Buenos Dias, Mexico

3 de Julio, 2008

We arrived in Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico, in the state of Jalisco, early and by 6:00 a.m. ( for me all time is approximate in Mexico, as I am not wearing a watch here) our passports were inspected and we were in the terminal. We could be anywhere, you know how airports look the same, but mostly Spanish was spoken, and we heard Gloria call our name and wave a huge Mexican flag. Here we are with Gloria and Tino, her brother, while Edgar, Gloria's nephew and the driver, a young physician, takes the picture. We had planned to travel and spend time with Gloria and explore the state of Michoacan, where many of our students were born. However, the week before we were to leave, Gloria was called to Mexico because her mother was very ill. By the time we arrived her mother was stable, but Gloria would need to stay close to home, so J. and I were on our own in exploring Mexico.

We left Sacramento at midnight and arrived after four hours, so scratch one night of sleep. At that point, it didn't matter, as we were ready for a full day of seeing the state of Michoacan and traveling to Gloria's family home in Janamuato, a village of about 3,000 people about 2 1/2 hours away. We wanted to see Lake Chapala, the largest natural lake in Mexico, and we were amazed at the wetlands filled with snowy egrets, ducks and other birds. The lake is 18 miles wide and 53 miles long. Here is a panorama view of the town of Jamay and the lake from una punta de vista. We can see that Mexico is spectacular, from the ornate churches to the rolling hills of Michoacan. We made more stops before we arrived at Gloria's home, including lunch at a buffet, where I ate bran flakes and a banana, still following the travel clinic's advice not to eat anything that has cooled off or is peeled. (Happy to say I didn't get sick and stopped following those directions to the letter or I would be ten pounds lighter).

Lake Chapala is in a forested, green area, in a resort town that at one time was the summer home of the rich and famous of Mexico. D.H. Lawrence wrote "The Plumed Serpent" here in 1920. While the lake is beautiful and the source of water for Chapala and nearby towns, its water level has dropped by half in the last 100 years because of the cutting down of trees and mud sliding into the lake. There is a noticeable stench in some areas caused by the pollution and engineers and environmentalists are working to reverse the damage. Birding is a pastime on the lake and we saw small boats and fisherman on the lake.

Michoacan is a fertile valley, with green, rolling pasture land and farms. This is the rainy season, but just enough to grow the crops and not damage them. Here corn and agave fields dot the hillsides, horses and cows occasionally wander into the road, sheep graze and I saw the farmers who harvest the crops we eat, when the produce signs read, "Grown in Mexico."

Here also are three mujeras who happily posed for our camera. In our beginning Spanish we told them where we were from and asked them questions. Each time I visit a non-English speaking country, I realize how valuable bilingual skills are in being able to have deep conversations and communicate with comprehension. Often people say they understand when they don't, including me. This would be one of the many lessons of the journey.

On the way to Janamuato I saw many political signs, often painted on the white stucco walls of haciendas and casas we passed in town and countryside. I asked Tino, who is not bilingual, about the current president, "Quien es el presidente?" His answer, "Felipe Calderon Jinajosa, who was born in nearby Purandiro." (in espanol). He also said, "No narcos." I asked, "Te gusta Fox?" He replied with a resounding "NO!" I also found out from Tino that the population of Purandiro is 40,000. And that was how our conversation flowed during the rest of our stay with Gloria. She speaks English, but no one else in the family or the village did, until we met a math instructor teaching summer school who was fluent and who lived in the town of Purandira.

Ana and Maestro Ramon, teacher at the local elementary school in Janamuato

Church tower in square in Jamay

Tino, Edgar and Gloria pose in the churchyard above Lake Chapala.

We visited Gloria's family in Janamuato, a town that is only on the regional maps. Her parents live alone in the family home, over 100 years old. They helped build the church down the street. Her sister lives a few blocks away in the back of the tienda she owns. While the family home is larger with many rooms, Berta's home consists of very small living quarters attached to the shop. When I speak of the difference in scale, this is an example. This family appears to be happy and to have what they need. Her husband works in Wyoming six months of the year, her son, the doctor, lives in Purandiro with his wife (we saw the video of the very upscale and fun wedding), and her daughter, age 22, shares the home. What we each believe we need to be successful or happy differs within a country and a culture. The question is how people use the resources of a country, if there is a gap between those who have and those who do not and how inequality is addressed. We in the U.S. use a disproportionate amount of resources compared to the rest of the world, according to environmental reports I've read. Seeing a family live comfortably with fewer material possessions helps me understand the difference between wants and needs. I continue to be conscious of living well at the expense of workers in other countries who provide goods and services for our use, in our country.

Hasta Luego, Irene