Dancing with the Dead

Me, Host and Roommate

Markets

When I arrived in Mexico City Airport, I stepped into ten days where I was both lost and found.

I was lost- the ATM machine gave me $100 as I asked.  Then it took $80 to buy a Starbucks Latte!  I was found – The CILAC FREIRE greeted us at customs and we rode together to Cuernavaca, met our host families and were sent home for dinner and sleep.

I traveled with UMC BIG SKY AC for this 10 Day Spanish Immersion in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The staff anticipated our every need from good coffee to patient teachers for absolute beginners like me who needed to learn to pronounce gracias, as well as advanced students conjugating verbs. On our trips on the bus or walking in the city, staff shepherded us with skilled attention, encouraging independence but keeping us safe.

We studied for three hours each morning.  Afternoons we saw art and activists, anciet pyramids, cathedrals and markets. I found inspiration in the daily justice making done by ordinary people in Mexico.   I lost my fear of Spanish, and found a hunger for doing justice for our neighbors whose language I am beginning to learn.

CILAC FREIRE :  A Spanish immersion school for everyone of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders and sexualities.  http://cilacfreire.mayfirst.org   or   http://cilacfreire.mx

I would love to help create a group from Oregon-Idaho / Pacific Northwest to return and continue learning. Anyone interested?

OK,  I CHEATED – the above was for my Annual Conference MFSA newsletter…but it was a good summary of time in Mexico.  My Birthday happened while there – and the Birthday person must literally BITE THE CAKE – the picture is my face when I understood my next assignment!  Colorful markets and dancing with the dead, learning to be well cared for by other human beings.  It has been a long time since I blogged so I figured it was time.