Oaxaca — What a Heavenly Place
I just can't say enough about how good life is here. My class went well today and Juanito brought me the ultimate "take home" goodie. A pen that is filled with juice acting as the ink. If I understand it correctly, the whole pen can actually be eaten. OK, I had it wrong. You can't eat the pen but you can eat the "paper" you write on (furnished in pack) and the ink, of course. Like swallowing the secret message or clue, or something. Still pretty funny. If I can find another one I'll tell you more later. Only two more days of class before this part of the trip is over. I don't actually leave Oaxaca until next Wednesday and I have a million things I'd still like to see. Can't do it all but I'll make a try. Definitely returning next year. I finally took a picture this morning of the woman from Teotitlan del Valle who wove the rug I bought several weeks ago.
So many good walks through Llano Park going to and from school. There's always something there that touches my heart. People are so genuinely warm and affectionate. Some people are watering their special little areas of garden and others have already come through and made neat little piles of garbage for someone to collect soon after. On my way to school I followed a father and uniformed daughter who crossed the street. The father automatically switched places to be on the outside and then took her hand again. It gave me such a strong sense of deja vu. There was a time when my father or Skip would have done the same thing without really thinking about it but just instinctively following a considerate old custom. Somehow, seeing that gesture down here via a busy father and daughter rushing to get a taxi for her to get to school seemed like something out of yesterday. But it wasn't. It was now. On my way through the park some days I've been watching a teenage couple sitting on a bench having wonderful conversations. When I came back the same way half an hour later today they were still there thoroughly enjoying each others' company, not yet part of the lovy dovy park bench set. But it looks like a deep friendship is developing. I don't think I've mentioned that I keep seeing a dog in the park who looks just like Woofey. Acting just like him too. Another thing I thoroughly enjoy when I walk back in the afternoon is what I call the music fountain. At two adjacent locations at the north end of the park are square metal plates placed on the concrete sidewalk which have holes in them. Music is coming from somewhere and at both locations, water spurts up through the holes in the square plates. I may be wrong but it seems to me that the water only comes up when the music is playing and appears to adjust the strength of the spurting water to agree with how lively or loud the music is. Kids sometimes run through these little jungles of water. It's an ever changing event.
I visited a great little health food store and restaurant called Bamboo that Juanito told me about. When I mentioned his name, the owner lit up like a christmas tree. "Muy divertido, Juanito," she said. Indeed he is. Always doing something thoughtful for someone else. And always so funny. His partner is in a class next door and sometimes he comes to our door to deliver a message or tell us why Juanito will be a little late. I'll be quite sad to be leaving these warm hearted people.
Tonight six of us went to Casa de la Abuela for dinner and to watch a gorgeous gathering down in the street at the far north end of the Zocolo. It's dance night and a huge crowd gathers to watch an equally large group of people do some great dancing. The backdrop of the Cathedral and all the lights from the vendors and streets filled with moving humans heading in all directions made me think of a Bruegal painting, "The Wedding Party." We used to have a print of that hanging on the living room wall when I was growing up. I still love it. The music, the dancing and the whole scene had a well practiced look about it. A very free but stylized event. We had an incredible view from our open window table in the restaurant which is on the second floor.
We walked home through the night market and I bought two blouses with encouragement from my friends and all sorts of yeas and nays regarding the possible choices. Three of us finally tired and had a nice walk home, stopping for some beer for one of the group. Another day in Oaxaca.
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