Comings and Goings, parte 2

Oscar and Wilhelmina at La Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's
childhood home, en la noche. It was closed, but
giving off una buena onda all the same.

But wait: there's more!---(as Oscar might say)---more recent-ish events of which I'll now provide  superficial summaries.

El Distrito Federal (Mexico D.F.)

Okay, wow. We loved it. I admit I was a little worried that it would be a concrete jungle, crowded and unfriendly and potentially dangerous; that's how a few people had characterized it to us. But it reminded Sean and me of Budapest in its glamour (faded) and excitement (lots of young people, lots to do, a feeling of dynamism) and sense of history.  We learned a lot--Tenochtitlan and torture, murals and moles--and came away even more strongly impressed by the richness of Mexican culture. (Also, we came away kind of exhausted. Five days wasn't nearly enough time; we tried to pack in as much as possible.)

Here are a few photos from our time in D.F. with Nana, right after Christmas. (By the way, traveling en familia with a grandparent or two is a very Mexican way to travel and we really enjoyed it.) We met up with friends Lewis and Dana there, too, which was great; they know the city really well and were terrific guides and companions.

Part of the really wonderful Rivera mural in the
Palacio Nacional. 

Lewis brought us to this incredible cake shop,
which he called the Cake Museum. (I just realized
he probably calls it a museum because the display
cakes were all very...unfresh. But great!)

Breakfast joint. 

Outside the anthropology museum.

Inside the anthropology museum. 

At the canals of Xochimilco, we had these guys sing
"Las Mañanitas" to Lewis for his birthday. (The lead singer
picked his nose indiscreetly before the song's final notes
faded away; ask Sean to provide video proof.)

Mi querido Xochimilco!

Another breakfast joint.
(Mexico City, we heart you!!)

Horse Ranch

After D.F., we went to a horse ranch. This was a pricey (for us) venture that offered the chance to ride horses the way they do in movies. Gallop, gallop, gallop; yeehaw, etc. It also promised a hot tub (none of us has had a hot bath since June 2012, so this was a draw), good food, and "Swiss management with Mexican hospitality" which obviously is supposed to mean, "We are highly organized and provide quality lodgings that non-brown people like...AND/BUT we're super warm and personable--even charming!"

My assessment (not posted on TripAdvisor)? Mixed and not, perhaps, shared by the rest of my family.

Pros:

• Riding like they do in movies! Gallop, gallop, gallop; yeehaw. NOT the trail rides we usually do. Exhilarating! Amazing horses for all levels of riders; horses that are fast, responsive, nimble and seemingly uninclined to want to hurt you, the rider.
• Good food. 
• Hot tub.
• Wonderful mother-in-law (Nancy), still hanging and riding with us, and listening to me kvetch about the Cons of the whole horse-ranch endeavor. 

Cons:

• Acknowledging that this is mostly (totally) my hang-up: The other guests were a bit of problem for me. Without going into a ton of detail, I can perhaps speak volumes if I just say that the downside of going to an expensive resort that offers premier riding experiences is that, well, this kind of place is going to mostly attract very rich people who are all horsey-ed up: the global ponied aristocracy. (Sample quotes: "I learned to ride bareback in Belgium, when my husband was the ambassador there; that's the only way to really learn to ride" and "When Jane's competition pony took ill, we had a difficult decision to make, as you can imagine!" and "He suggested we add that hunt into next years' schedule.") In five days of communal dining, not one person asked us about what we did or where we lived, though one woman--breaking from some unspoken policy about mostly ignoring the kids--did tell me that Oscar and Wilhelmina were "well bred." (That's because we trained them, bareback, in Belgium. On Christmas Island!)
• Certain managerial and aesthetic imperatives. Like, the young women who clean the rooms have to wear "traditional" Mexican clothing...bright colors, flowers tucked behind ears, ruffles upon ruffles. On every wall,  redundant images of indigenous maidens with baskets/armfuls of flowers. And so on, and so on, olé.
• I was occasionally terrified on rides, imagining the kids' Christopher-Reeve-like accidents. (I managed to mention Christopher Reeve at least three times at shared meals; each time it was very poorly received. I have to consider that this may have contributed to our family's (my?) low status among rancho society.)

Still, when I look at the pictures I remember that we had a lot of fun, and I feel really lucky that we got to have this experience. (Really lucky.)

Wilhelmina on Palomo.

Oscar on Eragon.

Kirstin on Apache. 

Nancy on Mariachi.

(!!!)

(!!wilhelmina!!)

(!!!oscar!!)

Alive and happy. No need to invest
in motorized wheelchairs just yet.

Lunch and leisure.

With one of the ranch dogs, Chispa (Spark).
The dogs came along on every ride.

Looks, cool, huh? (I'm very sorry that we don't have
photos of Sean; he became a terrific rider on this
trip and it would be great to show that.)

Notice how the horse heads are menacing us, and how
none of us can stand with his legs together.

El Día de los Reyes Magos

We came back from our vacation on January 6, the day of the three kings. We had bought a rosca de reyes cake that morning in a bakery in Cordoba, and we ate it late that Sunday night.

Rosca de reyes cake with the candles
I got for Christmas. 

Oscar got the niño in his piece of cake. This
means he has to buy the tamales for the
rest of us on February 2, Candelaria.
(We don't know what this holiday is yet;
operating on a "need to know" basis here,
because it's impossible to keep up. Stay tuned!)

The rosca had three niños inside. They are
ghostly white, arms folded across their chests:
they look like little corpses, which seems very
Mexican, in fact.

On January 7, Oscar and Wilhelmina were back at school.

Oscar with his good friend, Ricardo. Oscar  is explaining
how to throw a spiral (does he know?).

Comings and Goings

So much has happened in the last month that it's hard to know where to start...and the only organizing principle I've come up with is the title of this post.

Here are a few things that have come and gone since I last posted.

Zapatistas en masse

On December 21--the final day of the Mayan calendar, as you may recall--more than 30,000 Zapatistas suddenly turned up for a silent demonstration in about four communities throughout Chiapas, including our city. I understood that the purpose, in part, was to show the newly elected (PRI) government that yes, the Zapatista movement still exists, that their efforts to defend the rights of the indigenous still continue.

We walked downtown to see the demonstration (we four, plus Grandma Nancy). It was incredible: people of all ages moving in complete silence, four abreast, all around the main square in a caracol (snail) pattern--the shape of eternal time and community and one you see often in mayan art and crafts.

It was humbling to see them, sobering to try to answer the kids' simple questions: Are they winning? Are things more fair? Will this make a difference? (We don't know.) We marveled at the  sacrifices the participants had to have made to be part of this event (hours in the backs of trucks from small villages throughout the state), at the impressive planning it all required, at the dignity and determination we thought we all felt from the people.

I think we will all remember that cold and rainy and inspiring morning for a long time.

Escuela Extravaganza

The kids had their holiday program at school; it was great that Nana could be there for it!

Classroom piñatas. The one in front was made 

by Oscar's class. Per tradition, it's supposed 

to have 7 points, but they ran out of time and 

gave it just 5 points (because as Yair explained, 

the important thing is that the piñata NOT have 

6 points, because 6 is the Devil's number, 

as everyone knows). 

The littlest kids did some kind of Jingle Bell Rock thing.

 Oscar's group told the story of Nestor, the long-eared
donkey. (Despite his unusual anatomy and the scorn of
his barnyard peers, Nestor is chosen to transport Mary
and Joseph to the famous Bethlehem stable.)  In the role
of a lifetime, Oscar was a singin' and dancin' baby chick!

Secundaria did a nifty number featuring
life-size dolls and toys. Lorena was a
dancer doll, and Wilhelmina was...Tinkerbell.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas. We got a tree (expensive; it was a Noble fir from Oregon for some reason; blame NAFTA?); we made cookies; we listened to carols and had the words to the Hawaiian-style hit "Christmas Island" stamped into our brains.

(How'd you like to spend Christmas...on Christmas Island?? It sounds like a threat. Swimmin' with the fishes and so on. We menaced each other with that question for days: Hey, you--punk! How'd you like to spend Christmas...on Christmas Island???)

Wilhelmina had made soaps and body scrubs and a photo album; Oscar had sewed felt ornaments and sachets; Nana was here--it was great.

Our tree and two of the BEST fireworks.
(The tops of the babies' heads blow off, and the
green foil scalps spangle the air all around.)

Stockings hung with care.

Our terrific new Nativity scene (thank you, Shen) made
of styrofoam and glitter. The paratrooper was one of
Oscar's presents and a late addition to the scene.

Nativity scene 2: O heavenly light!

Popcorn garland with felt accents. 

Wilhelmina got this groovy purse.

Oscar's haul: dogtags, flight coat and
goggles, pyrotechnics. (Note the
Guadalupe light-up thing in the
background--another favorite new
decoration. Has three different settings
for speed/pattern of flashing lights.)