It's official!

It’s official! I was sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer on Wednesday, June 1st. I am very glad the training is over! My little Peace Corps lapel pin with the U.S. and Mexican flags is the hardest-earned token I have ever received. I arrived at my new site yesterday afternoon. In spite of a concerted effort to avoid buying souvenirs before moving from Queretaro, I arrived with six bags of stuff (all necessary, of course). I ended up giving some things to my host mother before I left to lighten the load. My new host mother (make that “sister”) is very nice and works in the same office as my counterpart. She lives with her boyfriend and her dog in a relatively modern house. Word to Sarah Palin: I can see a volcano from my house! I’m not sure if it’s the dormant one, but I’m probably better off not giving it a lot of thought. This is a charming little village and I’m already falling in love with it. I wouldn’t mind living here, in fact. There’s a lovely internet café and garden right across the street from my house that also sells ceramics, and the center cafeteria is only two blocks away. This morning I learned the story behind the persistent church bells and fireworks in the village. As a result, they are no longer as annoying, but just add to the charm of the place. During my site visit two weeks ago I thought the church bells were the product of some deranged priest in the belfry who rang the bells randomly day and night. And the ringing isn’t melodic, but a constant CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! During one serenade at 1 a.m. I timed the ringing at three minutes. When the bells aren’t ringing the silence is punctuated by fireworks at 6 a.m. First some background before I get to the bells: The local church is not much to look at from the outside, but it is absolutely stunning on the inside. I visited it this morning, and wasn’t able to take photos so I took notes. The church is famous for incorporating the indigenous people in the artwork, along with cherubs and other European influences. The walls are teal blue, and every inch of surface is covered with exquisite wooden carvings in deep relief, primarily in white with gilded edges and punctuated with primary colors. The effect of the white and gold against the teal blue is breathtaking. The walls behind the altar are entirely gilded. Carved heads with wide eyes, some dark-skinned and wearing feather headdresses, surround the interior and look down at the pews. Flowers are cultivated in the region, and there are fresh flowers everywhere – day lilies, callas, gladiolas, mums and roses. A foot-high pile of flower petals adorned the base of one of the Christ statues. I sat in the church and soaked up the delicious silence. I’m looking forward to going back there when I need peace and quiet. Now for the bells: The church actually has a bell committee and a fireworks committee, who decide the timing and frequency of the sounds. It’s a real honor to be named to a committee, I’m told. The bells are rung at 2 a.m. to tell potential thieves “I’m awake, so don’t bother coming inside to loot our precious artifacts and carvings.” The bells are also rung at 11 p.m. to tell all homeless people they can take refuge there. On days when the priest is present the bells are rung to tell everyone they can come for an audience. The first report begins at 6 a.m. with a single bell, followed by the aforementioned clanging. That is followed by another round about 15 minutes later, beginning with two bells to indicate it’s the second call. There’s a third and final call to say to the villagers, “Get your butts in gear,” but more delicately and in Spanish, of course. The fireworks are detonated every morning between 6 and 7 a.m. on days honoring Saints, which in Mexico is almost every day of the year. Because fireworks are so expensive, the number of reports is determined by the fireworks committee. If I do end up living here and not in a neighboring pueblo I’m going to have to stock up on earplugs.

Our trip to Mexico City last week was pleasant enough. The latest population count for the greater area is 110 million people and the place is huge. We visited CONACYT, the government office that has the arrangement with the Peace Corps to provide volunteers for their centers. We also visited the Ben Franklin Library at the U.S. Embassy and heard from U.S. Commercial Services about helping U.S. companies export to Mexico, then went to the U. of Mexico and the government office that handles patents and trademarks. The traffic was miserable.

We stayed at a charming little hotel called Casa Gonzales and had some nice meals in nearby restaurants, including lunch at a pre-Hispanic restaurant where we could choose either grasshopper soup or pasta with corn fungus as the first course. Someone in the group tried to make the fungus sound appealing by pointing out that it's "the black slimy stuff on the outside of ears of corn." I had the fungus anyway, comforted by the fact that I had an Epipen in my purse, which ultimately stayed in my purse.

Monday is my first day of work and I’m anxious to get started on what I came here to do. I’ll report back soon.