Kimberly reflects....

December 30, 2009

It’s amazing that our return to Tepoztlan, Mexico nine months after our three-month-stay almost feels like we have continued our journey here right where we left off. We’re staying in the same house, and were met at the bus stop by our good friends Jose, Aurora, Lisset and Josecito. Instantly, the kids were running down the street arm and arm which was oh, so beautiful to see.

Although a little stilted, we all started back with our Spanish and within a few days, eased into our relaxed life here. The sun shines its warm rays just about all the time, which is such a blessing coming from intense winter. Daily, we’ve been enjoying the fresh fruit, particularly papayas, mandarinas, platanos, and aguacate from the local tiendas (small shops) and open market in the town square.

Since our friends have let us into their lives like family, there has been an open door for us into what life is traditionally like day-to-day here. We arrived in time for the one-year anniversary of the death of Jose’s dad. Brian and Lea joined a procession from their house to the cemetery where a metal cross was raised over the burial spot. Then we came back for enchiladas with mole. Other homemade meals prepared by Aurora included our favorite: enchiladas con salsa verde. Wow, is homemade cooking here amazing!

Nochebuena (Christmas eve) was quit an experience. All of the local barrios (neighborhoods) gather together at their local churches for prayer before a late night walk in candlelight down to the huge Cathedral in the center of town. It was an incredible sight to see all these different groups of people come together with the glow of their candles. The mass stretched across the entire huge yard of the Cathedral, with children of all ages at foot and fireworks going off here and there throughout the entire village. Then everyone went back to their own church for café & treats, and community gifts for all. (We were too tired to take part in this part, which was around 1 or 2am!) The beautiful, colorful piñatas were hanging everywhere during Navidad, with carefully crafted nativity scenes at every corner. Very interesting for a Jewish family to be a part of!

Other highlights so far were the birthday party we went to which was for Jose and Aurora’s nephew. Tamales were prepared and with Kimberly being the only vegetarian in the crowd, mushroom tamales for her. The people are just so warm, welcoming, loving, laid back and considerate! The most memorable moment of the party was when his friends pushed the Bday boy’s head into the cake--a tradition in these parts. Laughter and smiles abound!

We also were invited to a traditional church wedding and reception afterward which was quit an experience. The Mariachi band was fabulous, and Brian surprised Lea and Kimberly as he went on stage in front of a couple hundred people to dance and be teased by the lead singer. And remember, all of this is in Spanish!

We spent the day hiking with our friends, and this year climbed the peak known as “Tesoro,” which is the namesake for our street. Similar to last year, it was a difficult hike for us (about 6 hours long) so you could imagine what a trooper Lea and the other kids were! It was really nice for us all to share sandwiches together on one of the peaks, and at day’s end, all relax with helado (ice cream) together.

Kimberly has continued her morning runs in the fútbol field surrounded by mountains that she loves (she’s kind of known around here as the runner). She’s also enjoyed early morning hikes up to the pyramid with other friends from the village. Brian does his periodic run/ walk with Jose in the morning, and yoga has been part of our daily routine.

We’ve continued our involvement here with the Tepoztlan co-counseling group, which has been a blessing for us. As much as every day here feels like a gift, feelings certainly come up. Life is just so dramatically different than the life we’re living at home that we have to face the patterns of urgency, rushed ways, and how much emphasis we put on what we do opposed to how we do it. So, there’s also a lot of contemplation that goes on here for us.

Overall, we feel incredibly blessed to have made it back, and are hoping to return for an even longer time than our initial visit in the future. (Kimberly has decided that she wants to commit herself to speaking Spanish fluently.) What an incredible place that we landed. In fact, on the sides of all the taxis here is a slogan: “ Tepoztlan: Pueblo Mágico.” There’s absolutely no doubt that indeed, we’ve felt that magic of this glorious village and its inhabitants!