Projects in Puebla and a Trip to Northern Mexico

Friday was my 1^st day going to see the new urban temporary employment program. These projects are focused in different neighborhoods around the city of Puebla and fund things like picking up trash in gullies, reforestation, painting parks, and cleaning cemeteries. Our 1^st stop was Xonacatepec where they were reforesting trees and had cleaned out a gully (that looks more like a river when it is actually raining).

Random caterpillar

One of the small reminders than an urban park in Mexico is different from an urban park in the U.S……..

Then we went to San Francisco Totimehuacan where they were painting their zocalo and had picked up trash and cut back the weeds in their local cemetery.

Early Saturday morning I flew up to Monterrey (3 hours south of the U.S. border) and took at bus to Saltillo for Ben and Blanca’s wedding. Ben is a fellow vol. The wedding was a lot of fun and ended in an after-party at the bride’s parent’s house, complete with mariachis and tacos.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Monterrey with another vol, Jake, who lives there and crashed at his place until Monday night so we could see some of Monterrey. It was super hazy when we were there, but Monterrey is a large (3^rd largest in Mexico), modern city, ringed by mountains. The city definitely has a much more modern feel than any other city I have visited in Mexico and also has a much more “American” feel (helped by the fact that you are a 3 hour drive to the U.S.).

After returning to Puebla late on Monday night, I headed to Cuetzalan early on Tuesday morning…..details to be coming in the next post.

¡Viva Puebla! ¡Viva Mexico!

For independence day, we get the 16th off work, but the 15th is pretty much a free day as well. Our office stopped working at 12 to have a party and "officially" closed at 3. We ate a bunch of pozole, tostadas, flan and tequila. There was also some really bad karaoke and a lot of smashing of eggs. In Mexico, they take egg shells and fill them with confetti and then you get to smash them on people's heads.....all fun until our boss got a little to violent with them and actually made someone bleed.






Even the security guard got pulled in to sing (I was able to avoid ever taking the mic...thankfully)

After the work party, Adriana, her daughter, and I went to the fair in Cholula to see some traditional dancing (really bad lighting so no pictures) and wander around the fair to see the crafts and of course, all the food.





Then they headed to her parent's house for a family gather and I went to the zocalo in Puebla. I was in the zocalo last year as well, but there were some distinct differences this year. After the granade attacks in Morelia last year, security was super tight. There was a combination of military and police and the zocalo was completly coordined off for a block in every direction. You had to enter through a series of metal detectors manned by police and dogs. They were also confiscating all shaving cream, so this year's celebration was a lot cleaner than last year. Once inside the zocalo, things were pretty calm since it was pouring. I think with the increased security and the rain a lot of people made alternative plans. Don't get me wrong, it was still packed, but not as wall-to-wall as last year. Then at about 10:15 the governor and the municipal president appeared on the balcony, shouted Viva for a while (they name all the important people in the revolution), finally yelled Viva Puebla and Viva Mexico, and then as the national anthem played the fireworks began over the cathedral. All in all it was pretty low key, but the police and soldiers on every corner and roof top made it a little different from last year. Then, leaving the zocalo, there was of course, more food!