Asilo de Animales

So....before I came to Cuernavaca I was wondering what I could do, other than going to school, to fill my time and connect with the Mexican culture.  I thought about volunteering at a local school but before this year started I had promised that I would TRULY take a year off from kids, not that they are bad or anything, but because I think a break would be healthy!  

What else could I do?  Taking a break from kids would mean finding a place to volunteer that had little or no noise, no neediness, no craziness, no bathroom troubles, no problems with following directions and no whining or crying.  

I found the perfect place through a fellow student at my Spanish school......Animal Protection Association of Cuernavaca (APAC), the asilo de animales (animal shelter)!  It is a no-kill shelter about 10 minutes from my school with about 125 dogs and 75 cats of all shapes and sizes.  The asilo has been in operation for about 40+ years and is run by women.  The building is on about 2 acres of land in the hills of Cuernavaca and has a low-cost medical clinic that offers out-patient services such as neutering, inoculations and consultations.  The doctors that volunteer at the shelter also provide services to all the animals in the shelter at no cost.

The first day that I went to the shelter, I spent most of my 6 hours in the two cat cages.  One cage was for the kittens/small cats and the other for the adult cats.  I spent time between both cages petting, holding and brushing the cats.  When Reed arrived at about 11am, we helped clean out the litter boxes and wash one of the cages.  The woman "in charge" of the cats, Rolanda, has been at the shelter for 12 years and has given a name to all 75 cats!  As time went on that day, I was able to notice the different personalities of all the cats.  Some were friendly (one a little too much--I had pokes and scratches on my legs and belly from it's 'friendly' climbing and jumping), some were scared, and some just didn't care.  All were cute, furry and satisfied my craving for being around and petting furry creatures.

Later, we spent a little time with the dogs.  They were the same as the cats as far as personalities; some friendly (one a little too much), some scared (these barked and kept their distance), and some indifferent.  The big dogs are able to run in a big grassy area for most of the day and return to their cages at night for rest.  It was incredible to see the workers put the dogs in their cages.  The dogs crowd around the door and when the worker opens the door, two or three dogs go in.  At the next cage, the same thing happens.  The dogs all know into which cage they should go!  I was amazed!  After all the dogs are in their cages, the workers feed them.  Reed asked one of the women if we could help.  The woman gave us each a bowl of food to feed "the boarders" (they take care of dogs for various reasons if the owner asks).  Reed was put in charge of feeding the small, hairless dog and I was in charge of feeding the mastiff.  When I opened the cage holding the pan of food, I was met with a loud, low bark, a huge head on a jumping body and a large swiping paw that knocked 1/2 of the food out of the pan.  I set the bowl down quickly and closed the door.  By the time the mastiff had finished eating the food in his bowl, we had to push about 2 cups of food back under the fence that he had knocked out while 'scarfing' his food.  What an experience!

At the end of the six hours, I was as tired as I am from a day of teaching P.E!  It's no wonder: the noise, at times, was deafening; the neediness, craziness and bathroom troubles were off the charts; following directions was unheard of (literally); the whining and crying were constant--just like a day in the gym!  Oh well, the cuddling, licking and petting made it all worth it!  I'll be volunteering at least one day a week.

I returned home hoping to find peace and quiet, only to be serenaded by barking dogs for most of the evening...sigh!  :o)

For pictures, click on this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/APACAsiloDeAnimales#

Coming next:  Two Thanksgivings in México!

ps.  For those of you that have been trying to leave comments and couldn't, I think I fixed it!

Mexico City and Teotihuacan

We returned once again to Mexico City for a meeting that Reed had with all the other Fulbrighters in Mexico from the United States.  All of these teachers, from all parts of the United States, have become fast friends and this weekend was one filled with discussion, stories and much laughter!  They are a fun bunch of people!

We were fortunate to be able to stay at a beautiful bed and breakfast, eat at some wonderful restaurants, visit the Benjamin Franklin Library at the US Embassy and take a day trip to Teotihuacan.

While at Teotihuacan, our tour guide spoke in Spanish and since I didn't understand enough to give you a sufficient recap, here is what Wikipedia says about it:  "Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, the archaeological site of Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the so-called "street of the dead", and its colorful well-preserved murals. Teotihuacan was, at its apogee in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. During its zenith it may have had between 100,000- 200,000 inhabitants placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period."  

But wait, there's more!  It is really fascinating to me.... 

"Teotihuacan began declining sharply around 650 AD, and was almost completely abandoned around 750 AD.  No one knows why.  The city of Teotihuacán is meticulously laid out on a grid which is offset 15º.5 from the cardinal points. Its main avenue, the "Street of the Dead," runs from 15º.5 east of north to 15º.5 west of south, while its most impressive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun, is directly oriented to a point 15º.5 north of west -- the position at which the sun sets on August 13 (the day the world began, according to the ancient Mesoamericans).  The siting of the Pyramid of the Moon at the far end of the avenue was likewise done with such care that a sight-line directly over the top of the Pyramid of the Sun marks the meridian, thus allowing the priests of the city to fix the times of noon and midnight with complete accuracy."

There you have it!  

For pictures, click on this link:  http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/Teotihuacan#

Coming next:  The Asilo de Animales in Cuernavaca

Las Catrinas and more...

The Catrina is based on a 1913 zinc etching by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.  The figure, a female skeleton, depicted in an ornate hat which was fashionable at the time, "is intended to show that the rich and fashionable, despite their pretensions to importance, are just as susceptible to death as anyone else."  The Catrina has become a popular figure in Dia de los Muertos celebrations.  

We were fortunate to see the "Festival de Catrinas" in the Jardin Borda in downtown Cuernavaca during the days of Dia de los Muertos (10/30 - 11/2).  The festival is a competition of artisans from 5 different states who construct and decorate the Catrinas and display them throughout the garden.  We went 3 out of the 4 days (it was free admission) and were able to enjoy dancing Chinelos (a traditional dance of Morelos), a poetry reading, a band, more ofrendas, homemade food and shopping for handmade crafts at booths.

The slideshow on the right has pictures of the afore-mentioned events in addition to some pictures of sights in Tepotzlan and another art show Reed and I just happened to find while walking around centro.

For pictures, click on this link: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/CaterinasJardinBorda#

Coming next:  D.F. and Teotihuacan

Día de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos occurs over 2 days in conjunction with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on November 1st and 2nd.  On October 31st, some people celebrate Halloween much to the dismay of many (especially the Catholic Church in Mexico) who consider it an unholy U.S. holiday that has infiltrated their traditions.  

November 1st is Día de los Inocentes (honoring deceased children and infants) and November 2nd is Día de los Muertos (honoring deceased adults).  The belief is that it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living during these days.  In preparation for the visit, families build private altars in their homes with favorite foods, beverages, memorabilia and photos of the deceased.  Sugar skulls, marigolds, beer and tequila are popular items.  Pan de muerto is a popular bread made especially for these days, it looks like a loaf of bread with fingers on the top.  Children trick-or-treat for 3 nights singing a song about a calavera (skull) that is hungry and needs candy (or pesos for food).

On the night of the 1st, one of Reed's colleagues took us to Ocotepec (very close to Cuernavaca) for a tradition that is specific to this town, La Nueva Ofrenda.  Families who have had someone die in the past year open their homes to visitors in exchange for veladoras (small white candles) to show respect to the dead.  The visitors receive pan de muerto or tamales and coffee or warm juice.  We took candles to six homes.  We waited in line on the street (there must have been 100 people in line at some homes), received coffee or juice when we entered the yard, walked into the house and past the altar that the family had set up for their loved one.  The raised altar contained a sugar skull, the clothing of the deceased laid out in form of the person and at the foot of the altar, the person's picture, favorite food, drink and memorabilia.  Family members sat to the side of the altar and accepted candles from people filing past.  As we left, we were handed a tamale or pan de muerto.  Most houses had places for people to sit in their yard to eat and drink.  It was a very interesting but sad experience.

The next day, we went back to Ocotepec to see the cemetery.  On this day, the families go to the graves to clean, decorate and spread marigolds on top or candles if they received them the night before.  People were selling food out front, a band was playing and mass was scheduled at noon.  The cemetery was packed with family members decorating the graves and it looked as though they were staying the entire day!  

For pictures, click on this link:  http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/DADeLosMuertos#

Coming next:  Las Catrinas in the Jardin Borda!