December 21, 2007, A Christmas wish for San Miguel, By Gabriela Blanco, La Virgen arrives in la cocina, Letters to Santa, A special way to spend Christmas morning, Garbage: A problem with many solutions, By Wendolyn Vázquez Marín

A Christmas wish for San Miguel
By Gabriela Blanco

The holiday season is a time for reflection, generosity and goodwill towards our fellowman. Atención asked what people wished for the city of San Miguel. Below is the Christmas wish for the city.

Eduardo, lawyer (49)
Optimal use of public resources for better health and education programs for sanmiguelenses, as well as more services for less privileged neighborhoods.

Carmen, street florist (70)
More tourists; it doesn’t matter where the people come from, and lower prices it’s essential that San Miguel become cheaper for the tourists to return.

Katharine, retired teacher (60)
The ocean to come here.

Soledad, student (17)
Lower prices.

Roberta, retired government employee (60)
Lower prices of rents and properties.

José Antonio, bartender, (36)
The return of the Sanmigueleada because it was an important source of income for everyone.

José Luís, theater manager, (56)
For all borders to be eliminated

Noe, student (17)
More malls.

Alejandra, artist (29)
For the whole downtown to be open only for pedestrians.

Guillermo, student (18)
No more American people here

Mary Cecilia, dancer
More theater and dance for everyone

Lety, gallery owner(35)
Equal economic opportunity for everyone.

Juán, restaurant owner (50+)
To thank the authorities because they do their work well

Rosario, communication (48)
Less noise in our lives, but we need to speak up more about important issues.

Larizza, photographer (33)
That the water supply never ends and that workers’ salary increase in order to have a more dignified life.

Lucero, designer (34)
To improve the quality of life for artists and keep its small town feel.

Martha, street merchant (40)
More tourists, lower prices

Toshiro, handyman (23)
No more developments here.

Jorge, sculptor (44)
For San Miguel to return to how it was many years ago.

Jesus, journalist (42)
For San Miguel not lose its provincial ambiance and that the city is not without water.

La Virgen arrives in la cocina

Last week, as many were observing the annual festivities that surround the coming of the Virgen of Guadalupe to the indio Juan Diego, a local Guanajuato man was blessed with a personal sighting in his kitchen. As reported in the December 13 edition of Correo, Salvador Hernández Barrera was chopping tomatoes and, on his last slice, observed the image of the Virgen in the shadows of the flesh. The “wonderful gift” brought Barrera to tears, and moved him to place the tomato on an altar which has been visited by more than a thousand people since the sighting.

Letters to Santa

Susan McKinney de Ortega’s Advanced English class at Colegio Atabal includes students from ages 11 through 15. Earlier this month, they wrote letters to Santa Claus.

Dear Santa,

What I want for Christmas is a saddle for Poff and to get good grades.

Sincerely, Claudia (age 11)

Dear Santa,

This year I would like a dragon. I would really like to fly on it. I also want some fairies so I can dance with them. Oh! Also a shiny star for my room and a colorful rainbow for the ceiling, and please don’t forget to bring me a card to travel the world for free with a friend. A time machine would be nice.

Well, I think that’s all. I would let Rudolph eat one or two cookies if I were you.

Hugs and kisses, Andrea (age 15)

P.S. Don’t forget the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Dear Santa,

This Christmas I would like a robot horse that’s alive and it eats screws and drinks oil and poops nails.

Josie (age 12)

P.S. Lay off the cookies.

Dear Santa,

I was wondering if you are OK after delivering so many presents for so many years.

Maria (age 13)

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I want a jetpack and a lot of money, like $4,000, and a motorcycle so the three cousins could ride motorcycles. Oh! This one is a really good wish— to have a chip in my head to have all the knowledge in the world, and because of that to never have to go to school again, and I wish the same thing for all my friends so I can go to their houses in the morning and have a lot of fun and an infinite portion of gum and cookies.

Your faithful friend, Yan (age 13)

Dear Santa,

Hi! I hope everything is great at the North Pole! You didn’t eat the cookies I gave you last year. Well, this year I’ve been a very, very good boy so this is what I want for Christmas:
A trip anywhere with Viviana for at least two weeks.
A pair of socks
A new drum set
Peace and love to the world.
Merry Christmas!

Your friend, Luis Eduardo (age 14)

Dear Santa,

This Christmas I feel like…hmm, it’s hard, but I would like:
A horse album
New clothes
A new helmet for riding
Surprises
Stuff for my horse, Lucky
Horse stickers for my bedroom
And a very, very good day.

Love, Carla (age 13)

Dear Santa,

This year I’ll tell you my most desired wishes:
I have always wanted to fly!
I want a parrot to talk with.
If you can make all the teachers good, it would be great!
And being with my friends would be super!
I hope all the reindeer are good!

Ana (age 12)

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I want to never have to go to school again but to know everything. That way I would have more free time.

Your friend, Bruno (age 11)

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like a powder that can make my horse, Andale, a super horse. It will work like this: I will have this spray powder that can make him big and small in my pocket. So I will carry him in my pocket and when I need to run away I will take him out and spray him. He turns big and I get on him and run off.

Love, Sean (age 11)

Dear Santa,

I hope you are making a lot of toys for Christmas. If you would be so kind as to give me a machine that can form clouds however I want to, a machine that can answer all the questions I ask and finally I would like a machine that can create people.

Signed, Mateo (age 12)

Dear Santa,

For Christmas, I would like:
A big and cool house to live in with my friends (with a pool).
A very extravagant pink flying convertible.
An all-expense-paid trip to Europe with all my friends and family.
A very good life.
And I would like a laptop and a credit card (with money included— and a lot!).

Happy Christmas, Irene (age 12)

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good boy in school, in my house and with my parents. And I have helped old people. This Christmas, I want underwear, a new pencil box for school and a pair of shoes.

Thank you, Attn: Julio (age 13)

A special way to spend Christmas morning

Here’s a way to give yourself a holiday treat for 100 pesos, and help provide underprivileged children with medical and dental care. Patronatos Pro Niños (PPN), one of the oldest and most vibrant organizations in San Miguel, is offering a once-a-year-special: A two-hour guided tour of Centro on Christmas morning. The presentation includes not only historical information about buildings and places of interest, but on this day guides will also offer insights to customs observed by Mexicans during the Christmas season. People should gather in the Jardín at 9:45am, across from the Parroquia for a prompt departure at 10am.

The Christmas Day Walking Tour has become a tradition for residents and visitors alike. Beginning five years ago with two guides, PPN now has four guides to lead people around the 10-block area. Others have made it a party and came with a group. Betse Davies, who heads PPN’s Walking Tours, suggests staying in town for a cup of cappuccino or lunch at one of the several restaurants around the Jardín that will be open on Christmas. Whether you have been naughty or nice, PPN invites you to join the Christmas Day Special or one of its other regularly scheduled tours that week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:45am. For additional information, please call Betse Davies at 154-4353.

Solid waste is refuse that is not hazardous and can be reused, recycled, or transformed into energy. Solid waste that can no longer be exploited in any way is garbage and is relegated to a dump. Some examples of inorganic solid waste are aluminum, glass and paper. Examples of organic solid waste are fruits and vegetables, eggshells, garden trimmings and coffee and tea grounds.

A hundred tons a day

In Guanajuato, 4,600 tons of solid waste are generated daily, of which 99.32 tons come from San Miguel de Allende. Of the total solid waste generated, 70 percent is produced in households; 20 percent in offices, shops and businesses; 5 percent comes from hospitals and 5 percent from pruning of green areas.

The amount of waste generated grows daily because products are constantly being consumed. In the 1950s, each citizen produced on average 370 grams of waste per day. Nowadays, this number has more than doubled, to nearly 800 grams– 1.5 kg per person (SEMARNAT 2006, Mexican pollution standards).

Change is necessary to transform the cycle of buying, using and discarding into a cycle of reducing, reusing and recycling. The first step to counteract increases in solid waste is to reduce the amount generated. Simple things such as taking a shopping bag along to the market, exchanging “unicel” plastic glasses for more durable ones, or consuming products with little packaging will help keep our garbage cans from filling up so quickly.

The second step is to reuse solid waste. Using both sides of a piece of paper and reusing glass jars to store other products or as drinking glasses would remove that material from the waste category.

Finally, we should recycle containers that cannot otherwise be reused. To facilitate recycling, it is important to separate plastics, aluminum, paper and cardboard, batteries, glass and organic waste.

In San Miguel de Allende we have a waste separation plant that is not yet operational, but several locations recycle plastic, metals, cardboard, batteries and glass. For now, we invite you to facilitate recycling by following three simple steps:

1. Separate waste at the household level.

2. Make compost with the organic waste.

3. Deliver the rest of your separated solid waste to collection centers or hand it over to the garbage trucks that collect in your area.

During 2007, 1,200 third-grade elementary students from San Miguel have learned how to make compost thanks to instruction from the Environmental Education Project San Miguel de Allende (PEASMA in Spanish). It is important to foster environmentally friendly habits from a young age that can be carried into adulthood. We hope that adults will also join this environmental culture through simple and everyday activities such as separating garbage and making compost.

What is composting?

Composting involves transforming organic waste (in this case, kitchen and garden refuse) into a product known as compost-humus. This is not only a high-quality organic fertilizer, but it also improves the structure of the soil, providing humic materials that can compensate for losses due to human activities.

The benefits of making compost include reducing the volume of garbage generated at home by up to 50 percent, helping to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, increasing soil porosity (this facilitates its permeability and water retention, which reduces the need to water the plants as frequently), and reducing the incidence of disease and pests in plants and trees.

How to compost

Assemble a compost container and place it on level ground. In the bottom of the receptacle, build up a 10- to 20-cm layer of twigs and small branches.

Add a layer of dry leaves, flowers and grass, and then cover this with a layer of black soil.

Add another layer of organic waste and cover it with black soil, continuing to alternate a layer of organic waste and a layer of black soil until the compost container is full.

It is important to cover the container with a black plastic lid to generate heat and avoid excess rain.

Once the container is full, you can remove the compost-humus from the bottom compartment. If, when extracting the compost-humus, you observe that the organic material is not completely broken down, give it more time.

You will have compost-humus after 45 to 90 days, depending on weather conditions and the type of organic waste used.

To learn more about environmental education in San Miguel, visit the website http://www.peasma.com.

Waste	Location	Hours	Accepted items

Glass	GuajuyeLupita #2 Estación de FerrocarrilTel. 152-7030	9am– 2pm and 4pm– 5pmMonday– Friday	All kinds of glass, whole or broken

Batteries	Art PrintSan Francisco # 11Colonia CentroTel. 152-1575 and 154-9596	10am– 2pm Monday– Friday	All alkaline batteries, AA and AAA size. Both poles should be covered with masking tape.

Cardboard,Junk metal, Aluminum, Copper, Bronze, Brass, Car batteries	Recicladora de San MiguelLibramiento Dolores #6Colonia OlimpoTel. 150-7203	9:30am– 5pm Monday– Friday 9:30am– 3pm Saturday	All kinds of material in any form or container

Plastic bags	St. Paul’s ChurchCardo #6 Tel. 152-0387	9am– 2pm Monday– Friday9am– 1pm Saturday	Clean plastic bags, whether white, black or clear (not bubble wrap)

Plastic containers	Escuela Leona VicarioGarambullo #13Colonia Palmita de LandetaTel.120-3961	8am– 1pm Monday– Friday	We accept clean and compacted plastic containers, clear or colored, green, blue, etc.

Plastic containers	Escuela Nigromante Las Moras s/n Colonia AllendeTel. 152-0648	8am– 1pm Monday– Friday

Plastic containers	Escuela José Vasconcelos Barrio del Obraje s/n en el ObrajeTel. 152-1869	8am– 2pm Monday– Friday

Organic waste (generated at home)	FAI –PEASMAHidalgo #13Colonia CentroTel. 152-3686	10am– 2pm Monday– Friday	For information and tips on making compost or to purchase compost containers