septiembre: Visit to Cuentepec

An image is worth a thousand words. It is one thing to hear about the reality of my friends and family, it is another thing to see it and really experience it. This is why I was so excited when Sarah told me that there was a festival at one of her work sites, an indigenous village, called Cuentepec. What an excellent way to connect to part of her life her at a different level than hearing her stories. (Not to mention that we were going to have the chance to eat a bit of chicken mole!)

I went to Cuentepec with Sarah, Jenn, Heidi (country coordinator), two of the workers we know at CCIDD, and Maria Luisa (Sarah's "boss"). We rode in style in CCIDD's old blue Suburban and I love the vibe of the family-style road trip. Once nearing the village, the definition of "traffic" changed and we found that local livestock was the source of street congestion. Toto, I don't think we're in Cuernavaca anymore.

We had a chance to wander around the small zocalo (main plaza in the city center) before we were invited to join a funeral procession (of sorts). We learned that a man died a year ago and his family was going to erect a stone cross on the grave site and we had the opportunity to follow the family and friends down to the local cemetary. Incense was burning, most of the people in the procession carried armfuls of flowers, and there we were just following along in the crowd.




After the procession, we were invited to their home to eat some homemade chicken mole with fresh tortillas. It was quite incredible how we were so graciously welcomed into their home and fed as though we were old friends. The family members already eating jumped up to set up new tables and give us their chairs and offered us drinks. The sense of hospitality here is humbling and quite an incredible blessing. We ate mole in their dirt backyard with roosters, chickens, and turkeys pecking at the ground around us as though we weren't even there as we talked with our new friends. The food was delicious and I made quite a mess of myself (more than once) trying to pull the meat off the chicken bones using a weak plastic spoon and tortilla. I think I even ended up with a few slashes of mole on my forehead and neck!




Afterwards, we went to another home and ate mole there. We met an older woman named Josefina who is known in Cuentepec for her pottery. Aparently she has earned recognition from the government but some others in Cuentepec do not want to acknowledge it (jealousy?). She pulled out some of her pieces, which were beautiful and earthy, and we had the chance to buy some. I was shocked at the prices - I bought a sun/moon hanging and a large oval bowl for seven dollars.



We went to one more house for mole, the home of Felipa, with our little gringa crew. Although we were already full (despite the small portion sizes), I still lived it up in Mexico for the day and ate another piece of chicken in mole sauce with another fresh tortilla. Twist my arm, eh? :) Each mole we had during the day was different and we had fun discussing which was our favorite and why during the car ride home to Cuernavaca.



I feel this awesome opportunity to share in a more intimate and up-close view of Mexico through the few connections that we already have. The majority of the people that we have met have already stepped out and offered much more than a job or a bed in their home. I never would have expected to see such close glimpse of their lives, and I find myself often overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude and appreciation beyond words (in any language). I am blessed. I only hope that I can show them the respect and kindness that they deserve in return.