Market, 8th Grade Boys, Talent Show

Sunday is a market day in Miacatlan. Blocks and blocks of the small town fill up with vendors selling anything from fruit, to pirated DVDs, to underwear. This seems standard for most towns in Mexico. There are three women that live in the clinic: Pati, Teri and Rosi. They all grew up in the NPH Mexico home. They either never left because of a disability or returned to be cared for when they became sick as adults. Part of the NPH philosophy is that they will care for the children throughout their lifespan if necessary. Dan takes each woman to the market on Sundays to buy whatever they need. Above is a picture of Dan and Rosi. She came back to NPH 20 years ago when she became disabled by rheumatoid arthritis.

In other news, I became adopted by the 8th grade boys at the house. They invited me to eat with them and then to check out their living quarters (2 of them are in the middle picture). They showed me their lockers with posters of their favorite soccer teams, pictures of their girlfriends and t-shirts of their favorite pro wrestlers. They seem like a good group for me, they're young enough to be goofy but old enough to hold a conversation.

There was a Miss/Mr. NPH activity tonight that one of the other volunteers came up with. I wish I had a video because my description won't do it justice. All the grade levels competed in different categories: formal wear, sports wear, casual wear and talent (most of them danced). We put a bunch of tables together to make a runway. These kids crack me up. Dan was one of the judges, in the picture he is crowning Miss NPH, who was one of the littler ones.

Getting the Ball Rolling

I spent the day essentially trying to find a new rhythm. I started the day with a run, exploring the best way to cut through town and get to the back roads. The people love to sweep in the morning. Polite old women paused and said, "Buenos Dias". The air smells like a carnavel in the summer when corn is being smoked on an open fire.

I spent most of the day in the clinic, unwrapping equipment that has already been delivered and getting an idea of how I want to set up the therapy room. As you can see in the picture it is quite nice. A fellow volunteer named Dan showed me the ropes, he's been helping out in the clinic since July. I hope to tell you more about him later.

The days feel long, partly because everything is new and partly because the pace is leisurely. Things I used to do on the fly, have now become an event, with a beginning, middle and an end. Things like drinking coffee, getting a key made, or searching for a screw driver. It feels a little unnatural at the moment, but I hope to gradually smooth out my rough edges and start rolling smoothly again.

We also had mass this evening. My favorite part is the classic Mexican high pitched mandolin that accompanies the familar songs and responses. We even had popsicles afterwards. This little guy in the picture above came up and held my hand. He commented that we have similar hair.

Too Much to Say

Bienvenidos a Miacatlan. These pictures show the entrance of NPH and the quiet streets of the pueblo itself. Today was an overwhelming day...both in a good and challenging way depending on what hour you asked me. I feel like I have a lot of things to write about but I think I need to let things settle in my mind before I can share them properly.

But maybe I'll give you a taste. The casa here is much bigger than I expected with beautiful buildings that were restored from the 1800s. There are acres and acres of land growing vegetables, talpia ponds, goats, and pigs. I have my own room that might be bigger than my old studio in Chicago. I feel a little guilty becasue the other volunteers share a room that is literally separated by sheets. But I don't feel bad enough to give it up.

There are kids everywhere, constantly in motion, which is both overwhelmingly beautiful and crazy. I ate dinner with 9 year old boys, which consisted of the boy next to me literally telling me each minute when the number on my watch changed and the boy across from me getting excited and spilling my juice all over my lap. After dinner I just sat and watched the kids play soccer. A 13 year old boy named Donaldo came and sat next to me the whole time. He brought me chocolates and apples with chile sauce and asked me every question he could think of. He's only been here for 7 months...I think he's adjusting too.

Time to Go, Birthday Party, Tepoztlan

I'm sitting here listening to my "Going Away Mix" feeling a mix of nostalgia and excitement. I just packed my bags again. Tomorrow we head for Miacatalan, where I will settle in for 6 months. When I got to Cuernavaca 2 weeks ago I was chomping at the bit to get going on the work ahead of me. But I must admit I've gotten used to the rhythm of life here...language school, lazy afternoons, good people, nights on the town. We were told to take advantage of the language school/orientation because it is the easiest 2 weeks of our time here. I feel like we've done that. Now it's time to meet the little ones and get to work...if I can remember how.

Last night we celebrated Valerie's birthday. We joked that I was jealous because she got a really fancy cake and our Spanish teacher didn't assign homework in honor of her birthday. After the house party we went to bar with a live rock band. They sang a lot of classic 90's tunes that I hadn't heard in awhile.

Today was our last day of class. We convinced our teacher Gina to let us take a field trip to a nearby town called Tepoztlan. It is known for a pyramide that was built on the top of a bluff. It's a steep 45 minute climb to the top. I don't know how they built it back in the day.

Next time you hear from me it will be from my new casa. But I will be back to tear up Cuerna in couple of weeks when I have my first break.

Cyclops

Every day we eat lunch and dinner with the NPH high school students that live and study here in Cuernavaca. I believe there are about 200 of them. A lot of them are really friendly, they especially like to test out their English skills with us. I was warned early on that they're big on nicknames. Within a day or two some of the kids, including Sergio who's in this picture, started calling me Cyclops (which they pronounce "C-cloops"). He's a character on X-Men, which I've never seen but I guess he takes off his sunglasses and can shoot laser beams with his eyes. I'll take it...I've definitely been called worse.

Sophie and Naomi

Sophie and Naomi live across the street. They have been volunteers here in Cuernavaca for the last 6 months, working both in the NPH office and directly with the high school kids. Joe and I often find ways to distract them from their work...hanging out on their roof after lunch or keeping them up late on a "school night". The picture above is the vista from their roof. They are a lot of fun and very sarcastic. When I posted about Joe last week, Sophie wrote the comment, "He's not that great." So I've decided to describe them a bit sarcastically, partly because I know they will read it. You can decide what's actually true.

Sophie (on the left) is originally from Minnesota and recently got her Masters in history at University of Tennesee. She will continue on with her doctorate next Fall. She's very smart and will be the first to let you know that she's basically a genius. She makes fun of the length of my pants and the way I hold a book, but I think it's just because she doesn't know how to compliment someone. She's not all bad though, she lent me her coffee maker while I'm here in Cuerna, which has been clutch. Plus, I have to say she is my preferred dance partner in Mexico...so far.

Naomi (on the right) is from the DC area. She went to William and Mary in Virginia and will return there for her Masters in elementary education in the Fall. She has this great laugh that I wish I could describe...most of the time she's laughing at Joey. She plays a mean violin and can hold her own on the soccer field...quite the double threat. Plus she can drink me under the table.

Sigrid and Nancy

It's about time that I get back to introducing the other volunteers. The picture above was taken by my friend Naomi during my birthday party. I like it because I feel as if it captures the personalities of Sigrid and Nancy. Sigrid (on the right) is always humoring me by answering my many questions about the Spanish language or intricacies of Spanish culture...she always does it with a quiet smile. Nancy (in the middle) is an intense learner as you can see by the look on her face.

Sigrid is from Barcelona (she pronounces the "c" with a "th" sound) - true to her Castillian accent. She is 25 and has been working as a school social worker for a couple of years, in particular with immigrants from the DR and Morocco. She will be taking care of younger children during her time in Mexico. She has this very hip Euro vibe. She's the type to make smoking look cool. Yet when she speaks English she has this very cute accent that is almost child-like. She is learning important phrases like, "Settle down." and "What's up?". She is also refreshingly honest and non-judgemental. One night we were guests at the high school youth group meeting, and she was asked in front of everyone if she had faith in God. She very calmly answered, "No". Every time I ask her a general question about a group of people (which seems to be a lot for some reason), she consistently answers that "there are all kinds of people within any group."

Nancy is from San Jose and won't reveal her age. She has led an interesting life. Since 2005 she has lived in British Guyana with the Peace Core and spent a year in Bangledesh. She is spending 3 months in Miacatlan with us to get orientated to NPH and then moving up north to Monterrey to start a new position as guidance counselor for the pequenos who are now attending college there. After 15 months with NPH she plans to do Teach for America. She is on a mission to learn Spanish and isn't afraid to do her own thing. I was honored when she stayed up past her bedtime and took a shot of tequila for my birthday.

Perspective

Stepping outside of your own country has a way giving you perspective, allowing you to critique not only other cultures but also your very self. I remember when I was 17 and I went to the Domincan Republic on a missions trip, I understood for the first time that the rest of the world didn't have the same choices as I did. Through a mix of gratitude and guilt I started to come to terms with my own privilege...which is still a process.

In recent years I have taken an interest in primitive cultures, natural and sexual selection, while trying to stay within the context of the Christian faith. How do we survive as a species, how do we pass on our genes, while living in communion with the divine, other humans, other species? Some would say religion has been a tool to allow us to do these things (helping some people and genders more than others).

I know these are some deep questions but to a certain extent I feel like I saw them intersect while watching a parade on Friday night. The people celebrated the Aztec culture with beautiful costumes and dancing, they dressed as Chinelos as a way of making fun of the Spaniards who conquered their land, and at the end of parade weathered old Catholic women walked solemnly with candles. All of these groups processed towards the church in the center of town (the religion brought by the very men they are mocking). I don't think they see the irony in this act, maybe because it is too close to their eyes? But maybe they are able to simply live into the history they were given and they are able to hold it lightly enough to celebrate all of it without worrying about how each part relates to the other? Perspective?

Parades, Pools, Pozole

I made it to Axochiapan without a hitch. Raul gave me last minute directions to get off the bus in Quebrantadero, his actual town, and his kids were there to greet me. It ended up that his Raul's wife and youngest daughter were in Mexico City, but his other 2 children, Raul Jr. and Carmen were home from college for the weekend. They took good care of me. Raul Jr. is 23 and a lot like his old man, very outgoing. From the moment he saw me he told me he wanted to practice his English every minute I was there. He speaks very well. He is studying "mechanical engines" in Puebla. Carmen is 21 and is very sweet and motherly, always making sure I had whatever I needed. She is studying orthodontics in Puebla. Raul Sr. called at least once every day to get updates on what we were doing, suggesting foods to eat and in general making sure I was having a good time.

Friday night we hit the festival in Axochiapan, which had a full-on carnival. The streets were packed for 3 different parades/processions, which went on until midnight. I finished the night with some Pozole, which a soup that has meat and popcorn-like noodles.

Saturday Raul Jr. took me to a natural pool that was heated by hot springs that came from a nearby volcano, I swam literally for hours because it felt so good. He also took me to an archeological site where we climbed a mountain and saw some great vistas. At night we met up with their friends for tacos. I am hoping to visit them in Puebla some weekend while I'm here, which is supposed to be a beautiful city with lots of history. Many thanks to the Sanchez family for their wonderful hospitality.

Weekend Trip

I'm getting ready to head out to a pueblo called Axochiapan, the hometown of a good friend of my family, Raul. My sister Katie was Raul's English tutor when she was in college. Over the years he met our whole family. I remember him taking me and Kate out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant when I was in Minnesota. He even came to her wedding. Every year on my birthday I get a call from Raul early in the morning, which is a Mexican tradition. He'll call my parents and they'll go back and forth in their respective broken English and Spanish. When he heard that I was coming to Mexico, he insisted that I stay with his family. There is a festival there this weekend, so it should be fun...that's if I can find it. His instructions were, "Get off the bus and go uphill on the main road. When you cross a small bridge, turn left at the next road and my house is on the left." Got it. Of course he is working in the States, so I will be staying with his wife and daughter. I'll give you a full update on Sunday when I return.

Some Really Cute Birthday Wishes

My sister Katie sent me some videos from Ava and Liam for my birthday. Being gone for 6 months doesn't seem very long until I think about how much Ava will change in that amount of time. I love how serious Liam gets everytime he plays his guitar. As they say in the Espanish, "Que Serio!" Check out the links:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Smiljanich/JerBirthdayAva?authkey=Gv1sRgCNH96ojOzO2-mgE&feat=email#5429048249596819074

http://picasaweb.google.com/Smiljanich/LiamBirthdayWishes?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzbuvT4oMiuTA&feat=email#5429040814295118898

Great Birthday

It's late but I just wanted to offically document that I had a great 31st birthday. When I was planning for this trip I knew my birthday would fall within the first week of my time in Mexico. I hardly mentioned it when I got here, but I ended up having a wonderful little party here in my apartment tonight. There was cake with 31 candles and of course a bit of tequila and cerveza...which many people wanted to make sure I would experience on my first Mexican birthday. Thanks to all who sent along birthday wishes and for those of you who didn't know, don't be surprised, I try to not to make a big deal about it. Hopefully Gina, my language teacher will understand why I didn't do my homework assignment tonight.

Jane and Valerie

This is a picture of my Spanish class. Jane on the left, Gina in the middle and Valerie on right. Our classroom is on the rooftop of the language school every day from 9am-1pm. We learn fancy grammar techniques, read stories about Mexican history and have conversations. Like a lot of things in life, formal education reminds you how much you don't know.

Gina is a former nurse from Cuernavaca who now teaches Spanish. I saw her on the bus today and she pointed out a few lesser known attractions that she had explained in class. She encourages us to incorporate the context of our life when giving examples during class, which is helpful.

Jane is a fellow volunteer who will be working as a caregiver (encargada) for NPH in Miacatlan (same place as me). She's 24 and is from Arizona. She spent 6 months in Peru this last year and plans to get her masters in education when she returns home. She's a lot of fun and is a bit feisty (as she will tell you). She has some nice combacks against Joe's humor.

Valerie is 26 and from Montreal. She is an occupational therapist who plans to work in the special education department at the school in Miacatlan. Her first language is French, so I like to give her a hard time when she directly translates French words to Enlglish ie. sumptuous. And of course I point out every time she says "eh"...I like to add "hoser" (reference Strange Brew). But seriously she couldn't be sweeter. She has traveled all over the world and is great for breaking out her guide book and giving us the history of our surroundings.

Joe

I hope to slowly introduce the other volunteers that I am working with during my time here in Mexico. This is Joe. He's 23 and from Phoenix, Arizona. He's taking a year to volunteer and solidify his Spanish before graduating from nursing school. He's my roommate while I'm here in Cuernavaca and this guy is pure comic relief. Within the first 2 minutes of meeting him at the airport he busted out his spanish dictionary and started quizzing me on vocabulary. He's the sort of guy who has no secrets from the moment you meet him and during most meals I almost choke because he's so funny. He told us today that he literally has $33 in the bank and is going to try to live on the $23 we make every 2 weeks. He was asking what the Spanish word for sperm is, because he is hoping to sell his in order to make some cash. Despite his low funds he went out of his way to buy some chorizo at the market yesterday so he could cook me his grandmother's recipe for breakfast. He's that sort of guy.

Dancing, Markets and Biking

Last night some of the volunteers who have been here since July took us for a night on the town. Being 30, I'm definitely the oldest but I was proud of myself for hanging with the kids until 4am. I had my first michelada (click on it for a wikipedia definition) and I held my own on the dance floor. Cuernavaca is known as a tourist town but they are all from Mexico City, you don't see many Americans.

Today we went to Church in the morning and then hit up the Sunday market in our neighborhood. This afternoon I put my bike together and went exploring on my own. My goal is to hit a different corner of the city every day. I found another market as people were packing up their things, which you can see in two of these pictures. The other is a glamour shot of my bike, Mexican style. For those of you who know my "iron horse" you'll notice that I had to leave the crate behind, it wouldn't fit in my luggage.

Cuernavaca

So here I am in Mexico finally. My flight went smooth yesterday. I spent most of the day and night in the Mexico City Airport waiting for 4 other volunteers that were arriving from the U.S....they all seem like really cool people. For the next 2 weeks we are staying in the city of Cuernavaca for some language school and orientation to the ways Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos. At the end of the month I will be moving to a much smaller town called Miacatlan. Cuernavaca is beautiful city and relatively small (nothing compared to the 22 million in Mexico City). It is called the city of eternal spring - at about 5,000' elevation it stays mild year round. There is a lot of history here, as you can see in my picture of the cathedral from the 1500s. We explored the city most of the day and I took a run, I'm going to have to get used to all this up and down. Well, I'm off to grab some tacos, will check in soon. By the way I snapped this photo of the mariachi player, I told him I loved his mustache...it gives me something to aspire to.

Adios Winter

So I leave tomorrow for Mexico, which means today is my last day of true winter weather. In honor of the occasion, I drank a Winter Ale over nice dinner with my parents (these icicles are hanging outside their back porch). I know I'm cutting out early, but I feel like I got some bang for my buck this December and January in Chicago. I want to keep my skin and blood thick...after all that's what makes us Midwesterners hearty and flexible.

On a more serious note, no one can ignore the devastation that is happening in Haiti, especially for a country that had such little reserve to begin with. A couple of days ago I received the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Medical Newsletter. The first news reported from Haiti was that the one priest serving there buried 500 children in 2009 (this is one man alone before this earthquake hit). Today I received an email asking for prayers. NPH has a day hospital that collasped. One of their long term workers was on the 5th floor and is still unaccounted for. Lord have mercy.

Changing the World/Diapers

I can't help but to write about another one of Sy Safransky's essays, especially considering my sister Katie, my nephew Liam and niece Ava have been staying here at my parents house the last couple of days. The essay was written in 1977 (the year Katie was born) and it is Safransky's reflections on the birth of his daughter. He says, "To me, changing a diaper is more important than changing the world. I take that back: changing a diaper is changing the world, for of such small labors of love is the world created."

Changing diapers might be the best example for me, although I have changed a few in my day. But as I've rubbed shoulders with fellow idealists and good friends, I've found that my vision has biased the small and steady daily actions vs. the vision to make changes on a larger scale. I'm thankful for Sy's affirmation of the small actions. I'm thankful for my parents for changing my diapers and I hope Liam and Ava one day thank Katie for changing their diapers. We might have to return this labor of love one day. These are the true rhythms of life.

Creating My Own Box

The other day in the kitchen my dad randomly asked me, "On an application when it asks of religious affiliation, which one do you choose?" I told him the last time I had to, I checked "other" and wrote: Catholic/animist. I admit I don't practice either one very well. In fact, a true animist wouldn't even know what that word meant - they would just have a world view that everything in this world is divine. Most hunter gatherers were animists. They didn't have to choose whether unborn babies, killers, poor people or even animals, trees or rocks have divine worth...they do. Although I am not a card-carrying practicing Catholic or animist, I believe both systems are rooted in me...but the Catholics had better weapons when they met centuries ago.

Live a Life That Respects Life

My friend Jason gave me a book called "A Bell Ringing in the Empty Sky" by Sy Safransky, who is the founder of The Sun (magazine). In one of the essays called Riches he says his life was shaped by a line in a Graham Nash song - "Make sure the things you do keep us alive". He said it forced him to "live a life that respected life"...earning a life not a living. This isn't necessarily a novel idea but I hope that my experience in Mexico pushes me along on the spectrum of earning a life vs. a living. I know I haven't just earned a living up until this point in life but there is more life to earned.

Going Away Mix

These are the 17 songs on my Going Away Mix.

Important contact info:

Jeremy Sullivan (Voluntario)
Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos
Apdo. Postal 333
62000 Cuervavaca, Morelos
Mexico

I won't have a cell phone. E-mail for a Skype date:
jeremysullivan40@hotmail.com

Check out Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos

Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) is the organization who is providing me with this opportunity. It all started very organically back in 1954 when a priest decided to take in a kid who stole from the church's poor box rather than prosecute him. NPH now cares for over 3,000 children in 8 Latin American countries.