Unfortunately, I didn't blog up to the time of my departure from Gto. Furthermore, thoough I talked (or at least thought fondly) of Gto. every day over the summer, I failed to complete bloggin over my Mexican experience then as well. Now I am back at Wofford, and have been pondering over how to finish.First of all, here is an entry I wrote, still in Mexico, but not within access to the internet to be able to post: I haven’t written in a long time, obviously, and now that I am writing this, I’m actually sitting in the Leon airport awaiting my Continental Airlines flight to arrive and take me to Houston to continue to my beloved family and Ryan in Georgia. If I sound sentimental, it’s no lie! Right now I think I am more sad than happy (though I am very ready to be home….and also, I get nervous before international flights, especially traveling along.)
(Man! I just realized my flight leaves two hours from now…yay for time to write, bummer for waiting more because I’m antsy to get this traveling junk over!)
One reason I haven’t written is because I began to feel the weight of leaving soon, and every minute I spent writing, I felt like I was missing something. Another reason, I had LOTS of work, papers, exams, etc.
One of the biggest assignment was my independent project for my culture class (a 20 page paper on the topic of my choice), which took up a lot of time. Inspired by my Señor Palacios, whose specialty as a professor is such, I researched Semiotics (the study of signs), specifically iconic signs, and more specifically, photography. (Side note, I keep wanting to write and spell in Spanish. I will miss being around this language.)
I interviewed about 12 people, asking each one if they were to leave Guanajuato, of what sign would they think? What mental picture in the mind is personally representative of their town? I did this for 2 main reasons: 1) to personally known Guanajuato better (via the citizens who experience in a deeper way than a one-semester-foreigner), 2) to make a record for myself and to communicate to others. (Signs, according to semiotics, are a way that we communicate and better understand our world. If you want to read my paper, email me at saysay743@aol.com) After I gathered the various (beautiful) answers, I took pictures of each “sign,” representing the object, Guanajuato, not only be words (symbolic signs), but also by photography (iconic signs.)
Margarita, my host mother's sign/symbol of Gto. is the view from her kitchen window. She said the view has gradually changed, especially as the pomegranite tree just outside has grown and gradually obstructed part of the view. The somewhat is symbolic of how the Gto. as she knew it growing up has changed as some images/traditions have been overshadowed by others with the passing of time.
One afternoon when I was running, I decided to explore a bit and ended up walking down a callejón (narrow street, impossible for cars to traverse) where it was obvious that foreigners rarely dared to go. I made eye contact with a woman selling clothes in the middle of the path and greeted her, “Buenas tardes,” or “Good afternoon.” Whereas it was 11:45 or 12, she informed me that it was still “Buenos días,” or “Good morning,” and that afternoon started around 2. I thanked her and started on my way when she started chatting with me, asking me why I was in the area, and then why, unlike myself, were so many “extranjeros” foreigners so hesitant to interact with natives and make conversation. We chatted for a while, and somehow after about half an hour, she asked me if I was a Christian, and after my affirmative, she invited me to her church.
The lady selling clothes, Verónica, I also interviewed for my project. She told me her sign of Guanajuato is her family. When I explained to her I therefore wanted to take a picture of her family, she graciously invited me back when they would all be there. When I returned, I was saddened to see all that she had, with her three children, was contained in one room—the kitchen, table, bunk beds, and stacks of clothes against the walls. What touched my heart was her generosity, her openness and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and his provision in her life. She explained to me later that her father was a child from the streets, so I gathered she (with two jobs) was really a huge step up from his circumstances. Still, as I found out, she makes a mere $30 a week and sometimes struggles to make ends meet. Nevertheless, she assured me of her enduring trust in the Lord, and gratefulness for the salvation He has given her, so that things of this world are of such less consequence.
I truly enjoyed getting to know Verónica and her children. She was quite the chatter box, but besides being great practice, I was encouraged by her faith.
I also interviewed Oliverio, a mining engineer, whose wife owns the bakery where we met, and Ricardo (center), who worked at the hostal where Ryan stayed. Oliverio's sign for Gto. is the University of Gto. where he studied mining and later taught and which is also a major tourist attraction here. Ricardo's sign for Gto. is the tunnels, which he says, capture the beauty and "convivencia" (communal liveliness might be a way of translating) of Gto. Ricardo also sells and rents out real estate.
Many peope mentioned Teatro Juarez and the "centro" of Gto. as a key representational sign of the essence of Gto. for them. It is a central meeting place and "hang out" place for youth and adults alike. It's a great place to people watch, and in the afternoon, street performers also usually gather to entertain. Two university students mentioned that when you come to Gto., you feel like you're on vacation, even if you're not. I think I would agree!
I don't think I could efficiently sum up my whole abroad experience (see last four months of blogging) or tell you what the most important thing I learned was. I think it will be an experience I ponder the rest of my life and look back on with affection and gratefulness. When asked about it, I encourage people to visit Gto., and I tell them I had a wonderful host family, wonderful church, study abroad program, and overall experience, though. (University of Gto). It was one of my favorite semesters ever, for sure.
These are pictures from the night before I left. We went out to Cuba Mia (a local "anthro") and said our goodbyes with the palomas (my favorite drink) and music and dancing. I even got to put some of my few salsa lessons to use!
Some professional flamenco dancers entertained us while we chatted.
This is my last walk home through downtown streets of Gto. I miss it!
