A couple of weeks back someone posted a comment in our blog referring us to a very interesting blog about Ciudad Obregón. In this blog you can find stories written either in English or Spanish, which is kind of confusing. But for anyone that wants to have a look this is the URL: http://obson.wordpress.com.

Sadly, his blog is blocked in our university, so that I can’t post links to certain post of it. I’ll do this though as soon as I find time today or tomorrow…

What would be the least thing you would expect to find in Ciudad Obregon? Yes, you guessed correctly: Monks from India that are work in a missionary.

When talking to those two lovely gentlemen, they explained me that they have made an over 45 hour journey through the entire world to finally come to Obregon. Well actually, they live along an ethnic group called the: Primas. This is one of original inhabitants Sonora’s. And the town they come from is over 4 hours away. But they currently are attending a church congress.

We probably talked for good half an hour about everything that came into our mind. But something that he told me really made me smile and it reminded me on the problems I sometimes have in Mexico.

In the past, they asked people, if they would want to attend a holy mass. And the Primas always replied “Yes we will come”. Apparently when it was time for the mess no one showed up.

This just reminds me, on the time when I lend money to someone and he said over a period of 4 month: “tomorrow you get it. Don’t worry”.

Just in case you guys will ever read this.

Thanks John for taking your time to talk with me and Estefania. Sadly I don’t remember the name of his fellow mate. But of course a big thanks to you too.

Gracefully Thomas

Yay, happy birthday Florian. Hope you have a great day and celebrate lots, and lots.

Everybody that wonders and asks himself: who is Florian?  He’s currently a student in Darmstadt where he studies Informatic, if I’m not mistaken. His blog address is: http://www.q-nox.de/blog. I’ve known him all my life and therefore it’s very sad that we’re not able to drink a birhtday beer together.

Anyway, happty birthday Flo.

Some people might will know that I’m a bit picky when it comes to eat food. But once I like something I can always eat it. This for example counts, for fried fish. I just love it. And today we got a nice chance to eat it again. It was just delicious. And while eating in this restaurant, we had a chance to listen to live music and watch the ocean and birds. Yes even one of my favorite birds: pelicans. http://www.break.com/index/pelican_eats_a_duck.html.

Being full and done with our food, we went to a nice and almost lonely and clean looking beach. The only downside was the weather. Which didn’t allow us to swim. I bet in summer it’s super awesome!

Now, we just can wait till Thursday, because then there should be a military parade in Cd. Obregon.

I Can’t wait… It’s not like that a normal day already feels like a military parade. Because there is often lots of police or army presence. And there is even more, as soon as you drive to the north of Sonora.

EDIT:

Garr, the parades are already on Monday. That’s why I wasn’t able to go to the parade in Cd. Obregon. But instead to the parade in Hutabampo. Which apparently was kind of disappointing, since it the parade consisted mostly, if not 90% out of schools walking down the road. The from me expected police, army didn’t – really – show up. Maybe they were just busy fighting crime.

In fact, the police send only two cars, of whom none seemed to have been cleaned for the parade.

Oh well, it was still really nice. Even though the surrounding felt kind of strange, because after the parade, when we where going to eat. At least 100 children came running towards us. The reason why they did this is simple and idiotic: a fight. Kind of strange, no?

We have a long weekend, because on Thursday is the day of the Mexican revolution! O.k. Fair question why is there no University on Monday the 17^th, when on Thursday the 20^th the revolution was – I don’t know!

Anyway, me and my host family went to the mayo village la Esquina again. No it doesn’t get boring going to the same places over and over again…or does it?

Since it’s just a 2 hour drive, through the Sonora outback. We arrived quickly at our desired destination.

The last time we went to the village. We experienced something very Mexican: the day of the dead or death day. And this week, we did one – well let’s say two – new things.

First of all, we went to a 15^th birthday in a close village near by. However we also drove with a carriage, which is if you ask was way more exciting!

It’s probably best to show a picture of that carriage first. So, everybody knows what I’m – more like we – drove around. Basically it’s a tired horse, tiny car wheels and car suspension. Hell yeah that thing rocks! Every family that in this village either owns one of those things or has a car…because you see them riding around almost everywhere. Sadly, we got a tired horse. So, that it was just moving very slow. It’ walked not faster then a slow moving grandpa with a walking stick. To the horse excuse, on the carriage were riding four people.

Anyway, we where riding down the road, next to a canal – with dirty, deep water.

As we were riding along. We came to a point where we had to make a U-turn – a fatal turn. While the driver was slowly -driving- the horse backwards, we came closer and closer to the canal… Slowly, very slowly.

A shout: “ALTO“. No reaction. BAM.

Horse slips and gets pulled with the carriage and all the people on top into the cold, dirty, deep, water!

Panic and cursing.

Estefania who was sitting in the back got it the worst, she was till her beast in the water. Me who was sitting in the front, was till my bellybutton under water. For your information I’m about 1,80.

Eww, ewww ,ewwww.

However no nobody moved, everybody just looked at the horse which – luckily - only got his feet wet. If you ask me it did it on purpose. Because one minute before it drove us into the water, it looked at us with a face saying: “Ahh, you didn’t just slap me. Oh, no you didn’t!”.

A few shouts later, we then where ready to get out of the water…which apparently wasn’t to easy, because the canal is steep and the shoes very heavy full of water and mud. While standing there with wet pants, shoes and dirty shirt. I could have sworn to hear the horse laugh.

I would have loved to make a photo of this accident, but since we got completely wet, I rather didn’t want to turn on my camera, since I wasn’t sure if it got wet. Surprisingly it still works 100% perfect, I guess my jeans kept of most of the water. The 549 pesos for the pants seemed to be worth every pesos. Because the divers cell phone didn’t turn on anymore after the accident…

Back in the clinic we all took a quick – cold - shower. When it was my turn to take a shower, I had to remember myself that I only packed one pair of shoes and forgot my spare boxer shorts. Great.

Luckily, somebody in the village was so nice to lend me his shoes, fannies sister was so nice to lend me a pair of pants. And so we went to a supermarket buying new boxer shorts and some sandals for me. Yay, what an experience. Pretty unique, huh?.

The day was here by over. So, that at 9 we finally drove down to the party in a village near by.

The Mexicans celebrate the 15^th birthday of girls. Reason for that is, that they say with 15 the girl becomes a woman. On that day the girls are treated like princesses. In the ceremony, changes the father the shoes of his daughter and puts her high-heels on. This is suppose to be a symbolic for age and maturely . Once she wears her new shoes every uncle gets a chance to dance with their niece and afterwards the friends get a change to dance with their friend or girlfriend…

Good one hour later then, the dance ground is opened for everybody. Almost magically, does everybody grab their girlfriend and starts to dance while a live band plays s famous songs from Sonora. Those parties often go till 5 am. in the morning or till the last person leaves. I guess you can call us lame, because we left already at 12 pm.

That’s basically it. Gotta go – Thomas.

After, we did a little excursion where we visited almost all of the traditional Yaqui villages. We’re now learning a bit of Yaqui in our class. Last time we got showed the numbers and important phrases like hello and how are you. When hearing Yaqui I always get reminded on old “Indian and cowboy” movies. But unlike those movies the language sounds very interesting. Except movies with Bud Spencer they rock even more!.

What can me nicer to spend Christmas with your family. Since last year we spend it with Estefania’s family we’re now trying to get to Germany to spend it with my family. Right now we’re still waiting for Estefanias passport to ready and that I get my visa back from Guaymas. This waiting has a good part to it. It gives us time to compare prices for flights and make our self thoughts about the journey.

While searching around, I’ve saw that flights from Cancun would be about 500 Euros cheaper then from Guaymas or Cd. Obregon. I guess not everybody will know where Cancun is, but let me tell you this that way. It’s on the other side of Mexico.

The good things is, in that town there is a friend living which maybe could receive us and show us around. This way we could combine the German vacation with a tiny vacation in Cancun. Sounds lovely… doesn’t it.
Getting down to Cancun costs about 400-500 Euros by plane and by bus it’s probably cheaper since we’re both proud owners of student-cards, but will take over two days.

So, we’re still in the middle of all the planing and haven’t quite decided yet. Even though we both are already hoping to have a little stop in Cancun. Just to see the other side of Mexico.

Once we decided on how to travel we’ll definitely will post it again. And we’ll write, of course, our experiences on the travel.

EDIT:

Even flying with Mexican cheap-airlines it won’t be much cheaper. But around 10.000 Pesos. For some reason there is a huge tax on flights, about 90% is that normal?

To answer this question simple and easy. It’s behind those 4 lanes of freeway – or something similar. And yes, I have to cross them every day to take my bus home.

Once, i don’t forget my camera I’ll make more pictures (of ITESCA, and it’s surroundings)

Howevery, that’s it for now!

Seeing the world through the eyes of Estefania and Thomas

On Saturday it was time, me and my ‘cultura yaqui’ class went out on a school trip to explore the wide open fields of the Sonora desert and visit 7 of 8 big Yaqui villages.

The villages of the tribe Yaqui
The first stop on our list was the original Cocorit. It’s nothing like I expected. I went with an expectation in the trip that the villages would have something in common with the town Cocorit, which I met before. However, they are not even close to be similar. The original Cocorit, doesn’t has any ‘real’ roads. Not a too big population. In a few words it’s small… The main part of every village is build by a church an it belonging graveyard, such as the ‘party ground’.
The main Yaqui villages are: Cócorit, Bácum, Vícam, Tórim, Pótam, Rahun, Huírivis, and Béleb.

Their territory has an extension of 485,235 hectares in the municipalities of Guaymas, Bacum, Obregon and Empalme. This territory has three different zones: the mountain range (Bacatete sierra), the coastal area (the towns of Guasimas and Bahia de Lobos) and the valley.

The church
The most important part in any of those villages and also in Cocorit is the church. Remember the Yaquis adapted part of the catholic church into their lifestyle and religion. The most interesting thing is that the churches are always build ‘far’ away from the rest of the town. The reason for this is first of all the graveyards are located in front or next of the church and secondly, when the Yaquis make one of they big parties not the entire town gets annoyed. The parties get advertised in radio, newspaper and are fairly known.

The churches it self are kept simple, this is most likely do to the fact that all of those villages are fairly poor. By simple I mean they have unlike other churches I visited and saw in my life no colorful windows. But rather kept simple and not in some Gothic style for example. Apparently we didn’t have time or were not allowed to enter in any of those churches. Something that I regret…

A few more words to the graveyard: while traveling to all those graveyards one thing had they all in common: colorful flowers, mostly made out paper, so they last longer in the heat. And secondly white colored grave stones. This is something completely different then in Germany there you’ll see mostly marble stones in dark colors.

The religious practices of the Yaquis are a mixture of Indian and Catholic elements. An important part is played in their social structure by various “fraternities”, particularly that of the magicians and soothsayers, who on the one hand are medicine-men able to drive out evil spirits and on the other take part in religious festivals. Most social and religious rites involve dances, the best known of which is the Stag Dance (”danza del venado”). To the Yaqui and the related Mayo tribe the stag is sacred as the incantation of the forces of Good.

Health – meeting a wonder healer
While traveling down the road we encountered a site, that i would have never imagined to find. While traveling to Bicam, we came by a house of a so called: ‘Curandera’. Those ‘doctors, supposed to heal diseases and pain by giving massages or praying for the person in pain.
And in front of the house we’re over 20 cars with people waiting for their appointment – she even has clients out of the USA.

Later on, we got to experience that feeling of being health by massages on our own bodies. If it really works is something that i cant answer it this point. But it’s definitely a very interesting experience and culture.

While I got my massages, I was thinking: I must be the first German lying in this bed. Wrong, as the woman explained. There was a retired German professor living among the Yaquis and learning their way of life. I guess you never can be the first in anything

Probably the best way to describe the medicine is by shouting: ‘homeopathic’.

The people, the Yaqui
Talking about people and their way they life is probably nothing you should do, so we’ll keep it rather short.
The people, the tribe Yaqui are rather conservative when it comes to meet new people, at least that’s the feeling what I got. While my group was talking to them. The reason for that is probably that the older generation of Yaqui’s has seen a lot and went through some hard troubles. Remember the last fight or tiny revolution is not even 100 years back.

The children learn Yaqui just like Spanish in school. Eventhough most of the people we’ve talked to prefer Yaqui, at least as long as their under themselfs.

Kova head
Chonim hair
Yeka nose
Kumsakam eyebrows
Puusim eyes
Hoopem cheeks
Chau chin
Teeni mouth
Wok pusiam toes

Conclusion
Having met most of the Yaqui villages last week and having met the villages of the mayos. I think it wouldn’t be a wrong conclusion to say that those to tribes life pretty equal.
Both of them have roads out of stones, have trees for shade and have tiny stores selling coke. The mayor difference is most just their believe…

more pictures

here!

Glossary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqui
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/history_and_culture/language/index.shtml

Today, while traveling to all the “big” Yaqui villages in Sonora Mexico, I got lucky chance of eating something called: “tacos de nada”. From the name you can pretty much guess what it means. Tacos with nothing. It’s just a tortilla de maiz laying in warm oil for a couple of minutes and then folded into a taco. Honestly, that food wasn’t created for my gourmet mouth. But strangely my Yaqui culture teacher loved them!

Hopefully, I get more time to write more about the experiences in those villages. For now I can say they look pretty much the same like the villages the mayo tribe lives in. Small, pretty poor, but happy.