Bolillos

Daniel here. Today I want to write about our daily bread, literally. Here, our daily bread is a bolillo, and every bakery, of which there are many, sells them. the bolillo is an elongated rolls you can get from the bakery for five pesos. They make great dinner rolls or a mid-sized sandwich. The recipe is simple, with no preservatives, and they are made to eat the same day. A day-old bolillo is so-so, and a two-day one is something more suitable for a meatloaf or a bread pudding.

Each bolillo is a little different. When you buy a bolillo, it may be a slightly different shape or may be larger or smaller than the next one. And if you get a torta (a sandwich here, but a cake in some Spanish-speaking countries), yours may not look exactly like the next person's, and it may be a little bigger (yay) or smaller (boo).

In the United States, it’s typically not like that, unless maybe at an expensive “artisanal bakery” type place. When people get a Subway sandwich, they expect it to be the exact same size, and it is. Culturally, we expect conformity. And that's exactly what I get every time I buy a loaf of my favorite mass-produced loaf, Grandma Sycamore's*, back in the States.

But  handmade rolls aren’t like that, and neither are people. Each of us is a little different, and that’s fine. Just as they all taste good, we don’t all have to be the same. And we shouldn’t get caught up comparing our bolillo with the one the person next to us has. Comparison is the thief of happiness, as someone once said. Just enjoy the blessings you have today, and let tomorrow's bolillo take thought for itself.

* Ironically, in preparing this post, I learned that Grandma Sycamore's is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA, the US affiliate of the huge Mexican industrial baking and snack food conglomerate. Since we buy bolillos and fresh pastries and not packaged bread and snack cakes, I won't let this fact stand in the way of my good story!

Coro

Last night I taught my first "lesson" in Spanish. It went... well, it went great! I was asked to start a choir in the San Miguel ward. Imagine how happy and shocked I was when literally half the ward showed up on Wednesday to sing. They sounded amazing and taught me a lot! 

First, they taught me about kindness. If showing up is half the battle, friendliness is the other half. These people really know how to do both. They were smiling and encouraging me for the full 20 minutes, even though I didn't have much to say that made any sense. Then they thanked me profusely for helping them. But of course we both know they helped me more. 

Second, I learned about sincerity. You always know when someone in being sincere. It is in their eyes. And even if you don't  speak the same language, you know if the person talking to you is being sincere. Turns out, I love sincerity. 

Third, patience. I quickly realized that no one in the room could read the music. They had never heard of soprano, alto, tenor, or base, but they wanted to sing! They wanted to know the new songs in the new hymnbook! And they asked me to help. So, after a little trial and error, we sang, together. In reality, to me they sounded like angels. Some learned the notes quicker than others, but all of them sang, loud and proud. They will be ready for Sunday.

I'm very grateful for the Saints in Mexico. They are so loving, so diligent, so patient, so saint-like. I will forever cherish the last month we have spent here. Truly a gift. 

Reasons church is the best.

    I think the church in San Miguel is amazing. I like it for many reasons. A few are that we learn about Jesus, walk there, and do fun activities.

    First, we get to learn about Jesus. We have learned songs about Him in Spanish, like Gethsemane, We Are Children Holding Hands Around the World, and Follow the Prophet. We have also had great lessons about many things, and lots of amazing talks. So far, we have gone to both wards every Sunday, so there is lots of Spanish practice and learning. We learn so much about Jesus in church!

    Also, we get to walk there. The walk to church is so pretty and great exercise. I really love to walk down Jesus Street! When we walk around the church, we see so many flowers, it almost makes me think we are in Encanto, and Isabella just walked by. The church is in a really nice neighborhood that is really great to walk in. I love to walk to church!

    Finally, we get to participate in the activities for both wards. Tess and Kate got to learn a fun dance, and did a camp all day for two days! Mom gets to be in charge of the ward choir. Dad played croquet and had a pizza party. I get to learn a dance with the Mexican skirts, and I will perform it. I love the activities we get to do in Mexico!

    In short, we all love church in San Miguel. We can learn about Jesus, walk in a super pretty area, and participate in great activities!

Church Activities

 Daniel here. We had a fun activity last night at the church. Ruth was there to practice her dance for a stake cultural celebration coming up in October. She also practiced at the church the night before. The two wards have combined their youth for this dance, since they don't have too many in either ward. They are taking it seriously and trying to put on a good performance that honors their cultural heritage. Last night, for the first time, they had the big faldas, and Ruth was able to wear one and practice the moves that go with it. I believe the dance she is in comes from the Chiapas region. Wendy stayed home again, unfortunately, since she was supposed to teach a RS lesson on conducting and choral singing, in hopes of launching a choir here.

Kate and Tess have also bee practicing to do a dance with the Primary.

The EQ activity last night was playing croquet and darts. We were also going to play fútbol, but the RS commandeered the gym, which meant the youth met outside on the soccer court, which left the EQ without a soccer pitch. In any event, it was still a lot of fun. Several of the men had never played croquet before, and there was a lot of laughing and good-natured fun.

It is great to see the brotherhood these men of different ages and backgrounds have, and they have welcomed me right in. It is also nice to be confident enough in my Spanish that I can join in the fun and not feel sidelined. My time working with an online tutor is paying dividends. After the games were over, we enjoyed some pizza together before heading our separate ways. Turns out they have Little Caesar's down here, too.

Walking makes all the difference

Something we are loving about living close to the center of the city is how walkable the neighborhood is. Our block alone has restaurants, grocery stores, artisan markets, clothing stores, school supplies, churches, language schools, theaters, banks, libraries, parks, gardens, etc... In other words, our entire world is within walking distance, and we love not having a car!

I'll add one more thing:  People here really know how to party! They are constantly setting up and taking down stages, tents, decorations, banners, flags, flower arrangements, etc... The presentation seems to be a key aspect to every event. Presentation, live music, and good food! We are constantly taking notes on how to better entertain.

Most impressive of all (to me at least) is the cleanup. Every morning (and throughout the day) there is an army of people sweeping up the previous night's debris, and even though some of the parties last all night with hundreds of people, the city is always clean! We noticed this two years ago late October when we spent a week in Mexico City. Having a strong cleanup crew really makes the party, and city, so much better. 

Slowing Down and Simplifying: Laundry

 Back home, we have a laundry room with a fancy washer and dryer, super capacity, with steam drying, every bell and whistle, etc. I also have dozens and dozens of shirts, pants, sweaters, and jackets. 

Here, the armoire that Wendy and I share, with all of our clothes, looks like this:

And that's good, because here is our washer and dryer:

Oops, hookups, but no appliances. There is a laundry service a few blocks from here, but we haven't used it yet. Instead, we bought some laundry soap, and we've been doing this:

A couple of minutes of scrubbing, a little soaking, rinse, and hang. The climate is pretty dry here, so clothes dry easily in a day or so. And instead of letting laundry build up, I wash a couple of things every day or two. 

It may seem like a hassle not to have a washer, but it actually isn't bad. It's quickly become part of our rhythm. It also makes you more deliberate about washing. When the climate is perfect and one is rarely hot or sweaty, is it really necessary to wash every shirt after one wearing? Or can some clothes be worn more than once? Can we have just a few shirts in neutral, solid colors and unobtrusive patterns, or do we need to have a huge closet stuffed full of them? So far, I'm discovering I need less than I would have thought, in clothes and in other things, to feel content and happy here. I hope I can keep these thoughts with me after our time in Mexico is over, and I find myself again in a more consumption-oriented environment.

Door Knockers and Trumpeters of San Miguel

 Daniel here. The doors in San Miguel de Allende are beautiful. It is another example of how people personalize their homes here. One fun aspect of the doors is the door knockers. We have seen many fun examples of door knockers already in this city. Here are a few:

Another thing that's ubiquitous here is trumpets. I am listening to a brass band playing across the street on the plaza as I write this. Another band marched in a small church parade near our house yesterday evening and then proceeded to set up in front of the chapel and jam loudly while mass was being celebrated inside. It was curious to us, and we wondered if anyone inside could get anything out of the service. I didn't get a picture of that band, but here are the little angels and a band I saw this morning (not sure if it's the same one I hear now)

Of course, nowhere jams like the plaza in front of the Paroquia, the beautiful fairytale church in the center of town. Every evening we've passed by, there has been a group of mariachis playing and soliciting songs from turistas and locales sitting on the benches.

If you haven't noticed by now, we are having a great time so far in SMA!