Archive for the ‘Culture & Cultural Differences’ Category
At this year’s annual Feria del Arte by Lake Chapala, Mexico (near where we live), I was at a booth featuring Huichol art. I started chatting in Spanish with some of the Huichol people there. One woman answered me in English that I immediately recognized had to be her native tongue, and it was. Susana […]
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If you live in Mexico, you probably know most of what I am about to say… please add any advice in the comments! This article is about the joys and sorrows (sorrows, mostly) of using the mail in Mexico. Readers who don’t live here, please remember that surrealism is a strong element of Mexican culture! […]
Jan. 24, 2009 – Every now and then I get an email from a Mexican man I know who lives in California. The other day I was amused to get this one: The red text under the picture tells me that I should send the picture to ten people including the one who sent it, […]
Nov. 14, 2008 — I’m finally getting back into my regular routines after our trip to California, still savoring all the great connecting and visiting that happened there. Kelly went to a week-long natural building building conference while I made the rounds of family and a few dear old friends. We both started and ended […]
Oct. 19, 2008 – Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a young black man who has traveled all over Mexico and loves the country and its people. He speaks some Spanish, I don’t know how much. This topic has come up now and then here, as I have received email queries from black Americans […]
Aug 3, 2008 – Fireworks are a way of life here in Mexico. Most of them are the really noisy kind, but sometimes there are displays that are quite beautiful. In June, our town of San Juan Cosala and all other towns with San Juan in their names celebrated the saint’s day for Saint John […]
May 25, 2008 – The other day, Sam posted a comment on a recent blog entry which got me thinking. It says in part, I’m a Mexican living in France since 2005, so I really know the feeling of being an expat. Every now and then I wonder if there are foreigners living in Mexico […]
Today is a day of celebration of one of the world’s greatest messages. As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, what this means is both universal and unique for each person. To me, the essence of Christianity is the universal message to love our neighbors as ourselves — a message rooted in Judaism and shared […]
Today’s post comes from our friend Peter, age 24, who has been living with us for about a week. He sent this out to friends and gave me permission to use it here. I’m being a bad tourist this week, hardly venturing out beyond the high walls of my friend’s house to take in a […]
July 13, 2007 — You may have heard something about the prophecies for 2012, coming from the Mayan and other calendars. According to what you read, it will be the end of the world or a transformation. I just read a fascinating article by a Guatemalan anthropologist at http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/barrios.shtml in which he explains the authentic […]