Final thoughts about my 11 months in México...

Usually, stereotypes and rumors are the result of misguided information or the result of fear of the unknown.  

What I have learned from traveling in other countries is that people are pretty much the same everywhere you go--they have the same basic need to survive.  The methods and modes of everyday life are the same but done in a different language and are based on different customs.

One country is not "better" or "more advanced" or "more civilized" than another, they are just different.  Judging a country by rumors or stereotypes is simply not fair.  I believe that you have to live in the country for at least 6 months to fully experience the "life" of that country.

During the past 11 months, after visiting 14 states and over 30 cities in México, I feel that I experienced "life" in Mexico.  Here are some of my thoughts that I recorded throughout the year and after I returned to the US.  They are not in order, simply a "brainstorm of thoughts".

*I have seen people surviving in conditions in México that would "not be fit for a dog" in the US.

*I have seen people and kids selling or doing whatever they could to make enough money to survive.

*I have been in and seen situations I would never have dreamed of.

*I have been uncomfortable more times this one year than in the entire 45 years of my life.

*I have stayed in very "interesting" hotels and some very nice ones.

*I have become very accustom to taking public transportation (I had never taken a city bus before riding a "Ruta" in Cuernavaca)

*I learned to go slower.

*I learned that if a party starts at 3pm, it really means the guests start showing up at 5pm.

*I learned that I can survive for 11 months without a cell phone and a car.

*I learned that the Mexican people are very genuine.  

*I learned that Mexico has the same amount of danger and bad people as the US, you just have to be aware of those areas and people and avoid them (as you do in the US).

*I learned that sometimes unfortunate ideas can get ingrained in a culture and no matter how hard people try to change them, they will stay the same for 100s of years if not forever.

*It is possible to make 'friends for life' in a very short time.

*At times, living in another country can be very, very difficult for a multitude of reasons BUT if you stick it out, can be very, very rewarding!

I could go on and on....   

Thank you to all of you for reading my blog, commenting and "experiencing" the past 11 months with me.  It was truly a pleasure writing all of these and I am sure I will enjoy reading them all in the future and be amazed (and probably shocked) at the experiences that I had!  :o)

The final slideshow is pictures that I feel reflect the 'flavor' of my year (sorry, there are quite a few):  http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/FinalThoughts# 

Coming soon....maybe:  Culture shock from being back in the United States

¡Fiesta!

We are having a "We're Home!" party on July 18th at 3pm.  

Our address is:  10805 SE Stephens St., Portland, Oregon, 97216

We'll have the grill on and some authentic Mexican food as well as beer, pop and, of course, tequila drinks!  Bring what you can/want or just bring yourselves!

If you have questions or need directions (sometimes the online maps are wrong), please call me on my new cell phone:  503-481-6671

Coming next:  Final thoughts on my year in México

Making tamales, Papantla and El Tajín

Some of the female colleagues of Reed's invited us over to on a Saturday to make tamales.  We started at 12:30 in the afternoon and finally got around to eating at about 6:30pm  What a process!  In the end we had made 5 different kinds of tamales (peppers and cheese, chicken and cheese, chicken and mole sauce, Oaxacan, masa cocida (cooked corn) and over 300 tamales total!  The work is tedious but with friends and, of course, beer, it was a lot more fun than work!

The next day, Sunday, we took a day trip to Tlayacapan, Morelos.  We visited the Augustinian Ex-Monestary Museum which had mummies in one of the rooms.  We also visited the tiangis and some of the stores that sell the pottery that the town is famous for.

The next weekend we traveled to Papantla, Veracruz.  Papantla is most famous for it's flying Voladores and the ruins of El Tajín.  The ritual of the Voladores dates back to Mesoamerican times (2nd - 9th century) and was originally done as a message to the god of fertility to end the drought and bring the rains back to nurture the crops.  The Voladores (5 in total), after doing a special pre-ceremonial dance, have the incredible courage to climb a 150 ft. pole in the forecourt of the church, wind their ropes (4 of the men) around the pole while balancing at the top (the fifth stands on a small platform at the top playing the flute and small drum--without a rope or safety net).  After tying the ropes around their waist, they freefall back to earth gradually unwinding the ropes until they touch the ground again. Then, they ask for donations from the crowd watching them.  We watched this about 4 times, each hour, in one day.  It is incredible!

The next day, we visited the archeological ruins of El Tajín, a pre-Columbian, World Heritage Site.  It was one of the largest cities in Mesoamerica during the classic era .  It was one of the most beautiful ruins we have visited this year!

Before we toured the ruins, we stopped to talk to one of the vendors outside the main shopping area.  We had noticed that he was in a wheelchair and after asking some questions, came to find out that he had been a Volador.  In an unfortunate accident in El Tajín, he had fallen off the very top of the pole before he was able to secure his rope around his waist.  He told us that he was very fortunate to only be paralyzed from the waist down!  

Click on this link to see the pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/regnor11/TamalesTlayacapanPapantalaElTajin#

Coming next:  My final thoughts of my year in México

The final blog:  After returning to the U.S...