The “How Many Pictures Can I Cram Into One Blog Post?” Blog Post

Before I even start writing this I want to apologize that my blog posts can’t be hilarious like some of the other ones I read. I think the funniest things that happen in my life either A) aren’t as funny as their lives or B) aren’t necessarily fodder for a public forum like this. With these limitations, I submit the following about my weekend in Guanajuato City.

I already claimed this post will be chock-full of pictures, so I’ll start with one.

So, I’ve already revealed the main point of this post. Guanajuato is a beautiful city and fully deserved the many pictures I took of the place. Here’s some supporting evidence:

And, of course, I have to include the obligatory panoramic shot. I fell less original as a person by posting this—just imagining the number of times the exact same photo has been taken. So, from my perch high atop the bandwagon:

And our part of our group with this in the background:

My mother’s first reaction to this photo: “Well, it certainly is one of the most colorful cities I’ve ever seen.” Yes, the colors are beautiful, but there’s more to the city’s beauty than color. I wish I could say the ridiculously corny follow-up, but the people were what really made it beautiful. Unfortunately, everyone there was either a tourist or used to a ton of tourists. Hence, the only people I really interacted with were my fellow group members and a little bit with a group of Americans who had stayed in Tamaula the week before. Maybe it's the mountains that surround the city or the well-preserved colonial architecture. Maybe. Probably a combination of all of those things along with a lot of plants. What stood out the most to me? The poverty. There are many people begging for money in the streets. There are literally hundreds of dirty-looking children trying to sell "Clorets" gum--enough for me to speculate, politically incorrectly of course, that this gum company exists only to provide income for poor people. I know that gum sucks. I will say, it's hard to be a tourist spending money when there are so many people who needed the money more. In another universe I'm working with these people right now. The universe you currently inhabit has a somewhat more selfish, busy version of me. (“Enough rambling Clay, what did you actually do while you where there?”—what I imagine you may be thinking) So, what did I actually do? I partied, downloaded Glee and music in Starbucks, explored the city, played tourist and went into 48,563 stores (see below), ate with gusto, danced,  became better friends with the people in my group, told someone that their opinion didn’t mean that much to me in the moment because they were wearing a onesie (wasn’t actually a onesie, just looked like one) admired the view, slept, did no work, had fantastic conversations about the significance and effectiveness of what our group is doing in the different rural communities, and wasted enough money to be very happy to return to ole’ one-store Tamaula.

Does all of this merit a blog post? You help me decide. I haven’t posted in a while and these are the most notable goings-on of my life. I will be following up with updates on my project and various activities in and around my new Mexican home. Before I go, I do want to at least mention (and include a few photos from) an amazing dinner on Saturday night. Our group decided to pull out all the stops and make a reservation at a fancy Italian-type place well-situated downtown. All I wanted was a view of the Teatro Juarez (one of the most beautiful buildings in the city) while the sun was setting. Dinner was at 8 and service was impeccable. Food was quite delicious and the price was reasonable. Our group:

Here’s what I ate. That’s half pasta fosilli with alfredo sauce and half with pesto sauce. What a beautiful combination. The red wine is not mine. I drank a cheap white Chilean Chardonnay, a vintage 2009. Most importantly, you can see the Teatro Juarez in the background. That’s what I was enjoying most throughout the meal.

Thanks for bearing with me as I waxed nostalgic about my superb visit to Guanajuato City. Truth is, I’m happy to be here in Tamaula, despite the fact it’s a dust-bowl and there’s not pasta alfredo in sight. Here I know the people and say hi to everyone when I’m hiking up the mountain to go home. Here the food isn’t as expensive (it often tastes as good) but the conversation is even better. (Example: today Doña Martina and I talked mostly about immigration and school violence.) Most importantly I’m learning a lot about something really important to the people I like to think are new friends—the water. I didn’t fully realize how much water I use in a day until I didn’t have it running all around me. It can actually be really refreshing to take a shower using a bucket. Don’t slam it ‘til you try it. I’d been bad-mouthing it for a while before I came but I’ve completely changed my mind. This might seem obvious, but seeing how scare a resource can be makes the value that much more obvious. More on this to come. For now, enjoy the photos and let me know if these stories are too inane to print!