A comment on special occasions

I've really only been in Mexico a short time, but already I'm feeling like I've been gone for years. Okay, maybe not years, but definitely a long time. Mainly, I'm sure, this is because I kind of missed an entire season already. Admittedly, summer is not at all my favorite season, and I happily spent all but two days of August out of the state of South Carolina--the time when, I'm pretty sure, the Devil himself goes on summer vacation to Richland County, and brings the oppressive, unbearbly-hot, overly-humid climate with him straight from hell. Ask any meteorologist. I'm sure they'll agree.

One of the things I really enjoy about traveling for extended periods of time is the opportunity to spend special occasions outside of my own culture. It's kind of refreshing, and definitely humbling, to realize how little the rest of the world cares about the things that are huge events for us. "Big deal," the world seems to say, "we've got holidays all the time!" Although, I have to confess that the two times I spent Independence Day in Germany were quite different than this year, when I was in Guatemala. In Germany, people are familiar enough with world history to recognize that the day had significance for me, but in Guatemala there was no mention of it whatsoever.

Perhaps more pointedly, I must confess that even I probably wouldn't have noticed the anniversary of 9/11 if it hadn't been from an email I got from ELCA-Global Missions about the proposed Q'uran burning in Florida. I don't mean to say that the day was unimportant. I just mean that I got up that morning and I went to work like everyone else. I'm living in a country, that although it has a love/hate relationship with the country of my birth, it is a primarily Catholic country, a country that's got bigger fish to fry than whether or not the "War on Terror" is justified, a country that honestly cares very little if a radical pastor in Florida decides to set flame to a bunch of books, or if a community center is built in Manhattan.

Some more introductions

Sam made these awesome videos for us to share with our friends and family back home, since we thought y'all might like to meet our fellow YAGM-Mexico volunteers. So here they are, my lovely co-YAGMS!
Amy
Anneli
Catherine
Kate
Sam
Polina

I'd like to introduce Reuben.

[click to visit my flickr]

We met Reuben when we were visiting Mexico City, and I think he's the coolest. He's a therapist, and some time recently decided to start a public therapy project. Three days a week, he stands on a busy street corner with a dove-shaped sign that says "SMILE--BE HAPPY--HUGS" on one side and "Love and Peace for EVERYONE" on the other and grins at people who walk by. We thought it was such a cool thing to be doing that we went up and talked to him (which was when we got his name and whatnot). He says that a lot of people see his sign or his smile and kind of scowl at him, that so many people--especially in busy places like the Mexico City Zocolo--are in such a rush that they don't take the time to let the therapy work for them. They think he is crazy; I think he is a genius.

I'm off to make a public therapy sign. See you later.

Newsletter

Shortest post ever, probably. I just wanted to let you know that you can read my July/August newsletter over at the LCM-C website. Sorry it's a little late. We're still working on the system for distribution.