AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures


Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Alan Cummings discusses “New Ways of Teaching English” at this Sunday’s UU Fellowship meeting.

Cummings, an author and former disc jockey, is a part-time San Miguel resident who spent almost nine years experimenting with new ways of teaching English in Vietnam. He will report on his experiences and relate how his methods translate to teaching English to native Spanish speakers.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.

El Charco on Rotary agenda

On Tuesday October 23, our guest speaker is Mario Mendoza, Vice-Director of El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Gardens. Mario is speaking about this wonderful San Miguel de Allende attraction.

El Charco’s nature preserve covers more than 170 acres. It is a major tourist attraction with nearly 14,000 visitors in 2006. It has miles of hiking trails taking visitors past breathtaking views of the city of San Miguel de Allende, high-walled canyons and lakes with nesting waterfowl. El Charco botanical garden is committed to the restoration of native vegetation and maintains an extensive botanical collection of Mexican flora and fauna. It is almost exclusively privately financed, with the cost of operating exceeding 140,000 pesos in 2006.

In 1995 the Garden was awarded the National Prize of Ecological Merit by the Mexican Government. It has been declared an “Ecological Preservation Zone” by the San Miguel City Council and was declared a “peace zone” by the Dalai Lama during a visit in 2004.

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel, Aldama 53. Check-in time is 12–12:25pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30pm. Visiting Rotarians, those interested in Rotary, and all members of the general community are invited to attend this meeting. Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Lunch follows at 1:30pm in the hotel dining room. For more information, please go to the Rotary Club website: www.rotarysma.org. 

CREATE: New cancer research project in San Miguel

Imagine a crowded football stadium. Did you know: World Health Organization figures project that one in three people of these people may die from cancer? 

Have you ever seen someone with cancer in agony? Allan Sweeney has. He witnessed so much suffering it almost broke his heart. So he vowed to start pioneering clinics to help combat this distressing problem. The clinics will offer a customised, chronologically structured cancer healing program. It is very practical and doable, and gives a lot of inspiration and hope.

The pioneering program, ‘Cancer Research and Education using Active Therapeutic Evaluation’ (CREATE) was originally developed in 1995 by Allan Sweeney in a German cancer hospital. CREATE’s first patient could hardly eat, walk or talk and was expected to die within days. Instead CREATE enabled her to go out to dinner with her husband four days later. Since then, many others have benefited immensely. The CREATE course is now offered to anyone interested in alleviating cancer suffering.

CREATE is a 2-week program. The first week aims to heal negatives such as past traumas, current suffering and fears about the future. The second week aims to provide positives and a will to live, with options for a peaceful life, free of much suffering.

We are offering CREATE in San Miguel, Mexico in 2008. Would you like to offer our unique CREATE Program? If so, come to our FREE lecture about CREATE’s two-week intensive training course. If you join, you’ll get full supervisory support. 

CREATE has prolonged life, reduced tumours, and improved quality of living. 

If you would like to study CREATE to help some of the one in three people expected to die from cancer, please contact Mark 045 55 41777072 or 014151 520743 or 014151 522 688. Or come to our FREE lecture on Oct 29 6–8pm at the Meditation Center at Callejon Blanco 4. Everyone is welcome.

Classes & Workshops

Torah workshops in San Miguel

“The average person thinks of synchronicity as simple coincidence, or a coincidence that is eerie and feels too ironic to only be an accident. Indeed, if an occurrence feels too ironic to be an accident, it is not an accident, it is true synchronicity. So what is true synchronicity? 

Synchronicity is meaningful coincidence occurring within an improbable coinciding of events. Synchronicity is not only a coinciding of events but is a coinciding of realities, a colliding of the seen and unseen realities. Within the improbable events, there will be layers of hidden meanings that ring true in your innermost being,” states Torah, an entity channeled by Shawn Randall.

Torah and Shawn conduct two events in San Miguel. The first, “Conversations with an Unseen Friend” takes place Friday, October 19 at 6:30pm, at the Warren Hardy School. Bring your questions and come see what it’s all about: the mystery, the magic and the love. Cost 100 pesos.

The second event is a weekend workshop entitled, “From Light to Enlightenment: Uncovering Your Power, Healing Separation. Understanding and Experiencing Your Connection to the Divine” on October 26–28 at the Hotel Refugio del Molino in San Miguel. Explore and experience your connectedness to spirit, purpose and personal power. An undeniably empowering workshop! Price is US$150 in advance, US$170 at the door. Private consultations are also available, for more information contact Benjie Nelson at 152-6594 or by email torahsma@email.com .

Computer obedience training at the Biblioteca

Another session of Roger Hind’s acclaimed computer classes for new users and for those who want to better learn the basics will be commencing soon. Roger is particularly well known for his ability to put at ease those suffering from “computerphobia.” If your computer’s behavior frustrates you or if you feel a little intimidated by your computer, this class is for you.

Classes will be in plain English. Each student will have their own computer and there will be lots of hands-on exercises to reinforce the principles as they are presented. Roger is a volunteer and the course fees are donated to the library’s scholarship fund.

Classes will run from 10:30am until 1pm and takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays over 4 weeks, beginning on October 23. Pre-enrollment, including payment in full of the course fee of 350 pesos, is required. Places are limited to 10 people, who must have either temporary or full membership of the library. A temporary membership costs only 150 pesos, of which 100 pesos is refundable when you leave San Miguel.

To enroll please take your membership card and 350 pesos to the front desk and ask to sign up for the computer classes in English. Note that this class will also be run on the same days and at the same times from November 27 to December 20. All classes are open for enrollment right now.

If you would like more information about course objectives and content you may contact Roger by phone on 154 6552 or by email at rogerhind@hotmail.com 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventurers

This Saturday, we are lucky to have permission to visit the unique glass-blowing foundry in San Miguel, “Guajuye.” We will see the recycled glass, broken into small pieces, being washed, before being melted to liquid glass. It is an amazing sight to see the young workers, leaving the red-hot kiln with their long glass blowing tube, with a glob of molten glass trembling on the end. They run to a bench where they begin the process of blowing the molten blob to the desired shape. We will not enter the work area! We will cross the street to see all the colorful glassware that the foundry produces. Glasses of all sizes, shapes and colors, bowls, vases, decorative items, you name it, it’s there and all at factory prices. We then travel out of town to the lovely hilltop home of Marta and Javier Alvarez. Opening out to magnificent views, the whole house is decorated in superb taste. The house features a wall of glass that brings the outdoors inside, exquisite antiques gathered on their world travels, a pool with a view and much more.

The tour leaves from the Jardín across from the Parroquia at 10:30am.

Audubon birdwalk

The October birdwalk takes place on October 21, the third Sunday of the month. The plan is to go to the new birding site on the other side of the Presa Allende—on the road to Guanajuato. We have seen varieties of birds there which have not been seen at our other favorite birding spots.

The birdwalk is offered by Audubon de Mexico to members and non-members alike. For short-term visitors to San Miguel it is an opportunity to see a bit of the countryside.

People interested in taking part should be in front of the Instituto Allende at 8am, as the group leaves promptly at 8:15am. This event is offered once a month, gratis to members of Audubon de Mexico. Non-members are asked to contribute 100 pesos or US$10 to the ecological projects in which Audubon is involved.

Participants are advised to bring hats and drinking water. Binoculars are helpful, as are bird books. This birding site is a twenty-two minute drive from the Instituto on paved roads. Anyone willing to bring a car for transportation will be much appreciated. Any questions, call Fen at 044 415 153 5438.

Events at El Charco

Join El Charco for a presentation on the reptiles and amphibians of the Botanical Garden. Learn about these interesting creatures that live in our area and see live examples. The audiovisual presentation will be given by Raul Hernandez, a biologist and herpetologist with lots of experience and knowledge of the animal world of this region. Saturday, October 20 at 10am in the library at the Botanical Garden. Cost is 70 pesos for members of the garden and 100 pesos for non-members. Please reserve a space by emailing nzerriffi@yahoo.com.

Every Tuesday morning, discover the marvels of cacti and other Mexican plants as well as the history of El Charco with Mario Mendoza, Vice-Director of the Garden. 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 and lasts about 2.5 hours. Bring a hat and water. Space is limited, so reserve by calling 154-8838 or email charcodelingenio@gmail.com. 




Performances & Events

Help your casa and San Miguel’s CASA, A.C.

The great CASA garage sale of autumn is here! CASA is San Miguel’s local community health NGO and Midwifery school. So clean out those bulging closets and garages. You and your house will feel so much the better for it. The sale is Saturday, October 20 at CASA, 9am to 3pm, Santa Julia 15, Colonia Santa Julia.

To donate your used items, call 154-6060, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Ask for Ana Pena or Juan Jose or call Elsbeth at 152-2813 (for English speaking)

We will gladly pick up from your home. Don’t do garage sales? Help CASA with monetary donations. These can be sent to CASA, PMB 264 at La Conexión, Aldama 3.

Volunteer Opportunities

Does your nonprofit need hands? Send your short requests to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line.



“Leading With English” needs volunteers to teach English in Jalpa

Forgotten Child International has had such a positive effect on school children of the Jalpa community, that we have been invited to be a part of the Elementary School curriculum. This program focuses on leadership skills through English language acquisition for 3rd through 6th grade children. “Leading with English” uses a unique combination of interdisciplinary, experiential and hands-on approaches to teach English which are reinforced by teams of English speaking volunteers. It’s rewarding, for the children and volunteers. We are looking for a 6-week commitment of volunteering on Tuesday and Thursday from 12:15 to 3:00pm starting October 2. This includes driving time out and back. We can help with transportation. Please get in touch: info@forgottenchild.org. Jalpa is a small community of about 1,500 people about a 30 minute drive along the “Road to Independence” (the old road to Queretaro) nestled in a beautiful valley full of wild flowers this time of year. We are a non-profit organization whose mission is to identify leadership amongst underprivileged, rural children living in central Mexico by working with community leaders to develop alternative paths toward economic, spiritual and educational wellbeing http://www.forgottenchild.org.

Save A Mexican Mutt

(SAMM) is a charitable organization that rescues, spays/neuters, provides veterinary care, socializes, and transports highly adoptable Mexican street dogs to the United States for adoption. We need volunteers to foster dogs for up to six weeks and to transport dogs to the United States. If you live here full or part-time and can provide a temporary loving home for one of the many dogs in line to be transported to their forever homes or are traveling to Texas, New Mexico or Colorado by car and can transport one or more dogs with you, please contact Kelly Karger at info@saveamexicanmutt.org and see our website at www.saveamexicanmutt.org. (Save A Mexican Mutt is a US 501c3 charitable organization. Donations to SAMM are tax deductible on your US federal tax return.)



Hosts needed for Jovenes Adelante fundraiser

Jovenes Adelante, a local non-profit providing university scholarships to low income students from the San Miguel area is sponsoring a “Get to Know San Miguel” trip for residents of the Ajijic-Lake Chapala area over the weekend of November 23–25. All proceeds will help fund additional university scholarships.

A bus leaves Ajijic on Friday morning, with a Jovenes Adelante member as host, arriving that afternoon in San Miguel, and the guests will return Sunday afternoon. This will be an event-packed weekend with entertainment, accommodations in local homes and meals included.

For more information about the trip, or if you are interested in being a host family and providing guest accommodations for Friday and Saturday night, and breakfasts Saturday and Sunday mornings, email jovenesadelante@gmail.com  or write to Jovenes Adelante at La Conexión Box 49A, Aldama 3, San Miguel de Allende or call Nancy Dobbs at 152 7353 for more information. Tell your friends in the area that tickets will be available at the Lake Chapala Society ticket booth.



Field volunteers needed for Patronato Pro Niños

PPN, one of the oldest and most vibrant charities in SMA, is looking for a selective group of volunteers who would be willing to dedicate two or more mornings per month to go out to the outlying areas of the municipality of San Miguel de Allende to visit schools, talk about the work that PPN is doing to assist children with medical and dental problems, and to invite those children who need medical attention to the office of PPN for evaluation and assistance at little or no cost to the family. The volunteers ideally would either be reasonably fluent in Spanish and/or have a car/truck/SUV which can withstand the back roads (mostly unpaved) of the municipality. If interested, please contact Steve Livingston at steve@stevelivingston.com  with your name and contact information. 



Feed the Hungry looking for screening volunteers

Feed the Hungry is looking for volunteers to help with the preventive medical screening of our school children. We are looking for persons with one or more of the following skills: Bilingual persons, drivers with access to vehicle with high ground clearance willing to drive out to the ranchos, computer data input persons. This medical work is being conducted in cooperation with Patronato Pro Niños for the children our organizations serve. For more information please contact us on 152-2402 or contact@feedthehungrysma.org.