El Topo

Yesterday had a very good ending after its bad start. We were invited by Ruben one of Carolinas many pretendentes (guys who fancy her) to go to the movies. Taking a whole hour to cross the city by car to go to a bit of an arty cinema in the south. It is crazy so many cars driving on very broad roads without any signalled lanes, I cannot understand how one manages to drive here! Ruben tells how you have to be all the time 100 % attentive and anticipate what the other cars are going to do. For me who cannot drive, it reminds me of cycling in Barcelona with the guys of Can Masdeu, constantly on the look out not to be crushed by a car or to crush a pedestrian, que miedo, but what an adrinaline rush!
Have to say it is probably the thing I miss most of my country, bikes! Bikes to me mean independence, freedom and easy endorphines... In cars I feel caught up, and I therefore welcome every change to walk, which the people here find crazy since "this is not a particularly beautiful area to walk".
And why not take the public transport? Ok ok, the connections are not always great, and you are bound to change your concept of full once entered the Mexican metro at peak hour, but still at least you are close to the people (well, free massage and sauna included) and spying them makes it less dull than the car...
Although the smell in the morning... it reminds me of what Stella Blue once said in her weblog "why do men have to have to smell so bad? Is it not enough that there is hardly any air in this train, for me to have to stand their revolting masculinity?"

But ok, we arrive to the Conaculta, Cineteca Nacional and while eating palomitas (pop corn) see one of the weirdest movies ever: El Topo by Jodorowsky. Combination of western (shot in the north of Mexico), comic, zen philosofy, science fiction. Absurd and surrealistic, with quite a lot of shooting. Go see it for yourself, if interested.
Oh, yeah and for the stingy, economical Dutch and Catalans, I will add that cinemas are reallly cheap here, 2 euro for students, 3 for others.

Afterwards we have a drink (of course as a real pretendend Ruben pays everything for us) in the alternative barrio where Frida Kahlo had her house. It is still mild and many people are gathered on the teraces of the many bars, and an incredible amount of young lovers are kissing on the park benches (where do they hide normally?). And I am just feeling so happy to be here, to feel part of this city, to watch the people and talk about simple things with Ruben and Carolina...
Nothing is so changeable as my moods, you see.

Carolina finally tells me that Antonio is maybe not coming to work with her anymore, he was probably annoyed that I was also coming, although we do not even cross in time! It feels strange, what did I do wrong, to change from a new friend into an enemy and why not just talk things over? But we decide that it is his problem now, not ours. (Speaking about the devil... By chance, she hears from him for the first time since leaving NL the next day that yes, he will come but in March)

When coming home, we eat more palomitas (ah did I tell that i saw an offering to the Virgin of Guadalope ' patrone of the country ' made up entirely of pop corn? maize is sssoooo important here) and talk about men. She explains me about the Mexican culture in which a man conquers a woman and often insists for years, taking her out, writing her poems and letters. As a woman{s no means maybe, and maybe means yes, and a yes means you are too easy to get, the men will not be off set easily. Grown up in such a culture, what to think of Dutch men who do not open doors for you, easily let you carry as much as they do (being afraid to be called macho or sexist by emancipated women) or an Englishman who takes it literally when you see you "never again want to see him"?

When waking up still happy in the morning, I can only laugh when first thing I do is breaking the lamp of my literna-zaklamp. It has rained, which has cleaned the air a bit and makes it a lot easier to breath today. So I go the park to do some springtouwen (jumping with a cord), uhm yeah it does sound stupid but it is the only sport I could think of that did not require taking extra luggage and can be practised anywhere: to boost my endorphins and clear my lungs.

For your information, we leave to San Cristobal tonight (14 hours by bus, because I objected to flying), but will not enter the communities untill Thursday. We will go to meet Jose, a veterinary specialist, working in EcoSur University, to see if we can organize workshops with him. I will have to try to do some more interviews with people working in other participatory agricultural projects I guess, although there will be time when coming back from the communities too and I want to take it a bit easy now to not overload myself. Through observation and daily talks, I already learn a lot i guess.