Date Archives February 2011

The San Miguel de Allende Writers’ Conference

February 26, 2011 18 Comments Travel

I call it magic when doors swing wide open, opportunities unfold easefully and support is present at every turn for realizing my dreams. This has been the experience of my first month in San Miguel de Allende.

This colorful city has charmed many writers and artists and been much lauded in print and paint, so perhaps I am just the next lucky one to fall under its spell and be embraced and delighted. (For more about San Miguel, I suggest this recent Smithsonian article ).

Before I arrived in San Miguel de Allende, on January 21, I read online about the upcoming international writers’ conference (Feb. 18-21, 2011) and contacted director Susan Page, offering to be a volunteer in the hope I could attend this year and perhaps be a presenter next year. She thanked me but said there were no openings. Que será será. Then, a week before the conference, I met the vivacious Susan at a Women In Business meeting, and she told me a volunteer had just canceled and I was needed. Needed! I could attend! But that’s not all. At the volunteers’ orientation, days before the start of the conference, Susan announced that a faculty member had just canceled and it was too bad because she was offering the popular workshop on Self-Publishing. Without thinking, I interrupted and said, “I could do that!” “Fine,” said Susan to the group, “Aysha will do it.” And all of a sudden, my dream of presenting became a reality.

My workshop was well attended by a broad range of students, from aspiring to highly-successful published authors like Laura Davis, Jan Baross, Minerva Nieditz and Susan J. Cobb. I gained much useful information and inspiration from attending courses with writing coach Eva Hunter, crime fiction writer Jonathan Santofer, and political writer Ellen Meeropol.

A highlight for me was the keynote address by U.S. Latina writer Sandra Cisneros. Ms. Cisneros, poet, storyteller and author of several best-selling novels, took the stage to a full auditorium with a reboso wrapped around her shoulders. The theme of her talk, “Living in los Tiempos de Sustos”, (Living in the Time of Being Frightened), was gracefully woven throughout her observations about writing as the practice – “writing comes from a rant until it takes you to a place of light.”; writing as healing (after the loss of her father) – “The book (“Carmelo”) saved me from the sadness. Because you can be extremely heartbroken and write about something heartbreaking, but if you stay with it long enough, it will bless you.”; and writing as requiring “fearlessness and lack of ego.”

She challenged us to think of writing in new ways, from what she calls her ‘pajama voice’: “If today’s hours sitting down to write were your last hours on earth, what would you write?” Write about the things you wish you could forget, she suggested. Make a list of subjects that are taboo for you and cause you discomfort. Try the “10×10 exercise” where you list 10 things in 10 different areas that make you different from everyone else, like 10 things that make you different from others in your profession, from others of your gender, etc. Acknowledge the fear of our times and write through it.

Cisneros told engaging stories from her life, read from her beautifully-crafted work and left us with the encouragement to “enter your story from your body. You are a writer and can respond to the news. We are wizards, in the time of sustos. We are light. Honor your story, your characters, and the people you love. Our writing is medicine.”

In addition to the three intensive days of the conference, there were pre-and post-events, fiestas, field trips and tremendous opportunities for conversations and connections, orchestrated by dozens of devoted volunteers and local business people. I felt honored to be a part of it all. Now I dream of returning to The San Miguel Writers’ Conference next February to present with greater preparation and in greater depth. In the meantime, I plan to be a light and honor my story, my characters, and the people I love.

Is It Safe To Visit Mexico?

February 15, 2011 0 Comments Travel

first published at the group travel blog Your Life Is A Trip

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

“Aren’t you afraid?” and “Isn’t it dangerous?” These were the consistent questions posed by friends and family upon hearing I had booked a trip to Mexico. From my standpoint, it was a matter of avoiding winter’s cold, pursuing Spanish language studies and visiting American friends in San Miguel de Allende, a picturesque colonial city located in Mexico’s central state of Guanajuato.

Without any fear I flew from Albuquerque to Leon-Guanajuato Airport, via Houston, avoiding any border violence issues, and a 90-minute shuttle bus ride delivered me to this established and renowned cultural enclave of ex-pats and snowbirds. But the question of danger and safety in Mexico is not an easy or simple one to answer.

There is violence in Mexico, as everywhere. I recall an Australian friend who, landing in L.A. for his first trip to the U.S., called to ask if he should buy a gun – a reasonable question given the FBI estimate of over 200 million privately-owned firearms.

Americans – with our recent history of internal terrorism (Oklahoma City), external terrorism (September 11th), intentional public shootings (Tucson supermarket), serial murderers, drive-by shootings, rapes and other domestic violence; with handgun murders a daily occurrence in U.S. cities, and the largest prison population in the world – are hardly in a position to point fingers at the dangers abroad.

However, there is something different happening in Mexico. At the core are not just anger, political intolerance, insanity and psychopathic behavior, but money and turf war power, with illegal drugs as the medium.

Thirty years ago, when I lived and traveled in Mexico for six months, handguns were illegal and even the police were gunless. At that time, Mexico was an extremely safe place in regard to violent crime. Corruption, usually in the form of bribes to officials, was a known, accepted and non-violent interaction. That was two generations ago and the world has changed in countless ways.

Like violence, drugs have always been a part of the human story. But it is economic policy that is driving the chaos and fear created by the narcotrafficantes, who are controlled by powerful drug lord families, or “organizations”. It is akin to the days of Prohibition and the likes of Al Capone. While most of the violence is between warring gangs, innocent people can get caught in the crossfire and, recently, it is believed that the first U.S. officials and their families have been targeted and murdered. But even this is not a complete picture of the spreading lawlessness that is gripping parts of Mexico.

An estimated 30,000 people have been killed in this drug-related violence since 2006; 6,000 in Ciudad Juarez alone. According to author and journalist Charles Bowden, “There is no serious War on Drugs. Rather, there is violence, nourished by the money to be made from drugs. And there are U.S. industries whose primary lifeblood comes from fighting a war on drugs.”

Fear begets fear and, with high employment and steeply rising prices of essential goods, it is understandable that many young men are drawn to the possibility of ensuring the well being of their families through enlisting in one army or another of this drug war. They have nothing else to do, nothing to lose, and there is the hope of money being made.

For the past few weeks, while comfortably residing in the friendly, culturally-rich enclave of San Miguel de Allende’s 10,000 ex-pats and snowbird visitors (in a city of about 80,000), I’ve tried to grasp the dangers and concerns, real or imagined. Here, long-time American and Canadian residents continue to feel safe from the drug war. The now regular cases of vandalism, assaults and robberies have engendered a greater degree of cautiousness and common sense measures but, overall, the smaller cities and villages in central Mexico have not seen evidence of drug war violence.

Clearly this is not the case along the border – Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales, and Matamoros, in the states of Nuevo Leon, Guerrero, Sinaloa, Michoacan, and Durango. According to the U.S. State Department, “Other metropolitan areas have lower, but still serious, levels of crime. The low rates of apprehension and conviction of criminals also contribute to Mexico’s high crime rate… The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors traveling to major tourist destinations.”

Indeed, tourism is among Mexico’s top three economic generators, along with oil exports and Mexicans working abroad who send home billions of dollars each year to their families, although that has been diminishing with issues of legality and far fewer jobs abroad.

Mexico, the 11th largest economy in the world and about three times the size of Texas, is a vast and complex country, therefore lumping together all places is absurd. As a tourist to major destinations, you would not likely encounter any evidence of the drug wars, and such violence is primarily between the criminal elements. Like elsewhere in the world, most people are decent, law abiding and peaceful citizens who want nothing of this madness in their communities but are, for now, helpless to counteract the organized crime and violence.

For example, a young man living in San Miguel Allende told me that his parents, in Mexico’s wealthiest and second largest city of Monterrey, have increased security measures. They stopped going out at night, instead entertaining friends at home in their upper-middle class suburb. They, and many of their neighbors, have traded late-model SUVs for less conspicuous cars. Even so, there have been incidents of large trucks, commandeered by narcotrafficos, that block streets, ransack stores, sometimes take hostages for ransom, and otherwise terrorize residents.

As military efforts have resulted in nothing but escalated violence, the Mexican government is seriously considering decriminalization and legalization for marijuana. However, like many logical solutions, there are enormous economic and political factors at play and the future of such initiatives remains uncertain.

Is it safe to visit the resorts and popular tourists destinations, like Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Playa del Carmen, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato? Probably as safe as it has ever been. The decent, kind-hearted Mexicans, who know the value of tourism, welcome you.

My advice? Avoid driving anywhere near the borders and never drive at night; stay in tourist-populated areas; do not count on police protection (I am told they can be targets themselves, or related to the bad guys); steer clear of any demonstrations or dubious situations; do not carry large sums of money and always have change in local currency for taxi rides and small purchases; be aware of your surroundings, as you should no matter where; and continue to visit and enjoy the diverse scenery, culture, food, climate and genuine hospitality of Mexico.

Aysha Griffin is a travel writer, editor and business/relationship coach. Her blog is: www.InhabitYourDreams.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day From San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

February 13, 2011 4 Comments Passion & Joy, Travel

The Mexican culture is inherently romantic, colorful and festive. Since this is my first Valentine’s Day here, I don’t know how widely it is celebrated – there are so many saint’s days and other holidays! But here are a few images of love and hearts I’ve captured to share. May love, joy and appreciation fill your heart!

Frida’s House

February 10, 2011 9 Comments Travel

Imagine the most vivid, fierce color of blue, its intensity shouting beyond the natural world, conjuring fantasy, magic and surrealist dreams. This is the color of the home into which Mexico’s most famous – and tormented – woman painter, Frida Kahlo, was born, lived with her husband Diego Rivera, and died, just after her 47th birthday in 1954.

I had viewed a traveling exhibition of her work at the Museum of New Mexico in 2007, and seen the movie, “Frida,” staring Selma Hayek, so I knew of her polio as a child and the spine-crushing trolley accident that rendered her infertile and doomed to a life of chronic pain, about which she painted and wrote. But it was not until visiting her home, “Casa Azul,” in Mexico City’s upscale area of Coyoacán, did I get a real feeling for the woman and her life.

On a recent Sunday morning, I overlooked the crowds, the cordoned-off alarm areas, the numerous security guards, the meticulous exhibition of her art work and tidy placement of personal objects to observe the architecture, photos, writings, furniture, personal possessions and treasures to imagine what it might have been like when she and Diego inhabited what has been a museum since 1957.

With her back problems, she must have had trouble negotiating the stone stairs from her studio and bedroom to the expansive gardens and, no doubt, there was a chill in winter that could not have been displaced by the two massive Aztec-inspired stone fireplaces designed by Diego.

Tranquil as it is now, there must have been the yapping of their many hairless dogs and the screeching of her beloved spider monkey, Fulang Chang. (Her 1942 “Self-Portrait with Monkey and Parrot” sold at Sotheby’s for $3.2 million in 1995). As affluent Bohemians, there was, no doubt, the continual comings and goings of maids, cooks, gardeners, in addition to many friends and associates, and the typical Mexican intrusion by street vendors selling tortillas, tamales, vegetables, flowers and wood.

Her studio table and articulating easel display neatly-placed paints, and the wall is lined with orderly books. Yet I imagine her work room was often chaos, strewn with angry drawings, and half-finished paintings abandoned out of frustration and pain. Her life was not neat, and yet her passion for it was relentless.

She wrote: “Cada es una segunda de la vida que pasa, huye y no se repite. Y hay en ella tanta intensidad, tanto interes, que el problema solo saberla vivir. Que cada uno resuelba como pueda.” (Roughly translated: Each second of life passes, and is not repeated. And in it there is such intensity, so much interest, that the only problem is knowing how to live it. Each one resolves this as he can).

In the quiet, fastidiously arranged dining room and kitchen, I can hear the couple’s angry, hurtful words spilling and breaking upon the hand-painted terracotta dishes and jade-colored pots from Michoacan, and also the impassioned conversations about politics, philosophy and the nature of art.

The grounds now include a busy coffee shop and store with the ubiquitous products sporting Frida’s name, face and art, commiserate with her iconic cult status. Yet, wandering among the trees, plants, artifacts and art displayed upon the exterior walls, I envision this environment as a nurturing sanctuary, sanatorium and retreat from the world perennially at war, or recovering fitfully from the wounds and scars of it.

Here, for her whole life, was Frida’s home, embodying the exuberance of a richly colored and textured life, and the pain endured in living it.

Struck by the beauty and tranquility of Casa Azul, countered with the pain and ferocity of Frida’s life, I wondered what my home, possessions and work, if frozen in time and place, might say about the life I’ve lived?

Pilgrims

February 2, 2011 2 Comments Passion & Joy, Travel

The pilgrims who began their 9-day walk, or Caminito, to San Juan de Los Lagos, should be arriving today, to receive the blessing and miracles of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos.

Nine days ago, in the pre-dawn darkness, in front of Harry’s Bar in el Centro de San Miguel de Allende, a few hundred San Miguelitos, like myself, gathered to join them on the first leg of this centuries-old journey.

While the pilgrims come from all over Mexico to participate in what is considered among the most significant and grueling pilgrimages, leading to the miraculous image of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos, us locals were raising funds for the Domestic Violence Prevention program at C.A.S.A., a organization serving poor adolescents and rural women and their families since 1981.

CASA San Miguel — Trish Mar, San Miguel Walk Coordinator

The annual San Miguel Walk raises funds to end domestic violence. Shown is a banner of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos, known for miracles helping women and children.

Domestic violence crosses all cultural and socio-economic boundaries; it is reported in 60% of Mexican households. C.A.S.A., housed at a beautiful facility west of centro, provides education and training, focusing on early intervention and building knowledge and skills so individuals are better prepared to manage their own lives. Additionally, the organization offers a community center for young people, maternity hospital and family health clinic (free HIV testing, pap smears, birth control, etc.), Mexico’s only government accredited school of midwifery, child development center, library, counseling, anti-violence program and a number of outreach, advocacy and school-based programs. Indeed, a worthy organization to support!

Also participating in the 8th Annual San Miguel Walk were supporters of Mariposas San Miguel, the slogan of which is: imagine a world without violence. Former Santa Fean and well-known artist, Lena Batula, founded Mariposas and is devoted to empowering indigenous women, from rural areas in the region, to produce colorful and functional hand-crafted products, thereby taking charge of their lives and supporting their families. If you’re looking for a beautiful, unique gift for your self or a friend, you’ll find it at Mariposas online store and support the vitality and independence of these talented women.

* * *

As I was standing in the field, snapping photos, a slight and seemingly shy young man of maybe 20, approached and asked in Spanish if I were a “peregrino,” a pilgrim. “No, I am sorry but I am only here to see the beginning.” “Too bad,” he replied. “Have you walked this before?” I asked. “Oh yes, many times. This will be my fifth.” “Are you walking alone?” “No, I’m with my parents,” he said, pointing to an elderly couple walking slowly arm and arm across the grass, his father using a cane. “They have done it 12 times.” “How can you take off for nine days and walk?” “How could we not? It is our faith.”