And away they go...

We managed to make it back to Oaxaca without a hitch, it wasn't until we got here that things went a little pear-shaped. When we first arrived we were thrilled to see new furniture and fantastically clean apartment; until we realized there was no hot water.

The problem persisted for a few days, long enough to take the pacific ocean approach: jump into the cold, try not to scream, and get used to it as fast as you can. The first day we asked our landlord, Agustin, what the deal was and he was stumped. He informed us that he just put in new pipes and that of all the times it should be working now was it; that's great, but cold showers aren't. So I called him over this morning so that he could take another look at why ours was the only apartment in the building that didn't have hot water. He looked around for a while and then turned the faucet, it was warm for a second but then it went away. This has been the case the whole time: an instant of false hope -caused by pipes baking in the sun- that is dashed when the water goes cold. So he turned on the cold water and let it run for a while sure enough it started to steam. And then he said: "se invierten los grifos," the faucets are reversed; sweet, we've had hot water the whole time.

It reminded me of as story my dad used to tell every time that we planned on going to a Spanish-speaking country.
"Remember," he would say, "hot in Spanish is 'calor' so don't turn on the faucet with the 'C' on it." I always thought that this was one of his useless trivia tidbits that he is so famous for and that I have taken to reciting myself. I was further confused when Eva, our resident expert on Latin America and the Caribbean would say:
"Well sure, but cold is 'frio' so you shouldn't have much trouble telling them apart. I have generic faucets, without letters, so who's to say which is the "C" or the "F"? Anyway we're just glad to have the hot water back.

Upon our arrival we made up for some unfinished gringo business: we went and saw the new Indiana Jones. First off, it was so awesome. Second, I think we're now cursed because of it. The entire story takes place in Peru, speaking almost completely to Mayan lore. Oaxaca is a Zapotec civilization, that is, it is pre-columbian, before the Aztecs or the Mayans; the people of Monte Alban are Olmecs. I don't know if it was because the movie was almost as cool as our local ruins or what, but I think we've angered the Gods: not only are we expecting three days of dry lightning (a very bizarre and seemingly apocalyptic event that interrupts cellphone and wireless internet coverage) but yesterday Kelly was really sick. I'm sure the best way to learn to love a foreign locale is to fall victim to its regional illnesses on the first day, but not so much for Kelly; luckily she's much much better today. So, until further notice, we will be desperately trying to convince Montezuma that we are not conquistadors and that he need not exact his revenge on us any further.

In the coming days I will be working to build a school with a group from Jacksonville University and planning for our trip to Los Naranjos coffee plantation at the end of the month. Monday, Kelly has an interview with Maple, a Canadian-run English-Language school a few blocks from our apartment; if all goes as planned she will be gainfully employed very soon as an English teacher.

That is all the news from the deep south, more as it develops.