AROUND TOWN
Meetings & Lectures
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
“Bridging the Cultural Gap” is the topic for this week’s meeting. “What do our Mexican neighbors really think of us?” “What do we need to know about Mexican culture to be welcomed members of the community?” and “How can we bridge the gap between two such seemingly disparate cultures?” are some of the questions to be addressed in a forum featuring four bilingual speakers intimately familiar with both cultures—Irma Rosado, Hector Ulloa, José Luís Zamora and Dorothy Gonzalez.
Rosado is a principal and co-founder of Casita Linda, the nonprofit organization that provides housing to the poorest. She holds a BA from Hunter College and an MBA from Columbia University. Ulloa is currently the academic dean at the Instituto Allende and a former editor of Atención. Zamora holds a degree in mechanical engineering from UNAM and worked in international commerce with Pemex and Xerox. Dorothy Gonzalez founded CEREKA, a local organization that works with severely handicapped children and adults.
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.
Midday Rotary Club
On Tuesday, July 14, we welcome Cynthia Silva Villagran and Margo Seymour from the Center for Adolescents of San Miguel de Allende (CASA). Development Director Villagran has worked in public relations for eight years and assumed her CASA position 10 months ago. She started volunteering for nonprofit organizations as a teenager, studied international relations and now has an MA in public relations. Seymour, a CASA volunteer, currently is pursuing an MA in international development with a focus on maternal health and midwifery in Toronto, Ontario.
They will present an overview of CASA, its history, current programs and plans for the future. CASA serves the young people of San Miguel and their families through a maternity hospital, Mexico’s first midwifery school, peer counseling, sexual education, a theater troupe, a radio program, a violence prevention program, a child development center, library and computer center.
The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets Tuesdays at Hotel Real de Minas, intersection of calles Ancha de San Antonio and Stirling Dickinson. Check-in time is 12–12:15pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. Visit
www.rotarysma.org for more information.
Lions Club International
The Lions Club next meets Thursday, July 16, at Don Quijote restaurant, Prolongación de Pila Seca 55. Check in time is 12:30pm and the meeting begins at 1pm. You may order lunch from the special menu and parking is ample. For additional information, contact Norma Robinson at 120-0726.
Empowerment Center
Rev. Nancy Anderson offers “Choices That Free” a metaphysical spiritual talk at the 12:30pm Sunday service, July 12, at Laura Shermer’s Empowerment Center, Privada de La Aurora 5 in Col. Guadalupe. Live music by Billie Rose and Gene and Suzanne Otis will enhance the service.
Rev. Anderson explores the choices we really are free to make and how those choices can free us from unwanted burdens and also bring us freedom to be and do what is authentic for us. She also recognizes the blessings of freedom we have in San Miguel, Mexico, the US and Canada. For information, call Rev. Anderson at 152-4606 or Laura at 044 (415) 151-7007.
Tours & Excursions
Saturday Adventure Tours
The interesting home of Eunice O’Hanna is located on one of San Miguel’s loveliest streets. Her showroom overflows with her one-of-a-kind Aztec-inspired necklaces. The problem is which to choose; they are all exquisite. Eunice’s sense of humor is reproduced in the murals on the walls. Notice Adam and Eve, right after the serpent enters Eden. So much to see here, so many novel ideas in décor.
Out now to the beautiful Rancho Olivos. When Robin and Rebecca bought the property, it was twice the size. They sold off half, built the home you now see and began the improvements. One of these, the lake with the pair of black swans, set the tone of the ranch. The home is more European, perhaps French Country, with soft pastels and some painted furniture—a home to relax in and enjoy. Outside, animals are everywhere; besides the usual dogs and cats, you’ll find horses, llamas from Peru and a very amusing talking parrot. You are going to love roaming around on this gentleman’s ranch, through the gardens filled with flowering plants. The olive trees are not yet producing; the trees need at least 12 years to bear olives. Don’t forget your camera!
These tours benefit the Centro de Crecimiento school for disabled children and leave the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am.
Botanical Garden Tour
A guided tour in English of El Charco del Ingenio each Tuesday and Thursday, 10am–12:30pm, is a fun and informative activity for people of all ages. Entry is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. Wear a hat and closed shoes. A shuttle is available now from the corner of Juárez and San Francisco, leaving at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm. Return trips are available, 11am–5pm. The cost is 20 pesos per person per trip. Reservations are not necessary. Information:
www.elcharco.org or email nzerriffi@yahoo.com.
Performances & Events
Literary Society Jamaican Party
The San Miguel Literary Society is hosting “Meet the Playwright/Jamaican Party” following the opening-night performance of the Off-Broadway play, Jamaica, Farewell, and everyone is welcome. The one-woman play, written and performed by playwright Debra Ehrhardt, opens Friday, July 10 at 8pm and runs for three nights in Teatro Santa Ana. The Literary Society party in the Café Santa Ana immediately follows the Friday night opening, with Jamaican drinks, food and music. Admission to the party is 50 pesos and Literary Society members are free. Proceeds help sponsor the Teen Writers Workshops (www.sanmiguelworkshops.com), which offers free writing courses in Spanish to San Miguel teens.
The Literary Society also helps fund the Authors’ Sala monthly readings and book signings; the Spanish-language weekly literary radio program; an anthology of local writers, Solamente en San Miguel; and the annual Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival, now in its fifth year. Past guests include Tom Robbins (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues), Erica Jong (Fear of Flying) and Tom Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Visit
www.sanmiguelauthors.com a to find out more.
Meditation Center: Zen chants
The Meditation Center of San Miguel presents “One Enchanting Evening,” Tuesday, July 14, at 5:30pm, Callejon Blanco 4. Come and chant! No experience necessary to be touched and energized by the rhythm and sounds of Zen as it’s been practiced for centuries. We’ll chant in English, Spanish and Japanese, and learn about some chants, including the Heart Sutra. Led by Carol Schmitt and Rick Spencer. Schmitt trained for three years at Tassajara and has been a long-time resident of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Spencer leads a meditation group in Puerto Vallarta and has practiced Zen Buddhism for 25 years. Presentations of the center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.
Singles Social Group
San Miguel Wednesday Social Group meets at Restaurant Bacco, Hotel Sautto, Hernández Macías 59. Singles, couples and anyone interested in meeting new people are welcome every Wednesday, 5:30–7:30pm, for 2-for-1 national drinks, delicious Mexican botanas and lively conversation.
Films & Videos
Meditation Center
The Meditation Center of San Miguel presents a video talk by Sylvia Boorstein, Practicing Vipassana in the Spirit of Metta, Thursday, July 16, at 5:30pm at Callejon Blanco 4. Presentations of the Center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.
Boorstein says, “As a parent, grandparent and a psychotherapist, I teach out of the stories of my life and the lives of those around me. I am especially touched by personal narrative, accounts of spiritual journeys, and how these become vehicles for connecting with the dharma. I believe in revealing my own story so that others are more at ease to reveal theirs. Truth-talking is a way out of suffering. Discovering how our hearts and minds work and creating a dialogue supports right speech practice. This is an ongoing primary practice we can do all the time. My hope is that I encourage people how to pay attention and to tell the truth by example.”
Volunteer Opportunities
Does your nonprofit need some extra help, perhaps for an upcoming event? Send new, short requests for volunteers to
edit@atencionsanmiguel.org
with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line. Listings run for four issues.
Theater technicians needed
The Playreaders of San Miguel seek production crew, especially light and sound people, for our bi-weekly play readings. Our stage equipment is new and semi-sophisticated, and our tech director will train you. Join this vibrant theater team, get involved in a fun community organization and learn some new skills along the way! Contact Lola Smith at
lolasmithsma@yahoo.com or Fran Rowe at
franrowemex@yahoo.com.
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