EIL Intercultural Learning

¿Que Onda Folks? I´ve really settled into life here in Ventanilla on the South West Coast of Mexico. This week I started giving guitar lessons to some of the local boys, and have discovered first hand why this part of the world gets a reputation for being laid back...! Here, 4pm means anywhere between ten past 4 and 6pm, which makes scheduling lessons tricky! Still, they´re getting better, and I have a couple of Carlos Santanas here in the making! I have also learned a thing or two myself, learning a few songs from the region and jamming with a few of the guides which was really enjoyable.

 
Things are a little quieter now here with regards to tourists, as school vacations are over, and August is the rainy month down here (although comparably dry with Ireland!). I have still managed to take a couple tours in English, although my rowing leaves much to be desired. Still, I´m getting plenty of pratice in the mornings as we have been planting Mangroves in much deeper parts of the lagoon over the last week. I have also mastered enough Spanish to take orders at the restaurant, even though I get curious looks from niños who have never seen such pale skin before!
 
Last weekend I was granted a bit of a break from my duties, and visited some of the coast´s hotspots, including Puerto Escondido, which is renowned among surfing communites as one of the top pipelines in the world. There was a tournament on when I visited, but unfortunately I arrived on an off-day for waves, so didn´t see any competitive surfing. Still, it was a good excuse to explore the smaller,  hidden (esondido) beaches nearby which truly are beautiful.
 
I also went to the nearby town of Tona Meca for a big fiesta with a family from the village. In Mexico, the Saints are regarded with great revernce, and I have lost track of the number of festivals in honour of Saints I have encountered! This one hosted some of the mosty amazing (and disconcertingly dangerous) fireworks I have ever seen, all constructed by locals from the village. Many of the fireworks are mounted on a wicker ´Toro´ which local men strap to there backs and run around with - being more or less the only ´Guero´at event I was a prime target for these men, and was caught in the line of fire more than once! But it was all a good laugh, and as an awe-inspiring finale, the local church became a fountain of fireworks! After there was a big dance in a neary field and we danced to some of the local Banda and Cumbia music which was a little like a Ceile, but with more rhythm!
 
Unfortunately, the local chicken tortillas at the event didn´t agree with me, and I was suffering the next day! However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I was able to learn a lot about archaic Mexican natural remedies! My ´foster mother´ Trinny, who works at the restaurant, gave me half a lime with salt to put on my belly and tea made from Albacar leaves. I politely decline the Mezcal (very strong local liquer!) she offered me, only for her to put some on a cloth with lime juice and chopped Paraiso to wrap around my head. She then took me through a masterclass of old native remedies, including putting clay and tomato on swelling, and using lime juice to clean out your eyes!! Mezcal also seemed to be a solution to many problems - they say Mexicans drink Mezcal when they are sick and when they are healthy too! Anyway, I´m not sure if it was the home remedies and tasty local broths, or just the paracetamol from Boots that did the trick, but I was fine by the next day!
 
Right now I am in neighbouring Mazunte, about to take a look around the turtle museum. The turtle team check the beach at 4am every morning to look for eggs, and next week I will join them once or twice (depending on whether 4 am actually means 4am...!) to give a hand. In the mean time, Hasta Luego muchachos!
 
Brian