"LO MEJOR DE BARRA ES SU GENTE"
(graffiti photographed in a side-street in Barra)
Hello to everyone in Barra de Navidad desde Waterford Irlanda!
This is by way of a "test" email since having signed up to the site in the early hours of this morning.
My MacBook iPhoto experiment, trying to forward one of a large number of photos I took in Barra over the last 10 years of annual visits, has failed for the moment. The problem is file size, or, rather, how one is supposed to work around it. Another, related, problem is that most of my photos are RAW not JPEG.
And, perhaps, this is as good a point to "segue" into this discussion: about boredom in Barra.
I took early retirement about 10 years ago - but continued self-employed working. I've been living the dream of the ideal "Work-Life Balance" - the "cash poor/tiime rich" variant.
10 years ago my son chose to marry a "Tapitia" via the civil ceremony in Ireland and the religious ceremony in the family parish church in Guadalajara. Now there are two grandchildren (dos preciocitas - y bilingues!) So, my annual visit, usually in Dec/Jan, includes a family trip down to Barra, accompanied by son and family - and wonderful suegros - mis compadres.
A lot of my spare time is taken up with becoming as fluent in Spanish as I can (but, "to know me come and live with me" seems particularly true of language acquisition. Then there is the rich culture of Mexico to become acquainted with: the indigenous heritage, the food, drink, literature, cinema; Mexico as part of the greater Latin America society, the residual links with Spain. Moorish Spain has always fascinated me, so, I was bound to dig into the history of the Moors in the "New World" (and Jews: they shared much the same fate in Catholic Spain) Then there is the fascinating chapter in Mexican history - for me as an Irishman (and ex-serviceman) - of The Battalion of the San Patricios and the Melaque/Barra connection. A short spin up the road is Patscuaro and the wonderful story of Bishop Quiroga and his Utopian Socialism vision (from St Thomas More) developed amongst the Purepeche speaking native Americans.
So much of interest: so little time!
Without a doubt, if my health was a tad more robust, I would like nothing more than spend (at least) a couple of years the part of Jalisco that includes Barra.
"Lo mejor de Barra es su Gente": I believe that. and in la gente I'd include the many wonderful Canadian/US expats who have made a new life for themselves there - and, yes: found, like me, a rich seam of life experience through transcending boredom by responding to what it has to offer. One of my first truly human experiences was being canvassed by Nortenos for a subscription to a local public school in Barra - where, significantly, their children/grandchildren were enrolled. And there have been many others.
I didn't mention the relaxed night life, getting stuck into my favourite "Huachinanga," or listening to Bonnie and friends singing about "Taking The Long Way Home." The best version of the song I've heard.
Summary, apropos the discussion: "You get out what you put in." Fin de la historia?
And I,ve got a life here in Ireland too. I'd better get back to it!
Hasta La Navidad que viene - para mi: mitad en Guadalajara y mitad en Barra.