returning to the states
I find it shocking to reenter the states. Flying from one one place in Mexico up to boston in one day is shocking especially after days of riding in buses or being able to drive only a short distance because of road conditions. Then entering a large space with cats, plants and a wood stove that needs care and feeding is unexpected. The laziness of nothing having to be done rapidly gave way to mail messages, newspapers to sort through, laundry, cleaning and other tasks. thankfully i planned to take a few days at home before going back to church. I do look forward to the discipline of writing a sermon for Sunday and especially to seeing colleagues, congregants, family and friends. I am feeling very grateful for the opportunity to have traveled and seen and experienced the marverlous country of Mexico. How does a Sabbatical change someone? i suspect it provides us space and opportunity to reflect on the many blessings around. I know that I have returned feeling more relaxed more in touch with the beauty of colors and sites from another culture and with deep appreciation for the wonderful congregation i am so pleased to serve.
January 18, 2010
it is hard to be here in Mexico not getting caught into the events in Haiti. My calling to assist in large scale disasters gets kicked in very easily. i have tried to avoid newspapers and to not go on line looking up all the stories. Today though we were in Bacalar near Chetumal and a Mexican newspaper was on the table near where i was sitting. i picked it up and could make out the Spanish headlines which said report from the Zone of Terror and that 150-200 million people are believed dead. i have not been able to verify this figure but it is staggering on many levels. one that the death toll could be that high and i know the island of Haiti is small how could that many people live there? i have been in contact with the Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains and we have said we would help in what ever ways we could even if it meant we would go there. Also working through the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry Team and think we might be helpful to defuse and debrief any of those responders who do go. So this is why I go on Sabbatical to not read the papers and not obsess with where and how I should respond to world disasters.
Tomorrow we head over to Belize to check it out for the day for the future and at the end of the week i fly for home. i will miss Mexico. i love the land, the culture, the people, the new exposure and experiences. This trip i am even beginning to think some times with the spanish word first instead of the English. Example cafe for Coffee, and Basura for trash and tope for speed bump. tonight it is peaceful and the stars are bright following a torrential downpour and the appearance of a rainbow marking the storms path. goodnight now.
finding a place to settle into
we arrived at Calderitis Bay two days ago it is a small slice of paradise. the bay is the wonderful blue, green, pink of the Caribbean. the ocean breeze keeps the temperature perfect around 75-80 and a hammock and rocking chairs are available to watch sunrise and sunsets. The drive in and around San Cristobel De Las Casas was extraordinarliy beautiful. how can i describe being above the clouds and slowly descending into them. The city of San Cristobel is a place with a powerful energy. The indigeonous people and the colors they wear and the cloth they surround themselves with lifts my spirit. As a friend of mine pointed out color is worship of the creator and certainly I could sense creation all around me. The village of San Jaun Chamula where the ancient Mayan rituals, the catholic tradition and the new merge together creating a spot of healing and wonderment and amazement. The light from the thousands of candles, the pine needles on the ground, the statues of saints against the walls and the ancient pracitices of chicken sacrifice and the use of beverages for healing was mesmermizing. Their faith moved me to reflect on the deepest emotions that religious rituals evoke, those that defy words and that one can only witness and wonder about.
as always Mexico moves me in ways that are deep in my soul. I am always glad to be here whether it be in this setting of beach and leisure or riding through the villages witnessing the daily struggles of a beautiful spirit filled place. i am so grateful for being here.
January 8, 2010 Chiapas Mexico
San Cristobel De La Casas is quite the city. It is cosmopoliton and international while at the same time it retains a charm that is ancient. It was established in 1528 when the Spainards came here. There are two native groups still active in the community and they have an outdoor market outside the doors of the Cathedral. These natives sell their wares and try to survive. We went into the cathedral today it was built of rebuilt in the 1800′s and the statues and pictures and gold leaf altar are something else to see. In a side chapel is an old picture of the “Slaughter of the Innocents”. The artist showed a mother covering her eyes as her child was snatched away ready to be killed. The picture stopped me in my tracks and i had to stop for a moment i was so overcome with emotion from that unknown artists protrayal of the famous biblical scene.
i am learning and beginning to feel that i have some small grasp of Spanish. I can translate most of a menu, i can read signs and can even tell someone what i want and can a tiny bit understand what they are asking or telling me. I will never be good but at least i am more confident about trying to speak and hear Spanish. There is nothing like immersion to get it. It has been good to get out and walk into the city and enjoy some exercise and fresh air. we will stay here two more nights it is so very enjoyable.
settling in San Cristobel del La Casa
finally found a place to settle for a few days that has comforts. the last place we went to was in the jungle of Catemaco city in the state of Vera Cruz. it was awful. the rain- of course what did i expect in a rain forest – but there was 7 inches in 6 hours and the mud and the road in to the place .5 miles of pure bumps and vines was dreadful. if it had not been so muddy it would have been beautiful. now we are in Chiapas in the highlands up 7500 feet above sea level in a city started in 1580. very neat. the indigenous tribes still survive out of the city in villages near. today after getting really settled in we will head out to see the church and the market area and find a lavanderia and fruitas and vertas and huevo’s. my last six eggs became scrambled somewhere over the Vera Cruz topes- speed bumps. this place has running water, sewer, electricity, and internet connection. it is very lovely to see the highlands around us and the villages with small unpaved roads below.. gives all new meaning to the excesses that i have filled my life with, that i would not trade. let me tell you a story about Santiago Tuxtla it is inland from the Gulf coast it is an ancient city in the town square is a giant i mean giant 5 foot tall carved stone structure of an Olemic head. a site worth seeing. as we were driving out of town two officials policia halted us and approached us as we were at a tope. one looked to the other and said “do you want a drink?” “yes” he said. so the first one looked at Ron and said -”sir give us a soda” i said we don’t have any soda in the vehicle” So the officer looks to his comrade, and says “they don’t have any soda”, and then back to us. ” ok then give us money and we will go get a soda or no take that back maybe i am in the mood for an ice tea.” we handed them 2 pesos and off we went.
i like using the full name of the town since the La Casa is the part named after Bartolome De La Casas a dominican priest who tried to protect the native people here from the spanish conquistadors who oppressed the people here who were not turning in their gold and metals to the Spanish. Oppression is such a foundation of the country that i am ever in awe of how the natives can even tolerate us. anyway it is good to be settled for a bit. i will write again.
I am road weary tonight. It was a long slow travel day. Made good miles about 680 and time 10 hours but it was a slog. First stop in Roberts La about 180 miles from beginning we stopped to get gas. We pulled in to the pump i began to get out to go get water when a car pulling in missed the in drive and lurched over a curb with a gully below her about 4 feet deep. Thankfully the curb stopped her or she and her passenger would have been in real danger. The driver got out an elder woman with her even elder 96 year old sister in the passenger seat. We both ran to her and made sure she had no injuries. We checked both of them and determined that the car was sufficiently in the road to make it dangerous for the elder to stay in it. I ran and got a traffic cone from the side of the building. Ron got the 96 year old out of the car and with her walker brought her into the gas station. I stayed with the driver and we called a wrecker. I told her I was a Chaplain of Leominster my home town fire department and I would stay with her till help came. I suggested we call the police for traffic for at this point i was stopping one lane of traffic and directing on the other and shifting traffic as it was safe. Funny that she and the attendant who came out did not see that as one of the first things to do. But after gentle nudging she did. i mean the area is remote and should have a police department that could respond. After the wrecker and the police were called I tried to keep her out of harms way and from freaking out. At one point a pick up truck with a male driver pulled up the driver spit a big wad of tabacco out his side the window. Jumped out the truck cab, jumped in the truck bed picked up a chain and jumped down to attach it to the bumper. The driver and i both yelled no, the car is caught on the curb not just stuck in a ditch. Okay says the cowboy booted stranger and he jumps in the truck drives into the store attached to the gas station and emerges with a six pack of beer Colt 45′s exta large cans. And off he road into the sun which is what had blinded the driver of the car who was now stuck. A very large wrecker the one that had been called and the cousin of the man working in the gas station showed up and Ron and I knew it was time to get out of there. I gave the driver a bottle of water and we said a quick prayer and we were on the way again. though the rest of the day yielded no more accidents that we were part of it was a slow and tedious ride. When i began to say that the long horned sheep were coming close to the car we knew it was time to find a place. It always ends up being about an hour from saying time to stop to actually getting stopped. Food, gas, parking the trailer in a safe place and bringing in the stuff eats up the time. Tonight was no different and i am glad to be here and settled down. it is 9:40 and we are about 175 miles from Pharr which we expect to get to tomorrow. Once there we will get trailer set for driving into Mexico.
Wonder what adventures will await.
Another “exciting”day on the highway. Well the most exciting was getting out of the snow area. this happened outside of Knoxville Tenn. when suddenly there was not a bit of snow on the ground and all was green. So what do i do all day. read, listen to cd’s found my old B ruce Springsteen cd which is more like blue grass, cajun, folk than anyother. Also Susan Tadeschi has some of my favorites. We were able to pick up the Patriots game for about 1/2 hour and then that got lost in a come to Jesus station. Wow talk about fire brimstone preaching. i could do that. do i want to, well not the threatening and part about the world being a horrid and sin filled place because actually i don’t agree with that assessment. in fact i even managed to not freak out at the young man who drove by in a pick up truck who had a large swastika tatoo on his arm. Why would someone have that tatoo? no don’t answer i don’t think i want to know. So the culture is different, the accents thicker. Also picked up a really cool book at the church book sale, called 5 Minute mysteries. Each takes about 5 minutes to read then the reader has to solve the mystery or figure out what are the missing clues. i got 3 out of 5 right. Guess it is true that mothers just know.
anyway off to organize and figure out trip for tomorrow. today we drove 765 miles and there are 822 miles and 12+ hours left to Pharr Texas. So one more night on the road before Pharr Texas where we will dewinterize the trailer.
Mexico redeux 2009-2010
Last year at this time a camping trip across Mexico Eastern part seemed an impossibility. the ice storm, waiting for a vehicle registration, hoping that the church’s large burner would be replaced and overall taking a Sabbatical seemed overwhelming. yet it was a wonderful month of travel and adventures to all parts of Mexico. it was so much fun that it is being repeated this year. in fact after a 10 hour drive getting there in three days seems a real possibility.
getting out of the house at 8:10 am and stopping at 6:10 was a good start. I was disappointed as mile after mile of heading south never seemed to bring an end to snow or to rain. Finally right at the border into West Va the sun shone through the clouds and all through Virginia a most wonderful sunset was a sight to see. the mountains off in the distance were all but hidden in a fog, caused by the warmer rain and the cold snow on the ground. But some of the meadow views of meandering streams and snow covered fields and the wonderfully elegant farm houses made me realize what a lovely country we live in.
the only adventure was when i turned to Ron and asked him if the tent trailer had lights on it. His answer was “no” only reflectors. i did not agrue the point but that seemed odd. Then as we went by a tractor trailer he honked his horn at us. i thought he might be noticing something about the trailer, Ron thought he was complaining about Rons’ driving. But then he began to drive very close to the rear of our trailer. not quite on top of it but sort of hugging the vehicle. About 10 miles which in hind sight seems about a 100 Ron noticed that our truck’s headlamps were not on. he had shut them off as to not shine in the neighbors house this early morning and he had not put them on again. The truck was riding close behind us to protect us from vehicles which would not see us as we were whipping down the highway Rte 81 at 75-80 miles per hour. As soon as Ron put on the lights the truck driver backed off and returned to the right hand lane and left off following us. Now that is a good Samaratian. i say thank you very much for caring and doing something about it. His act reminds me that we can all do good deeds. I hope I get a chance to do something nice for someone tomorrow, a sort of pass it on Samaratism. (is that a word?)
the reward for 10 hours was a home made omelet, with the best home fries ever and a surprise of 3 tiny buttermilk pancakes with warm maple syrup. Now that is pretty boring when food is a reward or maybe it is human.
thanks for following .
February 12, 2009
i have been in Leominster for a few days now and finding the re-immersion smooth. The images of the country stay with me. I was hanging laundry in the cellar yesterday and found myself hanging like colored clothes together as i had seen in La Pesca. It made for a beautiful yard to see all clothes red, or pink, or yellow, or blue hung together a veritable rainbow of clothes. So when i hung the clothes the other day i was inclined to mimic that pattern even though it was in my dingy and dark cellar. I have missed fresh corn tortilla’s so much i went on a hunt to all the smaller Mexican restaruants in Leominster to see if I could find them. I had no success but i did talk with a young man who has been in Leominster 18 years and who misses Mexico everyday but knows that he could not find a job there to support his family. We talked for about 3/4 of an hour as he told about growing up in Mexico and he asked about being a tourist in Mexico camping. One of the things i have discovered while on Sabbatical is that slowing down long enough to listen really listen to others is something i have sadly gotten away from.
since i have been home i have discovered Rachel Madow’s television show at 9:00 pm on MSNBC. I have not enjoyed watching television so much since i watched Howdy Dowdy as a kid. Her ability to make sense out of politics to be balanced, to find humor in the dailiness of life and to garner hope in a time of political and finacial anxiety has been a high light of my day.
though i have used this blog primarily for Mexico jottings, i will keep it active when i return as a way to learn about new technology. How many of you are now on Facebook? I just uploaded a number of pictures from the trip if you want to see some of the sights i did. See you soon. Rev Susan
Feb. 7 2009 It has been a few days since i last wrote because my computer won’t let me connect. I don’t even dare guess what demons have gotten into my computer. This is the last evening of a quite a remarkable adventure. the contrast between camping in small and sparse settings to being in a resort that only opened in November and is listed as five star quality is a bit overwhelming. But Mexico is a land of extremes. My preference is to be with and among the people but i sure find sleeping in dry warm and pleasant quarters acceptable. Tres Rios, the resort, is built around the ecosystem it is in the midst of and the builders did a great job of keeping the natural beauty untouched. In fact they did so good the Mexican television station that focuses on travel was here one day filming. Playa De Carmen is a short twenty minute ride from Tres Rios so Ron and I head into there or Peurto Morales each day for food and to observe the people. Tres Rios like many resorts has an optional all inclusive for meals and drinks but at $145. American per day per person we thought that a bit extravagant and opted out so we go out to eat. Playa de Carmen used to be a sleeping city but it has burgeoned and is bursting at the seams. As I came to Mexico i wanted to observe the interplay between a economy bolstered by tourism and how the contuntry could keep its traditions and grow. One of the interesting experiences to test this out was to see and visit a brand new Walmarts bustling and filled with people buying all the usual Walmart blue light specials. and at the same time as it is enticing shoppers with its modern trends the tradition of a youth waiting to take your cart to your car- for 20 pesos and the person we have nicknamed he “cardboard guy” who has put a piece of cardboard over your window to keep out the sun- for 25 pesos is there too. Can you picture going into Walmarts in New England and walking out to this free enterprise venture? Mexican people, along with many other things, are free enterprise agents. if there is a way to get you to buy something, to get you to spend your money many have and are trying it. For example at stop lights and timed perfectly as well you can have your window washed, or be entertained by a juggler, a mime, musician or you can get fresh shrimp and fruit delivered right to your window. i would like you to imagine driving downtown Fitchburg or Leominster and having that pleasure. In Cancun there was the execution of a general, one of his aides and a relative of the Presidente of Cancun that generated more intense military presence and we were told it has to do with a drug war between the country and the “mob”. The comments from the people in Playa has been that they are not scared and we should not worry because there are no drugs here. This of course is not true as we were sitting at an ice cream place today when a young American looking man came buy not really concealing his face or voice asking if we wanted to buy some “blow” or cocaine. Not today. lots to think about as this Sabbatical time nears its end. This has been a good adventure and time of renewal. Later, Susan
