seventeentimes

In case you’re interested, here are some maps to show where Zamora is…

I’m currently reading an interesting book called ‘as nature made him’ by John Colapinto.

“In 1967, after a baby boy suffered a botched circumcision, his family agreed to a radical treatment. On the advice of a renowned expert in gender identity and sexual reassignment at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the boy was surgically altered to live as a girl. This landmark case, initially reported to be a complete success, seemed all the more remarkable since the child had been born an identical twin: his uninjured brother, raised as a boy, provided to the experiment the perfect matched control.” (more…)

 

Today is mother’s day in England, and I want to send all my love to my beautiful mother. She has filled my life with such magic and fun and creativity and I could never thank her enough for it. My childhood was such a special time, and she made it that way by treating life as sacred and as a playground. She let me stay home from school on my birthday, she sent me Alice in Wonderland notes in my packed lunches, she bought me flared trousers and a waistcoat for christmas when they came back into fashion and let me wear them even though it wasn’t christmas yet. She never made me feel like there was any particular way I was supposed to be - only myself. She got me Wonder Woman underwear. She made a dressing up box. She taught me to love people and treat people kindly and openly. She danced with me and taught me to love music joyfully. She always showed me love and always did her best. She made home a warm, colorful, noisy place. She taught me to talk to people. She taught me to be strong. She taught me about compassion and loving animals and the sky. She nourished me. She showed me how to be adventurous in small ways. She let me get a dog and then took care of it when I didn’t. She was fair and honest and so giving.

Thank you for giving me so much, for showing me beautiful ways to live. For passing yourself onto me. For loving me so freely. You are an incredible woman. x x xhelenx x x

Guys, I hope you will accept this open letter of apology for so many snide looks, superior comments, and so much supercilious snickering over the issue of doves and pigeons. It turns out that they ARE the same kind of bird. Thank you Wikipedia.

I also just learned…

peregrinate; v

Definition

To travel from place to place, especially on foot.

I was delighted to learn from my friend Michi the Japanese verb used to describe the motion of animals. If you use it to refer to a frog it means ‘to hop’ if you use it with a horse it means ‘to gallop’ etc. Seems rather magical to me.

……………..shrines……………………………..dinsinfected vegetables drying…………..

……….huge flowering trees…………………………………….ferny trees……………………….

………………………..sunsets…………………………………………….building sites…………

…..and tree roots………………….

Just got back from hanging out with Peppy. Peppy hangs out on our street quite a lot. It seems to be his home base. I don’t know where he goes the rest of the time, although we sometimes run into him when he’s with his lady, or a few of the lads. Keith and I have fantasised so often of a dog that just follows us home one day, that needs a home, that chooses us. Well, there is this perfect little creature doing just that. He’s not around all the time, but when he is all he wants is love. He follows us to work, he waits outside our door, he ignores the little bits of food we occasionally offer him until he’s sure that we won’t stop stroking him when he starts to eat. He has the sweetest smile. He is everything I ever dreamed of in a dog. To try to take him with us would pretty much involve turning every aspect of our plans for the future upside down. I’m talking location, grad school, everything. What do we do? Just look at this face…

I know that it’s not straightforward. Now he has freedom and space and an occasional girlfriend. Who can say what he’d prefer? Somehow he and I have entered into a relationship, and one way or another I have to make a choice. To walk away from here without him in a few months time is as much of a choice as trying to take him with me (assuming that there’s somewhere to take him…) At this point I can’t easily accept the first idea. I can imagine finding a home for him where he’ll get the attention and love I honestly believe he wants for himself. Would he make that choice? Would he give up his life on the streets? Is there anybody out there willing to give him that choice? These things remain to be seen..

Anyway, when I went out to take a walk with my camera, he was there, and there’s no leaving without Peppy, so I just decided to walk with him. After about five minutes we came to a corner where I wanted to take a right and he wanted to take a left. One look at that pretty face was enough for me, and I turned and followed him. It was lovely. He took me around his neighbourhood and showed me a little park I’d never seen. He stopped every now and then to pee, and jumped up at me a few times when he wanted some stroking. When we got home I sat on the step with him and he fell asleep with his head on my lap.

         siggghhhhhh…… 

Look what I just found in our bathroom… (more…)

Today is Thursday. This is my first entry and I should admit that it’s giving me stage fright. In case you’re not one of my parents, I’ll fill you in a little…

I’m teaching English in a town called Zamora about 4 hours from Mexico city. The sun shines all the time, even at night. There is a pigeon plaza 2 minutes from my house. It’s called Plaza de las Palomas. Sometimes the pigeons fly around the plaza in circles. In the quietness they fill the air with grey and white flapping and it’s quite lovely.

I want to say a huge thank you to keith who taught me how to make this site, Alex King, who does important things with websites and to whoever designed the template I modified to make this website (it is called Connections and it won Alex King’s competition.)

helen