Two big trips recently, one to Guadalajara, Jalisco to take the GREs which was a nice trip, Guadalajara is a very spanish looking city with a lot of museums and also, it is seriously the city of the alarm clock sellers, it seemed like every vendor downtown had a hundred alarm clocks for sale, and to advertise they have them all beeping so that sound accompanied all of my sight seeing.

I saw one Orozco mural which was a bloody depiction of the workers´struggle. I also went to Pátzcuaro, Michoacán for Dia de Muertos but the coolest thing was the church of the virgin of health which was really wonderful. The best part of dia de muertos however was good old Celaya. I went to the cemetery which is right downtown and there was quite a fair going on there, all sorts of food and fruit and veg stands as well as sugar skulls and flowers for the graves and inside the cemetery people were having candlelight vigils by the graves.

At one grave house there was a small group playing music, everyone was drinking tequila and I could see the inside was colorfully decorated and people were cheering the band. There were candles everywhere and some people painted the statues of Mary and Jesus for the occasion. Then the next week, there were fires lit on all the side streets leading to the cemetery (or pantheón) to guide the souls there. On my walk home from the cemetery that night i saw a lot of people in their little houses having vigils with dia de muertos alters that were so beautiful, both simple and elaborate and so colorful. At school we made little sugar fruits with our kids for the alter and in the primary school ( i work in the kinder which is across the street) my music teacher friend put together an awesome program and made the alter dedicated to Frida Kahlo. I also had a great time shopping at the dia de los muertos market, all the skeleton stuff, sugar food and offerings and all that stuff that your heart could desire.

Spanish is hard toda via but I´m starting classes for real now. The classes through my school (which is still constantly trying to cheat us out of every dime) never panned out. And I´m reading harry potter in Spanish. i just love that little guy!

Dave is coming to visit me in december and we are going to make our way down south to Oaxaca which is one of the most beautiful states in Mexico and home to much of the Mexican culture that i just want more and more of!

And also i am singing with a Christmas choir which is fun but frustrating because a lot of times I don't understand the instructions and I am the only soprano.