Where Does The Time Go?

I've been here over three weeks! I can hardly believe it. None of the shorts I brought fit anymore, I literally have to tie them on with rope. Which obviously means I need to start supplementing my diet with more lard-based products. Or, I could buy new shorts. Whichever turns out to be more cost effective.

I'm still feeling pretty knocked out from whatever tropical illness I've contracted, so I'm taking the afternoon off, and might as well share a few outtakes from the past few weeks. Of course, most of my days are pretty routine - ministry, market, meetings, Maná - but there's always something divertido afoot. 

Being wet and sticky is tolerable, until you're congealing in a taxi, heater blasting, with three other girls. This was the day before Kim (center) went home, and we were bent on going to the beach, no matter what, even if it was RAINING. Which it did. 

Egyptian Rat Screw, a game of chance and reflexes. You can see from the looks on our faces that the stakes were high. Glory. Honor. Mexican candy. I've taught everyone three of my favorite games - Egyptian Rat Screw, Knock, and SWISH! However, just as soon as they learn the rules, they start beating me, so it's a bitter sort of satisfaction.

Wherever you are, adopting the local way of life usually yields the most enjoyable experience and makes your stay worthwhile. When it comes to food, trying as many local staples and specialties as possible is essential. I had a head start, growing up close to the border in San Diego, but by now my tastebuds are considering applying for Mexican citizenship. Even if it sounds disgusting, even if it smells weird, even if it's alive, open wide. Millions of people wouldn't be eating it if it were going to kill you, unless it's Japanese blowfish, in which case it very well might kill you. 

Sharon and Charlotte venturing a taste of tamale. 

ESSENTIAL OAXACA TASTING LIST

• Agua de Jamaica - Hibiscus-flower tea.
• Chapulines - Fried grasshoppers. Assorted sizes and flavors.
• Chamoy - Salted fruit brine seasoned with chile. 
• Elote - Sweet corn, often made into tamales or served on the street with salt, butter, chile powder, lime, cheese, and mayonnaise .
• Tlatonile - Sauce made from ground up red ants with chile and salt.
• Huitlacoche - Corn smut (fungus infected corn).
• Mezcal - Smokey distilled agave spirit.
• Michelada/Chelada - Beer with lime, salt and spices/hot sauce.
• Mole (moh-ley) - Intricate sauce made by toasting and griding seeds, spices, chiles, and chocolate. Many different flavors and varieties. Usually made for special occasions.
• Queso Oaxaca - Tasty mozzarella-like cheese.
• Flor de Calabaza - Pumpkin flower, often used in quesadillas and empanadas.
• Tlayuda - Giant Oaxacan tortilla & bean based "pizza"
• Pozole - Soup made with hominy kernels and meat.
• Platanos Fritos - Fried plantains, savory if fried when ripe, when overripe, sweet and served with condensed milk. 
• Tamarindo - Pod fruit, used in  many candies and eaten fresh with sugar and/or chile.
• Tamale - Masa (corn dough) stuffed with sweet or savory filling, steamed in a banana leaf or corn husk.

So, if you come to Mexico, plan on trying at least all of those. I tried to have Sharon and Charlotte try as many of the above as possible before they went back to England. On my quest, I asked around to ascertain who, in fact, had the best tamales in town. The universal consensus was "la gordita en el mercado," the little fat lady in the market. I stalked the fat lady for a few days, but kept missing her by hours, or minutes. Finally, the fat lady was located. Her tamales are pretty darn good. Long live the fat lady!

Keiko and Chiaki have got to be the most self-disciplined ladies in the land. They are in the ministry every day, and even though they speak less English than I speak Spanish, they are always finding return visits and potential Bible studies. It takes them 8 hours to study the Watchtower in English. They practice all of the Kingdom songs for the week, cook daily, and spend the rest of the time studying English. And they haven't even been to the beach to frolic. ::jaw drops::

Though as you can see, this way of life seems to be agreeing with them. They were shocked to find out I could use chopsticks and like eating seaweed...they had me over for dinner, and I repaid them by teaching them a few dance moves. I fully intend to kidnap them both for a beach day. 

A bodyboarding competition is going on this week, the 2010 Zicatela Pro. One of the congregation Bible students, Roger, needed volunteers to help construct the competitor's area. The Witnesses launched into action like it was a shirtless Quick Build. Locals gathered around, watching these locos running around digging holes and wielding power saws, working tirelessly until dusk.

How many JW's does it take to build a fence out of bamboo?

 (Mike, Jared, Roger, Bronnie, Holly)

Holly's hole-digging was at times overzealous. 

Jared (from Australia), Michael (from Germany) and I are taking a few guitar lessons from a local guru. He's got crazy long fingernails and can jam with the best of them. We had our first lesson this week, it was definitely informative, but I think I prefer my Skype-lessons from THE guitar guru, mi padre Gregorio!Thank you to everyone (namely...Maria) who sent me emergency recipes. I'm going to try to perfect the lime-chile fish this week. In the meantime, it's back to quesadillas and stir-fry for me.

My luxurious outdoor kitchen.

Stir fry with chicken, coconut milk, lime, curry powder, chile, and garlic over coconut rice with sweet fried bananas.

Yeah, I'll fit into my shorts again soon. 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A TRIFECTA OF TRIBULATION:

1. My camera got eaten by the ocean. It's sitting in a bag of rice, hopefully drying itself out. I'm afraid I might have to do rudimentary stick figure drawings to document my journey from now on...

2. Some awful human in Alabama has been using my debit card number. To buy what? Flatscreen TVs? Diamond encrusted goblets? No. Miscellaneous items at Walmart. (Come on, dude, go big or go home. Walmart? Really?)

3. I may have contracted a little something that starts with "d" and ends with "engue fever". Got some tests done today, the results will probably come back negative for dengue and positive for 'crazy like a fox'.

WHY'S IT'S ALL GOING TO BE OKAY:

1. Look at that two week old puppy! Look at him! See, it's all going to be okay.

Aside from the recent onslaught of awfulness, it really is lovely here. We went up to the mountains of San Gabriel on Tuesday to do some witnessing in Spanish. I'll share some pictures and stories soon.

Congratulations to all the pioneers in Mission Bay for finishing their first week of Pioneer School! And an extra-special shout out to one of my favorite participants, who I like to call "Mom".

El Ganador

Brother Rutherford, I mean, David Rutherford, 

winner of the 2010 Quiksilver Pro.

The final came down to two Hawaiians, one Brazilian, and David, a local from Puerto Escondido. Definitely an exciting underdog story. There were some seriously huge and heavy waves. A few guys got psyched out and didn't even bother showing up for their heats. I think I'll be extra appreciative of the 3-4 ft. fair+ waves at Law. St. when I get home...

The final match ups.

The crowd goes wild!

It's an ongoing joke that I'm unable to resist walking food vendors. Tamales, fruit, fried bananas, paletas - I'm a fool for them all. Holly caught me in one of my Jabba the Hut-like fruit frenzies. 

Mike, Holly, and Bronnie picking up some pointers.

My trusty steed had its day in the sun. When a wave came in and swept my stuff away, I had the choice to save my skateboard or my camera and the choice was instinctual. Hope you're happy, skateboard. Sorry Canon CyberShot, it was fun while it lasted.

Remember kids, don't surf alone.

And probably not in double overhead barrels, either.

Brilliant dual ride captured by Holly.

How Pro Can You Go?

The Quiksilver Pro surf competition rolled into town yesterday. The week-long competition gives amateurs and semi-pros a chance to vault themselves into the Top 40. The town is overrun with contestants and spectators. The young guy who takes care of the place Crystal and I stayed entered the contest (on his own dime) and won his heat today by a landslide. We're all rooting for him - Michele Verorones.

I keep missing the contests due to a combination of sleep and/or ministry, but tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, I shall rise at the crack of dawn and hopefully get some first hand footage. Maybe enter a heat or two.

Ah, a wild kitten just poked it's head through my door. And a gecko just screamed it's glorious night scream from my ceiling. I think it is time for bed.

Borders Turned Upside Down

Holly & Braunwin adjusting their perspective at Zicatela.

So here's a fascinating tidbit you probably already knew. Apparently, if you intend to be in Mexico for more than 72 hours, or to travel further than the border zone, you need yourself a tourist card. Not quite a visa, but just a form declaring your purely touristic intentions. Apparently, they give these to you automatically when you fly into Mexico from the States. But we flew out of Tijuana. So, I found myself here:

I was there voluntarily, thank goodness. One leisurely ministry day, the subject of visas had come up, and I nearly choked on my avocado smoothie when I realized my oversight. I was on the wrong side of La Migra. Not only is that a problem for legal reasons, but I wouldn't be able to have privileges in the congregation as an "illegal alien". Two days, 262 pesos, lots of broken Spanish and paperwork later, and I was a card-carrying, law-abiding tourist at last.

Speaking of borders, the congregation composition is delightfully unusual. With 20 official publishers and at least ten countries represented, it's a cultural concoction. Australia, Mexico, England, United States, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Columbia and Japan are all present, and the mix of accents, slang, and humors are pretty unique.

The Hills; padre Mike, madre Sharon, hija Kim, and amiga Kim, are here from England for a few weeks. Mike's a ministerial servant back home and gave the public talk last week, but Crystal and I were trapped in a glass case of emotion and unfortunately missed it. They are great fun, and I admire them for taking a decidedly different family holiday than most Britons.

The collectivos, which the Hills are cruising in above, are fantastic. They're basically trucks with some metal infrastructure, doorbells strapped to the walls, and a blue tarp thrown on top. They loop the town from morning until night, and for four pesos (about $0.31 USD) you can hop on on off anywhere you please, just ring the "doorbell" when you're ready to get off and they'll pull straight over. The collectivos make getting most places around town a breeze. There a couple cars in the congregation, and most everyone else has motor bikes. 

Keiko, above, is here with her daughter Chiaki, for a year. They are from Japan and learning English so they can help the congregation...Spanish will have to wait. Look at that smile on Keiko's face - that door was accessorized by the most ravenous beast of a dog you've ever seen. She's undaunted. We have bonded over our love of sushi and there's talks of a sushi night soon.

Kent, from Australia, and Kirstie, from New Zealand, got married last November and are down here indefinitely. Kent's kind of a maverick - he's been a forensic investigator, competitive Ironman athlete, Bali surfer, cafe owner...but he let it all go in order to start pioneering and be able to serve where there is great need. Talking to him reminded me of the scripture at Phillipians 3:8, "I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus." Seeing all these brothers and sisters putting that faith in action is super encouraging, and they are reaping the benefits in the form of over 60 Bible studies. 

The ministry requires a lot of "giving" of yourself, which is an expected and acceptable thing. However, it's important to take time to keep yourself physically and mentally refreshed. Holly and Braunwin found a Pilates class that meets on a misty mountain on Tuesdays. Anita and I decided to join them, and for 25 pesos ($1.95) we had an invigorating and at times hilarious work out, led by our freakishly flexible Dutch instructor. She's going out of town for a few weeks, and our "homework" was to master the above pictured headstands. I've had limited success.

Anita exploring the space. 

It's definitely hard not to want to save every animal you pass on the street or in the ministry. There's two kittens mewling outside my door right now. They live down the street and must have got a little lost on the way home. The reptiles are pretty much the only things I haven't wanted to adopt, but it turns out my landlords are iguana crusaders and have got that species covered.

The animals aren't the only thing hard to part with. I can already see how the constant ebb and flow of people must take some getting used to. Braunie, a super sweet young girl here from New Zealand, put it this way; "You've gotta deal with it. You've got to get to know people fast, if you don't, then they're gone. You go to a lot of going away parties."  With every group of Witnesses you meet the more you realize how wonderful our brotherhood is. Sharon whipped up a three course feast last night, how she did it with two camping burners and a handful of beans is beyond me.

Anita, Braunie, Charlotte, Chelsea, Kim, Holly, Sharon

Ah, we're all a bit sun-kissed, aren't we? I've got a guerrilla regimen of sunscreen and bug repellent. DEET is my new best friend, and if I grow a third eye or extra limb, at least they won't be itchy. 

I moved into a new place on top of a lavanderia, it's full of light and air and possibilities. It's owned by Claudia and Cruz, a super friendly Mexican couple. There's an outdoor shared kitchen, and you can see the ocean from the balcony. I've put up some pictures and flowers and a Bienvenido mat outside my door..It feels quite like home, for now.

Request:

I need to start cooking. My tamale-centric diet is quite delicious, but frightfully imbalanced. Any recipes would be greatly appreciated. I have access to two burners, a fridge, and an extremely limited amount of kitchenware. 

A Crystal To Send Us Off

Charlotte, Chelsea, Holly

I didn't think I was going to have time to post today either, in fact, I was just getting dressed to go for some cave hiking when something along these lines began:

So, the hike is off for now. 

The week in review.Crystal's back in San Diego. She paid dearly for the hours of sunset hammock time, upwards of 20 mozzie bites on one arm. But she went away with a great tan, blocks of cheese, and hopefully just enough good memories to bring her back.

Since she'd spent most of her time in Puerto plagued by calamity, by the time she started feeling better it was time to hit up the market and the beach in full swing. Trinkets galore and a smörgåsbord of fruit and cheese were to be had. It turned out to be fruitful indeed; I offered a Bible study to one of the cheese vendors, and she readily accepted

. 

Mondays and Tuesdays are the "weekend" for the English congregation, since every other day the ministry is in full swing. Most people spend those days at Spanish lessons, the beach, cleaning house, studying for meetings, etc. I spent most of mostly pleading with Crystal to stay longer, but in the end, we hit the beach.

Holly waxing up her shred stick. Her and Mike are on month 10 of their test year of serving in Mexico. They're going back to England to sort things out to a return for a long term stay. She's also the instigator of all things adventurous (cave hiking, etc.)

Crystal was on the beach sunning and taking pictures. She got some sweet shots. However, she lost all camera priviledges when she managed to emblazon THIS on my memory card!!!!

Ah, yes, that man, that bun, that choice of swimwear. Speechless:

She could have passed it off as an accident. But there were many more shots of that man. Many, many more.

We frolicked around, feeling healthy and finding and devouring the paletas we had so desperately sought. 

But the time finally came when Crystal had to go. We fashioned her a rudimentary wedding dress out of my mosquito net so she could travel in style and also be ready for potential suitors. With her departure I am officially on my own, but also officially looked after by the congregation.

How 'bout that? It stopped raining as quickly as it started. The hike is back on! Until next time.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

I really wanted to post tonight, but the forces of nature are working against me. Still, I want to leave you with the two cutest things I've seen in the past 48 hours:

Three mini groms off for some shredding at La Punta...

And this little guy...

Yep, it made my day too.

100% Humidity And Rising

So now I can break the news to you. The previous post was written two days ago. That was before Crystal and I both decided to get deliriously ill. I anticipated getting sick at least once, but Mexico sucker-punched us when we weren't looking. I think it's just a combination of hot hot heat, little sleep, and eating a bad batch of--ugh. Can't even talk about it. The bottom line is we're starting to feel better. But Crystal is leaving tomorrow and that breaks my little heart. Who wouldn't want to come home to this?

The place we are staying is right behind a building where many of the Witnesses live. We met many of them Friday afternoon and we accompanied them to Carrizalillo, my favorite beach.

It's a 10 minute taxi ride and 10 minute hike down to this beach. Totally worth it. Consistently strong but gentle waves perfect for surfing, and little "restaurants" serving food and cold drinks. A family from the Spanish congregation conveniently rents surfboards here. I paddled out and had a solid 3:1 wipeout to ride ratio. Not bad.

Crystal had taken ill by Saturday morning, but I was still standing so I went in the field ministry and partnered with Jacinta. Jacinta and Vince are from Australia and are living here indefinitely. Vince is the only elder in the congregation, at least until Masa gets back from Japan. One of Jacinta's Bible studies, a 20-something girl from New York, had us inside for some hibiscus tea and animal playtime before our Bible discussion.

I thought I could stealthily capture the kitties, but I was caught! Claire, Jacinita's Bible student, said I could have any, or all of them. Temptress!

Saturday night, we went out in search of a hearty meal and the aforementioned Mexican popsicles. Stomach-of-Steel Sexton and Adventurama Crystalita thought it would be a good idea to eat at a local place in El Centro, instead of the mainstream restaurants along the boardwalk. That was all well and good, until I woke up at 2 am to yodel into the porcelain canyon. My yodelling finally woke Crystal up and we both laid around in a feverish state until we had to venture out and get sustenance.

JUST SAY NO TO HUEVOS RANCHEROS. The innocuous breakfast food turned one Christian youth from this:

to this:

...in less than 24 hours. I attempted to reintroduce food in the form of chips and guacamole, the most innocuous food I could think of, last night. A few minutes later, I was laying with my head on the table, arms spread out. The waiter came by and stared at us from afar. "...Is everything...okay..?" he asked in Spanish."Yes sir, she's just a little sick," Crystal explained for me. I tried to raise my hand in acknowledgement when the sheer ridiculousness of the whole situation sank in. We laughed and laughed, and then passed out.

Today we are feeling better. Everyone from the hall has been lovely, dropping by to offer moral support and rehydration packets. Crystal leaves tomorrow, which is close to tragic. Is it wrong that even though we're experiencing most of the plagues of Egypt, we're kind of having a good time?

Crystal just woke up. The temperature has dropped a few degrees. We're off to the mercado.