Mosquitoes & Tolerance

It finally happened: the mosquitoes found me and instantly fell in love.  This past week I woke to find mosquito bites on my knuckles, on both hands. That’s right, even my knuckle bones are fair game. The only saving grace is that they also appear to love Pierre and Cindy and one day I will have a ceiling short enough from which to hang my mosquito net.  The other exciting, recent event was a party with a live Mariachi band! It was just as awesome as you might imagine, even after 5+ hours. I love music and those Mariachi outfits.

Two of the many mariachi band members serenading the crowd.

Chillin with the caballos.

View in the campo.

There are two smells I encounter almost daily in Mexico that make me oddly happy.  One is men’s aftershave – in the US, it always seems overpowering and reeks of alcohol, but here it reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad wore Drakkar Noir.  The other is insect repellent – I know, it’s weird, but it makes me feel like I’m always camping and out in nature vs. just trying to keep those blood suckers from feasting on my sweet, sweet blood.

I’m getting a better handle on my project which is super interesting with a lot of great energy and smart, passionate people.  We recently visited a local community at sunset and this is what I learned while providing dinner for the local mosquitoes: you can make fertilizer from animal bones.  And three deceased cows provide a lot of bones that are super light and easy to burn.  You can learn more here and make good use of the bones from that leftover rotisserie chicken next week.

Nature's art.

Big barrel full of bones.

 Piling bones into the drum for burning.

 Smokin.

Stoking the fire. 

I spend all of my time engaged in a few key activities these days: getting to know my project and the people in my office, getting to know my host family, studying and practicing Spanish, trying not to say or do something that will cause offense, trying to politely refuse food when I’m full, trying to find a permanent house and language tutor, and trying to sleep. I have not been able to sleep well recently and I’m pretty sure it’s because I told my host mom Alicia that I never have a problem with insomnia, which is a sure trigger for insomnia. I’m definitely tired because “trying” to do all these things all day, every day is exhausting.  Interesting, great and life changing, but also exhausting.  One Sunday I slept until 11:30 and awoke to a knock on my door cause my family was sure I was really sick.  Nope, just sleep deprived.  Woops!

  Best cow ever. 

 Papaya trees. 

 These were also very nice cows. 

Baby chicks. 

I went to lunch last Friday with both locals and extranjeros and we started talking about traveling and how many people here have family in the US.  When I asked if they had ever visited the US, the folks from Mexico said no, because they’ve never been able to get a visa. One person has been trying for 10 years and another’s spouse has a niece in the US she’s never been able to meet. I’ve also met people with adult children in the states they haven’t seen in 15 years because there's no path to visit.  I admit that I sadly don’t know much about the visa process other than that it was super easy for me to come to Mexico and they welcomed me with open arms. However, I can't imagine having family in the neighboring country that I couldn't see for 5, 10 or 20+ years – or ever – because I couldn't get approval to visit.

It’s a different perspective hearing about visa and immigration issues from people who want to visit your country for a vacation or to see their loved ones.  It’s also a different feeling to be in another country when you hear about tragedy at home, and that it was another event derived from intolerance and hate.  There is so much good in the world - you just have to look for it and be a part of it.  I’ll wax poetically another time about how much Mexico and the Peace Corps have taught me, but for now I will say that being in this position – a foreigner in another country, learning the language and how to navigate the culture – has reminded me of the importance of being the type of person that you want to meet. Kindness is important and contagious, and as someone great once said, peace begins with a smile.