So little time, so much to do

Well, readers, our last entry was on April 30 and today is Friday, May 9. The Mexicans are gearing up for Mother's Day weekend with wishes of "felicitar", candy, and bouquets of calla lillies and other flowers. Their celebrations of Children's Day, Worker's Day, and Mother's Day are done con mucho gusto. Their joy is contagious. Sons and daughters drive hundreds of miles to spend Mother's Day weekend with their moms. It's truly amazing. On Children's Day, games, pinatas, lots of food, and excursions to the parks are the rule of the day. We celebrated Worker's Day weekend in Puerta Vallarta and it was party, party, party. No Rotary meetings and most Rotarians celebrated their labor day with family and friends. Food is the tie that binds!! And boy, are we enjoying the food!

The 4150 District Governor "Patino" spent a day with us on May 4 at a beachfront park (Boca de Tomate) that residents here (and all of us) enjoy. We had a picnic of fresh-from-the-sea fish, guacamole, frijoles, fresh mozzarella-like cheese ... all in the company of the DG, whose day really should have been spent celebrating Worker's Day weekend with his family. Yet, he spent it with us and called it an honor. We gave him a District banner, GSE pin, NY Yankees cap, and other gifts as thanks for his attention.

I can't tell you how special our fellow Rotarians have made us feel. Our presentations are eagerly received; our hosts embrace us in their homes. We are totally immersed. We've also stayed at hotels in two different places, and that worked well for us allowing us to communicate and share our down-time together.

We'll be seeing many of our Rotary friends toward month's end at the District Conference in San Miguel de Allende. The conference is an all-inclusive fiesta. Oh, my! It may be just TOO MUCH fun. One of our Mexican friends has been on a diet, and we told him that we may not recognize him in a few weeks. There's been lots of laughter and sharing of stories.

We get really tired by day's end, but somehow these energetic young women on the team rally for another round each day. It hasn't been easy, to be perfectly honest. But it has been fulfilling. We have our Zen moments (If you feel discouraged, encourage others. ...) and we're doing really well. The 9:30 p.m. Rotary meetings complete with tasty dinners have been a challenge on our digestion and sleep patterns. Despite that, we're the energizer bunnies raring to go. It would be more comforting to have an itinerary each day that we followed religiously, but we are in good hands and we're trying to go with the flow.

Among the things we saw in Mazatlan (a port city and great vacation spot, by the way, with lots of focus on retaining the historical district) were the plans for a state-of-the art boundless playground, which ought to be trademarked because of its ingenuity and input from the community and the people involved with the special needs youth. We visited a HUGE tuna factory called Pinsa, the largest in Mexico, and had to remove all jewelry, wear caps and closed-toed shoes to guarantee no contamination of the product. And later, at the aquarium, Anna and Gabriela were kissed by a seal! At the Marino coffee factory, another hermetically sealed environment, we saw coffee that is exported to the US ... they've just negotiated a deal to market Kirkland Signature Coffee, and they produce Hills Bros. and Haneford among others.

Our bus trip to Tepic was uneventful. Each time, I've asked that the receiving club primary host and telephone number be given us in case of emergency, and that has worked out very well. The hosts in Tepic were unaware that Bill O'Shaughnessy was an alternate team leader, and so they had a present for him as well as us. I've packed it in my suitcase and will deliver the gift upon our return. Victor was one of the drivers and a Rotarian is a PDG who had studied for a couple of months at Yale. We were whisked from the bus station directly to a Rotary meeting at 9:30 at night. HOLY MOLEY. But we interacted, made our presentation, gave out pins and banners, and represented 7980 with high honors, in my opinion. We received LOTS of gifts from the clubs in Tepic. We have really enjoyed the generosity of all the Rotarians, but the Tepic group went above and beyond the call.

The vocational exchanges have been worthwhile. But because HIV/AIDS is either not recognized or treated very privately, Annie has had just one encounter with a man who serves that population, but hospital visits have been eye-opening, and facilities for the disabled have been abundant. For sure, Anna has gotten some outstanding photos at those facilities. Also, museums, art shows, and a photography show have been among the highlights for all of us and especially Gabriela. We've met with social workers, but today, Amy and the team meet with a representative of the judicial system, which should be very informative.

There are some men/women clubs in this area, and many men only/women only clubs. Interesting. I reserve comment!

We've shopped at open-air markets along the way ... one had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat, and nuts. The pig heads intrigued me. Native-made jewelry and clothing have intrigued all of us and it's likely our suitcases will be as jam packed on our return as they were on our arrival. We've given out Pez to an orphanage at at Project Amigo in Colima, and our beanie babies have been given to families with small children. All of it seems to be appreciated.

The gifts that we have brought include "Only in Milford" donated by Frosty Smith, prints from Essex and New London, copies of original art, photographs, and the Kennedy Center calendar, among other things. ... A nice representation of our District.

At Puerto Vallarta we saw the world-renowned Los Voladores de Papantla swinging around the 100-foot pole and celebrating the circle of life. Awesome. We spent the day on the beach at the site of an exclusive hotel and were comped services. Excuse me. It doesn't get any better than that. Dinner at a restaurant called No Name was fantastic. Walking along the boardwalk with all the sculptures enhanced our time in Puerto Vallarta. We had no internet service at the hotel, but we found internet cafes and also a Starbucks.

I'm so thankful that we had requested contacted information for the next city because when Pompayeo was called to say we were arriving, he said in Spanish "huh?" They had no idea that we were arriving. So, Steve Stout, a native of Iowa, and Pompayeo "tap danced" and made a great welcome for us, putting us up in their homes. Despite their lack of information, they did an excellent job sharing their day and providing us with good stuff to see. Steve runs an orphanage called Casa Hogar of the Angels with 50 disposed-of kids. It's such a great place for them. One of the most dynamic visits was to a very poor school where the principal and teacher of the entire student body -- 11 kids -- showed the garden they have planted to help the residents and students sustain themselves and the trees they have planted in the neighborhood. He was such a sweet and attentive man that we know his students are receiving the best from the best.

On Wednesday, May 7, we visited the Helen Keller School, which attends to the needs of the disabled ... including legally blind, one blind and one deaf student. Annie discovered that except for a few signs, the alphabet is similar. Anna explained services offered to our special needs people once they graduate from school, including the concept of group homes. They're intrigued, and who knows but maybe one of them may come to Connecticut for a vocational exchange!

We've got so many ideas for matching grants, our heads are brimming with suggestions.

Steve drove us to Cofradia de Suchitlan and Project Amigo. It's great to see Ted Rose and Susan Hill again. They're getting ready for the drive to Connecticut, visits to our clubs, West Point District Conference, and visits to other spots across our nation in an attempt to generate interest in volunteers for Project Amigo work weeks and donations. Our visit around town to see devastation from the earthquake in 2003 to the teen center (which would put Connecticut -- especially Milford -- to shame) history museum, Queseria camp and school, sugar cane fields, coffee factory, and the Magic Zone where a car in neutral moves uphill!!, have been enriching.

I am so proud of our 7980 team. And I am not capable of recounting everything we have done, but I hope this rambling compilation gives you a hint of the richness of our journey. I'll try to get the photos onto a page so that you can enjoy a sampling of our time spent in Mexico with our warm, generous, hospitable, and accommodating friends in the United States of Mexico.