Sister Juanita Villarreal y su experiencia en México
Una oración no podía faltar durante esta gran experiencia de cultura y fe en México.
Rocío Rios
Para Sister Juanita Villarreal, vivir en México ha sido una de las experiencias de su vida. Ella tuvo la oportunidad de viajar a este país que es el que envía la mayoría de inmigrantes que asisten a la iglesia católica que ella ha servido por varios años en Oregón. Por eso, su viaje a México entre el 14 de septiembre de 2010 y el 14 de julio de este año, ha sido una experiencia única.
En entrevista con El Centinela Sister Juanita compartió su experiencia. “En primer lugar viví en la capital del estado de Zacatecas que lleva el mismo nombre, Zacatecas. Estuve allí desde el 14 de septiembre hasta el 27 de diciembre en el convento, la Casa Central, con las Hijas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y Santa María de Guadalupe. Yo me involucré como maestra de Inglés en el Instituto Sebastián Cabot donde asisten más de 1.000 alumnos entre primaria y secundaria”, explicó.
El segundo lugar también fue interesante. “Fue en Irapuato, Guanajuato y viví con las Madres Mínimas de María Inmaculada en un asilo para ancianitos. Como nosotras, mis Hermanas de Santa María de Oregón, tenemos un asilo y yo quería saber cómo era la experiencia. Me quedé con ellas por un mes. Luego me invitó el doctor, Padre Félix Castro Morales y su equipo pastoral para vivir y trabajar en la parroquia, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. Ellos me enseñaron un sistema llamado S.I.N.E. (Sistema Integrado de la Nueva Evangelización)”.
El tercer y último lugar fue en Huanusco, Zacatecas, al sur del estado. “Fui invitada por el Monseñor Antonio Soto, Vicario de la Vida Consagrada, y el Obispo Carlos Cabrero Romero de Zacatecas para ayudarle al Padre Jesús Guerrero, en Huanusco con la evangelización de los migrantes. La mayoría de la gente de Huanusco conoce los Estados Unidos o tienen parientes viviendo en este país o ha sido abandonada por su pareja que se fue a los Estados Unidos y jamás regresó. Huanusco nunca ha tenido religiosas en su parroquia. Una señora feligrés me ayudó a buscar un apartamento en el pueblito y yo viví sola—rodeada por gente muy linda y generosa”.
Al recordar la experiencia de vivir en México, ella dice que es “un mundo diferente. Hay mucha gente que tiene todo lo que yo tengo en este país, pero aún así es diferente. En la vida cotidiana, por ejemplo, muchas veces uno no tiene máquina para lavar ni secar la ropa, o para lavar los trastes. Uno va al mercado todos los días para comprar los ingredientes para la comida. En unos lugares no hay señal para el teléfono celular ni el Internet”.
“El sistema de transporte puede ser un poco peligroso, llenan los “combis” con más gente que la capacidad permite. Muchas veces no hay lo que uno busca y quizás no lo habrá por muchos días”, reiteró.
Hablando de su experiencia con la comunidad católica, ella dijo que allí la gente es “mucho más devota, sencilla, ‘ardiente’ en su corazón (los templos no proveen misales ni libros de música) y la gente reza las oraciones y canta las canciones sin libros. Celebran las fiestas sagradas con gran sacrificio…muchas flores, banderas, velas y listones, etc. sin fijarse en los gastos”.
Al ver la experiencia en general y recordar su trabajo con los católicos hispanos en sitios como la iglesia San José en Salem y otros lugares, ella compartió que “una de las cosas que oigo aquí es que cuando es Adviento o Cuaresma, por ejemplo, en el pueblo no se nota diferencia ninguna. Como todos no somos católicos, no vemos procesiones o tiendas cerradas o nada diferente. El mundo sigue igual que cualquier otro día de la semana. Por ejemplo, en anticipación a la fiesta de Navidad el pueblo aquí empieza a vender comercialmente cosas navideñas en octubre o noviembre, pero no para otras fiestas católicas”.
Cuando ella recuerda qué fue lo que más le impactó dijo sin duda que la gran devoción de las personas. “Celebran las fiestas o cumplen con los preceptos de la Iglesia. También vi la manera con que se resignan a vivir sin el marido que los abandonó o a vivir con enfermedades, si no tienen dinero para el médico. La gente de los ‘ranchos’ demuestra gran fe porque se ponen a preparar la tierra para la siembra sabiendo que no ha llovido desde hace siete meses, pero que Dios nunca los ha abandonado. Unas familias no tienen estufa ni agua purificada pero aun así viven tratando de ser felices con lo que tienen”.
El Centinela.¿Cómo describe el rol de la iglesia en México?
Sister Juanita. Yo no sé si el rol de la Iglesia es tan diferente al que yo conozco. La notaria de la parroquia muchas veces trabaja sin computadoras o en lugares muy pobres pero tienen que mantener los records y todo lo demás igual que aquí. En mi opinión y lo que ví, creo que los sacramentos se pueden celebrar con más frecuencia que aquí y con menos “peros”.
E.C. ¿Es igual a la iglesia aquí con los inmigrantes hispanos?
S. J. V. Creo que la resignación es más grande con los que trabajan en la Iglesia, cuando de repente los feligreses no están o no cumplen con su obligación porque se van a trabajar a los Estados Unidos. Aquí yo recuerdo que yo me turbaba toda cuando alguien no estaba porque se habían ido a México de emergencia, etc. En México pueden “dar la vuelta” y seguir adelante fácil.
E.C. ¿Cuál fue su mayor aprendizaje?
S.J.V. Fue la gran necesidad del “protocolo”. Uno puede ser pobre pero debe tener gran respeto y seguir las reglas del protocolo.
E.C. ¿Cuál fue el objetivo principal de su viaje?
S.J.V. Mi comunidad, las Hermanas de Santa María de Oregón, me dieron permiso de ir a México para investigar y explorar maneras para una mejor relación, para intercambiar ideas, para aprender a evangelizar los migrantes de México aquí y tener un mejor enlace entre la Iglesia en México y las Hermanas.
E.C. ¿Cómo le fue con su español y la comunidad allá?
S.J.V. Mi español es horrible pero la gente perdonaba muy fácil mis errores. Ellos me enseñaban o me corregían con amor. Les daba mucha alegría explicarme sobre cosas que para mí eran extrañas: como frutas u otras comidas. Me ofrecían las cosas con gran gusto para que yo aprendiera.
E.C. ¿Cuénteme una experiencia inolvidable del viaje?
S.J.V. Una vez fui a casa de una señora que tenía a su marido muy enfermo. Él no había comido por un mes. Ella pidió al sacerdote pero él no estaba. Una señora me llevó a la casa del enfermo y las dos rezamos con la mujer. A mí me gusta cantar así que cantamos y rezamos el Santo Rosario. No llevamos al Santísimo porque el párroco no estaba y no teníamos la llave para el tabernáculo. El siguiente día la esposa nos informó que su marido había tomado un poco de Ensure y que se sentía mejor. Nos informó que había sido un “milagro”.
Otros milagros fueron cuando ofrecí un día de retiro antes de Pentecostés y tres días de conferencias sobre la Santa Eucaristía (para el “Jueves de Corpus”) y asistió mucha gente y muchos jóvenes.
E.C. ¿Usted quiere regresar en septiembre?
S.J.V. ¡Claro que sí! Porque Dios nos llama a compartir la Buena Nueva con todos. Hoy con la lectura sobre Rut y su suegra, Naomí…aprendemos que Rut tomó dos decisiones: de cuidar a su anciana suegra y de tomar a su Dios como el de ella.
Dios necesita evangelizadores que lleven la Buena Nueva a todos, en especial a los que sufren el dolor de ser humillados cuando son regresados por no tener los documentos, o el dolor de ser abandonados por su pareja por otra esposa y otros niños o el dolor de parientes que no pueden regresar a verlos ni a enterrarlos cuando mueren.
E.C. ¿A dónde?
S.J.V. A México y en especial a Huanusco, Zacatecas.
E.C. ¿Se va a lograr el plan? Pido que el Espíritu Santo nos ilumine para conocer el siguiente paso. No sabemos si se va a lograr, pero estamos listas para sacrificar lo necesario y para cumplir con la voluntad de Dios.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Comments from a Sister student in my English Class
Estimada, Sister Juanita:
No sabe el gusto que me da recibir su e-mail, pero a la vez me preocupo saber que no está muy bien de salud. Voy a estar pidiendo por su pronta recuperación. Sé que mi Señor esta con usted y que le está dando su fortaleza para salir adelante y cumplir con aquello que El le ha encomendado, pero siga cuidándose por favor.
¿Sabe? ¡De verdad que la extraño! Pues usted supo ganarse un lugar en mi corazón y aunque no le escriba seguido, siempre le pido a mi Jesús por usted.
Hace poco estuve leyendo lo que escribió para el periódico y me gusto mucho. Sobre todo creció mas en mi admiración por usted!
Por favor cuídese mucho y siga adelante, descubriendo el Plan Salvífico de mi Dios para quienes El ha puesto a su cuidado. Por acá empieza a hacer frio y también amenazan las lluvias, lo que no me gusta es que también puede empezar a haber niebla y debo manejar como 12 o 13 millas para llegar a la Misión donde trabajo.
La mayoría de la gente de allí es de mi país, así es que no puedo practicar mucho el ingles, y como no se mucho, pues casi ni lo intento.
Perdón, pero no fui muy buena discípula de usted...
Dios me la proteja siempre.
Afectuosamente: Hna. María Teresa de Jesús González Vera.
Saludos, abrazos y bendiciones para usted, ah y mi agradecimiento infinito.
No sabe el gusto que me da recibir su e-mail, pero a la vez me preocupo saber que no está muy bien de salud. Voy a estar pidiendo por su pronta recuperación. Sé que mi Señor esta con usted y que le está dando su fortaleza para salir adelante y cumplir con aquello que El le ha encomendado, pero siga cuidándose por favor.
¿Sabe? ¡De verdad que la extraño! Pues usted supo ganarse un lugar en mi corazón y aunque no le escriba seguido, siempre le pido a mi Jesús por usted.
Hace poco estuve leyendo lo que escribió para el periódico y me gusto mucho. Sobre todo creció mas en mi admiración por usted!
Por favor cuídese mucho y siga adelante, descubriendo el Plan Salvífico de mi Dios para quienes El ha puesto a su cuidado. Por acá empieza a hacer frio y también amenazan las lluvias, lo que no me gusta es que también puede empezar a haber niebla y debo manejar como 12 o 13 millas para llegar a la Misión donde trabajo.
La mayoría de la gente de allí es de mi país, así es que no puedo practicar mucho el ingles, y como no se mucho, pues casi ni lo intento.
Perdón, pero no fui muy buena discípula de usted...
Dios me la proteja siempre.
Afectuosamente: Hna. María Teresa de Jesús González Vera.
Saludos, abrazos y bendiciones para usted, ah y mi agradecimiento infinito.
Comments from my brother, Luis in Nebraska
Good Morning. I hope you are feeling better and better every day. I feel you should be admonished, not by us, but by your superiors for not taking more time to recuperate. Proper recuperation is the key to total recovery. BUT; I understand it is hard to stop "a train".
On another note, with much effort on my part, I read the article written by the Centinela. I say, with much effort on my part, because, "man, am I rusty with my Spanish, or what?" Not that I ever knew it well. It's just that it is not something I do every day. It's not that well honed. Like my golf game, for example. :>) And, to think that the Air Force Office of Special Investigations paid me "extra" because I would occasionally conduct an interview or make inquiries in Spanish.
Now, regarding your interview by the Centinela, I thought it was very informative. I mean, it is certainly a lot clearer, to me, what you did while in Mexico. It was very courageous of you to visit the gentleman who was ill at home with no visitation from anyone. However, I have to ask, "Why hadn't any of the religious sisters from the local parish visited with him? Even for "some" encouragement. It seems like the man needed some encouragement and so did the spouse. Nonetheless, it is miraculous what prayer can do, isn't it? Thank you. You may have "lifted" that man right out of his depressed state of mind and into "recovery". Again, thank you.
After I read the article for the second time, I was wondering, "could I use this?" Could I use it as an information tool? I mean, I don't believe that many people "here" realize the struggle and effort "poor/indigent" people go through to scrape a living out of wherever they can--even if it means leaving their homes. Nor, do they realize that people are basically "a happy people" but are determined to do whatever they can in order to better their lives. I see people that don't necessarily want to leave their homes/families except that they hear from others that one can earn more and do more with whatever they can earn.
Of course, some will turn to crime because they are too darn lazy or because of bad decisions on their part. But, for the most part, people want to "better" themselves. Unfortunately, the more obvious and the "less willing to assimilate" are the ones at the forefront and noticed by the media.
Well, I won't tire you any longer. I was up this morning and though I would "visit" with you. Hope you are feeling better. Take care of yourself.
Your older brother,
Luis
On another note, with much effort on my part, I read the article written by the Centinela. I say, with much effort on my part, because, "man, am I rusty with my Spanish, or what?" Not that I ever knew it well. It's just that it is not something I do every day. It's not that well honed. Like my golf game, for example. :>) And, to think that the Air Force Office of Special Investigations paid me "extra" because I would occasionally conduct an interview or make inquiries in Spanish.
Now, regarding your interview by the Centinela, I thought it was very informative. I mean, it is certainly a lot clearer, to me, what you did while in Mexico. It was very courageous of you to visit the gentleman who was ill at home with no visitation from anyone. However, I have to ask, "Why hadn't any of the religious sisters from the local parish visited with him? Even for "some" encouragement. It seems like the man needed some encouragement and so did the spouse. Nonetheless, it is miraculous what prayer can do, isn't it? Thank you. You may have "lifted" that man right out of his depressed state of mind and into "recovery". Again, thank you.
After I read the article for the second time, I was wondering, "could I use this?" Could I use it as an information tool? I mean, I don't believe that many people "here" realize the struggle and effort "poor/indigent" people go through to scrape a living out of wherever they can--even if it means leaving their homes. Nor, do they realize that people are basically "a happy people" but are determined to do whatever they can in order to better their lives. I see people that don't necessarily want to leave their homes/families except that they hear from others that one can earn more and do more with whatever they can earn.
Of course, some will turn to crime because they are too darn lazy or because of bad decisions on their part. But, for the most part, people want to "better" themselves. Unfortunately, the more obvious and the "less willing to assimilate" are the ones at the forefront and noticed by the media.
Well, I won't tire you any longer. I was up this morning and though I would "visit" with you. Hope you are feeling better. Take care of yourself.
Your older brother,
Luis
Comentario del Monseñor en Zacatecas
Muchas gracias, Hermana Juanita por su artículo. Se palpa su amor a misión apostólica y su amor a México en su experiencia. Huanusco, Zacatecas ha quedado en su corazón y en su vida y por supuesto parte de la experiencia de la congregación religiosa. Dios lleva sus planes y sabemos que todo aprovecha para los que Dios ama, por eso lo dejamos en sus manos nuestro futuro. En Huanusco la extrañan mucho, pero se tienen que contentar con lo que tienen.
Gracias de nuevo. Dios la ayude en su trabajo. Ya informé al Señor obispo y la saluda.
Mons. Antonio Soto
Gracias de nuevo. Dios la ayude en su trabajo. Ya informé al Señor obispo y la saluda.
Mons. Antonio Soto
From Guanajuato
HELLO, SISTER!!!!
Leí su artículo y me pareció muy buena, qué lindo hacerle una entrevista acerca de su visión hacia nuestro México, y sobre todo que se haya quedado con una impresión bonita de la gente que estuvo cerca de usted, yo pienso que nos queda claro a todos que es una persona “ súper” trabajadora, emprendedora y sobre todo con metas bien puestas en su cabeza y corazón.
Yo también le pido a Diosito que la cuide y la ilumine, para así se cumplan sus deseos y proyectos; muchas felicidades por todo su empeño y esfuerzo y ánimo !Alguna vez alguien me dijo: si tu corazón esta triste por no conseguir lo que buscas , alégrate !! porque el dolor engrandece el alma y cuando menos lo esperas todo llega en su momento y en los días adecuados , claro todo esto con la voluntad de nuestro Señor.
Estoy feliz por seguir recibiendo noticias suyas y le reitero que está en mis oraciones. No contesté rápido este correo ya que yo no cuento con computadora propia, y hoy tuve la oportunidad de tomar esta en mi trabajo, así que aquí estoy, tarde pero siempre al pendiente.
¡Me despido, Sister, deseándole lo mejor de lo mejor y cuídese mucho!
¡Bye!!!
Le mando un cordial abrazo de osa, o, sea bien fuerte!
Comentarios de parte de Margarita la de mi clase de ingles en Irapuato, GTO.
Leí su artículo y me pareció muy buena, qué lindo hacerle una entrevista acerca de su visión hacia nuestro México, y sobre todo que se haya quedado con una impresión bonita de la gente que estuvo cerca de usted, yo pienso que nos queda claro a todos que es una persona “ súper” trabajadora, emprendedora y sobre todo con metas bien puestas en su cabeza y corazón.
Yo también le pido a Diosito que la cuide y la ilumine, para así se cumplan sus deseos y proyectos; muchas felicidades por todo su empeño y esfuerzo y ánimo !Alguna vez alguien me dijo: si tu corazón esta triste por no conseguir lo que buscas , alégrate !! porque el dolor engrandece el alma y cuando menos lo esperas todo llega en su momento y en los días adecuados , claro todo esto con la voluntad de nuestro Señor.
Estoy feliz por seguir recibiendo noticias suyas y le reitero que está en mis oraciones. No contesté rápido este correo ya que yo no cuento con computadora propia, y hoy tuve la oportunidad de tomar esta en mi trabajo, así que aquí estoy, tarde pero siempre al pendiente.
¡Me despido, Sister, deseándole lo mejor de lo mejor y cuídese mucho!
¡Bye!!!
Le mando un cordial abrazo de osa, o, sea bien fuerte!
Comentarios de parte de Margarita la de mi clase de ingles en Irapuato, GTO.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
My Last Three Weeks in Mexico
In three weeks I will be returning to my Motherhouse in Beaverton, OR. I will be taken to the airport by Professor Esther Rivera Vega and her daughter, Hada. Hada and her husband live in Zacatecas so the teacher and I will drive 2 hrs to Zacatecas and meet them or they will come here. The airport is in Aguascalientes which is about an hour and a half away from either one of us. The teacher does not drive and that is the reason we need her daughter. It will be fun to see Hada, her husband and their daughter again. My flight leaves Aguascalientes on July 14th at 8:25 a.m. for Mexico City. I fly from there to Phoenix and on to Portland—arriving at 10:48 p.m.
Our three days of conferences in preparation for the feast of Corpus Christi have been well attended. I have been very pleased. I love teaching. Tuesday and Wednesday the talks were at 6:00 p.m. I asked different people to share their thoughts with the crowd. Oh, they were very nervous. I prepared the talk and had them practice the talk in front of me. One parishioner was assigned to share her thoughts on “The Mass as a Meal”. Another explained all the ministers who serve in the church to have the Mass be a proper celebration. Yet another parishioner explained the utensils, vestments and postures used at Mass. This lady was supposed to have her husband help her but at the last minute he left for some work in Guadalajara and left her alone. She was real nervous, but yet did the best job of all. She handed each person in the audience little pieces of paper with the name of an object. Our seminarian (he is still in high school) lifted an object…chalice, purificator, etc. and the person in the audience identified the object and read the explanation on the back of the piece of paper. It was great!
I reflected on the multiplication of the loaves and fishes as written in the Gospel of Matthew 14:13-21. I played the guitar and taught them Communion songs. I explained the liturgical year and the need to change the songs as appropriate for each season. One lady who makes and sells bread read a poem about the wheat which is used for bread making. She brought a huge loaf of bread to serve a piece to each person.
Before the closing Mass everyone processed around the block carrying the Monstrance ("Custodio") and stopping at 7 different altars located around the church block. Each altar was decorated by the different volunteers with a different color: red for the Sacred Heart (Society of the Sacred Heart), green for learning and growing (catechists), yellow for keeping the vigil light (Adorers), blue (Society of Mary), rose color(care for young and unborn), purple (care for the sick & suffering), and white (the main altar in church). There have been over 50 people in attendance each day. I have learned from them. Their generosity is without end.
Different people have gone to ask for donations of flowers from the different wholesale places and have been amazed that they have been given flowers for free. I tell them that they are not asking for themselves but for the church. We even asked the municipal president’s office to make copies of songs, etc. for us and they have given generously. Otherwise I must pay one peso (10 US cents) per copy.
Recently I was called to go visit an elderly woman…over 100 years old! An Extraordinary Eucharistic minister of Communion accompanied me to take her Communion. The woman was curled up in bed. Her little bones were held together with her frail skin. The ministered sang a song…something about ‘here comes Jesus to visit you’. It was a sweet and tender song. The woman’s daughters were standing around the bed crying softly. I stroked the lady’s hair and sat on her bed. I remembered when Fr. Thomas Farley came to visit my Mom at Maryville. He sang “Bendito, Bendito” and so I sang that song, too. It made me cry a little … as I miss my Mom still. The minister gave her Communion and her daughters gave her a little water with a straw. It was a most holy moment of grace. I will remember that moment for a long time.
Our pastor, Fr. Jesus Guerrero, offered Mass for me, for my intentions and needs. I was very pleased. I appreciated everyone’s prayers. Daily three of us pray Lauds. Daily we have Mass either at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. depending on Father’s schedule. He is sure a very busy man. God bless him. He is 74 but has the energy (sometimes nervous energy) of a twenty year old. He works tirelessly. He has been a priest for many years! He tries his very best. I need to explain to them that I celebrate my birthday over the entire month...from June 23 until July 23!
Would you believe I have used up two hand-held fans. I am always fanning myself. It has been hot since forever here…up to 107 degrees or more. One day I was teaching at a ranch and I realized that I was dripping profusely. A stream of perspiration was cascading from my head unto my shoulders. It is hot but like one lady reminded me…”Sister, not as hot as it will be in hell if we won’t keep trying to learn who Jesus is so we can follow Him!” OK. I guess that helps! God allows, every once in a great while, a 2 minute sprinkle. It only makes it more humid and hot. But,… ! God is good all the time. All the time God is good. I commented to a rancher that the little sprinkle of rain water will help wash his dusty pick-up. He said, “Oh, no, Sister! The truck will get chilled!” Ha! There is dust and more dust everywhere. I wash my shoes…soles and all at least once a week. There are rocks where there is no dirt. The entire state of Zacatecas must be sitting on a volcano bed as there is so much rock.
Please accept my deepest gratitude for all your thoughts and prayers that you have offered and sent to me. I truly appreciate it all. I appreciate your friendship. I appreciate you.
What now? Who knows! God will have to guide the Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. It would be advantageous to have a house here in Mexico so that we can learn the people’s culture, faith and language so that we are better able to welcome our thousands of brothers and sisters from this country.
Our three days of conferences in preparation for the feast of Corpus Christi have been well attended. I have been very pleased. I love teaching. Tuesday and Wednesday the talks were at 6:00 p.m. I asked different people to share their thoughts with the crowd. Oh, they were very nervous. I prepared the talk and had them practice the talk in front of me. One parishioner was assigned to share her thoughts on “The Mass as a Meal”. Another explained all the ministers who serve in the church to have the Mass be a proper celebration. Yet another parishioner explained the utensils, vestments and postures used at Mass. This lady was supposed to have her husband help her but at the last minute he left for some work in Guadalajara and left her alone. She was real nervous, but yet did the best job of all. She handed each person in the audience little pieces of paper with the name of an object. Our seminarian (he is still in high school) lifted an object…chalice, purificator, etc. and the person in the audience identified the object and read the explanation on the back of the piece of paper. It was great!
I reflected on the multiplication of the loaves and fishes as written in the Gospel of Matthew 14:13-21. I played the guitar and taught them Communion songs. I explained the liturgical year and the need to change the songs as appropriate for each season. One lady who makes and sells bread read a poem about the wheat which is used for bread making. She brought a huge loaf of bread to serve a piece to each person.
Before the closing Mass everyone processed around the block carrying the Monstrance ("Custodio") and stopping at 7 different altars located around the church block. Each altar was decorated by the different volunteers with a different color: red for the Sacred Heart (Society of the Sacred Heart), green for learning and growing (catechists), yellow for keeping the vigil light (Adorers), blue (Society of Mary), rose color(care for young and unborn), purple (care for the sick & suffering), and white (the main altar in church). There have been over 50 people in attendance each day. I have learned from them. Their generosity is without end.
Different people have gone to ask for donations of flowers from the different wholesale places and have been amazed that they have been given flowers for free. I tell them that they are not asking for themselves but for the church. We even asked the municipal president’s office to make copies of songs, etc. for us and they have given generously. Otherwise I must pay one peso (10 US cents) per copy.
Recently I was called to go visit an elderly woman…over 100 years old! An Extraordinary Eucharistic minister of Communion accompanied me to take her Communion. The woman was curled up in bed. Her little bones were held together with her frail skin. The ministered sang a song…something about ‘here comes Jesus to visit you’. It was a sweet and tender song. The woman’s daughters were standing around the bed crying softly. I stroked the lady’s hair and sat on her bed. I remembered when Fr. Thomas Farley came to visit my Mom at Maryville. He sang “Bendito, Bendito” and so I sang that song, too. It made me cry a little … as I miss my Mom still. The minister gave her Communion and her daughters gave her a little water with a straw. It was a most holy moment of grace. I will remember that moment for a long time.
Our pastor, Fr. Jesus Guerrero, offered Mass for me, for my intentions and needs. I was very pleased. I appreciated everyone’s prayers. Daily three of us pray Lauds. Daily we have Mass either at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. depending on Father’s schedule. He is sure a very busy man. God bless him. He is 74 but has the energy (sometimes nervous energy) of a twenty year old. He works tirelessly. He has been a priest for many years! He tries his very best. I need to explain to them that I celebrate my birthday over the entire month...from June 23 until July 23!
Would you believe I have used up two hand-held fans. I am always fanning myself. It has been hot since forever here…up to 107 degrees or more. One day I was teaching at a ranch and I realized that I was dripping profusely. A stream of perspiration was cascading from my head unto my shoulders. It is hot but like one lady reminded me…”Sister, not as hot as it will be in hell if we won’t keep trying to learn who Jesus is so we can follow Him!” OK. I guess that helps! God allows, every once in a great while, a 2 minute sprinkle. It only makes it more humid and hot. But,… ! God is good all the time. All the time God is good. I commented to a rancher that the little sprinkle of rain water will help wash his dusty pick-up. He said, “Oh, no, Sister! The truck will get chilled!” Ha! There is dust and more dust everywhere. I wash my shoes…soles and all at least once a week. There are rocks where there is no dirt. The entire state of Zacatecas must be sitting on a volcano bed as there is so much rock.
Please accept my deepest gratitude for all your thoughts and prayers that you have offered and sent to me. I truly appreciate it all. I appreciate your friendship. I appreciate you.
What now? Who knows! God will have to guide the Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. It would be advantageous to have a house here in Mexico so that we can learn the people’s culture, faith and language so that we are better able to welcome our thousands of brothers and sisters from this country.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Stories about Huanusco
Ranches: Parish boundaries include many ranches. Getting to these ranches is very hard on the poor vehicles. Father Jesus Guerrero has 2 old pickups and a Volkswagen. None of the ranches is very far from Huanusco, but the highway ends outside of the small town. The roads into the ranches are not gravel, but beds with huge rocks. One rancher told me that in order to put his plow to the field he first took out and dumped 55 truckloads of rock. “Gosh, you could have sold them”, I told him. He smiled. There are rocks and more rocks everywhere. But God is good and always provides! Right now, when it is most arid, the tall cacti are ripe with fruit called “pitallas” which grow at the tips of the tall arms of these cacti. The cacti look like the ones in Arizona but these have many, many arms and their fruit looks like the cactus fruit but are less prickly. I have eaten half a dozen pitallas. Fr. Resendez once sat near me at a party and he ate like 16 or 18 pitallas. Goodness! The “agave” with which they make tequila is growing nice and tall. But because it is getting close to rainy season and just in case God forgets them, Father offers a Mass on a regular bases asking for rain. Many people attend that Mass.
At each ranch Father usually appoints a family to be in charge of the “flock”. They make all the announcements, take care of the temple, take the role of sacristan, catechist, etc. Father uses no parish bulletin so this family serves as his announcer and organizer, etc. Some leaders are better at their job than others. One or two ranches are extremely active and some are barely surviving. Some live from what they receive from their relatives in the USA and some have no income but what they can get selling milk, eggs, cheese, or handiworks. Every Friday is market day. It is amazing how they are able to just put up a small stand and sell homemade ice cream bars, fruit juices (most often these stands have tons of flies swarming all over the place). The families load Father up with all kinds of Tupperware containers filled with food…mole, chile, cactus leaves, etc. They are very generous. He gets no stipend and the collection from the smaller ranches is 50 pesos or less. He can hardly pay for the gas for his truck. Gas is almost 11 pesos a liter.
Whoever can afford them has farm animals. Some of the animals look great. The horses are used for travel and for carrying loads. People have chickens, a cow, a donkey or horse in their backyards. Many mornings I am awakened early by the crowing of the roosters. Some animals suffer from lack of feed. I wish there was a lack of scorpions and house and horse flies, too.
I have heard so many stories of animals who have suffered from scorpion bites. If a chicken gets bitten, she will try to breath but her throat gets closed up. So, a person can stick a carriage of a ballpoint pen across the neck, or, place a bucket over the frantic hen until it stops fighting for air. It should calm down inside the bucket and slowly recoup. If a cow gets bitten, she will not be able to drink even though she will go to the trough to drink. The water will fall out of her mouth. She can eat dry food for a day but cannot drink water. She will keep going for a drink but can’t drink. The man telling me the story said it was painful to watch. The cow eventually heals. The same goes for all the other animals. Some of the ladies said that if they can catch the animal they will try to give it lots of milk and garlic. That cures them.
One day I saw a horse’s carcass in a field. I had never seen a real carcass. The entire hide was still intact…head, tail, and small hip bones. This dead horse still had a rope tied around his nozzle. Poor animals. I saw a donkey with a rope tied—one front leg to one hind leg. I asked why. I was told that that way he would not run too far nor cross fences, etc. Often they get tied to a tree, no water nearby and in the blazing, hot sun! I am always hearing stories of cows being mean to other cows. One cow hit another cow and broke her jaw. She starved to death. One cow pushed another cow—a heifer over an embankment and killed her. As if the world was not already hard on them!
Dogs, cats and birds here are so different. The birds sing so uniquely beautiful. I love to hear their chirping. The lady next door showed me her 15 or 20 cages with parakeets, cardinals and others…what I thought were one-of-a-kind bird. The birds are so colorful. The cats…there are so many of them. But I’m not a cat lover. I do feel sorry for them because there are so many cats. One woman told me that her cat got a fever and died. She cried. But, dogs often shy away from people probably because people kick them and shoo them away. Some dogs roam the streets in packs at night and I hear the smaller dogs crying out in pain at night. My heart breaks.
Houses: The homes are mostly built of bricks covered with plaster. All the doors and windows have iron bars. Inside and outside the home one can see framed and unframed pictures of saints, Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They also hang pictures and Rosaries in their autos, on things that move and on things which stay still. However, I don’t see many altars in their homes anymore. In olden days the home altar was a must.
The kitchen/dining room are often combined and most of the time homes don’t have a living room. Their kitchens and bathrooms have either very poor plumbing or no indoor plumbing at all. Dishes are washed outside in some concrete tubs. Their cupboards are very poor and pieced together. They have potable bottled water and it is dispensed from a wire stand. Some stands for this water are fancy with little faucets and others…like mine…are common wire contraptions which help with tilting the huge bottle so one can get water out. The bedrooms might have hard mattresses and no box springs but the bedcovers are often handcrafted pieces of art work. As are the dining room tables clothes. These pieces of art are: “des-hilados”, embroidered, cross stitched and crochet pieces. One older woman sent her table clothes and bedspreads to the USA so that her sister could sell them for her. She worked for months to complete a beautiful tablecloth made with “des-hilado” designs and she got $200 USD for it from a Japanese lady in California! So very sad!
Every home has an enclosed atrium or garden. There is often a lime tree in the garden. They use tons of limes in their cooking and serving meals. All water used is always recycled. Water is a rare commodity here. Most floors are tiled and need to be mopped daily but the water used is from after washing clothes, etc. One uses a broom to sweep the sidewalks and streets and not water. Every household owner must keep their portion of the street cleaned. The garbage trucks…small ¾ ton trucks…pick up on Mondays and Fridays. There are guys in back of truck sorting out the recyclables…cartons, cans, plastics, etc. I feel so sorry for them. They wear no gloves and are waist deep in the garbage sorting these things into gunny sacks. There might be needles, glass, etc. And, of course, no one drops toilet paper into the commode so it is thrown in the garbage, too.
The houses also have a place on the roof top where one can hang the wash. It takes me an hour or more to wash sheets, towels, and all the rest of my laundry. There is a concrete slab with “wrinkles” which serves as a washboard. I soak my clothes in a plastic can and take one piece out at a time. I scrub each piece with a huge bar of laundry soap. I throw each article into a basin which contains laundry detergent. I wash it there and then I put it in another container with rinse water and then it gets a second and sometimes a third rinse with Downy. I hang them up on clothes lines and all of the laundry is dry in an hour. In the Casa Central in Zacatecas we had available a couple of washers (with 25 Sisters there!). There is never a dryer available. In the nursing home in Irapuato we also had a 1950 washer but it eventually broke down. In the parish in Irapuato we had a washer but it was not connected to a water source or a drain so it took some ingenuity to fill and empty the washer.
Churches: Every sector, neighborhood, colony, ranch, and town has its own church. The people seem very proud of their small temples. They understand very well the difference between temple and church. I can’t describe the interior of these temples. Some have small altars to particular saints. Sometimes behind the main altar the people hang curtains as if to make a “retablo” and give it more importance, but the curtains can be faded, wrinkled, hanging poorly, etc. Though the church floor tile is clean, the pews are sometimes dilapidated and the fake flowers are old, too.
I have started going to the “colonias” with Father. He offers Mass out near someone’s home. Last night we got to the colony or barrio or neighborhood and there were some 25 or 30 people waiting for Mass. These folks can’t always get to the main church due to distance and lack of transportation, etc. They get a small table for an altar and Father brings his suitcase with all that he needs for Mass. The people sing and pray in such intimate and devoted ways. Father says that he has seen many return to the church because for the first time they got to see close up and personal what goes on when Mass is being offered. They get hooked or something. Whatever works! Father sure has a way with them. He talks to them in a way that they understand. Father is tireless. He does look old and tired but walks with determination and a positive spirit.
Most everyone knows and can sing by heart all kinds of religious songs. There are no missals or song books anywhere in the churches. The children know lots of prayers by heart. They were teaching me how to bless my pillow at night before lying down to sleep—“San Jorge, amara con un cordoncito bendito a todos los animalitos para que no me den un piquetito ni a mí ni a mis hermanitos. Amen.” (St. George, with your blessed little string tie all the little animals so that they don’t sting me nor my little brothers and sisters. Amen.) They know many prayers for rain to come, for the crops to grow, for the evil one to depart—“Cruz, cruz, que se vaya el diablo y que venga Jesús! (Cross, cross, may the devil flee and may Jesus come!), and for God to heal broken bodies and hearts.
The priests have a custom of having their mother, sister or lady to be their housekeeper. This priest in Huanusco is no exception. His 80 year old sister lives with him but he also has a live-in woman who is also the parish secretary. The people claim she makes all the decisions.
This is the month of May and it is a custom of this parish, as in most parishes, to offer flowers to Our Lady every day during the entire month. Different families offer to pay for the fresh flowers. I decided that in honor of my sister, Elida, I would offer to buy flowers on her birthday. The other day I also took my turn and led the Rosary in church. When I ended the Rosary I realized that I didn’t have a booklet to help me pray the litany. A 10 year old boy, who serves as an altar boy, offered to pray the Litany of Loreto all by heart! I was embarrassed for myself. I couldn’t believe it. The parish office sells monthly missals for 12 pesos, but many can’t afford to buy them each month. I am impressed that there are many altar servers who offer to serve daily Mass. They seem very spiritual and have great devotion to things of God. My delight is to tell them stories of saints. They seem to love them.
Families: Most families have two to three children. They say that even though they came from large families they can’t afford big families now. I see families with handicapped children: Downs’s syndrome, mental illness, or other physical handicap. These children are very loved and cared for. Most of the children dress nicely—hair neatly combed and braided (no boy has long hair), faces scrubbed and most of them well behaved. They wear uniforms to public schools. The children are always courteous and greet people on the streets: “Buenos días!” “Adios!” and so forth. They say that these towns have only women, children and grandparents because anyone who is able to work has gone to the USA to work. There are many hundreds of empty houses in these towns and ranches. There are some pretty nice homes built with money from the US. Some people say that they would rather build and leave their homes empty than have the USA tax their money since they know they will never get Social Security retirement funds there. Often they pay someone a token amount of money to oversee these homes and keep their yards. When they come on vacation they stay in their own homes.
Food: Tortillas and beans…pinto, “flor de Julio”, “Peruanos”, Lima and a huge variety of beans and rice are the basic foods. Chiles…all kinds and of different strengths, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cheese fall in the second most necessary food. Vegetables and fruits (mangos, papayas, pineapples, oranges, bananas and all kinds of limes) come in third place. Meats, fish and eggs are eaten often but in moderation. Milk is also used often. The necessary ingredients are the spices or “sazón” with which the food is prepared. I am learning to prepare food like they do. I don’t eat hot peppers much, but am trying. Quesadillas are regularly on the menu. Drinks are made by blending fruit with water. I have had cucumber drink…so very good and refreshing! I have had oatmeal water…blended with cinnamon, sugar and a little milk. Now, that is delicious! They use mangos, limes, carrots and anything else to make good and healthy drinks. My favorite fruit drinks are made with mango or pineapple. My least favorite drinks: guayaba, papaya, jamaica (a seed pod) or rice. My most favorite thing to eat—avocados! I like to eat fish as an alternative to meat. Meat is my least favorite food. When I’m in a hurry…I fix cheese (also a huge variety of cheeses) with tomato, avocado, cucumber and jícama slices and a little cilantro on a toasted tortilla. But I must admit that those who know how to prepare the special sauces for meats and other foods have my respect. Hats off to them!
Entertainment: How many channels do you think they offer on the basic $20 USD cable package? They gave me over 70 channels. Oh, my goodness! A good thing—these channels do not contain much low class stuff. On the contrary, there are many Catholic channels. Music is part of each day. One day I heard music and I looked out my window to see a whole bunch of “charros” on horseback going somewhere and musicians on horseback also playing their instruments and following the charros. The radios start off early in the morning and last all day. The children love acting, too. For any reason, any occasion there are dances performed in the plaza. Babies, as soon as they can stand up, know how to move their little bodies. I don’t like “ranchera” music. I guess I am old fashion and I like substance to the message. My hair salon lady in Irapuato gave me lots of good romantic music.
Speech: The people from Zacatecas speak differently from the people of Guanajuato. These people sing their words in a softer manner. But most young people use a lot of bad words. I was sitting next to a man while waiting for our tacos one day. The guy asked for a whole chile. He asked for a specific one but with a bad word in front of the name of the pepper. I was so sad I refused to look in his direction. Every other word is buey or “whey”…the name of a donkey! I want to start a club and then invite the young people to join. The club could be called, “El Santo Nombre de Jesus”. Goodness!
Stores: There are so many stores the same or similar to the stores in the USA. There are Wal-Marts, Costco, Sams, plus many auto stores with all the same goods. I don’t go to the club stores with membership but there are smaller stores which are just as good. I like going to markets to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I don’t buy meats I just avoid those stands…yuck! What I so admire are the works of art still made by hand. The needle works are fabulous.
The big fashion stores exist in big cities only. The merchants go buy clothes in big towns and come to the smaller towns and re-sell the articles. Shoes are not to be compared. In my opinion, they do not have good shoes. But some ladies here even wear “Pradas” …they might be fake! They wear such high, high heels! The heels are high and the clothes for ladies are super tight! Oh, my! Some items are more expensive; others are less. I miss USA ice cream. One kind of ice cream “La Michoacana” sells ice cream but no matter how good, it doesn’t compare to real USA ice cream.
At each ranch Father usually appoints a family to be in charge of the “flock”. They make all the announcements, take care of the temple, take the role of sacristan, catechist, etc. Father uses no parish bulletin so this family serves as his announcer and organizer, etc. Some leaders are better at their job than others. One or two ranches are extremely active and some are barely surviving. Some live from what they receive from their relatives in the USA and some have no income but what they can get selling milk, eggs, cheese, or handiworks. Every Friday is market day. It is amazing how they are able to just put up a small stand and sell homemade ice cream bars, fruit juices (most often these stands have tons of flies swarming all over the place). The families load Father up with all kinds of Tupperware containers filled with food…mole, chile, cactus leaves, etc. They are very generous. He gets no stipend and the collection from the smaller ranches is 50 pesos or less. He can hardly pay for the gas for his truck. Gas is almost 11 pesos a liter.
Whoever can afford them has farm animals. Some of the animals look great. The horses are used for travel and for carrying loads. People have chickens, a cow, a donkey or horse in their backyards. Many mornings I am awakened early by the crowing of the roosters. Some animals suffer from lack of feed. I wish there was a lack of scorpions and house and horse flies, too.
I have heard so many stories of animals who have suffered from scorpion bites. If a chicken gets bitten, she will try to breath but her throat gets closed up. So, a person can stick a carriage of a ballpoint pen across the neck, or, place a bucket over the frantic hen until it stops fighting for air. It should calm down inside the bucket and slowly recoup. If a cow gets bitten, she will not be able to drink even though she will go to the trough to drink. The water will fall out of her mouth. She can eat dry food for a day but cannot drink water. She will keep going for a drink but can’t drink. The man telling me the story said it was painful to watch. The cow eventually heals. The same goes for all the other animals. Some of the ladies said that if they can catch the animal they will try to give it lots of milk and garlic. That cures them.
One day I saw a horse’s carcass in a field. I had never seen a real carcass. The entire hide was still intact…head, tail, and small hip bones. This dead horse still had a rope tied around his nozzle. Poor animals. I saw a donkey with a rope tied—one front leg to one hind leg. I asked why. I was told that that way he would not run too far nor cross fences, etc. Often they get tied to a tree, no water nearby and in the blazing, hot sun! I am always hearing stories of cows being mean to other cows. One cow hit another cow and broke her jaw. She starved to death. One cow pushed another cow—a heifer over an embankment and killed her. As if the world was not already hard on them!
Dogs, cats and birds here are so different. The birds sing so uniquely beautiful. I love to hear their chirping. The lady next door showed me her 15 or 20 cages with parakeets, cardinals and others…what I thought were one-of-a-kind bird. The birds are so colorful. The cats…there are so many of them. But I’m not a cat lover. I do feel sorry for them because there are so many cats. One woman told me that her cat got a fever and died. She cried. But, dogs often shy away from people probably because people kick them and shoo them away. Some dogs roam the streets in packs at night and I hear the smaller dogs crying out in pain at night. My heart breaks.
Houses: The homes are mostly built of bricks covered with plaster. All the doors and windows have iron bars. Inside and outside the home one can see framed and unframed pictures of saints, Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They also hang pictures and Rosaries in their autos, on things that move and on things which stay still. However, I don’t see many altars in their homes anymore. In olden days the home altar was a must.
The kitchen/dining room are often combined and most of the time homes don’t have a living room. Their kitchens and bathrooms have either very poor plumbing or no indoor plumbing at all. Dishes are washed outside in some concrete tubs. Their cupboards are very poor and pieced together. They have potable bottled water and it is dispensed from a wire stand. Some stands for this water are fancy with little faucets and others…like mine…are common wire contraptions which help with tilting the huge bottle so one can get water out. The bedrooms might have hard mattresses and no box springs but the bedcovers are often handcrafted pieces of art work. As are the dining room tables clothes. These pieces of art are: “des-hilados”, embroidered, cross stitched and crochet pieces. One older woman sent her table clothes and bedspreads to the USA so that her sister could sell them for her. She worked for months to complete a beautiful tablecloth made with “des-hilado” designs and she got $200 USD for it from a Japanese lady in California! So very sad!
Every home has an enclosed atrium or garden. There is often a lime tree in the garden. They use tons of limes in their cooking and serving meals. All water used is always recycled. Water is a rare commodity here. Most floors are tiled and need to be mopped daily but the water used is from after washing clothes, etc. One uses a broom to sweep the sidewalks and streets and not water. Every household owner must keep their portion of the street cleaned. The garbage trucks…small ¾ ton trucks…pick up on Mondays and Fridays. There are guys in back of truck sorting out the recyclables…cartons, cans, plastics, etc. I feel so sorry for them. They wear no gloves and are waist deep in the garbage sorting these things into gunny sacks. There might be needles, glass, etc. And, of course, no one drops toilet paper into the commode so it is thrown in the garbage, too.
The houses also have a place on the roof top where one can hang the wash. It takes me an hour or more to wash sheets, towels, and all the rest of my laundry. There is a concrete slab with “wrinkles” which serves as a washboard. I soak my clothes in a plastic can and take one piece out at a time. I scrub each piece with a huge bar of laundry soap. I throw each article into a basin which contains laundry detergent. I wash it there and then I put it in another container with rinse water and then it gets a second and sometimes a third rinse with Downy. I hang them up on clothes lines and all of the laundry is dry in an hour. In the Casa Central in Zacatecas we had available a couple of washers (with 25 Sisters there!). There is never a dryer available. In the nursing home in Irapuato we also had a 1950 washer but it eventually broke down. In the parish in Irapuato we had a washer but it was not connected to a water source or a drain so it took some ingenuity to fill and empty the washer.
Churches: Every sector, neighborhood, colony, ranch, and town has its own church. The people seem very proud of their small temples. They understand very well the difference between temple and church. I can’t describe the interior of these temples. Some have small altars to particular saints. Sometimes behind the main altar the people hang curtains as if to make a “retablo” and give it more importance, but the curtains can be faded, wrinkled, hanging poorly, etc. Though the church floor tile is clean, the pews are sometimes dilapidated and the fake flowers are old, too.
I have started going to the “colonias” with Father. He offers Mass out near someone’s home. Last night we got to the colony or barrio or neighborhood and there were some 25 or 30 people waiting for Mass. These folks can’t always get to the main church due to distance and lack of transportation, etc. They get a small table for an altar and Father brings his suitcase with all that he needs for Mass. The people sing and pray in such intimate and devoted ways. Father says that he has seen many return to the church because for the first time they got to see close up and personal what goes on when Mass is being offered. They get hooked or something. Whatever works! Father sure has a way with them. He talks to them in a way that they understand. Father is tireless. He does look old and tired but walks with determination and a positive spirit.
Most everyone knows and can sing by heart all kinds of religious songs. There are no missals or song books anywhere in the churches. The children know lots of prayers by heart. They were teaching me how to bless my pillow at night before lying down to sleep—“San Jorge, amara con un cordoncito bendito a todos los animalitos para que no me den un piquetito ni a mí ni a mis hermanitos. Amen.” (St. George, with your blessed little string tie all the little animals so that they don’t sting me nor my little brothers and sisters. Amen.) They know many prayers for rain to come, for the crops to grow, for the evil one to depart—“Cruz, cruz, que se vaya el diablo y que venga Jesús! (Cross, cross, may the devil flee and may Jesus come!), and for God to heal broken bodies and hearts.
The priests have a custom of having their mother, sister or lady to be their housekeeper. This priest in Huanusco is no exception. His 80 year old sister lives with him but he also has a live-in woman who is also the parish secretary. The people claim she makes all the decisions.
This is the month of May and it is a custom of this parish, as in most parishes, to offer flowers to Our Lady every day during the entire month. Different families offer to pay for the fresh flowers. I decided that in honor of my sister, Elida, I would offer to buy flowers on her birthday. The other day I also took my turn and led the Rosary in church. When I ended the Rosary I realized that I didn’t have a booklet to help me pray the litany. A 10 year old boy, who serves as an altar boy, offered to pray the Litany of Loreto all by heart! I was embarrassed for myself. I couldn’t believe it. The parish office sells monthly missals for 12 pesos, but many can’t afford to buy them each month. I am impressed that there are many altar servers who offer to serve daily Mass. They seem very spiritual and have great devotion to things of God. My delight is to tell them stories of saints. They seem to love them.
Families: Most families have two to three children. They say that even though they came from large families they can’t afford big families now. I see families with handicapped children: Downs’s syndrome, mental illness, or other physical handicap. These children are very loved and cared for. Most of the children dress nicely—hair neatly combed and braided (no boy has long hair), faces scrubbed and most of them well behaved. They wear uniforms to public schools. The children are always courteous and greet people on the streets: “Buenos días!” “Adios!” and so forth. They say that these towns have only women, children and grandparents because anyone who is able to work has gone to the USA to work. There are many hundreds of empty houses in these towns and ranches. There are some pretty nice homes built with money from the US. Some people say that they would rather build and leave their homes empty than have the USA tax their money since they know they will never get Social Security retirement funds there. Often they pay someone a token amount of money to oversee these homes and keep their yards. When they come on vacation they stay in their own homes.
Food: Tortillas and beans…pinto, “flor de Julio”, “Peruanos”, Lima and a huge variety of beans and rice are the basic foods. Chiles…all kinds and of different strengths, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cheese fall in the second most necessary food. Vegetables and fruits (mangos, papayas, pineapples, oranges, bananas and all kinds of limes) come in third place. Meats, fish and eggs are eaten often but in moderation. Milk is also used often. The necessary ingredients are the spices or “sazón” with which the food is prepared. I am learning to prepare food like they do. I don’t eat hot peppers much, but am trying. Quesadillas are regularly on the menu. Drinks are made by blending fruit with water. I have had cucumber drink…so very good and refreshing! I have had oatmeal water…blended with cinnamon, sugar and a little milk. Now, that is delicious! They use mangos, limes, carrots and anything else to make good and healthy drinks. My favorite fruit drinks are made with mango or pineapple. My least favorite drinks: guayaba, papaya, jamaica (a seed pod) or rice. My most favorite thing to eat—avocados! I like to eat fish as an alternative to meat. Meat is my least favorite food. When I’m in a hurry…I fix cheese (also a huge variety of cheeses) with tomato, avocado, cucumber and jícama slices and a little cilantro on a toasted tortilla. But I must admit that those who know how to prepare the special sauces for meats and other foods have my respect. Hats off to them!
Entertainment: How many channels do you think they offer on the basic $20 USD cable package? They gave me over 70 channels. Oh, my goodness! A good thing—these channels do not contain much low class stuff. On the contrary, there are many Catholic channels. Music is part of each day. One day I heard music and I looked out my window to see a whole bunch of “charros” on horseback going somewhere and musicians on horseback also playing their instruments and following the charros. The radios start off early in the morning and last all day. The children love acting, too. For any reason, any occasion there are dances performed in the plaza. Babies, as soon as they can stand up, know how to move their little bodies. I don’t like “ranchera” music. I guess I am old fashion and I like substance to the message. My hair salon lady in Irapuato gave me lots of good romantic music.
Speech: The people from Zacatecas speak differently from the people of Guanajuato. These people sing their words in a softer manner. But most young people use a lot of bad words. I was sitting next to a man while waiting for our tacos one day. The guy asked for a whole chile. He asked for a specific one but with a bad word in front of the name of the pepper. I was so sad I refused to look in his direction. Every other word is buey or “whey”…the name of a donkey! I want to start a club and then invite the young people to join. The club could be called, “El Santo Nombre de Jesus”. Goodness!
Stores: There are so many stores the same or similar to the stores in the USA. There are Wal-Marts, Costco, Sams, plus many auto stores with all the same goods. I don’t go to the club stores with membership but there are smaller stores which are just as good. I like going to markets to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Since I don’t buy meats I just avoid those stands…yuck! What I so admire are the works of art still made by hand. The needle works are fabulous.
The big fashion stores exist in big cities only. The merchants go buy clothes in big towns and come to the smaller towns and re-sell the articles. Shoes are not to be compared. In my opinion, they do not have good shoes. But some ladies here even wear “Pradas” …they might be fake! They wear such high, high heels! The heels are high and the clothes for ladies are super tight! Oh, my! Some items are more expensive; others are less. I miss USA ice cream. One kind of ice cream “La Michoacana” sells ice cream but no matter how good, it doesn’t compare to real USA ice cream.
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