Destinos y Conquistas

I left my cloud at 5:40 am. Not very early, just early enough to have made it to a full four hours of sleep as packing does take some time and generally some more time when done the night before. Dallas traffic was a warm-up for Oaxaca, and check-in and security went so smoothly I wondered if that was not foreshadowing for other stop-and-go laborious activity running too smoothly later. One small ordeal that should be shortened to 'deal since it was so insignificant; we didn't have our boarding passes from Mexico City to Oaxaca, so we went outside to the airline's check-in station, got our boarding passes, and passed back through security in time to have a torta and...
He stood a menacing 2'1 complete with pumpkin bib and pumpkin sized head that he would use to begin his drunken jog, with a tilt of the noggin' he would plunge forth with a swagger barely sufficient to keep him from eating rug. It was in this manner that he approached me and my beautiful wife. Casting a glance of supreme confidence at me as any Conquistador of Mexico would do with a slight disregard in his eye for what he saw, he stumbled forward to place his hand inexcusably and ever intentionally on Kimb's knee taking time for a slow stare first at me and then Kimberly. It took all I could to not punt this smirking 23 pounds of pud across the terminal, but I eyed him calmly and rested content and confident in my wife's commitment and satisfaction with our relationship. His guardians came to take him away but he would not budge, apparently stuck in a new addiction, as he was planted firmly in the ground unable to break the intoxicating contact between his grubby little mitt and my wife's flawless knee. What's more he locked eyes now glazed in the euphoria of a distant existence with me, as his people's beckoning became more fervent the more ground his little meat hooks covered leaving the knee and finding the thigh, Kimberly's confident laugh was all that held me in check as the tottering toddler was broken away from his enchantment by his smiling mother and whisked away with more than a half-liter of drool leaking from his chubby little pie-hole.
We left shortly there after and found our gate and found our plane and found our home for the next month. Nuestra destinación se hace nuestro destino.
Oaxaca is cold and grey...today at least, and apparently has been so for the past few weeks. Something about the tropical storms. I was instructed on the plane to respond "aprendo" when asked if I spoke spanish. "I am learning" I am. Learning that I am nowhere near as smart as Emy who can effortlessly transition from spanish to english and back again before I can rack my brain to remember what "llamo" means. She is 8. In customs I handed the kind lady my customs form and she told me to "push the button." It flashed a huge red sign. I was randomly selected for baggage search. Luckily it consisted only of setting my bag on the table so she could un-zip and re-zip it. Emy and Jorge picked us up at the airport, we flew through town (there is no speed limit here, it was explained to me that the "speed limit is...how would you call it...dumb" instead there are enormous speed-bumps. Ah. We spent about an hour at the house, drinking coffee and chatting. Then we went to the church where a group of the young men (Zach's age) were meeting to decide how they would divide responsibilities while Jorge was gone. Everyone is more than loving, more than welcoming, more than unreasonably (but thankfully) understanding of my insane ability to only speak one language. It is common, proper, respectful even to greet people with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. It is really actually very nice. Our evening closed with hugs and a trip to the store for things for breakfast tomorrow. Then we stopped at the infamous tlyuda stand. Zach has told me over and over again how truly wonderful this experience is. I find myself somewhere between excited and desperately wondering "What is a tlyuda?" We stop alongside the road and step out in the drizzle (which is actually quite nice, although a wee bit chilly) to a stand covered with a tilted tarp. A kind woman is quickly and accurately spooning beans, spreading cheese and lettuce, slicing avacados and tomatos and altogether concocting a delightfully smelling "tlyuda" (its like a big quesidilla with guac and avacados and lettuce and tomatos and beans and quesillo(another type of oaxacan cheese)) it was indeed wonderful. We made it home at about 10. Leti gave me the tour and "run down on the quirks" (the coffee pot is broken so the big cup has to be tilted just right, the water will run out so the well has to be switched on for 20 mins in the evening, the dog is pregnant and since no one can remember or recall how long a dog's gestation period is we aren't sure if puppies will come while we are here or not, and the spiders on the wall stay on the wall, and they are friendly, they eat bugs...) Their house is BEAUTIFUL a really open plan, high ceilings, great tile, stucco. It is really a great place, and more than comfortable. Tonight ends with guitar hero having just been shut off, and goodnight hugs from Emy and Aaron (10). They are great kids. This is a great family. I'm excited and very grateful to be here.