Monterrey

Botero statue

This will be more of a photo collage porque no tengo ganas de escribir. On Saturday coming home from Saltillo we made a touristy stop in Monterrey, a modern city with museums and a beautiful plaza. It's also said to have the highest concentration of wealth in all of Mexico... Saber is es verdad o no...

Las Cascadas
(natural falls on the ride home from Monterrey, you could get a horse buggy ride for a couple pesos and there were also some nice picnic areas as you walked up the fall sight)

I also went to some waterfalls called the cascadas de la cola del caballo (horse's tail) and actually you could ride a horse up to the look out spot if so desired. After a long car ride I was more enthused at the opportunity to use my own legs and get blood circulation flowing once again.

Names carved into a succulent. Like lovers scrawling on a tree trunk, desert style.

***Too bad I still haven't figured out how to rotate the pictures... Some computer wiz fill me in if you're in the know...

Desde Saltillo

So this week has been more of a vacation that physical labor and construction projects, but it is a welcome change nonetheless. Last Saturday Bill, Raul and I drove to Nuevo Laredo (another border town 3 hours west of Reynosa) to meet up with a group from San Antonio. It's a tiny team of four people but we joined up with a congregation here in Saltillo and while there's more fellowship and eating that actual labor hours being contributed, we still manage to have a good time.

This foto was taken in the local parque with Harry (actually Hector but doesn't he look like Potter? 10 yrs old and a great ball player, beisbol that is... ), Alejandra (14, I'm waiting for her to turn 15 so I can go to her quinceanera, she sings with the worship band), Suri (pronounced like the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes baby, wants to be a chef and is a great help in the kitchen). The tiled bench behind them is quite popular and native to Saltillo (azulejo=tile).

In fact we headed up to the biggest ski resort in Mexico where it actually snows at certain times of the year. Can you believe it, I used two blankets and actually had escaliofrios, or goosebumps in the morning! There was a pool, jacuzzi and time for some nature hikes amongst a backdrop of purple gray mountains. The picture below is the main lodge not where we stayed directly but it provides an idea of the lujo I experienced for the night!

We are staying with a family from the church who have children my age: Issac 20, Ishmar 19 and Ishmael 14. It's been a different experience working on the site, I worry less about what materials are or are not present and what the schedule is for the day (it's kinda nice passing that responsibility on to someone else) but the focus here is definitely more on fellowship and getting to know the congregation from Eben-Ezer Presbyterian.


My bilingual buddy Nefty (on my right) lives in Texas but comes to Saltillo to spend summer vacation with her abuelita. All the cousins are here and with freedom to stay up late playing, who wouldn't want to come? She's going into 3rd grade next year. When I asked her what her parents do she explained succinctly, "My dad puts corn dogs in a box and then wraps it up with tape". PS- She likes corn dogs con picante.

On Thursday night we drove to a nearby town called Ramos where a young couple have started a growing youth group and bible school. Originally they planned a week-long vacation bible school but children kept returning to ask when the next event would be so know they hold two services weekly, play games, sing songs and have a good time just being kids.
On Friday we finished off the week with a bonfire (marshmallow/bonbon/marvavisco roasting included) and pozole a traditional soup dish. This week has been one of my favorites because of the relationships built between the two groups, the congregation from San Antonio and Saltillo. Plans are in the midst for a reunion midyear on the board and with luck enough local church members may be able to receive visas and travel to Texas next summer for a mission trip.

My room! I have camera access, still no batteries. A new group arrived yesterday: only 8 of them: 1 grandma with every illness under the sun, 1 brave middle aged judge, 3 20-somethings and 3 young football players. It should be an interesting dynamic. Grandma's a bit bossy, but it'll make an interesting week.

And this is the courtyard, large kitchen the groups use and the view from the roof (sta bonita va)


Today was also the first day of being really frustrated with this organization. We got to the work site to put a cement roof on a building that hadn't been worked on since 2003. Five years. I'm wondering if the walls we finished last week will ever bear a roof. How long is it going to take? They promised by the end of the summer but all we have to do is pay two bricklayers and the job could be done in 2-3 days! There are so many places with more need, it seems silly to be completing an old project for the nutrition project when they aren't even using all the classrooms they have right now. There's about 30 students who arrive at 9 for homework help and a bit of instruction, are fed lunch (today was lentils, rice and chopped up hot dog) and dismissed at 11:45. School starts for them at 1:30 and continues until roughly 5:45pm.

Anyway, we got to the site without proper tools, made about 5 trips to the hardware store instead of purchasing everything at once and meanwhile, diabetic grandma (who also suffers from arthristis, heart disease and is undergoing chemo for a 3rd bout of cancer, god bless her!), won't stop shoveling cement! I was getting nervous watching her. Who goes to the ferreteria and buys 5 pieces of rebarb and then returns to get the other 7? Sometimes it seems to difficult to improve the way things work here making it very frustrating and hard to accomplish anything. Prep work like this should've been completed days ago and it makes for a poor impression on the groups (of which there are sadly less and less each year). I figure if I can't change anything this summer I can at least write up a report and see if that gets us anywhere...

Ya regresemos: con comida, para comida, claro

NEVADA, MO TEAM (BOTTOM ROW: ME, RAUL (MEXICAN COORDINATOR), LUPE (BRICKLAYER), DIANA (ANOTHER VOLUNTEER)


ESPINOSA FAMILY IN THEIR NEW ROOM (BEATRIS, NEIGHBORS JOSUE & ANNETTE (studying to be lawyer, works with HR in las fabricas/manufacturing plants), baby Yatzri 14 months, her grandma Betty, mother of Yatzri- Cristina (23), Cristina's sister, Michelle (red shirt, 10 yrs old, Betty's daughter), little neighborhood boy who likes HotWheels

Yesterday was the first despedida as the Missouri team headed to the beach and then back on home. Before I said my good-byes I did some magazine swapping and the facebook name exchange....

My plans to get up and run were thwarted by heavy eyelids, after breakfast I needed time to digest and before the heat could really start to bear down (giving me a real excuse not to exercise) something amazing happened- the skies opened up and it started to rain. I didn't think that was possible here, but apparently it does happen on the occasion. SO instead I sorted toiletries and men's clothes which we brought back to Casa Migrante. I read on the couch and proceeded to fall asleep, twice. Is that what you do when you're retired? Sometimes it seems too hot to do anything else.

Later I delivered some manicotti and apple crisp to the Espinosa family who's house we had worked on last week. They were kind enough to make the group tostadas, tamales con pollo and lastly a surprise, flautas! The way I chat things up in the kitchen I tried some flautus de atun (tuna instead of chicken) and sopita de melon (a soup that is named for the beans which look like melon seeds, but really it has more of a tomato base). When Beatrice and her mother found out I was here without mother or salary they invited me over for dinner so we will be finding many excuses for which to celebrate from now on. We will have the next group tie rebarb for their ceiling because right now they have no roof and we don't want to leave the room unfinished for the rest of the summer. Hopefully this will be completed soon.

TWO NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN, BETTY'S SON EDGAR, BETTY: testing out apple crisp

We also checked out the tianguis (which KT you'd love, it's thrift store shopping at its best- outside, good food nearby and you can make purchase by the kilo or simply 5 pesos a piece. I walked away with some fun shirts and orange flip flops. The grandmother on the site insisted I try on a pair of army cargoes (after I work the same green pair to the construction site, covered with cement and salsa) and although they are probably made for a 6th grade boy, they fit, albeit a bit short...

We also spoke about the time Beatrice had crossed the river into the United States. Both her children were born there but only attended school there for about two years. I know many Mexicans who have crossed into the US so their children can be born there and obtain citizenship, however many of these families have since then returned to Mexico because it's too difficult and dangerous to survive without papers. She said she came with the clothes on her back and a dry pair to change into after crossing the Rio Brahva/Grande. Three to a tube there were approximately 5 other people she crossed with, but almost didn't make it. She was pulled underneath but fortunately pushed back up to the surface and made it across. Once on the American side she was lucky to be held back by a friend before a migra truck passed right in front of them. A generous homeowner invited them in where they were able to bathe and offered some soup and directions on where to make a phone call. Beatrice crossed when she was about 42 and stayed for 3 years. Her mother, who has seventy-pico anos crossed 5 years ago and remained for 3. Now she jokes she won't cross again because the alligators snap at her feet.

Beatrice much preferred the US educational system for her daughter, Michell who enjoyed learning English. Many times here with inscription fees, uniforms, schools materials and 'supposedly' voluntary donations (they won't provide grade completion certificates if money is not received) school fees are too much to provide schooling for one child let alone 4 or 5.

Y pobrecito mi carrito!

Dan swinging at our Elmo pinata, hard to break

Don't be fooled by the bandanna, he's not a bandido...

On a lighter note, our car got tapped by a bus today. Just a little crunch while we weren't moving, minimal damage, all passengers and cargo okie dokie. Out pinata shopping and the little Corolla took a dent to the right door/wheel, but still functioning and they say this builds character. The poor car gets beat up enough the way I go over speed bumps (hopefully all necessary parts remain intact underneath) . They should really paint those things yellow. That's my next community project. Will post fotos of our dirt, pot-holey road and the awkward looking red paper mache object that resembles Elmo when I get camera batteries.

Casa de Migrante

I can't believe it's Thursday already. Night activities keep us busy so there's not much time for this whole blogging thing. Today we went to Caritas de Reynosa, a refuge for recently deported immigrants, of which there are several along the border. This afternoon 30 people arrived from Miami and at this shelter they are given food, a change of clothes (if available, sometimes they do not have enough donations to go around), shower, breakfast and dinner and a place to sleep for three nights. Some of the men (there were only about 4 women there and no children, they are typically sent somewhere else) were kind enough to share some of their experiences. There was one man who came to the gate as we were listening to the sister's presentation, recently brought to this border checkpoint by immigration officials, through word of mouth he had learned of this shelter and had to pass through out circle of gringos in plastic patio chairs before he could learn how to piece life back together... It was extremely powerful to see the faces of the people and appreciate their honesty talking to us, accepting our presence there as Americans (whose country had just kicked them out and turned life upside down) and even thanking us for being there...

It seems that previously misdemeanors and jail time could be served in the US without being asked for papers (usually given a warning by the judge) however local law enforcement has teamed up with Homeland Security and in many instances these men are being held for minor offenses and then sent back to Mexico. Many come to Reynosa because of its industry and local factories in hopes of finding work and gaining enough money to cross back into the US. Others make calls home to various states in Mexico or Central America. There were several Hondurans present however when I asked about Guatemalans in became apparent that many are sent directly back to their country. Some Central Americans say they are from Mexico to remain closer to the border and thus try and make it in Mexico until they can again return to work in the states.

There was one man who has some family in Veracruz but the rest is in Miami. He speaks English and doesn't know Mexico at all, he had been in the US for over 12 years. Now confronting deportation, these men go out in search of work from 9am-4pm and return to a strict lights out policy (9pm). For those that are fortunate enough to hear from their families or receive forwarded money to help them start over/return home, they still remain in danger. Gangs along the Guate-Mexico border hold newly deported immigrants ransom and money from families ends up in the wrong hands. These people come with only the clothes on their backs but even thanked the group for coming to learn more about the situation along the border and immigration issues. Some people are sick and need health care, others can't afford the bus fares back home. Regardless of the situation, three nuns run an intake upon the immigrant's arrival and in return ask for respect, honesty and for the guests to pitch in at the albergue. I spoke with one nun, Sister Consuelo who worked in Texas previously. They do work with volunteers so hopefully in weeks where Puentes doesn't have to oversee and group construction teams, I'll be able to help out there. Occasionally, local, federal and international human rights commissions visit to provide information about derechos as well.

La ley es como una telaraña, hecha para
atrapar moscas y otros insectos chiquitos,
y no para cortar el paso a los bichos grandes
ha comprobado Daniel Drew; y hace un siglo
José Hernández, había comparado a la ley
con el cuchillo, que jamás ofende a quien lo
maneja. Pero los discursos oficiales invocan
la ley como si existiera para todos, y no sólo
para los infelices que no puedan eludirla: los
delincuentes pobres son los villanos de la
película; los delincuentes ricos escriben el
guión y dirigen a los actores.

-Eduardo Galeano Patas Arriba.
La escuela del mundo al revés.
(Equipo Nizkor, Violacion a los derehos humanos, retrieved 5 June 2008, http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/mexico/doc/inm.html)

WATER.

So our first team arrived Saturday night (they drove all the way from MO) and were eager to get to work. We had an early morning worship service where our group outnumbered the congregation (only about 6-7 regulars).

I translated the sermon which had me quite nervous through the first hour and a half of singing and praying, but once I got up there I had my own microphone, and as Latin American pastors are (aun los presbiterianos) Josue had a lot of energy so I had fun conveying the word in English and inventing my own hand gestures to accompany the liturgy for the American team. The situation was ideal as I didn't have quite too many people to embarrass myself in front of, the majority of the American group doesn't speak Spanish so I can give it my best shot and only 3-4 people are really able to judge the quality of my translation. Relief. It should be fun this summer exploring the dynamics of this whole translation bit and inventing my own style and expression. It definitely keeps you on your toes- I can't let my mind wander for a minute or it's gone.

The pastor attended seminary in South Carolina without knowing too much English. When he left there were only 6 Hispanic people he knew (talk about lack of community, I won't complain about Barnard anymore!) He said the most difficult part of schooling was learning how to write and think in English because even in grade school and high school, creating your own sentences, theses, ideas simply doesn't happen. Many subjects are taught by rote and originality isn't expected, although some tell me the situation is changing now. Maybe it'll be another Jose Vasconcelos era...

Even though we're right on the border, most people speak Spanish and don't really use English. Some children learn it at school, but already the system suffers from a half-day system and poor attendance. I spoke to my friend Miguelito (8 yrs old) out on the street last night and he reports his teacher is mas o menos, she's okay, but that English is quite boring. We have a bball hoop at the neighbor's house so there's time to play soccer after dinner with our younger amiguitos.

Yesterday we visited the rodeo, charreada where all the cowboys/vaqueros threw their hats and boots onto the course when the horses were skillfully caught and somersaulted to the ground but the gringos couldn't clap... ahh animal cruelty and cultural differences). We did enjoy some nice tacos, potato chips with picante sauce, and water ices (the shaved ice was fresh, the vendor was scraping it off the slab which was attached to the back of his bicycle). The market was interesting, nothing is really central to Reynosa so people hawk Oaxacan leather sandals, fake pottery from other parts of the country, and of course your vast array of plastic Lucha Libre items and wrestling masks. I was lucky to find a nice underground restaurant with AC and Happy Gilmore was on TV so I remained quite content.

CATHOLIC CHURCH DOWNTOWN, W/ FUNKY EERIE LOOKING TOWERS


CENTRAL PLAZA/ZOCALO DOWNTOWN, ONLY SHADY RELIEF THERE IS

Today we broke up some cement slab to excavate and pour foundation. Luckily some old rebarb had been left on site so there was no need to tie and armar new ones. Unfortunately, old bags of cement had been rained on long ago and were useless, but after some local deliveries of stone, sand and cement, we got to work. The gringos decided to mix by hand (at the hottest part of the day of course). Our local bricklayer Lupe just kind of shook his head, (we could've waited until the cement mixer arrived tomorrow but they were pretty insistent and wanted more work). I'm sure we'll all be sleeping well tonight. Talk about back breaking labor, these people were Seven Dwarfing it with their pick axes, buckets and shovels but remain an impressively cohesive team despite the heat, varying job availability, the heat and different degrees of physical strength and capability. We've got one scrawny freshman, five brave adults (3 supportive moms), one young couple and seven more enthusiastic high school youth. The cement eats up your hands, plus the air here sucks every drop of moisture out of your body. It's a good thing I didn't get contacts before I came, that would've been comical. Pues, everybody was pretty well splattered and soaked in sweat/sudor on the ride home, but jovially fighting for the showers, a good tiered after the first rewarding day of work (it's only cold with low water pressure but not cold enough). Tomorrow we can start laying block, good news.

Ah, and did I tell you, I'm driving. That's right Mom, in Mexico even without much practice in Jersey and there's no rules here. Or lines. Or signals. There may actually be emissions inspections every once and awhile, but who knows. I have had several brave passengers risk their lives with me instead of ride their 15 passenger van, but hey I do have AC and more leg room! Our little Corolla is hanging in there... the road isn't paved and after rain there are some giant holes where you can bottom out, or going over hidden speed bumps, but I'm pretty sure the Cadillac converter is still under there... a ver. There's a ton of U turns here, and people park in the middle of the highway division. I don't claim to understand these practices, observances only but still much to report.

Still no batteries, still no pictures, but I found a guitar in the spare room, I'll see if I can get somebody with enough patience to teach me a few cords...

I went through a lot of water back at school but now my thirst is pretty much unquenchable. It's so dry you sweat everything out.