Adiós niños.

Two months could be a long time. But it is short if you have had great companion. For almost two months Casa Hogar Córdoba was my workspace and beyond that my home. I really enjoyed to be together with the children. On my farewell I realized that I am not going to see most of them in the future. This made me sad. Some kids were asking me not to leave and hugged me as hard as they can. Others were annoyed that I was leaving their place and asked for the reasons. I was close to relief some tears but, hey, I am a man. Or one big boy. Maybe this is the reason why I have enjoyed the life in the orphanage. These are some impressions I have made in stay in Casa Hogar.

Sarah is a little brat. After this picture was shot she attacked me. On one hand she was always punching and shouting a lot. But on the other hand she was always around me. Asking me to carry her around, to play with her and not to leave her alone.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.03.2012)

Luis also known as "Gordo" was the big star of Casa Hogar. Every visitor liked to huge and take pictures with him. This boy is very energetic. Running around, escalating, throwing things. My mother said, that I used to be like that when I was a child.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 03.04.2012)

Sometimes animals were carried to the orphanage. But they did not stay for a long time. Zaira and Ana with "Oro". I could not remind his name because it was in Nahuatl. I just named in "Oro" as he was the golden dog.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 08.04.2012)

The "conejos" caught the attention of the children. But I guess that they have eaten the big one for dinner. I have not seen him on the next day.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 08.04.2012)

Little Gordo was a little worried about his new haircut. Everyone was asking me to cut my hair, too. I have made a compromise and used hair gel. For the first time in five years! I might look like a pimp now, but I think I will keep that style.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 10.04.2012)

Hmmm, I really like to cook babies. This was part of my education. When the children were behaving bad I took them to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, put their hands on the table and said: "Vamos a cortar tu mano!". I never cut any hand and, with a little shock, the kids have realized that they have to behave. It might sound cruel, but in the end the children knew that it was just a joke.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 11.04.2012)

Ok, I did not cook the baby. Jazmin was a really cute little thing. Sometimes we took a nap together. I named her "cochinito". She was given back to her mother after some weeks. Sad for the children and the nannies in Casa Hogar, but it might be better for her to grow up with her family.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 11.04.2012)

Marisol always wanted me to take photos of her. Her nature was very friendly. But on the same time she was very shy and reserved. One day she ran away with another girl who was new in Casa Hogar. They have said that Marisol has done it before. But she has always returned in a jiffy. For this time she did not return. Not just that she had run away, neither can she read nor write. I do not know what happened to her. Sadly, I can not expect the best things. The streets of Mexico can be very though.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 19.04.2012)

Ángel with the left overs of a piñata. He was mentally disabled and could not talk properly. But he is a child that enjoys every inch of life. As Ángel is a very devoted child he did not want me to leave him. "Amigo, migooo, Amigo. No te vayas!"

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 28.04.2012)

The 30th of April is the day of the children. On the right side you can side the biggest child of Casa Hogar in action.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.04.2012)

When Jonathan entered the place he was very shy. He got beaten up by his stepmother many times and his father just turned his head the other way. On the day of his presentation to Casa Hogar he carried an open wound on his head. Nevertheless this boy was a little rascal. He always pranked the other children  and excused himself with an face of a angel.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.04.2012)

Ice cream on the day of the children!

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.04.2012)

Piñatas were part of every celebration in the orphanage. I really loved to see the children beat them up. And secretly I wanted to punch the piñatas, too.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.04.2012)

This picture was taken on my farewell. Unfortunately not all of the children were around. Some were at school, some at work. I am planning to go back to Mexico and in particular to Córdoba. I will visit the children for one more time. For different reasons most of them will not be around then. Hopefully with a greater future.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 30.04.2012)

Puebla y Cholula.

Mexico is a gigantic country. Too big, to travel it in just two months. Especially when you have to work from Monday to Friday. Originally I wanted to sunbathe in Playa del Carmen, to dive in Tulum and to escalate in Cancun. But the beaches of this popular places are way too far away from my place in Veracruz. Domestic flights in Mexico are more expensive than flights from Germany to other European cities. I remember one trip to Stockholm for one day and just 12€. One further option is to travel by bus. This one is cheaper, but as Mexico is an enormous country in comparison to Germany, a trip to the beaches of Cancun would take 24 hours.

Nevertheless, I wanted to travel into a touristic city. Therefor I have chosen to spend one weekend in Puebla. Puebla meant for me Volkswagen and the place of construction of the last "Vocho"aka "Käfer". And yes, like in any other city in this Mexico you can see plenty of Vochos. However what has surprised me was that all the signs were translated in German at the main bus station.

The view out of my room. The hostel was located in the centre of Puebla. To "Zócalo", the place of the cathedral, it was just a five minutes walk.

(Puebla/ México/ 20.04.2012)

Cholula is the city of churches. It is said that there is one church for every day in the calendar. 365 churches? Impossible to see all in one day. This cross is located in front of "Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios", a church which was built on top of the pyramid "Gran Pirámide", the biggest pyramid of Mesoamerica.

(Cholula/ México/ 21.04.2012)

The "Ardillas" reached everyone's attention. Mine as well. Yeah, squirrel!

(Cholula/  México/ 21.04.2012)

 "Convento de San Gabriel" is located downtown in Cholula.

(Cholula/ México/ 21.04.2012)

I have met Davide (left) and his wife Paola on the night before in the hostel. Despite the early wake up I joined their expedition, with Simon (centre), to Cholula. Unwilling to pay the high prices of the touristic bars close to the sights, we decided to look for a local cantina. One big "Michelada" for the boys from Italy, Austria and Germany.

(Cholula/ México/ 21.04.2012)

After the Michelada I felt kind of tipsy. But seen a boy on a skateboard on the streets in Cholula I asked him if I could do one trick. Fortunately I landed my Kickflip first try. Because right afterwards I reminded myself of this commercial of a pharmacy close to the spot.

(Cholula/ México/ 21.04.2012)

The cathedral of Puebla is a really impressing. Stunned by the architecture I spent almost an hour in front of it, just starring at it's façade.

(Puebla/ México/ 21.04.2012)

Preparation of my "Torta de Chorizo" in a small and very economic cantina downtown.

(Puebla/ México/ 21.04.2012)

The outcome. I think I am in love with Chorizo. And chipotles. But chipotles cause problems, always.

(Puebla/ México/ 21.04.2012)

Simon with a little hangover from the night before. With no beers left in the hostel, Simon and I decided to check out Pueblas nightlife.

After enjoying lots of "Caguamas" some locals asked us, if we want to go to another location. We said yes, on the condition that we wanted to stay in the centre. Heading to their car Simon asked: "Should we take the risk?", I replied: "Well, it is kind of rude if we say no now". After twenty minutes in the car we realized that we are not in the city centre, anymore. "What are we doing in Cholula?".

The locals were heading for a Salsa club. "Hey Christian, the entrance is really expensive, should we go?", "Well, it seems like we don't have any option". Neither the German nor the Austrian could dance Salsa. At least, we arrived in the hostel. Alive.

(Puebla/ México/ 22.04.2012)

No, it is not a Kebab. This is the meat for the "Tacos Arabe". Kind of Kebab, but no Kebab. I really miss my Kebabs in Germany. In the meantime tacos will do a great job! I had tacos almost every day in Mexico, and I still adore them.

(Puebla/ México/ 22.04.2012)

A glimpse on Popocatépetl. On this picture it can be seen clearly that this is an active vulcano. At the weekend of my trip to Puebla some villages were evacuated due to some warnings. Hopefully "Popo" will not explode on the next week. I am going to be in Mexico-City, which is right on the other side of it.

(Puebla/ México/ 22.04.2012)

Puebla and Cholula was interesting and I had a fun time with the backpackers. Cuidado!

Cantina.

I have to confess: I love beer. I really love beer. Prison, landing on railways of metro stations, the loss of cameras, undressing in public, a wounded head, regrettable love affairs, vomiting, inappropriate lectures in the auditorium, being a bigmouth. The list can be continued, but I will not stop drinking beer.

Mexicans love beer as well. You can see bars all over the place. For this reason I was really looking forward to drink a beer in a typical cantina in a village in Mexico. This cantina is in Ignacio de la Llave a small town in Veracruz. One hot place on this planet. Really hot. With no water close to it, the heat is almost unbearable. But refreshment can be found in cantinas. 

Pipo is the owner of this place and he is a great supporter of Club América, one of the big football teams in Mexico. When I entered the bar with my friend Mario and his brother in law, the crowd was watching a match of Club América. I did not watch the entire game but I remember that América lost 0-1. Some of the guys were not quite happy about the result.

As a real beer lover I was shocked when Pipo offered me a beer with lemon and salt on top of it. But unexpectedly it tasted really good! To top that new flavor in my mouth my second beer was a "Sol con Clamate". Clamate is kind of a tomato juice with lots of spices in it. Beer and tomato juice? Well, I have seen beer mixed with coffee or energy drinks. So, why not with tomato juice? And it tasted damn good! A really great refreshment on a hot summer day. To me it seemed like a little snack as well. With no salads in the last few weeks I grabbed some "Sol con Clamate" to refill my vitamins. At least it is good for the health. So that is why:

Salud!

(Ignacio de la Llave/ México/ 01.04.2012)

One strong man in the bar. And quite drunken, too. Pipo said to me: "Cuidado, el es un maricón!" Machismo is written in capital letters in this land. Therefore I am always aware of not using ambiguous gestures. Otherwise I might get smacked in the face.

(Ignacio de la Llave/ México/ 01.04.2012)

Casa Hogar Impressions.

Since three weeks I live together with more than 30 children and juveniles in Casa Hogar. I have not got used to being woken up by an escalating crowd of boys in the morning yet. I have not got used to being surrounded by cockroaches and mosquitos in the night. But I found solutions: Locking up the door and spraying insecticide. One thing I had to get used to was frijoles. Frijoles every day. As breakfast, as lunch, as dinner. Frijoles, frijoles, frijoles! Reminds me of the movie "Nacho Libre". Sometimes I even feel like Nacho. I am trying hard to be in shape for the Lucha Libre on the 28th of April in Córdoba.

The life in Casa Hogar is different to the one I know. On the first sight it seemed to me that the children are living a kind of boring life, trapped in the walls of an orphanage. Clearly, the circle of friends is small due to the lack of options. But I have noticed a very intimate relationship of the inhabitants here. Moreover, the children have acquaintances in school and work. Some go to work besides school, some have full time jobs. For this reason my first opinion was disproved.

In Casa Hogar everyone participates in the daily work. This includes cooking, cleaning up the facilities, doing the gardening, and more. Cloths are washed by hand and dormitory time is 7.30 in the evening. At least I can avoid the latter.

Maribél hanging around in the garden.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 19.03.2012) 

Breakfast time, not only for the baby.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 23.03.2012)

Usually Ángel is not as calm as on this picture. Due to the circumstance that he can hardly pronounce my name he always screams and hugs my afterwards: "Amigo? Amigo!"

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 23.03.2012)

One lovely little brat is Uriel. One more "Amigo!". In the morning Uriel stays on the side of my bed. Until I am willing to get up.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

The girls on the way to their concert in the city hall of Córdoba. Each ride in this Volkswagen bus is an adventure. The doors open themselves in every curve. Displays? Seats? Safety belts? Not available. After this trip the council of Casa Hogar decided not to use the bus anymore. At official occasions.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Once or twice in a week vegetables and fruits are donated to the orphanage. This food is by far not fresh and needs to be checked and sorted out before preparation. The variety is very little. Mostly potatoes, onions, zucchinis, chilies, carrots, radish and bananas. Meals with meat are very hard to find, and salads are even more rare. Good luck that frijoles are all around!

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 25.03.2012)

A few of the girls have children. Mainly because of certain incidents which includes sexual abuse. Not all of them were allowed to keep their babies along with them. Mostly the babies were giving out for adoption. On this picture I have Yazmin in my hands, the youngest inhabitant of Casa Hogar.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 25.03.2012)

Sunday is washday. Rosa combines work and pleasure with an refreshment for everyone.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 25.03.2012)

 "Christian, estas sucio! Necesitas bañar!"

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 25.03.2012)

Visits of schools are combined with donations by those. Not every of the children of Casa Hogar enjoyed the suggested games of the visitors and kept hidden in the kitchen. 

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 29.03.2012)

Ultimate photo bomb by Luis while the girls fail to pose seriously for the camera.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 29.03.2012)

Nights out in Córdoba.

Unlike in Germany, in Mexico I spend most of my nights back home in Casa Hogar. Usually I stay in the office to read, watch movies or listen to music. As a friend said "Habits won't change, even thousands of kilometers away from home.", I am not willing to be stuck on a desk for two months. Some of my first impressions of the Mexican nightlife.

The anticipation of my first beer after days of abstinence.

(Orizaba/ México/ 18.03.2012)

I had to travel to Mexico to see my first movie in 3D. Together with Juan José and his family. After the movie we went back to Oscar's granny to enjoy some of the best tacos of the city.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 22.03.2012)

Street impression of Córdoba. With Tacos Pastor in the background. Reminds me of Kebab back home.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Cristobal seemed to be pretty drunk after one of these.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

 Church on Saturday evening.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

 Jarochos dancing.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Tacos with Gretel, Gema and Miguel. Two for one, sounded great to me. In the end it was ten of them. Tacos Pastor in my face!

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 28.03.2012)

Mexican prison.

Robbery and murder, these are the things I was afraid of when I travelled to Mexico. I was told about the high crime rate in this country. Therefore I was always paying attention on the streets at night. To be in a safe place to drink, I decided to stay in the office to enjoy one beer after a long working day. In the end no good idea.

I was accused of an offense. Eight police men, armed, entered my office and called the director of the house. Nobody talked to me, I was absolutely confused. I have realized the situation after handcuffs were put on. Afterwards I was led away to the police station. Fortunately I was put in the cell with two teenagers who were there because of a little grafitti. The other option seemed to be way more frightened to me.

After a few hours on the cold prison floor I was released and grabbed a taxi back home. Know I know the rules, and why some gents do not like the police. But worst of all, I could not even finish my beer.


UPDATE:

My committed crime was: Drinking ONE beer in a public institution.

Piñata.

Piñatas are part of almost every birthday party in México. Up to now I have never seen a piñata live and was really excited about it. I think, I have seen some on the television. This might explain my constant fear of getting hit in the nuts during the celebration. The piñata was filled with candies and little snacks. Afterwards the birthday child received a yummy cake.

It might not appear on this picture, but Lizbeth was very excited about her birthday. She kept telling about the following Saturday for the whole week.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Seven cones, each of them represents one mortal sin.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

"Dale, dale, dale!", hitting the piñata seemed to be easier for me than I have thought. In my imagination a piñata should be hit with covered eyes, but instead it was lifted up and down by Cristobal. Nevertheless difficult for the little ones.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Everyone got a shot on the piñata. Marie Isabel nailed it!

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

"I want candy!", or in this case: "Fight for candy!" Reminds my of Carnival in my childhood.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)

Although he had caught many candies, Uriel was kind of disappointed about his gain. He was only topped by the twins. For my part, I received some sweets without any effort. The children offered some of theirs.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 24.03.2012)