Jim Cook's blog

Tomorrow, there is a puppet show for kids at the Auditorio just a few blocks from us. A number of the godparents from LIA are going to take their kids and so are we. All kids love puppets and this is also a benefit for Niños Incapacitados (a charity for handicapped children). I’ll give a report in a subsequent post.

I am really enjoying the Spanish conversation class. As I get further into Spanish, I grasp more of what is being said although I still need to learn a great deal more before I can fully understand and follow all the topics. Also, I am almost as far along as other members of the class, so that I don’t feel so out of place. Although we have had different backgrounds and different experiences, we all seem to share the same values and attitudes to politics and to social mores; we also share curiosity and interests. I guess it is not surprising that people who are interested in and willing to put the effort into learning Spanish and Mexican culture are very similar. For such people Mexico is not just an inexpensive area with a great climate to retire to. Moving here is an opportunity to learn and experience a very different world and provides very different ways of looking at ourselves and where we came from. Our conversations in the class range far and wide. For example, one of the couples lived in and moved to Mexico from Oregon. Someone then brought up the fact that Oregon allows assisted suicide for people with devastating, terminal illness. That launched us into a discussion of that.

The couple from Oregon, Jim and Carole Cook, recently joined the conversation class. They like to travel and have been doing excursions since they moved here in 2007. Jim keeps a blog and used exactly the same term and idea for their actions as we have for ours--Mexico Adventure. The blog is truly outstanding. Jim is a really good photographer. His commentary also gives the background and context for each photo. As I looked at the blog, it was like looking at one of those expensive, beautiful coffee table books. He has developed quite an archive of different places and topics. My impression is that he and Carole research and plan their excursions very extensively before hand; it is not a casual tourist approach but one that includes an effort of study. Mexico has so much of interest. People north of the border are really ill-informed and ignorant about Mexico and that included me before we arrived here. Cities are much older here and have an extraordinarily rich architecture, art and culture. As I am learning, there are huge differences between cities. Thus, getting acquainted with one city or area in no way allows one to assume that he/she knows all about Mexico. Jim’s blog (http://www.cookjmex.blogspot.com/) is an excellent way to get introduced to some of this richness and diversity.