aquí, ahora:here and now

On Friday I met with the director of a local NGO, Fundación Comunidad, and arranged to spend a couple of afternoons a week assisting them in their work.

Comunidad works with local organisations to build capacity in the non-government community sector. In a few weeks, once my Spanish has improved, I hope that I’ll be able to get involved with a conflict resolution project they’re working on in a little town a couple of hours’ drive from here.

I think I’ve already mentioned Mexican patriotism. Over the last week this city has become covered in red, white, and green. Flags and drapery hangs from the eaves of houses and shops as well as public buildings, and there are little stalls everywhere with kitschy Mexican paraphernalia on sale. I bought a stuffed chilli wearing a sombrero and moustache and clutching a flag in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other.

I’ve found myself in some great conversations since I’ve been here. People are delighted that I’m interested in Mexican politics and history, but sometimes when we move into deeper discussions of culture and society it can get a bit difficult. There are, of course, a few toucht topics, but one’s come up surprisingly often. In the week I’ve been here four people have brought up the subject of homosexuality and spoken of gay people in dismissive and derogatory terms. I believe that the issue of homosexuality is coming out (ha) in the mainstream media here, and it’s very much in preoples’ minds.

I find it very hard to bite my tongue when I come across points of view like these. Silence, after all, implies consent! I always try to put forward my opinions in respectful and non-aggressive ways (and I’m pretty sure that I’m succeeding in this), but it’s always a bit of a struggle to strike a balance between not letting such things go unchallenged and remaining polite and tactful. I planned for this (having travelled in Latin American countries before, I wasn’t expecting everyone to be liberal!), but I still find it difficult.

When someone makes a comment about gay people that I find offensive, if I’m not comfortable starting a discussion and putting forward my point of view I’ll say something like ‘esa opinion es muy fuerte’ (this opinion is very strong). What’s happened the couple of times I’ve said this is the people I’ve been with have said something to the effect of ‘well, yes, I don’t really think that gay people are animals/worth less than others/don’t deserve the same rights as everyone else.’ I hope that by responding in this way I’m gently asserting that I am not in agreement with the ideas expressed by my companion/s, but managing to avoid being dismissive or holier-than-thou, or trying to impose my beliefs on others.

I’d love some advice about this. Is there another, better way to deal with these situations?

Sheila and Deborah are also Becarias de Buena Voluntad (Rotary Scholars), and in this photo they’re picking mandarins

It looks a bit institutional, but the classrooms at the very back of the school, down in the little valley, are very cool and quiet, especially since there are only four students at the moment!

I’m having trouble uploading, but I’ve managed to get a few on here. Check out the garden and all the wonderful blueness!

They only stopped manufacturing the old-style VW Beetles, or ‘VolksBuggies’ here in the early 2000s.

And a couple of inside the house… at the bottom is Señor Medel, watching a telenovela. The soapies here are HILARIOUS, like spoofy, satirical cartoons made real, but deadly serious. I think. Perhaps they’re not being serious, and I can’t tell… I’ll try to record some video and put it up here.

I’m really impressed that the institute, Cuauhnahuac, managed to arrange sucha perfect new host family for me so quickly (the one we’d planned for didn’t work out for a raft of reasons). Los Medel have taken me in on very short notice and made me feel very much at home, and Señora Medel is a fantastic vegetarian cook!