AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Sharing her sabbatical research at this week’s meeting, Rev. Gail Tapscott introduces, in “The Quest for Mary Poppins,” a side of the famous Disney singing nanny we may find puzzling and hard to believe. The creator of Mary Poppins, P.L Travers, was a mystical and brilliant student of poetry, mythology, folklore and religion who imbued the original stories with spiritual lessons for 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

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.

Retinopathy camera and laser installed

On Monday, March 30, at noon, the Interim Mayor of San Miguel, Rudolfo Jurado Maycotte, will join Dr. Jorge Vidargas Rojas, the Director of the Hospital General, and members of the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday, to celebrate the installation of a diabetic retinopathy camera and laser machine. The interested public is invited to attend the ceremony.

The camera, which cost US$18,000, is used for detection, and the laser machine, at US$32,000, can then repair the rear of the eye and save eyesight. Major funding came from the Rotary Clubs of Tallahassee, FL and St. Francisville, LA. Gary Peterson is the project leader for the local Rotary Club. 

Dr. George Bresnick, an expert in diabetic retinopathy, returned to San Miguel to oversee the equipment installation and training of local doctors. On March 12, he began treating patients. With a waiting list of several hundred, the equipment addresses a major problem here. 



Women Mystics

Saint Teresa of Avila is the subject of the fourth and final free Lenten lecture on Women Mystics at St. Paul’s Church, Cardo 6, on Tuesday, March 31 at noon. Saint Teresa (1515-1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic nun who founded convents across Spain, including Toledo, Segovia and Seville. She was beatified in 1614, canonized in 1622 and in 1970 made a Doctor of the Church. She is venerated by the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican churches. Her mystical writings are found in several books, including her autobiography written before 1567. The kernel of her mystical literature concerns the ascent of the soul in four stages. She is one of the foremost writers on “mental prayer.” The Rev. Deacon Sibylle van Dijk gives the lecture, followed by a panel discussion in the Parish Hall. The church is offering a full Holy Week program beginning with a processional service on Palm Sunday, April 5, culminating in an Easter dinner after the service on April 12.

Artist’s talk

On Sunday, April 5, photographer Todd Williams holds an artist’s talk discussing his book and show entitled San Miguel de Allende: A Visual Diary, at Galeria Bordello, Organos 19, immediately after the House & Garden Tour. Call (415) 100-5129 for information.

Classes & Workshops

Botanical art classes in Spanish 

The workshop in botanical art techniques uses the garden as laboratory. Classes are limited to 15 and cost US$265, or $235 for El Charco members. For reservations or information, email nzerriffi@yahoo.com. Classes in Spanish are March 28–29, with Alifie Rojas.

Floral Design for Beginners

Wendy Sievert offers a four-hour workshop on the fundamentals of floral design, including a discussion of color theory, proportion and scale, selection and care of flowers and traditional and modern design. Each participant will construct a small centerpiece to take home. All supplies and containers are included, and no previous experience is required. Sievert has twice won “Best in Show” at the Garden Club of San Miguel’s Flower Show. The class is Saturday, April 4, 10am–2pm and limited to 12 participants. Registration is US$50 (or peso equivalent)—call 154-5058 or email wendymex2@hotmail.com. 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

This Saturday will be an education from the masters at the Pepe Hernández factory on how to do papier-mâché. All of those natural-looking fruits, vegetables, sweet rolls and doughnuts began with lowly toilet paper, newspapers or brown wrapping paper. The paper is torn to bits, mixed with flour, water and glue to form a mushy mix, then put in the mold. After it sets a bit, the object is carefully removed and hung to dry. Then the varnish and shellac layers begin, with drying between each. Their talented employees put on the cosmetics, which turn a greyish form into a bite-able red apple or a peachy colored slice. Their showroom is filled with barrels of their products, all at factory prices. Hanging, cavorting clowns would be a great gift for your grandkids.

Now to Puerto de Sosa, a seventeenth-century hacienda whose chapel still has barely visible frescos. Nearby, a mammoth stone granary built by Otomí laborers held grain for the hacienda animals. The colonial-style home built around the central patio is basically original, with a few modern amenities such as a kitchen. A seldom-used door goes to the stables, so the ladies could be driven directly into the central patio. In front of the home, a duck family floats gracefully over a beautiful lagoon. Take along 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. The juice bar next to the gift shop has water and refreshments. The easiest way here is by taxi. Staff will call a taxi for the return trip. Reservations are not necessary. Information: www.elcharco.org  or email nzerriffi@yahoo.com. 

Performances & Events

Daniel Robinson joins Biblioteca Board

The Biblioteca Pública is pleased to announce that Daniel Robinson has joined the board as Assistant Treasurer. Daniel has had a long and distinguished career in Canada and in Latin America in the banking and energy industries, specializing in finance. Daniel has also worked translating legal documents from Spanish and Portuguese into English and has been a volunteer Spanish and English proofreader for Atención.

The board is excited to have Daniel as a member concentrating on financial issues, as the Biblioteca is in the midst of updating its financial-reporting procedures.

Bellydance Show

This Improv International event includes Terri Walden from Prescott, Arizona, Flo Bargar from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sharon Kerr from Cuernavaca as well as dancers from Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi.

Tribal Style Bellydance utilizes a language as a basis for improvisation, somewhat like jazz musicians. The festival and workshops, organized by Elsanne from San Miguel, display their skills to the fullest. El Viejo Topo Café-Teatro at Stirling Dickinson 28 hosts the event on Thursday, April 2 at 9pm. Call 154-8701 to reserve; cover is 150 pesos.

The Bellydance Workshop is Thursday–Sunday, April 2–5, beginning at 9am daily. The cost is 2500 pesos.

The Contact Improv Dance Workshop is Monday–Wednesday, April 6–8, 1–4pm, and costs 900 pesos. Both workshops are at Libelula Estudio de Danza, Plaza de San Antonio 10B. Visit www.libeluladanza.com  or call (415) 109-4982 for information or to register.

Films & Videos

Meditation Center

The Meditation Center at Callejon Blanco 4, near Quebrada, presents a video and discussion of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Engaged Buddhism on Thursday, April 2, at 5:30pm. The films are free, though donations are always welcome. Please arrive well before 5:30, as seating is limited and late arrivals disturb others.

Thich Nhat Hanh (called Thay for short) is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk. During the war, he lost his family and worked for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam. His lifelong efforts to generate peace moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. 

Thay has written several books showing Jesus and Buddha as “dharma brothers,” and once said: “Do not be bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.”

Michael LaTriano and Maureen Radl will present video excerpts from Thay’s Hanoi retreat in 2008. Although the theme is “Engaged Buddhism,” the retreat is an excellent introduction to Thay’s mindfulness practice, clearly explaining how “peace is every step” and just walking on this earth is a miracle.







Volunteer Opportunities

Does your nonprofit need some extra help, perhaps for an upcoming event? Send short requests for volunteers to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line.

Atención proofreaders needed 

Atención seeks help with typo suppression—proofreading. The ideal candidates will have some professional experience in journalism or publishing, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Just drop by sometime for the 20-minute, nitpicking proofreading test. Hours are flexible, but the people who come Thursdays and Fridays like wrestling with manuscripts, while the Tuesday people prefer galleys. 

San Miguel School of English

The school is looking for a volunteer to record student registration and payment at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters (only from September to mid-October and January to mid-February). The job entails enrolling students and reconciling payment with a receipt to the student. You will be working with a treasurer and administrator, so it is not necessary to collect the tuition. Some knowledge of Excel is helpful but not necessary. The school teaches Mexican adults who wish to improve their opportunities for employment and for cultural enhancement. All teachers are volunteers and tuition is kept very low so that all may have an opportunity to learn. Call Jean Yeager at 152-0916 for further details.