| MEXICO - guanajuato & the academie falcon |
[Feb. 9th, 2005|09:08 pm]
eddsamuelson
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| [ | Current Mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
hello, from ajijic
mexico:
i have completed my second and last week in guanajuatoand am off to ajijic for another
week. i thought i would begin with a suggestion from a friend as a way to look at the
world. i mean, remember, it is all an illusion, and certainly has
become more so for me in the past number of years. here goes:
Maybe the longer you're there, the more observant you will become to
the aspects of life there that have similarities to what we think of
as "dull, uninteresting, problematic" here!! Or maybe not. Your fresh
eyes are seeing the new, the colorful, the joyful. Of course, maybe
that's exactly what there is to see! Maybe when you get home, you can
see the new, colorful, and joyful here as well! Interesting idea.
dull, uninteresting, problematic:
there is so much here that would not be tolerated in the usa. i mean,
we´ve got lots of rules, and well organized cities, and lots of data
for maps, and internet web sites. as tom peters would say of
business, probably applies to many other areas. he claims that with
all of the MBA´s, and best practices, we´ve brought american business
to it´s knees, and no place to go. i think he means boring. well, a
city can be the same way, as interesting as it may be.
the city: in guanajuato, mexico, the city winds, with some streets
for cars, and many that are for only people. so, it is easy to get
from one place to another, and not be bothered with cars. oh, and
there is vegetationevery-placee. so many people decoratge with potted
plants, all over a balcony, a stair, an atrium.
doors: the doors of places are so interesting. what is even more
interesting is peeking inside and seeing the amazing walk ways, court
yard, and plants. everything is diverse.
women - they hang out on the street, same as men. they just hang,
enjoying themselves. other than coffee shops in america, i don´t see
this, nor do i seemiddle-agee women. i don´t know if they are happy
with their roles, but they appear contented. then there are the young
women. look just like american women: spike heels, tight levis,
fancy glam accessories - yep, all around.
families - i mean they hang out in plazas and just enjoy themsleves.
there are many children, and a lot of babies. i recently watched two
young boys, each with a very small dog on a leash, play, play, and
play. running, chasing, smiling.
music - i continue to be impressed with how many people are musically
incliend. i watched a professional group, dressed to the nines,
velvet, gold, streamers, and all. then on the other hand a group of
about 50 young people paraded up and down the street being lead by 3
young guitar musicians. all were singing at the top of their lungs.
benches - there are benches all over. i mean places to just sit down
and enjoy life.
community - i think that community is a key value and element of
mexico, that is not evident in america. there are not lots of plazas,
and certainly not lots of benches. it appears to me that people are
just happy being who they are. one can chide me on the notion of
poverty. i think poverty is a word and construct of the more
industrialized world, to force domestication upon the more simple
contented people. so, then they won´t be. just a thought and an
observation.
young people: wow, at nite they rule. they are out and about laughing
and having fun. in the internet cafe i am in at this moment there are
4 men and 6 women. of the 10, there is only one over 30. i think the
whole environment of mexico is changing with the young people. at the
school i attend, all of my instructors are 30. maybe a few reach 35.
and they are patient with me. one of myhouse-matess, ricardo, age 18,
is a freshman at university of guanajuato. he and i, and his
engineering buddies hang out and drink cervesa. he's mature,
conversational, and genuinely a great guy.
perception of america: i've been treated very well. i have inquired
with others, and generally, many americans are rude. they throw money
down on a table. they will throw assignments - sliding them across a
table. as i've inquired further, i found that what most people from a
number of places in the world dislike is GEORGE W. BUSH.
hmmmmmmmmmmm. i'd like to think they like , 'we the people,' but it
is hard to separate the institution of the government, from geo w.
darn, i hate to hear that.
the streets: are amazing. they are made of stone, and narrow. the
autobus that i ride to school, sometimes almost reaches both sides of
the street. the buses travel, almost like they are on a freeway -
fast. they are like big hauling trucks, not too comfortable. they
are efficient. i pay 15 cents one way.
the end of the second week: i decided that jumping into a new
language and culture is one of the most difficult things i've ever
done. i've learned a lot, and am happy. let's be real. of a
knowledge base we call 100, i know about 1/4 of one percent of the
total....so i have more to learn.
i took a cooking class, and a dancing class. both were taught in
fluent spanish. oh my. in cooking, we created amazing dishes, all
from fresh ingredients. i have photos. the frozen, look alike stuff
will never satisfy me again.
in the dance class, the instuctor really crammed a lot into the class.
likeeverythingg else, i need to practice in the dark for awhile
before i get on stage. lol, lol.....i'm going to a bar tonite to take
a salsa class 'en masse,' just to practice.
dull, uninteresting, problematic: i do find that with many things,
the variety keeps the spice alive. there are many stairs, and i am
tired most of the time. much of my life has fallen into a routine,
but not quite dull, or un interesting. i haven' seen any problems,
excpet some data base stuff residing in america. for the moment, i am
still in a wonderland. yes, i am glad i have only intensely studdied
for two weeks. but, i will come back to guanajuato, maybe to do
marketing for the falcon, teach english as a second language, or maybe
i'll venture to teach at the university of guanajuato.
tomorrow, i'll go on a hike, if it is not too cold, and go to the
clubs in the evening with a bunch of the people from falcone....unless
i hear from sandra...
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....guess that is it for now..
NEXT, sandra and gary will pick me up on sunday, and i'll return to
their new home in ajijic for a week. it has been fun.
i hope you've enjoyed my comments....
i wonder what is next in the world of portland.or.usa.edd
i'll be home 2/12.....
lovedd |
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