A Village Funeral

April 18, 2014

What starts with the rosary and ends with a knife fight? In Las Moras, the answer is a village funeral. This last week as our team was at the cemetery, where the village was mourning the loss of and elderly woman. The deceased’s son asked me if I knew how to pray the rosary. I […]

Going to the Fence

February 9, 2014

“Going to the fence” is the phrase our team uses for “answering the door” or “seeing-why-someone-is-standing-by-the-gate-screaming-your-name-for-the-last-three-minutes-while-you-try-to-finish-brushing-your-teeth.” There are lots of reasons for going to the fence but I thought I’d share some from the last few weeks. Ladies came to visit (love this one!) Men came to borrow the shovel…and the pick…and a measuring tape…and […]

Walkies…

January 29, 2014

All the cool people in this village have walkies. It’s like an iPhone; a status symbol and seen as necessary to connect with friends three houses over. You pick your channel number, tell it to your friends, and then talk to them during the day. A typical conversation goes something like this: Person 1: Hey, […]

Sign of the Cross

November 26, 2013

We went to a funeral yesterday. People gathered in the cemetery to mourn for a teenage boy who was crushed by a car. People from three villages brought flowers from their yards and made the sign of the cross with dirt, with holy water, and with their hands. The sign of the cross without the […]

Playing Aunties

September 11, 2013

Rachel and I are pretending to be aunties this week. Our friend Agustina had to go out of town. She set off on foot Saturday morning carrying her 1-year-old son to a village about 15 miles away. From there she will see if she can hitch a ride to the town down on the coast. She left […]

The One About Tubes

August 13, 2013

A few days ago some little boys came to our house to borrow a movie. “We want the one about tubes,” they told Rachel. Rachel, needless to say, was a bit confused. She asked the boys what the tubes were like, what people were doing with the tubes, and other pertinent questions, but the boys […]

Talking to God

October 5, 2012

When THEY Talk to God… Andrea commented on the pile of corn on my counter. “Someone gifted you corn, huh? Ours aren’t ready yet because they haven’t been blessed.” She went on to tell me all about the bad things that can happen if you start eating your corn without the blessing. “Who blesses it?” […]

After the World Was Lost

July 19, 2012

A few days ago, my language helper told me the tale of the first man and woman. It’s a fascinating story that echoes some of the Nahuatl values and points of view. I’m sure you’ll recognize some familiar imagery, as well. When the world was lost, it filled with water. Everything was gone. And when […]