Week 22: Monday, January 22, 2024 – Sunday, January 28, 2024

Hello my dear family and friends,

Happy Sunday!


I’m writing to you from Tilaco, a cute town about a 2 hour drive from Neblinas, where I am staying in the home of the daughter and son-in-law of my host. I’m currently sitting, swaying comfortably in a hammock underneath a beautiful pine tree. It’s a bit chilly here, but sitting in the hammock is too nice to let a bit of cold air to keep me away. 



Let’s see, what happened this week?


Well, I spent most of the week in Neblinas, teaching English classes and environmental science classes at the elementary school and middle school. Currently, my schedule is as such: Monday is a free day, Tuesday, I teach English at the middle school at 9am, Wednesday, I teach environmental and climate science at the middle school in the afternoon, and Thursday, I take the morning shift of classes at the elementary school (Rayanne takes the afternoon). Friday, as of now, is another free day. So while things are starting to pick up, I still have a good bit of free time to go for walks and visit different members of the community and stalk cool bugs (yes, this is how I would describe my walks where I take pictures of all the cool plants and animals). It’s a very relaxing lifestyle, which, honestly I think I could get used to. 😉


After teaching Tuesday – Thursday this week, my host (Margarita) and I went to Tilaco to visit her family here. Her daughter (Diana) and her son-in-law (Moises) live in a cute house with two of their three children (Ciclale and Eric) and their 5-month old granddaughter (Valentina). The oldest son, Brainy, is currently studying in a city in the state of Hidalgo called Huejutla, where coincidentally there is another Peace Corps volunteer. 


Since arriving in Tilaco, I’ve spent most of my time with the family, conversing and eating – both very common activities here. But we also took a trip yesterday to a nearby town called La Lagunita where we bought lots of fruits and veggies, and last night, we went to a birthday party of a man who turned 80 years old. 


A birthday party for an 80 year old may not sound like a very festive affair, but let me tell you, parties here are no joke. La fiesta is a huge part of Mexican culture. And here in the Sierra Gorda, parties are almost outfitted with lots of food, a trio band, and huapango – the traditional dance of the region. The man who we went to celebrate has 15 children, each with children of their own, so even with just the family members and extended family members, there were probably 100+ people. Needless to say, it was a good time. 


Today, I joined the family at Sunday mass, which took place in the Mission of Tilaco — one of the 5 missions in the Sierra Gorda, all of which were founded by Junipero Serra and built as a means to bring more of the indigenous people of the region into the church. The Sierra Gorda was actually one of the last places to where the people were converted to Catholicism in Mexico. The indigenous groups that lived here — collectively known as the Chichimecas — were strong warriors who fought hard to keep their cultural and spiritual practices. But ultimately, it was the friars who were successful in their mission of converting the people here to Catholicism. In part, they were able to draw people to the church by including indigenous iconography on the façades of the missions, which can still be seen today. 



While I’m not by any means planning on converting to Catholicism, I will say that I enjoy going to mass with the family. It’s an important part of the Mexican culture, and it’s fascinating to understand what different people believe in and how they practice their faith. And the songs are pretty catchy, too. 


That’s all for this week. Thanks again for reading. 


Love to you all,

Ilana



 




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