The First Couple of Days...

Thursday (continued from previous post)


My plane from Dallas to Leon was delayed because....

• we had to change planes due to a mechanical problem





• the flight was overbooked





• there was a hurricane over Dallas

So, I arrived at 11pm (and only hour late- I cannot believe how that happened, since both my flights departed an hour behind schedule). I was the first person in line for customs, once I passed through the gates my great-uncle and -aunt (Tio Jesus and Aunt Tere) were there to greet me. It was so nice to see them again after 3 years! The drive from the Leon airport to the house in Guanajuato took a mere 15 minutes. Once my mom called to make sure I arrived safely, I went straight to bed.

Friday

I woke up to the sound of a peddler selling gas. Every ten seconds or so the man yells, "El gas!" Three years ago, I thought this was a terrible way to wake up in the morning. Now I see it as a pleasant sign that long trip was not a bad dream, but I am really back in Guanajuato. I got out of bed just in time to see Tio Jesus go to work. My Aunt Tere came downstairs to join me, and we spent the entire morning talking. Eventually, my wristwatch beeped and Aunt Tere said, "Well, it's 1pm...how about some breakfast?" We both got ready to start our day and finally sat down to eat a meal of scrambled eggs and a pineapple smoothie. Shortly after, my cousin Gisela came by the house with her 5 year old son, Tristan. Aunt Tere prepped for lunch, and Tio Jesus returned home from work (since the law school is closed for the summer, his work hours are quite short). We had a lovely lunch of carne asada, vegetables, rice and salsa. The corn tortillas in Mexico- for those of you who haven't heard my dad rave about them- are absolutely delicious, and I was so happy to have some with my lunch! After a few more hours talking with my Tio Jesus and Gisela, WE WENT OUT FOR ENCHILADAS!

Now, my mom makes awesome enchiladas. Her enchiladas have chicken, Mexican cheese and onion inside, with carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and sour cream for toppings. These enchiladas (allegedly there are other kinds) were recently named enchiladas mineras. The city of Guanajuato has a huge history of mining silver, and Tio Jesus explained that the resturaunts in the city changed the name in honor of the miners.

Once again, I slept soundly. Rain poured throughout the night, and once again, it felt great to be back in Guanajuato.

Saturday

I woke up and had breakfast with my Aunt Tere. My Tio Jesus went to pick up Gisela and Tristan so that we could all go to Moroleon. Moroleon is my mom's hometown, in the southernmost part of the state of Guanajuato. Unfortunately, a bit of the drug violence in Morelia (in the neighboring state of Michoacan) has elevated the crime level in Moroleon. I had promised my mom that I would not travel to Moroleon by myself, and I am proud to say, "Mom, I kept my promise. I did not go to Moroleon by myself...I went with Tio Jesus!"

There is a new highway (with toll booths) that cuts the 4 hour drive from Guanajuato to Moroleon down to 1 hour! We were driving into Uriangato, a city right next to Moroleon, when we got a flat llanta (tire). At this point, it was raining cats and dogs, and we had to wat a while before we could fix the tire. Once the tire was fixed, we joined my cousins Gerardo and Rodrigo and had lunch in the mercado (open-air market). I wish I could have taken a picture of my delicious quesadilla con chorizo (Mexican sausage)!

I should note that my grandparents lived in Moroleon and were fortunate enough to have family living in the city. Tio Jesus is one of my grandfather's brothers and my Aunt Beatriz is my grandmother's sister. I had not seen my Aunt Beatriz for three years as well, and my Tio Jesus was kind enough as to take me to her house and surprise her! My Aunt Beatriz and her husband, Tio Emilio, were very happy to see me and even called my cousin Estephania to come over an visit. After a few hours, we went to a restaurant to meet my Tio Jesus, Aunt Tere, Gisela and Tristan. While we ate chile rellenos, vegetables, and chorizo, Tristan was jumping on a trampoline. Oh, how I wish McDonalds playpens had trampolines when I was growing up!

We said goodbye to my Aunt Beatriz, Tio Emilio and Estephania and drove to el rancho, where we stayed the night.

Today

I woke up at Tio Jesus' vacation home (Tristan calls it el rancho) and was so happy to spend breakfast and lunch with my aunt, uncle, three cousins and their kids. Unfortunately, I had to go to my host family, but I know I will see my cousins again really soon!

My host family, sisters Graciela and Estela Nieto, have a fantastic house near la presa (the dam). Their house has a lot of personality, and you can tell that it is very old. Graciela's husband was a miner and constructed the beautiful house. (more pictures will follow).

My companera (the ~ sign doesn't work sorry!) is Rosio. She's 22 years old and goes to Roosevelt University in Chicago. She's really chill, and we spent a bit of the evening talking and unpacking our things. We were both really tired, and went to bed around 10:15-ish.