AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship


Rev. Jeff Jones draws on John Gray’s book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, with a message entitled, “When Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Communication between the Sexes” at this week’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service.

Gray maintains that women and men have vastly different communication styles that inevitably lead to misunderstanding and conflict. Whether one subscribes completely to Gray’s stereotypes, there is much to be gained by understanding that, “what you heard may not be what I meant.” Rev. Jones explores ways of overcoming communication misunderstandings.

He is the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Having served his congregation for six years, this past January, he began a six-month sabbatical with his family in San Miguel de Allende.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. People of all ages, races, religions and sexual orientation are welcome. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch. For more information about Mexico’s only chartered UU Fellowship, visit portalsanmiguel.com/lifestyle/unitarians/unitarians.html.

Audubon to Present PEASMA

An educational labor of love—known officially as PEASMA—aimed at teaching schoolchildren respect and love for the natural environment, is the subject of an Audubon Mexico presentation at 4pm on Tuesday, June 19, at the Villa Jacaranda on Calle Aldama. PEASMA stands for Proyecto de Educacion Ambiental San Miguel de Allende, known in English as the Environmental Education Project.

Natalia Ortega, a PEASMA teacher in local primary schools, will show a video about the program, and talk about how it works, through hands-on learning, to teach children about wildlife, recycling, ecosystems, native flora and fauna, water treatment and the rehabilitation of rivers and streams, in the classroom and on field trips. With the help of PEASMA, the children actually help to rehabilitate local waters, for example.

PEASMA is supported by two Mexican government organizations concerned with the environment as well as five local nongovernmental organizations, of which Audubon Mexico is one. San Miguel’s PEASMA program, which began just one year ago, has been so successful that the state of Guanajuato has asked for help in replicating it in other towns in the state.

Since it began as a pilot program in 2003, 4,871 children between six and 12 have attended PEASMA’s workshops. In the 2006 school year, workshops were given in four schools to 750 children, 96 percent of whom, along with their teachers and their parents, would like to attend workshops again this year. 

PEASMA works on the theory that teaching children about the environment results in everyone becoming more conscious of environmental concerns. Children take the message home to their parents and other family members, effectively reaching the whole community and ensuring a widespread impact from the project. 

This year, there are plans for an ecological summer camp in the campo in July, for children who live in the community of Montecillo de Nieto. Audubon is planning to sponsor the camp, which will include workshops on various nature topics, directed by PEASMA staff.

Audubon’s annual general meeting is held next month, on Tuesday, July 17, at 4pm at the Villa Jacaranda. The general meeting is an opportunity for all members to offer suggestions, voice concerns and express their ideas about the organization. All members are invited.

Classes & Workshops

The artist’s way

A 10-week creative recovery for women is offered starting Friday, June 22 at LifePath, based on the highly successful book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

The bedrock of the guided course focuses on creating pathways into your consciousness where blocks (we all have them) are dissolved, allowing you to regain your creativity. The author states that “no matter your age or lifepath, creativity is your true nature.” The object is to align oneself with that true nature.

Using a set of proven basic tools, principles, exercises, the guidance of an experienced facilitator and the synergy of like minded participants, self limiting beliefs, fears, sabotage, jealousy, blame, guilt and other inhibiting forces are replaced with artistic confidence and productivity, allowing participants to be freer to create or simply to live more creatively.

Patricia Mahan is the facilitator. She has been in the arts for over 25 years and had led “Artist’s Way” workshops in Albuquerque, NM, Portland, OR, and Sayulita, Mexico.

The workshop is held on Fridays from 1-2:30pm and costs US$120. For more information or to register, contact Patricia Mahan at dannpatm@yahoo.com,  call 154-0462, or contact Beverly Nelson at Lifepath: docbeverly@aol.com  or 154-8465.

Tours & Excursions

Audubon birdwalk

There is no Audubon birdwalk in June. The regular birdwalks will resume in July, on the third Sunday of the month. Birders can mark their calendars for the morning of July 15.

Botanical Garden tour

Every Tuesday morning, discover the marvels of cacti and other Mexican plants as well as the history of El Charco with Mario Mendoza, Assistant Director of the garden. The tour includes a visit to the nursery that contains many rare species and is not usually open to the public.

Entrance fee is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. All proceeds benefit the garden. The tour is in English and starts at the main entrance at 9am, lasting about 2 hours. Bring a hat and water. Space is limited, so reserve by calling 154-8838 or email charcodelingenio@gmail.com.

Instituto Allende field trip to Mexico City

On Saturday, June 23, Instituto Allende hosts an overnight stay in Mexico City that includes a side trip to the magnificent pyramids on Sunday. In Mexico City the outing includes a tour of the historic downtown of the nation’s capital, including the impressive Bellas Artes, el Caballito Monument, the Zócalo, Cathedral and the National Palace.

The valley of Mexico was, as it still is today, the center of Mesoamerica’s high civilization and for centuries has been considered the richest of all zones. Participants visit the site of the great temple, which was once the heart of the Aztec ceremonial world. The temple was completely buried and almost extinct for 270 years after the conquest.

There is a visit to the renowned Anthropological Museum, a hallmark location, dedicated to the study of humanity in this part of the world. The Anthropological Museum is an in-depth complex that perpetually educates and inspires a nation and its people. All of the cultures of Mexico are on display. Explanations of all artifacts and installations are printed out next to each exhibit in Spanish and English. At night there is a tour of Mexico City’s nightlife. On Sunday there’s a trip to Teotihuacan: Mexico’s unsurpassable pyramids, a true wonder and maybe alone worth the trip. The cost for this trip is US$225, all-inclusive (transportation, hotel, museum fees, refreshments and four restaurant meals). This trip leaves at 7am.

Native-speaking, bilingual guides, in a secure environment, lead all Instituto field trips while sharing valuable insights. Reservations are a must. Visit Instituto Allende, Ancha de San Antonio 20 or call 152-0226. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Each Wednesday, at 4pm at Instituto Allende, there is a free lecture previewing the upcoming weekend’s field trips.

Performances & Events

Red Dress Run

SMAHHH (San Miguel de Allende Hash House Harriers) host their first annual “Día de Los Locos Red Dress Run” weekend event June 15-17. On Friday, June 15 at 8pm, meet in front of the Parroquia for a pay-as-you-go pub crawl. On Saturday at 3pm, meet at the Longhorn Smokehouse wearing your finest red dress to run in. A party follows (200 pesos). On Sunday at 10am, meet at Zacateros 46 wearing your stained red dress. We will join the parade at 11am for a short while and then retire to a rooftop party at about 1pm (200 pesos). For and introduction to an HHH Red Dress Run see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf2dy89Bs0Q. 

The Hash House Harriers are a loosely organized international social group that run/jog/walk Hare and Hound trails weekly. The goal (if you need one) is for the participants to search for the trail and follow it to the end to where the beer and party (Beer Circle) are waiting. 

The minimum requirements are that you should be physically fit enough to hike five to eight kilometers/ three to five-miles, be blessed with excellent humor and an irreverent view of the world. It is not a race; there are no winners or losers. It is open to everyone and you pay as you go. The only other important note is that it is adult themed.

What is a Hare and Hound trail you ask? It is one in which one or several Hashers (individuals) volunteer to be the Hare(s). It is the Hares job to mark a trail (leave a scent) using simple standard symbols with bio-friendly items such as baking flour, chalk and/or removable items such as tape. The Hare determines the starting location, the route, its length and end point. A good trail includes a variety of ‘Shiggy’ to make it interesting. Shiggy can be mud, river crossings, steep hill sides, shopping malls, friendly backyards, dusty cobblestone streets, etc. (San Miguel offers endless possibilities!)

The Hounds are only told where to start and at what time. It is their task to work as a pack to find and follow the marks (scent) to the end. When the last Hound arrives to the end the ‘Beer Circle’ is called to order. 

The Beer Circle is a tradition that provides an opportunity to honor the efforts of the Hares and to report on the infractions, contrived or real, of other Hounds with a humorous song and a glass of beer, (or other beverage of choice).

The original Hash House Harrier chapter was founded in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1938 by a group of British expatriates living apart from their family and residing at the Selangor Club. The name Hash House was derived from their nickname for the dinning hall at the Selangor Club and, of course, a Harrier is a cross country runner. 

The second Hash House Harrier chapter was founded in Singapore in 1961 and from then until now the number has grown to more that 1800 chapters scattered across the world in approximately 178 countries. San Miguel de Allende HHH was added in September of 2006. A couple of websites you can visit for more information are http://www.gotothehash.net/  ; http://www.harrier.net  and http://www.gthhh.com/. 

The regular date and time in San Miguel is every Monday beginning at 5pm in the spring/summer and 3pm in the fall/winter, beginning at the Longhorn Smokehouse on Calle Nueva 8. The cost is 50 pesos for the first three drinks.

For more information either call contact Terry Weathers at (415) 154-5556 or email him at Terry_Weathers@hotmail.com. 

Volunteer Opportunities

Casas Hogares volunteers needed

San Miguel’s three children’s refuges—casas hogares (Mexiquito, Santa Julia, and Sollano)—need the help of the community in order to meet their many volunteer and special event opportunities this summer. Please call 152-3709 in SMA, 925-418-8003 from the US, or email robin@robinloving.com  if you might be able to oversee an event or coordinate volunteers. You would be working with English-speaking volunteers and event participants and Spanish-speaking directors of each children’s home. Thank you!

Volunteering at the Biblioteca

If you would like to volunteer to assist in any of the following departments, please see Elia in the Sala Infantil, Monday-Friday, 4–5pm, or send an email to volunteers@bibliotecasma.com and Judy Boston will get back to you. The departments with the most need are La Tienda, teaching English to kids, the Book Committee, English conversation with students, the computer room, the Sala Infantil with literacy programs and painting, administration, the Café, the House and Garden Tour, and Atencíon. A minimum commitment of 3 months is requested for most of these positions.

See you in the funny papers

Mark Saunders, creator of Atención’s “Más o Menos” cartoon, invites suggestions from readers for funny material about living in San Miguel that would lend itself to a cartoon. 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.