Nothing to do with traveling

Since I have had a few days of down time I have been doing some reading off of my friends's book shelf. I read through Kevin Trudeau's book Natural "Cures" revealed, previously censored brand name products that cure disease. I must say it was very interesting and I did get caught up in it for a few days, which included checking some of his facts online and doing a little background check (persay) on him. He's basically a bad guy that has switched sides. He reveals secret information with his involvement with the big Pharma, the food industry and goverments in over 60 countries and some of the richest and most powerful families in the world. He is the whistleblower of goverment and corporate corruption. He tells of how he has been in meetings around the worlds with the big Pharma, the food industry, the oil industry all working together with goverments and media, and rich rich influencial people to gain power and money. According to him there is a conspiracy to keep the people sick...drugs make money, cures do not. He is saying that the cause of cancer (and other diseases) is known and the cure is know but the selling of cancer treating drugs (and all brand name drugs)  and procedures is a multi-bizillion dollar industry that "they" will do anything to keep in business, including incorporating ingriendients into drugs and food that "they" know is causing diseases and lying about it and fudging (my word not his) their studies that they keep telling us about. Very interesting.  This book was banned in the US for awhile but he won a lawsuit and his book his back on the market again. If anyone else has read it I would love hear your thoughts on it. Since I've read it 3 days ago I have already made some changes in my life and will make some more in the next year. Following all his instructions on avoiding disease (all diseases are avoidable) would mean some serious work. ( but totally doable) I must say I was a little turned off when I went to his web-site (as he recommended) and found out that if I wanted to get any of the information that he mentions in the book you have to become a member and there is a monthly fee. Just another money making scam?

Packing up the hillbilly wagon

My friend has traveled to Mexico in her mini-van a few times and has a  great packing system that has worked for her. She normally stays down there for 8-10 months of the year so when she goes now she hauls a lot of stuff with her...and dogs. She normally has 4 dogs that she bring with her but she has decided to leave 1 behind, she feels she is too old to travel. She packs everything in banana boxes so that all boxes are the same size and fit better. She can fit 15 banana boxes but there is also a weight restriction on the van. Friday we weighed all the boxes and discovered that unless her and I and Katie (the biggest dog) all fasted until Tuesday we would be over weight. So she had to remove some stuff, which was very sad as she packs a lot of clothes for the orphanages and some had to stay behind. Then yesterday we ended up in a used book store and bought about 20 lbs of books to take with us.....no logic in this at all. Monday we take the van to the weight scales and do a more accurate weighing and that will determine what comes and what stays.

Yesterday I also helped with some winter yard prep (a little different than my winter yard prep) We blew the leaves of the roof so that the eves don't get plugged, we covered the fish pond with plastic so that the leaves don't fill it. It does freeze here occassionaly but never enough to freeze the pond. We moved her annual plants that are in pots under the sun deck in case of frost. They have a lot of plants that we call houseplants outside, in pots and growing in the ground, like the spider plant....it grows like a weed here. Then we pulled the vines away from the shed edges and sides of the house so that termites don't gather there and while doing this I noticed rat poop in places...yup, they have rats here. Not too big a problem in this house and yard because of 5 dogs and 3 cats living here, but they are out there. That pretty much sums up the winter prep, even the irrigation system stays as is. Oh...almost everyone here has an irrigation system in their yard. If you want to grow anything you need a lot of water here due to the heat. Of course I am here during their coldest time of year, it hasn't been warmer than 18C yet, it was only 10C yesterday. Most people here separate their property with vines fences, there are vines everywhere some under control and some not. Also I have noticed that they have a very fine creeping plant that covered the ground in some people's yards, it looks like a nice lawn until you get close and then you see that it is some kind of low creeping plant. I have also noticed that there are almost no weeds here, even in some yards that don't seem to get any attention (where the vines are all completly out of control) there are no weeds.

Another observation is that a lot of people are living in old old homes, homes that would be condemed at home. The wiring in this house would not be allowed, the plug ins are not grounded. People are living in the old old little holiday trailers, you know the kind with the rounded hard shell, but they still have nice yards and gardens....rather quite cute, I can totally see me living like that. There doesn't seem to be a lot of lavish luxury displayed here. We are in a mid working class neighbourhood here and it seems like the people here don't spend their money on things, they spend it on living. Take my friend for example, she is retired and rather well off finacially, made her money in medical field and made some money playing the stocks but there is nothing new and modern in her house. From the old coffee maker (one that I know how to work) to her old little TV (older than mine at home) and like me she does not have a DVD player. She buys used books and used clothes.....nothing fancy here. At just from a quick glances at other people's homes in the nighbourhood it seems the people here have learned to life below their means here where as at home we live above our means. ( So it seems that I can't figure out how to add pictures in an orderly fashion, they  just seem to scatter all over)

I've been in the grocery store a few times now and the food is cheaper.....a lot cheaper, even after I do the exchange from CA to US dollars. I went to the bulk food section yesterday to buy some goodies for out migration south and I bought mixed salted nuts for $1.08 lb, the flax corn chips that I love were 0.78 lb, small carton of half & half cream is 0.99. I haven't checked out meat and produce yet, I do plan on doing that....just because. We are doing some last minute shopping today so I will report back with any worth while information.

Here's my tip of the day for you, when packing up to go away for 5 months (regardless of where you are going ) you should at least pack 1 pair of shoes....one pair. I have no shoes, I came in flipflops. You cannot wear socks in flipflops, the toe thong doesn't fit. So I bought some leg warmers and wear them as socks, it's rather quite trendy looking....vogue magazine will be knocking on my door any day now. If you click on the picture it gets big.....really big, you will be way closer to my toes than you ever should be but you will see the amazing wooden floor. My friend just sanded and stained wooden siding and used as flooring, looks amazing.

Where to begin?

A lot has happened since my last post in 2008. After I came back to Canada I went back to work at the golf course where I've been working for the last 4 summers. After the summer of 2008 I went to work for a forestry company doing regeneration surveys, cut block layouts and some brush pile burning...a brutal winter it was. I took a brief leave and went back to my beloved Stone Island for a brief 3 week visit, it truely felt like I came home...but alas, I had to get back to work. After that winter I went back to the golf course (I am planning on working there until I retire...but let's not tell them that) then as soon as the golf season was over and the course was put to bed ....viva Mexico! This time I am taking the scenic route down. I flew to Sacramento California where a friend picked me up and we drove to her home in Redding. (which is where I am now). She is also a winter resident on Stone Island and she has driven down for the last few years. She travels with 4 dogs and since you are only allowed to cross the border with 2 pets she has to bring a friend to claim 2....I volunteered this year. I arrived 2 days ago and am being a tourist here until the great migration happens on Tuesday (possibly Monday if we can get ourselves organized). We will be driving down central valley California, then cross over to Arizona and cross the border and down the coast to Mazatlan. Once in Mazatlan we will park the hillbilly wagon and load up a boat and head to Stone Island (not sure how that will all work with dogs and 18 banana boxes of "stuff"). It should be interesting....so, stay tuned.
What will I be doing in Mexico this year? Well, once again I have no plans, I had some plans but the Mexican goverment changed those for me when they changed their FM3 regulations this summer. In the past you could come to Mexico on a 6 month tourist permit, no charge and no questions asked, you automatically got a 180 day pass and as long as you did not work you could do whatever you wanted including volunteer work (as long as you didn't get paid) That has now changed. If you want to do more than 5 weeks of volunteering you need a FM3 card which I do not qualify for because I do not have a permanent residence there. (yet) So I will do my 5 weeks of volunteer work at Casa Damasco and the rest of my time there I am simply just going to live there and pray that God will direct me to people that I can help in some unofficial way. I pray he will help me to bless the people of Stone Island in whatever way I can. I really want to give back to the people of the Island for all they have done for me. I plan on spending more time relaxing, I want to try to be on the beach for the sunrises and sunsets, I want to work on my relationship with God, be more intuned to Him, take the time to listen to Him and get closer. I want to do some painting some knitting and just spend time with the people....as many people as I can. I know what you all are thinking....anti-social Mary ...spending time with many people ha. I am going to work on that, going to try to find a balance. Anyway, there it is in a nut shell. But now.....I am in California and I am liking it....yup, it's nice. It's old, it's a little mexican and a little old English, it's green, it's hilly and quiet, and surprisingly slow and relaxed. (Remember I'm in Redding, not LA) Life is good, I am blessed.

Where has the time gone?

Today was my last day at Casa Damasco, this is the week of last days everywhere and it isn’t fun. When I got to Casa Damasco I found out we had another death over the weekend, this was not surprising as we all knew this man’s time was almost up. It is always sad though to see an empty seat at lunch time, actually we never have an empty seat as there are always new drop ins and today was no exception. The couple that run the place were not there when I got there which was a bit of a relieve to me as they were the only ones that knew that today was my last day so I figured I could slip out without having to go through all the good-byes. Which is was I did. As I was leaving I said my “normal good-bye” to a gentleman that was sitting right by the door in his wheel chair I noticed he was looking really down. I’ve noticed that in the last 3 weeks he has not been looking very healthy, today he looked a lot worst. I put my hand on his shoulder and asked how he was doing, he looked up at me with incredible sad eyes and said “feeling very bad” I asked what was wrong and he just shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing, but it was too late I had seen the look in his eyes. It was a look of acceptance, whatever was going on he was willing to accept and not fight it. As I walked out the door I knew I would most likely not see him again, ever. I didn’t bound home as quickly as I usually do, I shuffled along slowly pondering my time spend at Casa Damasco during my stay here. I came to the graveyard that I have passed many times and decided I wasn’t ready to go home so I stepped inside and wandered around for almost an hour. The graveyards here are beautiful; there are sculptures, carvings, paintings, candles and flowers. It’s more like a museum than a graveyard. I didn’t go through the whole place but the oldest grave I saw dated back to 1889.

As I was waiting at the docks for my boat ride home I had a very Mexican moment. There were about 4 small taxi boats docked waiting for their turn (they all take turns) and in 2 of them the captain was sprawled out having a nap totally oblivious to the loud banda music playing from the other 2 boats and the pelicans squawking and the bustling noise from the fish market. They both looked so content and comfortable I suddenly had a huge urge to curl up and have a nap right there, and I could have, nobody would have thought it odd at all. That is what I will miss when I go home, although there is loud ciaos everywhere people can still find peace and quite to have a nap, whether it’s in a hammock or a boat. It’s a different kind of peace here, it lives through the ciaos. I think maybe peace is the wrong word, bliss is more like it....yep, and it’s bliss. I’m livin in bliss. As I walked to my house from the docks I pass 2 decked out cowboys that looked like they came right out of one of John Wayne’s movies, they both put their finger to their hats and tipped their heads and said hello, I recognized them as they are part of one of the beach bands. Further up I pass about 4 gentlemen sitting alongside a fence chatting away, 2 guitars leaning up against the tree that is shading them. I look at my watch and see its 3:30; looks like the cowboys are taking the day off early. It could be because it’s very very hot today or because there are no longer as many tourists on the beach to sing too. (Tourist season is over) I get home and find 2 papayas on my step....thank-you senor papa, I will certainly miss you. I decide to take a walk on the beach to see if I can soak up some of that warm salty ocean air, maybe if I soak up enough of it some of it will come home with me. I pass the meat market and am given a gift by one of the guys, 2 mangos. There is no way I can ever give back to these people what they have given me. I feel like such a traitor for leaving now. Oh well....maybe I’ll feel better if I find a sand dollar. It bugs me how tourists come here for about 3 -4 hours and find beautiful sand dollars and I’ve been here all winter and haven’t ever found one. I think perhaps the tour guides plant them on the beach before they bring the tourists over. I don’t find one today either but I do find a clam shell that’s still closed am rather excited about my little snack I’ll have later when I meet a friend and she tells me that if it’s not a good clam it could make me sick....and a whole bunch of other stuff that I couldn’t understand so I reluctantly throw it back into the sea. So much for my snack.....guess I have to have Strawberries and creama again. Did I tell you, its strawberry season? Well it is and I am liking it. On almost every corner somebody is selling frozen strawberries and creama, like a Popsicle in a cup....sooo good! Did I tell you these people are geniuses? I can’t seem to get enough creama. When I get home I might have to buy a cow and get my own creama and some roosters so that I can sleep, I’m not sure I can sleep without roosters crowing all night. Interestingly enough I have adapted to drinking instant coffee as well, real brewed coffee is hard to find unless you go to a expensive poshy coffee shop (which I did treat myself to once in awhile in the beginning) I never did find real coffee here on the Island but it didn’t really matter because the creama is so thick, rich and creamy it makes a cup of instant coffee taste like a $5 starbucks late. (No I’ve never had one...I’ve heard) You should see me on my roof under my mango tree in the morning with my coffee, I am so content and happy.....livin in bliss I tell ya. When I go to bed at night I’m already thinking of the coffee I’ll have in the morning. OH......another great thing I’ve discovered, Shrimp tamales....oh oh, finger lickin, nose drippin good! Wow! A wonderful discovery; makes me wonder what else is out there that I have just not stumbled on yet. There is more, I know there is. By the way, I’m eating my fruit now with chilli powder and salt....who knew? They are both a little different than the stuff we have at home. Al teases me all the time that I’ve become Mexican, maybe it’s a good thing I’m coming home soon....I’m one step away from wearing rhinestones on my fingernails and I’m getting curious about the deep fried pig guts that they’re selling on the streets. Really curious.

Casa Damasco...I've come along way

I am now also the only North American volunteer left here as well, it used to be very hard for me to go there as I always left like I was not doing anything to improve the people situation, but I have come to change my way of thinking of the place. I am not there to change anything, or to change anybody, I am there to love the unwanted......unconditionally. I am not there to clean the kitchen or too wash the floors (even thought I want too very badly) I have finally gotten to the point where I don’t see the dirty floor or the dirty dishes anymore, I just see the people now. I wish this wouldn’t have taken me 4 months, what can I say, I’m a slow learner. We have had 4 deaths since I’ve been here, each time it was always a little disheartening because I felt that we didn’t get the miracles that we had prayed for. I know that God allows some people to suffer more than others and that he has a reason for this and I don’t have the authority to know what that reason is.....not everything is my business. I think even Jesus said he didn’t know all God’s business (I’m too lazy to look that verse up but I think it’s there) All he wants me to do is to love the people and he will do the rest, so that is what I am continuing to do. I’m still not able to understand Otencia and everyone tells me she just talks jibberish anyway, works fine for me because mu Spanish sounds like jibberish too. We are getting along just fine, the last 2 weeks I have had to sit with her on the street corner as she refuses to go into the house, she says she is going home and is waiting for a taxi (she’s been waiting for 2 weeks) She has warmed up to me a lot since I got there, she lets me hug her now and even lets me pray for her, mind you if my prayer gets too long she says amen for me. She’s never changed her clothes yet or taken her big winter parka off; she will once in awhile wear the lipstick I gave her. She has told me many times that she has 7 children, if this is true I can totally understand her craziness. If I had 7 children I might very well be sitting on some street corner with all my belongings waiting for a taxi that will never show up as well. (Who knows how I would deal with that many children) I really don’t know what her story is but my heart really does go out to her, I will miss her dearly when I leave. Strange as she is, she is a sweet heart.

My Espanol

I now know enough Spanish to finally be understood, which is sometimes not a good thing. Now that the people can actually understand what I am saying I have to be extra careful what I say. For example, I told my vegetable guy that I needed to buy 2 eyes, and he understood me very clearly..... and started laughing, which is when I realized that I had mixed up the words for eyes and garlic.....they are different by only one vowel and I can’t seem to get them straight. I have had a few more of these funny little mishaps, never anything too serious. There are also some words that I just cannot wrap my tongue or brain around, like the word for “fun” a little 3 letter word that becomes a 10 letter tongue twister, I just stay away from that word all together and use the word “happy” instead. Instead of saying “this was so much fun” I say “this made me so very happy” it works. I have come so far with my Spanish and now I am sad to leave because I know it will just wilt away after I leave and then if I come back I will have to start all over again....or is it like riding a bike? No se’.

Buses......by golly I think I’ve got them figured out

As chaotic as everything else is, the city bus system here is awesome, bear in mind I am comparing it too Africa, Peru and Paris.....not Canada, I have never taken a city bus in Canada. You can go anywhere within the city and municipality of Mazatlan on a city bus (except to Stone Island of course) Way out on the edge of town where Jorge and I go with the puppet truck on what looks like a donkey path we meet city buses. You just have to know which bus goes where, and I can now go anywhere I need to go by bus, no need for the ripper offer taxi drivers anymore. Only once did a bus break down when I was on it, if you saw these buses you would be amazed that that has only happened once to me. I’ve come a long way since living at “Wal-Mart?”

A little sadness

My time here is almost up and I have to think about leaving. I didn’t get to travel as much as I had wanted too. I somehow got too comfortable here and got caught up in everyday life and time just flew by too fast for me. The day I bought my ticket I was quite depressed and had no energy anymore. I felt like I may as well just go home right away instead of feeling this way for another 4 weeks. The very next day a friend took me quading all over the Island and I had so much fun that I almost forgot about my plane ticket home. We went through the coconut plantations, the orange, papaya, lemon and mango groves, Nopale fields (cactus) cow fields, shrimp farms, saw crocodiles, turtles, chickens ( found 3 eggs) cows, all kinds of birds, crabs, bee hives, ant farms, ostriches, goats, donkeys and horses. As we stopped for a break to rub the dust out of our eyes and slurp up 2 coconuts I remembered, 4 more weeks and then no more coconuts for me. On the way home we took the beach way and as the damp salty ocean air blew over me I felt a sadness over come me again. I was sad about having to leave this life behind but I was also very sad that I am so sad to leave. I have a blessed life in Canada, good job, good home, a great family, an awesome church and wonderful friends, what is missing for me there? Why can I not be as content there as I am here? It makes me sad that I am not excited to go home. What is missing? It has to be more than fresh papayas, coconuts and salty ocean air. What is it?

The most beautiful students ever and a Casa Damasco story

Today I announced to my class that I only had 2 more weeks left to teach them (I’m choosing not to work during my last week here) The next question of course was “are you coming back next ear”? I so badly wanted to say yes, but yet didn’t want to give them false hope. I told them I hoped so. Almost all of the students gave me hugs after class today; they are not going to make leaving easy for me. The school director has also asked me if I am coming back next year and if I would be willing to teach here on Stone Island. They have never been able to find volunteers that are willing to come out here to teach and so have not implemented an English program out here yet. I could be the one to change that. I would have loved to be able to teach right here but when I first made the arrangement to teach I didn’t know I would living out here yet. I know I also can’t make that commitment unless I can commit to coming back for at least 4 years in a row, there is no sense in teaching for one year and then if I don’t come back and there is no one to take over after me they have to drop the program. It would be so awesome to be able to give the kids on this Island the opportunity to learn English, for free. Ohhhh I have a story.........
There was a gentleman at Casa Damasco that had fallen on hard times, he was homeless and had no job and of course had no money. He ended up in the hospital with some illness (I can’t remember) while in the hospital someone noticed that his English was very good and after he recovered and was ready to be released he was given a job at the hospital as a security guard. Shortly after that another staff member that had some connection at a big fancy resort in the Golden Zone managed to get him a job as a security guard there. He now has a good job and has managed to save up enough money to rent a little apartment and is doing very well, he would not have been given this job had he not had any English. He may never get rich and fat with this job but he should always be able to pay his rent and buy his food, which certainly beats living on the street or staying at a crowded homeless shelter. Bless the person that taught this man English ( he may just have learned it himself) , bless the person that took the time to notice his English and bless the person that took the initiative to find him a job....this person could have just paid him no attention, he was after all just another homeless person.

It's been awhile, I'm a puppeteer now

It’s been awhile.....I’m a puppeteer now
I haven’t written in a while and that’s certainly not because there’s nothing happening here, there is just never a dull moment here. I’ve been a little busy; there was 3 weeks that I had visitors from home, which was awesome. I got to be tour guide and so I didn’t have a chance to do any writing. It sure was great to share what feels like a total new lifestyle for me. Since I now know more people here on the Island I have actually had people stopping by house in the evening to chat, so I am not quite as alone in the evenings anymore. A lot of the regular North American volunteers with the La Vina Church have headed home and that has left the church a little short handed, which does happen every year at this time. Soooo....... I have inherited yet another job, puppeteer assistant. My good friend Jorge is a puppet master (among a lot of other things) he has an old (remember, old in Mexico and old in Canada are very very different) bread truck that he has modified to be a mobile Sunday school and a mobile puppet show, complete with a stage, a sound system (the Mexican kind) a tickle trunk and anything else you might need to have a puppet show in the middle of a dry dusty open field somewhere. ......and I mean dusty, oh I forgot to mention that this truck does not have functioning doors, they stay open all the time, so you must be careful to not fall off your green plastic lawn chair (there are no seats either) and roll out the door when Jorge hits a speed bump or slams on the brakes for some reason or other. The colonia that we go to on Fridays is a new colonia, which means that most people there are still living in their starter home, a tar paper shack. It’s a shack community just on the outskirts of Mazatlan, there is no indoor plumbing, no paved streets, no sidewalks, but they do have electricity. Every power line has a few handmade kites hanging from it, kite making and kite flying is the main entertainment here....that and us. It amazes me how these kids can make a kite out of plastic grocery bags, a few sticks and some old rags and they sour like birds and I can’t get a $20.00 kite to fly ( I own about 6 non-flying kites ) It looks like a little forgotten community in the middle of a dusty desert. When you see a dust cloud rolling in the distance you stop what you are doing and ponder for a bit as to who may be coming up the road, because a stranger does not drive by very often. Getting there through the back roads with the rickety, shagganappy and rattling bread truck is half the adventure. There used to be a bunch of us laughing and hanging on to each other in the truck and now there is usually just Jorge and I.....we still have fun, he laughs in Spanish and I laugh in English....actually his English is pretty good. I must say I have had a lot of fun and have many fine Mexican memories that I will just never forget being on this touring puppet show circuit. I should be thinking of how blessed I have been to be able to be a part of this for this long instead of being so sad to leave soon.

Ciaos in my classroom

Ciaos in my classroom today
I had complete ciaos in my classroom today, I thought the principle would come and escort me off the property and not ever let me come back. It was bad! Here’s the story; According to my curriculum that I was given I was supposed to teach the kids to count from 1 to 100 last week in one class, which is one hour. I don’t know where I went wrong but that did not happen. At the end of the hour about 90% of the kids could count from 1 to 10 and about 50 % could count to 20, as a teacher I had failed them somewhere so today I decided that instead of just moving on to the next subject that we would continue counting and hopefully get to 100. I had brought flashcards and decided we would play a game. I dealt every kid 5 cards and if they had the number that I called out they would give it me and the one who got rid of all his/her cards first would be the winner....sounds easy right? Well, as soon as they saw me take the cards out of my bag they went nuts, they were so excited. Chiqueta’s little brother was screaming he was so excited (she can explain) as I am dealing the cards out ciaos started, they could not contain themselves.....it was hilarious. At first they didn’t quit understand that the point was to get rid of all their cards but they thought the point was to jump out of their desks and race to me as fast as they could to be the first to give me the card (there was duplicates in the deck) well.....chairs went flying, one desk got tipped over and kids were falling all over each other, and they were screaming and yelling in excitement. It was unbelievable! Once the game was over and I had lead Jose #3 in his victory dance they wanted to play again, I knew if we were that noisy again we would get a visit from the principle so I made some rules (why didn’t I think of that first?) No screaming allowed, no getting out of your desk, I collect the cards. This time things went much smoother although a few kids just couldn’t stay in their desks, but there was no yelling. Oh what fun I am having! Can they count from 1-100 now? No. I talked to my director and asked if I should keep moving along or stay on this subject until they have mastered it, she says to move on but take 15 minutes or so out of each class to review the numbers until I am confident that they know them. When my class is over they have a 15 minute recess but if we are in the middle of something and the bell rings they don’t race out of the class, they stay to finish. Especially if I’ve handed out worksheets, they love work sheets and will always stay and finish them. So I think I will utilize this time for reviewing the numbers. I’ve been asked if I am coming back next year, I can choose a different grade or move up and stay with this class. The director asked me if I would be willing to teach all 6 classes on the Island, it has always been too hard to find volunteers to come here so they have never had English classes offered here. Am I coming back next year? I am being asked this over and over and I have no answer. A lot to think about, and to pray about.