| This morning I headed off on the Ruta no. 2 to the | | | | somehow reminds me a little bit of polka, with its |
| Túnel area of town and started my last day at | | | | fast rhythms and brass instruments. A nice version of |
| the Cetlalic Language School. We had a very | | | | oompah music. Banda is a very popular style of music |
| interesting day, during the first part of the day we | | | | in Mexico right now and you hear it everywhere. |
| discussed the water shortage in Cuernavaca and that | | | | My good friend Roxana from the city's tourism |
| the city is going through extreme dryness right now. | | | | department picked me up at 5:15 to go to the |
| Our teacher only receives water twice a week right | | | | Cuernavaca Spring Fair. We were to join a lady by |
| now for one hour each. And even then the water | | | | the name of Maria José and her TV crew who |
| only comes out of the tap in a trickle. These types | | | | were doing a special on the spring fair. Maria |
| of things generally happen in the less affluent | | | | José hosts a weekly TV show called "Tacos y |
| neighbourhoods of town. At the same time, | | | | Caviar" and is a local celebrity. |
| Cuernavaca is also known as one of the cities in | | | | The Cuernavaca Spring Fair is an annual event and |
| Mexico with the most swimming pools, so some | | | | last year it attracted 350,000 visitors. It includes |
| people have better access to water than others. | | | | various stands with different types of merchandise, a |
| One of my co-students mentioned that in Mexico | | | | food court and various vendors throughout the |
| City there is an extreme water shortage and the | | | | fairgrounds, a midway with a large variety of rides |
| water is pumped up from surrounding communities | | | | for children, and various exhibitions. This year for |
| into the city. In one of the communities, a former | | | | example there was a special exhibition on Bolivian arts |
| agricultural community, much of the water is pumped | | | | and crafts, there was also a stand illustrating the |
| away to Mexico, so they are left with the residual | | | | operation of dry toilets and the overall theme for the |
| water after the filtration process, resulting in a lower | | | | fair this year was cleanliness, ecology and garbage |
| quantity but more contaminated water supply. | | | | separation. |
| After a bit more torture with the Spanish subjunctive | | | | I had an opportunity to speak with the Head of |
| we finished our morning classes and for me this was | | | | Tourism and Economic Development of Cuernavaca, |
| the last day of school. Jorge Torres, the director of | | | | Mr. Rafael Jiménez Salazar, who indicated that |
| Cetlalic, called his team together and presented a | | | | the city is working on improving its operations to |
| certificate of completion to me, which I very much | | | | become a cleaner, more environmentally conscious |
| appreciated. Following the ceremony, my costudents | | | | city and that to this effect the city has put in place |
| and my teacher went on an exploration of the | | | | various councils to achieve a number of goals to |
| Museo Cuahnavac while I spent some more time with | | | | making Cuernavaca a better place to live. Especially |
| Jorge to learn more about the school. | | | | since the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City the city has |
| Jorge explained that he comes from a working class | | | | experienced a tremendous surge in population and |
| background and that his father was very active in | | | | the administration is working hard on trying to deal |
| the union movement in the US owned textile | | | | with the immense population growh. Ecological issues |
| company he worked in. His father and some of the | | | | are also being paid more attention to. |
| other union organizers were dismissed and staged a | | | | Among the group of special performers was a group |
| 5-month long sit-in in front of the factory, and of | | | | of 6 men called the Voladores de Papantla. This is a |
| course they received no salaries. So Jorge had to | | | | folkloric group of Totonac Indians from the State of |
| start to work at a young age, in construction. He also | | | | Veracruz who are dressed up in colourful traditional |
| studied teaching Spanish as a Second Language and | | | | costumes. They climb up a pole that can be up to |
| started to develop his political and activist interests | | | | 150 feet long, then they wind a series of ropes |
| (particularly his solidarity for El Salvador, etc.) | | | | around the pole. Following this they tie their ankles to |
| Jorge has been teaching Spanish since he his early | | | | the rope and jump off. Then the performers "fly" |
| twenties. At two other prior schools he was | | | | around the pole as the rope unwinds. One of the |
| confronted with some students who didn't really | | | | perfomers playes a haunting melody on a drum and a |
| want to learn Spanish. They were more concerned | | | | flute and the musician is the last one to come down |
| with the latest romantic conquests they had made. A | | | | from the pole, gliding down the rope from the top. |
| frustrating situation for Jorge who started to look | | | | One of the men stays on the ground to collect tips. |
| around for other opportunity. | | | | This is a phenomenal spectacle and it is supposed to |
| A group called the Committee for Solidarity for El | | | | be an ancient ritual representing the cycle of life that |
| Salvador started the Cetlalic language school and he | | | | was first performed to implore the rain gods. |
| began his work there as the school's director. His | | | | I had a brief chat with the voladores, or to be more |
| language school markets itself primarily to activists | | | | accurate, with one of the voladores, since the other |
| and to politically interested people. At the beginning | | | | five men were either too shy or not interested in |
| running the school was difficult since no one really | | | | talking with me. The young man I talked to was very |
| had any idea about marketing. Cetlalic uses the Paulo | | | | friendly and told me that they had travelled even to |
| Freire method of teaching Spanish, which includes | | | | Michigan and Maine to perform their unique ritual. |
| learning the language in a social and political context. | | | | I also had a chance to check out the merchant's tent |
| It was interesting to find out more about Jorge's | | | | where a great variety of goods and services were |
| personal background and what made him come up | | | | being promoted. I ended up purchasing a little white |
| with such a unique concept for a language school I | | | | handbag that was manufactured by the women's |
| thanked him and handed him a little souvenir from | | | | artists collective from the Caminamos Juntos |
| Toronto and we said goodbye. As always, I took the | | | | organization. |
| bus downtown and sat down for lunch in a | | | | Then, Maria José, Roxana and I sat down to |
| restaurant called JardÃn de Cuernavaca where I | | | | play a "LoterÃa" where every person had a |
| had a simple chicken with French fries and salad and | | | | unique picture card and there were about 30 or 40 |
| an asparagus soup. I have to admit this wasn't the | | | | unique photos that were being called out and you |
| tastiest meal that I've had in Mexico. | | | | used a beer cap to indicate that you were able to |
| Appropriately strengthened I trotted off to an | | | | match that picture. Whoever's card was full of |
| Internet café to check my messages and | | | | beercaps would win a nice little prize. |
| started to snoop around on the market area in front | | | | Roxana and I headed out around 9 pm, and we were |
| of the Palacio de Cortés since I wanted to buy | | | | both pretty tired after a long day. We stayed up and |
| some authentic Mexican CDs. I finally found 3 | | | | chatted for many hours afterwards, and it was great |
| different types of music, one is called banda which | | | | to have such a nice local connection in Cuernavaca. |