oaxaca day one

m: wendy and i spent the day together and it was w o n d e r f u l to say the least. i woke up to a steaming bowl of oatmeal, lathered in honey and befriended by a fresh bowl of papaya. we chatted a bit and soon left for the city.

i really didn’t take many pictures today, as is customary for my first days in a new place. i like to soak it in myself. the sights. smells. faces. wrinkles. tastes. and this place is full of them. so full.

wendy has lived here for thirty years and is an encyclopedia on oaxacan culture. i had to remind myself again and again that she’s not an american tourist here with me, but a local.

we stopped by this old catholic church, now used as a posh hotel.

she had me run to the other side of this arched choir room and whisper to her from across the room. we could hear every word the other said by merely whispering. i felt like a kid again. so refreshing to enjoy the simple things.

we spent the whole day chatting, laughing, trying local food and just enjoying a non-scheduled, relaxing day of our new friendship.

she walked me through, what seemed like, a small history of this city and their family. this city holds so much of their story and of what has shaped them as a whole and also individually. her daughter’s wedding pictures were taken in a courtyard adjoining the walls above. the dress shops we walked through held her son and daughter-in-laws wedding garb. the tiled streets we slipped on in the rain were where the 2006 riots were held, which kept she and david inside for nearly a year.

phil loves crosses like these! david could eat bins of these garlic-flavored peanuts! ooh, do you smell that? it’s mole sauce being prepared just down the way. it’s the best mole in town. do you see that mountain? philip has climbed it so many times. he just loves that mountain. its named after st. philip but he always loved that it had his name when he was little. oh my, try this chocolate? do you taste that? its authentic oaxacan chocolate. made fresh from these cocoa beans (holds up a bean for me to feel, to smell.) i know so many people who’d be jealous of our enjoying this gelato right now. isn’t it sinful?

i love walking through someone’s life like i did today.

oaxaca, like any city in a third world country, moans and sweats of hard work, but never without a thread of beauty in that work. manual labor is being done in all corners of the city. the shuffling of yellow brooms back and forth back and forth by persistent hands. bricks being laid on the streets. the rebuilding of facades atop tired stone buildings. hands working patiently, carefully to prepare flawless homemade tortillas for those strolling by (me!). repetitive strokes of shoe polishers in the parks.

and all of this sweat is poured and soaked by brilliant shades of orange, pink, turquoise and lavender. such a beauty and rhythm and life to the exertion by oaxacans.

i’ll try to write and post pictures daily. but for now, goodnight oaxaca. i’m quite fond of you already.

(it rained all day so the sky is this morbid brown right now. stunning.)

safe and sound

m: i have arrived in oaxaca. was greeted with a big bear hug by dave nellis, partial founder of phil. now i can see that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. dave drove me through the city and carried my bags inside their beautiful adobe home. he then proceeded to bring me the phone, which calls internationally for free, and handed me a fresh plate of mangos with a spoon.

i indulged and am still sticky.

the photo above is a view from my room in the house. its late here and very dark. what an odd phenomenon! during summers in seattle, it stays light until about … oh, always. i feel blanketed by night right now and am looking forward to curling up in bed.

i will stay here for the next two days, at which time i’ll move my things to rosa’s humble abode. she lives downtown and it will be easier for me to get to and fro for my workshop being in a more central location. the photography workshop begins sunday night, so i have a few days to enjoy the rural parts. until saturday, this is what i will call home.

i’m amazed as i sit here of the adventures i’ve been able to partake. it can only be explained by the fact that i’m loved and cared for by an inexplainable god who is so much bigger than me. who created all of these places. who has given me eyes to see them and to share them. his willingness to give me opportunities to pursue my passion astounds me. it doesn’t make sense. i don’t deserve them. but he continues to give because of who he is.

so here i am. 24. quite poor. in another simply decorated room. in an area with the second largest indigenous population in the world. one naked bulb. with a better internet connection than i have while sitting on top of the router at home. foreign smells wafting through the screened windows. wild dogs barking outside.

pursuing the thing i’m most passionate about.

reminds me in little ways of bosnia. india. morocco. hungary. and yet i know this place is so different. so special. and i have so much to learn here. i am filled through my ears with tortillas gratitude (however, both statements are true) as i stop and reflect on the quirky, wonderful places i’ve seen.

thanks again phil and ruth for all you did to make this work out. i love you guys.