Friends in Cholul

Thankfully, a shorter post since Monday was spent locally, regrouping after our crazy expedition the day before. Jenn took Emma out to the market to pick up food and much needed supplies. I stayed at the house to catch up on work and emails, then Lukas and I hopped in the pool for a swim. We dried off in the sunshine on the rooftop, lazing about in the hammocks for a while.

Late afternoon, we took the kids to play with Aliza's two girls at her house in Cholul. They played with toys and swam in the pool for a couple of hours, while we sipped homemade Jamaica tea and chatted until nightfall.

Aliza's story is an interesting one. She left Mexico City at 18 to study agroforestry at USC Berkeley, then crossed the states to pursue her masters in New Haven. She was a professor for a while before settling down and building her huge house in the Yucatan. There she raises free-range chickens and grows organic fruits and vegetables on a sizable parcel of land. She pointed out the difficulties of farming in the Yucatan since the terrain is mostly rocky, so she composts and creates her own soil.

It's a widely held belief that millions of years ago, the Yucatan Penninsula was submerged underwater in the gulf, and only rose up to become dry land after a huge meteor struck Earth offshore here (that's right, the one that supposedly wiped out the dinosaurs). Despite the difficulties, Aliza has a love of agriculture and has made it her life's work.

After our visit, we headed back for a light dinner and relaxation at home before hitting the sack. More to do in the morning!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a Lukas!

Thursday was the little guy's big day, and we celebrated with lots of Mexican style. ¡Lukas tiene cinco años hoy! (Lukas is five years old today!)

We started the day with breakfast at 'Old McDonalds' so Lukas could have the hot cakes he was asking for all week. Then we treated him with a visit to Happy Toys so he could pick out a couple of birthday presents all for himself.

He got a bucket of dinosaurs AND a Spanish-speaking Buzz Lightyear: "¡A infinito... y más allá!"

In the afternoon, we met up with Cherie, Greenwood, and Aliza to throw a birthday fiesta at the park in Cholul. The children we had videotaped for the EducaTE project came out to celebrate with Lukas, plus there were plenty of other kids in the park as well, all curious about the gringo parade in the center of town. When white people show up in a Mexican park with sandwiches, cake, and a piñata, it's bound to attract attention!

The kids played tag and enjoyed the playground as well. Lukas was invited into a fútbol game that was going on (using some kind of tropical fruit for a ball!) and being the soccer all-star that he is back home, he fit right in.

After some sandwiches and refreshments, it was time to string up the piñata, which of course gathered a huge crowd of onlookers. Lukas got a few good hits in, and so did Emma, but the Mexican kids clearly have more experience when it comes to thrashing a piñata!

It wasn't long before it was torn to shreds and kids were on the ground scrambling for goodies. We had extras, so Jenn handed candy out to the other kids in the crowd.

Aliza gave Lukas some Spanish activity books, while Cherie & Greenwood gave Yucatan shirts to both Emma & Lukas. Such a nice surprise!

They put them on immediately and wore them for the rest of the party, because nothing says Mexican more than wearing double layers of clothing in 90 degree weather.

When it was time for cake, the crowd was so densely packed, you could hardly get through. Word about the gringo birthday party must have spread through the town like wildfire, because every child in the village must have been there.

The crowd sang Happy Birthday to Lukas (in Spanish of course, check out the video link below) and then Jennifer & Cherie managed to cut the cake into about 80 pieces or more, so that everyone could enjoy a taste of the cake.

No exaggeration...the crowd was unbelievable! Mexicans do NOT miss a fiesta.

The party was lots of fun, and it was great for Lukas to have so many people join him to celebrate. This was certainly a birthday party he's not likely to forget!

We left Cholul to head back to the house for some recovery time, and to get cleaned up for dinner out. Lukas opened a few small presents, then we headed out to Friday's to eat, since we let him choose the restaurant for his special day. We wouldn't want to disappoint the birthday boy, ya know!

Monday? Back to School!

Our Italian dinner out Sunday night provided more confirmation of just how tightly knit the expat community in Mérida really is. We got to talking to a couple of senior ladies from California, who were smitten with Emma & Lukas and craving some"grandchildren" to shower with attention. Turns out they are friends and neighbors of Cherie's, our new friend from the EducaTE organization. It's really such a small world down here!

Speaking of Cherie, she picked us up the next morning for our second day of shooting for the EducaTE video project we began working on last week. Even though school is out for the summer, she and Aliza arranged for some students to return to the school in Cholul so we could get shots of class in action. We staged some shots of them interacting with the teacher, taking notes, and walking around campus. Once again, Aliza acted as our interpreter.

Then we took a trio of girls for some shots in the brand new computer lab. The school in Cholul is one of the very few to get a grant for computer equipment to expand the curriculum. The computers are used, so some of the mice don't work properly and some of the keys don't function, but this is still a tremendous opportunity for students that would have no access otherwise, and for that the administrators are grateful. Two of the girls have never seen a computer before, so they were feeling a bit intimidated. They got a quick lesson while we got all the shots we needed. We got lots of shots here since it was air conditioned!

Once again, Emma and Lukas were so well behaved; we are so grateful to have two terrific kids! Even with all of the heat and being out of their environment (plus the language barrier) they managed to occupy themselves and have fun so we could get the work done. The young girls they met last week heard we were back in town, so they came by the school to visit. They colored together, played hide & seek, and climbed trees together. Emma tried to organize a game of tag, but I don't think anyone was ever able to offer her a translation!

Then...

back to the house afterward for a bit of rest and freshening up before dinner. We enjoyed some Yucatecan meals on the open air patio at Portico del Peregrino, since the evening skies were clear. Had to swat a few mosquitos away, so the waiter put a repellent coil under our table. That's Mexico!

Day One is a Real Eye-Opener...

Yesterday was our first day in Merida, but there was to be no rest for weary travelers. As the timing would have it, it also happened to be the last day of school for Yucatecan children... which means scrambling forces to shoot some video for EducaTE, the non-profit organization we've chosen to assist during our stay here.

We got our business phone line set up then started the day by backtracking to the airport to pick up our rental car, some pesos from the ATM, Burger King for lunch (ugh, out of necessity!) and a phone card. The rental manager has loaned us a cellphone to use for the month (US cellphones work down here, but the roaming charges are obscene). Then since we're in new territory, we managed to get lost and drive all around Merida for an hour trying to find our way back to the casa. That left about a half hour to gather equipment and change to meet our project hostess and tour guide for the day.

Cherie is a very interesting woman who along with her husband, sold everything and moved to Merida from North Carolina three years ago. Before that she was a wildlife photographer in Kenya, where she was plagued by drought, pestilence, sandstorms, and general turmoil before escaping back to the US. So life in Merida is paradise for her!

We drove with Cherie to meet up with our translator Aliza, then journeyed to a Mexican home in Cholul. There we interviewed a family with three children that attend school with the support of the EducaTE program. While education is free for all children in the Yucatan, uniforms are mandatory, so they must find a way to supply their own, along with books, water and toilet paper. When the child comes from an impoverished family, EducaTE can be there to help.

This first family suffered through damage to their home from the tropical storm that recently moved through the area: broken windows and a crack in their plaster ceiling where the rain water flooded in. They already have so little, but their contentment is clearly in simply being together as a family, even living under such adverse conditions. The parents struck us as being so in love with each other after many years together, and visibly proud of their children. Two of the children aspire to become veterinarians while the third hopes to become an entrepreneur and open a shop that sells blouses & clothing.

To help feed the family and make ends meet, the children have a car washing business that may bring in a few extra pesos from time to time. However, with it being considered the rainy season in the Yucatan, many folks skip washing their cars, so their business is struggling. We learned that many days, they may share only one meal, or even have nothing to eat altogether. Surely it must be very hard for children who want learn to focus on studies with an empty stomach.

While Jennifer and I videotaped and interviewed the children, the mother entertained Emma & Lukas by playing soccer with them in the other room.

Afterwards, the kids spent some time hugging some puppies and cuddling up to a brand new kitten, or gatito, en español.

We could have easily spent all day with this delightful family; even though they spoke no English, they were so expressive and grateful, it was in some ways strangely easy to understand them.

We left there to visit another family living elsewhere in Cholul, and record the story of their eldest daughter Gloria, who hopes to attend University some day. It was heartbreaking to see her extended family of eight, living in a rooftop dwelling consisting of three rooms. Three young girls regularly play on the rooftop, which in some areas has no railing or wall, because it has crumbled away. This is the home for grandmother, mother, three daughters and a son, with his wife and newborn baby.

Gloria's story was as compelling as those heard earlier in the day, and her mother and grandmother are just as proud. As we wrapped up and were packing up our equipment, they appeared out of nowhere with a beautiful pineapple cake they had all chipped in together to buy at the bakery to thank

us. This speaks volumes since these people have so very little yet they are so gracious and thankful to both us and the EducaTE program. We all shared cake with them on the rooftop in a celebration that was very touching.

Our final stop was the end of the school year celebration starring many of the secondaria (middle school) students of Cholul, just outside of Merida. This is a grand fiesta celebrating the Mexican culture, and showcasing the dances and musical numbers learned by the students throughout the school year. Their costumes are handmade in gorgeous bright colors, and the talent of the students is clearly evident. Everyone noticed the gringos with the blonde children videotaping the event, so they were sure to publicly announce that a camera crew had travelled from Norteamericana for the fiesta, and expressed their gratitude.

It was a long day, and we were all hot and sweaty and on the verge of dehydration. After wrapping up the shoot and going home to clean up, we treated ourselves to a wonderful meal at La Casa de Frida. Finally, an authentic Mexican meal! Chicken enchiladas with a spicy chocolate mole sauce...out of this world.

A very important day for us; very busy and both physically & emotionally demanding, but extremely rewarding for all.