DINNER AT MI VIDA

The other night we had a lovely dinner at Restaurante Mi Vida with our good friends Bea and Don from Cleveland. Of course, we started with a bottle of wine. The waiter brought us a beautiful tray of little pizzas and different breads. We all had heard about a very popular entrée on their menu. It is a salt-crusted baked Red Snapper. The four of us decided to have the fish. They needed to prepare two fish. The way they charge for the fish is by kilograms (weight).

The fish was taking a while to prepare, so the staff brought us a small “amuse-bouche”, a small complimentary appetizer. The French term means, “it amuses the mouth”. It was pumpkin soup with a shrimp. Interesting, but non-descript.

After the fish cooked for about 45 minutes in the oven, the waiter brought it to our table and “cracked” the crust off the fish. The presentation was very interesting. It was steaming hot. The fish was moist and mild. After dinner we shared a dessert, cheesecake with pureed berries. Then they brought us a small tray of sweet petite bites. Oh, did I mention another bottle of wine.

Overall, we had a wonderful evening. For the money, in our opinion the fish was somewhat over priced.

"BRIDGING" THE EDUCATION GAP

We have previously written about the rainy weather here in San Miguel this winter. To reach our school, Los Ricos de Abajo, we must drive across what is normally a dry river bed. Because of the heavy rains we have not had the ability to cross the river and teach English since January 27, 2010. The water was simply too high for the vehicles to safely cross the river. We missed the teaching days of February 3rd, 10th, and 17th, all due to the heavy rainfall. But today, February 24th we were determined to continue our teaching no matter what it took to reach the school.

A group of over 30 volunteers, ages fifty something to eighty something, made the adventure. Our coordinator, Dianne, contacted the nuns at the Monasterio. They agreed to allow us to park the SUV’s on their property and to look after them. All of us ventured down the road and crossed over a suspension foot bridge. Just before we were ready to cross the bridge, we saw an elderly rancher. This is the same rancher that Bob and Sam saw last year at the bridge. By the way, last year Bob took his photo and submitted it to the local paper, Atencion, and it was published as the photo of the week.

After crossing the bridge, everyone hiked along the river’s edge to the main road. We then took the winding road up to the school. It was a very nice walk. The weather was picture perfect with a slight cool breeze and lots of sun. It took about 30 minutes to make the hike.

When we arrived, the students came running out to greet us. They were as excited to see us as we were to see them. They were all dressed in their school uniforms. They looked wonderful.

After class, we also met with all of the Los Ricos students from the past three years. They are currently attending the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades at the Telesecundaria school in Atotonilco. Dianne introduced each student to our group and then presented each of them with a short novel as a reward for their scholastic achievement. These types of books are not readily available to the students. Sam couldn’t believe how these young adults have grown. Our first year volunteering was in 2008. These students are now in the 8th grade. The first “scholarship recipients” are in the 9th grade.

Many of these students have the desire to continue their education in the Preparatoria school this fall. Their desire, versus their family’s ability to pay, are two different things. It is our desire and the desire of so many volunteers to help the students fulfill their dreams. The goal is to try and educate the village one student at a time.  This is the reason why we created the Morrin/Zimmerman Fund as part of the Feed the Hungry organization.  Please visit our blog posting entitled, "In Memory of Our Parents".

After interacting with the “scholarship recipients”, all of the volunteers began the hike back to the vehicles. It was another great day sharing our time with the students at Los Ricos.  Please click on the links below to see the photos.

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/FEB%2024TH%202010%20LOS%20RICOS%20SCHOLARSHIP%20STUDENTS/
 
http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/LOS%20RICOS%20ADVENTURE%20-%20CROSSING%20THE%20RIVER/

FRIENDS, FOOD, FELLOWSHIP, FORTUNE, AND FUN

Last week we gathered with a group of friends. Tom and Linda graciously agreed to host the dinner at their beautiful home in Colonia San Antonio. They live just a couple blocks from us. Their home sits on the highest point of the colonia. They have a wonderful view and sunsets on their roof top are spectacular.


Ned and Billie and Tom and Dianne also joined us. Everyone chipped in to make the evening great. We had wine and appetizers on the roof top. This was followed by grilled racks of lamb, oven risotto, salad served in lacey parmesan cheese baskets, delicious bread and wonderful churned butter, and more wine. The table was beautiful and the flowers were spectacular. Linda got a great deal on the flowers…$200 pesos.

The evening was topped off by the best Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Glaze we have ever eaten. This was served with a wonderful Zinfandel Port wine.

We were all commenting how nice it is to have such wonderful friends. We are all from different parts of the US and have different backgrounds. We are a doctor, chemical engineer, human resource consultant, rocket scientist, educator, administrative assistant, banker, and financial consultant. The one thing we all have in common is good fortune.

The best thing of all, the clean up was done by Tom and Linda’s housekeeper, Paty. We do know a good time was had by all.

PEDRO DOG

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/Pedro%20Dog%20-%20Chapter%2010%20-%20The%20Truth/IMG_1389.jpg

Our first year in San Miguel was 2008. Some of you may remember that we met a dog named, Pedro Dog. He was our tour guide and showed us all around.   Cut and paste the above link to see Pedro Dog in 2008.  He even took us to La Gruta, a hot springs spot; he was a major con artist. Pedro Dog was with us for two months. Ultimately we learned that Pedro Dog was a she dog and not a he dog. Also Pedro Dog’s real name was Dulce.


In 2009 we went searching for Dulce. We just wanted to say “hi” and see her owner. When we got to the Antique Store where Dulce lives, the owner told us that Dulce was gone. She wondered off and at that time was gone for over two weeks. He was heartbroken and thought he would never see Dulce again. For the next several weeks while we were living in Colonia San Antonio, we searched for Dulce. We never did find her.

Now it is 2010 and we were walking on Calle Allende in Colonia San Antonio. This is the street where Dulce lived. We went by the Antique Store to talk with the owner; however it was closed. We looked across the street and who did we see…yep…Dulce, bushy eyebrows and all. Dulce was in a small tienda playing video games. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We tried to get a picture; however Dulce wasn’t interested.

Several days later we went by the Antique Store again. The owner was there talking with his friend. We said hello and asked if he remembered us. He said he did. He also told us that Dulce was indeed back. She came back last year after being missing for over two months. He told us to come back that afternoon and Dulce would be there. We wondered where Dulce could have been. Perhaps she was playing more video games. Later that day we did walk up Calle Allende. We saw Dulce and she came right up to us. However, she wasn’t wearing her normal red hoodie. If fact, she wasn’t wearing a sweater at all. That’s right, she was topless. Anyway, we were just happy to see her knowing she was back home with her owner. Scam on!

All is well with Dulce in San Miguel.

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATIONS

Today is Fat Tuesday. The celebration of Mardi Gras has been going on for several days in San Miguel. On Sunday, we were at the Jardin and it was completely packed with lots of families. The children were running and playing and having a wonderful time. Of course we didn’t have our camera with us to capture the moment.


This afternoon we were in the Jardin once again. We arrived just before the children got out of school. Once the children arrived, the entire Jardin exploded with laughter, children chasing each other with eggs filled with confetti and glitter. Once they catch their friend, they smash the egg on their head and begin running so they don’t get caught. This is being done by children of all ages, little kids to teenagers. We try and stay out of the way and just watch them have fun.

Vendors are selling these decorated eggs, bright flowers, and clowns. The colors are vibrant and beautiful.

Around 5:20 p.m., we decided to venture back to Centro. We had heard and read that the world’s shortest Mardi Gras parade was happening at 6:00 p.m. This parade was definitely for the adults while the eggs in the Jardin are for the children. The parade got started about 6:10 p.m. It had a king and queen riding in the back of a pick-up truck throwing gold coin candy and beaded necklaces. The length of the parade was about 50 yards. It stopped in front of Harry’s New Orleans Café where the party continued.  Just like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, all of the ladies were collecting the beaded necklaces...you know what that means!!

Today is the last day of the festivities as tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.

IN MEMORY OF OUR PARENTS

BOB AND KITTY ZIMMERMAN

JIM AND FRAN MORRIN

We have spent the past three winters in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At the end of this winter, we will have spent 9 months living and volunteering in San Miguel. During this time, we have volunteered many hours teaching English at a very poor primary school (grades 1 – 6) in the countryside called, Los Ricos de Abajo. Sam is the lead teacher for the 5th/6th class, and Bob helps Sam and all of the other teachers.

Feed the Hungry is a 501(c)(3) organization. It has a kitchen at the Los Ricos school that feeds the kids each day. We have also donated food to one needy family and last year we sponsored a scholarship for one student to attend secondary school. This is a very poor community and many kids don't go on to 7th grade because the families must pay for books, uniforms, etc. beginning in 7th grade. In Mexico, the kids are not required to attend school beyond 6th grade. We identified a 5th grade student last year, Ailyn, who is now in our 6th grade class, and we are going to sponsor her for 7th, 8th and 9th grades.

With the passing of Bob’s mom, we decided to do something in memory of both sets of our parents. We are who we are today, because of them, Jim and Fran Morrin and Bob and Kitty Zimmerman. Bob’s parents had six children and Sam’s had seven. Later, Sam’s parents adopted three more children, actually their grandchildren, when their son, Gary died in a car accident leaving the three boys behind. Jim and Fran also raised another grandson, raising a total of eleven children. Both sets of parents loved kids. So, in memory of them we established the tax deductible Morrin/Zimmerman Fund through Feed the Hungry to help feed and educate needy kids who attend the Los Ricos school where we teach.

Here is a link to a web site for Feed the Hungry www.feedthehungrysma.org/ and to a short video about Los Ricos de Abajo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1uJYPf5uIg The video was made last year.

We made an initial $1,000 contribution to the fund. We will direct the money to be used for educational scholarships and food. It costs $200 to fund a student for one year of secondary school which consists of 7th, 8th and 9th grades. As mentioned earlier, we are funding the full secondary education of Ailyn. We haven't yet decided how the remainder of our initial contribution will be used.

As another point of reference, it costs $.56 per student per day for food. The kids are given a well balanced meal and can have all the food they feel they need to eat. There are about 200 school days per year so it costs about $112 to feed a student for the year. For annual budgeting purposes, Feed the Hungry uses a figure of $125.

Contributions in any amount will be welcomed to the fund and will be put to good use. Each donor will receive a written acknowledgement of the donation which is tax deductible in the United States. Contributions are confidential. We will not know how much any particular person gave, however, we will be provided with a periodic accounting for the fund.
If you are interested in making a contribution it should be made by check and payable to:  Feed the Hungry.

The memo line of your check should state, "Morrin/Zimmerman Fund" to ensure that it gets to the proper account.

Your check should be mailed to:

Feed the Hungry San Miguel, Inc.
PMB 636
220 N Zapata Hwy #11
Laredo, TX. 78043-4464

Thanks for helping us celebrate the lives of our parents.

ALL AROUND US

The people of Mexico are very devoted to their Catholic faith. Everywhere we go, people display their faith. They are proud to be Catholic. There is no apology for having religious displays in their tiendas, restaurants, markets, etc. As they pass a church, and there are many, they stop, bow their heads, say a prayer, and bless themselves. We see this repeatedly on a daily basis.

Whenever we see the various religious artifacts, we are reminded of Bob’s Mom. Mom was the same way. Her home was full of religious items. She too was dedicated to her faith and unapologetically displayed symbols of it in her home.

Bob’s Mom passed away on Thursday, February 11, 2010, after being ill for a long time. She passed peacefully in her sleep with Bob’s brother, Tom at her side. Her favorite color was pink. Thursday afternoon was dark and cloudy. But shortly after Bob got the news of Mom’s passing the sky flashed pink. Just one more sign that mom is around us.

The funeral mass is today. We are here in Mexico; however, our hearts are with the rest of the family in Michigan. And of course, Mom is around all of us.

We know that Mom will rest in peace as she never questioned her faith.

WHO WANTS TACOS?

Who wants tacos? Everybody loves tacos, especially the fresh varieties available here in our neighborhood.


We are lucky because not far from our condo at the corner of Orizaba and Esperanza streets is Taco Ole! The best taco stand in Mexico. At least in our opinion.

Taco Ole! was started about 18 years ago by Adolfo Ramirez and his wife Elpidia. They were married 20 years ago and have three children ages 18, 15 and 13 who also work in the business. It’s great to join them for tacos once in a while.

When you’re out walking around and feeling a little hungry the best way to satisfy that hunger is to have some tacos. You can get chicken tacos, seafood tacos, etc., but the king of tacos is the beef taco. Taco Ole! only sells beef tacos.

How do you find a good taco stand? First, you listen. Why? Because a good taco stand chops and cooks its meat and onions in front of you. The meat is chopped on wood. So, when the meat is being chopped you hear chop, chop, chop. Then, as you get closer, you smell the cooking of onions and meat and see the long line outside of hungry people waiting for tacos.

When you first learn of a taco stand you want to be sure it’s a place you want to eat. Does the owner/staff wash their hands before cooking and serving? Do they wash their vegetables (onions, cilantro, etc.). Do they use purified water to make the ice served in your Coca Cola? You get the idea. Clearly, Taco Ole! seems to meet all of our basic criteria.

Today, after walking around town for about three hours, we stopped at Taco Ole! for lunch. It’s always nice to see the family and chit chat. Today was no exception. We had great tacos, salsa, Coca Colas, etc., and we enjoyed meeting some new friends.

We told Adolfo and Elpidia about our blog. We told them we were going to write about the taco stand and they wanted to help. They explained all the procedures for keeping the place clean and healthy. But, then it occurred to me that we hadn’t discussed the meat. So, I asked Adolfo about it and had some luck. As we spoke, a new shipment of meat was arriving. We went out back and took a look. Sure enough, a truck had arrived. Thankfully, we had our camera and took some pictures. As you can see, we surely know how to pick a fine taco stand. Ole!

P.S. Don’t forget you can click on the photos and zoom in on anything you might find interesting.

OBAMA'S T.A.R.P. DOLLARS AT WORK!

WET AND WILD

THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON THURSDAY!

We have traveled throughout Mexico staying in several different cities. We have been in Mexico at different times of the year. We have rented many places. We are now experiencing what it is like to live in a Mexican town where it has been raining for almost 93 hours non-stop.


Many of the homes have beautiful boveda ceilings. A boveda ceiling is a curved ceiling made of bricks. It is a special craft. It defies gravity. Our condo is a penthouse condo, and we have four boveda ceilings. Yesterday, we noticed a small leak in the guest bedroom. We put down some towels and a bowl to catch the water. This morning we got up and the room had several leaks. We contacted the property manager who assisted us in moving the furniture and covering it with giant black trash bags.

Right after we finished that room, we noticed wet bricks in the other three boveda ceilings. We are keeping an eye on them. Hopefully they won’t materialize into leaks. We now have tarps on the roof.

Sam was looking at a site called the Civil List. The Civil List is for gringos. Local information is posted and people can ask questions about a variety of topics. This morning, there were several postings regarding the deep ditches, called canals and the local dams. The police and firemen were looking to evacuate some people in the lower part of Colonia San Antonio near the canal. There is a tienda and several homes that already had water inside. The police stated they had to open the dam. This indeed could cause some major flooding. Thank goodness we are on the other, higher side of Colonia San Antonio.

This afternoon the rain stopped. We ventured out to take some pictures of the lower part of our Colonia. We spoke with some people that told us they have never seen this kind of weather in San Miguel especially in January and February.

We also received some pictures from a friend of a friend that were taken today on the other side of San Miguel, closer to where our house was last March. We hiked over the flooded dam last year. This time of year this area is normally quite dry. Mother nature is truly in charge and you can’t stop her.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=casamayfield&target=ALBUM&id=5434503302543067169&authkey=Gv1sRgCLK1uY7-87nmyQE&feat=email

HURRAY...IT'S FRIDAY MORNING AND THE BEAUTIFUL SUN IS SHINING!

CELEBRATING LIFE

Here in Mexico, the Mexicans know how to have a good time. They celebrate everything from birth to death. Years ago when children didn’t live very long due to illnesses, the parents would have a big celebration for their child’s third birthday. It is also the presentation of their daughter to the church.


This week, we had the privilege of participating in such a celebration. Miguel and Mercedes, the owners of Rinconcito’s Restaurant (where we frequent a couple times a week), invited us to the celebration of their daughter’s, Andrea’s, third birthday. We weren’t sure what we were getting into because we never had heard of this type of special celebration.

For weeks, Mercedes had been making decorations of flowers, angels, bags of goodies, etc. They asked if we would come. The church services would be at 3:00 p.m., at Templo de las Monjas (temple of the nuns). Afterwards would be a dinner, a clown for the children, and live music for dancing. WOW…all this for a third birthday.

We agreed to participate. It was on Tuesday. Tuesday is the only day that Rinconcitos is closed. By this time, it had been raining for 48 hours straight. We would normally walk to town; however, it was really pouring rain. We hailed a taxi. It was the best 25 pesos we have spent in a long time.

Once we got to the chapel, we saw four individual kneelers all decorated in white, along with a little white chair. This service was going to be much more than we anticipated. The chapel was filling up with people, mainly gringos. Later we were told that is because the Mexicans had to work; however, they would be at the party.

Soon, Miguel, Mercedes, and Andrea arrived. They were all dressed up and looked wonderful. Andrea looked like a little angel all dressed in white. The priest met them at the entrance to the chapel. He blessed Andrea and then asked the parents and the padrinos (Godparents) to all bless her. They proceeded to the front of the chapel and took their places at the white kneelers. The priest led prayers and also gave a special sermon about the special life of a child. A child is a special gift from God. It is the parents and padrinos responsibility to ensure that Andrea is raised to have a good life in the church.

For a three year old, Andrea was doing a great job in being very patient. After a while, she was fidgeting with her dress. It was scratching her around her neck. The services finished, we took a few pictures, and it was time for the party. Good friends of ours, Tom and Linda, offered us a ride to the party so six of us climbed into their SUV.

The party was held at Crystal Salon. It is a very nice banquet hall very close to our condo, about two to three blocks away. We walked into the room and everything was all decorated. There were ten large tables all decorated in pink. It was set for 100 people. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a waiter with glasses of wine.

In one corner was an inflatable bounce house for the children. Soon a clown and several helpers arrived. The children were all seated at a special table and hamburgers and french fries were delivered to them. After they ate, there was a face painter. All the children were having a great time.

All of the adults went to the buffet and were served a delicious meal of chicken breast with a special sauce, penne pasta with a light tomato sauce, lightly breaded chicken tenders, salad, fresh fruit, and bread. The wine and other drinks continued to flow all evening long. While we were eating, the electricity went out. No one got upset. The party continued and about 45 minutes later, the electricity came back on. For dessert we had a delicious birthday cake.

Now it was time for the clown. All of the children gathered around the front of the room. Andrea, the guest of honor, was given a special seat. It was amazing to watch this three year old sit in this seat for as long as she did. The clown was very entertaining. Even the adults were paying attention.

Behind us out in the courtyard, a woman was setting up a special machine. We finally figured out that she was going to make cotton candy for the children and young adults or anyone who wanted this sweet, sticky sugar. When the clown finished, the live band began. They played great dance music and everyone got up and danced. After a while, more food was brought out for everyone to enjoy, sweet corn on a stick.

We finally left the party around 9:30 p.m., and walked home in the rain. The party continued until midnight and a good time was had by all. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to participate in another Mexican tradition.

NO SCHOOL - SAN MIGUEL'S VERSION OF A SNOW DAY

Today is Wednesday morning. It has been raining for 65 hours non-stop. The forecast is for rain all day today and tomorrow, with a possibility of more on Friday. At three o’clock in the morning, we had more thunder and lightning.


Yesterday afternoon, we got an email from Dianne who co-ordinates the volunteer English teachers at Los Ricos telling us that school would be cancelled. We usually have about 25 volunteers with five or six drivers. The roads are barely passable on normal days. In fact some portions don’t even qualify as a “road”. Dianne spoke with Lucha, the principal, and both agreed that the road to the school after you cross the dry river bed was “muy feo”…”very bad/ugly”. Dianne was afraid that the SUV’s may slip off the road and down the hillside.

We were so looking forward to teaching. It would be an opportunity to get out of the condo. It feels like we are back in Michigan on a cold, snowy, winter day. The only exception is in Michigan we have central heat. Here, we are dressed in layers inside the condo. We have also lost our electricity a few times in the past couple of days.

It will be a good day to stay inside and do some serious cooking. The only problem, we will need to go to the market. We will have to give that some extra thought. Stay tuned.

WEATHER IN SAN MIGUEL

This was written Tuesday morning after 40 hours of non-stop rain with more thunder and lightning.

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail

We have it all in San Miguel

Some may sit in Michigan and ponder the cold

We are here to observe the untold

People are lured here by the charm and beauty

But no one tells you January weather is no cutie

So far, 2010 has been very weird

To stay warm, Bob is growing a beard

We know the sun will shine again

Until then, we will listen to the rooster and hen

HAIL TO SAN MIGUEL

The weather in San Miguel Allende (SMA) has been very unusual for the month of January. We arrived in SMA on January 2nd from Oaxaca. While in Oaxaca for the month of December 2009, we had very nice warm weather. While taking walks, we were always looking for the shady side of the street.


Upon our arrival to SMA, it started to rain. Rain in January is very unusual. For the next two weeks, we suffered through a very cold spell. Also a very unusual period of time. Then we had some normal weather mixed with some very cloudy days. Then we had snow, the first snow in over 33 years. Well, on Sunday, it started to rain in the afternoon. It continued to rain non-stop.

We had dinner plans with a group of friends at a Rinconcito’s. It is a local restaurant here in Colonia San Antonio. At 8:00 that night the rain subsided and the hail began, we were sipping wine and making idle chit chat at our dinner table. Soon the sound of hail pounding the restaurant was deafening. Sam went over to the window, opened it, and was amazed at the hail on the window sill. One of our friends grabbed a handful of hail and made an ice ball.

Just another day in Mexico. Hail to San Miguel!