Puppy Attack

For some reason, i feel the need to tell you my ancedote for the day. maybe its because my posts are always so serious... Anyway...
So today, all the girls of ProMéxico went to Etla to see a modern arte museo and church. Then we went to some pools that had waterslides and random other things like a trampoline and a puppy that we discovered near the end of our little sunning session. Yea its september 30th, and it was like 40 degrees in the hot sun, so we layed out and tanned in our bikinis. good times with the girlies!
So Kacki and i were sitting up at a patio table when a cute little puppy came over. we laugh, we pet, we chat with the puppy because thats just what you do with puppies. the little darling was jumping and playing with us, then in his adorable innosence he started chewing on a shoe. Clearly thats adorable because hes barely bigger than the shoe, so i take a few pics before taking it away from him.
This whole process happened again with a different pair of shoes, except he got more into it... running away with the shoe... hiding under a table really chewing on it. Being the strong one that i am, once again, i go over take some cute pics, and then take the shoe away from him. At this point, Kacki, which i will remind you is a ProMéxico staffer... starts to laugh like crazy. Because the puppy is literally a Ankle Biter! with his sharp teeth he bit me repeatedly. Drawing blood in my ankle and my finger as i tried to jump out of the way without stepping on the little thing. Damn Puppy.
Luckily he was a pet so no rabies! I think! haha. good story eh? only i could get attacked by a puppy i think! i'll show you pics when i can! silly little ankle biter! not my friend! I´ll remember this Kacki!

The one time to listen to Rumours

Well I promised to attempt to explain the situation here, not sure why i put this on myself because its super complicated but i´ll at least try. Maybe it will help, maybe'll have to clarify or completely change parts of this but if you have any questions let me know and i´ll try and figure it out!
Well for starters, currently, the city of Oaxaca is on a supposed commerical strike. It was supposed to be closing all stores for two days, thursday and friday. The effect it was supposed to have was to tell the government, State and Federal, that the business people are sick of all this because they are making no money. UNfortunately i dont think it will have the effect that was planned because not everything was closed yesterday, buses ran as normal and today, its the same thing except more stores are open. I havent been all over the city yet, but i´m sure theres a smattering of open places. So unfortunately, all the businesses are still losing money because locals arent going out as much, and there are very few tourists which usually bring in the most money. Its really quite sad because since I arrived restaurants and businesses have started to close and move away to other places to make money, be safer, and have their kids in school.
I say safer, not because we are living in a state of supreme anarchy, but there is a significant lack of police presence in the city now. The result has been more common theifs coming to Oaxaca from outside the city and state. Theres been robberies, and a few other incidients, and of course, peoples tires being stolen off their car while they're in a restaurant eating, but in general, i would disagree with the canadian consulate here. I had an interesting encounter with her on Monday. Its really too bad shes giving the reports to the Canadian government because she has a bit of a skewed opinion i think. But if you want to up to date on her report check out: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/sos/ci/cur-en.asp?txt_ID=798 . The facts that she says are true, and you do have to exercise discretion and caution, but pay attention to rumours and you´re okay.
For example, there have been rumours in the past few weeks that the Federal Police are going to come and clear everyone out thats protesting as a part of the APPO. There was this rumour last night and it never happened. Personally i dont think it will happen independent of a political change because it would only cause an escalation of events, not solve anything. But at the same time, noone knows what will happen, even those that are very informed. The reason for that is that its very tricky politically to solve this problem. Ulises Ruis, the governor that the APPO wants out of office, is being supported by all the mayors because they are all worried about what precedence this would set. But the APPO have said that they wont stop protesting until he is gone. UNfortunately the change over of Mexican Presidents is set to occur on NOv. 30th/ dec. 1st. The current president Fox has pledged to deal with the issues here before he leaves office and is under a lot of pressure from the President elect to do so, so he, Calderon, doesnt have to deal with it as his first order of business. the other tricky part is that if Ulises leaves before dec. 1st, the constitution says there has to be a special election which would probably result in a popular vote for the opposite party of Ulises, the state legislatures majority, and the Presidents. If he leaves after dec. 1st, the state legislature gets to appoint a new governor to finish out the rest of the 4 years remaining in his 6 year term. More than likely the apointee would be the same party as Ulises and therefore, won´t make the people happy because they all have the same politics. I dont really see how anyone can solve this politically, and if they try to use force, they dont have the resources and it will only enrage the already dramatic APPO. I guess only time can tell the rest of this story, and when it gets down to the end of November and nothing has happened it will be a very interesting time.
But just a quick reminder, i´ve never felt unsafe here in Oaxaca. We're rarely alone wandering unfamiliar streets. Its not as dramatic as the consulate or even the papers would lead you to believe. its easy to be aware of whats happening around you. I´ve sensed tension in the downtown areas at times, but i was never alone, and actually usually had either a mexican friend or a ProMéxico staffer with us so it was fine. Its really the one time in my life that its been smart to listen to rumours! You dont stick around to see the danger, listen to the rumours, your house family, staffers, friends, and still manage to have wicked times out and about. We even managed to close a bar this week, 3 am, the staff wanted to leave so we had to. You know what they say... When in México...!

Un Poco Fotos

@ a bar called La Divina... Rachael, Oscar, Varuna, Me, Sonia & Carlos.
Me and My Varuna. Hindu, Indian, English and most of all Beautiful! and hilarious!
El Arból de Tule... the biggest biomass in the world... Gil, Sonia, Me and Varuna. We look so cool, the coolest tourists ever, a very good mexican guide as well!
Alrighty! Finally a few Pics! Naturally, i still havent figured out what to do with my own camera since i didnt bring my cord to hook it up. but i´ll work it out. In any case i stole these ones from Varuna and Sonia! Thus making them far classier than i could ever imagine. Since they are English you know! I miss them terribly, but they are having good random adventures in Argentina and Peru right now! I wish they would come back to Oaxaca after that trip but they are going home. Soon Varuna and I will meet at one level, i´ll come down from Idol status and meet her on her ascent upwards! haha. sorry this is short but enjoy the pics!

APPO

I promise i´ll write more explaining the whole protesting situation here very soon. Sunday perhaps, but for those very curious, or very bored this weekend, not enjoying the rolling stones festivities in halifax, below is a Link to the APPO´s official page. I havent looked at it yet myself, but it says it has videos and should explain who they are.
generally the APPO is the Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca. Essentially they are a big organization of all the groups of people from Oaxaca state that are against the Govenor of the state, Ulises. The groups included in the organization are the state teachers that started all of this, the Communist party of Mexico, and other groups that think the govenor is corrupt. I cant say i disagree with them through all the stories i´ve heard, and just then general feel of the population including my house family. But this isn´t necessarily the best way to go about it, especially since all the other governors of mexico have pledged their support of Ulises.
I warn you they´re a bit radical sounding with a lot of propaganda that makes you take notice. But i reassure you, we are safe and careful while we´re here! Its actually a really well made website just goes to show, never underestimate anyone! Check it out and i´ll write more explaining it in english as i understand it, and more of what reactions i here from locals and my ProMéxico staff!!!

http://www.asambleapopulardeoaxaca.com/

Nova Scotia

For those of you that do not recognize this pic, this is one i took of the Toney River Beach at a great family party this past august just before i left. I´ve been in Mexico for 3 weeks today, so i guess this pic was taken 4 weeks ago! So hard to believe!
people always ask where i´m from when i´m in a cab or whatnot, especially since my Canadian pin broke off my bag and got lost. I´ve gotten into the habit of being as general as possible by just saying, "soy de Canadá". then they´ll ask about vancouver, and expect me to have been there. Its fun to shock people and say that nova scotia is closer to Europe than it is to Vancouver. Our Country is huge! But our province is very small.
Explaining the concept of winter and snow and storms all the time is a bit of a challenge at times even with my american or english friends. They all know the stereotypes cant be true but when they think of canada, they picture, mounties vs. eskimos in an intense hockey game while all are speaking french. You can´t help but laugh along with them at the absurity of their imagination. Its fun, and the people i´ve met are far from ignorant or arrogant, in fact most are either knowledgable or embarassed at their lack of knowledge.
Either way, Its forced me to examine my country from a more simple perespective. I find myself missing french lately. Sure i still mix in french in with my spanish, which im sure makes no sense to the people listening to me, but of course in my head its perfectly logical that comme is the same as como! Withe every new spanish word i learn, i feel like i´m forgetting my french. It makes me a bit nostalgic, and has resulted in some interesting conversations explaining why my new cell phone is not in English or spanish, but in, as my phone calls it, "canadian french".
Its very hard to explain canada as a whole, and i always end up saying "on the east Coast". My friend from Washington state noticed this, but i´m sure all the east coasters understand the distinction. I think Mexicans have a better chance of understanding it as well because they have a strong regional identity. Every region is very different politically and culturally from the rest of México on the whole. Its very interesting! I find myself becoming more and more proud of Canada despite all the regional distinctions. We´re like 8 countries in one!
I dont miss nova scotia per say, but i´m always thinking about home and appreciating where i am and where i come from in the same instant. Thinking of the music, and the friendly "stop to let you cross the street 3 meters from a crosswalk" atmosphere, friends and family. the Culture of our supposed bilingualism, vast geographic differences, and good water everywhere for either drinking, fishing or swimming. I even had a funny conversation with my spanish teacher about Scottish culture in Nova Scotia, as a light hearted gay man he was especially interested in Kilts!haha Clearly Nova Scotia is phenomenal, but so is Oaxaca! I think they will both be very near to my heart forever.

noises and nightlife

Well, i previously write a huge entry that was all about the good and bad things in Oaxaca, including the noises, but i managed to lose it before it got uploaded. so this is my attempt to write it again and if it doesnt work out, then i guess you´re just not meant to know that there are some things that i´m not in love with in this city. best get to it then!
Its been said that mexicans have the highest tolerance for noise in the world, and after moving here i can completely understand why. I´ll put it into perspective, my house is on a quiet street full of trees and houses, but is in between two larger busy streets that run up the neighbourhood. So on a normal day sitting in my room, close your eyes and imagine: you hear the neighbourhood rooster crowing at all hours of the day. every once and a while the dogs will start barking at something, last night they were howling at a cat that was wailing for some reason. then sounds start to filter in from the streets beyond. theres the big old diesel buses shifting as they make their way up the hills after stopping with squeaky brakes to let someone on or off. Theres an array of cars honking their horns at the bus for blocking their route, or for the people on the street to move out of the way before they get run over, or perhaps its a cab honking to ask if a pedestrian needs a ride. once that subsides you´ll hear the a ringing of a triangle type instrument or the beating of a metal tub signifying that a man is selling flavored water as he walks up and down the streets. then theres a squealling sound of metal rings being dragged on the ground behind a moving truck resulting in the house mother to yell her son´s name, "José!!!" because thats the sound of the garbage truck and here you have to carry your own garbage out and put it in the truck yourself. It comes by at least three times a week. Then shortly after this, theres a cry of "AAAAAGGGUUAAAA!!!" and possibly a bell ringing along with it. Clearly this means theres a man sitting on the back of a truck selling big bottles of water to the neighbourhood. Theres more but that should give you a good picture of the constant noise in Mexico.
Downtown its worse, a thousand more honks of horns as impatient taxis honk at the cars in front of them to go through the red lights Theres also random men wandering around yelling to sell newspapers, and men in the mornings directing traffic through certain intersections. a spurt of sirens is heard every once in a while too. Then on top of all of this, theres the cat calling. Being a Tall white female i get mistaken for a Gringa, eventhough, technically since i´m not american, i´m not a Gringa. But that minor distinction doesnt much matter. Just an example of what thats like, one night i was sitting on a bench waiting for some friends next to a busy intersection. in the 10 minutes that i sat there, probably 8 out of every 10 cars either honked, flashed their lights at me, stuck their head out and yelled something in mexican or for the more adventurous souls, in broken english, and last but not least whistled. One, or a combination of these things happens when you are visible to mexican men, regardless of their age. I´ve had a boy probably around 11 yell something, and a man as old as 60 stick his head out and whistle as he drove by. Honestly though, it doesnt really bother me much. I find it more amusing than anything, especially when they yell out, "BEAUTIFUL LADY!" or the only other english words they may know, "WHAT TIME IS IT?"99.9% iof the time they are completely harmless. I have yet to experience anything that made me nervous. You learn to ignore it, or to be amused by it, which is easier for me than it is for my friends here because they understand more of what the men are yelling, so in that respect i´m glad my spanish is lacking!
Moving on to the nightlife! which is really oh so very interesting here! I´ve been told that oaxaca is very different from what it usually is due to the protesting, which i hope to explain in another entry very soon. Its been really quiet at night, with the exception of saturday which i assume is as close to what real oaxaca is like, with tonnes of people out on the streets buying from vendors, and lots more in teh bars themselves. We always go out in a big group and taxi it home, and no worries, we´re careful not to get into unmarked cabs, or ones that are associated with the APPO (the general grouping of everyone protesting here). Sure theres lots of guys that come up and ask "quieres Bailar?" but for everyone of those theres 2 average guys and at least 2 really nice guys around. i´ve met a few and they´re good to help out if necessary. The bar staff is always really good too, especially at this one place we went to called Sabina. It just opened. and was fantastic! We have lots of fun, and i´m never worried about things while i´m out. The night life is good here, and i cant wait for the protesting to be over so i can see what the say its really like.
I´ll try and figure out my picture situation early next week and explain more about the different places i´ve been and my friends once you can see what i´m talking about! it smore interesting for you that way and more fun for me! and on that note, i have to run to pick up some stuff before spanish class and then try and get out a ´double date´ i´m not interested in going on! Hope you´re all good and happy!

Semana Dos

Well, I´ve officially been in Oaxaca for over two complete weeks. Its such an odd concept to think about it like that because somehow it feels like i´ve been here for months, and in other ways its like i just landed here today. my friends are getting ready to leave to go back home, and they´ve made me think a lot about what it will be like to be leaving. Right now i find it hard to imagine wanting to leave, or wanting to stay either. I imagine it to be a bit bittersweet after three months. I´ll be happy to get home and see everyone, but i´ll have to miss this place too.
I should mention the incredible things about Oaxaca so you can all put your horror stories of Mexico out of your head for now. For starters, Mexicans are incredibly nice and helpful people, that dont want to harm you because your white or any other reason actually. Theres a lot of poverty, but a lot of love and family, and pride in their home and culture. Setting aside the hospitatily, imagine a place where its around 30 degrees everyday, with huge white fluffy clouds resting atop of tall green mountains surrounding a city filled with palm trees, flowers, brightly painted buildings on cobblestone roads! Sure theres political turmoil, machismo, stray dogs and homeless people, but its still the most beautiful place i´ve ever seen in life, movies, or pictures. I would recommend a trip to real Mexico any day of the week, even on my bad tired days. if you ever get a chance to come down and try mezcal or quesillo, or chocolate oaxaqueño hop on the plane regardless of the amount of debt you will acquire. Its worth it to be the only white person around for miles, and for that to not really matter other than getting a touch of extra attention.
Granted there are some downsides to being a tall white woman in mexico, but at least im not considered a gringa because i´m canadian! But I´ll write up another entry about the noises, machismo, and the political stuff thats going on so you can understand why i´m not concerned about it no matter what north american media is saying. Oh, but the BBC website is the best place to get updates if you dont read spanish news of course. Dont let anything you hear spoil the image i just created for you, put your mind at ease, i´m super safe, and super happy with a new cell phone to ensure that fact is true, and a fantastic bunch of friends making the experience great.
i wish you were all here to share the experience of real mexico with me, but someday, maybe, I´ll come down with you to Cancún for Spring Break and be your mexico tour guide. Three and a half months should be sufficient to know the lay of the land!!! Until that day comes, in honour of Dia de Independencia which was last yesterday, i´ll say la Grita, about 16 hours late, because its supposed to be said at 11pm on september 15th... and feel free to join me... VIVA MÉXICO!!!!

Sonia & Varuna

Sonia, and Varuna.
yes they are ppl thats for sure! they´re my two friends that i´m sorely going to miss when they leave after this weekend. I may have only known them since i got here on the first, but they´re good friends regardless. Sonia lives with me at my housestay and varuna is her friend from home that did the program with her this summer. They´re from England, and are hilarious Hindus. Unfortunately for me, they have befriended me to the point where i wish they would stay until decemeber with me, and then i can go back to England with them... oh well. I hope that when i get to go over there for school in a couple of years they´ll still be there to be my english friends!
I´m nervous for next week. They´ll be gone and i will have to start to settle into my own way of life here in Oaxaca. Plus my house will be lonely without Sonia around, but oh well. we´ll keep in touch and fill in those empty moments with emails and blogs! Next week should be interesting too bc rachel and i start our coursework for the semester program and our volunteer stuff starts then too. though my project is still being worked out, but it looks like i´ll be working at the banco del alimentos here which is the food bank. we´re also meeting some random blokes for salsa lessons, we´ll help them with english and they´ll make me feel like an idiot for having no dancing ability.
anywho, back to my dear sonia and varuna... i´ll try and get my pics postable, so you can see just how darling they really are. So sweet for letting me infiltrate their fun times. i´m sure i´ll post some more details about our recent adventures soon once i have the pics to go along with it!

The Beginning!

Hola!
I just thought i´d start up this makeshift blogspot incase anyone is really interested in my vida oaxaqueña! I dont have any way to upload my pics yet but i´m working on that!
For starters... i´m in mexico... a place called Oaxaca. and its fantastic here! theres a group of 4 of us that will be here most of the time that i am here, and then theres staff, and my homestay family, and my teachers! its all very exciting!
Mexico is very different from Nova Scotia, of course, but who can really complain about hot sunny days with palm trees and mountains all around you? I can´t!
Life is good, food is good!
Be in touch bc i´m online checking my mail every few days at the least! so be good and happy back home!