An Invitation

This morning I rode the bus the long ride up to Cerro del Cuatro solo for the artisan cooperative bi-weekly meeting. During the first half of the meeting I spent much of the time listening intently for any hint of Spanish as they conversed and planned in Otomí. Then it turned over to Español and I was able to make a few announcements and show them a brochure that I am designing for the group. Afterward as I was leaving Alberta and her daughter Alicia (can see these women on the mnini.org site) walked along with me, and I was about to part ways and they told me they wanted me to come and see their house.
We walked down the dusty hill a ways and came upon a gray cinder block house with a green door. The inside was modest, and Alberta apologized to me telling me that they were poor and did not have a very nice house. After that I made darn sure to compliment the place over and over. Light streamed in from the little back yard where they have a peach and guayaba tree as well as a young mamee fruit tree shading a little patch of grass. Back on the inside, Alberta sat down to show me how she weaves the straps for the bags that she makes, and Alicia and I sat at the kitchen table.

The neighbor came over, a woman who has five small children and who is married to an Otomí man. She talked about having little money- not even enough to pay for the uniforms for all of her kids to be able to attend school. This made me ever more grateful for CODENI, and the possibilities that this organization offers. I was quick to recommend this to her. As I walked back down the hill to catch the bus, I felt touched by the experience but also had a big weight on my shoulders, thinking about so many in need, and the notion that if they work hard enough, they can get ahead. It doesn't always work this way.

On a different note, I have posted some of Josh's photos from Tuxpan down below. He has so many that I wish I could share, but I kept it pretty limited, hopefully lending a bit of a sense of the people and the place.