Guadalajara Learning Centre, Tlaquepaque

Left: Katie from San Francisco, but living in Durango, Mex. She says people stare at her so much because she has blue eyes, but they ought to know that they work just the same.

Right: The school: Guadalajara Learning Centre is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone.

All the teachers were very smart people, and a lot of fun. By having tailored classes, you can really get ahead with the language. When you get home, there's no let up: everyone's talking Mexican Spanish, so you can apply what you know. And when you wake up, it's "how did you sleep" etc, all in spanish.

People stayed at school for 2 - 4 weeks mostly.

Left:
Lili: teacher
Betty: Montreal, Canada
Laura: teacher, the cultural expert regards Aztecs, Toltecs, Olmecs, etc.
Ty: Amarillo, Texas says the common word for a singlet is a "wife beater"
Jim: Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wants to start up cabinet making or similar here.
Eli: Pensicola, Florida. Will own 5 Raceway gas stations, and 5 Subway sandwich franchises by the age of 25.
Victor: teacher, can explain any word in primitive Spanish for the newcomers.

The tour bus around Guadalajara

Left: Cathedral near the old University building
Right: the Minerva

Use this bus to get a quick run around the city, so you can roughly get your bearings and find a couple of landmarks so you can navigate. You can hop on and off the bus as you like. Sit on the top deck and wear plenty of sunscreen as there's no roof on the bus.

Left: get the bus from in front of the Rotunda. This is next to the Cathedral of Guadalajara.

Friday 21 April 2006

Left: This Friday's excursion was shut. We wandered around other lovely buildings, then ended up at teacher Adriana's house. We played cards, drank beer, and spoke English with her American boyfriend.

Right: before last weeks excursion, across the road from school.

The school dog

Our school has a dog. His name is Lumberto. This is a Dutch name, made into Mexican.

He was rescued from the street by a school director Wouter, so he's street smart. When the bus comes, he's straight on, and hides under a seat. If the dog has no apparent owner, the driver won't try to get him off, so Wouter rides, and pretends not to know him. Wouter rides a bike to school each day, and Lumberto runs alongside him.

I don't think he's ever worn a lead. He's had his collar stolen twice. Wouter even retrieved one of the collars from a neighbours dog. C'mon, did he think he'd get away with it, living in the same area? In the end, now he has a padlock on it.

Lumberto is one cool dog.

The markets

Left:fruit/veg
Right: trotters, intestine, etc.

If you want some produce for dinner, the only place to go is the markets. All this stuff is farm fresh, and set out artistically. Even the sets of bags of dry cat food looked good with their different colours.

Tuesday 18 April 06

You better be ready if you want to rob banks and the like in Mexico. Every jewellery store has an armada of guards ready to put so many holes in you, that they could put sticks in and use you as a hat stand.

Left: machine gun
Right: even though he's carrying a 12 gauge pump action shotgun, he's got a soft side as he chats with the kids.

Monday night

Many nights, the relos drop in for a chat. There's not far to travel. Aunty Concha, and an uncle live in the apartment next door. Cousin Antonio lives one floor up, and must pass our front door to get there.

Left: me and Abraham
Right: Concha and Antonio. Beware of Concha!

Tonala, Monday arvo

Here's another couple of shots from the afternoon.

Left: the boys run for it. (same boys as in last picture of previous post)

Right: after the street market, there's a mountain of rubbish.

Below: Vaqueros (cowboys)

Tonala, Monday arvo

Left: Tonala: street stall holders put it up where they wanna

Right: main church, Tonala & menacing clouds

I see the guy I met at the gym, and he takes me to the street corner for the bus. It's not marked or anything: you get the bus in Tlaquepaque's centre on any corner. The grumpy bus driver starts gunning it while I'm still in the doorway chatting to gym dude, who's luckily big enough to physically shove me in as the bus moves off, so I don't fall out.

Left: Tonala
Right: The wind is picking up. The kids are runnning to escape the raindrops

It's a beautiful town centre with an old church, town hall, and cobblestone streets. Lots of good arts and crafts like blown glass, ceramic (barro) water jugs, silver rings, and candle sticks.

Later, black clouds covered half the sky and it really opened up, making for some cool photos.

Left: The rain starts and the kids escape it.

Second Manic Monday 17 April 06

Left; my typical breakfast was damn good

Right: Laura, one of my favourite teachers.

Another day at school. I'm getting used to the noises, and sights, and starting to get to know the streets, the dogs and where they are, where to get a coffee, drinks, food etc.

This afternoon, I'm going to be brave and take a bus to Tonala.

Sunday 16 April 06

Left: the fast way down - not recommended.

Right: Abraham on the regular path. It gets a bit steeper than this in parts.

Abraham took me for a trip to the Barranca (canyon). It's a short bus ride from home. We wander down a steep cobble stone track. There's young cowboys on horse back going up. The horses steel shoes slip like crazy on the cobblestones, but somehow don't fall. Some poor donkey is taking some supplies down to the village. There's a railway going straight up the side of the mountain. I'm verrrry glad our plans don't include taking a ride on it, since it's a lonnnng way down.




Left: supplies for the village in the valley.

Saturday night

Left: the world famous Mariachis play music about tequila, girls, gun fights etc.


Well it's Saturday night, and time to catch some serious Mariachi action. These guys play traditional folk music, and it's very catchy. These two weeks are Holy week and Easter week. Everyone's on holidays, except for our poor teachers at school, and there's a Mariachi show every night of the week. I've arranged to meet up with Eli, one of the students.

The epic bus journey home from Tlajomulco (I can never remember that name!) sends me to sleep. I ask Abraham the time, just in passing, and he says it's 7pm. I say, you're joking?? And he says No! I'd planned on taking a shower, and eating, but I'm yelling for the nearest taxi, and chasing him down the street. Getting there at 7:25, I'm 25 minutes late, and Eli's gone.

I sit there and have a couple of beers, waiting to see if she comes back. In the meantime, some local girl sits down. Turns out she's a friend of Eli's. Her name is Xochitl, a Nahuatl name meaning "flower", or Xochy (pronounce Sochy) for short. Abraham and Tere take it in turns to rib me about my new Mexican girlfriend. There's no point in explaining that nothing's going on.

Saturday 15 April 06

Left: new estates, same as in Oz I think.

Right: at the superdoopermarket.

We're off to visit Abraham's folks. This involves a one hour bus trip, even though his folks are still in Guadalajara. The bus trip takes in some dirt roads on the way. No wonder they have to sweep the other streets so much. The dust swirls up behind us, but, when we stop, it swirls in through the windows. The dust is so thick in the air, you can't see the other half of the bus inside. I woos out, and use my t-shirt over my mouth and nose, to try keep the dust out. And bumpy! My god, the suspension on these buses gets a serious workout. There's a lot of Mercedes buses. I think anything else would die, given the thrashing and bashing these buses receive.


Left: the shortcut to the shops

Abraham's folks live in a new estate, like toytown. He has a lot of younger brothers and sisters. I end up playing a spy game shoot 'em up on playstation. I try to explain what the screen is saying in broken Spanish, but they look they've worked it all out. Their turns last forever, and mine are over quickly as the bad guys kill me again. I can't do much else: I can't understand what Abraham's mum is saying, and don't want to make them play charades all afternoon to explain what's going on.

We shop for lunch in the local mega store, which sells food, clothes and all kinds of things, even motorcycles.

Friday arvo

Left: wandering Tlaquepaque with Ty and Eli (aka in English: Liz)


After the cemetary, we wander around looking for lunch. It's Good Friday, and not much is open, except for the Chinese buffet. You know, I always expect Asian people to speak English. It's a weird experience to be greeted with "Buenas tardes" in perfect Spanish. The Chinese is not bad.

The afternoon is spent wandering around Tlaquepaque, with Eli and Ty. Ty tells a story, in a broad Southern accent, about some homeless guy who broke into a morgue and had his way with a corpse. Some buddy of his was in the police. It's a hell of a way to learn about what's going on out there. Some images you just dooooon't wanna think about.

Turns out that Eli prefers to be called Liz, but the teachers started calling her Eli.

Friday 14 April 2006

Left: making friends at the Panteon de Belen cemetary.

Well, made it through week one, and now I'm feeling right at home. The school is not like when I went to school! They teach you swear words here. "Chinga" means "F%$#", and there's variations like in English, eg the car's f&^%$'d etc. Also, every Friday is school excursion day, yay!

Today is the Panteon de Belen. This freaky cemetary is a very popular place to visit, and tours run frequently. Unfortunately, it's in Spanish, which is supposed to help our learning. After the teacher explains what the guide said, I can report on a few of these legends:

• there was some woman, who's husband tried to poison her. He didn't do it successfully, but buried her anyways. After she came to, she tried to break out..(see pic right)
  
• There was a boy who was claustrophobic. Even in death he feared being closed in. They buried him, but when they came back again, in the morning, the casket was above the ground. (see pic right)
  Right: check out the lollies around this kids grave

There's plenty of other legends, and they're all told with a lot more gusto and detail than the above! An interesting visit.

Day 4 dog day afternoon

Left: tourist ahoy!
Right: you ain't from here, are you?


The dogs of Tlaquepaque are some of the coolest in the world. There are roof dogs, doorway dogs, and doggies in the window. Roof dogs make lots of noise. I feel brave, since I can stand at street level and stare them out. Other dogs cruise around with their owners, and are street smart. They know when to say hi, ask for food or run for it.









One of the students is American, living in Durango city. She has a local dog which she found on the street. After some loving care, cleaning and feeding, she started to get a lot of compliments on her. Everyone thinks that she brought the dog from the USA!


Above right: free cute dog, free delivery, needs some TLC. How would I like a poodle? Very much!


Finally there's the school dog. He deserves his own posting.

Day 3

Left: the way to school along Calle Chamizal, crossing Rio Nilo

A big hello to all my readers in internet land - that means hi to you Sohi.

The walk to school is still a bit of culture shock for me, so I took some shots of it. I wandered around locally this week after school, too scared to get a bus out, and not knowing where to go.

An excursion into town. 11 April 2006

Left: the cathedral in Guadalajara's centre

Right: dining a la street cart, on the footpath, with the fam


Teri has promised to take me into the city centre after school. It's only a 15 minute bus ride, but I'm sad to say, I was too scared to catch a bus by myself for the first few days.

In the centre ("el centro"), I'm snapping away like a Japanese tourist, as there are so many gorgeous Spanish colonial buildings, connected by huge plazas with fountains and statues. It feels like Europe.

The central markets (San Juan de Dios) looks like Mad Max thunderdome, and is ugly as hell. I get the coolest hat in the world: a Tejana (Texan ten gallon hat), very popular with the farmers, and cowboys.

Dinner is at the street stand at the end of our street. Tacos with tongue, pork, and I can't remember, but v. delicious.

Not just another manic Monday, 10 April 2006

Left: back to school (the excellent Guadalajara Language Centre)

Right: Teri out the front of the block of flats.


I wake up to the sounds of the "Zeta gas" truck. Sounds like the call to prayer in a Muslim country. Katie, my fellow student, says when you hear the gas truck, you drop what you're doing, and run like mad into the street. Running out in your pyjamas, or whatever, is not a concern: if you don't have gas, you can't cook, and you have no hot water. So basically you're stuffed.

Can't remember what Teri cooked me for breaky, usually eggs and refried beans, plus jam and cold toast that you buy like a loaf. Weird, but tasty.

It's my first day at school! Teri takes me there to show the way. Monday's is street market day on Calle Hornos, and they're setting up. Some drunk guy is escaping slowly from a furious bus driver who has gripped his jacket. The drunk twists out of his jacket, like he's done it before, but stumbles and crashes into the second hand tool table which spills on the street. Teri grabs me to keep walking, and stop gawking, so I won't be late.

School is a neat, clean, tiled little area, with classrooms upstairs. Today is the alphabet, which is a bit dull, but the second half is conversation with Laura, who is a cack. At the halfway break, I duck up to the bank to convert about $800US, which I still have stuffed in my shoe. It's madness, but I forget this quickly after I hand over my pile of Mexican currency to the school director Greg.

Sunday night, and it's school tomorrow

Left: statue of Hildalgo, main square, Tlaquepaque

Right: garden, main square, Tlaquepaque

I'm awkward, so meeting the family with whom I'll spend the next 3 weeks, in a foreign language, is as smooth as can be hoped. The streets are a grid, but all of them look the same. Luckily the house, main square and school are within a 10 minute walk.

I'm starting to get more comfortable here as it's obviously safe, and a little touristy, but with very few gringos. I make buddies with a local, and tell him where I'm from etc. He is surprised at how few people there are in Australia. Everyone marries very young in Mexico. "You just need a few Mexicans" he says, and the problem of population growth will be solved quickly.