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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

News Bites

BREAKING NEWS: The other day, I had what can only be described as a Mexican matzah ball. It was made with corn meal, I assume, but the texture and color were sure matzah-ish! What´s more: I came across it in my bowl of chicken soup! Deeeelicious, but still no comparison to the ones my mom makes.

This past Saturday was Mexican Independence day. An otherwise un-noteworthy day was punctuated with a riotous time at a new club in town, Dharma. Being in Dharma must have brought me good Karma because I met someone who I am now dating. Wow things happen fast here! His name is David, he listens to ska, has an NFL and an NBA blanket, and he loves Jack Black. On our first date, we went hiking in the most beautiful valley ever, Puerto del Aire (think Jurassic Park meets "Are You Afraid of the Dark?") and watched Nacho Libre (his selection). After seven hours of Spanglish, we felt like old friends. On our second date, he gave me a mix CD. I´m smitten.

David´s parents own a billiard hall/bar with huge TVs everywhere and a great soundsystem. I eat and drink for free there (his parents are really generous and sweet) AND David said they get ESPN, EPSN 2, Fox Sports, and more. HELLO baseball playoffs and football! I am psyched to have a place to chill and watch my teams. HERE WE GO STEELERS! We can also watch all the European soccer matches. Today there was an FC Barcelona game -- it´s sports heaven.

The weather has turned from cloudy and hot to windy, cloudless, and hot. After this wind, the cold is supposed to come. I got a taste of it this past weekend, and although it was hard to believe at first -- it got really cold! I am going to have to purchase more sweatshirts or at least start layering. It´s nuts. These mountains make the weather crazy. But the morning clouds are fantastic. SASers, imagine Table Mountain surrounded by dramatic peaks of gray rock and cactus. It´s awe-inspiring, and I get a view every morning during my walk to work.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Fotos

I am having problems uploading photos to the blog, so I am posting them on Webshots until Blogger straightens out its technical problems.

This past weekend, I went to Mexico City (el distrito federal) with two of the other teachers, Mary and Andrea. We stayed at a really amazing hostel right near the zocalo and almost on top of the metro stop. It was clean and beautiful and had lots of plants. Our beds were amazingly comfortable, and it was silent at night. There was also free internet and a small buffet breakfast. It only cost $10 per person for everything. Long live Hostel Mexico City!

We walked around the historic part of the city on Saturday and saw a lot of action in anticipation of the upcoming Independence Day holiday. There were decorations everywhere, carnival rides in the zocalo, lots of performers, a small art festival, and lots of live music. It was INTENSE, but wonderful. Mexico City has a population of 22 million, which is more than the whole of Australia!

On Sunday, we went to Teotihuacan, which is the largest of all the Aztec ruins in Mexico. It was really cool. We didn´t even get to see everything, but what we did see was really cool. It was only an hour away from the city, so I hope to go back. I climbed the Palace of the Sun and saw an amazing view of all the ruins.

Check out pictures by going here http://travel.webshots.com/album/560611672mFrQYP?vhost=travel&start=36.

Monday, September 3, 2007

The Price of Self-Awareness

Ian Buruma´s introduction to V.S. Naipaul´s A House for Mr Biswas has made me more aware than ever of the internal journey that has been catalyzed by my travels.

Buruma says that the only way to become truly self-aware is to remove oneself from the daily rituals that create the sense of home to which everyone clings. The people who look after us, the habits, the language -- none of this can be truly understood without completely removing oneself from one´s native surroundings. But when a person breaks free from the patterns and conditions of home, she risks losing everything valuable about that place: the comfort it offers.

Stepping back from our native lives forces us to risk losing the connections to the people who looked after us as children. Gaining a deeper understanding of our native rituals as more than just the motions we go through causes us to sacrifice receiving comfort from those rituals. And when the safety and comfort of home are gone, there is nothing left to do but keep moving. The more we explore beyond our native land, the more self-aware we become -- but the more inconsolable we become, as well.

And here, Buruma says, enters the importance of the written word. For Naipaul, the tradition of funerals provides no relief from the melancholy that accompanies losing a loved one -- no comfort from the fear of his own mortality. But words that last, the written word, provide a path to refuge from the sadness and fear.

When the words don´t come, there is no escape from the pain. Words become both mother and father -- nurturing and encouraging us and pushing us further down the road of exploration. The more we write, the further from home we find ourselves. The words gain exponential importance. They push us away from what we´ve known, but bind our feet to the earth, also. The words help us find our path. As we trod along the road of exploration, we gain self-awareness, and the words are our sole companion. But as the path becomes more clear, it becomes ever more impossible to go back; as the road opens before us, it close in our wake. There is never any going home, as home is no longer there to us.

The yearning for self-awareness is born of chaos in one´s life -- be it externally perpetuated or an internal struggle. People search for truth and peace by developing many (often destructive) habits. But for me, as with Naipual, inner peace is achieved through the adventure of exploration -- the physical removal of ourselves from our chaotic surroundings and the search for comfort from the written word.

When home cannot protect us from our fears, we turn to writing to open the door to immortality and peace. Family can never guarantee our ability to leave something behind -- only words. Once the initial break from home is made, travel becomes self-perpetuating. And when self-awareness becomes painful, the only relief is to continue searching until we discover the root of the pain. Then, we write about it.

Algunas Fotos

Check it out! I moved! This is my new bedroom.


And this is my sweet bathroom!


And this is me with my host brother, Estefano, and one of the other teachers, Haley, on top of a big hill where there is a church that overlooks the Tehuacan Valley.


And here is something I can´t escape (not that I would want to)!