Last day in Oaxaca

Tomorrow morning early we leave town just as the snowbirds fly in.  We are making our final purchases and eating our favorite foods before leaving.

Goodbye Leslie

Leslie left early this morning.  Yesterday she and I visited San Bartolo Coyotepec which is a pottery town.  The clay in this area produces a unique dark colored pottery known as Barro negro.  For 1000s of years, the pottery served utilitarian purpose, but the pieces became popular as collectables in the 1950s with the discovery of a new polishing technique. Once fired, Barro negro sports a dull gray color, but if the pottery is polished before placing it in the kiln, it comes out as shiny black. Barro negro is now known throughout the world and many use it now as a decorative pieces. 

And the price is right!

We had a heyday purchasing pottery and spent less than $20 total.  Arin and I had taken an expensive tour there earlier this year.  Leslie and I found a bus for 6 pesos.

Last night we had dinner at our friends Cameron and Jay's home.  Jay cooked delicious Indian food.  They have the nicest apartment we have seen in Oaxaca.  It looked much like home.  Most of the other homes here have barren walls and uncomfortable wooden furniture.

Arin and I have one week remaining in Oaxaca.  We are going to miss this place, but some of the things I will not miss are the crowds, the traffic, the sound of bus drivers yelling Cuarteles and Volcanes, each time one of those bus routes stops in front of my house, but especially not the constant barrage of bottle rockets released from churches during all hours of the day and night.

The ruins of Mitla

Leslie and I ventured out of town to Mitla which is another of the Zapotec historical sites.  We caught a bus in front of our place then transfered to a very nice greyhound type bus.  Lastly, we rode in a this motocar taxi.  While Monte' Alban is isolated, this is a tourist town where people live near the ruins.  The Zapotec building are composed of interesting tile designs.

We had a soup of yellow mole which has no relationship to the chocolate type moles.   I originaly thought that all moles were chocolate flavored, but there are actually several types. 

Somehow we were convinced to taste mezcal.  There were several types of sweet fruited mezcal including tamarind which seems to be the favorite flavor of Oaxacanos.  We didn't like those so much.  Leslie purchased a really cute touristy type bottle on which was tied a bamboo shot glass and a bag of worm salt

Miguel and Miguelito and Emilio, our tutoriong students

Arin and I are very busy with our teaching and tutoring.  I have two Miguels.  Miguel Spain is my 37 year old whom I am teaching English, although I learn just as much Spanish from him. We are trading English lessons  for cooking lessons.
Miguelito, which I call him so as to differentiate, is my 11 year old who attends Esperanza.   I am tutoring Miguelito in Spanish.  For the most part, he needs to read and then write a summary.   Luckily, I am very good at Spanish reading and spelling although not so good at speaking.

The Esperanza children are allowed on the computer to do math and have been using Mexican math websites. Today I  introduced American children's math websites in which you learn by playing games.  I received a big hug from Miguelito's friend over this, because the only math websites which they have been using at Esperanza are very dry.  Also today, Miguelito presented me with a Feliz Navidad card that he crafted.

Arin also has a student at Esperanza who speaks almost fluent English.  Once in awhile, Emilio's mother takes Arin on an excursion to the market or a festival with the family. Arin is getting a nice taste of the town and Emilio's family gets to practice English conversation.

Leslie and the vendadoras

I wish I would have had my camera today and photographed Leslie on the tourist street.  She was sandwiched between two vendadoras.  One woman was in front of her selling painted combs and painted wooded teaspoons while the other was behind her massaging her back and trying to sell her the massager. I was standing about 6 feet away laughing on the sidewalk.  There are so many cute little painted things to buy that it is hard to resist.

Leslie visits from the USA

Leslie has been here a couple days and we are having our adventures.  Today was the long-awaited cooking class.  I arranged an intercambio with Miguel (from Spain).  I am teaching him English and his friends are teaching me to cook.  Today Leslie and I were taught the secrets to chiles relleños. 

Noviembre Oaxaca Cultural 2014

Every month we have been here there is some type of festival.
July-Guela Guetzta
August -There must have been something...
September-Dia de Independencia
October-Dia de los Muertos
November -Revolution Day
                  -Noviembre Oaxaca Cultural 2014
November is a month of free musical concerts.  Musicians from around the world play in several venues around town.  Unfortunately I did not find out about these until Thursday, but since then I have seen a strings concert and a piano-horns concert in the Teatro Macedonaio Alcala.  I was glad to finally have the opportunity to see this theater.  It seats about 700 people on 5 levels.  There are about 250 floor seats and the remainder are all box seats.  This is one of many Mexico theaters built by, you guessed it, Portfirio Diaz.  He had a mistress who was a great singer so he had the taxpayers build theaters worthy of her performance. Here is a picture of me in one of the box seats

Recpies

Roasted salsa
Place grilled; onions, serrano peppers,  and garlic in the blender with water.  Finally, pulse grilled tomatoes two times.

Chillaquiles sauce
Soaked dried guajillo peppers in hot water.  Place grilled: onions, garlic and and about 10X more tomatoes in blender.  Remove peppers from water and blend, then pour through a sieve to remove pulp and seeds.  Note:  Be sure to remove all char marks from vegetables, including cafe colored marks on the garlic.

Chiles rellaños
12 chilies de agua  -medium sized bright green chilies
2 eggs
fruit vinegar

Roast chilies.  Place in plastic bag to cool.  Once cooled, peel and remove seeds.  Place chilies in fruit vinegar to clean.
Beat egg whites until peaks form.  Fold in a sprinkling of flour, and eggs yolks. Dip chilies in egg mixture.  Cook in oil.  While chilies cook on one side, splash oil on top side, then flip.

Revolution Day November 20th.

Revolution Day celebrates the removal from office of Portfirio Diaz.  He was elected President and refused to vacate the post for 30 years.  As usual in Oaxaca, the day is celebrated by parades. I saw one parade of little children today.  The boys were dressed in white outfits draped with rifles.  The girls are named Las Soldaderas.  Soldaderas were female fighters.


Porfirio Díaz, who ran Mexico for more years than any other president, was born in Oaxaca and was 18 years old when the Mexican-American War of 1848 started. He watched while the U.S. annexed about half of Mexico’s land as a result of winning that war. Mexico continued to fight foreign invasions and wars throughout the century. The last of the foreign occupiers were the French. The French had  installed an emperor and controlled the country throughout the 1860s.. Portfirio Díaz became a hero fighting against the French occupation, but he wasn't always successful. In 1863, the French captured and held him as a prisoner of war. However, he soon escaped and became a commander in Benito Juárez’s Central Army.
In this capacity, he led several victories against the French, including the very important Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Does this date sound familiar? Maybe if you hear it in Spanish, the date will sound familiar. This is the event which is celebrated on Cinco de Mayo each year. This battle was the turning point of the war for Mexico and for Portfirio Diaz. In that battle, Diaz became a war hero. He became so loved by many Mexican citizens who honored him by naming their streets and their babies after him.
Porfirio Díaz stayed loyal to Benito Juárez until the French were repelled and order was restored. However, his loyalty failed when Benito Juárez became President of Mexico in 1868. Soon after Juárez’s election, Díaz decided that he himself should be President, so he led a revolt against the Mexican president. The revolt failed, but Diaz and allowed to serve in Congress as a delegate from Veracruz. He persisted in his fight to gain control of the central government. And finally, in 1876, he was able to defeat the federal troops. He declared himself President of Mexico soon after.
Díaz’s original presidency lasted only one term (four years) from 1876 to 1880, and disappointed many who had considered him a hero. Almost immediately, people understood that his plan was to remain in power by the use of corruption and violence, especially against the poor. Instead of serving a second term, he made sure that the new president, elected in 1880, would be his puppet. Thus Manuel González continued the corruption and repression that was Díaz’s hallmark – so much so that Díaz was able to get re-elected in 1884 by a populace disgusted even more with González.
Díaz then served as president, uninterrupted, from 1884 to 1910, for a grand total of 30 years. The irony of the so-called Porfiriato, the time when Díaz was president, was that it represented 30 years of relative peace and stability in Mexico, including economic stability. But both the peace and the economic stability came at a price. Díaz wanted Mexico to emulate the sophistication of Europe – and to that end, he re-made Mexico City in the image of the great European cities, virtually eliminating the influence of indigenous culture. He surrounded himself with rich advisors, the científicos, who dominated Mexico as a privileged upper class. Díaz so dissociated himself from his own indigenous roots, and so admired Europeans, that he would sometimes paint his face to make it look whiter than it actually was.

Though Porfirio Diaz was so hatted that November 20 celebrates his removal, he remains popular in Oaxaca only because he is a native son. The name Portfirio remains popular a street name and a a  name for male children.

The Mexican Revolution sparked the Constitution of 1917 which provided for separation of Church and state, government ownership of the subsoil, holding of land by communal groups, the right of labor to organize and strike and many other aspirations.

Long awaited cooking lessons

I fit the description of a foodie, but since I cannot afford to eat every meal at a restaurant, I have to learn to cook myself. Hence, I have been searching for someone to teach me Mexican cooking.

Esperanza to the rescue!.  I was looking at the brochure and noticed volunteer opportunities in the kitchen so I presented myself to the cook, Juanita,  and she agreed to my assistance.  I perused the weekly menu to chose my recipes days.  I was very excited about today's menu item, Chipolte Salchita Lentils.  Much to my disappointment, salchita turned out to be hot dogs, but at least I was able to learn how to make the chilpolte sauce.  I also cut up 3 dozen bananas for Fried Bananas. I was aghast to discover they are deep fried in oil.  My grilled bananas recipe is much healthier and very tasty. If you want to try it, slice whole bananas lenthwise while maintaining the banana in the peel. Then grill the banana. Next, place a dollup of crema mexican and drizzle some maple syrup. Yum, yum!

Yet another cooking opportunity has presented itself.  I had posted at the Oaxaca Lending Library that I would trade cooking lessons for English lessons.  I received an inquiry email today.

Centro de Esperanza -another volunteer opportunity

Cameron ran a summer bridge class for elementary aged children and the International Bridge Association has continued to support his endeavor in hopes of a new world-wide bridge resurgence.  He is now giving lessons at Centro de Experanza Infantil A.C. which is a block from our apartment.
Arin and I visited the center today and are very impressed with their vision.  They find donors who will support a year of education for youngsters who otherwise would not be able to attend school.  The children come for breakfast then spend the day in school   After they eat lunch,  they return to the Zocolo to assist their parents in selling handicrafts which support the family.  The donors get a quarterly grade report.  If a child is not making the grade, they are required to attend tutoring sessions at the center.  This is where we come in.  I start Tuesday.

If you are interested in supporting a child, or volunteering, the website is www.oaxacastreetchldrengrassroots.org

A Cooking lesson on roasted salsa

I have been searching for someone to teach me about Mexican cooking. One of my coworkers, Adrianna, volunteered.  She drove me to an outdoor market near her home.  We purchased meat and salsa ingredients.  When purchasing the meat, tomatoes, onion and serrano peppers, you have an option to have them grilled on a BBQ.  After the grilling, we went to her place where we seeded the serranos and placed them in a blender with the onions, garlic and some water.  At the final, the tomatoes were added whole, then pulsed twice.  Now I know how to make roasted salsa.  Maybe I won't have to go to the buffet everyday.  Adrianna also showed me the best place to purchase cheese, tortillas and for the first time in Oaxaca I found fresh eggs.  The market vendors were referring to me as "La California."

Unfortunately my lessons were short-lived because her husband was hit by a drunk driver.  He is in the hospital but will be fine.  Oaxaca does not punish drunk drivers just as the USA had no punishment before MADD pushed for drinkers to take responsibility for their choices.   If you have forgotten those crazy days, I suggest you watch Dragnet which is an old black and white cop show from the 1960s which reenacts real crimes or Quincy which depicts the investigative techniques of a coroner.  In one Quimcy episode, a man purposely mows down an enemy with his car, then chugs a couple bottles of booze while waiting for the cops. You see, before MADD, being drunk precluded you from punishment because it "wasn't my fault". 

$2.80 Buffet

On Murguia street there are 3 buffet restaurants situated in a row.  They cost about $2.80.  I try to visit one of these each day to pig out and then only need a snack either for breakfast or lunch depending on which meal I chose to eat at the buffet.  The best part of the buffet is the unlimited fresh squeezed juice of orange, mango, some kind of green healthy drink, cantaloupe, beet, papaya, or guava.  Arin will sometimes join me if guava juice is present.  He loves that fruit.  It's hard to believe that one can eat an entire buffet for the price of one glass of juice made from concentrate in the states.

Dia de los Muertos traditonal bread

Our landlady hung skeletons on all our apartment doors and today she served pan de muertos and hot chocolate to all her guests.  The pan de muertos has the head of a doll baked in.

Visiting the cemetery for Dia de los Muertos

Our friend Daniel offered to take us around to some of the sites for Dia de los Muertos.  We visited a cemetery named Panteon General.  When we arrived at the locations, we first cruised through a tunnel of carnival games and food.  Daniel playing one of the ball throwing games and won a piece of candy.  He encouraged me to drink Ponche which is similar to mulled wine but is made with beer and fermented fruit.  Floating in the cup are pieces of apple and peach and small seeded fruits which I could not identify

. Inside the cemetery walls were hundreds of people, many of them with painted faces.  Daniel is paying his way through college working as a clown on the city buses.

Many of the graves or should I say tombs, were decorated with flowers of red cocks comb and orange marigolds.  One of the tombs was in disrepair and I asked Daniel the reason.  He told me that if the person buried there did not have a son or if the son did not get married and have children then there was no one to tend the family tomb.

Also built into the cemetery is a large amphitheater.  A famous Oaxacan actor was giving a performance.  On the walk home we observed in one building, a large family alter.  The family allowed us access and encouraged us to take photos. 

Dia de los muertos Day of the Dead

November 1st and 2nd are important dates in Mexico.  On these days, Mexicans honor their departed loved ones.  This usually entails a visit to the cemetery which may include a picnic and soft music.  Also, each family generally builds an altar which displays not only pictures of the departed but also contains foods and other items which the relative or friend enjoyed while living.  The theme of the celebrations is skeletons.  Skeletons hang from buildings and 3D pictures constructed with sand are designed around the skeleton theme.

Most interestingly, people paint their faces black and white to simulate skeletons.  Being raised with the American equivalent of Halloween, I am somewhat spooked by the skeletons, but the Mexican culture does not present them as frightening.  This is a perfect example of cultural influence.

All of these floor murals are constructed from sand.

Halloween at the our English school

There is a guideline in Mexico whereas in every English school at least 50% of the teachers must be native Mexicans.  We have some teachers from Canada, some from England and then most are from United States and Mexico.  The staff decided that we would sponsor a traditional Halloween party for the students.

I was in charge of the "Bobbing for Apples" game.  I thought that the kids would just come around to the games at their leisure, but that was not the case.  An audience sat in chairs and the barrel of apples was placed on the stage.  At that point, I had to convince three kids to come to the stage and see who could get the apples first.  Well, the children had never seen the game and would not put their heads under the water to retrieve the apples, plus, the apples were giant sized and much too large for their mouths.  Needless to say, the game took forever and I was expected to MC the whole thing in Spanish.  Luckily, there were only six kids at the party at that time, so I only had to do it twice.  Our  friend Bety had accompanied me to the party and she said that I didn't do too badly with my Spanish.  Bety and I also passed out candy to the kids when they came to each classroom in their costumes.  They were required to knock on the door and say,"Trick or Treat" in order to receive their candy.

There was one traditional Mexican competition in which the children write a calavera which are satirical mock obituaries about politicians, teachers and other people in power positions.  They poke fun at people and are used as a reminder that once we pass, we all end up in the same place.

Arin's first paycheck ever

Arin received a check for a whopping 120 pesos which may sound like a lot, but is only about 10 bucks.

Arin walks in a calenda (parade with mezcal)

Arin has been tutoring one of our summer school students, Daniel, and yesterday Daniel invited us to participate in a calenda sponsored by his college.  I had to work, but Arin walked the 3 miles in what he describes as a mobile party.  The calenda winds through the streets of town.  One person carries a giant paper globe with the name of the group and others might carry smaller decorations made from cellophane. You walk about 150 steps drinking mezcal, then the band starts playing and everybody stops to dance.  Another 150 steps and you repeat.  Of course traffic is halted while you snake through the streets of town and it took about 3 hours to go 3 miles.  He said that virtually every person has either a bottle, a shot glass, or a cup in their hand.   

Some of the calendas have choreographed dances with participants in traditional dress, but this calenda was just a drinking one.  Arin didn't take any pictures but as we say in Oaxaca, "If you miss the parade, wait 5 minutes and catch the next one."  I'll post a picture as soon as the next calenda marches by.


Update-I just ran out to the street because I thought I heard one, but it was another protest march instead.

Peace Corp volunteers from Guatemala

Two Peace Corp volunteers from Guatemala (Bill and Steve) are vacationing at our apartment building.  I played cards with them tonight and heard all about their experiences.  They work in small towns teaching nutrition. I think I would like to be in a smaller place where everybody knows your name.

One needs to be a college grad to join the Corp, so to all of you grads who are unable to find a job in the horrible US economy, think about the Peace Corp!

They must think I am an angel. An angel amoung us?

Almost daily, our street is shut down for a period of time to allow a peaceful protest march to proceed.  Here is a picture of a 5000 person "marcha".  At one point I thought that the march had ended and began to follow the crowd back to my apartment.  Another 200 people appeared and I had to stand in a raised doorway to let them through.  They were all very poor campesinos from the outlying pueblos.  It is likely that many of them had never seen a gringo, especially one with blond hair.  One by one they all turned their heads and stared at me as they marched by.  Finally I had to move down to ground level because I was feeling uncomfortable. 

Yesterday, nursing students were marching because they wanted their principal fired.

Arin is offered a job

Arin has been assisting me in my classes and now has been hired as a teacher's aide.  Unfortunately that means that he is no longer beside me.  He makes half of what I make.  He is looking forward to the day when he can look back and say, "Well, my first job only paid 40 pesos."

Preparing for the Day of the Dead celebration

The town is gearing up for Dia de los Muertos where the Mexican people honor their loved ones who have passed away.  Tomorrow we are invited to participate in a calenda, which is a type of parade where mescal is poured out in shot glasses for the adults and candy thrown for the children. Also, costumes are worn. Traditionally the only costumes have always resembled skeletons, but in Oaxaca we see the influence of Halloween  as many children wear traditional American Halloween costumes such as superheroes and princesses.

Zocalo-the center of town

Here is a look around the Zocalo.

These are rapasitas which are snow cones with real fruit. 

Candy

The return filght to Oaxaca

We had a great time in Sacramento, first at the church 100 year anniversary party and then at the a family wedding.

We survived our 20 hour flight from Sacto to Oaxaca with little sleep.  We were in the Mexico City airport  most of the night and spent our time with a fellow American, Max, who lives in a beach town near us call Huatulco.  He taught us some Mexican card games and described how much everybody loves his ice cream shop.  I can definitely understand the popularity.  The ice cream is in actuality, ice milk. Oaxaca's ice cream is made mostly of water with very little milk.  To me, it is not very satisfying.

We are back in our same apartment-Zaachila.

Hurricane

Last night we received what may have been remnants of the Cabo San Lucas hurricane.  We were shopping at our usual 20 de Noviembre market when it hit.  This market takes up an entire block and is covered by a metal roof just as large.  The water was pouring down amidst  thunder and lightning.  I love thunder storms but one bolt of lightening was so loud that  I involuntarily screamed and grabbed Arin. Arin swears he heard sparks and I agree with him that one of those bolts hit the metal roof.  We stayed in there for quite a while until Arin decided we should brave the elements.  We had to try two different exits before we could find one that wasn't completely impassible.  We headed for the Zocolo (town center) wading through 2"-3" rushing water.  Oaxaca is surrounded on two sides by the Sierra Mountains and the Rockies.(Yes, they extend from Colorado and California), so all the water flows downhill through the center of town.  By the time we reached our house, we had braved 4" flood waters, were soaking wet, and although we live uphill and were always going against the flow of water, my feet were still my flipflops.  There were sticks and cups and all manor of debris floating by.  It was very invigorating and Arin akin-ed it to a similar episode in Arizona when he had encountered the same while wearing his rollarskates and still 7 miles from his destination instead of just 7 blocks.

Dia de Independencia September 16th

As one strolls the streets of Oaxaca, one views history.  Most streets are named for either important events (we live near Independencia) or important historical characters. One such street is 15 de Septiembre. It celebrates The Cry of Dolores. Who was crying and why?? If you want to know, you need only view a few more street names: Hidalgo, Allende,  Aldama and Abasolo. Miguel Hildago was a Roman Catholic priest disillusioned with Spanish rule. in the early morning of 16 September 1810. Around 2:30 a.m., Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. Flanked by Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, urging them to revolt against Spanish rule. His speech became known as the "Cry of Dolores", and set Mexico on its path to independence.

As one continues through the town, more names appear: Rayon', Mina, Jose´ Morelos, and Iturbide-famous names involved in Mexico's independence. 

The yearly celebration of Independence Day begins at about 11 p.m. on September 15th. To kick off the events, the President of Mexico stands on the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City and rings the same exact bell that Miguel Hidalgo rang in 1810,

September 16, 
The night of September 15th was celebrated with a firework show, the likes of which I have never seen.  The people of Mexico are not as sue-happy as us Americans and thus, safety is not a major concern.  The firework cannons are situated in the park surrounded by a rope which sits about 6" from the cannons.  People are allowed to stand as close as desired.  I stood about 20 feet away.  It was so exciting to see giant fireballs erupt from the cardboard cannons and observe the fireworks directly above my head, while I dance among the sparks of fire as they land about my feet. The church bells rang throughout the display and one of the fireworks landed in the bell tower.  The patriot ringing the bell was engulfed in smoke and had to kick the firework to the ground below.  The display took place in front of the church that was also draped with fireworks which were dripping fire.  All the fireworks were in the colors of red, green and white only.

Aartwork

Weather change

I am often found wearing non sleeve shirts while locals are bundled in their ski jackets, but I finally was able to wear a sweater today.  Thanks goodness for the cool weather, I just can't handle temperatures over 78 degrees when it is paired with 60% humidity.

More English classes

I am working at a new school now.  It is only a few hours per week but between this and our intercambios, it keeps me busy.  Arin assists me on Saturdays.  The owner asked me if I know anyone who wants to teach English in Oaxaca for a year or so.  Are you interested...

Day of the Taxi

As my landlady says, "Hay muchas celebrationes in Oaxaca".  Recently we had the parade of taxis.  Many of the taxis were wrapped with ribbons or decorated with bouquets of flowers.

Inexpensive Eats

Several restaurants serve a menu of the day meal which costs between $3 and $6.  Here is a picture of what these 4 course meals contain.  We paid $3.20 for all this.

Healthy Mexicans

Mexico has a reputation for being a nation of unhealthy people but I can tell you that compared to the average American, these people do not have a problem.  And the best part about the health here is that NOBODY SMOKES.  In the 7 weeks I have been here, I have seen on average of 2 cigarettes per week, and several of those were being smoked by Americans.  There do not seem to be any particular laws prohibiting it, so I assume that it is just not affordable.  Some of these people live off very little money.  There are ladies who cruise the zocalo all day for I do not know how many hours, probably 12 to 16, and they are trying to sell a little painted comb or painted toothpicks for a few pennies.  They probably make $4 per day or so.  Yeah, no money to waste on cigarettes.

Puerto Escondito

There are a lot of Mexican people in California and one of my friends is from the beach town of Puerto Escondito.  It is one of the top surf destinations in the world and I love it.  The hotel, which was actually a cabana, cost only $24 and it was located right across the lane from the beach.  Each morning I walked the few steps to the beach to enjoy my $3.20 breakfast at a table placed on the sand with the tide rolling nearby.  This same scenario in Hawaii would be, well, not only astronomically more expensive but probably not even allowed.  The only drawback to Puerto is the horrendous 7 hour drive from Oaxaca through twisting, turning mountain roads.  The same trip by plane is 30 minutes!  If you want to visit, fly!

The Alcala´

I just returned from the Alcala which is the main tourist street in town.  Here is a list of activities I encountered during my two block walk.  First, there was a wedding at Santa Domingo which is the fanciest church in Oaxaca.  Weddings at Santa Domingo come complete with parade featuring  20 foot tall replicas of the bride and groom.  This is also accompanied by a band.  As I continued along the street I encountered a violin and accordion duo and then 5 men serenading a maiden in her window.  And don´t forget about the clowns, they are everywhere. 

No hablo English.

I was over at the grocery store just now and there were several salespeople and beggars wanting from me.  I tried to use that age old technique of foreigners which is to claim that I do not understand the native language, but I accidently revealed myself.  Twice I said in Spanish that I do not speak Spanish, and once I said in Spanish that I do not speak English. 

Last day of summer school

Our class presented Simon Says as a demonstration of knowledge gained in our beginning English class.  The end of summer party was held at a water park.  The park consisted of one slide and a 30x60 foot pool.  We played soccer of course and another ancient game called Palota.  It was played in the pool with a ball.  Arin wants to share it with others when he returns to the States.

The truth about traffic tickets

I would never chose to drive in Oaxaca because it's too chaotic, but I finally understand how the ticketing works.  When you are stopped, you have the choice to pay your ticket immediately to the officer, or you can follow him to the station and pay there.  The first week we we were here, we noticed a car illegally parked near our restaurant.  We saw the officer walk over to the vehicle with a tool and he was bending over near the front bumper.  A few turns of a screw and up he came with the license plate.  We were told that the license plate was hauled it off to the station where the car owner would only retrieve it when he paid his fine.

Teaching

Arin and have been teaching an English class at the Oaxaca Learning Center. and today was the last day of our summer school class.  Now we need to find a paying job.

Monte Alban'

We acted as tourist today and visited Monte Alban.  It is an ancient Zapotec ruin and touted to be the oldest ruin in the Americas.  We had lunch with a gal from Mexico and a fellow from France.  Between the three fractured languages we managed to communicate for an hour and have a great time.  The gal was very funny and taught us some expressions.  She said that whenever the Mexicans have a problem, the solution is always, toma un mescal, which means, drink a mescal tequilla.  She also taught us, el mal del puerco, which means that you feel like sleeping after you eat, then when you wake up you are hungry again.

For some reason, none of the pictures of Monte Alban' came out so you will have to look it up.
We paid for an all day tour, but the best way to see Monte' Alban is to arrive by local bus and hire a tour guide when you arrive. This gives you ample time to peruse the site and costs a lot less!

Dinner with Cameron and Jay

Cameron invited us, along with his partner, Jay, to have dinner in another area of town which was accessible by taxi.  Of course the food was good and the company was great, but the taxi ride was frightening.   In Oaxaca, it appears that the pedestrians do not have the right of way.  A pedestrian can be in the middle of the crosswalk and if a taxi needs to get somewhere fast, it will turn right in front of you, causing you to stop or get run over.  I think I will avoid taxis whenever possible!

Would you like to travel the world teaching bridge?

Cameron, our first friend in Oaxaca, invited us to play bridge at a local's house, so we play two or three times a week with Cameron, Carlos, Abraham and two children, Lupita and Diego.  Sometimes the lady of the house, Maria, also plays if we don´t have a fourth.  We each give her 20 pesos to play at her home.  It is a way for the local people to make a little money.  Diego and Lupita always give me a kiss on the cheek when I leave-it is very sweet.  This is a more relaxed setting than the library and is always fun-Abraham laughs a lot and is very charming.  We are supposed to be playing in Spanish and that is more likely to happen when Carlos is present as he doesn't know English.  He hasn´t been playing lately because he is involved in the current teacher strike whereas the school staff pitches tents in the center of town and sleep there.
The international bridge federation is promoting bridge throughout the world and Cameron thinks that Arin can become good enough to be a paid instructor.  All he has to do is become fluent in Spanish.........or another language for that matter.  Arin has always wanted to travel and he may finally have a way to do it.

McDonalds

I finally had to break down and visit McDonalds today, but only for an ice cream cone. Although  Oaxaca is famous for its ice cream, there seems to be no cream in it. It is more like ice milk, if even that.  The flavors are all good but I wanted real ice cream and McDonalds would have to do.  I would not have sought out McDonalds on my own but this is how it happened.  We had ridden the bus to Plaza del Valle to watch Planet of the Apes, and there were about 150 people sitting on the ground outside the closed mall. Nothing was open, so we decided to walk to the next theater which someone had told us was in the next mini mall.  Well, we walked and walked in the humid heat and found nothing except a Walmart, concluding that we probably translated the information incorrectly.  When we returned to the mall at about 1:30, there were about 200 people sitting in every patch of shade.  That was when I decided to visit the air conditioned McDonald and wait it out.  We spent another half an hour inside and still the mall wasn't open.  Finally, one of the theater employees came outside and told everyone they were closed until 5.  I said to Arin, "Let's blow this popsicle stand and head back to town."  I still have no idea why people were camping out 5 and 6 hours before anything was going to open.  Most of them were not in front of the theater but were waiting outside various closed shops, including a grocery store.  Maybe today is their black Friday?

Post script.  I found out later that this was a protest, a good old fashioned sit-it, which you remember was a popular type of protest in America circa 1960..

Everybody loves a parade.

Here is a video of the parade if you are interested.  In the first one the group carries bottles of tequila and pours it for the crowd.As you can see , one of the patrons is enjoying the tequilla a bit too much. In the second video, there is a woman trying to do the impossible, which is to talk on the phone during a parade.

Guelaguetza-a statewide celebration

When we first arrived in Oaxaca and revealed that we would staying at least three months, the locals would excitedly exclaim, "You're going to be in town for the Guelaguetza!!!" What is a Guelaguetza I wondered? Today I found out. Similar to the state fair concept in America, each region of the state of Oaxaca sends a contingent to the city of Oaxaca (which happens to be the capital of the state of Oaxaca) to celebrate the culture of their region. The celebration takes place on the last 2 Mondays of July. It begins with a parade in the zocolo on the first Monday and ends the same way on the next Monday. In between Mondays, spontaneous parades, called calendas, spring up along the city streets displaying giant paper mache dolls, men on stilts, dancing, singing, you name it! Hold out a small cup and watch it get filled with a shot of mezcal when the calendas pass through. Oaxaca is famous for mezcal and takes a lot of pride in the signature drink. Every calenda is accompanied by musical bands and traffic is haulted, even foot traffic. The only path to the other side of the street is through the parade. Dance your way through or catch on one of the little candies tossed to the crowd and enjoy the treat while you watch the show.   while the parade passes through.  The guys in the second picture are from one of the fishing regions and are throwing nets over the crowd.

In our apartment complex, a poster advertises the Guelaguetza. I spent several days learning to pronounce this word. Now I can say it with ease. The first long word I practiced in Spanish was estacionimienta. This means parking garage. Try saying it as fast as you can. It sounds just like it's spelled. The even is highlighted by dance performances  the dance-a-thon held in a stadium high above the city. Purchase tickets in advance; I had to watch it on the television.

Each costume, or traje, and dance usually has a local indigenous historical and cultural meaning. Oaxaca has a large native indigenous population, well over 50 percent of the state's population, compared to 20 percent for Mexico as a whole minor clebrations throughout the state

Indian food in Mexico

Arin sought out and found the only Indian restaurant in Oaxaca.  Here is a picture with our friend Ramesh.  He says we are his friends he and wants us to visit everyday because, "This restaurant is your home."  Today we met his son and his in-laws.

Bakery

Let's talk about the food in Oax. You are going to discover. Southern blandsas tlyaudes Every evening we stop by this bakery on our way home.  The bread is so good and fresh here that we rarely purchase tortillas.

First bus ride for Arin , our apt

Arin was invited on an outing by a gal at the school.  He is not sure where he is going, due to the language barrier.

He has returned. He traveled by bus to a market far from town.  He says it was the same as the other markets.

Today I am leaving my hotel and moving to an apartment. After failing to find an apartment on my own, one of the hotel owners, Teresa, made some phone calls and sent me over to this place which is called Meson del Penasco. On first approach, the complex is very off-putting.  The curb appeal leaves something to be desired. A large heavy metal door serves an entrance to the building and the outside walls are covered in graffiti. I can't see inside and must ring a bell to access the property. If I were in America, I would think I was deep in the ghetto. It is reminiscent of the area of Mexico City where the Aero Mexico airline put me up for a night after an unexpected travel delay. In Mexico City I was afraid to go out, but now that I have been in Oaxaca for a few days, I have discovered that all homes and apartment entrances have the same type of entrance. Hotels and shops have open entrances, but the residences are protected by these metal doors. The place where I am volunteering, The Oaxaca Learning Center, also sports this type of entrance, and most of the buildings in town, even the churches and historical buildings are tagged with graffiti. It's everywhere, so don't freak out when you are driving in from the airport. In the case of Oax, graffiti does not depict a ghetto at all; it's just the normal landscape. I wish I could tell you that walls are covered in murals, but unfortunately, this is just straight up graffiti and occasionally, political messages. Now that you have seen the outside of the buildings, you will be pleasantly surprised by juxtaposition of the building interior. inside.may resemble a ghetto, but beautiful courtyards await you. The best part is that you are perf  safe. First of all, no one is getting through those metal doors, and secondly, there are no windows to the outside. All windows are open to the courtyard. If one did not have keys to the metal door, one would need to scale the outside wall, climb over the roof, then drop into the courtyard without anybody seeing them. This is not going to happen!
Now that I have beveled you with the description the outside of the buildings, let me show you the juxtaposition of the building interior where beautiful courtyards await you. inside.may resemble a ghetto, but beautiful courtyards await you.
We have a one bedroom, 2 bed apartment with kitchen and bath, along with this beautiful courtyard, complete with fountain. This place is called . It was built by the owner's family 200 years ago and still stands strong.
Transportation:

Our apartment, complete with fountain

We are staying at Hotel Las Mariposas, which I love. Each morning, all the guests and the owners gather for our complimentary breakfast, coffee and a chat. It is so easy to make friends here. Every arrangement of traveler can be comfortable here. I am a 57 years old women traveling with my 23 year old son. Also, I have met couples, friends traveling together, families, another mother and son duo, and people traveling solo. I highly recommend Las Mariposas for all groups. If you want to meet people easily, and especially if you are traveling single, Las Mariposas is the perfect place to feel comfortable, safe and secure. The owners speak English and are extremely helpful as you will see later in this post. The location can't be beat. It is right next to the Lending Library which is an expat meeting place, and near my favorite park which is El Llano. Here is the location information from Las Mariposas website. Just a few blocks from the Santo Domingo Cultural Center and all the downtown restaurants and shops. Half a block from "El Llano", a large tree-shaded park that is a great place to hang out, jog, read a book or people watch. Ideal for language students attending nearby Spanish schools and ethnic food enthusiasts attending Oaxacan cooking classes, or as a base for exploring this enchanting colonial city and venturing out to the arts and crafts villages of the surrounding area. If you follow travel trends you know that single female travel and eco-travel are two of the today's top current trends. Las Mariposas is perfect for both. The hotel caters to both. Here are some of the other perks of Las Mariposas. * Certified Ecological and Environmentally friendly practices

* Great value; reasonably-priced B&B with lots of extras
* Perfect location; close to everything
* Spotlessly clean
* Free internet, long-distance phone calls and drinking water
* Warm and helpful personal attention; from Teresa and Lucía
* Library, Kitchen and TV lounge open to all guests
* Garden areas and patios

Being an English speaking person in a foreign land has its perks in the "making friend" realm. First of all, when you are an international traveler in a foreign country, and you encounter people from your home country, you form an automatic bond with them. Secondly, you meet tourists from all over the world who also speak English. Another perk of speaking Eng is the ability to get a job almost anywhere in the world as an Eng teacher. This is something I am going to look into later, since I plan to stay several months. Oaxaca is such a popular international tourist destination that I see dozens of people everyday who look as if they are from America. The first few days, I was saying hello to every American looking person whom I came across. Most of the people ignored me and I quickly realized that they did not speak English. Many are from India, Europe, Asia, etc. The USA is so diverse that it is difficult to determine who resides there. Las Mariposas is the perfect microcosm in which to find people who speak your language. Guests rest in the courtyard throughout the day and there is always someone with whom to chat or go places. Everyone gathers at breakfast, the guests discuss their plans for the day and often will join together for activities and meals. I'd love to stay here, but my purpose in coming to Mexico is to live like a local and improve my Spanish. If I stay here, I will be speaking Eng the whole time and basically acting as a tourist. There is also the cost. If you are a budget traveler like me, the most affordable way to travel is to rent by the week or the month. Paying nightly rates will kill your budget in no time. I asked about the monthly rate here and at another hotel around the corner, but they are both out of my price range so I need to find another option. My preference is to stay for at least a month and rent an apartment in a regular neighborhood to experience life alongside the local people. I first tried calling apartments advertised in the classified section of the newspaper but my Spanish skills are highly lacking for such an endeavor and I had to give up that avenue. Next, I perused the rental binder at the ex-pat Lending Library, but all the apartments and roommates choices were already full. I got lucky this morning. When I joined the other guests and the owners for coffee, I was discussing my next apartment finding scheme when Teresa, one of the owners, graciously stepped in, made a few phone calls to landlords she knows, and found me a home. Here is a picture of our apartment.  We have a one bedroom, 2 bed apartment with kitchen and bath, along with this beautiful courtyard, complete with fountain. This place is called . It was built by the owner's family 200 years ago and still stands strong. The curb appeal leaves something to be desired. All you see from the street is a large heavy metal door covered in graffiti. If I were in America, I would think I was deep in the ghetto, but after a You may remember when I 

4th of July at Las Mariposas Hotel. If you come to Oaxaca, I highly recommend this hotel!

A few days ago when I arrived at the Oaxaca airport after an unexpected one day layover in Mexico City, I was placed in a van in order to be transferred to my hotel. The vans are organized by zones and I recognized that our van was filled with people who were very familiar to me. We were all people who had been bumped from the original flight and spent the night in Mexico City. We are all tourists,mostly from the USA. I guess it makes sense to bump the tourists rather than the local people. They have jobs to get to. We don't.
Although Oaxaca is a popular international vacation spot, most of the tourists who were on our plane are enrolled in language institutes. Their hotel of choice is Las Mariposas. It's a small family owned eco-hotel located close to the Lending Library. Since our first hotel had absolutely no authentic Mexican feel to it, and my attempts to find an apartment in Spanish have failed, we decided to move to Las Mariposas yesterday. We spent the last three days at Hotel One which is designed for business travelers. It's very clean, comfortable and modern but has no Mexican feel to it at all. Las Mariposas has the traditional exposed brick ceilings, archways and fountains. Throughout the hotel are multiple seating areas, each featuring a different vignette. It's a mecca for English speaking guests. which is not exactly what I came to Oaxaca for, but it is only temporary until I find an apartment. It is an excellent place to stay if you are not quite ready for total immersion in the culture, yet want feel that you are in Mexico. The family who owns this authentic boutique hotel are from local lineage. They are bilingual, but you will also hear plenty of Spanish spoken here.
Today is July 4th. If you are from America, you will recog which is Independence Day in the USA, and the hotel owners have planned a few activities for the Americans. We begin the day with a homemade tortilla demonstration.





  where some of the people from our plane are staying. Most of the guests are American, so our hotel provided a special Independence Day breakfast.  Outdoors, several women rolled and cooked home made corn tortillas over a wood fire.  It was very authentic.The van was filled with all the people who were bumped from yesterday's plane. I guess it makes sense to bump the tourists rather than the local people. They have jobs to get to. We don't. Most of the people we talk to are enrolled in language institutes.
TITLE Have you seen the bottle of tequila with the sinking worm? Here is the rest of the story
In the afternoon we took a taxi to a different town to attend another 4th of July party with the library ex-pats. It was a mad-cap adventure. Along with a crude map, the directions that had been given to me were written in English and they went like this: Turn right at the big tree, drive for awhile then turn left at the fifth fence post, etc. My translation was inadequate so he was trying to follow the map instead. I have never seen a cab driver try so diligently. The only information I was able to communicate is that the party is in the city of Huajuapan at a place called Casa Linda, which is some sort of charitable organization. Our driver sought help from every pedestrian on the street, went into shops to ask, and made several phone calls. As we zeroed in on the location, I heard him ask a guy about La Gringa Linda. If you are familiar with the word gringa or gringo, you know what's coming next. After an hour of driving, we arrived at the house of an American named Linda, but Linda was not having a party today and didn't want to have one just for us. I finally told the driver to bring us back to town. I was concerned that even if we did find the party, we would have trouble getting back to Oaxaca. I could see that he felt badly about the whole thing but it really was not his fault. I gave him a big tip and began looking forward to the evening 4th of July party at Las Mariposas. I'd been told that someone's dad was going to be providing Mezcal.  TITLE Have you seen the bottle of tequila with the sinking worm? Here is the rest of the story

The owner cooked several Mexican dishes for us and the mezcal, which I was told is not tequila, was flowing. You know how margarita glasses are rimmed with salt? The mezcal was served the same way, but this particular salt tasted a little funny. Can you guess the secret ingredient? Have you seen the bottle of tequila, I mean mexcal, with the floating worm? Guess where else the worm comes into play. That's right, on the rim of the glass. The funny taste of the salt was the addition of dried worms! We exchanged emails with some of the guests since we moved to our new apartment tonight.
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Phone calls in Spanish

Help! I thought I had a decent grasp of Spanish until I bought today's newspaper and viewed these apartment ads. The ads I can translate, but the phone calls to the landlords...yikes! Elaborate!!!After several attempts, I finally communicated with one landlord and Arin and I set out to locate the apartment. Arin was in charge of directions and had us walking over a mile in the wrong direction as I would find out later. We never did locate our potential home and I realized that I need a different plan that does not involve me trying to communicate in Spanish over the phone. I've been studying Spanish since 1989 and getting nowhere. I even came to Mexico to engage in what was supposed to be an immersive Spanish course in 1991. The problem was that the instructor continued to resort to English despite cries from his students to speak in Spanish. Somehow I became teacher's pet and still have the cassette of Joan Biaz's Spanish language album which he made "specially for me", he said.  I didn't even know that Joan spoke Spanish, and apparently Linda Rhonstadt also has a Spanish album. The class lasted only 2 weeks and on the last night, while sleeping at my host's home, I actually dreamed in Spanish, so I guess I got something out of it. One of the reasons I have chosen Mexico as my first destination is to work on my Spanish language. I have had so many classes over the years, joined Spanish conversations groups and enrolled in the The Intensive Spanish Summer Institute http://www.ltcc.edu/academics/specialized_programs/issi/index.php  at Lake Tahoe Community College, etc. During my years as an elementary school teacher, I taught one year of 5th grade to Spanish speaking students. That is when I really fell in love with the Mexican culture. Every one of my students lived in the migrant camp and I had zero behavior problems with these kids. What a joy these families were to me. I was invited to family parties, baptisms, etc. And you should have seen our classroom parties! For the very first party we had, the students began moving the desks to create a dance floor in the center of the room and I realized there would be no sitting quietly at desks eating cupcakes. Our parties involved bunches of homemade Mexican food, loud music and dancing to the music of Selena. Thus were my expectations of Oaxaca and I have not been disappointed. Oaxaca is a party town to beat all party towns. And this coming from a gal who attended California State University Chico when it was voted Playboy magazine's #1 party school in 1987. Anyway, back to my apartment search...maybe the people at the lending library can help.Meanwhile, my three days reservation at Hotel One ends soon and I need to either pay for more days or find another affordable hotel. With all of my Spanish training, I figure I'll be bilingual within 2 months of living here.

The Lending Library has a folder filled with rental listings. You can imagine how much fun I am having trying to call these rental ads in Spanish. I had an appointment to see one place but after walking for 1 1/2 miles in the heat, I couldn't locate it. I've been studying Spanish for Living in California, I have picked up some Spanish, and now that I am living in Mexico, I'm sure to be fluent within 2 months.
Take a look at this newspaper page. It's the housing section. As you can see, it's all in Spanish. Do you think I will be able to find an apartment in 3 days? I had a rude awakening when I

The English speaking ex-pat community 1500 strong

If you are nervous about traveling to a new country, I suggest you come to Oaxaca. There is an English speaking ex-patriot community here 1500 strong and the hub is the Lending Library where Bridge lessons are offered on Tuesdays, along with monthly hikes, talks, and various cultural events.  Arin and I decided to join in the bridge lessons.  We each won a hand with our partners and will probably play again.   We did not get to practice Spanish as everyone spoke English but we did have our first intercambio with two young ladies at The Oaxaca Learning Center. This center was started by Gary, an American, and also the tallest man in town. Along with offering homework help, English speakers are paired with Spanish speakers and engage in intercambios where we learn each other's languages. We decided to meet every day for 2 hours. I also volunteered to teach an English language summer school class to kids who can not afford to pay for a language center.

Our first hotel, Travel insurance pays off.

Arin in front of Hotel One. Catchy name isn't it? I plan to rent an apartment in Oaxaca and stay at least 3 months, but first I need to locate one, so I booked 3 nights in a hotel to give me time to search.

Don't be caught with your pants down when you travel. Always have lodging booked for at least the first night. I learned this lesson in 1973 on a family cross country road trip in the days without cell phones or internet.  In the 1960s it was not uncommon to fly to a car factory in Detroit and drive a new car home. I enjoyed this venture with my grandparents in their new Cadillac. They  didn't have a specific intinery for our return home, but that all changed after one night of driving until 1 a.m. during a Kansas thunderstorm, stopping at evey hotel for 200 miles in search of vacancy.  Being from sunny California I had never experienced a full on mid-west thunderstorm, complete with train crossing arm bouncing off our car. What a wild ride! After that night, we had Travel Lodges booked all the way back to California. In the days without cell phones it just wasn't so easy to wing it. If you didn't want to spend a ton of money making long distance calls from public phone booths, you would stay loyal to one motel chain and let them book the rooms.
OR

We are just not at the point in our lives where we can haul luggage all over town in search of lodging. In my 20s, that's exactly what I did, and maybe you did too.  My sis and I toured Europe in the summer after college in 1983. We moved to a new town every 2 nights and spent at least half the first day searching for lodging using our Go Europe book and public phone booths, all the while hauling luggage. I swore I would never do that again. I may be a budget traveler, but I'm a step above the youth hostel days.

As mentioned in the last post, we had an unexpected overnight in Mexico City. Our connecting flight was cancelled and the airline put us up in a hotel there, hence, I paid for a night at Hotel One that I did not use. I contacted the trip insurance and they actually agreed to reimburse me

The Oaxaca airport consists of two rooms and no gangway. The plane lands right on the tarmac where we're met with one of those ladder trucks like you see in "Arrested Development". As soon as we leave the plane and claim the luggage, everyone is shuffled into the transportation line to purchase a van ride  to our lodgings. I like this. It's stress free and it has a set price. 


As we journeyed in the van toward our lodging, I was becoming increasingly concerned about the neighborhood. All the buildings looked run down and were covered with graffiti. We were in the same type of neighborhood last night in Mexico City where our plane had been delayed and the airline put us up in a hotel. We didn't take advantage of our free day of exploirng Mexico City, because were afraid to walk about the neighborhood. Don't be fooled by the modern look of this inexpensive, beautifully painted hotel that I booked on Hotels.com. Virtually every other building in the neighborhood is old and covered in grafitti.

Tip: Budget travelers don't get to hop into a taxi and tell the driver, "Take me to the nearest hotel." Have at least one night booked before you arrive.

Did you have any challenges relating to landline phones and phone booths?

Day 2 The Oaxaca Learning Center volunteer
This ain't no tourist journey
What guided me to Oaxaca was the opportunity to immediately get involved with the local community.  Like I said, I will not be planning to hop to a new country every 2 days like in my 1983 post college back-packing run through Europe. This journey will consist of staying in each place for 1-6 months and living like a local.  My first indoctrination in the Oaxacan culture is by volunteering at The Oaxaca Learning Center. An American friend introduced me to the owner of this center. We have been emailing and I have an appointment to meet him today. By chance, it is located on the next block so we walk there this morning and introduce ourselves. The center was founded in 2005 by Gary Titus, a retired community organizer from San Francisco, USA and also the tallest man in town. Most of the funding is provided by the bed and breakfast portion of the center. Along with offering homework help, English speakers are paired with Spanish speakers and engage in intercambios which is a language exchange that benefits both English speakers and Spanish speakers. Arin and I were paired with two college girls, Beatriz and Teresa.  We decided to meet every day for 2 hours. Next month I will also teach an English language summer school class to kids who can not afford to pay.

Tip: If you want to be more than just a tourist, volunteer.

Would you like to volunteer in another country?

Day 3 The Lending Library supports the 1500 strong English speaking ex-patriot community as well as facilitating bilingualism through a language exchange benefiting both ex-pats and local residents. Show up on Mondays at 11am for an introduction to Oacaxa facilitated by an American who lives in Oaxaca full time. This is the main reason I recommend Oaxaca for first time travelers. The Lending Library is the hub for I have done my research before traveling to Oaxaca. I found out about the Lending Library from my sister when she came to Oaxaca for a 3 week intensive Spanish course earlier this year. I see all sorts of posters advertising where Bridge lessons are offered on Tuesdays, along with monthly hikes, talks, and various cultural events. Today is Tuesday, which is bridge lesson day. Having no specific plans, Arin and I decide to join in the bridge lessons. Little did we know how prevalient the game of bridge would play into our Oaxacan lives. We each won a hand with our partners and will probably play again.
Day 4 Finding an apartment
HOUSE SEARCH mention graffiti
travel insurance

1ST POST
How can you and I afford to travel?
You can stay in most foreign countries for
Do you realize how expensive your country is compared to most countries in the world?

Think about how much it costs to live where you are now. Housing, food, utilities, medical, taxes and transportation are 10X more expensive in your country than in 90% of the countries throughout the world.  For one month of your current living expenses, you can finance an airline ticket to another country and live anywhere from 3-6 months. I decide to take the leap and do it. Follow my blog and find out how you can do it too.

As I begin my journey, I start close to home in Mexico. One of the Mexican airlines flies out of my city so I use that instead of a higher priced branded airline. I purchase cheap trip insurance too. I don't have money to waste if anything goes wrong. I begin the journey with a nest egg, but if I want to continue traveling for a long time, I will need to produce income along the way. There are plenty of opportunities and I plan to take advantage of them. Follow my blog and see how you can do it too.

Come along with me as I travel through the world on a budget.

If you can't afford an airline ticket, apply for a job teaching English. Lots of countries will pay for your airfare, and housing along with paying you up to $20/ hour USD. They don't care about age, gender or even English ability. They just need English teachers.

POST ON TTPF I am flying to Mexico via Seattle, Washington and am scheduled for a 10 hour, overnight layover. Right now I am at the Seattle airport and the plane is late. I am saddened that my 8 hours of sleep will likely now become 6 hours of sleep, but at least I have a hotel room booked. You may wonder why a low income traveller would work a hotel into the budget instead of just sleeping on the ground, or across some airport chairs. I did that in my 20s when my sister and I traveled to Europe, but at 50 plus, I need a bed and a good night's sleep. Health is more important than money, don't you agree?When I arrive at the Mexico City airport, I discover that the hotel is in the terminal as advertised, but not in the one I am in. Normally, a shuttle runs between terminals, but I arrive after hours and need to pay for a taxi.Mexico City Airport Tip #1: Both terminals contain hotels. Do your research before booking.Mexico City Airport Tip #2: Arrive before the free shuttles stop running.The next morning: Mexico City Airport Tip #2: Check on your flight time before checking out of your room.At the ticket counter, I am informed that my flight is overbooked and I'm going to Oaxaca tomorrow instead of today. Not a problem. I have no schedule to keep in Oaxaca. After all, I am going to be living there for at least 3 months so what's the rush.This is the way to travel folks. No schedule to keep. No frantic rushing about. Plenty of time to see everything. I do have a hotel room booked in Oaxaca, but my travel insurance should cover that loss. Tonight's hotel is free. After enjoying my complimentary breakfast, I take my transfer to shuttle to the hotel. The airline has placed me in a 4 star hotel, but the area is scary. As we make our way through town, all the buildings are tagged with graffiti and I'm afraid to venture off campus. It's too bad I can't take advantage of my free day in Mexico City but at least I have seen most of the tourist areas. I came here in 1992 for a two week Spanish language school. It was a rewarding experience but it was also 8 months after my first son was born. Of course I'd never had a child before so I did not realize how terribly I would miss him! I never did that again. Matter of fact, he's with me now.