Viva la Mexico!

Well, once again I have relocated to a new place! For the past 2 and a half weeks I have been living in Guadalajara, Mexico.

                                    

I'm in Mexico in order to undertake research for my degree. I'll be here for around 7-8 months total, returning to Edinburgh to write up my thesis early 2014. I am researching traditional healers in urban Mexico, and how they use herbal remedies to treat disease. I am especially interested in the use of herbal remedies to treat Diabetes-which is a major health issue in Mexico. Presently, I am registered in a language course 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week. I'm finding it very helpful, but I have also gained perspective on just how hard it is to become proficient in a second language!

I'm not sure yet if I will remain in Guadalajara, or if I will re-locate to Mexico City. I had originally planned to work in Mexico City, but I really like the city of Guadalajara. I find it easily manageable and navigable, and the people are friendly. Mexico City is about 20 times larger than Guadalajara, and therefore has both the positive and negative attributes of a large city. I plan to go and check it out after I finish my language training course, and make my decision afterwards.

Presently, I'm living with Pat and Queta Doyle. I am so grateful to them for opening up their home to me and allowing me to stay here for the first month while I do my language training! Their home is beautiful, and they have been so gracious and generous with me! The day I arrived, they picked me up from the airport and whisked me straight to a Correria competition in which their Granddaughter Yasmine was competing. Correria is one of Mexico's national sports, combining horse training and traditional costumes. It was beautiful! And so nice to be able to meet some more family members. Pat and Queta's daughter Cindy, and her husband and children. All are so lovely and nice!

 



 I began my language class the next day. While I am glad to be able to learn in a structured environment, I am finding it exhausting! Learning a new language takes a lot of mental energy, and I'm usually exhausted by 7 pm! Good thing, since this is also about the time (almost every night) that Guadalajara experiences massive thunderstorms with torrential rain. The streets become rivers, and the thunder and lightening surround the house like angry giants, beating the walls to get inside! But afterwards, the reward is this:

                                              

I take two buses to get to school Monday-Friday, each costing 6 pesos. This comes to a whopping $2/day. Nothing in comparison to what I would pay to take even one bus in Edinburgh, but a lot in comparison to the daily minimum wage income in Mexico, which is about $5/day! This is my view every day, as I sit in the front to make sure I don't miss my stop!

 

 

Pat and Queta live near an amazing park called Bosque Colomos. It has gardens, play and picnic areas, outdoor gym equipment and running trails for runners! This is the Japanese Garden:

 And an amazingly tall and beautiful Bougainvillea growing in the middle of the forest:

My first weekend, we went to visit some ancient ruins about an hour from Guadalajara. Called Guachimontones, these ruins are unique in that they consist of multiple circular pyramids. No one else ever created circular pyramids, and seeing these was a real treat for an Anthropology/History nerd like me!
                                    

 

 

 

I loved seeing these! And enjoyed the visitors centre as well, where this mural was located, showing what life may have looked like for the people who built these amazing pyramids! 

 

 I have also done a bit of exploring in |Guadalajara. I visited the Hospicio Cabañas, which used to be an orphanage, where Orozco painted some amazing murals!

 

 
 

 

Here's an example:

 

 I also visited Zapopan, a sort of township just outside of Guadalajara with my class. They have a statue of the Mexican national symbol, an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake. The Aztecs, who wandered the region for years before settling in what is now Mexico City, had been foretold that that when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake in it's beak, that would be the place where they would settle and be prosperous. And that's exactly what they did, creating the most advanced civilization in the Americas before Hernan Cortes invaded.

 

 

 

Last weekend, two friends and I went to Lake Chapala for a day of sun and relaxation. Megan and Dawnelle are both Americans as well, we all met at IMAC, our language school. Once we arrived at our destination, we chowed down on a late breakfast of homemade, fresh gorditas and beer. Saturday lunch of champions!

 Afterwards, we checked into a hotel/pool/spa and spent the day lounging in the sun. We also partook of the natural hot springs around Lake Chapala and did a spa circuit. You spent 20 minutes each in various hot tubs filled with different things: one had apple cider vinegar, one had flowers, one had coffee grounds, one had minerals. We also got full-body mud masks, which we allowed to dry by walking down to the beach, herbal steam facials, and time in the temezcal-a traditional indigenous steam room in which fresh aromatic herbs surround the hot, steaming rocks. It was really relaxing and a nice treat-all for about $7!!!!

 

I haven't had time to do much research for my degree, but I'm getting there slowly! I'll be able to focus on it much more after next week! But I did enjoy seeing this wall of herbs in a museum today, and tried to recognise as many herbs as I could (it wasn't many! haha)

Overall, I'm so enjoying my time here! The people, the beauty of the city, the colours and noise-and the FOOD! I already loved Mexican food, but being here, I am loving it more and more! Today for comida (around 3 pm, the largest meal of the day) I had mole verde con pollo, frijoles, arroz, torillas, salsa, y cervesa! What a feast! Mole is a traditional sauce from Oaxaca, and there are many different kinds. With the chicken, beans, rice and accoutrements I was stuffed! I may not eat again until tomorrow!

                                     

 

So I'll leave you on that note, mouths watering for mole! :-)

 

More soon!

 

Until then,

 

Kim x

Where has she been? Oh right...

...Reading everything under the sun on the anthropology of Curanderismo, and Mexico, and diabetes and herbal remedies for diabetes, and applying for funding and going to lectures and getting a job and trying to organize my bills and my flat and my life. WHEW. Sorry for the long delay, but the last two months have flown by! Before I know it, I'll be back in California for Christmas, contemplating the paradox of using the A/C when there are Christmas Carols about 'snow' and 'frightful weather' blasting from the radio. I have discussed this at length with the British. They do not understand. And the mention of THIS guy by an Australian recently sent my supervisor at work into a tailspin:



















"Santa CANNOT wear sandals! You have ruined Christmas for me" (Direct quote)

But for at least one more week, it is still Autumn. My all-time favourite season! I love the colours, I love the scarf and sweater weather, and I love the fact that it leads right into the holiday season, from Thanksgiving through New Years! I do NOT love the freezing cold rainshowers, or the sporadic hurricane-force winds, but I accept that these things come along with the falling leaves and the chilly days that necessitate the use of aforementioned scarves and sweaters.

Here are a few pictures of Edinburgh this fall:

Sunrise and mist over the Meadows

Autumn leaves scattered over the Bruntsfield Links

Infamous Edinburgh 'Haar'-creepy yet amazing

As I said, it's been a busy few weeks. Along with university work, I have started another part-time job. I'm working as a server at Wedgwood the Restaurant. Located on the Royal Mile and serving amazing, locally-sourced food, it's a good job-but the hours are LONG. I've finally gotten used to working until midnight, but with everything going on I'm exhausted! November 2 I submitted my last funding app for this year and now I have a wee break until January! Whew! Of course, I came down with a wicked cold a few days after submitting. C'est la vie! I'm still trying to get rid of the cough! 

But I have been doing some new and fun things since I've been back. I've spent time catching up with old friends, meeting some new ones through university, and re-acquainting myself with Edinburgh. I like living in a different part of the city. Morningside is lovely, and relatively flat! And a completely different type of people live here-lots of families and granny's out shopping and mums with babies in buggies (please, don't call it a stroller! haha). I also finally got around to contacting my family in Vienna. I haven't seen or spoken to them in over a decade, but I remember them all and I really didn't want to completely lose contact with that part of the family now that my Grandmother is gone. So I wrote a letter and mailed it off, and last Saturday I received a call from my (Let's call him an Uncle) Uncle Freddy. He is my late-Grandfather's cousin, and one of the kindest people I've ever met. It was wonderful to hear from him, and he was so happy I had contacted him! It really made my day that such a simple gesture had made such an impact on both of us. I am definitely planning to visit Vienna in the next year to re-connect with everyone!

On a less emotional note, every year Tesco, a large grocery store chain, holds a wine fair in Edinburgh. For less than a tenner, you can sample loads of different wines, go to workshops to learn about different wines, and have a generally good time while getting slightly sloshed on a Saturday afternoon. I went with this fab group of folks: 

And we had a great time. This was before we had imbibed too much.  :-)

 Sauvignon Blanc Master Class

So it's been a wild ride the last few months. But returning to the wonderful Autumn-I want things like pumpkin and chai and roasted root vegetables. But instead, the grocery stores here have been selling Christmas candy and Christmas cakes for the last month and a half. I'm sorry, but late September is WAY too early to sell rum-laden cakes covered in royal icing and holly motifs. I do have my eye on those Lindt reindeer though...But I'll abstain until after Thanksgiving!

Dear Waitrose: stop freaking me out!

Unfortunately I'll probably not be able to have a Thanksgiving this year. I have to go to an Anthropology pre-fieldwork training weekend over Thanksgiving weekend, and because of that, I have to work ON Thanksgiving. Sigh. Maybe I can pull a wee something together next week. But after Thanksgiving everything has Christmas written all over it. I'M NOT READY! I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PUMPKIN PIE YET! Sad face. Don't get me wrong, a free trip to the Highlands is always great, but in actuality:

1) I have to take time off work. And I'm poor.
2) I have to sleep in a hostel with 50 anthropologists. I hate sharing a room with ANYONE. And all anthropology all the time drives me mental.
3) This happens to be the ONE weekend my good friend Adam is visiting form Paris. And I'll miss seeing him.
4) The weather report for Comrie this weekend includes rain, rain, and temperatures topping out at 42º.
5) The sun sets these days at 4 pm. And there is no pub near our hostel. What exactly are we supposed to do with ourselves in the evenings?!?!
6) NO THANKSGIVING!

I'm not feeling very positive about this experience. Hopefully it will amazingly exceed my expectations and I'll be able to rave about it in my next post. Besides, what with all the horrible things happening in the world just now, (Cough, Israel-Palestine. Get your ish together and stop bombing each other, Cough) I need to focus on the good to come. The Edinburgh Christmas Market, pre-Christmas wedding, Christmas with family, Hawai'i in January, Weddings and trips to Hamburg and Vienna and Italy and St. Petersburg in 2013, and fieldwork in Mexico next autumn!

So i'll get me some of this to toast the dark, over-anthropological weekend to come:

And leave you with a sunset picture of this lovely place I live in:

Have a lovely week!

Kim x

There and Back Again

Greetings from Lovely Edinburgh, the city I can't seem to escape no matter how hard I try! :-)

I know it's been a long time since I wrote-but I didn't feel much motivation while I was living back at home in California. Yes, I did a lot, but I didn't feel very motivated to write. Before I jump into an update on my life as a PhD student, here is a wee 2012 update:

I was lucky enough to find a job straight away in Simi Valley at a restaurant called Market Broiler. I worked with great people, made adequate money, and was able to leave with 2 weeks notice when I needed to return to school. The hardest part, as always, was leaving new friends! Thank goodness for the internet! I met some fabulous people there, and I'll miss seeing them all on a weekly basis!

















Kori and I at the beach

















Brittany, Me and Britnianne

I lived with my parents again-which was easier than one might think. I cooked for them, they let me stay in my old room and use my Dad's truck to get around. A good trade-off, I think! :-)

The Fam Whale Watching for Mom's Birthday

I took a few trips while in the USA too, which was nice. In January I road-tripped to Las Vegas to see my Auntie Hallie for a few days, then continued on to Union City to see my friend Amy for another two days. Lots of driving, but a lot of fun as well! Plus, since I hadn't been driving much for the past three years, it was a welcome change!

Our Vegas Hotel-Paris, Paris

In April my brother and I flew to Seattle for a few days to see friends and family up there. it's always nice to see the Morgans and my friends-and Seattle with a bit of sunshine! July brought a girls trip to New York City. My mom, Aunt Peggy and Aunt Marilyn flew East for my Mom's first trip to the Big Apple. We spent a lot of time sightseeing and visiting with my cousin Autumn, and seeing my Yarita before she moved to Hamburg to start a new job with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea!





















Auntie and I in Seattle

All the Ladies at Les Halles in NYC

A week later, My Dad and my friend Bryan and I conquered Mt. Whitney-the highest peak in the 48 States. I say 'conquered', but in reality, that Mountain kicked our butts! Yes, we did it, and yes, I'm glad I did, but NEVER AGAIN. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. If childbirth is worse than that, I will definitely NOT be having any children! A few weeks later, my Mom and I had a stay-cation in Los Angeles. We got to stay at a nice hotel and do all the touristy things that I had never done, while spending time with each other. It's so easy to look afield when you want to go somewhere and experience something new-it's easy to forget how much great stuff is less than an hour away from where you live!

















Bryan, Dad and I atop Mt. Whitney-15,505 feet!

View from the top of Mt. Whitney

Mom and I having drinks at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown LA

Lastly, one week before leaving to return to the UK I went back up to the Bay Area to celebrate my friend Amy with a 3 day Bachelorette extravaganza! There was wine tasting, Horse Derby-ing, food, drink, and a lot of laughter. All the girls were amazing, and I can't wait for her wedding this December!

Ok, now, how did I end up back in Edinburgh? Me, the wandering girl who gets itchy for a new place every 2 years? Well-it was more practicality than anything else. Yes, I have friends here and I am comfortable in the city blah blah blah. But really, Edinburgh has the best options for funding for second year PhD's. And as I was unable to secure funding this year-it was that key issue that saw me flying north from London in the middle of September, instead of staying in the Big Smoke, which I had previously hoped to do.

Returning to Edinburgh has been easy, exciting, and frustrating! When I got here, I instantly felt like I had only been gone for a short time. I was staying with my good friend Siobhan and her great fiance Corey, who really helped me feel at home. I fell straight back into an Edinburgh frame of mind, with no bumps or bruises along the way. I immediately started school, having arrived during orientation week. It was nice meeting the new cohort of Anthropologists who I will be sharing a lot of time, tears, joys, and theories with over the next 4 years, and it was nice to be able to start thinking critically again! At the same time-it wasn't really new or exciting. I already KNOW the University and Department here. I have the insider info from living in Edinburgh, from having completed my Masters here and from still having friends within the department. I have also been able to see and reconnect with many of my friends here, which is always nice! Still a few more to go, but I'll see you all soon! I promise!

Siobhan and I

The hardest thing about the last few weeks has been trying to get everything sorted for my flat! I finally found one that suits my price and temperament in a part of Edinburgh I've never live before: Morningside. It's a beautiful nice area filled with families and well-off old ladies and JK Rowling. My biggest goal for the year (besides, you know, getting funding) is to bump into her at Waitrose, the posh supermarket across the street from me. I'm not sure what I would say to her, if anything, but I still want to see her! Anywho-I'm living on my own, which is really nice. What is not so nice? Waiting another MONTH to get internet installed in my flat because there is a ridiculously inefficient monopoly in place in the UK that is stopping me from being able to do any sort of online ANYTHING when I'm home. Blah.

Moving on. I have started to notice a few things that I never really noticed when I lived here before. Firstly, there are LOADS of Bluejays in Edinburgh. I see them everywhere I go. Have they scared away all the Pigeons? Or is this some sort of South Edinburgh phenomenon? In Leith there were Pigeons galore, cooing on my roof and eating scraps off the sidewalks; whereas in Morningside and at University I get lovely Bluejays, who are quiet and not scavenge-y! Well done Bluejays! I approve!

















My view as I walk to University

Secondly, There are so many people on the streets all the time! I know walking is a big part of daily life here, and I know that it definitely is NOT in Southern California, but I never fully appreciated just how many people walk here. You are literally never alone on the sidewalk, which is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing when it's a bit late at night and you feel safer knowing other people are out and about too, and a curse when you're running late and there are 30 old ladies and schoolchildren blocking your every move. It's like living in a video game where the only goal is to get from point A to point B without 1) being hit by a cab, 2) bowling over a 6 year old, and 3) while keeping your belongings from getting waterlogged if it's raining.

Lastly, the weather changes so much faster than I remember! In the last week, I have twice been walking and watched the weather go from Sunny, to overcast, then pissing rain, then sunny again within 20 minutes. Not fun when you're walking to school. Or home, or outside in general. I'm still waterlogged from walking home from the gym today.

Overall, I'm enjoying being back in the UK and I'm really enjoying being a student again! I am continually reminded by the things I read in the news, in articles for my research, and when I walk the streets just how complex and insane Humans really are, and just why Anthropology is such an important discipline. The ability to look at the cultural milieu of a place, process what happens there, and come out with a useful social commentary that better explains WHY we do things and WHAT effect certain social norms and political processes have on society as a whole is a still-underestimated but wholly useful tool. I hope you're listening-you Congressmen who think the Social Sciences are  unnecessary programs to fund in Universities! Long live educational freedom!















Back in Uni-Reading Reading Reading

Until next time, I hope that you've enjoyed the return of my soliloquy, and I hope you all have a wonderful week!


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Reflections of 2011

The year is taking its last breaths. The light of the future is starting to shine through the gaps in the tapestry of time. Again, we begin to reflect on the past year and make promises with ourselves for the upcoming 12 months.

This morning on my way to the gym I heard "Hey Jude" on the radio. Suddenly I felt an emotional surge at the sound of the familiar chords and lyrics. I love this song, and I have a few key memories surrounding it, and the Beatles in general. But today, the Lyrics "Hey Jude, don't make it bad take a sad song and make it better...so let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin, you're waiting for someone to perform with. And you don't know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder."

This is such a perfect example of the power we all have to look back at our lives with gladness instead of sadness, and to look to the future with a power that is all our own and not dependent on outside sources. 2011 was, overall, a hard year for me. I struggled a lot this year to wade through some severe personal downs and a soul-sucking, coma-inducing job. I lost my last paternal grandparent and I gained 15 unwanted pounds. I had moments of disillusionment and anger, lethargy and apathy.

But when I look back, I also realise that 2011 was a year filled with some amazing highs as well. I ushered the New Year in with a bang in New York City with some wonderful people, I visited new countries and caught up with old friends. I celebrated the wedding of a beloved cousin, the engagement of a close friend, and became more open with my thoughts to those around me. I cooked delicious food and saw amazing things. I visited new parts of Scotland and made new friends. I learned to deal with my problems in a constructive way and I finally grasped the thread that will lead me into the next stage of my life.

Because of all these things, I cannot look back in anger on the year that has been. I can only take my song and make it better, which I what I am working towards for 2012. I have decided to return to school to undertake my PhD in Anthropology. Specifically, medical anthropology-I will be studying the effect of a nationalised standard of bioethics on traditional health care systems in Mexico. Presently, I am waiting to be accepted at the institutions I have applied to. All are in the UK, so I am planning to spend a few more years across the pond. But due to visa restrictions, I will be staying in California from now until I return for University in the fall.

This brings with itself a new host of challenges and opportunities that take me to the second bit of lyrical wisdom that John and Paul offer. The movement I need to get where I want to be is here, with me. I will be accepted into a University, and I can get funding to pay for my research. I will take the time I have in California to re-connect with friends I have not seen and to spend more time with my extended family. I will take the time to write more, and practice my Spanish for my upcoming time in Mexico. I will get back into shape and I will find a job that allows me to do all of these things while I'm here.

I feel like I'm at the edge of a great precipice, but instead of feeling frightened of the fall, I feel enthused and empowered to take the leap and arrive at the next stage of my life with a proud stance and a happy heart. There is no room for fear when you have pure intent and confidence in your abilities. I might not get through 2012 in perfect form, but next December 31 I will look back and take the good with the bad, and hopefully the song of the year will be just a little bit sweeter.

Remember to look back at the year that has been with an open heart. Regret is a useless feeling and a terrible thing to get stuck in. I will look back at 2011 and remember the lessons learned, the laughs shared, the love felt, and the pages turned in my own story. I hope the same for all of you, and I hope that song of your year has some sweet and soothing lyrics to carry you into 2012.



<3 K

Remember, Remember the month of November

"So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world."-   John Clare, November




I cannot believe that it is already November. Not to mention the fact that it is almost the MIDDLE of November! 2011 is passing so quickly, it seems like last week I was wandering the streets in sandals, whereas today I find myself thinking about my menu for Thanksgiving and pulling on my boots in the morning for warmth. The leaves started turning weeks ago, and now they are layering the ground like a springy carpet. You won't find any crisp leaves primed for crunching in this country. There's too much moisture in the air thanks to both the rain and the infamous Edinburgh Haar. According to Lonely Planet, "A distinctive feature of Edinburgh's weather is the 'haar', a dense, chilly fog that often blows in from the North Sea when the wind is in the east. " Yeah, that pretty much says it. The haar helps Edinburgh keep up her mysterious je ne sais quoi. 



Edinburgh Haar, Picture courtesy of Edinburgh Spotlight


Autumn has always been my favourite season. I love sweater weather, fall colours, the smell of winter and smoke in the air and the magical feel that the shift in the seasons seems to infuse into the everyday mundane. It's easier to smile when the world around you is so colourful!





Edinburgh is a city that thrives in the Fall. The bright blue sky contrasts with the fiery leaves, the gray stone buildings seeming to pull more character from the overcast skies than fading into the backdrop of the city. The air is crisp and the wind is brisk, necessitating the use of layers and the return of rosy cheeks and cold noses! 


 
The Balmoral Hotel and Register House seen from a bus on Leith Street

National Archives of Scotland


I know that some people find autumn to be a bit depressing-a reminder that the year is coming to an end,   life in someways is coming to an end, and the sun will be moving farther and farther away from us until midwinter passes. But for me, autumn is the time to start celebrating the beautiful things that the end of the year brings us-different foods, different fashions, trips to see friends and family, and the best of the yearly holidays! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year! 


If I had my way, Fall would last much longer each year-I'm sure no-one would mind shaving off a few weeks of Edinburgh's sad excuse for a summer and brutal winter in order to spend a few more weeks walking through an autumn wonderland! 


<3 Kim

What Sundays Are Made For

Sundays are my favourite day. They're lazy and quiet and open to all opportunities for doing whatever you want. To me, Saturdays are the day to clean and do laundry and go grocery shopping. On Sundays I get to do fun stuff like:

lay in bed
lay in bed and drink coffee
lay in bed and drink coffee and do the Los Angeles Times Crossword online
go to yoga
lay on the sofa and watch random movies
talk to my parents (still laying on the couch here)
bake new recipes
cook things that take more than 30 minutes to make
paint my nails
go hiking (thats one I only do in Cali)
read a book

Ahh, Sundays! Today I did 5 of the above things. I started the day feeling very lazy, and as the sun is not shining on Leith today, I decided to lay in bed drinking coffee and doing the LA Times crossword until almost 11 am. Due to this, I missed yoga so just did some incline walking instead. woo-wee! This afternoon, I decided to conquer my new food processor and a recipe I've been wanting to try for ages: GOLDFISH CRACKERS! Oh, the Pepperidge Farm Goldfish cracker. a feat of snacking engineering and one of the only food items from the US that I really miss. Problem is, I do not have a fish-shaped cookie cutter so I made cheesy heart crackers:


the dough is sooo easy to work with!

Baking up some cheesy yum!

Tasty and cute! They turned out really well, and I know I'm definitely going to make these again!

After chatting to my parents and baking the hearts, I needed to use some pumpkin puree I had leftover so I decided to try a recipe I found for pumpkin cornbread. I know, it sounds a bit weird, but it is SO good! And it makes for a really nice and moist cornbread. I ate it with homemade vegetarian butternut squash chili, while watching Toy Story 2 on TV. And the girl was happy!


Almost ready


Sundays...just the thing I need to recharge after one week, and just the thing to ease me into another boredom-filled week at work!

Ok I'm off to go read a book-might as well get as much as I can out of the last few hours left of my Sunday! Happy Week everyone!

<3