Children of the Corn

I've been back in Mexico for 5 days and it feels like I've been here for ages. Last week I started fieldwork for the project on corn that I'm working on, interviewing the heads of organizations relevant to corn production in the State of Mexico, outside of Mexico City where I'll be working. We were there for two days (in the proximity of Atlacomulco and Ixtlahuaca) doing interviews ( I was with Kirsten, the professor I work with here, and her assistant Lupita, who is the interview expert) . The first day we were showed around by the head of the Federation of Corn Producers in the State of Mexico. He is a revolutionary type fighting for the small-scale producers and maintenance of trhe countryside. A very charismatic guy, he took us around some plots and gave us a presentation about what their goals are. One of the main goals of this group is to engage in organic agriculture, breaking themselves from non-sustainable green revolution technology. I was so impressed at his eloquence in articulating a better life for the producers there. Pics show us in the field and also their meeting room that says: "Defendiendo al Maiz, Defendemos a Mexico," meaning Defending Corn We Defend Mexico.

We also went with the head of another maize producer organization that showed us around and gave us his take on corn production. There are lots of splintered groups in the area because of politics and personal conflicts which is always the backstory to whatever is going on. He explained that they are most interested in going organic, they themselves organized to get soil conditioners that bring back the microorganisms that they have killed over the years of using chemical fertilizers and now he basks in his worm-filled earth that he is recuperating. The government only gives them technology packages with chemical inputs that they don't want, and he links that to the powerful agribusiness corporations in cahoots with the government. I told him about my project and how I'm interested in why corn production persists as people gain employment elsewhere. "Nosotros, los Mexicanos, somos hijos del maiz," he said. We Mexicans, are children of corn.

Upon my return I went with a friend to see her brother play in a band of jazz-Bolivian fusion music. It was really wonderful and fascinating to hear jazz, originally from the US, played in Mexico by Mexicans and Bolivians. Good stuff. We also went out to a bar where I learned that you CAN'T SMOKE INDOORS in Mexico City public places. Woah! So gay civil unions are legal, abortions are legal, smoking indoors is illegal... what next? Dogs not allowed in parks? Actually dogs are not allowed in the park near my house, Viveros. Pretty impressive feats for an enormous, chaotic, latin metropolis.

An Interlude

My blog has been vacant the last few weeks because of my trip back to the U.S., where I attended various events. First I went to an annual training in Fort Collins, CO for my summer job taking teens to Peru through the non-profit Global Explorers. The staff at Global is amazing and we love having our yearly meeting troubleshooting possible nightmare scenarios while traveling through the Amazon with kids we don't know (i.e. venomous snakes, government meltdowns, appendicitis...). One of the other workshop coordinators, Santiago, lives close to me in Mexico City. See picture on the right showing these super cool folks.

Then I had some quality time at my parents' house before my first bridesmaid experience ever. One of my best high school friends, Leah, married her long-time boyfriend in an unprecented Egyptian-Muslim-California-Lutheran three-day wedding event. Leah's favorite part was dancing the hora and getting put up on a chair, which was included for a full triple-religion event. Picture with turquoise dresses shows the maids with the mistress. I'm the one that looks like a dwarf next to Leah's step-dad and step-sister. Other good friends in the picture besides Leah (bride) are Dayna Yocum and Sonya Blesofsky.

The following week I attended another wedding, this time for my pseudo-cousin Matt and my dad's business partner's daughter, Brooke (yes, my parents made the match). The wedding was in Washington DC and my whole family attended, so I got some quality time with my niece and nephew (see picture in front of White House- includes sister and husband, brother and wife, niece and baby nephew, aunt and uncle, and mom and dad). DC seemed pretty cool, despite the plethora of collars and ties. I'm not used to seeing such conservative gear! My friend Seth went as my date and we danced the night away (last picture). This was the first wedding I went to where they served sliders as the night was ending. Apparently it's the hip thing to do but I had no idea. After an amazing dinner with beautiful centerpieces it blew my mind to see these little burgers strolling out!

Now I am back in Mexico City, where the weather has turned cooler and the rains are starting. I immediately went out yesterday and got some papaya which I had for breakfast, and also did a mercado shop today to get my requisite tuberoses and veggies, and also a few tostadas (yum!) The swine flu hype has seemed to calm down and no one is wearing masks anymore, although there was a little bottle of purell at the tostada stand. The airport was empty when I arrived yesterday, and I got three interpretations: tourism is dead, tourism was dead, but is starting up again, tourism is fine, it's just that it was a tuesday and usually it's pretty slow. Who knows.