AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Co-founder Irma Rosado discusses the ongoing progress of Casita Linda at this Sunday’s meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Casita Linda A.C. is a Mexican non-profit organization with a primary goal to provide simple decent housing to the most disadvantaged who are living in shacks. The program focuses on helping those with such limited resources they cannot apply for government housing programs. For the families they help, even organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are beyond their reach. Its work makes it possible for them to own a simple, solid home with electricity and water. Working with community, Casita Linda selects families most in need then provides materials and volunteers while managing every aspect of the construction process.

Ms. Rosado is a woman of formidable talent and compassion. Before moving to San Miguel, she spent nearly 20 years in Mexico City,where she helped lead a government program to assist small rural agro-industries develop new markets, founded and ran a home for street children, established a Convent House in Panama to provide shelter and services to homeless and runaway youth, and developed the first complete program of care for AIDS victims in Mexico. She moved to San Miguel in 2001 to work with CASA, the non-profit organization that works with counselors to educate youth about reproductive health. Later that year she was approached by Jeffrey Brown to help establish Casita Linda as a legal charitable organization, and has been actively involved since.

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.

“Open Sundays” to play croquet

You’re invited! The Croquet Club of San Miguel announces “Open Sundays” for all adults interested in playing and/ or learning to play croquet. Beginning Sunday, September 23, a series of “golf-croquet” parties start at 2:30pm. Volunteer coaches instruct beginners and those who haven’t held a mallet since their backyard croquet days.

About two weeks ago The Croquet Club, located on the Antigua Camino Real near the Botanical Gardens, held a trial golf-croquet party, which was attended by more than 20 people. The party was so enthusiastically received that the Club has decided to extend the “Open Sunday” invitation for another four Sundays. Community residents and Club members are urged to participate and to bring guests. Mallets and balls will be provided by the Club. White clothing, while traditional on regular play days, is not required for this special Sunday series. This is an opportunity for those wishing to get more exercise and fresh air to do so in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Those interested in joining the Croquet Club will be given information at the Sunday golf-croquet party. Refreshments follow the play.

For more information on the Sunday parties, or about The Croquet Club of San Miguel, call Max Neder at 152-1090 or Allan Crockett at 152-5401. The address of the Club is Antigua Camino Real #100-1.

Local photographer at Rotary meeting

On Tuesday, September 25, Robert de Gast, noted photographer/writer, is the guest speaker at the Midday Rotary meeting. He describes his topic as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Jardín.” This will be an informal and light-hearted talk about his adventures (and misadventures) in getting to know San Miguel and learning about the often delightful (and sometimes frustrating) differences in language and culture between Mexico and the rest of the world. He will also talk about the Jardín and the role it plays in being our “living room.”

Robert was born in The Netherlands. In his late teens, he moved to the United States, where he developed a successful career as a photographer. Since then, he has worked for prestigious publications, corporations, and institutions, like Sail, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Yachting, The New York Times, Oceans, Harper’s, Travel & Leisure, Audubon, Xerox, the U.S. Naval Academy, Finair, IBM, Perdue Farms, and Johns Hopkins. He is the author-photographer of Behind the Doors of San Miguel de Allende, and has also photographed and published books on the churches of SMA and the Chesapeake Bay area. Robert also writes a weekly column in the Atención.

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel, Aldama 53, and Centro. Check-in time is 12:00–12:25 and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. 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

Local Republican group to meet

Republicans Abroad of San Miguel de Allende is getting together for conversation, botanas, fellowship, voting and other important business. The meeting is on Thursday, September 27, 2007, 7pm, Fuentes de las Cibeles, 15 (inside the gated community at the top of Atascadero, home of Allie Noel).

“Finding Inner Peace” with the Ishayas

On Friday, September 28 at 4pm, Lifepath Retreat Center hosts a free, one-hour talk entitled “Finding Inner Peace,” presented by the Ishaya Monks of San Miguel. The Ishayas teach a series of powerful meditation techniques, called Ascension that lead you to experience your own inner source of peace, joy and unconditional love. The Ascension workshop will immediately follow the talk Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. For details please call the SMA Ishayas at 152-2531, or email sma_ishayas@yahoo.com.

Live your life fully with the Power of Your Words

With Conscious Language you learn the Domains of Self-Sabotaging Language patterns. The Domains of Self-Sabotaging Language are groupings of language patterns that tend to produce similar self-sabotaging results. Weekly gatherings are held in Sala Quetzal, 4pm on Fridays at the Biblioteca. Donations requested. You’ll learn specific words and phrases to use to upgrade each self-sabotaging language pattern. Required Prerequisites: Curiosity.

Get your questions answered from the US consul

To facilitate living and visiting San Miguel, US consul Ed Clancy holds an informal Question and Answer session every month. The next meeting is at 9:30am, Friday, October 5 at Café Etc, Reloj 37.

Classes & Workshops

Writer’s workshop at Lifepath

Kimberly Kinser is beginning the Fall 2007 workshop series at LifePath (Recreo 80) on October 2. The group meets for 10 weeks, every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm. Writers at all levels benefit from a weekly commitment to their craft in a safe and supportive environment. Each session includes two to three writing periods with a wide variety of prompts provided by Kimberly. Each member has an opportunity to read aloud their fresh, new writing and receive immediate feedback on the strengths of the piece from the other participants. Manuscript review and personal conferences are also included. The cost is US$200 or 2200 pesos for the entire 10 weeks. Please contact Kimberly by email kekinser@mac.com  to register or for more information.



Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventurers

This Saturday, the Adventurers will learn from Tomas LeNoir, the “Amber Man,” all about this 30-million-year-old gem that is mined in Chiapas. We will learn about the difficulty of digging out these ancient pieces of resin and see how, under the talented direction of Tomas, he turns them into glowing baubles for necklaces and rings. Did you know there is a rare moss green amber, and a wine red? His settings in gold or silver are exquisite, you can’t resist making a purchase.

From there, we drive to Rancho “Ojo de Agua,” a beautiful ranch with elegant Andalucian horses, and visit the beautifully decorated home of Lorena and Pablo Suárez. The pool-house is a triumph of ranch rustic with contemporary touches. This tour leaves from inside the Jardín, across from the Parroquia at 10:30am.

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, 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.

Lion’s Club trip to Puebla

The International Lions Club of San Miguel will be off for a 3 day trip to the state of Puebla on October 16, 17 & 18, 2007.

Besides the city of Puebla, the group will be traveling on a first class bus to the nearby town of Cholula (Choulula), known for a great pyramid honoring the god Quetzalcoatl that is now overgrown and topped by the Nuestra Senora de los Remedios Church.

On the itinerary is a drive through visit to the Africam—the African ecological park with its 3000+ animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, buffalo, deer, rhinoceros and peacocks roam free to live in a natural setting.

On the way home, the group will stop to visit Teotihuacan, “The Place Where Men Become Gods.” Group can visit the Street of the Dead, Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Plazas and Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, Jaguar Temple and the Palace of the Quetzal butterfly.

The cost of the trip is 1335 pesos per person double occupancy, and singles accommodations are 1930 pesos. The price includes first class bus, hotel, breakfasts, all tips and a donation to the club.

The donation assists the club in paying rent on our Thursday free eye exam and diabetes clinic on Calle Correo 63. The clinic has been in operation since 1992 and is free to needy Mexicans for eye exams and dispenses glasses as needed. In cases of dire need or medical needs, referrals to other San Miguel and Guanajuato charities are given.

Reservations and deposits must be made by October 5 for this trip. Call Lion Jean Schickel after September 20 at 152-0934 for payment and more information.

Films & Videos

Shalom SMA to show Israeli film

On Monday, Sept 29 at 4:30pm, Shalom San Miguel’s Forum Film program will present James’ Journey to Jerusalem. This film is a humorous human rights tale that tackles Israel’s “other issue”—illegal migrant workers.

In the imaginary village of Entshongweni, far from western civilization, young James is chosen to undertake a mission—a journey to the Holy Land—but Israel is no longer the “Holy Land” James and his people imagine.

James’ journey takes him through the heart of Israel’s economic system, as it examines human exploitation as a tool inherent in everyone who ever tried to survive in this money-hungry world. James learns the tricks of the game and plays it toward the inevitable end.

The film is on Monday, Sept 24, at 4:30pm in the TV salon of the Hotel Quinta Loreto. Join the discussion following the film. Your 50 peso donation to Shalom SMA is your ticket to a stimulating afternoon.

Bollywood Festival to benefit Alma

Alma, the home for the elderly here in San Miguel, has been given a wonderful gift. A fairly new visitor to San Miguel, Sam Chapra and his wife, Nadja, are preparing an exotic North Indian Dinner to open the Bollywood Festival at the Hotel Jacaranda on October 6 at 6pm with a large variety of delicious dishes. Following the dinner at 7:30pm, the first movie of the festival will be shown, DOR. All proceeds from the dinner and movie will go to Alma where 29 Mexicans and three North Americans are being lovingly cared for by a staff of eight with no government assistance. The 500 peso donation includes the dinner and the movie. Tickets will be sold in the Jardín from 10am to 1pm or please call Hotel Jacaranda to arrange for ticket pickup 152-1015. For more information, email sallysgems@yahoo.com.



"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 3:00 p.m. starting October 2nd. 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 mi
ssion 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 



Casita Linda

We build 12- by 14-foot houses with poured-concrete floors, walls and roof. Each has a metal door, a glass window, a sink, electricity and a shower with hot water. As the design of the house continues to evolve, we will soon increase the size of the house by about 30 square feet.

We are now building bunk beds, as many of the families have six to eight children. We also will be testing a “dry toilet” in one of the next houses.

The houses are built almost entirely by volunteers working on Wednesdays and Saturdays for five to seven hours per day. Our goal is to build a house in nine work sessions. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we are working on it. We provide all this for a cost of US$1,500 per house.

Although the work sessions are quite enjoyable, physical demands vary widely from strenuous when we are mixing concrete to easy when we are painting. In addition to meeting fellow volunteers, there is a lot of interaction with the families in the community.

For more information or to volunteer, contact jean@casitalinda.org  or marthacastriotta@yahoo.com .



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, the English Book Committee (which needs shelf readers at the moment), English classes and conversation with students, the computer room, the Sala Infantil with literacy programs and painting, administration, the Café, the Sunday House and Garden Tour and Atención. A minimum commitment of three months is requested for most of these positions.

Atenciòn seeks volunteer proofreaders

Always had a knack for catching grammatical errors? Would you love to help out with your favorite community newspaper, Atenciòn San Miguel? Consider signing on as a volunteer proofreader. Atenciòn would not make it to press each week without the countless hours invested by our beloved volunteer proofreaders. If you’re interested, send an inquiry to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org to set up a time to meet with the editorial staff. This requires a regular commitment by a full or part time resident.

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.