4-16-10, Guanajuato

howdy!

this has been an interesting week. i feel i have overcome some road blocks regarding my spanish, especially when speaking in past tense. spanish has several ways to describe the past, and in mexico the past is part of the present. the conversation constantly flows back and forth through time.


as i walk through this city i also find myself stepping in and out of the present. streets of stone surrounded by towering walls of painted cement or stone blocks are the home to university students on the go. the people here are extremely purpose driven, as were their ancestors. when this city was founded (on the discovery of silver) 500 years ago, it was a serious mining town governed by spain and produced about a third of the world's silver. now it produces artists, musicians, authors and actors.


the main plaza, union square, is the heart of this community. the large wedge shaped park is covered in beautiful stone tile. the center of the wedge is filled with plants and flowers, in the center of the garden is the gazebo. last night the gazebo held a full orchestra for an hour, then they left and the normal routine resumed . . . children playing on the gazebo, mariachi bands wandering back and forth amongst the shaded outdoor restuarants, many of which have their own musicians wooing their guests. surprisingly it works! if you like one group, you simply sit on a bench nearby and enjoy. as the sun sets the walkway skirting the garden is filled with people, young and old, taking their pre-dinner stroll. at about 8 or 9 o'clock people begin to settle into their restuarant of choice or go home to eat.


i don't feel like my day is complete without a stroll around union square at night. we are trying different restaurants, but we almost always get a scowl of disapproval from the mother of our house, hermalinda. hermalinda takes her job very seriously and is quite protective. she sterilizes all the food before she prepares it, and she knows (or thinks she does) which restaurants follow her rules. she purses her lips slightly and slowly shakes her head back and forth when we tell her where we ate :) as of this writing, we have not recieved the stamp of approval for any of our choices.

i bought my obligatory cross yesterday from a sidewalk store. the guy who owns it is an absolute doll. he gets so animated when he sees us, and he has invited us to meet him and his girlfriend in acapulco for a scuba diving trip as soon as he gets scuba certified. they will set up the whole trip for us! needless to say we are excited. anyway, i digress, i bought a hand etched (with black ink) cross with the traditional mexican story . . . the tree of life, the puebla, musicians, etc.

i look forward to the day i can figure out how to download my photos for this blog. my descriptions cannot tell it all, nor can a photo tell it all. for example right now as i sit here in the open air internet room i can hear rain crashing down around me. two hours ago i was sitting up on the terrace in the sun. mother nature seems to be pretty ticked off lately. normally it never rains here in april. change is hard to photograph.

con muchisimo bessos y amor, heidi