July in Mexico

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July in Mexico has been two things; fun, and busy.

A weekend or two ago, some other teachers and I went to an enormous traditional market. Traditional markets always have great visuals, and great smells. This one was no different, and I spent most of the time wandering around with one of the other teachers, helping her to buy things, or trying to find a new wallet. I bought some chicharon which is sort of a cross between prawn crackers and pork crackling. We were the only foreigners in the whole place, and attracted a little attention on a couple of occasions.

I also went to a wedding, which was fun. I missed the ceremony but went to the after party, which was perfect for me as I don't understand the concept of marriage at all, and would feel uncomfortable at a ceremony. I've had to try to explain this in Spanish a few times now, so let's say that I'm glad I'm writing this in English! People change, situations change, and marriage vows sound very absolute and contractual to me when considered in such a context. As people here often assume that your eventual life plan is marriage and kids, they think I'm weird because marriage and owning a house or car aren't remotely in my plans for the future. The assumption is that I'm not comfortable with commitment. I'd love a serious partner and kids but I'm not sure I'll ever have the financial means to feel comfortable about the kids part. Not to mention that I've become a bit of a nomad; moving on to a new country out of curiosity, or whenever I sense that I'm too comfortable. That would make the serious partner idea more difficult too. We'll see.

The party started with food, followed by a very boisterous interlude; the bride stood on a chair, and was surrounded by some of the female members of her family, in a ring. The entire female contingent at the party then 'tried' to push the bride off the chair, I use that vernacular because it seems like it would have been a little disrespectful if they'd actually succeeded. Shortly after this, it was the groom's turn. It would suffice to say that this was a more frenetic ordeal for him than for his new spouse. My host father, who's not a slight man, and I were taking runups together and barrelling into the male family ring... He had his hands on my waist, and we were both dropping our shoulders and applying quite a bit of force to the endeavor. The groom was laughing, and despite being a little perturbed, he stayed in position on the chair. I guess that's good luck for their impending time together. After this, came the inevitable dancing. A Mexican party without dancing is like a chocolate cake without chocolate. In short, Mexican people love to salsa dance, but they also love to dance to routines in music videos. The YMCA, the Macarena... You name it, and show them the moves, and they'll dance with you all night. This we did. Apart from one incident, when I nearly gave my host sister a concussion by elbowing her in the head during a twirl, I didn't disgrace myself in the salsa dancing part of the night.

I had a much-needed quiet weekend the next weekend, and have spent this 4 day weekend in the company of my wonderful host family, and other members of their family. I went to a graduation ceremony on the Friday, but the highlight of the day was the lovely moment preceding this, in the earlier part of the morning. My host father, who seems to embody the emotional and fun-loving part of the Mexican personality that I am growing to love, asked me to be his youngest son's godfather. This is quite a big deal in Mexico, as it is in my country too, and I was touched. I shall attempt to be a good source of advice and comfort... When in Mexico, or elsewhere. And, of course, will send him a beer when he turns 18!

Graduation is quite a big deal here; Pablo's 11, and has just graduated primary school (6th grade here). There was a church service, which was strange for me, as it was my first time at one for about 15 years. I was one of a few people who didn't kneel during the prayer parts; the others were Mormons, and I felt very strange watching these people do their religious business in public. I've always felt that public displays of religion are more social than spiritual, as I rarely have spiritual moments whilst in the presence of other people. It has been a factor of life within each country I've visited since 2014, but I'm pretty sure it will always feel alien and odd for me to watch. There was a more school-orientated service at his school, with two rows of chairs either side of a large school courtyard. I sat in a chair in the sun, and made smalltalk with another godfather there, as we sat behind our respective charges. You have to sit behind your godson at these services, which makes things feel particularly official! He has a daughter in England, but we chatted in Spanish because, although his English was good, he wasn't used to using it for smalltalk. There was a flash mob (a coordinated dance routine with lots of people), certificate presentations, and a Mariachi band playing the Mexican national anthem as a flag was paraded around the courtyard. Bar the flash mob, you could imagine that last sentence being in a weird Game of Thrones-based dream...

I then went to another member of the family's graduation party, ate food, relaxed, and fooled around with her family. They're the same family I went to Morelos with for the weekend, and they're amazing company!

Family parties are a mainstay of my week now, and there was another one on Thursday at my host mother's mother's house. She's a lively lady, with a permanent twinkle in her eye, and the conversation was excellent. I quickly wished that my Spanish was better, as I love talking people of a generation or two before my own. They've experienced so much history in their lives. She showed me photos of family members from when they were young, as well as photos of her parents.

Last night, after my host brother and I returned from swimming, we relaxed as my host parents cooked an enormous pair of pizzas. Frankly, a very social and relaxing long weekend.

July has been the month in which I've felt most comfortable so far. I understand a lot more Spanish than I did before, and get practice in whenever I'm able. I find a new language to be like meeting a big scary dog; 'this dog seems to be far too big and scary for me to ever be able to relax with it.' As you grow more comfortable, however, you soon stroke the dog, and progress to playing fetch or running around with it. When I first managed a conversation with a taxi driver, I felt a now familiar sense of achievement. I can express myself, and understand other people expressing themselves in Spanish! I now feel comfortable in a conversation, and am trying to increase my vocabulary daily. Grammar is definitely not my strong point, and I'll seek to improve that when I feel that it's holding me back.

I have been reading a lot more history, and have managed to keep up with ongoing world politics; something I've struggled to do here because of my sporadic internet access. I've also secured a position in the Chachapoya region of Peru, which starts in January. It's an Amazonian region, and is about an hour from the fabled rainforest that I've wanted to visit since seeing it on TV programs as a child. The only negative aspect to the whole job, as it was pitched to me, was that I'd have to live with other teachers. Hopefully, my Spanish will be at a higher level by then, and I'll be able to make some Peruvian friends fairly swiftly.

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