I have eaten pigs skin and I liked it!
Trip Start
Aug 05, 2007
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13
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Trip End
Aug 05, 2008
Mexico City,
Mexico
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
I can not believe I have eaten pigs skin (on more than one occasion) without realising what it was. It tasted like crisps so obviously it is thin pieces of skin deep fried. I did enjoy it at the time (ha!) but never again as the thought of eating someones skin makes me feel ill! gross! As I have said before the Mexicans eat lots of meat. Every morning when I walk to work I have to pass this stool which cooks tacos on the side of the street and the smell of the meat cooking makes me feel sick. I found out this week that it is goats meat and they have a goats head on the side (including teeth!) and this is too show that they cook real goats meat which is supposed to be very expensive. I must say I have been put off eating meat again!
Last week across Mexico there have been lots of displays to celebrate "day of the dead". This is a time when the Mexican`s celebrate people dying, kind of strange I know! The idea behind it is to bring children up not to be afraid of dying and obviously it is a day to remember those of have died. In the parks and graveyards there are displays that contain flowers, figures of skeleton's made out of papermache, candles and food. They are all very colorful because obviously Mexicans see it as a happy occasion. In the graveyards family and friends put food down that was liked by their loved ones. Often fruit and a cake which is covered in sugar is put down. The food is put down because it is believed that putting food down feeds the souls of the dead people so that their spirits can be kept alive. The cake feeds the bones of the dead people and I have been told that the fruit has no significance. The displays were wonderful and a lot of time and effort is gone into preparing for this occasion. At Pro Ninos we did a display with the children and they really enjoyed it, especially making the papermache figures. I think it is great that the organization gives them the opportunity to do things that the children would do if they were at home or at school.
Pro Ninos has been really rewarding the past month. Two of the children now have accommodation in a care home, lets hope they stay there! as many decide to leave because they find it hard to cope with having to stick to rules and to have boundaries. I know there are problems in care homes but at least they are off the street. These two boys are so happy to have somewhere to live and I asked them if they liked it and they said yes. One boy said he is happy because he is no longer cold at night, bless!. They both have new clothes and have had hair cuts and they are loving it!
The other rewarding parts have been hearing about Pro Ninos and their successes. Between 1997 - 2006 Pro Ninos helped 615 children to leave the street.
The founder (Abuelo) of Pro Ninos retired two weeks ago and that was a sad day for the children and staff. There was a big party and lots of the boys made speeches to say thanks for everything he and Pro Ninos have done for them. There were comments like...... you rescued me from the streets, you have been like a father to me..... yes it was very emotional. There were lots of tears from everyone, what an amazing guy though!!
People have been asking me about the ghosts and spirits in Canitas street where I live and I did say I would tell you more! Well we live very close to this famous house which is haunted. There has been a film and a book written about it which I going to read when my Spanish has improved. Apparently a family lived there and they all ended up going crazy because the house is controlled by spirits. I am not sure how much I believe but there is only one survivor of the family and now the house is boarded up and there is barbed wire on the top and a sign saying no entry. Although some one told me other day you go and look around the house as it is famous but I am not sure if I want to go just yet although I does sound interesting. Anyhow the good news is we are moving in two weeks time just down the road into a bigger house, that means less there is less chance of me going mad if it is true, ha! Not sure whether it is going to be a good thing as there is going to be 10 of us in one house with 5 bedrooms! Still one good thing is at least we will have water. Where we live now there is a huge problem with the water and last weekend we did not have any water all weekend, a huge problem!
Anyway must go, hope everyone is well and it is good to hear you all enjoy reading my blogg!
Take care,
Gemma x
