Day 24: Already Almost Missing Mexico

8:37 pm

I can't believe that I'm coming home on Monday! I only have one weekend left here in beautiful Mexico. Tomorrow we're taking a day trip to Guanajuato, the capitol city of this beautiful state, and it's going to be amazing!

Here is a group picture from our farewell dinner last night...

Today I finished my paper, so my official work here is done. (Yay! hehe) There are still a few pieces that I would like to write, about the campo, but mostly for my own benefit, so they can wait a little while. For now, I am doing my best to soak up what is left of Mexico for me.

Since not much happened today, I'll talk a little more about Cieneguilla.

Wednesday, July 5 and Thursday, July 6, 2006

Days 15 and 16: A Whole New World

Most of Wednesday, my first full day in the campo, was spent watching and learning and trying very hard to not look as awkward as I felt. The highlight of the day was when Erica and Simone stopped by for a visit in the afternoon. After more than 24 hours of straight Spanish and unfamiliar faces, I was so happy to see them that I almost ran to give them hugs. The majority of what I did on Wednesday was watching the amazing art form known to every woman in Cieneguilla and many men too: carrizo reed stripping and basket making.

First, this picture, from Doña Vicki's (Simone and Erica's) yard, shows the carrizo in three forms, so you can get a better idea of what it looks like. Sorry it's not that clear, but the long vertical plants in the background are carrizo growing. They grow about 15 feet long, maybe a little more. The pile in the foreground is harvested but unstripped carrizo, and the long light yellow reeds leaned against the tree on the right are old stripped carrizo, which are also used for firewood and fence building.

First, they strip all the leaves off the outside of the reed. Then they cut the reed straight down the middle to make two U-shaped halves. (This was the fatal step for my poor finger.) Then they decide whether they need wide pieces for the frame of the basket, really thin pieces for the sides of the basket, or medium-sized pieces for decoration. For the wide pieces, they pound the half flat and then strip the top layers of wood off till the carrizo is as thin as a ribbon. For small or medium pieces, they just subdivide the U-shaped half until the pieces are the right width, and then they just shave and shave and shave until it's thin enough to bend. And then they make the basket.

If you have any more questions, ask me later. I took a video, but for some reason I can't figure out how to post videos here.

Thursday I went to Doña Vicki's house again to see Simone and Erica. One of Doña Vicki's daughters, little Vicki, was graduating from "secondary" school, which is the equivalent of middle school. It seems like graduations at any level are very big deals here; I am not sure if it's because most people don't go to high school, or if these fun-loving people just look for any excuse to have a party. We went to the graduation, which had a lot of cool dances from different parts of Mexico in between the calling of names; I think they should do that at US graduations, to break the tedium. Just my opinion. We had a party at Doña Vicki's house later, which was fun. Simone and Erica and I ate jalapeños until we thought we would die and then we made a makeshift band from bottles (for the notes) and bottle caps (for the percussion). All the children were very amused. And then a fly flew into Simone's Corona and swam around without dying for about 20 minutes. Lovely.

Okay, I know I promised to stop talking about the bathrooms here, but I have to at least give you one last parting shot, of the shower at Doña Chabel's house. Keep in mind that this is in the middle of the backyard...

... You figure out how it works. I had to! hehe

I miss you all, but I'll be home soon.