Week 51: (I think we got off a week somewhere) Monday August 12, 2024 – Sunday August 18, 2024

Hello, it's me. Writing to you once again today but this time about this week that ended on Sunday. 

For reference, I think I may have skipped a week or miscounted at some point, because I think this past week was actually week 51. But how crazy is that?? Almost an entire year since I left for Mexico!!

This week was pretty chill or tranquila, as we say in Spanish. I think the kids and myself alike are just waiting for the school year to start up again, as school seems to be the one thing that keeps the community in a routine and moving forward. I'm certainly eager to get back into my routine of teaching in the elementary school and starting to teach in the high school and getting my cistern project off the ground.

But as we wait for school to be back in session (just one more week!) I've been taking advantage of or aprovechando (one of my favorite words in Spanish) the slowness. I've been going for lots of walks with the kids — some of which I have enjoyed, some of which I have not, depending on if the children decided to listen to me on a given day haha. I've been taking lots of pictures of bugs and flowers and mushrooms that have come out in full force with the rainy season. And getting things organized for my grant project, which I hope will start in a couple of weeks.

We've also had a good number of days without electricity the last month or so. I believe it's because of all the rain we've been having. When it rains (especially when there is thunder and lightning), the entire system seems to crash. Sometimes, that means that all I can do is read or go for a walk or sit and chat with people. While it may sound scary or unsettling (which it can be) to be disconnected from the rest of the world, I appreciate the days when I am (quite literally) forced to disconnect from my computer or my phone and reconnect with people and with nature.

 

So this week has been pretty low key, but a few good things did happen. One, I went up to the high school to talk to the director and put into place some of the foundational steps for the cistern project to become a reality. Two, I got to spend time with Daniela and Dylan who were visiting this week from CDMX. And three, I went to the birthday party of Lili, one of Margarita's great grandchildren, who turned three this weekend. 

Apparently, it is customary in Mexico to celebrate a child's third birthday to give thanks for their health and for making it to their three years. I believe this stems from Mexico's previously very high child mortality rate (155 per 1000 in 1960), which has now dropped significantly to 13 per 1000 children in 2022. But nevertheless, families take the chance to celebrate their child's three years. The celebration starts with a mass that asks for thanks and is usually followed by a party, which was the case yesterday.

While I have the opportunity, I'm going to write about Margarita and the family I live with. I would have thought after almost a year living here that I had written about the family. But I guess I haven't. Thank you to Gary (dad) for giving me the idea. 

I live with a woman named Margarita. Margarita is 67 years old and has 7 children. Her children are named Miguel (49), Flora (46), Maria Felix (44), Diana (42), Maria Belen (40), Rigo (37), and Daniela (30). Each of her children have children. 

Miguel and his wife Nancy have four — Edgar (24), Edwin (22), Chantal (19), and Marvin (14). Flora and Cooper have three — Florixel (26) whose daughter is Lili (3), Sauciel (23), and Isaid (16). Felix has three — Emily (24) who has two daughters, Leilani (5) and Montse (2), Alan (22), and Tatiana (15). Diana and Moises have three — Brainy (24), Ciclale (21) whose daughter Valentina is turning 1, and Eric (14). Belen and Tacho have two children — Uriel (15) and Joanna (10). Rigo and Eugenia have four — Melanie (10), Santiago (7), Juliette and Julian (5 year old twins) — I live with them. And Daniela and Luis have a son named Dylan (7). 

Okay, so now you know the actors in the family. 

Each of Margarita's children, except for Daniela and Diana, live in Neblinas. Diana lives in Tilaco and Daniela lived in CDMX but recently moved to Querétaro where she is going to build a house for her and her family. 

Margarita was born in the neighboring community of El Pemoche, which is technically in the state of Hidalgo, but which you can easily walk to from Neblinas. I've asked her a few times about her family and how they got to this region, but she doesn't have much information, other than perhaps they were fleeing from the revolution. I'd definitely like to do some more digging about the history of Neblinas because it isn't a very long one and I think it would be really interesting to know where community members originally came from.

After going to school in Neblinas up to grade 3, Margarita no longer attended school (she did learn how to read and write) but instead stayed home to help her mother raise her younger siblings and help around the house. She and her siblings lived in a house made of wood and straw, and from what I understand, they slept on the floor. Often the rain would pour in through the roof. When she was a bit older, her family moved to what is the community of Neblinas, proper. 

Margarita married Heberardo when she was 16 years old. I believe he was closer to 30. She had her first child when she was 17, but sadly, her first baby died when she was giving birth to him due to a long and complicated labor. Miguel was born when she was 18, and well, you can do the math from there. 

Margarita is an extraordinary woman who has lived through things one can hardly imagine. As of 30ish years ago, Neblinas was a completely isolated community. There was no road leading to the community, there was no electricity or running water, and there were few to no medical services in the community. Margarita gave birth to all of her children at home without any medical assistance. She had to carry her children through the mountains to nearby towns when they were sick or injured. And it sounds like she herself had to either go by foot or by donkey/horse to seek medical care with she was sick or injured. 

She spent years going back and forth from Neblinas to Mexico City (a 10 hour journey or more) when she needed to seek more specialized medical care for her children. For example, she often took Daniela, who was diagnosed with an arrhythmia when she was 7 years old, to Mexico where she could receive care for her more critical condition. 

Her husband, Heberardo, who sadly passed away in 2020 just before the covid pandemic, worked all his life in the fields, growing corn, beans and squash, helping with the coffee harvest and bringing coffee to sell in nearby Xilitla. He was paid 2.50 pesos a week (!!) at the time. Apparently, the peso used to be worth a lot more and things used to cost a lot less. Margarita told me that back in the day, you could buy 10 pieces of bread for 1 peso. Today, 1 piece of bread costs between 3 and 7 pesos, if that tells you anything about how much the economy has changed in the last 50 – 60 years, even the last 20 – 30 years.

I'm proud to be a part of the family. I'm often referred to as "the adopted sister" or even as the "sister-in-law" as Diana's husband Moises has said to people on various occasions. When I'm invited to family events (such as the party on Sunday), I feel very included and very accepted as another member of the family. The children that I live with definitely feel like my younger siblings, and I love goofing around with them and being silly. I rode in the back of the pick up truck with the children as we made our way to the party and we laughed and smiled the whole way there.

Many volunteers at this point or earlier on in service choose to leave their original host family home that the Peace Corps selected for them. Even Rayanne has found herself a new house to live in. But I'm very happy where I am, and so long as nothing goes terribly wrong, I will likely live here for the remainder of my time here. 

So now you know a bit more about the family and where I live and who the actors are in my life these days.

If you ever have any questions you want answered about life in Neblinas or my work or just general Peace Corps questions, feel free to let me know! I'm happy to answer them. 

I look forward to writing to you again at the end of this week. 

Wishing you all a beautiful evening and wonderful rest of your week. 

Love,
Ilana