FELICES FIESTAS!!

(Access students in Oaxaca and I wish you Season's Greetings!)

After almost 3 months of constant travel, I finally get a break! I am looking forward to spending Christmas and New Years in Mexico City. (My good friends Michael and Bardo are coming down from the US to keep me company. Que bien!) On January 2nd, we will fly to Puerto Vallarta for a few days of R & R at the beach…Then the “teacher-training road show” begins again with trips to Cuidad del Carmen, Cancun, and San Jose (Costa Rica) all during the first month of 2011.

May your holidays be filled with much love & joy,

Daniel

Views of Puebla:

The RELO Office Staff (Brenda, Jose Manuel, Kitty and I):

Where's Waldo (I mean Daniel)? Somewhere among the Access Students at FES-Acatlan! (We were celebrating Thanksgiving.)

Tree in Oaxaca:

VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910 with an uprising led by Francisco Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Diaz. The movement was characterized by socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist and agrarian expressions of malcontent. Over time, the Revolution changed from a revolt against the established order to all-out civil war, eventually producing the Mexican Constitution of 1917. The Revolution triggered the creation of the National Revolutionary Party in 1929 (later renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, in 1946) which held power until the general elections of 2000. On this centennial anniversary, Mexicans all around the country are pouring into the streets to commemorate the special occasion through demonstrations, patriotic speeches, and by dressing up in “guerrillero” outfits (sombreros, ponchos, large moustaches, rifles, and silver bullets criss-crossing their chests).

Professionally, I have been traveling quite a bit lately. (Most recently, giving teacher-training workshops in Villahermosa and San Luis Potosi, and presenting at the annual MexTESOL conference in Cancun - see photos below). The next two weeks will be spent in Mexico City (DF), however, preparing for upcoming trips to Puebla and Oaxaca.

Many of you have asked where to send holiday cards/gifts, so here is the Embassy’s pouch address (if you feel so inclined):

C/o Kitty Johnson
PAS/RELO/BFL
PO Box 9000
Brownsville, TX 78520-0900

FYI - Only domestic US postage is required. Also, put MY name in the return address, since this is officially my boss’ diplomatic address. And ABSOLUTELY NO LIQUIDS OR POWDERS! (Trail mix and M & M’s are most certainly allowed, though! Ha!)

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS & ALIBRIJES

For Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Mexican families honor their deceased loved ones by creating altars in their homes. They put out food, drinks, toys, candy, ceramics, and lighted candles to beckon the dead to return on this special occasion. The offerings include things representing every natural element: water, earth (fruits), air (cut up pieces of paper that are dispersed by the wind) and fire. The altar may also display candy skulls (“calaveras”) with the names of the departed written on their foreheads. The custom supposedly dates back to the various indigenous cultures in Mexico: Aztecs, Mayas, Olmecs, etc.

On October 31st at midnight, bells ring in cemeteries all over the country so the disoriented souls can find their way home, guided by paths of candles & bright orange marigolds, and the scent of “copal” (incense). On the night of November 1st, the bells ring again to call the spirits back to rest. The cemetery doors are then shut and the feast begins. Banquets include everything from “pozole” (corn with beef, chicken, pork and spices) and “mole” (special chocolate sauce) to “chiles rellenos” (stuffed peppers) and “dulce de calabaza” (pumpkin dessert). “Pan de muerto” is also served – a delicious sweet bread baked in a circular shape to represent the cycle of life & death. And of course a bottle of tequila or mezcal to wash it all down! Despite the seemingly morbid theme, it is actually a very joyful celebration.

The famous Mexican painter, Jose Guadalupe Posada, depicted the most famous representation of death, “La Cantrina”, as a skeleton dressed in elegant clothing of the Revolutionary era of the 1800’s. Modern popular art has created the amazing “alibrijes”, colorful figures combining mythical and political characters, which line the main avenue of Mexico City all this week (see photos below). How’s THAT for a quick lesson in Mexican culture?

Needless to say, this continues to be an endlessly fascinating place to be…Next I’m off to Cancun for a conference (and a large dose of US culture, I imagine!) Ciao for now!

Photos From Palenque Ruins and Misol-Ha Waterfall (Chiapas)

Guadalajara & Ixtapa

Happy Columbus Day! Or as they prefer to say here in Mexico: Feliz Dia de La Raza!

My first two trips out of Mexico City couldn’t have gone better. To begin with, I spent four incredible days in the “garden-city” of Guadalajara, training teachers of the Programa Nacional de Ingles en Escuelas Basicas (PNIEB) on collaborative learning methodologies. The group was so enthusiastic and grateful to have me there. Not that it is a huge surprise, but I’m finding Mexican educators to be very delightful and hospitable people. Although they have a complicated love/hate relationship with the US, I have been treated with nothing but exceptional kindness.

Ixtapa was no exception. I was in this resort on the Pacific Coast to attend the annual conference of the Association of University Professors. While there, I gave a well-received presentation on “The Art of Mentoring Teachers”, ate lots of wonderful food, managed to take some long walks on the beach (mostly at sunrise and sunset as the pictures below will attest), set a hundred baby turtles free into the ocean, and met like-minded people from around the country.

When I’m not on the road, I continue to explore the capital…Went to the Centro Historico with a former Visions buddy of mine, Rick Kraince; Checked out the Ciudadela Handicraft Market as part of an Embassy field trip; Walked around the artsy bohemian neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma, etc.

My next destination: Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco. I will be giving two workshops in this humid jungle environment (nestled between Veracuz and Campeche on the Gulf Coast). While there, I also hope to visit the famous Mayan ruins of Palenque.

Stay Tuned!

FELIZ FIESTAS PATRIAS!!!

Although the last two days are still somewhat of a blur, here are are some random photos from Mexico's Bicentennial celebrations...