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Just a note: If you post a comment on an entry, but you have logged in as "Anonymous", I won't know who it is from unless you say "from _____".

Don't leave me guessing!


p.s. Tuesdays are much better than Mondays!

Black Beans

Do you know why in Mexico there are aisles that contain bags of dried beans, but in the states there is only one tiny section for the dry kind? I do now. It's because the average American would not have the patience to deal with what it takes to transform beans from their rocklike state to edible. I tried this weekend. It took almost the whole weekend, too. Friday evening I remembered I had these black beans that were meant for a cold bean salad, so I stuck them in water to soak for 6 hours, like the recipe said. Well, I did that. On Saturday, I realized that I didn't have the ingredients for the salad, so i decided to cook the beans just to have. I put them in a pot with water on low to simmer while I went to Costco (yes there's a Costco here!). I informed Joy that they were cooking before I left. Well, I guess since they had soaked, they didn't need much time. Or the heat was too high... I don't know, but for some reason, while I was gone smoke was billowing out of the pot. Luckily Lindsay had come to the door because poor Joy has had the cold from Hell and can't smell a thing, so she didn't realize what was happening until she came downstairs to get the door.
Needless to say, I threw those away, and our house smelled (smells...?) really really bad.
BUT, if at first you don't succeed.....

So this time I didn't have the patience for soaking. I put them in a pot with water and simmered. It took all day, but I have blackbeans!

Today for breakfast and dinner I at blackbean and rice tacos. :) Go me! I promise to know how to cook lots of new things after my time here!

Dia de Independencia

Happy "July 4th!" to all of Central America today! Last night was a fun cultural experience. Even thought the 16th is the real Independence Day, on the 15th everyone celebrates. There are places all over town where people congregate for festivities and the "grito", or the shout of Viva Mexico! A few of us went to a place called Chapalita, which is just the name for this part of town with a pretty glorieta. It looked like a big carnival, with rides and games and food stands and people, people, people! It was really neat. Then, in the middle of the glorieta was a gazebo/pavillion where, around 10:00, some poeople came up had a flag salute, sand the anthem, and cheered for past (important?) people, ending in one big grito of "Viva Mexico!" Very patriotic and exciting. Then there were fireworks.. very wierd ones at first that were spinning and spraying off of this metal contraption. then they did the real kind, right over our head... which I have to admit was a little unnerving.
It was crowded. It was bright, but also dark at the same time. There were street vendors (I bought a purse!) and food stands (the most common dish was corn with cream and cheese...but I found sweet potatoes!). People were selling empty eggs full of confetti and bottles of what looked like it would be silly string, but was really this soapy foam stuff. By the end of the night, half of the people were covered in one, the other, or both.
Very fun!

Hiking pictures!

I got some hiking pictures from someone who remembered a camera!
These were taken at the bottom of the "mountain".

Independence Day weekend

Random picture of the street outside of the school.


Saturday is the day that all of Central America celebrates their independence from Spain. So, tomorrow morning in school we will have a flag salute (that apparently some kids have been practicing dances and songs for. Then, tomorrow night is a big deal in Mexico. There will be lots of parties and festivities, then late at night there will be a very patriotic shout, called the "grito", saying "Viva Mexico!" and they call out the names of past presidents. I've read a bit about the current political climate and how, with the narrow recent presidential victory, there may be another 'grito' for the loser and his fans. Don't quote me on any of this, because I am the last person to ever listen to when it comes to politics or current events. When it's the two combined, I'm hopeless. But, nevertheless, tomorrow should be really fun. We are going to a part of the city called Chapalita, where there is supposed to be some art (which makes me happy). I will let you know how it goes!