Day of the Dead

At midnight on October 31, Mexico begins to celebrate the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. It’s a day when Mexicans celebrate, rather than fear, death. The idea is that spirits return to earth for at least one day. The holiday is a hybrid of the Aztec’s month-long celebration overseen by Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead, and Christianity’s All Saints’ Day on November 2.

For pre-Hispanic cultures death had a symbolic value. For that reason human sacrifice was a privilege. The indigenous people wished to die because death marked the beginning of a new existence, at least a better one. These beliefs mingled with the Spanish propensity to not take death seriously.

Death today is easily accepted. The Engilsh idiom, “everyone dies, but no-one believes it” doesn’t apply. However, it could be that the abundance of expressions, idioms, and rituals associated with death could mean that Mexicans fear death to the point that they mock it. It could be an eagerness to convert terror into a joke. Perhaps it is a sign of bravey to laugh at death.

Si me han de matar manana,
If I’m to be killed to tomorrow,
Que me maten de una vez!
Why not kill me right away?

Halloween is not a holiday in Mexico. There is no “trick-or-treating,” no parties, no costumes, no witches, no jack-o-lanterns. In fact, some students at my school say Halloween is devil worship. At least, that’s what their local Catholic priest tells them.

Mexicans produce altars in their homes to welcome the spirit of their ancestors in cemeteries. The dead return to the grave first and then to the altar. Some Mexicans lay flowers all the way from the home to the grave. The elaborate altars are decorated with candy skulls, photographs of the deceased, the deceased’s favorite food, an inscription of the person’s name on the top, and candles. Families bring the favorite foods and drink of the departed, light candles, recite chants and celebrate. Bells ring every 30 seconds starting at 6:00 until the end of the night. On November 1, deceased children (angelitos) are honored. The next day, All Souls Day, adults are honored with drinks, food, and festivities. Popular symbols include pan de muerto (coffee cake with meringues), candy, papier mache skeletons, flowers such as marigolds (cempazuchiles) and cockscomb (barro de obispo), and skulls.

Popular foods include fruits, vegetables, sweets, candied fruit, chalupas (corn tortillas with toppings), tameles (corn meal and meat wrapped in a corn husk), enchiladas, and calabazas (pumpkins). Beverages include water, coffee, beer, Tequila, and atole (corn starch in a hot, fruit drink

Not too far from where I live in Sahuayo is the island of Janitzio in Lago de Patzcuaro here in Michoacan. The Purepechan (a.k.a. Tarascans) Indians have a duck hunt. They cook the duck at midnight. They surround the lake with candles. I chose not to go for personal reasons, but my room mates told me it was a spectacular show. I went to the local cemetery here, and saw families placing wreaths and flowers on top of the graves. Sure enough I saw a few families chanting hymns. Street vendors sold popular food and flowers.

Kevin

Transportation

Americans are obsessed about safety but they probably don't realize that. It's second nature to get into a car, buckle the seatbelt, start the motor, and then drive. For the most part we turn on our turn signals, stop when pedestrians are crossing, and don't go too fast in neighborhoods. Mexico is different.

As you can see, there are various modes of transportation, none of which are particularly safe. The big busses that run between Sahuayo and Jaquilpan, the town just south of Sahuayo, are the safest.

The Volkswagen vans, combis, are not. The door regularly slides open while the vehicle is moving. There are no seat belts, nor cushions on the seats. That's what you get for nine pesos, round trip. I take the combi to Wal-Mart (Bodega Aurrera) every Saturday. They're efficient but I don't feel safe in them.

There seems to be no age minimum to drive. Kids ride mopeds in their parents' laps. Teenagers drive with no helmets. People sit on the back of motorcycles with no

seat belt. It's not uncommon for people to sit in the back of

pick up trucks.Pollution doesn't bother Mexicans. I can't imagine there are emissions tests here. Cars belch excessive amounts of CO2 and NOX into the air. Some cars have no catylitic converters. Old pick up trucks release tons of fumes into the air. The highway, carretara, is a nasty place to breath air. Mexico is about 30 years behind the United States in terms of safety and pollution.

Bicycles are also popular in Mexico. Many people ride old, rusty bicycles as a convenient way to get around. Nobody wears a helmet.

The rich folks drive Linclons, BMWs, Lexuses, Cadillacs, and other late-model cars.

VW Bugs are common too. Some serve as publicity cars (Auto Publicidades). They annoy me. They drive around constantly, advertising for any company that will pay for a slot. Gas trucks also roam the city, constantly reminding people that they're selling gas. All of this would be noise pollution in the United States. I don't know if Sahuayans put up with it, or have learned to ignore it. I have yet to ignore it.

Kevin

...And Goes to Sleep

When the locals ask me what I think about Sahuayo, I honestly tell them that it's a safe place. Some of my students say there's more crime than I think, and that drugs are a problem. Compared to most places in Mexico, I think Sahuayo is a safe place to live. I've never felt threatened. There are few homeless people. Even the poor areas are safe. The streets are well lit.

The plaza and the market are where Sahuayo comes alive. However, few stores are open after 3:00. I know it's time to go to school when I hear the vendors closing their gates. The big pharmacies stay open, as well as a couple restaurants, but that's it. The plaza isn't crowded, and the only noise emanates from the scooters and cars (the subject of an upcoming entry).

This in stark contrast to the United States, where many stores open every day, and stay open until the evening. Stores might have abbreviated hours on Sundays, but they still open.

I also find it strange that Saturday is the most quiet day of the week in Sahuayo. Many stores are closed, and there aren't many people on the streets. Sunday mornings and afternoons are busy. The streets are crowded, and there's plenty of noise. But at 3:00, it's as quiet as Saturday.

I find this an inconvenience. The short hours of the working days mean customers have to do all their shopping in the morning. In a way, it's nice to have peace in the afternoon and evening. As I've mentioned before, however, Sahuayo does make a lot of noise. Drivers still play their subwoofers at full blast.

Kevin

Sahuayo comes alive...

Like many Mexican cities the plaza is the heart of Sahuayo. It's where the majority of people congregate, where concerts and festivals take place, and the scene of every postcard that's sold here. A gazebo is at the center, and benches and well-trimmed trees surround the plaza. Traffic circulates around the plaza counter-clockwise. Vendors sell coconut water (agua del coco), ice cream (helado), toys, and sweets.

During the day it's not very crowded. Old men shoot the breeze, and young men polish the shoes of businessmen. At night, it's pretty much the same. Sunday afternoons are the busiest time. It's packed with people, but by sunset, it's much quieter.

I walk through the plaza every day when I go to work. Sometimes I meet people there. It's convenient and everyone enjoys the atmosphere.

Resumption

I destroyed my computer by incorrectly cleaning the keyboard. Hundreds of dollars later in warranty and customs fees, hours on the phone, and nine weeks later, I have my computer back. In the next few days I will post no less than 10 entries that I've been wanting to share with you all. When I travel across Mexico in two weeks I will not have my computer, so I will not be able to post new entries until January 7. I will have my camera however.

I have to thank my father for paying for shipping fees, buying another warranty, and installing the software. Thank you so much.

Kevin

Hiatus

This week my laptop literally melted. After washing it with a damp towel, the computer overheated so much that the plastic melted. I've sent the laptop home so Dell can fix it for no charge. While this is a major inconvenience, the worst part is that I will not be able to update the blog until I get the laptop back. This could take up to a month. While I can still write new entries, I don't have the software to transfer the pictures. This blog requires photos in my opinion. Imagine reading National Geographic with no photos.

I have plenty of ideas for my next entries, and I have photos that I want to load. I've even written some of the next posts. However, I will not post them until I get the laptop. Expect a slew of entries in the first two weeks of November.

As they say in Mexico, esta la vida. That's life.

Other than the laptop, everything else is fine.

Kevin

Dramatis Personae

This is a brief biography of all the teachers at CulturLingua, the school I teach at. It's small. There are only seven teachers, a daily coordinator, and a director.

I'll start with me. As you all know I'm 22-years-old. I graduated from George Mason with a BS in Geography. I obtained my CELTA from Saint Giles in July 2008 (I just received my diploma). I want to work, live, and teach in Latin America for the foreseeable future. My goal is to teach business English at a professional school, either somewhere in Central America or Brazil. I want to make teaching English a profession. Some day, I will start my own magazine, but I need to become a freelance writer first. This is the first time I've been to Latin America, or any country whose primary language isn't English. I've been to Canada three times, and the UK once. I plan to spend most of the rest of my life in Western Hemisphere.

Dan Brown is 41. He was born in the United States, grew up in Mexico until he was nine-years-old, and then moved back to California. He is bilingual. He's been at CulturLingua since the middle of August but has been in Mexico since last year. Dan has taught for eight years becaues he finds it rewarding and he likes it. Dan teaches Beeline 2, which is composed of 12 young boys and girls. Dan has also travelled to Canada, the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, Spain, and Japan. Dan likes the relaxed atmosphere of Sahuayo. He says the neighbors are friendly and he enjoys the interaction. His purple hair is a testamount to his eccentric tastes. He plays music at bars in and around Sahuayo. He says he's the black sheep of his family.

Ricardo is the coordinator of CulturLingua. He recruits new students, deals with parents and misbehaving students, but most of all, helps the teachers. He makes copies, procures materials, and contacts Cecilia, the coordinator, on a daily basis. He opens and closes the school. Without him, we wouldn't be able to do our jobs.

He's 37-years-old and was born in Sahuayo. He hasn't always lived here, however. He moved to the United States when he was18. He worked in various kitchens in Neveda, Arizona, and California. In 2004 he came back. He's single and has no family. He's been at CulturLingua for a year. "I like Sahuayo," he says.

Salvador is our oldest teacher. He's from Los Remedios ("The Remedies"), a town not too far from here. He has lived in Sahuayo since his mother died a couple years ago. He has one daughter (age 13), and one son (17), who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease. He learned English 30 years ago and speaks it almost as well as any native. He has taught at CulturLingua previously. He also works at another school called CETIS. He relaxes in Los Remedios on the weekends. He teaches us Spanish on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings.



Kris is a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Ohio. He's here to learn Spanish, and gain valuable teaching experience, so he can teach Spanish in the United States. He's been in Mexico for two months, and has already been to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallerta. He's been to Canada (Quebec and Niagara Falls), Ecuador, Spain, France, Italy, and Austria.

Kris says Sahuayo is a small town, but a medium-sized city, where everyone knows everything. Gossip travels fast, and people have a penchant for "making stuff up." Kris has found a girlfriend here and plans to stay through next summer. He has a passion for playing guitar, which he plays every night in the living room.

Erika is frombeautiful Cape Town, South Africa. She has no prior teaching experience, and no unveristy degree. She says she's here to "try [teaching] out." She's been here for three months. In fact, she was the one who assured me Sahuayo is safe (she's right). Unfortunately, she cannot extend her visa and will have to go back to South Africa in November. Getting to Sahuayo took her more than a day. Erika has been a vagabound: she worked as a security guard in London. She has also been to Scotland, Paris, Greece, Venice, Berlin, Barcelona, and the following cities in India: New Dehli, Goa, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, and the Kerala state. She has no idea what she wants to do with her future.

Angela is the youngest teacher we have. She moved in with Kris, Erika and me two weeks ago. She has no university degree but does have a CELTA. She's 19-years-old and a native of Bellingham, Washington. She's a devout Christian and is leaving at Christmas break to be with her family, as Christmas is very important to her. She's enjoying life in Sahuayo, but it's hard because she doesn't know Spanish. She says teaching is a "good way to travel. It's a relaxed atmosphere." Angela has been to Canada, Hawaii, Mexico (Acapulco and Mazatlan), as well as Laos and Myanmar.

Kevin

PS- I will have photos of me and Erika in a few days.