Gooding County Leader June 2

Gooding County Leader 2-Jun-06

How do I begin to sum up the changes I’ve experienced in the last week? There are so many it might be easier to list the things that are the same between life in Twin Falls & Wendell, Idaho, USA, and life in Puebla, Puebla, México. First, let me try to list some of the changes: time zone, country, city, elevation, climate, house, language, culture, architecture, security, occupation (student not counselor), schedule, food, beverages, communication (no cell phone), exercise, noises, smells, friends, pets, peers, family … is there anything left to change?

Some changes are bigger and more obvious than others. Changing languages is why I came here, and I knew when I got on the plane that I would be landing somewhere else. Other changes seemed subtle, but have turned out to be more profound than I first thought. For example, in Twin Falls I live in a moderately sized one-story house, with a large lawn, automatic sprinklers, garage door opener, air conditioning, etc. Here in Puebla, I’m living in a fairly small two-story house, where the closest neighbor is on the other side of the bedroom wall, no yard, and no air conditioning (luckily it has been very pleasant so far).

Several months ago I left my front door unlocked for at least a week. I’m not sure how long exactly because I don’t remember when I unlocked it. Although I try to lock my doors, I’m never really worried about anyone breaking in. Here in Puebla, my house is surrounded by 8 foot tall walls. On top of the walls are 6 foot tall chain-link fences, and on top of that barbed wire. All the windows have bars and all exterior doors have heavy-duty locks. Obviously, security is a huge priority here.

In Idaho I live alone, with my dog. Here in Puebla I’m living with a family of four – who, remember, don’t speak my language – and a live-in maid. Juan and Leticia have three children, Laura (who is married and lives nearby), Juan and Andrea. The criada (maid) is Cleo. She comes from a family of campesinos. She came to the city from a small village where there are no job opportunities. I haven’t asked, but I’m sure that her salary is helping support her family. I’ve also met Tia (aunt) and Abuelita (grandma), and Katia, Juan Jrs girlfriend.

I’ve lived alone for a long time. To go from living alone to living with a whole family has been an adjustment. I must say that the family has been so gracious allowing me my space. If my door is closed, they don’t bother me.

As far as dogs are concerned, here in Puebla they either live on the street, or on the roof, for security. It was chistoso the first time I saw two German Shepherds barking from a roof top. I’m sure people wondered why I was laughing.

Much of the Spanish I’ve learned has come from sitting around the kitchen table with my new family, eating or not, and talking about everything. I ask them about México, they ask me about Idaho, and we generally communicate very well. Two phrases have become a standard part of my vocabulary. No entiendo, and Mas despacio, por favor: I don’t understand, and Speak more slowly, please. My family is very patient.

In Twin Falls it takes me 30 minutes to drive 25 miles to school in Wendell. I would guess that in that distance I encounter several hundred cars on the road. Here in Puebla it takes me 45 minutes to walk to school. In those 3 miles, I encounter several thousand cars. In Idaho I work in a city of under 2500. Puebla is the fourth largest city in México, with about 5,000,000 (I’ve heard many different estimates, so I don’t think anyone knows for sure).

One of the things that has struck me is the architecture. Although construction on buildings and roads is continual (something México and Idaho have in common), there are so many old buildings. I don’t mean old like built in 1910. I mean old like built in 1610. The city of Puebla recently celebrated its 475th anniversary. The only thing in Idaho that old is the Snake River Canyon.

On the first of our planned excursions we visited two churches: San Francisco Acatepec and Santa María Tonantzintla, dating back to the 18th and 16th centuries. I was amazed to see the inside of these churches literally covered in gold and gold leaf. Although there are gates, there are no security guards keeping watch over all that wealth. The people have such a deep respect and reverence. Despite the incredible poverty surrounding these churches, robbing from the church is not even a question. However, at the bank in the grocery store there is often a security guard, complete with bullet-proof vest and shotgun.

The people around San Francisco Acatepec work in the church. They are elected for one year of service. During that year they receive no salary and work 10 hours a day cleaning, restoring, repairing and maintaining the church. They live on whatever the community and visitors donate.

We also visited Cholula, and the Temanapa Pyramid, which has the largest base in the world. Although Temanapa is only 190 feet high, the base is twice the size of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. Pyramids in México were built as temples, not as tombs like in Egypt. Temanapa is honey-combed with tunnels: for walking, as air ducts, and as aqueducts. As part of our tour we got to walk through several hundred yards of the tunnels. It was an amazing experience to walk the same tunnels that people did thousands of years ago.

During my time here in Puebla, I have three goals: learn the language, learn the culture, and discover what I need to take back to Wendell to be a better counselor for all my students and their families. I’m learning the language, poco a poco, paso a paso (little by little, step by step). I’m learning the culture simply by involving myself in the vida cotidiana (daily life) of Puebla.

As far as what I’m to bring back, I’m getting small glimpses. For example, despite all the changes I’ve experienced, there are similarities. People here are the same as people in Idaho. They work, they play, they love their families, they are kind to strangers who travel thousands of miles and ask to live in their house and eat their food. People here walk through the park holding hands, talking with friends, chatting on their cell phones, watching fútbol, listening to their IPods, eating at their favorite café, and laughing with each other. Children here go to school, play games, beg their mom for cookies in the grocery store, and have smiles that light up their face, just like all my kids in Wendell. By the way, all you students in Wendell – I miss you.

So what did I learn from my first week in Puebla?

No matter where I go, everything changes, everything stays the same.

For photos of my trip, you can visit my blog:
http://pueblabound.blogspot.com

Until next time, Adios from Puebla.