calaveras, muerte, y posada

cuando estudiando la historía de día de muertos en mi clase "Conociendo a la muerte," concimos con los mitos de Tezcatlipoca, pero para entender los imágenes de la festividad de hoy (described as Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas all rolled into one), necesita aprender sobre el artista gráfica José Guadalupe Posada:

Much of his work was also published insensationalistic broadsides depicting various current events. Posada's best known works are his calaveras, which often assume various costumes, such as the Calavera de la Catrina, the "Calavera of the Female Dandy", which was meant to satirize the life of the upper classes during the reign of Porfirio Díaz. Most of his imagery was meant to make a religious or satirical point. Since his death, however, his images have become associated with the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, the "Day of the Dead".

Unos de los imagenes son aqui. Fue el Mark Twain y Thomas Nast de México. And his calaveras are cool as fuck.

rezas a santa muerte?

Con día de muertos llegada, demanda un puesto sobre santa muerte. 

Es el dios nuevo? alguna de esta mierda es chinga freaky. 

quizas yo necisito un estatua para mi escritorio por cuando yo reunio con abogados contrarios...

in mexico, pigs can fly

lessons from spanish school:

1. when a police helicopter buzzed low, exclaimed my professor: "in méxico, pigs can fly." oaxaqueños no le agrada el gobierno. 

2. Vitamina M (mezcal) cures everything from snake bites to indigestion. 

viajar diariamente a la escuela (my commute)

step out into 60-65 degree weather and stare up at the Santa Domingo,

take a left and head up the Alcalá two blocks. Pass about 8 million statues of Benito Juarez.

Head up Quintana Roo. Look at the mountains.

Cut through Conzatti park. Watch the little Christian prayer group. Possibly get a breakfast torta from La Hormiga. Up Reforma.

Dodge crazy drivers trying to kill me. Pass the Jardín de Niños. One more block up Juarez.

Arrive to find school decorated with flowers for Día de Muertos week.

weather words

el tiempo- weather
luvioso- rainy
nublado- cloudy
nevado- snowy
soleado- sunny
el termómetro- thermometer
el pronóstico- forecast
la temperatura- temperature
hace calor- it's hot
caluroso- warm
fresco- cool
hace frío- it's cold
helado- freezing
con neblina- foggy
con viento- windy
tormenta tropical- tormenta
huracán- hurricane
truenos- thunder
rayo- lightning
humedad- humidity
mayormente- mostly
clima- climate

rareza (whose monkey is this?)

méxico can be very weird at times. instance one, I walk out of my apartment on Sunday, un poquito crudo, and there is a stuffed animal, un mono, laying in the middle of the walkway. almost like it fell from the tree and died. whose monkey is this?

instance two, more cool than weird. sunday afternoon, in anticipation of a later wedding party, these guys were sitting up in front of the church:

finally, tonight I'm reading about death (día de muertos is coming up and I'm taking a class called "Getting to Know Death"), with the window open, and I hear one minute snippets of Sister Soul and Beat It very loud. I walk out to the plaza around the corner, and there are 500 some odd high school kids watching some sort of "Bring It On" competition. 

información?

maybe the most frustrating thing about living in oaxaca is the lack of information. an information society this is not. 

I think of this because tonight was the America-Chivas soccer game -- big Mexican rivalry. Word was the game was at 6:30. It was actually at 4:30 (I still caught most of it -- America won 1-0). This is typical. You simply can't find shit out here. while generally I've relished not following US news/politics/etc, this morning a bit of homesickness/desire for routine set in, and I decided I wanted to buy a Sunday NYT and sit in a cafe and read the whole thing. this was after going to the local cafe I like for breakfast only to find it inexplicably closed with a sign saying "sorry."

Went to Amate Books, the english language bookstore to see if they had it. No, but the woman there said the newsstands in the Zocalo (main square) sell American papers. So I walk down to the Zocalo, and ask the newsstands if they sell American papers. No. The guy says to come back mañana, which is something people say here when they don't have what you're looking for. It doesn't really mean if you come back tomorrow we'll have it. 

that's the way it goes -- wild goose chases for things and information. 

one of my first nights in town, friends and I stopped in the Teatro Macedonia, a very cool old theater in town; they were having a free musical performance. thinking I'd like to come back, I asked for a schedule. the woman there said the guy with the schedules had left and I should come back during the day. no website, por su puesto. 

this is the rant of a spoiled american (why is there no oaxaca.citysearch.com?!). I'm used to checking the wmata or capmetro websites to find exactly when the bus comes and where it goes. here there is no published bus schedule -- not even at the bus stops. you just sort of wait for a bus to come by. time here is much less urgent. for instance, the lila downs concert scheduled for 9:00 pm started at 11:30 pm. 

El Jogorio, a monthly magazine with cultural events said that on a particular Thursday there would be an exhibit of 30 years of political ads in Mexico at the Graphic Arts Museum. Showed up, and it turns out it's not an exhibit, it's a conference; and it's not at the Museum, it's at a town 30 minutes away. Oh well. 

hours for stores and restuarants aren't posted. they're open when they're open and closed when they're closed. don't expect consistent hours. no one knows addresses or streets. directions are typically: go to the street by this store, take a left, walk a while.... look for this... 

I called SKY, the Mexican cable network, two weeks ago to see if the UT-OU game would be on. No one knew. If it's on, it's on. Just go to the bar and see (it wasn't). This place will either purge my OCD/planner tendencies or cause serious mental illness, espero the former. which could be the best thing gained (in addition, of course, to fluency in spanish). 

ok. I'm staring at three liters of beer that need drinking. hasta luego. 

ya hoy es un buen día

ahora sentado a café royal sorbiendo un café olla con mezcal. esta mañana, yo fui al zocalo para desayuno -- huevos con tocino, un clasico americano, ahora con tortillas y salsa. gasté dos horas al café leyendo y terminando "The Power and the Glory," por Graham Greene. yo lo recomendo. no sabia sobre el Calles Ley y el Cristero Guerra. el zocalo es fantástico ver la gente y leer excepto hay mucho niños vendiendo mucho mierda. cada cuatro minutos uno de estos huercos pede dinero. yo desé que yo tuvé un tatuaje de "no gracías" en mi abrazo. de todos modos, fue un bien comienza. 

entonces, fui al museo de los pintores oaxaqueños cerca del zocalo. la costa fue veinte pesos (~$1.70). vale. el primer piso fue unas pinches aquarelas, pero en el segundo piso fue un exposición de pinturas por Fernando Aceves Humana. fue asombrosa. mucha obscura. casi de un otra munda. se llama serie en riesgo. fue muy extraño porque yo fui el solo persona en el museo. casi como yo he invadido un espacio donde yo no fue suponiendo estar. un interesante experiecía. 

esta noche habrá un fiesta felizcumpleanos para un amigo de un amigo, y iré. pero, no comienza hasta 10:30 en la noche, cuál es un poco tarde para un viejo como mí. pues, no puedo resistir una pachanga!

también, vaya horns! golpea missouri!

prepara por día de muertos

pronto, el día de muertos estará aqui. un día cuando los muertos regresan a la Tierra. los desfiles comenzaron ayer. me siento la ciudad se vuelve emocionada. 

a mi escuela, habrá dos clases nuevos próxima semana. de 2 a 4, haré máscaras tradicionales -- como calaveras. y de 4 a 6, habrá lecturas sobre la historia del día del muertos. yo espero aprender mucho de la cultura y las creencias. pues, este puesto no es suficiente largo, así... 

errata: 1) en méxico, cuando tomas sus niños a McDonald's no trayes un "Happy Meal." aquí, es un "Cajita Feliz," lo que traduce como "Happy Box."

2) Una queja. A las cuatro y media en la mañana hoy, había fuegos de artificiales afuera de mi departamento. Muy ruidoso. Soñó como cañóns o escopetas. Claro, yo me desperté enojadamente and grité a nadie en particular. Pinche fiestas o borrachos. 

3) Conocen sobre el Mérida Initativo? Es un plan para los Estados Unidos para regalar armas y dinero militario a México luchar los narcos. No todo en México lo apoya. Yo tengo dudas también. Echale su coco -- la historia de fondos de los Estados Unidos por ejércitos en LatinoAmerica no ha estado bueno. 

aviso a los narcos:

este santo no puede salvarles. Jesus Malverde is the patron saint of "los narcos" and criminales in general, pero la policia sabe sobre él.

instead of saving you, the presence of his statue can get you caught. 

Indeed, drug enforcement authorities in Mexico and the United States said Malverde statues, tattoos and amulets can be tip-offs to illegal activity.

“We send squads out to local hotel and motel parking lots looking for cars with Malverde symbols on the windshield or hanging from the rearview mirror,” said Sgt. Rico Garcia with the narcotics division of the Houston Police Department. “It gives us a clue that something is probably going on.”

Courts in California, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas have ruled that Malverde trinkets and talismans are admissible evidence in drug and money-laundering cases.

no derecho privado de acción

hoy empezo un emocionado tiempo en mis estudios. cada día yo escribiré algo en español. A menos que 250 words. pues, tal vez 150 words. pero, el punto es que cada día yo aprenderé nuevas palabras y como conjugar verbos -- pinche desfila afuera de la ventance causó a yo para perdir mi ferrocarril del pienso. hay personas en constumbres, como diablos, y animales feos, etc. 

así, en mi clase hoy, mi profesor me dijó sobre tú amigo que trabaja por Pemex. Cuando el amigo pedio por un trabajo, los jefes dijeron que Oaxaqueños son indiginas y flojos. Y su amojo tuvó trabajar gratis por un mez. Mientras, empleos de otros partes del país no tuvieron lo mismo. 

"pero, no es discriminación por estado de origén illegal en méxico, yo -- el pronto ser abaogado -- dijé" respondio mi profesor con reirse. por su puesto, dijó. pero, es la manera en méxico. yo pedí cual sea si su amigo fue al gobierno, y respondio, nada, especialmente porque Pemex es un companía del gobierno. 

existe un derecho de acción privado yo dijé. en otras palabras, sea posible para su amigo traer un abogado privado y demanda a Pemex? No, el me dijó. pues, es el problema, yo respondí, si no tiene un derecho de acción privado, entonces su ley contra discriminación vale nada. 

gracías a dios por los abogados de "plaintiffs" en los estados unidos!

Not a good sign...

I just saw this on the State Department's travel warnings page. Not the best thing to read before your photo documentation trip to the DRC:

"Photography: Travelers should note that photography in public places in Kinshasa and around any public or government building or monument in the DRC is strictly forbidden. Persons caught photographing such sites will likely have their photographic equipment confiscated and risk detention and possible arrest."

Oh snap, it gets better!

"Travelers are frequently detained and questioned by poorly disciplined security forces at numerous roadblocks and border crossings throughout the country. Requests for bribes in such instances are extremely common, and security forces have occasionally injured or killed people refusing to pay. In the last six months, the Embassy has recorded a number of serious instances where U.S. citizens were detained illegally by government forces. The isolation of the area makes the provision of consular services difficult.

Kinshasa remains a critical crime threat area, and U.S. citizens continue to be the victims of serious crime, including armed robbery by groups posing as law enforcement."

100 most useful verbs in Spanish

ser - to be (permanent)
estar - to be (temporary)
ir - to go
poder – to be able to
hacer - to do, to make
haber - to exist, also used with past participle
decidir - to decide
cambiar - to change
tomar - to take
tener - to have
traer - to bring, to carry
comenzar - to begin
empezar - to begin
terminar - to end
dejar - to leave behind
pasar - to pass
cruzar - to cross
evitar - to avoid
lograr - to achieve
trabajar - to work
correr - to close
abrir - to open
dar - to give
deber – to “should”
aumentar - to increase
agregar - to add
mejorar - to improve
poner – to put, to place
tirar – to shoot
echar – to throw
tratar – to try (to do something)
probar – to try (a new thing)
quemar – to burn
llenar – to fill
servir – to seve
usar – to use, to wear
utilizar – to use
visitar – to visit
perdir – to lose
escoger – to choose
preferir – to prefer
permitir - to permit
mandar - to order, to send
unirse - to join
mostrar - to show
significar - to mean

thinking and saying
pensar - to think
creer - to believe
hablar - to talk
decir - to say, to tell
llamar - to call
gritar – to yell
preguntar - to ask
pedir – to ask for
contestar - to answer
saber - to know a fact
conocer - to know a person or a thing

motion
llegar - to arrive
salir - to leave
volar - to fly
manejar - to drive
caminar - to walk
cerrar – to run
andar - to ride
venir - to come
parar – to stop
llevar - to carry, take
buscar - to search
encontrar - to find
sentarse – to sit down
levantarse – to get up
bajar – to go down
subir – to go up, to board
quedar – to remain
regresar - to return
volver - to return

perception
ver - to see
mirar - to watch
parecer - to seem, to appear
escuchar - to hear
oir - to hear
tocar – to touch, to play an instrument
sentir – to feel
entender – to understand
comprender – to comprehend

life
querer – to want
gustar – to like
encantar – to enchant
desear – to desire
amar – to love
encantar - to love (a thing), to enchant
preocuparse - to worry
comer - to eat
bebir - to drink
cantar - to sing
jugar - to play (a game)
chingar – to fuck
coger – to have sex
nadar – to swim
seguir - to follow
conseguir – to get, to obtain
reirse – to laugh
sonreirse – to smile
dormir – to sleep
llorar – cry
curar - to cure
sanar - to make healthy
cazar – to hunt
atrapar – to catch
cocinar - to cook
banarse – to bath
vestirse – to dress
lavar – to wash
limpiar – to clean
caer – to fall
ayudar – to help
apoyar – to support
viajar – to travel
divertir - to enjoy
molestar - to bother
agradar - to like, to agree with

school
enseñar - to teach
aprender - to learn
estudiar - to study
olvidar - to forget
recordar - to remember
escribir - to write
leer - to read
explicar - to explain
traducir - to translate
equivocar - to make a mistake

humanity
nacer - to be born
vivir - to live
crecer - to grow
casarse - to get married
pelear - to argue, to fight
luchar - to fight, to struggle
quejarse – to complain
morir - to die

commerce
vender - to sell
comprar - to buy
pagar - to pay
costar - to cost
gastar - to spend
valer - to value, to be worth

note: after preposition, de, con, sin, para, always the infinitive

communication breakdown, dos por uno

how do you say this:

that was my problem yesterday at the pitico (sort of like a small supermarket). I don't see any 2000 flushes anywhere, so I ask a guy with a pitico shirt on, "se vende [hand motion] para limpiar el retrete?" [blank stare] "la toileta?" "que?" "una cosa para limpiar su retrete? toileta? como when you [hand motion for flush?] 

at this point, a pregnant woman in the same aisle mercifully came to my aid, said something very rapidly and the man nodded. I said, "gracias." She said, "you're welcome."

Toilet bowl cleaner acquired. Next mission is to get a haircut. 

I can manage "hace seis o siete semanas desde me pasado corte de pelo," and "corto pero no demasiado corto." then the conversation became completely unintelligible to me. lots of questioning "sí's" later, I walked out with shorter hair that looks perfectly fine. 

today in class I learn that "retrete," while technically correct, is a very old-fashioned way of saying toilet, sort of like commode. A toilet is a "taza" (same word for cup), or maybe an "excusado", and the above product is a "pastilla para baño," or pill for the bathroom. 

more studying, fewer micheladas. 

road to tlaxiaco

música para viaje
de ida:
Explosions in the Sky
Cloud Cult
de vuelta:
Maná
Ibrahim Ferrer
Chingo Bling
Ozomatli

lila downs concert

Saw Lila Downs in a concert in her hometown Friday. Fantastic show. For Tlaxiaco, this was a big deal (covered in local media). She played a mix of traditional mixteca songs and latin jazz. The locals sang along to the traditional canciones. Favorites for me included the Cumbia del Mole, El Feo, La Cucaracha, the song where she warns the pollos because she heard they were gonna make pollo con arroz for dinner, and Justicia!

For the encore, she brought on the local Tlaxiaco band (looked like middle and high school kids) to play some traditional Oaxaquena songs. 

I miss you baby

I know why mexico has problems -- they don't have bourbon. it just doesn't exist here, and I don't know why. went to a bar today to watch a soccer game; they had the following types of scotch:

Johnnie Walker Red, Black, Blue and Green

Chivas

J&B

Buchanan's

Cutty Sark

and a couple other cheap types

BUT NOT ONE BOURBON. 

And this is typical. A bar or liquor store that has 15 types of vodka, 25 types of tequila and mezcals, and 10 types of scotch will lack even a single Maker's Mark. 

Yo ha regresado putos!

Orale!

While not sipping Carta Blancas and deep sea fishing in Mexico, I am a founding member of this blog and am delighted to see its return. I wholeheartedly support its transition into a travel log since a) one of us lives in Mexico now and b) the other thinks his travels are more exciting than penning posts about life in DC.

Coming soon:

- Poop-related panic on a Kenya Airways flight
- Subtle authoritarianism in Madagascar
- Cosmic musings in the world's oldest desert (Namibia)
- Getting lost in the Muslim quarter in Stone Town, Zanzibar
- Child mining in the Congo

Cruz Bustamante lives! Que fantastico!

with all your power

while watching the mexico-el salvador soccer game last weekend, a powerade commercial came on featuring the flaming lips' "yeah yeah yeah song." 

gender (género) benders

pinche palabras que no tienen lógica:

el mapa

el problema

el sistema

el agua

el día

la mano

also, no me gusta que asistir significa "to attend" and atender significa "to pay attention"

palabras para saber

noticias - news
negocios - business
periódicos - newspapers
revistas - magazines
anuncios - advertisements
campaña - campaign
campana - bell

ps, learned today: nike's slogan in spanish is "sólo hazlo."

also learned today: "primo" doesn't just mean cousin. tambien puede ser un churro con mota y cocaina.

atención Tejas fans en México

the place to watch the Texas-OU game on Saturday in Oaxaca de Juarez is Pan y Natural. They have a big flat screen tv, serve cheap beer, and have agreed to show the game. It's on calle Allende near the Santa Domingo church. Am checking on when the game will be shown on Sky (the Mexican cable network). Hook 'em! Even in México, OU sucks!

UPDATE: game is at 6. Pan y Natural is on Calle Allende, one block west of Alcalá.

música del viaje

the van ride back from puerto escondido to oaxaco is harrowing and gorgeous. it's about 120 miles, but it takes 6-7 hours because it's a windy road through the mountains. the sort of windy road where they recommend dramamine and barf bags. thankfully, Cruz held his stomach.

playlist for the drive through the mountains:

Luna- Rendezvous

Jenny Owen Youngs- Batten the Hatches

Railroad Earth- The Good Life

Robert Earl Keen- Walking Distance

Control Machete- Mucho Barato

Masta Killa-Made in Brooklyn

at one point, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" came on the Mexican radio station the driver was listening to, and there may have been a sing-a-long. yo confeso nada. 

 

random spanish and a blog

meterse con -- to pick a fight with

hence, "no te metas con Tejas" = "Don't mess with Texas"

atrapar - to catch, as in a pez vela

for dive bar aficionados en todo el mundo, check out the powder room. 

pez vela

Cruz spent the weekend in Puerto Escondido and caught (or at least helped catch) a very big fish. This is a 40-50 kilo Pez Vela (sail fish). Highly recommend Omar's Sportfishing. This guy is a bad ass. 

Watching Dr. Zhivago in Mexico

last night at a small cinema called el pochote I saw Dr. Zhivago for the first time, or rather, the last hour or so of the movie, because first we got lost and couldn't find the cinema and then the old dvd they were playing skipped so much they had to skip past the middle third of the movie. I think I liked it. Every month they do a theme -- this month is "the body".  Free film screenings include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sicko, Misery, Abre los Ojos, and Gattaca. 

seriously, don't park here

as in any city, parking downtown in oaxaca is a bitch. and apparently it takes more than a simple no parking -- no estancionar -- sign to get the message across don't park in front of my driveway.

So there's "If you respect my driveway I respect your car!" (above)

And if that doesn't do it, "We slash tires for free."

new favorite expression

"me vale madres"

literally, "it is worth mothers to me," but colloquially, "I don't give a shit."

and, my new favorite word, "pollazo," meaning the act of being hit with a chicken. 

mensage a las hormigas en mi departamento:

"orale! yo les mataré y sus familias totalmente."

more photos

  -someone likes the Doors

-my apartment door

-wedding (blurry) outside Santo Domingo

-Santo Domingo church

so far the political advertising here has not been that inspiring

on a lighter note...

I almost bought a live turkey (guajolote) at the market today. They were only 100 pesos, which is about $7.50. At that price, why not? 

graffiti spotted on the cathedral today:

"2 oct no se olvida" 

Don't forget October 2. 

It was Mexico's Kent State, except they killed 200-300 student protesters. Lots of remembrances here yesterday. 

more spotted today:

Mezcal a la tres y media en la manana lo siguiente por fuegos de artificio en mi techo a la once en la manana = malo

mejor ahora

lessons from spanish class

To help teach the pretérito and the copretérito tenses and to give an example of the expression "not yet," my teacher used the following as an example: 

"Bush afirmó que iban a encontrar las armas de destrucción masiva. Todavía no."

Fantastico.