Campion Celebrity 2012

This morning I joined Club Rotario Zona Rosa for their weekly breakfast meeting. The members were very welcoming and, in addition to my presentation, we had some interesting conversations and discussions on topics such as migration (into Mexico and the US), dynamics at the UNAM, US/Mexico relations and developing global perspectives, and my experiences in Mexico.

presenting. photo courtesy of CR Zona Rosa

presenting. photo courtesy of CR Zona Rosa

CR Zona Rosa  with Pedro del Paso Regaert (L) and 2010-2011 Club President Sergio Ruíz Campos (R)

CR Zona Rosa

Mexico is a very Catholic country, so we had the whole week off for Easter (most of the elementary/high schools had the week before and after Easter off).

Fortunately, my time off coincided perfectly with the wedding of a good friend from college, so I was able to make a quick trip back to the USofA.

My first destination was North Carolina and it made a great transition back into the US. I've mentioned before how, overall, Mexicans are very friendly and welcoming, which is exactly what I felt upon entering the good ol' South (the Southern accents and Cook Out milkshakes don't hurt either).

Last weekend I went with some members of the Ciudad de México Rotary Club to an orphanage to do some activities and play with the kids. The organization is based out of Spain and there are 3 houses -- all run by nuns-- in the same zone. The house we visited had about 18 kids ranging from 6 to 14 years old. Robert, a fellow scholar, joined me and we were quite the hit when we arrived. "They're from the US!" "Speak to each other in English!"  "How do you say _____?"

We split the kids into three group. One made crepes with cajeta (like caramel) and fresh fruit, one group made treats with marshmallows, honey and candies and our group made bracelets with gum balls and gummies. They made enough so that all the children could have one of everything. They ate the bracelets and crepes, but fortunately the marshmallows were put away for later (sugar high!).

marshmallow creations

Two weeks ago I went to visit Cuauhtepec, a zone in the north of Mexico City. It was originally settled (started about 40 years ago) by people from various parts of the country moving to Mexico City in search of work. They claimed a space and built houses out of what they could and continued to build up the mountainside. Since then, they have legalized the land and public services (electricity, water, etc) have been installed, but it is still densely populated and city problems are accentuated.

The Rotary Club Jardines de Pedregal has proposed a project that would create a small sewing factory/workshop, providing employment opportunities to women in three colonias of Cuauhtepec. One group of women will make shirts while another group will be in charge of selling the shirts. I met the woman who will be the point-person in the community for the workshop as well as some of the women who will work as seamstresses.

More updates to come as the project progresses!

view of Cuauhtepec

view of Cuauhtepec

On February 11th I went with the Club Rotario Plateros Centro Histórico on a guided visit of Los Pinos, the official residence and offices of Mexico's president (currently Felipe Calderón). 

Unlike the White House in the United States, Los Pinos includes seven different houses, of various sizes and designs. They were built over the years and their purposes have changed -- four have been used as the presidential residence. Unfortunately we didn't get to go in to any of the buildings, but we walked by them and through the gardens and statues of all the presidents that have lived there. 

We were only allowed to take photos at the very beginning and end of tour-- hence the limited photos.

Club Rotario Plateros Centro Histórico and guests on the guided tour of Los Pinos

Fellow Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Billy, and I

if you look closely (or zoom in) you can see some of the statues of the former presidents, which line the path

Saturday I attended a Pastorela and Posada with the Ciudad de Mexico Rotaract Club at Fundación Renace.

Fundación Renace is a place for treatment for alcoholics and drug addicts and the patients range from children to adults.

A pastorela is a skit and the tradition goes back to colonial times when the Spanish used skits to evangelize/convert the indigenous. The pastores or common people are always faced with a dilemma and there are angels and devils who try to convince them to choose the good/bad option. There's a battle between good and evil and good always wins.

In this skit, a family was traveling to seek a healer for their sick son (the guy with the shark/piranha on his head because the sickness was "consuming" him). The devils wanted to found a new hell and needed 4 willing souls, so tried to convince the family they could help. The angels (all 3 characters were based on famous singers) intervened and tried to convince the family not to believe the devils. There was a battle between the good and evil forces and in the process the sick son was killed. However, Death said that since he and his family had shown faith and believed, he would give him another chance to live and without the sickness.

This was the third year the Ciudad de Mexico Rotaract Club has hosted a Posada at Fundación Renace, but the first year that one of the people who lives there has participated in the Pastorela. One of the boys played Death and did a great job -- his gestures/movements were hysterical and the audience loved seeing  someone they knew up there performing.

pastorela

pastorela

pastorela

view from the "innkeeper's" side, with  figures of Mary and Joseph and the group asking for shelter on the other side

the Posada song

hanging the piñata

Ciudad de Mexico Rotaract Club + guests

Today I met up with members and guests of the Rotaract Club Ciudad de Mexico to make piñatas for a Posada for children at a Casa Hogar (orphanage). Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young adults ages 18-30. The Ciudad de Mexico club was very welcoming and friendly and I hope to participate in more projects and events with them in the future.

A posada is a traditional Christmas celebration and is meant to represent when Mary and Joseph were searching for a place to stay. There are apparently traditional songs that ask for a place to stay ("pedir posada") which are sung by guests before they are welcomed inside for the party.

Piñatas (yes, those things you hit to break open with candy inside) are a tradition at Posadas and birthdays. The Christmas piñatas originally had seven points to represent the seven sins. Therefore, when the children take turns hitting the piñata, they are trying to break or destroy the seven sins, and there is a celebration (with treats!) when someone is finally able to do so. Christmas piñatas traditionally are filled with fruits, but now candies and toys have become common as well. (Piñatas for birthdays are more likely to be in the shape of cartoons, etc and be filled with candy and toys).

Today we made 6 piñatas -- 5 for the Casa Hogar and 1 for the Club's Posada (though they only have 4 points instead of 7).

So, without further ado, here's (one version of) how to make a piñata:

Step 1:
Cut paper to the appropriate size and fold it into a cone shape.