Missing Yuriria

I was born in a little town in the state of Guanajuato in Mexico.
This Church sits in the center of the town, where people gather once or twice a year to celebrate the town Fiestas.
Growing up I remember walking by the castle designed that is now part museum. Walking to El mercado to get the meal for the day, walking to visit Tia Rosa in the other side of town, walking with my friends in our way to the ice cream shop.

Right around the church is where every year at the end of december and the beginning of January the town would hold the Fiesta of San Agustin, santo patron de Yuriria. The whole place that you see here it's covered with mechanical games, food vendors, clothes vendors, freak shows (of animals) a glass maze, hounted trailer houses (casa de horror) more food vendors, toys, and tons of people.

I miss my Yuriria, I want to go visit.... but i'm poor :(

Lui

El Ojo de Agua.

When I was growing up I moved with my aunt for a couple of months during the summer. She lived in El rancho, with cows, chickens, pigs and dogs. I had lived with my grandmother before, but her land was much bigger and the animals were farther from the room, in my aunt's house the animals were closer by and it scared me a little. The biggest change that I had to adapt to in my Tia Licha's house was the lack for water. The water pipes had been installed for years, but the project hadn't started yet. Everyday we had to go and get water to the Oasis, also called el Ojo de Agua. T

odos los dias we would get up, go to el molino to get the masa for the tortillas, we would make tortillas, feed the chickens, make lunch and take lunch to Tio Benja. We would walk to el ojo de agua, my aunt holding her 15 gallon bucket, and I had my 1 gallong bucket. The trip was not far, but walking up the small hump of mountain took a lot of energy. We would make 2 trips each day. Tio Benja would take his truck and bring 100 Gallons containers, that water was used to feed the animals, do the dishes and water the plants, he would make his trip once a week.

El rancho had unwritten rules of the schedule for getting water at el ojo de agua, everybody knew when the men were taking showers and everybody knew when it was the kid's turns. Everybody knew that after 5 and all day sundays was the man's turn to use the ojo de agua. Water brought from the Ojo de agua (well) was not to be used to laundry, only during emergencies.

The laundry was to be done at the ojo de agua. No, people did not feed from the dirty water of clothes and baths, it was separated. In one big roofless room there would be the big ojo de agua, or Oasis, then from one side out came the water used to wash clothes. There was a man made filter at this opening to prevent soapy water to go in the Oasis, and there was also a door to prevent animals from going in and using it as a public restroom.

Taking a shower, or bath, because of the lack of a shower head, was fun. You got to go to the Ojo de agua, and shower in public. Unlike the big ojo de agua the little one didn't have walls, but because of the unwritten rules of el rancho, no man or boy was to go anywhere near the ojo de agua at certain times. The water was cold most of the time, the ojo de agua happened to be near threes that blocked the men or boys around, but also blocked the direct sunlight.

I never learned to swim, or to deal with water; but when you are 8 nothing will make you understand that. One day with my sister I jumped from a high rock into the water, thinking that if I fell in the water I would immediately know what to do.... reality hit and I ripped my knee open in a rock. The water was not very high, 3 foot at the most. I cried and learned that swimming is not a natural instinct and that jumping to a 3 foot body of water was not very smart.

Years later, I'm sad to remember the thought of never having had taken pictures of the beatiful place. When the summer was over I left Tia Licha and Tio Benja, we all cried.

The Oscar Night

The Oscars are so out touch with the public. They all portrayed important messages, but how many of us went to see them? I only watch Crash and Walk the line, did not really cared too much for the rest of them.

Anyway, Oscar night being the most glamorous night in hollywood I gotta comment on my thoughts about the event,

Jon Stewart was great! He was sooo funny! I loved the pimp jokes!! But can't believe that song won, i really liked the song from Crash better.

I knew (and apperently she did too) that Reese Whitherspoon would win the oscar, she had it coming, years of crappy movies finally scored her something good. Still loved her in Cruel Intentions .


I was sad that Joaquin Phoenix didn't get the Oscar, he is very talented and did such a great job as Johnny Cash; but Philip Seymour Hoffman did deserve it.

Also sad that nobody from Memoirs of a Geisha got nominated, Rob Marshall did such a good job to sticking to the book and Gong Li did such an amazing job portraying Hatsumomo, she captured her beuty and her cruelty in a very detailed manner.

My favorite dress was Ziyi Zhan's, she looked amazing.

If I ever went to the Oscars

If I was ever to attend the Oscars I would be nominated for best screen play (or best director or best actress) I would also wear something like that picture up there... but it would be black.

I would probably not wear any make up, and it would make me look older than everybody else and I would stop at every microphone for an interview.... the glamours life of Hollywood.... but i am glad that I will never have to attend the Oscars, Holywood is not my favorite place.

Lui

This is America, we speak English

This is America, we speak English, is one one of my students' complain when we speak spanish in the classroom. His little brain (he is 20) doesn't want to believe that in His america the original language was a native american dialogue, that English is an european language brought to America by immigrants like himself.

I love how he thinks he owns his America, that nobody is better than him because he is an AMERICAN. Does the fact that he dropped out of high school and has no job or plans for the future afect his feelings of King, saddly no. He still believes that he is the most powerful man. In a way is good to see that he stills have some confidence left after his neglected life as a child, but in a whole different way is so sad to see that his closed mentality will only keep him from moving anywhere in his life.

yep, my wonderful job!