Check out my Slide Show!

Here's a slide show of some of my favorite images from our trip to Xalapa, capital of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and some of the towns nearby. In it you will see beautiful architecture, gorgeous flowers, and faces of people we met including Samuel, a founder of one of the little towns called El Paisano who told me a little of the town's history and Josefina, a 72-year-old Midwife who had delivered most of the townspeople's babies. We saw some gorgeous sites, met some fabulous people, and came back refreshed and reminded of what's really important in life...

PS- Run your mouse over some of the pictures to see the captions. Not all of them have captions though.

Beautiful Xalapa!

I fell in LOVE with Xalapa, the city where I spent most of my time. For those of you who don't know the reason for this trip...I went with a friend of mine from the School of Public Health on an immersion trip with a group of USC Honors Students. My objective was to participate in their experience and make plans to lead an immersion trip of my own next Spring, but this time with perinatal health providers (nurses, doctors, midwives, educators) who want to know more Spanish and Mexican culture, and exchange knowledge with perinatal providers from Mexico. Wow- what a trip! I met fantastic experience and everyone from the Director of the public Obstetrics Hospital to a community midwife with decades of experience opened their doors and hearts to us.
Xalapa is a great mix of traditional Mexican culture and university life, which brings with it a different type of culture, including ballets, concerts, art displays, different types of cuisine, and lots of really smart, energetic people. I loved Xalapa for this mix, and for the wonderful, generous people I met and befriended there. I was totally meant to end up in Xalapa, which was evident by how things just kept falling into place. I can't wait to go back again next year, and hope to facilitate more exchanges of people, and especially of ideas. There's a lot we can learn by talking, but also by listening...

Nice little towns around Xalapa

I got the chance to visit a number of little places outside of Xalapa with people from the university or with the group of undergrads that I was with. They were very different from Xalapa but charming and educational for me. This top one is in Coyopolan.



These 2 are in El Paisano. In both of these areas the Universidad is doing major outreach to work with and support their people. It's a fabulous model that our universities could really learn from.

This is a mountain called "El Cofre" so the whole region around it, including El Conejo, another place we visited, is referred to as the region of El Cofre.



This one is in Tlaltatela (it took me forever to be able to say that one) where I went to talk to community leaders about the effects of emigration out of their community. The main thing they expressed to me was the need for jobs, for some more industry, for someone who could invest a little money so they could create new markets and projects so that their people WOULDN'T leave. They weren't real thrilled about showing me all the people who had left their families behind and talking about the effects on families, on communities, on children... and now I guess I understand why. It's not something to be proud of- it's something they wish they could change and feel powerless to do so. Immigration is a lot more complex than a lot of us think, but I can guarantee you it's no walk in the park- it's a lot of hard decisions, tears, conflicts, and courage of people who want to try and make a better life for themselves and their families and can't find a better way to do it.

Real live Mexican history...

One day while exploring, camera in hand, I met this fantastic group of people from the Communications Science Department of the Universidad Veracruzana. They were filming a documentary about Aztec traditions and music, and invited me to watch. I learned a ton about Mexican history and was left wanting to know more!
Here's Alejandra with a breed of dog native to Mexico that's been around since the time of the Aztecs called "Xolozcuintle"





Benjamin, part of the team, with a rare intense look on his face. (He's usually all smiley). And by the way, we're looking for him a girlfriend if you know anyone... :-)

After the shoot on the masoleum (a.k.a. pyramid) we went to some caves with no public access, and filmed a burial ritual. I haven't mastered shooting pictures in the dark so I don't have very many good pictures of this part, but it was still pretty cool!

Alan, another part of the film department, became a good friend too. Here he is overlooking Xalapa...

Elias' adventures

Elias flew with Papa to Veracruz, Mexico like a pro. For a 4-year-old, he pretty much is a pro, having flown to 3 foreign countries already! Check out this face...

At the Parque de los Berros there was a HUGE slide that he conquered immediately, with a big grin on his face. There were also motorized cars you could ride, derby-style all through the park!


There was an Interactive Children's Museum where Elias explored all kinds of hands-on exhibits and a Transportation Museum where he climbed all over every type of machine possible. He also enjoyed our excursions to the little towns outside of Xalapa. He ran around with the kids, petted animals, rode horses, explored, and took pictures. He quickly began to realize that if he speaks to folks in English, they're not always going to understand you...hmmmm...


Elias was a real trooper, rarely complaining even when Mommy had to do work stuff. On the way home there were some memorable moments. One: the pilot invited him to come into the cockpit and take pictures with him. Two: He fell head over heels with a 20-year-old student named Liz and followed her around everywhere. Lastly, as we're getting off the plane, he says "I miss Mexico...but you know what I REALLY miss? I miss Bella..."

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan was the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and was at its height in the first half of the 1st millennium. Many think it was larger than Rome, a city of the same era. There is archaeological evidence that Teotihuacan was a multi-ethnic city, with Otomi, Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya and Nahua quarters. It was a major religious and political center. Parts of the ruins include the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, the Sun Pyramid, the Moon Pyramid, and the Avenue of the Dead that runs down the middle. This link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan will take you to Wikipedia's explanation, which is much better than mine.

We spent our last full day in Mexico here at Teotihuacan and it was well worth it. Elias was a self-declared explorer, donning his "Banana Jones" hat and his bow and arrow and climbing up the hundreds of little steps to the top of the Sun Pyramid.

Las Pirámides del Sol (Sun) y la Luna (Moon)

At the Riverwalk with Prentiss

We went to the West Columbia River Walk with my good friend Prentiss and took Bella's trike (a.k.a. Elias' old trike) and Elias' new bike so he could try it out. As you can see, Bella didn't spend too much time actually ON the trike, but Prentiss did a good job balancing a coffee cup, a water bottle, a trike, and a 20-month-old! Go Prentiss!

Elias did great with his new wheels. He had a hard time learning to get the bike (which weighs a ton) up the hills, but is learning to stand up and push with his legs. He fell once but got up and tried again, then had a great "war story" to tell everyone he met for the rest of the day.

Elias' 4th and Andres' 34!

We celebrated Elias' 4th birthday on the same day as Andres' 34 birthday- May 10. We had a few close friends and family over for burgers and hotdogs, cake and ice cream and of course the Slip N Slide. We finished up with a piñata and presents, and Elias flipped out over his new Hummer bike. You're thinking...Julie bought something that said "Hummer?!" Let me just say that I chose it because it was the one recommended for those children that seem to be a bit more "accident prone." No I am not endorsing Hummers. :-)

The newest member of our local family

Jorge, Andres' father arrived at the end of April to live with us. He is looking for work and has gotten quite a few good contacts. So far he has been quite a blessing, helping us with the kids, the yard, the house, our projects, and making delicious meals that we often come home to! Welcome Jorge! We expect Elizabeth to join us in a few months...