Day 3

We had our second language classes this morning. I definitely feel like I’m drowning in a lake and struggling for air. The class is beginner, but the two other students in addition to Jim and me are a little more advanced and the pace of the class is fast. We have to participate in conversations and write using verbs, prepositions, various vocabulary, etc. I understand almost nothing anyone says but realize that even after just a few days I am having a much easier time communicating. When in doubt, I take a French word and make it sound Spanish. I seem to be right, or close to right, a bout 50% of the time. The kids seem to be enjoying their class. They get to sit in a pretty courtyard, play games and draw pictures that help them learn vocabulary.

After class today we had a group excursion to a village, Ocotlan, that has a large, open-air, Friday market. It was an overwhelming whirlwind of colors and smells. We did manage to buy some mangoes, some roasted peanuts, some pastries and a small bag of the local specialty, I think called chipollines, which are grasshoppers. Fortunately these were tiny. We all tried them, even Jasper and Hugo, which was a fun surprise. Jasper thought they were disgusting and Hugo liked them, but said he didn’t want to eat more for dinner. They were very salty. I don’t think we’ll finish the bag. After the market we went to a museum of a renowned Oaxacan artist, Rodolfo Morales. It was interesting work, mostly collages, and he used any materials and paper in them he could find, including beer labels.

We continue to admire the animals and plants here. Jasper was delighted to spot a pomegranate tree today, and we are all in love with a ubiquitous local tree called the Framboyan (don’t know if I spelled it right). The boys saw their first Chihuahuas today and thought they were hilarious.

Since none of us has gotten sick yet from the food (despite Jim ordering a fresh salad for his first meal), my fear has switched from worrying that one of us will get sick from the food to worrying that one of the boys will get run over by a car. People drive like madmen here and many of the sidewalks are narrow. Both boys have already complained about me gripping their hands too hard, and I know we both sound a little crazy urging the kids to “run!” when crossing some streets. Some major intersections don’t have lights or even stop signs. If the traffic doesn’t kill us, my next worry is that malaria could be a problem when we go to the coast. Jasper threw up his malaria pill and Hugo could not get any of it down, even when we ground it up and put it in Nutella. The bitter flavor came right through. I guess it’s a good thing we came loaded down with extremely toxic Ultrathon insect repellent that is 34% Deet, though using much of that is a little daunting.