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)

Monopatín.

I remember the joy skateboarding gave me as a kid, and still gives me nowadays. On most of my journeys I bring my skateboard along with me. In the spirit of "skate and destroy" it is always a pleasure to explore new spots. This little piece of wood offered me many opportunities and widened my horizon. In this case I am glad to share one tiny moment of bliss with the children of the house. For some of the children it was the very first time in their life on a skateboard. After short hesitation, curiosity and the impulse to have a good look on the new toy won.

The first anxious step.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

 Eric seems to be quite experienced in riding a skateboard.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

 Every day Pablo asks, if he can grab my board and skate for a while.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

Battle at The Berrics.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

 Ángel looking for the right stance for his Tre-Flips.

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

Venetian gondolas. Or the Córdoban interpretation by Maribel. Funny though!

(Córdoba, Veracruz/ México/ 18.03.2012)

Casa Hogar de Córdoba.

My first weekend in Casa Hogar was a great experience. I spent a lot of time together with the children of the house. We were playing football, basketball and talked a lot. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand them properly. The pronunciation is different than those of adults. But slowly I get used to it. The kids get along with me very well. They even gave me a nickname. "Chino". No, not a Chinese but "Curly".

Besides the social work with the children, I am going to work in the office of Casa Hogar. I will try to raise funds and donations for the house by connecting with national and international organizations and local companies. Since I am going to work on my own in the office, the procedure is unknown. In the first two weeks I will have to explore the needs of the house and the local offerings.

I am going to upload some impressions of my time in Casa Hogar in the following weeks. A little insight into the children's world and life in an orphanage. For the next two months this will be my workplace and my home.

(Córdoba, Veracurz/ México/ 16.03.2012)