Published on Thursday, 26 October 2006 .
I’ve been in my apartment for about two hours now, having a fairly difficult trip home for such a short distance, and I already miss Oaxaca - although it was nice to take a warm (and rather necessary) shower. I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation that involved so many different things. Studying a language, documenting a political crisis, and enjoying amazing food with new friends. Put in those terms - well, it almost seems like I have my priorities all screwed up.
Unfortunately, one of the casualties of our trip was having to miss Julia’s (my niece) baptism. Us non-practicing half-Jews are always causing problems for them Catholics - just ask Mel Gibson. I wish I could have been there - although I have seen a good many Catholic churches while in Oaxaca. Not sure that makes up for it, though.
I am still processing my trip, vacation, whatever you want to call it. Frankly, it was a rather poignant experience. It had a little bit of everything. Between the strike - which is NOT over, and doesn’t look to be ending soon - and the over all feel and impact on the city itself - which is not filled with wealth, to say the least - there was still an pride in its people that I really hadn’t experienced before. I am not proud, for example, to have grown up in Irvine - or Southern California - in the same manner that Oaxacans are proud to be from Oaxaca. I guess you could argue that some people from the South have that kind of hometown pride - but then again, some of them start hoisting up rebel flags as symbols of their hometown affection. No, Oaxacans are more willing to acknowledge the good and the bad - without the in-your-face ignorance that some Americans seem to exude.
On the other hand, I might be putting Oaxaca on a bit of a pedestal simply because I fell in love with the place, and thus, committing the same crime I accuse others of committing. And it’s not like I am some seasoned world traveler.
Perhaps now is a bad time. Maybe some sleep will make these thoughts a bit more coherent. Until then…
Published on Monday, 23 October 2006 .
Yesterday, Jennifer and I visited El Árbol del Tule and the Zapotec/Mixtec ruins at Mitla. Yes, there are photos. Yes, there are many photos. Yes, I needed tennis shoes, black socks, shorts pulled up past my navel, and a Hawaiian shirt to justify the amount of photos I shot. No, I did not post everything, but I did post some here for those interested.
My time here is quickly winding down, as I leave Wednesday morning. Despite only being gone 11 days, I am imagining a rough transition back to the daily grind. I’ve grown accustomed to being here - and that’s a good thing.
Published on Sunday, 22 October 2006 .
Today, we did a bit of a touristy thing and visited the Zapotec and Mixtec ruins of Monte Albán. Normally, I would shy away from such tourist-like activity, but Oaxaca is in such dire need of tourists that I didn’t feel bad about it at all. Tourism is the industry that drives Oaxaca, but the teachers strike as pretty much killed the vast majority of the visitors (not literally killed, figuratively killed). The language school we were at, for example, had their enrollment reduced by 75-80% - especially disturbing since Dia de los Muertos is a major attraction this time of year.
Monte Albán is simply a breathtaking place - one that was very worth the trip alone.
Published on Saturday, 21 October 2006 .
So our first week in Oaxaca is behind us, which is kind of funny. The first three days seemed to crawl by, and the last 4 have flown by, so it’s difficult to keep track of time with any consistency. Frankly, I’m having a blast here, and I really don’t want to leave.
Last night, Jennifer and I went out to dinner with a couple we met who are here from Australia. Aside from learning that Steve Irwin wasn’t as popular is Australia as one would think, we also learned that the striking teacher’s union was holding a press conference right as we were leaving the restaurant. We were able to record the entire thing, as well as have some one-on-one time with the APPO spokesperson. The big news is that the strike looks like it wil be ending soon.
Anyway, I’ve uploaded a few more photos - this time trying to capture a bit more of what the city feels like rather than the political graffiti and flyers that dart the walls just about everywhere. Tomorrow, we’re off to the ancient indian ruins outside of the city.
As usual, more to come…
Published on Wednesday, 18 October 2006 .
More photos on the photos page.
Most of the Day 3 photos are from the Zócalo in Oaxaca - which is sort of like Santa Barbara’s Paseo Nuevo (except the Zócalo is smaller and set up like a large square). The APPO (teachers union) drove the police from this area in June, when the police attempted to remove the protesters.
The night before last, we heard gunfire, but last night was the quietest of the evenings since we arrived.
Anyway, more to come…
