"Quick Updates"

I had really grand intentions of blog writing today... since I haven't written since before Acapulco. Blogger epic fail.No time to write grand stories.. so here are the "Quick Updates":
Acalpulco
A really fun get a way weekend... beach time, the most beautiful view of the bay at night from the windows of a classy club, lots of new friends, a new found love for staying in hostels...
Amatlan
A rural community that we visited to learn about their culture and spiritual believes. We had the privilege of being invited to participate in part of a ceremony with them. Incredible!  This is also where we will be doing our rural home-stay next week. (more to come after the home visit...)
Tlama
Another rural community that we visited... huge contrast from Amatlan. Tlama is a community that  was forced to the mountains during the Spanish conquest, because of this they do not have strong ties to their land or customs. Their trade is weaving baskets from palm branches... which is not providing them a sustainable income, and causes problems in families because the men travel the country selling the baskets while the women stay at home. It is a community with a lot of problems, but also a lot of hope. There is an organization called Atzin (in spanish- http://www.caminamosjuntos.org/blog/) that it working in the community. Programs include: womens groups, fair prices for their goods, quilting group (other source of income), sanitation, nutrition, education, adult literacy... and the list goes on. Its really pretty incredible.
U.S. Embassy
Yesterday we went to the Embassy.  It was quite the ordeal to get in... long line, angry man, official name tags. We spent our time there listening and asking questions to 4 panelist: 1 worked in customs and border control, one with visas, one with energy and economics, and I'm not exactly sure what department the other women worked. It was interesting to hear the other side of the immigration story... since we have only been hearing the Mexican, or at least pro-Mexican, view of the Mexican-US relations... Overall... it was interesting, it was frustrating, it went to quickly... It was hard because we knew that the had to give us official embassy position on things... and it would be have been more interesting, at least for me, to hear their more personal views... especially because one of the panelist had only been working for the Embassy for a year or two, and had spent the last like 15 years working in the peace core and with the Red Cross.

Ministerios de Amor
Life is stilling going well out at the orphanage... I know you want to know all about it... but it is at the point where its just life now... which is awesome but makes it harder to talk about. Instead of stories, how about some random moments/highlights?

• I have a daughter- one of the littlest girls, A, has now become my daughter. Pretty much whenever I am around, she gets passed off to me. We play in the toy room. She likes to be a dog. 
• One of the little boys, M, decided he was a bandit and told me to stick my hands up... it was hilarious (normally he's a trouble maker). 
• I'm pretty hooked on 2 novelas (soap operas) "Hasta que el dinero nos separe" and "pobre diablo." This is how I spend my evenings... major bonding time with my roommate and a few others.
• I learned how to dance the "pollito" because this is what you do when you lose at hot-potato.
• I am pretty much a professional shoe polisher
• Since I leave on Sunday for a week-long homestay... I wont see the kids for a week and it makes me wonder what I am going to do when I leave for real...
• I am totally used to Mexican style eating... both time wise and flavor. Mom- you will need to start buying hotter spices and limes
• In Spanish head and shoulder, knees and toes... is head and shoulder knees and feet... that provided about 20 minutes of laughs... trying to teach that too one of the boys that knows a little bit of English.
• I watched transformers for the first time the other day while waiting for my laundry... but didn't make it to the last half hr because it was 11:30 and I was exhausted. Yes, 11:30pm.

I don't have any pictures from out there... Sorry! still haven't figured out the appropriateness of that... It might just not happen until right before I leave. 

Other ways to keep up on my life :)

Social Work program blog:
http://www.swkmexico.blogspot.com/

Migration and globalization (other half of our group):
http://migrationglobalization.blogspot.com/

Shutterfly account the my whole group is uploading pictures to:  (I've uploaded some pics but still have many more to go...)
shutterfly.com
e-mail : annedu10@yahoo.com

password: cuernavaca