México - week of the 25th of August 2014 and Teotihoacan!

-I got on the 88 bus to get to Church like always. Expecting there to be no seats like previous sundays, I was able to find not one but two open seats! I quickly sat down only to find the entire bench was collapsed to one side....clearly I was the only one who didn't know.

I switched seats when the bench behind me was available. I was staring out the window when we came to a stop. A man was selling fresh cool tunas at the stoplight. The chofer beckoned him so he he buy a bag. As I watched this transaction I noticed a beggar was also going car to car asking for spare change. His gaze found me through the tinted windows. He began to approach my window, lifting his dry withering hand he gave me a face, "Please, won't you spare me some change? Anything, I need anything you can give.."

My heart reached for the pesos in my pocket. The bus suddenly began to move as the light was now green, and we accelerated and he held my eyes and I his as we took off. I was unable to give him my change, my anything. It was like an unfulfilled moment in time, a piece of art unfinished in the Gallery of my life.

-Opening my lunch to the usual sandwich and apple, I found my sandwich had mold on it. I smiled because to me it was funny. I picked out all the spots. Unvictoriously, the sandwich still tasted very much like mold. I was thankful for something to eat at least. Having lost my debit card I've been unable to purchase food or water so it was a blessing to have my host family feed me three meals a day, even if they didn't notice their moldy bread. Two days later another moldy sandwich, but this time there was no way to eat it for it was quite covered. I have been so hungry and thirsty the past week. I would drink half the pitcher of water for dinner and save the other half for my roommate. After he had gone to bed I would then sneak down stairs to drink the rest of what he left.

I am so grateful for the food and water I have. I am so hungry all the time, but in all honesty of coarse I am just fine. But thinking of those who truly struggle, in places where bottled water is hard to find, food is scarce or unavailable, the idea brings to me a hunger. Eating is like a ceremony, a ritual, a celebration of life. An exchange of energy, color, smell, and taste. An exchange of life that every person should be able to enjoy. There is something divine about a child eating a watermelon, smiling, with juice running down his cheeks like a river of joy splashing on his face.

- Teotihuacan!

The night before was hell! I really have no idea what mosquitos' purposes are in life besides being the source of frustration and anger in humans. I was up all night due to mosquitos flying in my ear and eating me alive. 4:30 came quick, we walked to the school in the brisk silent early morning. Not a single car on the street, it was as if Queretaro turned to a ghost town. At the school we divided into different busses. I sat next to James from Istanbul, Turkey. I was excited to finally meet someone from that city as I studied all about its history last semester. We talked about world issues and our future career plans before everyone fell asleep. I would wake up occasionally to the majestic sights out the window. There was a fog at ground level illuminated by rays of sun. It was as if the bus was translated and suddenly we were on some highway in heaven.

Upon arriving we were greeted by a Papantla ceremony. A man plays the flute and drum as he and his comrades dance and make their way up a high pole as they attach themselves to a rope. they then wind up the rope on the pole and then fall back and hang. As the rope unwinds from the top they all start to spin in a circle upside down. As their rope extends  they come closer to the ground. This dance is to the god of rain, Tlaloc. As the men come closer to the ground it is a symbol of the rain coming to the earth to give life. We set off to the Pyramids. In the middle of what seemed the town square we participated in a ceremony of brotherhood. They gave us a red band to tie around our head. After invoking the blessings of the gods over our new brotherhood and bond we split into groups to explore the Pyramids. Our guide was "Spider-man," is what everyone called him. He explained that Teotihuacan was the center of Astrology, Architecture, and Spirituality. The whole city was dedicated to Quetzalcuhatl, the only god to give his own blood so that man may live, which is why it was an honor to be sacrificed. They said that the whole city was extremely spiritual and a society of peace. We had another ceremony, with incense burning, they had us meditate. With our right hand open the told us to envision that which we desired most and then to grasp it. As I closed my hand slowly to the prayer of the speaker, I felt capable of realizing my dreams.

This position just seemed so appropriate. at first it was kinda just a funny epic picture, but in all honesty it is what I felt at the top.

Being on top of the Pyramids was surreal. I thought to myself, "these people must have had the best legs hiking up these stairs everyday!"

At the top you could see all the Pyramids and the valley, truly to them this was the mountain of the Lord. They believed the hight of the Pyramids was in symbolism of being closer to the gods.

Later we were invited to participate in indigenous dances. As I watched I thought to myself, " in the beginning dancing was a form of worship, a form of prayer to the gods. A reverent sacred communication in which not with just words, but with music and the whole body one connects with the divine." I felt the spirits of these people. When we were allowed to join, it was an exhilarating high. Like a full expression of energy and life flowing out of all those who were dancing. I felt a bond with those around me and a connection to the divine. It was a true and real experience of letting go.

As I walked home from our trip I bought some sweet bread with the money a friend had leant me. I bought three because I was so hungry. As I made my way to the house I found a man passed out in the most uncomfortable position. I stopped, not really knowing what to do. I desired to help him but I also hate dealing with intoxicated individuals. The thought came to me to leave my two extra pieces of bread next to him. Perhaps he is having a difficult time to have drunken himself to incapacitation. Perhaps he has many things to deal with, and maybe, just maybe, when he wakes up to two pieces of bread at his side as a surprise, it will put a smile of hope on his face. I was so hungry, but as I walked away a stinging, yet soothing thought fell through me,

"We are all hungry Jesse..."

México! week of 12 Agosto 2014

-"La calle" the street, probably one of the biggest employers around the world. Instead of being in school many children take to the street with their family doing whatever they can to make money to eat dinner. Here are two brothers who juggle at stoplights for about 10 seconds each time and then frantically run to as many cars as they can to see who is willing to pay in extra change for the short, but impressive show.
(La calle es probablemente uno de los mas grandes empleadores en el mundo. En vez de estar en la escuela muchos niños van a la calle con su familia haciendo lo que pueden para ganar el dinero necesario para comer. Hoy vi dos hermanos haciendo juego malabares en el zamafaro por 10 segundos mas o menos y después corren rápido a todas la coches que puedan alcanzar pidiendo un poco de dinero por su presentación chiquita, pero impresionante.)

-Every Thursday is party night. Everyone meets at the local clubs to dance, be with friends and of coarse, drink. I had the fortunate privilege to be invited by a group who did not want to drink either. The energy is so lively at the beginning of the night and everyone is excited to dance and socialize. Some European friends came to use with shots to share in their traditional drinking toast. I kindly turned mine down but he persisted. My friends Paola and Anakaren protested, defending my stance until eventually My friend Anakaren swooped in grabbing the shot and took my place in the toast. I was moved to see how my standards were important to them and that they were going to make sure I was able to keep them. We danced until about 2AM. The ambiance changed a lot now that everyone was loosing themselves in their drinks. Couples now hooked up and the dancing became more provocative. It was very humorous though. Due to their intoxicated state, any passion attempted to be shared was entirely awkward. We left due to our tired legs and having to attend class the next day. I always feel so blessed traveling. It seems that God has it that I become surrounded by the best people. Truly we grow and stand on the shoulders of giants.
(Todos los jueves hay fiesta. Todos se juntan en los antros locales para bailar, estar con amigos, y claro, tomar. Yo tuve una buena oportunidad a conocer a un grupo de personas que tampoco les gusta tomar mucho. El ambiente del antro es animado y todos están bailando, tomando, y hablando con sus amigos. Unos amigos Europeos vinieron con shots para todos. Yo les dije que no tomaba pero el empezó presionarme un poco pero mis amigas Paola y Anakaren le dijeron que de veras no tomaba. De repente Anakaren se puso en frente de mi y quitando el shot del mano de nuestro amigo tomo mi lugar en la ceremonia de los shots. Me sentí pequeño y agradecido que a mis amigas les importaba mis valores. Bailamos hasta las dos de la mañana. El ambiente cambió ya que todos estaban borrachos. Parejas empezaron bailar un poco mas provocativo. Fue muy chistoso porque las parejas intentaron a ser más apasionados pero eran tan borrachos que cada intento a ser romántico era un Epic Fail! Ya nos fuimos porque ya nos cansamos y a parte tuvimos clase el día siguiente. Siempre me siento tan bendecido cuando viajo. Parece que Dios me rodea de las mejores personas. Verdaderamente  somos criados sobre los hombros de gigantes.)

-Honestly, it has been my experience, that if one wishes to know what is going on in a society, one only needs to check out the local graffiti.
(Ha sido mi experiencia, que si uno quiere saber lo que está pasando en la sociedad, solo necesitas ver el grafiti local.)

-"Los Cholitos" At first the smallest of a group of kids playing in the street came up to me and commanded," Señor take a picture of me!" And then I asked the whole group to have a picture taken of all of them. They all flashed what looks like gang signs for the picture. At first I was like, how cute they have no idea what that means. But then looking around at the graffiti filled streets, I thought to myself, actually... maybe they do.
(El mas chiquito del grupo de chavos jugando en la calle me pidió,"Señor me la toma una foto?" Después pregunté a todos si quisieran una fotos de todos. En la foto hicieron señas de bandas. Al ver eso me pensé que no saben lo que estas señas significan. Pero, después de mirar por las calles llenos de grafiti, pensé que a lo mejor si, si saben lo que significan la señas.)

-It has rained a lot here so far. As inconveniente as it is, rain always makes for an adventure. On the roads cars always stall in the rain. The other day Grayson and I upon waiting for our buses were able to help a man push his car out of the intersection after stalling. All of us drenched and smiling the man then thanked us profusely, "God bless you God bless you Thank you so very much!" We didn't know how to respond so we smiled and waved and said , "it is nothing have a great night sir."
(Recientemente ha llovido un buen! Aunque sea inconveniente, la lluvia siempre contribuya a una aventura buena. El otro día yo y Grayson estábamos esperando el camion y vimos que un carro se descompuso en medio del zamafaro. Así que fuimos a empujarlo a la banqueta. Todos bien mojados y sonriendo, el hombre nos agradeció muchísimo diciendo, "Que Dios les bendiga mucho, Gracias, Muchísimas Gracias!" no sabíamos como responder, solo sonreímos y dijimos, "de nada que tenga buena noche!")
  - I was walking home from school and came across a lady and her mother trying to close their door. I approached them to see if they needed help right when they fixed it. We laughed because they didn't need help anymore. The lady then offered to give me a ride the rest of the way home. I got in the giant van and she told me about her life. She was married twice, to a Canadian and a German. She said in Canada and in Germany it was very hard for her because the food had no flavor and the people were closed and cold. She was used to the colorful culture of México along with the colorful flavors. She lived in Colombia and Ecuador when she was a child. She had travelled a lot of the world. And now she is content with her Mexico.It had me thinking of how colorful Mexican culture is. When you think of Mexico you think of smiles, laughter, amazing food, dancing, singing, bright colors, beautiful people, and a welcoming conversation and a kiss on the cheek. There is so much to miss, I don't blame her at all. She called me Steve my second middle name because it was her favorite sounding one. I liked being called steve. 
When I think of other cultures I do think of them in terms of colors a lot. They are all so beautiful but are a different kind of beautiful, each one made up of different colors, sounds, people, food, and ways of life. Of course they all love their homeland and culture. I find myself in the middle, because I love it all, and I want to be apart of it all, yet I feel like Im always a little distant from it all, even my own U.S. What is my culture? 
( Estaba regresando de la Universidad y vi unas señoras intentando abrir su puerta. Fui a ayudar pero ya la compusieron. La hija me ofreció a llevarme a mi casa. En el camion me contoó de su vida, que se había casado dos veces, uno con uno de Canada, y otro de Alemania pero los dos no funcionaron. Me contó que le fue difícil vivir en esos países porque la gente es mas cerrado y la comida no esta buena. Ella estaba acostumbrada con la cultura colorida de Mexico. Ella también vivió en Colombia y Ecuador como niña. Pero ella a hora esta muy feliz estar en su México. Me hizo pensar en la cultura mexicana. Cuando piensas an Mexico piensas en sonrisas, risas, comida rica, el baile, cantar, colores brillosos, gente bella, una buena conversación y un beso en la mejilla. Hay tanto para extrañar. La comprendo mucho. Me llamó por mi tercer nombre, Esteban, me gusta que me llamen Esteban.
Cuando pienso en otras culturas, los pienso en términos de colores. Todos son muy diferentes y bellas de su propia manera. Llevan sus propios colores, sonidos, gente, comida, y costumbres. Claro que todos quieren a su país. Yo me encuentro  en medio de todo. Me encanta todo y quiero ser parte de todo, pero también siento un poco alejado de todo, aun mi propio país. Cual es mi cultura? )