About a good teacher - or a true friend

When I was 30 I took up skiing. Right in my first winter I had an accident and hurt my knee severely, which resulted in six weeks of leg in plaster and a lot of pain.

The year after, we went skiing again and the skiing school  put me into a group of people who had been experienced skiiers, but had not done the sport for some time and needed practice. It was the wrong group for me, for, despite my obvious talent and skills, I was so scared that I really panicked at one point. So they "downgraded" me to a group of slightly advanced beginners and here I met the best instructor and teacher of my life.

He was a young Norwegian and he listened to my story of the accident with little visible sympathy (which I had gotten used to) , nodded and told me to get going. Whenever I fell, he waited until I was on my feet again and asked : "And what did you do wrong this time ?"  I soon realized that the accident had not been the work of some cruel fate, but my own fault. Which meant, I could learn to avoid this mistake and not have an accident again. This was one of the most important lessons of my life.

Sometimes I feel as if a giant wave of despair and bad luck is washing over me and I feel like drowning. In this situation there are friends who pull me out of the water and provide me with a towel and hot tea and a box of tissues. But the really precious friend is the one who teaches me to swim.

If you have a friend like this, you are lucky. I am that lucky - although I sometimes swear at the tiring lessons...

Photo: Sam C. Chan

Viva México !

VIVA MÉXICO!!!!

Today is the 200th anniversary of the day on which the fight for Mexican independence started.

Happy Independence Day to all my Mexican friends... I wish I could celebrate with you !!!

Esperanto

The other day I read an article  on Esperanto. This first part of four dealt mainly with the idea that Esperanto is a suitable means of worldwide communication  due to its ability to express even complex and litarary contents and the fact that it is easy to learn.

This made me think about English, which is considered "the" world language. I teach English, I converse in English with most of my international friends and I love this language.  Of course, English is also a rich language, one that can express a lot of thoughts, emotions and facts (like all languages that are spoken by thinking human beings).  I realized that "English" (like all languages) has so many facets. For me it is not the language of the US political, economic and military leaders, for me it is first of all the language of literature that I love very much. The language of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Paul Auster. The language of books like "To Killl a Mockingbird", or the language of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." The language that created immortal lines in "Romeo and Juliet" or "Hamlet".

English got this image of "world language" not because it is spoken by so many people. If that was the criterion, we would all be learning Chinese or Spanish. It is true that English grammar is easier to memorize than French or Spanish verb  forms, but the details of expressing things can be just as complicated and delicate. English is a flexible language, one that has absorbed words from a lot of languages, and it is a language that is used and adapted to individual needs in its local varieties.

But the main reason why English is considered a  "world language" is one of power, history and politics. The British Empire also spread its language (made easy by the facts  I mentioned above) and today the USA are the remaining superpower... American politics, economy and culture rule and so does the language.

And when I got to this point, I thought that a "world language" that has nothing to do with power and oppression, but was created as a means of peace could maybe really help us. I should find out more about Esperanto ...

The article mentioned at the beginning is:
Guillermo Macías y Díaz Infante: Pasado, presente y futuro del Esperanto (Primera de cuatro partes), in: La Jornada Aguascalientes, 2nd September, 2010, p. 6  (written in Spanish and Esperanto)

The Paricutin ... one of the wonders of Mexico

After a few quiet days in Pátzcuaro I moved on a bit further south to the city of Uruapan. It is again an interesting city with old houses, churches and museums (and a building that once was the oldest hospital on the American continent...) plus a wonderful park with fountains and waterfalls, the Parque Nacional. But my main objective was a trip to the village of Angahuán, to see the ruins that were left over when in 1943 the volcano Paricutin was born.

The Paricutin is the youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere and during the years it took for it to be created, an Indian village was destroyed (the inhabitants could be relocated). Everything is covered by a mountain of black lava... and plants growing again out of it. Only the church towers can still be seen  - and the altar. It is really a miracle that the lava stopped and spared the altar of the church. I just had to see this with my own eyes.

Usually you go through the village of   Angahuan to the visitors' centre where you can also stay over night and from where you can start your way to the lava fields either on horseback or on foot. On the day I was there, however, the village was closed because of a "fería", but there were "shuttle horses" between the parking place and the ruins. There and back for 150 pesos. Oh my, the last time I had been on a horse was when I was 12, so I had my panicky 10 seconds, but then decided that the horse knew what it was doing and relaxed. It was also good that I had gone fairly early, because I not only avoided the midday heat, but also could enjoy the peace and quiet on the way through the forest, which has a certain magic quality. It is a place to think and remember that nature is stronger than humans and that we cannot control everything.

My Indian guide was also with me in the ruins, which was a good thing, because climbing around on the lava rocks is quite a challenge , but I managed with a helping hand now and then. And then I finally stood in front of the altar. I remembered the first time my friend had told me about it. It is a sight that makes you wonder ...

The things I had seen, heard and smelled on this morning did not leave me for the rest of the day and even now, a few days later, I still feel the atmosphere of that place. It is a special place and I am happy I could see and experience it ... it is one of the many wonders of Mexico.

The altar .. I am standing on the lava

Hotel Estancia de al Era, Pátzcuaro

After Guanajuato I moved south to the Mexican state of Michoacán and did some sightseeing in its capital, Morelia, where I learned a lot about the fight for Mexican independence.Then I took a bus to the province town of Pátzcuaro, which is a lovely place that reminds me a bit of South Austria... if it was not for the language. But here I stayed in the cutest hotel I have ever seen: Estancia de la Era.

The owner is a painter and you can see her artistic touch in every corner. The beauty and harmony of the place comforted my soul and gave me peace after all the hustle of the big cities. I had time to think and to write and was spoiled like a queen. I got a different Mexican breakfast every day, good tips what to do and where to go and always a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in front of the fire when I needed it.

If you should be in the Morelia/Uruapan area and want to get some peace : go to Pátzcuaro and stay here. You will not regret it !!

http://www.delaera.com/

Guanajuato

After an educating and relaxing weekend in Aguascalientes, I am on the road again for the second half of my Mexican adventure. Thanks to tons of tips and ideas from my friend, I will not be bored and am sure I will get along fine.

Today I discovered the old mining town of Guanajuato, which is a maze of little streets, stairs, underground streets and coloured houses. I started the day with a beautiful breakfast : most Mexican food does not only taste interestingly, it also is arranged to look good and the colours alone water your mouth. After a breakfast like this I don't need any food until the evening.

Then I walked along the northern part of the center, past the university, to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a local monument from the fight for independence. A local hero connected with this place is José Martinez, called Pìpila, from whose monument high above the city you have a great view.

Unfortunately, either my computer or the Internet connection don't allow me do upload  any more pictures, so I must continue without them. You can walk up from the city center to the monument of El Pìpila, but there is also a cable car, which I took. When I came down again, there was a film crew near the Teatro de Juárez making the same 20 people walk across the same square for 100 times, so I went to the Museo Iconográfico de Quijote, which has a collection of pictures and other pieces of art inspired by the novel by Cervantes. Every year in October this city hosts the Cervantes Festival with music and theatre performances.

Speaking of music... near the central Jardín de la Union you can find groups of young men who play instruments and sing, they are called Estudiantinas and you can hire them to play a serenada for the girl you love. Or on Mother's Day for your mom... They look great in their traditional suits and, well.... who is going to pay for a serenada for me ? Nobody? Well, then I will get my own ticket for a nightly tour around the little Callejones with them !!

Mexico: Traffic

My first two weeks are over and  I have gotten used to some of the small things that are different than at home. Traffic for example.

In Germany, which is a country of rules and law and order, there are strict rules for the traffic and although German drivers feel like racing drivers on the Autobahn , as a pedestrian in a town you can pretty much rely on the rights you have. You have the right of way at a zebra crossing and when a car goes around a corner,it must let pedestrians pass. And you wait at red traffic lights. Even in the middle of the night. Even when there is no car to be seen within a radius of 50 km. You wait until the lights are green.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Mexico is a country of no rules. There are rules, but they are different. Rule one: as a pedestrian you have no rights whatsoever. Don't expect a car to stop just because you are crossing the street. The car is stronger and therefore always right. Look where you are going and improve your running skills so that you can escape should you have misjudged a car's speed.

Rule number two: Cross the street when it is possible, ignore the lights, trust your own judgment. Actually, this is an unwritten rule that you find in a lot of countries also in Europe. You can always spot the Germans in England or Italy, for example: they are the ones standing at the red traffic lights with the locals rushing across the street because there is no car around.

So when I am awake and alert, I make my way like a Mexican. But when I am tired, I can be found standing dreamily in front of a red traffic light, eyed suspiciously by the locals who look at me as if I was an imbecile.Or a tourist.....