And In Come the Rains...

Have you ever wondered what Mount Olympus might have looked like when the gods lived there? We in Puebla are pretty sure that it looked something like Popcatepetl to the left, jutting proudly out of the clouds with smoke coming off the top from the altars of nectar and ambrosia...


But I suppose I should write a bit about the week. :)  One of the consistent things from this week was a ton of Institute classes and sports! We went to Institute on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, then taught it on Thursday (gave the Career Workshop in English -- it's amazing how well some of these students speak it). Each night after class, we gathered with a bunch of YSAs (JAS - Jovenes Adultos Solteros) to play volleyball or soccer. Volleyball with the group is pretty fun, and it's impressive how good the YSAs have gotten just playing at church, but they are even better at soccer. It's a blast to play with them when we have a really solid group. I didn't get any pictures of the events, but you can imagine a concrete court outside a quaint stake center, kicking the ball around cars and through bystanders to score in the heavy metal goals. Nothing finer.

Wednesday was fascinating -- I visited the city center and sat down next to a man who was reading a book. I wanted to talk to someone about politics, and it turns out he was just the man to talk to. He'd been a communist when he was young, though has tempered into a liberal-leaning leftist now, and had even taken a planning role in the infamous student uprising of 1968! We had a great talk about the different proposals of the parties in this election, the ups and downs of the current party, the high possibility that the party that once ruled Mexico for 70 years might come back into power, and the ever-present inability of the government to deal with poverty. Sadly, it was the kind of conversation where we came up with lots of questions and not too many answers. So typical of politics.

Beautiful indoor garden in the postgraduate
building at the BUAP (Benemérita Universidad
Autónoma de Puebla)

Friday's conversation, however, was a bit different. I decided that, to best understand the politics and economy of Mexico, I wanted to interview some college professors about the subjects. Having no idea where to start, I walked into one of the faculty administration buildings at the BUAP (biggest university in Puebla, where I often study) early this week and after asking around, ran into a professor of economics and international business. He agreed to talk with me on Thursday, and I prepared some of my most pertinent questions for him. He was more than equal to the challenge. We ran the gamut, from agriculture to imports and exports to the government's role in the economy, and I sat fascinated for over an hour. One of the biggest things we discussed was Mexico's long-standing backwardness in education and corruption, both of which are serious barriers to development. Also, despite its rich natural resources, Mexico tends to import a great deal of food and oil and has to export much of its manufactured goods because its own people cannot afford them. I hope I'm able to work with this country in the coming years on some of their goals.

Friday was also marked by a visit to one of Puebla's biggest tianguis markets! The tradition of "flea markets," such a marginal and largely-forgotten part of American culture, is alive and well here. Merchants travel six or seven days a week from one market to another, arriving as early as 3 or 4 AM to set up their stalls before people start coming at 5 or 6. By 8 (when we arrived) many of the walkways are completely packed with people looking for every conceivable item under the sun. The primary good seems to be clothing, from adults to babies to shoes and belts, which is odd considering that no one can try anything on due to the crowds. Besides the clothing, tiny carts full of food are everywhere (often blocking half the walkway), along with vendors of lint removers, bags, figurines, wood carvings, backpacks, and even a separate area for goats, chickens, cows, and other livestock. The picture below gives a good feeling for the often-crowded walkways...

Cuexcomate, "the world's smallest volcano." The descent
into the crater is facilitated by a set of stairs, and at the
bottom is a spring with a tiny waterfall cascading into
an underground river. Beautiful.

Saturday's big adventure was a trip to the tiny volcano Cuexcomate (see right). We descended into the crater, talked to our tour guides for a while, and before long it started to rain. We stayed in the crater a while waiting for the storm to stop (the walls slope upward and shielded us from the rain), but it refused to let up so we decided to make our way out. By that time it had already rained enough to flood several sidewalks, and the thunder was loud enough to set off a car alarm. We ducked into a market to grab some food, again hoping for a break in the deluge, but when we emerged it was even worse (or better, if you like adventures). There was no way to get off of the block with the volcano except sloshing/jumping through rivers of water flowing through the streets. And that was only the beginning. Within ten minutes our entire bodies were soaked from the rain, while our shoes were absolutely drenched from wading through water almost knee-high at times. By the time we got home things had let up a bit, but we were already shivering and quite ready to take warm showers and hang our clothes up to dry. They are still a bit damp, two days later...

Sunday was full of church activities, including dinner with a wonderful family, and today we played soccer and had lunch with the local missionaries. I get to go out and teach with them tonight for the first time ever, which will be the first time I've been able to do that since my mission. So grateful. Also, in case anyone is curious about day-to-day activities here, I bought my first manual razor and have begun shaving with it (see right). The close shave (once every two days does the trick) is beautiful, though I still cut myself about half the time. Usually only bleed for a minute or two. And I still use my electric razor when I get lazy. Aren't you glad you read to the very end, so you didn't miss that?? :)