Winter Arrives

Hola everyone... Back from Manitoba and heading into WINTER here at the beach...

• leaves fall off some trees while others have blooms; such is the contradiction of winter at the beach. My bougainvillea are enjoying the cooler weather.
• at the local dog shelter they don't bath the dogs when the temperature is below 28 degrees as " it is too cold". 
• 25 degrees outside in the shade and I have goose bumps
• the pool is 76 degrees = way to cold for swimming.

We are certainly acclimatized as I remember coming down several winters ago and jumping right in!... 

               But the hammock still beckons for an afternoon of reading and snoozing.

Gord's job at the local Marina has ended.  He enjoyed going in 2-3 times a week to work on the yachts with two other Canadians, one of whom owns the company contracted with the yacht club for repairs and maintenance; the other who is a friend and like-minded Mr. Fix-It. 

Always up for the challenge, he started on electrical projects ( lights in cup holders if you can believe it), major rewiring and finally being able to take apart and reassemble motors.  I know he is looking forward to returning next summer.

 APOYO: In August  I helped fill backpacks with school supplies for the local APOYO 

( support) program here in our fishing village of Chuburna.  Although school is "free" in Mexico the children require uniforms and shoes. They must purchase all of their books and school supplies (the list is as extensive as the ones we have in Canada), and pay for transportation costs to attend middle and high school.

Children here want to go to school.
For the poorest of the poor, this is often impossible, especially when there is more than one child in a family. At times, the eldest child (or eldest boy) can attend school if and when the family can afford it, thus, a few of the poorest learn some basic skills but most kids can look forward to adult lives of poverty, just like their parents. Many live in one-room homes with no running water, electricity or proper sanitation. There are few government social services available.  

Children who work hard in school and are at risk of not continuing due to the poverty in their family are eligible for the program.  Their name goes on a waiting list while they and their parents hope for a sponsor. Once a child is sponsored parents must make sure their marks are given to the coordinator of the program and the child must maintain 8 out of 10 in all subjects. Home visits are made to support the family when it appears a child may be struggling. 

Currently 70 children have sponsors.  Every sponsor receives a photo of the child they support  as well as a letter from that child which they must bring on the day the backpacks and uniforms are handed out.  Regular newsletters highlighting events at the school and including the children's marks are also emailed to sponsors. 

                                               Harold, the little boy we sponsor is      
                               proudly holding his back pack and wearing his uniform.

An annual Fashion Show fundraiser ensures there is money in a special fund for eye glasses, bus fare, examination fees etc. etc... 

Annual Sponsorships range from;
$150 through grade 6 
$200 for grades 7 - 9 
$275 for grades 10 -12 
Perhaps not much money to the more fortunate of us , but a profound difference to a child with a vision of a better future.  This past graduation, the valedictorians of two high schools were young students in the APOYO program.  Without sponsorship, it is most likely they would not have even gone to high school given their family circumstances.  Both are now going onto college. 

There are another 65 children on the waiting list for sponsors so if you are interested please let me know and I will put you in contact with the coordinator of the program, my friend, Beverly.  No money is kept for administration...It all goes to support the children.  

HALLOWEEN FUN: although Halloween is generally not celebrated in the Yucatan the children from the Free English School in Chuburna ( offered by volunteers) had the experience of visiting 15 homes along the beach.  We played scary music and, in a dimly lit courtyard, dressed as a skeleton,  I beckoned them in with my skeleton lantern. What fun to hear the nervous laughter accompanied by  "trick or treat' in English.

Dias de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead) is celebrated throughout the country. Leading up to this day, alters are built in homes on which to put photos, favorite items, drinks, possessions of relatives who have died.  Flowers are taken to the cemeteries.

Family members spend the day talking about the dearly departed, laughing and sharing stories... What a wonderful way to remember family members, sharing their lives with younger generations and honoring the memories of their lives every year. 

Pour into the grinder with a little water and out comes a soft dough

The special food for this day is called PIB. 
 I made some too and got to practise my Spanish.

Villagers bring soaked soft corn in buckets to be ground.  

My friend Bev is sorting  banana leaves. 

Another friend, Chris, cuts the spines to be used later for wrapping the PIBS

I am washing the banana leaves. We are  cooking outdoors at the home of one of the villagers. 

           A lesson about the beans that will go into some of the PIBs. 

Lily Anna cuts up  the chicken and pork  

 Adriana is cooking the mixture of chicken, pork and 
special tomato sauce over an open fire where she cooks all her meals, all the time. 

 Daniel prepares the pit as they will be         
            cooked "under the ground."

He breaks up rocks for the pit, covers them with wood and sets it alight to create a hot " carbon"..base upon which to cook the Pibs. 

Melted lard is added to the dough and it is kneaded like bread and then formed into a dish to hold the chicken/pork/tomato mixture

I was responsible for making the tops under the guidance of the children who, in Spanish, directed me on how to make them uniformily flat and "redondear" = round.  
I handed them to Adriana who covered the mixture

Experienced hands wrap the Pibs 

 Ready for the fire in the ground. 

In the Pit is the layer of stone and burning wood. The Pibs are placed on a sheet of metal laid on the wood, covered with freshly cut branches of leaves, some fabric, more metal and finally dirt to seal in the heat. 

    2 hours later we watch with interest as the Pibs are taken from the pit.

      

 Cooked, Ready to UnWrap 

 A wonderful meal with a generous family 

 In a couple of weeks we'll be going to the State Fair and in the next BLOG I will take you along with us.  

Buenas Noches ( Good night ) 

Dorothy and Gord