homesickness

i was a little homesick on christmas. not for lack of fun - the bustamante family did a stellar job of including me in their christmas eve celebrations: in the afternoon, tera let me sew up the lomo, which was stuffed full of fruits and nuts, in preparation for la cena. we went to a contemporary-style mass at 9 then gathered with aunt and cousins back at the house to welcome in baby j's birth. as i listened to the animated dinner conversation, taking cues from body language when my ears failed me, i was happy. but when the celebrations were over, the nostalgia returned. so i made my way to bed and drifted off to the sounds of bedford falls and george bailey's voice.

the funny thing about homesickness is that it often motivates me to set out looking for the familiar; an activity or a food or a person that is sure to make me feel at home. as any directionally-challenged extrovert can attest, this often leads to adventure.

on tuesday, miami brad and i hopped on the 80 bus for la barranca de huatatín to do a little trekking.

we met some friendly hikers along the way.

brad got tired before i did so he turned back early. the hike was pretty rigorous so i was happy to see a middle-aged couple selling fresh piña y naranja juice when i reached the top. on the bus ride back to t-paka, i did what cannons do best - sleep. i woke up thirty minutes later, disoriented, and got off the bus immediately. i was only 40 blocks early. so i took the opportunity to explore a new neighborhood and make it back to the jardin hidalgo just in time for a sweet treat.

i decided to try for a visit to the lds temple in zopopan on wednesday. i took the tur bus (which is WAY nicer than the standard buses) to the center of the upscale suburb and set out to find my spiritual haven. en route, i stumbled across a mormon church.

a poinsetta-filled municipal building.

 

someone's pet cochino.

street art.

and a giant christmas festival in front of a large catholic church. yes, erin, the giant speakers pumped out iterations of feliz navidad no fewer than three times in the twenty minutes it took me to eat my elote with lime, salt, and chile.

i arrived back at the bustamante's just in time to convince canada mike to take the maestro's cumbia class with me. we danced our hearts out - occasionally to the actual beat - for a full hour. 

i never found the temple. but i did find myself ready for a good sleep, another day of language classes, and a trip to the teotihuacan pyramids. and so it goes with homesickness. it starts with a craving for the familiar. but the cure often lies in the unknown and the adventure that comes with it.