“When black lives are under attack, what do we do?” “Stand up, fight back!” “When trans lives are under attack, what do we do?” “Stand up, fight back!” “When women’s lives are under attack, what do we do?” “Stand up, fight back!” “When immigrant lives are under attack, what do we do?” “Stand up, fight back!” “When Muslim lives are under attack, what do we do?” “Stand up, fight back!” “When queer…
I definitely thought the weather was going to be hotter than it is. I mistakenly assumed that Mexico and hot weather went hand in hand. Instead, I live in my jacket, wearing it to sleep at night and taking it off briefly in the morning to change clothes before putting it right back on. When it rains here, it pours. It is so strong and so sudden that all I can do when I see the clouds coming is…
The first non-human animal to join our volunteer family was Tifón. One late night a couple weeks ago Melissa and I were inside chatting. Eder, our friend and co-worker, had gone for a walk around town a few hours before and we were discussing whether or not he had fallen into a ditch somewhere when we heard a soft knock on the door. It was Eder, with something hidden in his arms. “I want to…
How to Get to Mexico from the US by Land, via Public Transportation
So this is an informative post since I had trouble figuring this information out on my own and thought maybe someone else out there might want to know how to get to Mexico from the United States without taking a plane. It’s actually very easy. Step 1: Get yourself to San Diego somehow. There are trains and buses that go there, so take advantage of them. I carpooled, but you can definitely get…
I’m back in Mexico City again for the weekend. Today and tomorrow the Foundation is showing our recycled-bottle products in an exhibition. In other news, I’ve changed my mind about the Metro. Yes, it can be crowded to the point where I can’t breathe, and yes it is a little concerning that the first two cars of the train are reserved only for women thanks to all the sexual harassment (although, if…
Conversation with a Random Guy in Mexico City
5/26/16 Sophia and I were walking in El Centro looking around when a guy with a huge bush of curly hair came up to me. “Can I take a picture of your feet?” he asked in Spanish. “Um…what?” I asked, startled. “Can I take a picture of your feet?” he repeated, staring pointedly at the white toes sticking out of my sandals. “Why…?” “I have a Facebook page of women’s feet,” he said, and showed me on…
The community is small, and the roads are not paved. During the day, the sun is a force to be reckoned with; it burns my skin easily due to the altitude. At night, the temperature plummets and we walk around in all of our layers. I am glad I brought two jackets against my better judgment; I almost didn’t because I thought they would take up too much space in my bag and I wouldn’t need them. We…
Hot. Smog. Traffic. Loud. Sprawl. The smell of sewage and exhaust. The pressure of bodies as I am squeezed in the Metro subway car like a sardine in a can. The sound of crowds of salespeople yelling in the Metro station, “Jugo, a seis pesos! Tortas, ricas tortas, a diez pesos!” all trying to outcompete the echoes of each other’s voices. Walking quickly in a thick current of people like a smolt in…
Sorry for the delay on this…internet has been sparse, to say the least. 5/23/16 Last night, I finally got on my bus from Tijuana to Mexico City. I fell asleep to the view of a giant, golden full moon rising over the desert. The seats on the bus recline almost to a comfortable lying-down position, and when I curled up with my head on my fleece jacket I expected to be passed out until morning.…
As expected, I had to negotiate with a few taxi drivers across the border before I got to someone who would charge me a reasonable amount. The first guy wanted to charge me $30, which I scoffed at and continued on. The second guy wanted $20, which I knew was still too high. After I wouldn’t give in, he pointed me down the road to where I could find a cheaper taxi. The next taxi I popped my head…
5/21/16 Finally, Mom and I made it to San Diego. We had a slow morning and finally made our way to La Jolla Cove, where we found people and sea lions coexisting in harmony on the beach. Kids screamed and chased the waves just a few feet away from sea lions stretched out on the sand, sunbathing. Tourists (including me) squatted down for pictures among them without their blinking an eye. Mom and…
So, we splurged. We got on a ferry to Catalina Island and did two shore dives off Casino Point. It. Was. Amazing. As soon as I plunged into the 62 degree water, I felt like I had been dunked in a giant aquarium. There were fish everywhere: bright orange Garibaldis, huge red, black and white Sheepshead, tiny purple fish, and orange fish with luminescent neon blue spots. We also had about 40 – 50…
Every dive site we tried had too much surge or was closed off from the public. We decided to drive our next camp spot, Laguna Beach, instead. Then we found ourselves in hours of stopped traffic from 5:00 – 8:30pm. I drove the whole time, and as I continuously braked and accelerated in the ten-lane freeway surrounded on all sides by concrete and other cars, I literally felt like I was going…
So this is our typical schedule: 7:00am – wake up and pack up camp. Eat some breakfast. 8:00am – get to dive site, get set up. 9:30am – get in the water and dive! 10:30/11 – get packed up and have lunch. Do some internet work. 2:00pm – drive to next campsite 4:30pm – set up camp, get dinner 8:30pm – crash. 5/18/16 Today we went to Montaña de Oro state park, a place my grandmother used to take me…