Around Town, Jan, 5 2007
Meetings & Lectures
(Mis)adventures in Language and Culture
Robert de Gast presents a not-so-serious talk he calls “Adiós Is Not Good-bye and Mañana Is Not Tomorrow: (Mis)adventures in Language and Culture” at 5pm on Tuesday, January 9, in the Teatro Santa Ana at the Biblioteca Pública on Insurgentes 25.
De Gast, a photographer and writer and author of Behind the Doors of San Miguel and several other books about our fair city, will relate some of his adventures (and misadventures) in becoming acquainted with the culture of Mexico and the Spanish language.
“I’ll be telling tales on myself,” he explained, “and I’m sure many people will identify with the pitfalls and perils I found, and continue to find, in my daily experiences with the very exotic life in Mexico.”
This is the second time de Gast has found himself in a very different culture. He was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the United States, where he enjoyed a decades-long career as a magazine photographer and writer.
“No two contiguous countries in the world are as different as Mexico and the US,” he says. “Even Holland, 3,000 miles from the nearest American shore, and nearly a half-century ago, was culturally closer to the United States than Mexico is today. But I still find myself making the same linguistic (and cultural) errors I was making then.”
A recent issue of Independent Traveler mentioned the Biblioteca’s Lecture Series: “Don’t miss Robert de Gast if he’s giving a lecture!”
The not-so-serious talk will last about an hour, with a question-and-answer period. Admission is 50 pesos and benefits the Library’s many programs.
Second gathering of facilitators for healing
The next Gathering of Facilitators for Healing, an “energy exchange,” takes place at noon on Thursday, January 11, at Privada de Pila Seca 5 (turn into the cul de sac opposite Pila Seca 45). The meeting is free and open to the public, including those in need. Facilitators are invited to participate. Call 152-0376 if you have questions.
Midday Rotary Club
On Tuesday, January 9, our guest speaker will be Donald Kwait, a former trustee of the Rotary Foundation and past treasurer and past director of Rotary International. Don’s talk will be about “Keeping our Promise on Polio Plus.” As zone coordinator for the Polio Eradication Fund Raising Committee in 2002-03, his zones raised over US$11.4 million and were the second out of 17 paired districts in the Rotary world!
Rotary International is the spearheading member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and is the largest private sector donor. It has contributed more than US$600 million to the polio eradication activities in 122 countries. Before eradication efforts began in 1985, polio paralyzed more than 1,000 children a day, which totaled about 350,000 children annually. The incidence of polio has since declined by more than 99 percent.
A Rotarian since 1956, Don lives in Beachwood, Ohio, and is currently a member of the Chagrin Highlands Rotary Club. He has received many awards, including the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award, the Foundation’s highest service recognition. Don and his wife, Bea, are currently visiting San Miguel de Allende for the first time.
The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at 12:30pm at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel, Aldama 53. Visiting Rotarians and others interested in Rotary are invited to attend. Lunch follows at 1:30pm in the hotel dining room. For more information, check www.rotarysma.org.
Jelaluddin Rumi reading and discussion
Robert Wallace will lead readings and discussions of Jelaluddin Rumi’s poetry at the Biblioteca Pública’s Sala Quetzal from 5 to 6:30pm on Friday, January 12, and then again on Friday, January 19.
Jelaluddin Rumi (1207–1273) is the greatest mystical poet of Islam. Robert Wallace is a writer and trained philosopher who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has led many readings and discussions of Rumi’s works.
The admission fee of $50 pesos per class goes to the Biblioteca’s scholarship fund.
Don Patterson at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Sunday, January 7, Don Patterson, the director of San Miguel’s Environment and Ecology Department, will discuss his department’s responsibilities and how its 72 employees go about their jobs. Mr. Patterson has lived in Mexico for 37 years. In that time, he has worked in archaeology, teaching, mining, tourism and ecotourism.
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.
For more information, visit www.portalsanmiguel.com/lifestyle/unitarians/unitarians.html
Classes & Workshops
Learn to create your own altered book
An altered book is an unwanted book that has been creatively recycled, transforming it into a work of art. The book becomes the canvas for the artist's ideas and creativity. You can make a personal journal, travel log, scrapbook, artist sketchbook or gift.
The artist starts with a hardback book chosen perhaps for its interesting cover or catchy title or personal significance. A background of paint, ink, or paper is applied to pages. Pages are torn away to make room for ephemera such as old photos, postcards, tickets, and postage stamps. Charms, buttons and other embellishments can also be used to decorate the pages. Techniques such as cutting windows, doors, and niches and making pockets, pull-tabs and pop-ups add interest. The only rule in making altered books is that there are no rules.
People who alter books like the idea of saving and recycling books that otherwise would be thrown away and turning them into a piece of art and a treasured keepsake of their travels or important events in their lives.
Sandra Stone will be giving several workshops in the following weeks in her studio in col. San Antonio. For more information call Sandra at 154-9857 or e-mail
sandrastonesma@hotmail.com
Corporal Psychotherapy Workshop
Corporal psychotherapy is very helpful for people with relationship problems, unresolved matters, or anyone who wants to go on evolving. Working with the mind, but also the body, where the stagnant energy is deposited, makes this method faster. One characteristic of this method is that it does not create dependency on the therapist.
Ontogonic corporal psychotherapy is one of the most complete methodologies since it covers all the reality levels that we as humans can experience and uses varied techniques, such as energy management, consciousness, psychological, hypnosis when needed, dream interpretation, gestalt dialogue, meditative, shamanic.
If you want to experience corporal psychotherapy, contact Aura de Wit, a certified psychotherapist from the Transpersonal Ontogonía School in Mexico, for a private session. Workshops on corporal reading will be held January 6, 13, 20 and 27; call 152-3084 or 044(415)111-2809 or email nictena@hotmail.com. For more information on the school or the therapist, see www.thelotus.com.
Grant-writing workshop
Learning how to “talk the talk” to granting organizations can be the key to obtaining funds for worthy projects, says Dr. Cynthia Lynch, who will host the first in a possible series of workshops designed to assist local organizations with obtaining funds.
“The funding sources are governmental organizations, family foundations and corporate foundations, and the key is to learn how to find the organizations and how to use the language that will be most effective in obtaining grants,” she says.
Lynch is no stranger to the nonprofit world, having worked in nonprofit organizations as a volunteer and as a staffperson most of her life. She teaches grant writing at Southern University.
The workshop, held January 8 from 10am to 4pm in the Sala Quetzal of the Biblioteca, is for newcomers to the grant-writing process. Topics to be covered include how to search and find appropriate granting organizations, how to narrow the scope of a project to fit the granting organization’s guidelines, and how to frame a proposal for maximum effectiveness.
“Many people may not know that there is so much money available, and that even organizations created and working in Mexico may be eligible for reciprocity with US granting organizations,” Lynch says.
“There are directories available that list sources of funds, but these directories cost upward of US$500 per year, which is prohibitive for many small organizations. The workshop will be the first step in accessing this information and therefore these funds,” she continues.
Future workshop topics may include how to develop a board of directors and strategic planning. The January 8 workshop will consist of three sessions, with a break for a no-host lunch. The cost of the workshop is 150 pesos per person, and all materials are provided. For information and to register, please contact José Luis in the box office of the Teatro Santa Ana.
Tours and Excursions
Instituto Allende plans field trip to Pozos
On Saturday, January 6, Instituto Allende Tours will host a field trip to nearby Victoria and Pozos. This outing departs at 8am. A one-time silver-mining center, approximately 45 minutes from San Miguel, the Victoria and Pozos outing is a camera buff’s delight. The scenery is spectacular and the views for 360 degrees are stunning.
The Sierra Gorda mountain range is famous for rapid changes of vegetation and its ancient river valley. It has been dry for eons, but it once supported a deep and powerful rush of water. There are varieties of cactus and plants seen nowhere else in this part of the country, including several species of poisonous succulents.
Viewing ancient petroglyphs requires a moderate hike. It is widely suspected that the Victoria site was a shamanistic training center of major importance.
Later in the day, there will be a stop at Santa Brigida, a facility that houses giant hearths built by the Jesuits in 1597. Nearby, in Pozos, those attending will view firsthand the bottomless shafts and the ruins of the old mines. There will be time to browse, shop and inspect the musical instruments made in the village.
Pets and children are not permitted on this trip due to some dangerous areas. Sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats are suggested.
Bilingual guides lead all Instituto Allende tours and offer rare insights in a secure environment. Cost is US$55, all-inclusive, including transportation, fees, a restaurant meal, snacks and cocktails. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Reservations are a must. For more information, call Instituto Allende, 152-0226, Ancha de San Antonio 20.
Explore the campo with Global Justice
San Miguel is surrounded by 500 rural communities. Most of us know little of life in these small settlements, which are home to many of Mexico’s poorest. The Center for Global Justice is establishing communication with some of these communities in an effort to better understand campo life. You can participate in this Dialogo Comunitario by joining one of our day trips to the countryside during the coming months.
On Saturday, January 13, the Center will visit Boca de La Cañada, a community of 350 people located at the mouth of the picturesque Canyon of the Virgin. Come with us to learn of the history and culture of the indigenous Otomí. Share a dialogue with the people and learn why so many are migrating to the US. You will have the opportunity to share a traditional comida with the community and then hike through the beautiful Cañada de La Virgen. You also have the option of renting a horse and exploring the canyon on horseback.
This is your opportunity to venture beyond the familiar cobblestone streets of San Miguel and experience a piece of México profundo. The trip will leave at 9am from the Center for Global Justice at Calzada de la Luz 42. A 300-peso ticket covers transportation, comida, and translation. Advance registration is required. Call 150-0025 for a reservation and come by the Center weekdays between 9am and 2pm for your ticket.
Performances & Events
Charity chili cook-off benefits Centro de Crecimiento
Things will be very hot in San Miguel on Sunday, January 28 (not January 14 as previously announced). A dozen or more cooks will compete to see who can make the best chili con carne, as judged by a panel of expert tasters.
The competition, loosely based on the famous Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) competition, will take place in the vacant lot at the corner of Calle Nueva and Suspiros, behind Espino’s. Tents, cookstoves, water and ice will be supplied, but contestants must bring six quarts (litros) of their chili for attendees and for judging. Full rules and registration forms are available at the Longhorn Smokehouse, located behind Espino’s.
The public is invited to come taste all the chilis, enjoy music and 15-peso beer and help support the ongoing work of the Centro de Crecimiento. Entrance fee is 50 pesos; kids under 12 pay 25 pesos. The gate opens at noon, and tasting starts at 2pm.
An added attraction of the Chili Cook-off is a “Magnificent Margarita” contest among local restaurants, with “celebrity” judges. There will also be music, door prizes and raffles.
The Centro de Crecimiento (Center for Children with Disabilities) was founded over 29 years ago with the vision to help children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida and other congenital malformations. The Centro de Crecimiento has several programs to help these children, including hydrotherapy, speech therapy, diet, early stimulation, Special Olympics events and special education.
For further information, contact Gordon Jett at 152-2621 or John DeLeon at 154-4117.
Official Instituto arts and crafts fair next weekend
Instituto Allende opens its official winter season arts and crafts fair Saturday and Sunday, January 6 and 7, from 10am to 6pm. The fair has been in existence for seven years and features some of San Miguel's finest artists and craftspeople. There is entertainment and food all day.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer opportunities at La Tienda
Do you enjoy working with people? Do you have a background or interest in retail sales? If so, La Tienda Gift Shop is the place for you.
Perform cashier duties and assist customers in our attractive library gift shop, La Tienda, located in the main patio at the Biblioteca Pública. We offer a 10 percent discount on purchases to gift shop volunteers. Orientation to the library and training in the gift shop will be provided. This is a great opportunity if you enjoy meeting new people and helping others while gaining valuable community and retail experience.
We need outgoing volunteers to assist with displaying and selling merchandise in our fund-raising gift shop. Patrons include international visitors as well as local residents.
Opportunities exist for people who are results-oriented, flexible and dedicated. We’re looking for people who are self-motivated and team-oriented, good communicators and good listeners, and honest and innovative. Applicants should have good skills with the public and be able to handle sales, make change, and keep up with paperwork related to sales.
We need volunteers who are free on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm and Friday from 3 to 6pm.
Contact store manager Stephanie Hough at 152-0293 or e-mail shough@bibliotecasma.com
Funny stuff, more or less
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This issue of Atención introduces a new weekly gag cartoon feature by local cartoonist Mark Saunders, formerly of Portland, Oregon, and now living in San Miguel de Allende with his wife, Arlene Krasner. |
According to Saunders, a gag is a funny idea and a gag cartoon is a funny idea that’s been illustrated. Consequently, “Más o Menos” will focus on the humorous rather than political or editorial aspects of expat life in San Miguel.
Saunders worked in the computer industry for more than 20 years. For several of those years and mostly on weekends, he also worked as a gag cartoonist. He’s had approximately 500 cartoons published in magazines ranging from The Saturday Evening Post to Writer’s Digest and in newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News and the Sacramento Bee. He wrote gags for “Frank and Ernest,” a nationally syndicated comic strip, and self-syndicated, along with a cartooning partner, David Boxerman, three weekly cartoon panels (“The New Epicureans,” “First Class” and “Kvetch!”).
Saunders also writes plays and screenplays. His plays, all brief comedies, have been performed across the United States, from Ashland, Oregon, to New York City. “My plays reflect who I am as a person,” said Saunders. “They’re short and funny to look at. I guess that’s why I also like cartooning.”
His four feature-length screenplays, all comedies, have won awards but remain unsold. One of his screenplay shorts was filmed and entered in both the Sundance and Telluride film festivals, but if you ask him about the film he’ll raise his hand and say, “Don't ask.”
“I ran out of ideas about three o’clock yesterday afternoon, along with clean underwear,” Saunders said. “So, if Atención readers have a funny idea about living in San Miguel that would lend itself to a cartoon, I would be happy to draw it.” Selected ideas will be drawn by the cartoonist, and authors will be given credit as well as a signed copy of their cartoon. Please send your “expat” cartoon ideas to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org or drop them by our office at Insurgentes 25, Centro (upstairs at the Biblioteca Pública).