refer to food, such as chicarrón (fried pork rind) and chorizo (spicy pork sausage).

There are a few nicknames that start with "ch" that are quite common, including Checo (I know at least 3) and Chucho.

Moving into the Mexican youth culture, a few words stand out. A chela is a beer, and chupar (literally "to suck") is the verb used for drinking a chela. Slang words like chamba (work/job), chafa (bad/of bad quality), and chido (cool/great) come up all of the time. The expression chale is also very common in slang, and means somewhere between "yeah, right" and "no way!".

The "ch" hall of fame award goes to the verb chingar. It has the same meaning and flexibility as the verb "to fuck" in English, leading to chingada, chingón, chingo, etc.

The tendency to use "ch" even affected my name on one bus ticket. Even though I spelled out my full name for the clerk, this is what she ended up printing out:

Un humor negro

2007-12-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

The concept of being "politically correct" does not exist in Mexico. Few topics are off-limits for Mexican humour, which is oddly egalitarian in its scope. Terms are more blunt: it is OK to call someone fat, black, foreign or white. I am often called güerita (little light-skinned girl), which is always meant kindly. As I mentioned in a previous entry, gordita (little fat woman) is also a term of endearment.

This is particularly noticeable in terms of race. At times it goes too far - such as the island of savages on Destilando Amor that was populated entirely by black people. I was also a bit shocked to see the following doll on display in a crafts market in Veracruz, which is labelled negrita (little black woman):

The other day I found a chocolate sweet bread called "Negrito" featuring a boy with an afro on the wrapper. The treat is made by the company "Bimbo", which essentially owns the bread market in Mexico. While looking for a photo of the wrapper online, I found a version of what it once looked like before the afro update:

I have been told that this is partially because there aren't many black people in Mexico, and so it is not a sensitive issue. Still, I have been a bit shocked. Mexican stereotypes seem to draw the line, however, at indigenous people. Calling someone an indio can be a major insult. There is a joke that takes place in a restaurant, and goes something like this:

Customer: ¿Me podrías traer una cerveza Indio? (Can you bring me an Indio beer?)
Waiter: Sí le puedo traer una cerveza, y no me llame indio. (Yes, I can bring you a beer, but don't call me an indian.)

"Indio" is a brand of beer, but is also the adjective for "Indian". This joke only works in Spanish.

Making fun of gay people is apparently a developing taboo - it used to be OK, but with the gradual acceptance of homosexuality in Mexican society, such jokes are becoming less appropriate.

La Virgen de Guadalupe

2007-12-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

On my way to class today I saw a large group of people all wearing the same t-shirt. The shirts had the word peregrinación printed on the back, which means "pilgrimage", along with an icon of the Virgin Mary. Having heard that today was the day of the Virgen de Guadalupe, I decided to follow this group for a bit and see where they were headed...

Stalls started to appear alongside the road selling rosaries, crucifixes, statues of saints and brightly-coloured plaques of the Virgin Mary. I also started to see small children dressed up like indigenous peasants. The crowd thickened, and we were suddenly at the entrance to the Basilica.

I had no concept of the importance of the feast day of the Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico. Huge deal. People come from surrounding villages to attend one of the hourly masses at the Basilica. The atmosphere was the now-familiar combination of reverence and irreverence - mixed in with the booths of religious paraphernalia were pirated CD stands, carnival games and hot dog vendors.

One strip of booths featured a series of Mexican vignettes where parents could have photos taken of their young, costumed children. Many scenes included live animals - I saw kittens, chicks, rabbits and a rooster. The kids sat on a fake horse, on a hay bale, or in a reclining chair if they were too small to hold themselves up. Some of the costumed babies I saw must have been born this week - they were so, so tiny. This experience reminded me of the customary "Santa's lap" photo for Canadian kids - an equal number of children were quite uncomfortable and started screaming just when the camera started snapping.

The steps of the Basilicia slowly filled up with people. At the top of the stairs, two priests used pine branches to sprinkle holy water over the crowd, and blessed small (costumed) children as they came up the stairs.

Who is the Virgen de Guadalupe? For a long time I thought she was some other virgin who was significant in Catholicism. I have since realized that there is only one virgin who is significant in Catholicism: the Virgin Mary. The Virgin of Guadalupe is an icon of the Virgin Mary as she appeared to the indigenous Mexican Juan Diego in 1531. According to the story, the Virgin appeared to Diego and told him to build an abbey on the hill where he was standing. To prove his story, the Virgin told Diego to gather roses and present them to the Spanish bishop. When Diego presented the flowers, the petals fell away to reveal the icon of the Virgen de Guadalupe on his tunic.

Diego was canonized in 2002, as the first Native-American saint.

After reading this story my experience began to make sense. Parents dress their sons as Juan Diego and their daughters as native Mayans to honour the story of the Virgin's appearance. The boys wear tunics with the Virgin's image printed on the front, and the girls often wear woven shawls and bright make-up.

(There were a lot of really cute kids and I had a hard time choosing which photos to post.)

The Virgen de Guadalupe is the symbol of Mexico. She is also known as the "Brown-skinned Madonna", and is seen as the mother of the mestizo people. While she may not have religious significance to non-Catholics, she has cultural significance as a defining symbol of Mexican identity.

Two quotations I found on Wikipedia give a good perspective on the Virgin's significance:

Carlos Fuentes : "...one may no longer consider himself a Christian, but you cannot truly be considered a Mexican unless you believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe."

Octavio Paz: "the Mexican people, after more than two centuries of experiments, have faith only in the Virgin of Guadalupe and the National Lottery"

Piligrimages have been happening for the past few days in the form of mini-parades. Some include drummers and trumpeters, while others quietly sing hymns and prayers. These groups come from businesses, schools, and other organizations - I even saw a cycling club:

... needless to say, I never made it to class.

Pepsi vs. Coca Cola

2007-12-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Mexico is the largest consumer of soft drinks per capita in the world. For decades Coca Cola has held the monopoly on this soft-drink state, edging out competitors using blatant anti-trust tactics. The dominance of Coca Cola is obvious in Xalapa - on my walk to school I counted 66 Coke ads and only 6 Pepsi ads.

I had a conversation with my host family about Coca Cola, and they told me firmly that Coca Cola has the best flavour - Pepsi is too sweet. Another competitor - Big Cola - came along a few years ago, and gained ground in the market because it sold for much less than Coke. In reaction to the new brand's popularity, Coca Cola began an aggressive marketing campaign and purportedly refused to sell to retailers who carried Big Cola in their stores. This led to a giant anti-trust suit filed by a small store owner who was upset about Coca Cola's demands.

This isn't the first time that the "Cola Wars" have included underhanded tactics. Former Mexican president Vicente Fox was once a truck driver for Coca Cola. (Several years later he became the corporation's Mexican CEO.) In his book "Revolution of Hope", Fox describes how he and other drivers would slash the tires of Pepsi delivery trucks, or conveniently drop Pepsi bottles when restocking the fridges of local vendors.

Pepsi was apparently much more popular for a period in the 1950s and 1960s, when it had a cooler image and a lower price. This prompted the same knee-jerk reaction from Coca Cola executives, who mounted a massive campaign to reconquer the Mexican market.

Fox also talks about Diet Coke, which apparently took much longer to catch on in Mexico. Coca Cola is not only a beverage - for the Mexican poor it is a source of calories to make it through the day. Thus, Diet Coke doesn't make sense to the average Mexican consumer who sees the sugar in Coke as a source of energy, not as an empty carbohydrate.

De un lado al otro

2007-12-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Before beginning this entry: I have a lot left to say, and very little time left in which to say it. I worked out that if I publish once a day until I leave Mexico (Dec. 20), I will be able to fit in all my last comments and observations. Please bear with me while I go on a bit of a spree.

Getting around in Mexico is a great experience. I generally walk, but will sometimes take a taxi or a bus. As a I mentioned in an earlier entry, both modes of transportation are remarkably inexpensive - between $1.50 and $4.00 for a cab ride, and less than $0.30 for the bus.

The local buses vary in quality - some have individual, plush seats (think Greyhound) while others are converted school buses with hard plastic benches. Each bus has a list of destinations painted onto the front windshield - although one route has an electronic scrolling marquee. I have learned the basic routes for common destinations, but still don't quite understand how to decide which bus to take where.

Bus drivers have a good deal of freedom in terms of their workspace - buses are often decorated with religious icons, and some bus drivers play music which is audible to all passengers. This isn't always the typical crowd-pleasing muzzak - I have heard the occasional reggaeton album, which would likely offend any older, more conservative Mexican.

The inter-city bus system is remarkable, and is far better than anything I have seen in Canada. Trips are inexpensive ($20 for the 5-hour ride to Mexico City), comfortable, and punctual. The bus system is well developed out of necessity - many Mexicans cannot afford to take a domestic flight, and passenger trains are practically non-existent outside of a few tourist routes.

Mexico City boasts a huge metro system which rivals that of any major European city. It costs less than $0.20 to ride, and includes 175 stations. I have been on the metro several times, and was surprised at the number of people selling things from car to car on the train. The vendors' tactics are clever - they walk through the train handing out their wares, and then walk back down the train either collecting the unwanted product or collecting money for the purchase. Selling things on the train is illegal, and so vendors will carry their goods in a normal-looking bag in case an inspector appears. This includes those who are selling CDs - vendors hide stereos playing a sample of the album for sale inside backpacks with vents for speakers.

My experiences in taxis have been quite interesting. I have had one cab driver evangelize to me and another ask me to translate a Bon Jovi song. One driver told me of his three experiences crossing the Mexico-US border illegally: the first time it took him 20 days, the second, six hours, and the third, 20 minutes. In another taxi we drove by a crowd of people stopped alongside the road, clogging up traffic for a good few blocks. When I asked why everyone was stopped, someone on the sidewalk replied that they had seen a UFO (OVNI in Spanish). The taxi driver then pulled over and we spent a good five minutes debating whether the two visible stars in the sky were, in fact, UFOs.

Foto de la semana: El gato

2007-12-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

After featuring so many dogs a few weeks ago, I felt it was time to post a photo of a cat. This one is posing next to a pointsettia, and so is also seasonally appropriate.

Machismo and malinchismo

2007-12-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

There are two "ismos" in Mexican culture that are worth some discussion: machismo and malinchismo.

Before coming to Mexico I identified all Latin American cultures with machismo - the latent belief that men are superior and should have control in relationships, businesses and politics. I was surprised to find that this is not the case in Xalapa, at least not on the surface. Catcalling is practically non-existent (except when I ride my bike?), and all the men I have met have been respectful and courteous. Traces remain of a once-patriarchal society, however - in many families the wife stays home to cook and clean, and every once in a while I get the strange sense of "let me handle this" when talking to a male Mexican.

A few paintings from school children were on display downtown the other day, and this one caught my attention:

I had never heard of "malinchismo" before coming to Mexico. The word is derived from the historic figure Malinche - an indigenous Mexican woman who translated for the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés, travelling around with him and essentially abetting the colonization of Mexico. Modern-day malinchismo refers to a preference for foreigners over native Mexicans - often in the hopes of climbing the socio-economic ladder. For example, if a Mexican and an extranjero are both shopping in the same store, and the clerk blatantly ignores the Mexican and dotes over the foreigner, this is malinchismo. If a Mexican looks to date a foreigner without even considering a Mexican mate, this is also malinchismo.

A person with such dating preferences might also be called a cazajero. Cazar is the Spanish verb for "to hunt" and jero is the latter half of the word extranjero, or "foreigner". Put the two together, and you come up with someone who (often aggressively) pursues foreign dating partners.

México en las noticias: Muertes de músicos

2007-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

In reference to the previous post on corruption: Last weekend two prominent Mexican musicians were murdered in what is suspected to be the work of drug gangs.

Neither performer was directly connected to the Mexican drug culture, and their music did not feature the violence and crime typical of some Mexican music.

Sergio Gómez, lead singer for the group K-Paz, had received death threats warning him not to perform his next concert in the state of Michoacan. He performed the concert, and his beaten and strangled body was later found on the side of the road.

In an even more brutal and determined act, Zayda Peña (lead singer of Zayda y los Culpables) was killed when shot in her hospital bed, where she was recovering from a previous bullet wound.

Apparently the music of an artist can be associated with a drug gang regardless of personal affiliations, leaving the music culture vulnerable to violence that has little to do with the musicians themselves.

Una pequeña mordida

2007-12-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Many Mexicans I have talked to cite corruption as a main reason to work or live in another country. Mexicans are fed up with a system that preys on their integrity and their pocket books, and many are at a loss for how to fix it. The basic problem: in order to obtain a stable, well-paid job, it is necessary to bribe one's way to the top. There is even a hand signal for corruption through bribery - one hand in salute position slicing from the shoulder through the chest.

Transparency International publishes an annual corruption index ranking each country according to a variety of indicators. In 2007 Mexico tied for 72nd with Brazil, China, India, Morocco, Peru and Suriname. Apparently bribes extend to international business, with a high incidence of foreign corporations bribing members of the Mexican government. The Business Anti-Corruption Portal has extensive information on various elements of corruption in Mexico. For those of you who are less inclined to read the fine print, PBS Online has three charts showing the regional distribution of corruption, the average family cost of bribes based on income, and the macroeconomic cost of corruption.

A few of my friends have doled out bribes. One told me that instead of accepting a parking ticket he gave the police officer a 50 peso bribe - a much better deal than the 150 peso ticket.

This is an advertisement against bribery in the Mexican metro:

Corruption has also reached Vicente Fox, the former Mexican president who championed the anti-corruption movement while in office. He is currently under investigation for misuse of federal funds in light of a large feature on his luxury ranch, published in the Mexican magazine Proceso. Fox has since lashed out at Proceso and any other journalist who dares to question him - witness an interview on Telemundo in the US where he became hyper-defensive at the mention of the recent scandal. The interview is hard to decipher, but essentially Fox begins personally insulting the journalist, calling him a "liar" and a "bad interviewer." I'm not sure how well this will bode for sales of his new book, "Revolution of Hope". (I'm reading this book and so far it is very self-congratulatory.)

Some of this corruption can be attributed to Mexican drug cartels, which hold a tremendous amount of power in certain regions of the country. According to an aid worker I know in Toronto, this power has been partially fuelled by post-9/11 policies in the US; increased security at airports and sea ports has forced drug traffickers to resort to the land route to transport drugs. Mexico is the gateway to the US, and so the increased flow of drugs has strengthened the cartels.

This drug culture is even enshrined in its own genre of music - the narcocorrido. The corrido is a traditional style of norteña music that tells a story of love or adventure. The narcocorrido tells a different narrative, glorifying a life of drug trafficking and border-hopping. One of the most famous narcocorrido groups is Los Tigres del Norte:

On a related note, drug use is not too common here - at least from what I have seen. It is similar to Canada - pot (mota) is used casually, and hard drugs are harder to find. I did see some interesting graffiti advocating legal (or "free") marijuana:

Muu muuuuuuu

2007-12-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

As it turns out, animals make different noises in Spanish. This isn't true of all creatures - a cat still meows (miau) and a cow still moos (muu). There are a few notable and entertaining exceptions, however:

	Spanish	English
Rooster	ki-kiri-ki	cock-a-doodle-doo
Horse	jiiiii or iiiuo	nnnneigh
Sheep	beee (pronounced "bay")	baaah
Turkey	gluglú	gobble gobble
Dog	guau guau	arf, ruf, bow-wow
Chick	pío pío	cheep, peep

I realized this through a discussion with some Mexican friends about how ridiculous the noise "cock-a-doodle-doo" is for a rooster. My other English-speaking friend was defending the noise - although in the end I think ki-kiri-ki might be a bit more accurate.

If you know of any other interesting noises (or if I'm wrong about any of these), please post in the comments.

Foto de la semana: Un cubo de pollo

2007-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Open-air chicken continues to fascinate me.

Un paseo con los Cafecletos

2007-11-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

One weekend there was a coffee fair in Parque Juarez with various booths selling coffee bean necklaces, coffee-flavoured ice cream, and many varieties of coffee itself. I noticed one booth that seemed out-of-place, as it displayed bicycles and posters about cyclists' rights in the city of Xalapa. I went over and began talking the man tending the booth, and had soon committed myself a bike ride the following Sunday.

The booth represented a group called "Cafecletos" - and the only reason I can see for the group's presence the fair is in the use of the word "Café" in the title. The group has nothing to do with coffee.

The following Sunday I showed up for the bike ride at 10:00 am. One of the coordinators lent me his bike, as he was riding a tandem with his young daughter. Soon a group of nearly 30 cyclists had assembled, and one of the coordinators reviewed the rules: listen to the megaphone, don't change lanes, and ride two-by-two at all times.

Yes, megaphone. One of the bikes was newly equipped with a megaphone, which a coordinator at the end of the line used to direct the group into various lanes. When he wasn't directing the group, he was admonishing nearby motorists to respect the rights of the cyclist according to municipal bylaw. When we stopped at a red light, various other coordinators would distribute flyers about developing a pedestrian and cyclist culture in Xalapa.

So as it turns out, I was participating in a sort of political demonstration to challenge the prevalence of cars and a car culture in Xalapa. Apparently cyclists experience active rejection on the streets of Xalapa - a motorist might go out of his or her way to put a cyclist in danger, as if to say - "you have no right to be here." It is true that pedestrians never have the right of way - even on a green light, I have to cede to cars turning left and right before crossing the road.

The group is also working with the municipal and state governments to promote and protect cycling in Xalapa. While they are a long way from bike lanes, it was encouraging to see the number of people who came out on Sunday. I have done some cycling in Toronto, and so can identify with those who are interested in an urban cycling culture. In fact, the coordinators asked me to provide them with as much material as possible on the movements in Toronto so they could connect with and learn from others with similar goals.

México en las noticias: Las campanas de la Catedral

2007-11-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

The cathedral in Mexico City was closed last Monday after protestors angrily entered the building and disrupted priests and parishioners. The protestors had gathered in the zócalo (town square) in support of Manuel López Obrador, the leftist candidate who lost narrowly in the recent presidential elections. According to the protestors, the cathedral bells rang for an unusually long period of time (15 minutes), which drowned out the speech of the pro-Obrador rally leader.

This caused protestors to storm the building. Tensions are especially high because some Obrador supporters believe that a high-ranking church official has become too involved in politics, and has expressed inappropriate support for president-elect Felipe Calderón.

Protestors also claim that this isn't the first time church bells have disrupted their assemblies.

The cathedral reopened on Saturday.

La Discopa 2008

2007-11-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

The biggest ultimate frisbee tournament in Mexico took place from Nov. 17-19 in Zumpango, a suburb of Mexico City. The tournament lasted three days and included female, male and junior divisions.

We played and stayed in a large complex complete with cabins, dormitories, barbecues, a cafeteria, a pool, several playgrounds, and, of course, many fields. The complex belongs to the local union of TelCel employees, where they can vacation at a reduced rate.

I stayed in a cabin with a teammate and two other players I didn't know. "Cabin" is perhaps a misnomer, as it included a kitchenette and a living room, as well as a cleaning service.

The female division included eight teams divided into two pools. I played with a team called "Nebulosas" (The Foggies/Misties... it sounds better in Spanish) - the female version of a Xalapa team called "Panteras" (The Panthers). The team actually included only four players from Xalapa, and the rest came from a team in San Luis Potosí.

Both the male and female divisions included a team called "Los Illegales" - teams from Texas who came down to challenge the Mexicans. There was actually no antagonism - the female team even integrated a few Mexican players. Since the sport originated in the US, many Mexican players see the presence of foreign teams as a chance to learn different techniques and strategies. "Los Illegales" also brought down a giant bag of free frisbees, so no one was complaining.

That said, the tournament included two finals - one "international" final, and a second "Mexican" final the following day. This was designed to give the Mexican teams a chance - the US teams clearly dominated in both divisions.

The junior division was almost entirely composed of a group of kids from low-income families sponsored by the tournament. The idea was to provide a fun weekend away for the kids while promoting the development of the sport in Mexico.

It was a great tournament, and was especially fun for me to play on an all-female team. (The gender dynamics of frisbee can be interesting.) It is the last tournament I will play - the next tournament is Mexico is on the beach in Acapulco in January.

La revolución mexicana

2007-11-26T07:46:00.000-08:00

My apologies for the recent lack of posts - it has been a busy time. I missed the chance to mark the anniversary of the Mexican revolution, and so this entry is a retroactive tribute.

On November 20, 1910, Francisco I. Madero declared an armed rebellion against then-dictator Porfirio Diaz. Diaz had been in power since 1872, and during his rule he had established strong ties with foreign investors while taking away land from the poor and indigenous majority of Mexico. This began a revolution that lasted from 1910-1917 (roughly) and included the opposition movements of Emiliano Zapata (first photo) and Pancho Villa (second photo). The revolution "ended" in 1917 with a new constitution under then-president Venustiano Carranza, which is still the present-day constitution. Political instability continued, however, including the Cristero Wars between the state and the Catholic Church (1926-1929).

Popular history remembers the revolution as a progressive movement that ended an oppressive dictatorship and returned power and land to the Mexican people. In reality, the revolution was a murky mixture of individual greed and a truly democratic spirit.

The anniversary of the revolution is marked with a parade (similar to the independence parade) and a federal holiday. Parents also dress up their children as revolutionary heroes - fake moustaches are common as a tribute to Zapata.

2010 will be a big year - the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence, and the 100th anniversary of the revolution. Calderón has declared 2010 "el año de la patria" (the year of the homeland/motherland) and has saturated this declaration with a lot of political rhetoric about unity and progress.

Loosely translated, Calderón has said that the objective of the 2010 festivities "is to reconcile and unite all Mexicans in the commemoration of our history, of our origin, of our future, to realize that we come from the same root and were are brothers in history and law... the common ancestry of Mexicans will be the distinctive stamp of the 2010 festivities; our heroes do not belong to one exclusive group of Mexicans."

If you're thinking about travelling to Mexico, come in the fall of 2010.

¡Felicidades!

2007-11-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

My birthday was a few weeks ago, and included two parties and a visit from my parents. I noticed a few things about the celebrations that wouldn't have happened in Canada.

First of all, "Happy Birthday" is replaced by a song called the "mañanitas". The first section of the song slow, and is followed by a livelier verse that is only sung when the birthday guests are particularly enthusiastic. The first verse goes:

Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David
        These are the mañanitas that King David sang
Hoy por ser día de tu santo/tu cumpleaños te las cantamos a tí.
        Today, because it's your saint's day/your birthday, we sing them to you
Despierta Emily despierta
        Wake up Emily, wake up
Mira que ya amaneció
        Look, it is dawn already
Ya los pajaritos cantan
        The birds are singing
La luna ya se metió.
        And the moon has set

After singing this song, my friends started chanting "¡Mordida! ¡Mordida!" I was confused for a moment, because mordida can mean "bite" or "bribe". It turns out that it is tradition to bite your birthday cake with your mouth, and as you are doing so someone pushes your face into the cake.

When people found out that it was my birthday, they said, "¡Felicidades! (Congratulations!) and gave me a hug. I like saying "congratulations" instead of "happy birthday" - it almost seems more genuine.

Foto de la semana: La reconstrucción

2007-11-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

Alejandro told me to grab my camera, he grabbed my cellphone, and we ran up to the roof to reenact the death of my cellphone.

Feliz Navidad

2007-11-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what's happening in the rest of the world, but Xalapa is slowly being taken over by Christmas decorations. It started about a month ago - when merchandise for El Día de los Muertos went on sale, retailers subtly tucked wreaths, garlands and glowing Santas behind the goblin masks and skeletons. Now the Christmas paraphernalia is front-and-center, although only in a commercial sense.

I realized the full extent of the current Christmas preparations when I went to see a movie at the mall. I was greeted by a giant Christmas tree and an extensive nativity scene spread out on the main floor. A second, equally giant Christmas tree was under construction outside.

Don't forget about baby Jesus:

I am leaving Xalapa on December 20, and am interested to see how the Catholic and commercial versions of Christmas mix together as the holiday approaches.

Foto de la semana: El carro de postit

2007-11-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this car driving down a main road about two weeks ago (yep, covered in sticky notes), and was sad that I didn't have my camera with me. A few days later I saw the same car with only a few notes left scattered around, and couldn't get a picture.

I considered writing an entry about how great this car was, even though I had no photo. And then yesterday - hooray! - the same car, freshly covered in sticky notes, appeared parked on my walk home. This time I could read the notes, and they said things like te quiero and te amo ("I love you"), and also included many drawings of hearts. Obviously there is a very happy Xalapan couple who like to demonstrate their affection by decorating their car every couple of weeks.

El mugroso perro

2007-11-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

As I was leaving the house yesterday I realized that I didn't have my cellphone with me - an invaluable device in Mexico. I used another phone to call my phone and tip-toed around the house trying to hear my phone vibrating. (I had put the phone in silent mode, and so knew not to listen for the ring.) I finally heard my phone vibrating from my bedroom, and began the search. I spent about an hour looking in every possible place - and started to feel slightly crazy as I stuck my ear to my dresser and my desk to see if the vibrations were any louder. I became so desperate I even skipped my class to keep looking... but eventually had to give up the search.

The next morning as I was eating breakfast Alejandro asked me where I had left my phone. I told him about my search, and then he asked me to close my eyes. When I opened them I saw my cellphone, only without a key pad and with several significant teeth marks through the plastic.

As it turns out, I had left my bedroom door open and the dog (named "Yoing") had sneakily taken my cellphone as a chew toy. He lives up on the roof, and so happily munched away as I frantically searched. I can hear noises on the roof quite well in my room - sometimes the dog wakes me up in the morning as he runs around above me. The vibrations I was hearing were thus coming from the roof, where my phone still had enough life to vibrate for help.

In the meantime, Alejandro has very generously lent me a phone.

By the time I got my camera out, Alejandro had disposed of my defunct phone. I managed to find some of the remains on the roof:

This is not the dog's first misadventure with household objects. It appears he has entered a rebellious stage, even though he is only about 6 in dog years. His chewing fetish is a bit out of control, and has led to the destruction of many toys, several wires, and the water pipe that connects to the laundry machine. The family ingeniously wrapped the pipe in cloths and now places a bucket under the pipe whenever using the washing machine to catch any water that leaks out:

He has even managed to erode the plastic on what I thought would be an indestructible dog toy:

The family gets frustrated with Yoing, but they understand that he doesn't know any better. He has earned the nickname el mugroso perro (the filthy dog) - but they still love him. At the end of the day, how could you not love this face?

El Día de Los Muertos: Capítulo II

2007-11-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

While Xalapa did its part to celebrate the Day of the Dead, the smaller surrounding towns observed a more traditional version of the holiday. My parents came to visit over the long weekend and we spent an evening in Naolinco -- a winding one-hour drive from Xalapa. Most of my Xalapan friends were going to Naolinco as well - it came highly recommended as the best place to experience some of the spirit of el Día de los Muertos.

In fact, "spirit" is a good word - the holiday is both about "spirit" in the sense of celebration and goodwill and "spirit" in the sense of religion and reverence.

Our first stop was the Casa de Cultura (Cultural House), which featured a series of impressive paper maché skeleton montages - skeletons in a conga line, skeleton royalty, skeletons at a cock fight, etc:

The display also included several elaborate altars. This first one featured a lot of Coca Cola bottles.

This is a good example of the variety of foods set out on an altar:

At the end of the Día de Los Muertos festivities a family will sit down to eat the foods set out on the altar. One of my friends told me that when she was young she used to sneak out of her room at night and snack on some of the altar foods. Her mom discovered her one night, and told her that the spirit of the dead relative would haunt her if she continued to eat its food.

At Naolinco, visitors could enter certain homes (those with an open door) to see family altars. We had the chance to visit one woman's home, where she offered us tamales and home-brewed wine. We sat and ate a nice meal before visiting another altar on the second floor of the house, this one in memory of her daughter-in-law.

We visited the Naolinco cemetery wondering if people would be gathered there, but there were only a few people visiting individual graves. The following day on a bus to Veracruz, however, we passed a cemetery which was full of people paying tribute to family members.

Instead of concrete grave stones, the Naolinco cemetery is divided into rows of above-ground shrines that look like little houses. These aren't tombs, as the bodies are still buried underground. Each "shrine" (for lack of a better word) is brightly painted and includes religious icons, flowers, and other items in tribute to the deceased or to God.

Thus my experience with El Día de Los Muertos. It left me wishing we had something similar in Canada -- Halloween pales in comparison.

A small correction to my previous entry -- while Jiram did go out door-to-door in costume, he wasn't exactly trick-or-treating. He went out on November 1st to ask for sugar skulls (calaveritas) and money - the traditional gifts instead of candy bars and licorice.

México en las noticias: La inundación

2007-11-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

If you have been watching the news (especially US news) you likely know that 70-80% of the state of Tabasco has been severely flooded for the past week due to tropical storm Noel and other weather systems.

The BBC has some photos of the flooding, and also a story about a landslide caused by the flooding. The same storm that began the flooding last week also destroyed a major oil rig off of the coast of Veracruz, killing 21 people.

This explains why my classes were cancelled last week - although the storm didn't really affect Xalapa.

Various stations are set up around Xalapa to collect goods to send south. (If you want to make a donation, The Red Cross is the best organization to go through.)

El Día de los Muertos

2007-10-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

Day of the Dead has taken over Xalapa, and it is wonderful.

"El Día de los Muertos" is one of the most important Mexican holidays. The official day is November 1, but celebrations began here on October 30 and are continuing until November 4.

The festival is a mixture indigenous traditions, Catholic worship, and American Halloween. This makes for a strange combination of reverence and irreverence, which I suppose is natural for a festival celebrating the dead - children dressed up like devils, skulls made out of sugar, and altars that include packs of cigarettes.

The celebration focuses on deceased relatives. Families make altars or ofrendas to these relatives using flowers, candles, photos, and a collection of items that the relative enjoyed -- which can include cigarettes and liquor. The altars also include traditional foods such as sugar skulls, tamales, and pan de los muertos (literally, "bread of the dead"). Catholic symbolism appears in the altars, including crosses and images of various saints.

The altars are only religiously significant to Catholic and indigenous groups. They also have a more detached, traditional significance - like a more sacred version of the Christmas tree.

Last night different groups from Xalapa set up altars downtown, and the governor showed up to inaugurate them. There was a lot of incense and music and even a few women dressed up as corpse brides.

Setting up an altar:

The photo in the centre is of the patron saint of Xalapa.

This is an altar in the state capital building:

This altar has words labelling each item in Spanish and an indigenous language:

Skulls are a prominent symbol of the festival - the painting behind this altar featured skulls doing yoga, skulls knitting, and skulls jumping rope.

This isn't my photo, but it is a good image of the calaveritas, or sugar skulls that appear on altars and in candy stands:

Leading up to this week, most stores around town began to decorate for the occasion. Skulls showed up everywhere, and local convenience stores began to carry the traditional foods and flowers.

Selling flowers on the street:

A skull-woman in a restaurant:

This skull outside the video store sings "Super Freak" when you press its foot. I have seen many parents ask their children to press the skull's foot, only to have them run away screaming when its red eyes light up and its jaw starts to move.

Skull manequins:

Even the hardware store loves the skulls. The rectangular paper next to the skull is also a popular decoration, called papel picado.

A clothing store has been converted into a sugar-skull shop.

Halloween also makes an appearance. Jiram dressed as a vampire up yesterday to go to school, and tonight he is going trick-or-treating. The rise of Halloween has been condemned by the Catholic Church as a pagan tradition that is based on a culture of death. To quote the linked news article:

"The archdiocese urged parents not to let their children wear Halloween costumes or go trick-or-treating — instead suggesting Sunday school classes to 'teach them the negative things about Halloween,' costume parties where children can dress up as Biblical characters, and candy bags complete with instructions to give friends a piece while telling them 'God loves you.'"

The irony is that El Día de los Muertos is also based on ancient indigenous reverence for death and the dead. For a more detailed history, see this article.

There will be a second entry about this holiday - I'm going to several small villages around Xalapa today to see how they are celebrating.

Un día en el D.F.

2007-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a one-day trip to the D.F. - the Districto Federal, or Mexico City according to non-Mexicans. I went to write some exams to apply for the Canadian foreign services - diplomatic, and not military.

I arrived at the embassy around 8:00 in the morning. The building is a large, brown, angular structure that looks like it was built in the 1970s.

Inside is a large atrium with a totem pole in the middle. The embassy had hosted a Halloween party the night before, and so the floor was covered in scraps of orange and black crepe paper, with giant fuzzy spiders hanging from the ceiling.

The atrium also had two glass cases against the wall which contained a display of Canadian food. This included maple syrup, Dare cookies, beer, and a lot of boxes of McCain products.

We wrote the exams in the library. I sat at a table across from the children's section, which included titles such as "Paddy the Beaver", "The Girl From Away", "Christmas in the Big Igloo" and "The Joy of Hockey".

An employee of the embassy supervised the exams. Before each of the three exams, he had to read a 10-minute introduction (almost identical for each exam) in both English and French. At this point I started to reconsider if I really wanted to be a member of the Canadian bureaucracy. He also sharpened our pencils between the exams.

After the exams I wandered around the Chapultepec area, and went to the Anthropological museum:

The first section of the museum featured an introduction to the beginnings of humanity that would have horrified any hard-core creationist.

There were also a lot of relics from the various indigenous cultures of Mexico:

Later I walked around and was surprised by the number of emo Mexican kids that I saw. I have never seen so many bangs and skinny jeans in one place. At this point my camera was out of batteries, so I have no visual to emphasize my point.

I met up with some friends in the evening, and then headed back to Xalapa on a late-night bus.

Foto de la semana: Doctor Simi

2007-10-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Guess who? (It took about 5 tries to get this.)

Gracias a Dios y buen provecho

2007-10-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is time to talk about Mexican food.

In Canada, I am a vegetarian. In order to get enough protein and fit in with my host family, I decided to eat meat while in Xalapa. This turned out to be a good decision, because I don't know what I would eat otherwise.

Meat markets are common - especially open-air chicken vendors. I am still not used to seeing a table of raw chickens on the side of the road, the vendor casually chopping of chicken legs and heads and then gutting the breast. There is actually a chain of these chicken vendors called "Pollería Mary".

Pork is also popular, including deep-fried pork rind, or chicharrón. The preparation of this dish is impressive, involving a large vat of boiling oil and some pig heads. Commercial chicharrón also exists, and reminds me of shrimp chips.

At home we eat a lot of tortillas, chicken, beans, rice and cheese. There are not a lot of fruits and vegetables in our diet, and so I go out of my way to buy some on the side. A lot of the dishes are fried - we even had fried cheese last night at dinner. Because of the Mexican diet and the addition of fatty fast food (a US import), Mexico is experiencing a sharp rise in obesity, at least according to the New York Times.

My family follows a typical Mexican schedule - we eat breakfast around 9:00 am, lunch at 3:30 pm and dinner around 9:00 pm. This leads to what I have dubbed "smorgasbord syndrome" whereby I eat as much as I can to stave off hunger in the 6-hour period between meals. (This is quite satisfying at the time, and leads to later regrets.)

I have come to really like some traditional Mexican foods. Among my favourites:

* gorditas - thick tortillas topped with beans, chicken, cheese, meat, etc.
* agua de horchata - a milk-based drink that is generally made with rice. It tastes like rice pudding in liquid form.
* churros - basically like non-circular cinnamon donuts - fried dough piped into a long stick and sprinkled liberally with sugar.
* pambazos - small sandwiches made with flour-dusted bread and filled with refried beans.

Tortillas are eaten with most dishes, and are used to either wrap up or scoop up the main dish. Tortillerías are all over town, churning out stacks of tortillas using an impressive machine.

Flavouring is also important. When I bought a bag of mango slices from a fruit stand, they asked me if I would like to add chile, lime and salt. I said no. These three flavours tend to dominate Mexican cuisine - limes, chile and salt are generally on any Mexican table to be added to the meal.

Probably the most unique flavour I have tasted here so far has been mole. Mole is a thick brown sauce, and is originally a native dish from the Náhuatl culture. (This is where the suffix for the word "guacamole" comes from.) The most common form is mole poblano, which consists of a huge number of ingredients including chile, tomatoes, almonds, raisins, sesame, cloves, parsley, pepper, onion and garlic.

Finally, there are the desserts. Most common are sweet breads, which include what I would call cookies. The most recognized Mexican sweet bread is the "concha" - a white roll with turtle-shell frosting on the top.

After every meal each member of the family says, "Gracias a Dios y buen provecho" - meaning (more or less), "Thanks to God and enjoy your meal."

Frío relativo

2007-10-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today the temperature dropped to about 15 degrees Celsius and the university cancelled classes. To be fair, the winds were quite strong overnight and some large branches had blown down around the city. Classes are also cancelled tomorrow, so I can bundle up in my bed and weather the Mexican cold.

Apparently the cool weather is affecting most of Mexico - MSN in Spanish published an article headlined "Mexico below zero" talking about a national cold snap.

I was feeling quite at home in the autumn breeze - I went for a run while the rest of the Xalapans wrapped themselves in scarves and down jackets to keep warm. I did realize, however, that I am lacking some of the appropriate clothing, and started to window-shop for a light jacket.

Temperature is a big deal. People often talk about being warm or cold -- especially cold. For my host family, temperature is closely associated with illness - taking a cold shower or drinking a cold beverage is forbidden if there is the possibility of developing or aggravating a cold or a cough.

Speaking of sick, health is also a big deal. The common solution for any illness is to take a pill rather than ride it out. I think this is partially due to the availability of medicine, particularly well-priced generics. For example, my over-the-counter iron supplement cost $2 and clearly states on the label that a prescription is required for purchase. I bought this supplement at "Farmacias Similares" - a chain store of generic pharmaceuticals. The best part about this store is that it plays reggaeton music and sometimes has a dancing mascot out front (see photos).

Most pharmacies also sell liquor, but that is for another entry.

Foto de la semana: 1000 días de Fidelidad

2007-10-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Fidel Herrera Beltrán is the current governor of Veracruz, and has been since 2004. Governors are elected for 6-year terms, and cannot run for reelection.

He is a member of the PRI, and has had a long political career. He studied law in Strasbourg and International Business at McGill, and also conducted research at The London School of Economics.

It is hard to get a good idea of his public image, but I found a good body of online criticism. He has been accused of manipulating the media, associating with criminals, and obsessively promoting himself - especially by inventing puns around his name (fidel = faithful). Based on the prevalence of these posters, I can at least understand the third accusation.

Hablando de mi generación

2007-10-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

People my age in Canada and in Mexico are remarkably similar - much more so than I expected. This mostly applies to pop culture, as we share styles, movies, music, and TV shows. These trends, however, are not native to Mexico or Canada -- we both seem to be driven by the US-produced youth culture, while maintaining some traces of our own national culture. In fact, the national culture is stronger in Mexico than in Canada, particularly in terms of music and food.

Clothing styles are similar. The following are trendy: moccasins, ballet flats, Converse sneakers, pointy-toed pumps, leggings with shirt dresses, emo haircuts, mid-waist belts, puffy sleeves, and side-swept bangs. Styles also vary - there are the goth kids, the punk kids, the hippie kids, and the preppy kids. All students wear uniforms until the end of high school, so it is easier to notice the distinctions in university students.

Foreign students have also influenced this culture. Facebook is gaining cultural ground, and "facebookear" has become a verb. Apparently some Mexican students drink more when the foreign students are in town -- the parties are wilder and last longer.

Most if not all of the cultural icons recognized in Canada are also present in Mexico. Shrek, Sponge Bob, Barney, Spiderman, the Simpsons, and Scooby Doo are all familiar faces -- I have even seen piñata versions of most of these characters.

Small moments stand out to me: friends getting excited about Björk coming to Mexico, another friend sharing the online parody "Store Wars" with me on his computer, the same friend telling me about Anime and showing me Sailor Moon comics, Jiram running around singing the Spanish version of Barney's theme song: "Te quiero / tu a mí / somos una familia feliz..."

There are some differences. People are often surprised when I tell them I have lived with friends for the past four years instead of at home -- Mexican students generally live with family until they are married, or at least have a stable job. The culture is also generally more affectionate. Romantic relationships are more important, or even more encouraged, as evidenced by the high-school aged couple pictured at the top. The giant balloon reads "I love you".

Oh - and as I write this Adriana is blasting Aretha Franklin's "I Will Survive" as she sweeps the floor.

Ganarse la vida

2007-10-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Making a living isn't easy in Mexico, at least not for the majority.

While jobs are generally available, the wages are low. According to Gilberto, the local minimum wage is 50 pesos (<$5 CAD) for an 8-hour work day. From what I can gather, low salaries are due in part to corruption and in part to international pressure on Mexico's economy to provide cheap labour. A corrupt hierarchy leads to the redistribution of wages in order to get ahead - paying favours along the way to ensure the success of a business.

Those jobs that are available are often advertised according to age and gender - for example - "Solicitando Empleada Joven" means "Looking for Young Female Employee".

Children often tend to the shops and stands of their parents. Sometimes they try to make their own money by begging or selling trinkets. A popular method is to juggle or do back flips in front of a line of cars at a red light, and then pass by the car windows to see if anyone will pay for the entertainment.

Children aren't the only people who beg in the streets. There is a wide variety - often elderly men and women, mothers with their children, or those with physical disabilities. Sometimes people get creative -- handing out slips of paper with poems, playing musical instruments, or offering to read your palm in exchange for a few coins.

Prices tend to be slightly lower, and in some cases substantially so. A taxi ride costs between $1.50 and $3.50 (all prices in CAD). The bus costs $0.30, and a photocopy costs $0.03. I can buy five grapefruits, some green beans and a few apples for about $2. A beer costs $1 in store and about $2 at a bar. Seeing a movie in theatres costs up to $5 and buying a pirated DVD costs $1. (As I write this entry, the Canadian dollar is worth 11 pesos.)

Piracy in general is a popular business - several markets are dedicated almost entirely to pirated movies, games, clothing, accessories, etc. While Mexico has pledged to fight this, it doesn't look like the industry is going away any time soon.

While Mexico has some large chain stores (Fasti, Oxxo, Chedraui), most daily transactions are dominated by the small business - the micro-entrepreneur. Someone is always selling something - earrings in the street, tamales in the park, watermelons and tomatoes from a pick-up truck, ice cream on a portable cart. The high competition between vendors leads a lot of creativity -- people selling odd collections of items to attract buyers (pizza and yogurt, children's shoes and fresh fruit). Thousands of these vendors were recently cleared from Mexico City -- which seems strange given their seeming importance to the local economy.

Two men with carts talking on the street. The penguin-bike sells Bon Ice - a type of popsicle.

A few of my friends (all female) sell food to make some extra income. The research assistant to a professor I know showed up for a meeting with a box of marshmallow lollipops because she sells them on the side. Another friend sells brownies, which I buy regularly.

Meanwhile, one Mexican man controls seven per cent of the country's GDP. His name is Carlos Slim, and he amassed his fortune through communications monopolies in Mexico. Wikipedia tells me that he earns an average of $27 million per day. In August 2007 he surpassed Bill Gates to become the world's richest man.

Foto de la semana: Jiram

2007-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Jiram on the roof of the house in his school uniform. He is a photogenic child.

¿Oyes ladrar los perros?

2007-10-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of dogs in Xalapa. They live on rooftops and balconies, in stores and on the streets. I can hear them every night barking, and sometimes fighting, and sometimes maybe dying, based on the noises I hear.

I started taking pictures of the dogs in Xalapa. This entry is essentially a photo essay of what I have collected - and includes only about half of the dogs I have stalked down to photograph.

Sometimes they look sad:

Sometimes they are just cute:

Sometimes the dogs are friends:

Sometimes they are puppies:

Luckily, this puppy has a mom:

Sometimes they are in poetic positions:

Mostly they just lie around, at least during the day:

And then there are those privileged dogs:

This is the mascot of the Humanities faculty - always hanging out with the students:

There are also cats, but I see and hear them much less.

Perdido en traducción

2007-10-09T21:55:00.001-07:00

The Spanish language has taken over my brain. Here are my thoughts about everything Hispanic:

One of the first things we talked about in my anthropology class is the difference between the Spanish words lengua and lenguaje. These two words mark a distinction that we don't have in English - both words are translated as "language". Lengua refers to the actual language - be in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, etc. Lenguaje refers to the words we choose and what they signify in different contexts. This became a good framework for me to understand why I didn't understand a lot of spoken Spanish.

When I learned the word ahorita, I understood it to mean "right now". When Adriana told me that we were going to eat ahorita, I would immediately sit down at the table and prepare to eat. Except that the table wasn't set, and the food was still simmering on the stove. It took me about a week to figure out that ahorita in the Mexican context actually means "soon". If someone says, "I'll do it ahorita," what that person actually means is "I'll do it soon." It's built-in linguistic evidence of the more relaxed nature of Mexican culture.

Terms of endearment are also interesting. Alejandro calls Adriana gorda, which means fat. The context might be "Hola gorda, ¿cómo te fue hoy?" - meaning literally, "Hello fat one, how was your day?" This is never meant in a derogatory way, and isn't taken as such. Other terms batted around in the house - for both spouses and children - are mi vida (my life), mi amor (my love) and mi reina (my queen). I have become mi hija (my daughter). While I enjoy being a member of the family, I have also been called mi hija by the man who works the photocopier in the library and a taxi driver.

And then there is Mexican slang. For the first two weeks I couldn't really understand what people my age were saying because of all of the words inserted in a typical sentence.

There is a really sharp division between casual and formal conversation, especially among young people. Swear words, or groserías, are much more common and integrate into everyday language. For example, calling someone cabrón as a greeting is really not a big deal. This causes some consternation among the older generation - along the lines of, "When I was a kid, people had more respect and didn't speak with such foul language." The other day Alejandro reprimanded Gilberto because he had heard him speaking with his friends in this informal, "rude" way.

This distinction exists in the English language, but it isn't as pronounced. We don't have as many slang words, and we don't use them as often. The best comparison would be a strong sub-culture in English, such as street slang in an inner-city context.

Some Spanish (Mexican) examples:

Guay (Goo-ay; also spelled wey) - This is like the English use of "man", but much, much more common. I started counting once when I was listening to my friends talk, and the word appeared at least once per sentence. It also has a practical purpose, and means "guy".
Chido, padre, poca madre: The English equivalent of "cool", "awesome", "sweet"
¡No manches! - "You're kidding", "No way!", but much more common
¡No mames! - The same as above, but ruder (mamar = to suckle)
¿Qué onda?, ¿Qué pedo? - "What's up?"

I know other words, but I'll try to keep this entry clean. If you really want an exercise in decoding Mexican groserías, try reading the comments on this blog.

Express with "le" at the end are common with everyone:

Ándale - hurry up, or to express agreement ("exactly!")
Órale - hurry up, or "wow!"
Pícale - hurry up, or a command to press something (like a button)
Híjole - to express surprise or concern

Also, ¿mande? means "pardon?" and fuchi and guácala mean "yuck!".

There is a lot more I could say about the Spanish language, but I will save it for another entry. Meanwhile, test your Mexican slang with this animated joke by Mexican comedian Polo Polo. (You might want to review your groserías first. If you understand the innuendo at the end, you are well on your way.)

Foto de la semana: Lanzando ladrillos

2007-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is a typical construction scene -- hats instead of helmets, very few tools and a lot of ingenious techniques. This house has actually come a long way over the last week - the bricks have been covered with plaster to give the house the typical smooth surface.

La vida estudiantil

2007-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

The reason I came to Mexico was to go to school - so here is a bit more about the classroom experience.

The class atmosphere is quite relaxed - students come and go as they please, and can even smoke in the doorway as they listen to the professor. The language of the classroom, however, is still quite formal. The teacher is always referred to as maestro or maestra, and classmates are called compañero or compañera - literally, "comrade". This relaxed atmosphere is particular to the Humanities faculty, as I have been told -- the type of student varies significantly between degree programs.

My classes are small - with about 20 students per course. This seems to be the norm for UV classes. Powerpoint is used by some professors, but not all. Some students bring their laptops to class, and quite obviously use them for MSN, Facebook and other distractions. I actually saw two guys looking up the definition of virginity on "Yahoo! Answers".

The most marked difference is the length of a class -- all of my classes at the UV are scheduled for two-hour time slots. While not all of them take the full time, I still find it hard to pay attention for the full length of the class. The semester is also longer - students write exams in January for this semester, and in June for the following semester.

The classes don't use textbooks -- instead, students have to photocopy articles selected by the teacher. It is like using WebCT, without the "web".

Another difference is the male-female ratio in my classes. In my economics class there are more female students, and in my anthropology class there are more male students. In my sociology class, the ratio is around even.

To give you an idea of what I'm learning, here is a brief synopsis of my three classes at the UV.

The Economics of Technological Change:
Taught by a professor who is very passionate about his subject, and so often goes off on long rants trying to explain economic concepts with everyday examples. Most of these examples are commonsense, and so unfortunately few of us pay attention. His favourite tool is his Gatorade bottle, which he uses to describe the complexity of research and design that goes into every product. So far we have gone over how various economic theories treat technological change, including the theory of "Carlos Marx". The professor thinks that being Canadian is great, and asks me what I think at any given opportunity. He also owns at least three argyle sweaters.

Language and Culture:
This is a class of linguistic anthropology, which studies the relationship between thought and language - how our perception of the world influences our language, and vice versa. The professor in this class is also very passionate, and this has led to several classes of brainstorming - which thrilled the teacher more than the students. We spent most of one class thinking up body metaphors in English and Spanish - e.g. "You're pulling my leg." The next class we brainstormed the colours that derive their names from nature - e.g. "salmon" and "coral". She owns at least two studded peacock brooches.

History of Mexico - the first half of the 20th century:
This is by far my most interesting class, even though it is at 8:00 in the morning. Taught by an energetic woman, the class is now going through the dynamics of the Mexican revolution. A few students like to take jabs at the US for its political and economic involvement in the development of Mexico. The teacher also thinks I am from the US, and so will occasionally ask me who the US president was in a given time span of Mexican history.

Festejando los cumples

2007-10-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Since I have arrived I have been to three birthday parties, each quite different. The first was for a two-year-old friend of Jiram's. The second was a quinceañera (sweet fifteenth) for a frisbee-playing friend. The third was for a foreign-student friend from Montreal in her apartment and at a club.

The first birthday party was by far the most traditional. The food included gelatine sweets and tamales (boiled corn meal wrapped in a plantain leaf or corn husk with a meat or bean filling). Kids and adults alike received loot bags - small wooden boxes filled with marshmallows and chocolates. I helped to paint these boxes pink one day after painting class.

Closed tamales Open tamal

The party also featured two piñatas. The youngest child hit the piñata first - and was blindfolded in the middle of the room. This caused some concern, especially with the younger ones who wandered around swinging the large piñata-whacking stick. To make it more difficult for the older kids, an adult moved the piñata up and down by playing with the rope suspending the piñata.

While the child swung at the piñata, the rest of the guests sang the piñata song:

Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino
Porque si lo pierdes
pierdes el camino.

Dale, dale, dale
Dale y no le dio
Quítenle la prenda
¡Porque sigo yo!

Loosely translated:

Hit it, hit it, hit it
Don't lose your aim
Because if you do
You'll lose your way

Hit it, hit it, hit it
Hit it, he/she didn't hit it
Take away his/her turn
Because I'm next!

When the song runs out, the kid stops swinging, in theory.

The second birthday party was a quinceañera - a traditional Hispanic event which is the "coming of age" celebration of a young girl. Before I went to the party I asked Adriana (my host mother) what I should wear and what I should bring. She told me that a quiceañera is generally very formal, with the girls wearing pastel-coloured poofy dresses. She also recommended that I bring a small girly gift like a purse or some chocolates. I couldn't find a gift in time, but I did dress up in a skirt and some nice shoes.

Just to give you an idea of what I was expecting, here is an excerpt from the "Mexico" section of the Wikipedia entry on the quinceañera:

"After the [Catholic, quinceañera] Mass, the Quinceañera and her court may select a special location for a photo shoot. In the evening, she arrives with her court and at the reception hall where she is greeted by friends and family. After an elaborate dinner, the quinceañera dances the traditional first waltz with her father (sometimes changing from flats/ tennis shoes to high-heeled shoes, symbolizing her transition from child to young adult) and male relatives. Sometimes there is also a surprise choreographed dance with the Quinceañera as the lead dancer. Toward the end she may also receive her "last doll" or "última muñeca" and a special crowning in which the Quinceañera's "madrina" (Godmother) changes her tiara to a crown. The parties last well into the night, sometimes ending the following morning."

A quinceañera photo shoot.

When I got to the party, a goth-metal band was playing outside of the house. All of the band members were dressed in black and one was yelling into the microphone. I stood around awkwardly for awhile (my other friends hadn't arrived yet) and was soon ushered to the back room where I ate some rice, beans and chicken. Most people were wearing jeans, so I quickly took off my nice earrings and jacket to dress down my outfit. After the goth band was a punk cover band. I left with some friends about an hour later, after a good but brief stint at the party.

Apparently the quinceañera tradition is changing -- only those from traditional families conduct the lavish ceremonies that are associated with the event.

The third party began at my friend's apartment with some drinks. It also included a piñata - a giant Cookie Monster piñata that they suspended from the balcony. I had a turn, and got so fired up that I cut my hand on the whacking stick.

After her apartment we went out to an antro, the Mexican word for "club". Instead of ordering drinks at a bar, we ordered a bottle of liquor and some cans of soda and mixed our own drinks at the table - or in this case, on the large lit-up cube in the middle of the floor. Ordering bottles instead of drinks is the norm at a club in Mexico. After listening to some electronic music, the screen in front of the stage rolled up and a live band emerged - which I felt was the Hispanic equivalent of S-Club 7. I tried to explain this to someone, but the cultural reference didn't translate.

I enjoyed these parties, although felt a bit out of place at all three. My birthday is about a month away -- so at least I have some ideas for how to celebrate.

Foto de la semana: Tendiendo la ropa temprano

2007-09-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

On my walk to school I saw the neighbour and her dog on the roof hanging the laundry to dry.

Olé Olé Olé Olé. Ciber. Ciber.

2007-09-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I attended a lucha libre, or Mexican wresting match. I had seen the posters up around town, and decided I should experience the Mexican wrestling phenomenon.

The arena was relatively small - nothing like a stadium. We sat up in the bleachers, which were fenced in to make sure we didn't throw things into the ring.

As long as the wrestlers weren't fighting, anyone was allowed to climb into the ring. Between matches children mock wrestled and bounced off of the ropes. At the beginning and end of each match fans swarmed the ring looking for autographs and photos. At the first sign of a fight the crowd around the ring fled to their seats. In the same way, if any spectators in the first row saw a wrestler coming toward them, they vacated their seats and the match continued in the audience.

The matches improved in quality as the night went on. The first match was a "battle of the sexes" - four men vs. three women and a transsexual. Other matches included the likes of "Tequila Kid", "Super Abuelo" (super grandpa), "Nacho Libre" (a look alike), "Super Porky" (who was... super porky), and the famous Cibernetico. Ciber took on three enemies in the final round, and looked like he would lose until Zorro jumped into the ring to save him. Somehow Ciber won the match while lying down.

Most of the wrestlers wear masks. In an epic match, the loser may have to remove his mask, which is a big deal. The arena also sells novelty masks:

The event was a bit like watching a slapstick comedy - Super Porky sat on people, there was the occasional kick in the groin, and we heard many exaggerated grunts and groans. Slapping and hair pulling also seemed to be popular.

The BBC has an article up about a school for Mexican wrestling ("Mexican youngsters wrestle with fame"). It gives a good overview of the cultural significance of the lucha libre.

Overall, a good night. The poster advertised a cage, and I was honestly a bit disappointed that they didn't include one in the fight.

(Thanks to my friend Bryant for the photos.)

Soy de Canadá

2007-09-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I gave a long presentation about Canada to an economics class, at the request of a professor involved in my exchange program.

It was an interesting process - I had to go through everything I knew about Canada and try to include what would be relevant for people my age from Mexico. I ended up talking about geography, regions, history, politics, stereotypes, and those great Canadian catchwords: multiculturalism, humanitarianism, and tolerance. I showed the the Molson Canadian "I am Canadian" ad, which went over well. Céline Dion and Avril Lavigne also made an appearance.

After the presentation the students asked questions about Canada and my impressions of Mexico. This included an explanation of the Canadian stereotype of Mexico and Mexican foods: no one eats hard-shell tacos in Xalapa. Generally the students wanted to know about differences between Cananda and Mexico, which led to a discussion about the political climate, social life, and patriotism of both countries.

The professor's assistant drove me to the class in the morning, and on the way I heard a radio advertisement for an upcoming "study in Canada" conference in Veracruz.

The entire process made me very conscious of being Canadian.

I have come to learn that no matter how I dress in Mexico, I stick out as a foreigner. (I tried at the beginning to wear jeans and nice shoes, but that was bound to fail.) When professors read the attendence list in my UV classes they always skip over my name, because it is foreign and they already know who I am. Sometimes we have to write our names on an attendance list, and again mine sticks out because I have only one last name. (My host father's name, for example, is "Alejandro Hernandez Mendez".) In my economics class a few weeks ago, the professor gave a short speech along the lines of "This is Emily. She is from Canada. We can learn from her. Be nice and talk to her." I wanted to leave the room. In my other UV classes I am sometimes called on to translate an English word or give a foreigner's perspective.

Because I stick out, I am often asked where I am from. When I answer, "Canada," I often get an enthusiastic response. Where in Canada? What is it like? A significant number of people I've talked to want to travel to Canada - either to live, work, or study. Their only hesistation is Canada's purported cold weather. Seriously, people from Mexico immigrate to Vancouver instead of Montreal because of the climate.

The number of people migrating to Canada from Mexico is growing through all channels of immigration. I started to study this trend in the summer by looking at the number and nature of Mexican refugee claimants coming to Canada. The media has recently jumped on the issue, with front page articles in the Globe and Mail ("Windsor braces for refugee tide") and The Toronto Star ("Mexican refugee requests skyrocket") over the past several months.

The hostility of the US toward Mexican migration is a major reason for the jump in Canadian migration, although push factors in Mexico are also contributing such as low wages and political instability. Canada, unlike the US, does not require Mexican migrants to obtain a visa - a costly process that can take months.

This trend hasn't been studied much in the academic world - although it deserves more than media attention. A York University report ("Mexicans in Canada: Contexts of Arrival and Departure") provides a good but brief overview of Mexican migration to Canada through various channels.

Overall the bond between Canada and Mexico seems to be growing on all fronts - it appears that the NAFTA Mobility Exchange program is part of a larger trend.

Foto de la semana: Einstein y Frankenstein

2007-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Los nuevos miembros de la familia

2007-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

My host family has recently purchased pets. The first arrivals were a pair of chicks - named "pollito" and "pollita" (male chick and female chick). Sadly, they both died within the week - the going hypothesis is that the first one fell in the water dish and caught a chill overnight, and the second one died of loneliness. Jiram was very sad for a couple of days.

Perhaps to ease the sadness, the family got a dog. His name is "Yoing" (I'm unsure of the spelling) and he is a five-month-old golden lab. He is also my new best friend. He lives on the roof, and is afraid of my shoes. He also likes to pee in the house... we're working on it.

Otherwise the home stay is going well. I am actually quite spoiled -- they make my bed, clean my room and feed me three times a day.

Destilando Amor: El capítulo final

2007-09-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

It only gets better.

One of the men with moustaches is Rodrigo's cousin (this isn't news). He is actually responsible for the illegal exports, but has foisted the blame onto Rodrigo. Fearing retribution, he flees to an "island of savages" where he is promptly arrested. The law in this savage land dictates that he will be executed within 24 hours. After a heart-to-heart with Rodrigo in the jail cell (in his striped prisoner pyjamas) the man with a moustache is, in fact, killed.

About a week ago the Frenchman died in a car accident. This was better for everyone, it appears.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo is out of jail and trying to reunite with Gaviota, who is still angry with him for pretending not to love her so that she wouldn't go to jail. Eventually she leaves London and ends up in a Mexican independence celebration looking for him. She finds him just as he mounts a bucking bronco (drunkenly) and for a moment I think Rodrigo is going to die with his macho dignity. But he gets up and two months later they are married.

Eight years later they have too many small children to count and live on the plantation with everyone else, who also appear to be married - even Gaviota's mother has married a British man she met in London who barely spoke Spanish. By the way, everyone else in London spoke Spanish.

This took 2 1/2 hours to conclude.

The next telenovela (which immediately replaced Destilando Amor) is called "Pasión" and is about pirates. There are a lot of wigs and half-unbuttoned shirts in the commercials. I'm excited.

¡Que orgullo ser mexicano!

2007-09-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the 197 anniversary of Mexican independence. It is a big event; decorations have been going up around town for the past three weeks. The celebrations officially began last night at 11:00 with "El Grito" - a cheer that mimics a cheer by Hidalgo that purportedly began the war of independence. After each section, the crowd reponds with "viva"! The cheer goes (more or less):

“Mexicanos: ¡Vivan los héroes que nos dieron patria, viva Hidalgo, viva Morelos, viva Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, viva Allende, vivan Aldama y Matamoros, viva nuestra Independencia. Viva México, viva México, viva México!”.

The grito is followed by fireworks and a general party in the streets. This morning the celebration continued with a giant parade down the main street. I was expecting floats and costumes, but the parade featured mostly school children marching to drummers and trumpets.

The end of the parade included some traditional costumes and decorated horses.

The police, the army, and the fire department also marched.

Various groups of female students danced with gloves, ribbons or fans.

After the parade I went downtown where the streets had been closed for pedestrians. The decorations are impressive - with a lot of sparkling garlands that light up at night.

These photos were taken before today, and so don't show the true number of people who came out to celebrate. This photo is from today:

Such is the Mexican indepedence celebration. Not everyone is thrilled about the staunch nationalism -- I talked to someone last night who complained about how the celebration conveniently omits certain elements of history and make heroes out of questionable characters. I don't know enough to comment, but I do know that Mexican patriotism is much stronger than anything in Canada.

Foto de la semana: El río artificial

2007-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

This 'river' divided the road perfectly in half. While taking this photo, a man asked me if I was the woman from public works. When I asked about the ditch, he said the city was paving the road and had decided to fix the sewage system first. He was worried about the paving, however, because their street usually flooded during heavy rains. He thought that asphalt would absorb the rain water even less than the current dirt road, and so the paving would aggravate the floods. He wanted to talk to public works to voice his complaint.

Xalapa de Enriquez

2007-09-12T07:10:00.001-07:00

Shockingly, I've been in Mexico for about one month. I feel this is long enough to provide a few insights about Xalapa.

The basics: Xalapa can also be spelled Jalapa, and is pronounced Hah-lah-pah. It has a population of around 700,000 people, and is the capital of the state of Veracruz.

The climate used to be damp and drizzly for most of the year because Xalapa is at a higher altitude. According to Alejandro, a decade ago Xalapa had only 55 days of sunshine out of the year. Because of global warming the climate is now much warmer and sunnier - although there is still a daily afternoon shower.

When I first arrived Alejandro referred to himself as "Xalapeño" - and it took me a second to realize that he wasn't calling himself a hot pepper. The gears started turning, and I realized that Xalapeño = Jalapeño = Jalapeno. Apparently Xalapa made our spicy friend famous.

One of my favourite places so far is Parque Juarez - a plaza that I walk through on my way to school. It is a essentially a town square, with benches and kiosks and a main platform where community events take place. There is a row of shoe shiners, a circle of mobile convenience stores, and a few scattered balloon vendors. Children run around with their balloons, or chase pigeons, or feed rice to the pigeons - which I am afraid will make the birds' stomachs burst. (I also wonder whether this is the point.)

A look-out platform extends out from the park, and beggars or creative swindlers pass through interrupting the couples in mid-make out. Once in the park a woman in a white jacket with a sphygmomanometer (I had to look that word up) came by and told me she was collecting money for a hospital, and would take my blood pressure in exchange for a donation. I gave her three pesos, and declined the sphygmomanometer offer. Later I saw her in a different outfit with crutches.

View from the plaza
Events in the plaza have included an annual elderly people's festival, with traditional Mexican dancing. I was a bit enchanted.

Xalapa is a very cultural city, with a lot of museums, concerts, schools, parks and theatres. The city is safe (especially because of the security guards with guns downtown), has good transportation and friendly people. The downtown area is not built up - it features the municipal and state palaces (capitol buildings), a cathedral, and a serious of older buildings that house shops and businesses.

For those who are still interested, I have included another YouTube video. While in Spanish, it gives a good visual overview of the city.

Ultimate Frisbee = Ultimate Frisbee

2007-09-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in Mexico City playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament with a team from Cholula (and partly Xalapa) called the "Pachamamas". Fourteen teams competed from across Mexico, and we finished in ninth place.

We played eight games in two days - which made for the most intense tournament I have ever played. The skill level of the tournament was also very impressive, with offensive and defensive strategies well beyond what I have seen in East Coast university ultimate.

The sport is growing in Mexico - the fourteen teams who played represent most of the teams in Mexico. Ultimate also has yet to be fully translated into Spanish, since the game first developed in the US. This means that every once in a while a player will yell out a word or phase in English.

Ultimate Frisbee = Ultimate Frisbee
Pick = Pick
No Huck = No Huck
No Break = No Break
Hammer = Hammer
Catch = Catchar
Dump and Swing = Dump y Swing

Other words have been translated:

Force = Fuerza
Zona = Zona
Home = A Casa
Away = Fuera
Cup = Copa

Several of the teams included one or two young kids, who played far better than many of the 20-something-year-olds. Two of the kids were gymnasts, and would back flip down the field when their team won a point. After each game, the two opposing teams would hug instead of shaking hands. We then sat in a circle on the ground and discussed the game. We seem to have lost this tradition in Canada, which is a shame.

Overall, a great weekend. I have no photos, because I was afraid to bring my camera. There will be more tournaments, because the season doesn't end in Mexico for the winter.

Domo Arigato, Cynthia Lobato

2007-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

The results are in, and Cythia Lobato lost decisively to David Chedraui. I have been trying to interpret the politics of Mexico, and this is what I have learned so far:

Cynthia Lobato is a member of the PAN (Partido Acción Nacional). The current president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, is also a member of the PAN. David Chedraui is a member of the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional).

(Both of these have been defaced. Click to enlage.)

Three parties hold political sway in Mexico:

PRI - Centrist and mainstream, but has floundered in accusations of corruption. Held presidential power for 70 years until Vincente Fox won the 2000 elections.
PAN - Conservative, Christian democratic. Has held the presidency since 2000 with Fox and now Felipe Calderón.

PRD - The leftist off-shoot of the PRI (1989). Put forward presidential candidate Lopez Obrador in the 2006 elections.

The 2006 July presidential election caused a bit of a scandal when Calderón won by a margin of 1.04% against Obrador (36.38% vs. 35.34%). Obrador and his supporters staged major protests demanding a full recount, but the court ruled that only a partial recount was merited. Obrador established and continues to operate a mock government complete with a cabinet to protest what he views as an unfair election.

This election was for the presidentes municipales (mayors) and diputados to the state legistlature. Overall election results are strangely absent from the internet. All I could find was information on the state of Veracruz on another blog. (I feel that this blog is by another student on exchange. It has good information about the elections and profiles of the candidates.)

The PRI won 29 out of the 30 districts in Veracruz, and 146 of 212 municipalities. Previously, the PAN held 14 districts and 89 municipalities. In other words, the PAN lost a lot of support at the expense of the PRI. The PRD has no solid presence in Veracruz.

While this map shows the distribution of state governors, it gives a good idea of the political geography of Mexico:

Posters announcing the results from the various polling stations are currently up around town:

(Click to enlarge)

There was actually a lot of action in the center of town during the campaign period. The PT - Partido del Trabajo - staged a long protest outside the cathedral:

Loosly translates to: "Mr. Governor / Stop the purchase of votes / Show the facts / Respect the dignity of the families of Xalapa"

A few days after the election, there was a long line of riot police against the municipal palace:

Moral of the story: Those who voted for Cynthia Lobato because she was going to win were misguided. Either way, Alejandro and Adriana are not happy.

Destilando Amor #2

2007-09-06T12:23:00.001-07:00

Phew. It was a big week.

People continue to find out about the real paternity of Rodrigo's son (or non-son), and hyperventilate accordingly.

The French lover is shirking his fatherly duties, and despite his best efforts cannot resist his cassanova urges. He left his lover and his son for a woman who is also a gold-digger, but he doesn't know this yet. He has added "ma petite fleur" to his repertoire of French phrases.

Number of slaps: 2
Number of altercations in a restaurant: 2

Gavoita and Rodrigo had a dramatic argument in the middle of a circle of standing restaurant patrons. After this argument they decided to reunite and go on an impromptu trip. When Gaviota said, "But I have no clothes!" Rodrigo said something to the effect of, "But you won't need them."

I still don't understand the men with moustaches, but they are up to no good.

Upon return from his trip with Gaviota, Rodrigo learned that his relative (cousin? he has a moustache) has been engaging in illegal tequila exportation, and that Rodrigo would be indicted. To save Gaviota from being pulled into the investigation, he staged the noble "I never really loved you, you should leave" act to protect her. She said she hated him, and left for London.

I have found a YouTube video of a restaurant fight for your enjoyment. Listen closely for the Zelda-like theme music. This is what happend when Rodgrio met his wife and her French lover. The lover's wife was also involved. If you don't have enough time to watch the whole clip, skip to the part when the hair pulling and table stomping begin.

Foto de la semana: La mujer con dos cabezas

2007-09-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Secretly snapped while pretending that my camera was broken. I couldn't resist.

Un poco de todo

2007-09-01T17:28:00.001-07:00

1) Tomorrow is election day. Because of this, the town stopped serving and selling alcohol as of midnight yesterday. Veracruz has a "dry law" that it can invoke for various occasions, and the elections are one such event.

Cynthia Lobato's campaign slogan translates to: "You have to vote for Cynthia, because she's going to win!"

2) They play ultimate frisbee in Mexico! I just spent three hours playing in the rain and mud with a team from Xalapa and loved it. There are several teams with well-organized drills and practices, including one at the University.

3) A bit more about the University: at the end of each degree, students take a final oral and written exam, which costs around $400. If a student does not pass this exam, she has to wait a year before taking it again.

Tuition is so low because the University is public. Like the US, Mexico differentiates between public and private schools, with the private being much more expensive.

I have heard even more about how humanities students are hippies - counter-cultural idealists who rebel just for the sake of defying authority. It seems to be the students more than the professors who are pegged this way. (I haven't told anyone yet that I used to have dreadlocks.)

4) I went to my first Mexican party and played "Uno". Now that I think of it, the game does have a Spanish name.

¿Cuando podemos jugar al XBox?

2007-08-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Jiram has been learning the days of the week at school. At least once a day he'll start reciting them, and then ask how many days are left until Saturday. This is because on weekends, Jiram is allowed to play on the XBox for one hour each day.

Jiram is only allowed to play the XBox on weekends because last weekend we played for about six hours on the game "Halo" (Hah-low in Spanish). Jiram taught me the ropes, and consistently outplayed me. He knew how to kill the malos, where to find the nave and when the cazadores were going to show up.

It is puzzling that he knows that certain monsters are called cazadores - "hunters" in English. This is, in fact, how the radio voices in the game refer to these monsters, and somehow the Spanish translation has reached Jiram.

By the end of the game we were both in a bad way. Jiram was incredibly wound up, especially when we couldn't exit the ship before it blew up. I became embarrassingly mean to five-year-old Jiram, saying things like "Hurry up!", "What are you doing?" and "No, no, that's wrong!"

Meanwhile, I told Gilberto about the iPhone and now he wants to buy one. He even asked me to translate a video on YouTube that explained the functions of the phone. Perhaps I'm a bad influence on the family.

Xalapa de Enriquez

2007-08-29T19:08:00.002-07:00

Shockingly, I've been in Mexico for about one month. I feel this is long enough to provide a few insights about Xalapa.

The basics: Xalapa can also be spelled Jalapa, and is pronounced Hah-lah-pah. It has a population of around 700,000 people, and is the capital of the state of Veracruz.

The climate used to be damp and drizzly for most of the year because Xalapa is at a higher altitude. According to Alejandro, a decade ago Xalapa had only 55 days of sunshine out of the year. Because of global warming the climate is now much warmer and sunnier - although there is still a daily afternoon shower.

When I first arrived Alejandro referred to himself as "Xalapeño" - and it took me a second to realize that he wasn't calling himself a hot pepper. The gears started turning, and I realized that Xalapeño = Jalapeño = Jalapeno. Apparently Xalapa made our spicy friend famous.

One of my favourite places so far is Parque Juarez - a plaza that I walk through on my way to school. It is a essentially a town square, with benches and kiosks and a main platform where community events take place. There is a row of shoe shiners, a circle of mobile convenience stores, and a few scattered balloon vendors. Children run around with their balloons, or chase pigeons, or feed rice to the pigeons - which I am afraid will make the birds' stomachs burst. (I also wonder whether this is the point.)

A look-out platform extends out from the park, and beggars or creative swindlers pass through interrupting the couples in mid-make out. Once in the park a woman in a white jacket with a sphygmomanometer (I had to look that word up) came by and told me she was collecting money for a hospital, and would take my blood pressure in exchange for a donation. I gave her three pesos, and declined the sphygmomanometer offer. Later I saw her in a different outfit with crutches.

View from the plaza

Events in the plaza have included an annual elderly people's festival, with traditional Mexican dancing. I was a bit enchanted.

Xalapa is a very cultural city, with a lot of museums, concerts, schools, parks and theatres. The city is safe (especially because of the security guards with guns downtown), has good transportation and friendly people. The downtown area is not built up - it features the municipal and state palaces (capitol buildings), a cathedral, and a serious of older buildings that house shops and businesses.

For those who are still interested, I have included another YouTube video. While in Spanish, it gives a good visual overview of the city.

La Universidad Vercruzana

2007-08-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

Humanities Buildings

Classes started at the University on August 16, according to the school's website and academic calendar. Despite this date, two of my three classes have yet to begin - the professors haven't come to class. Students arrive, wait in the classroom for about 45 minutes, and then leave. My one class which has been faithfully continuing is in Economics - and it regularly ends 30 minutes before the scheduled time.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not complaining. (I actually really enjoy my Economics class.)

To enter the University, students compete in an extrance exam that corresponds to their chosen degree program. Tuition per semester for a Mexican student is between $20 and $200 (CAD), depending on the program. A degree in a faculty of the humanities, for example, would cost $20 per semester. Once students have chosen a degree program, they take courses almost exclusively from their selected department.

The University has various faculties and facilities spread out across Xalapa. These include an outdoor and indoor stadium, an Olympic-sized pool and a teaching hospital. Each campus is also its own botanical garden. Mt. A's swan pond is easily trumped by what looks like an open air amphitheatre in a valley below the glass-and-chrome library. (Festival by the Marsh could perform in the round... no?)

Library and "Amphitheatre"

I have been taking courses at the Humanities and Economics. According to Alejandro, most of the professors in Humanities are soft hippies with poor hygiene and lofty ideals. I can't comment on this, since neither of my professors in Humanities have shown up to teach.

I have walked into the wrong classroom twice, and had to walk out. Who knew that room C-3 was different from room C3?

Humanities

The other half of my courses are at the School for Foreign Students - one on Mexican literature, one on Spanish language, and one in US Studies. I had the first US Studies class today, and have a sneaking suspicion that much of the PowerPoint lecture came from Wikipedia... hyperlinks and all.

Tomorrow is the orientation day for foreign students - and it is about time. I have had fun orienting myself, but am ready to make some friends.

A courtyard in the Economics complex

Destilando Amor

2007-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is telenovela update #1. Every night the family watches a show called "Destilando Amor" - a Mexican soap opera. The name translates to "Distilling Love" but could also mean "Exuding Love" or "Oozing Love". I generally understand what is going on, and wanted to share the latest developments.

(Don't get too attached to these updates, because the show will be over in a few weeks. Unlike other soap operas that go on for years, telenovelas last two years at the most. "Destilando Amor" is in its últimas semanas.)

The main crisis at hand is that Rodrigo (see photo) has discovered that his son is not his son, and his wife has run away with the actual father of the child. The actual father is a French expatriot, who says things like "fantastique" and "ma cherie" all the time.

Meanwhile, Gaviota (see photo) is still in love with Rodrigo, but might move to London because she received a promotion. She just discovered Rodrigo having an intimate meal with his beautiful psychiatrist, and so is likely to ditch him and start fresh in England.

Gaviota and Rodrigo fell in love on a tequila plantation (hence "Distilling Love"), where she worked in the field and he was the manager. She's rich now, and still in love with him.

As for the side plot, there are lots of important men with moustaches (see photo) who are intermittently angry and satisfied.

The soundtrack involves lots of loud drum beats and a synthesized melody that sounds like a Zelda themesong.

If you're intrigued and have satellite TV, Alejandro says you can watch the show on "Univision".

La clase de pintura

2007-08-24T16:42:00.001-07:00

I really like painting class. I get to sit silently around a table with Mexican women and listen to a mixture of politics and gossip. At the same time, I have flashbacks to middle-school art class, as I cast suspicous glances at the other women's art, which is clearly better than mine. Or wait, maybe that woman's isn't quite as good, which means that I must have some talent, which means that the teacher must be admiring my work... until I ask her how it looks and she pauses and narrows her eyes and tells me to go over what I just did with a dry brush - maybe that will help.

Since the teacher is paid by one of the candidates in the municipal elections, she likes to push this candidate (Cynthia Lobato). Today we all got pens with Cynthia's name on the side. Adriana is staunchly behind Cynthia not because of political ideology, but because she enjoys these painting and upholstery classes that Cynthia provides for local women.

A member of Cynthia's campaign came to Adriana's door during class and talked to the group of women about a system of patronage to Cynthia's campaign. If you pledge to vote for Cynthia, register your name on a form and receive two stickers with a specific number. Turn in one sticker when you vote for Cynthia, and keep the other. If Cynthia is elected, this sticker prioritizes any communication with Cynthia in office, since you were one of the faithful who voted for her.

Cynthia's main opponenet is David Chedraui, a relative of the owners of a large chain of department stores in Mexico. The women are worried that Chedraui's money will help him to win the election. Adriana is going to be a scrutineer for the vote counting at a polling station, and has been warned about accepting bribes.

Several candidates, including Cynthia, are offering money for people to put banners on their houses to show support - between $10 and $50. Gifts such as stoves and furniture are also being offered by candidates to poorer families.

As for the gossip, one of the children has a rash, Jiram likes his new school, the girl next door is gaining weight and there was a motorbike accident downtown.

Here are the roses I painted, completed:

(The right one is the ugly one, I know. It reminds me of whenever I tried to draw a face in middle-school art class - one eye was always uglier than the other.)

Pasando el tiempo

2007-08-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

The hurricane was weak. I was secretly hoping for a good storm - nothing damaging, but a few good gusts and downpours would have been nice. Instead we had about 12 hours of constant rain and fog, and then it passed.

Instead of going to classes I went to the mall and watched "Ratatouille" in Spanish. Today I went for a walk around town and took some photos. A warning: some of these are blantant attempts at being artsy. Apologies to those who are offended by poseurs.

There was a market in town this morning - selling everything - balloons, knives, raw-whole-featherless chickens, shoes, nail clippers, cacti, CDs, yarn, and lots of fruits and vegetables. These two photos are from the market:

This is a photo of Jiram:

Huracanes y hombres

2007-08-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

I had my first class today in Economics and it was great. I found the right room and everything. Sadly, classes are cancelled for the next two days because of Hurricane Dean. So I`ll be holing up for the next couple of days trying to get some YouTube-worthy footage. Right.

Also, I think someone tried to pick me up while we were in line to register for a Sociology course. Hot.

Un cuento de dos culturas

2007-08-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

So far all is well. The combination of cultures has been interesting - while much is Mexican, some is a Mexican version of what I already know. Essentially, there are more similarities than I expected. (Happy global family?) For example, Mr. Clean becomes Mr. Músculo (who is a much more attractive version, might I add).

When I arrived, the father of the family (Alejandro) asked me what kind of music I liked. He then played me his favourite - a CD by the long-haired 1970s group Bread. At the local theatre, a show called the `Beatles Espectacular` is playing. I have seen a number of Ramones and Misfits t-shirts around town. The elder son (Gilberto) loves `High School Musical`, and asked me today how to pronounce `Hilary Duff`.

The younger son (Jirám) plays Scooby Doo games online (`EScooby and Chaggy`), and runs around the house singing the theme song.

I have watched dubbed versions of `The Stepford Wives` `The Simpsons` and `Family Guy` - remember, I`m not in class yet. Latin American Idol is on almost every day.

I have also watched a number of telenovelas (hispanic soap operas) with the family. We eat tortillas at every meal, and also listen to Mexican music.

Elections are happening in early September for the mayor and members of parliament (presidente municipal y diputado). The current diputada for the region, now a candidate for presidente municipal, has started a program where local craftswomen teach other women so that they can have an expanded range of hobbies and practical skills. The mother of the family (Adriana) invited me to paint canvases with them yesterday. I started painting a stencil of two roses.

I went with Gilberto to an anthropoligical museum today. It had relics from the indigenous populations of Mexico. Interesting. I put some photos from the visit in this entry.

Outside the house, various vendors drive by playing music. The family lives on a hill, so I can hear the music slowly getting softer as the car winds down the streets. One of the songs is `O Susanna`.

My Spanish is coming. I was talking with Jirám yesterday about someone who has two thumbs on one hand, and realized later I was actually talking about someone with two lungs. He seemed to be humouring me nonetheless.

Otherwise all is well. I`m going to register for my classes on Monday.

El primer día

2007-08-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I made it! My family picked me up at the Xalapa bus station after I took a taxi from the airport. I am living with two parents and two sons - ages 13 and 5. When I woke up this morning, the 5-year-old was wearing a Spiderman costume.

My room! What you can`t see are the balcony and the television.

Here are some photos of my reading options on the trip.
In Mexico City:

Mexico City again:

In Houston:

Una demora en el aeropuerto

2007-08-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

I am temporarily stuck in the Mexico City airport - because of mechanical problems, I missed my connecting flight. In the meantime - free Internet! So I will share a few observations:

- the Canadian basketball team was in the US customs line.
- the US homeland security alert is orange.
- I had a turkey sandwich on the plane.

I`ll arrive in Xalapa around midnight. ¡Here goes!

Lo fundamental

2007-08-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I leave August 14 and return December 20. In the meantime, I'll be staying with a host family and taking courses at the University of Veracruz (Xalapa campus) and their School for Foreign Students (all in Spanish). I'm on a new exchange program called the NAFTA Mobility Exchange, with partner schools in Canada, the US and Mexico.