Edzna and beyond

Yesterday was a interesting day. Aldo, mi compadre, mi colega, y fellow terapeuta fisico (he tells me that the term terapista es bastante degradable (somewhat degrading), and I went to Edzna, a Mayan ruin some 30 minutes south of Campeche in a heavily wooded area. Below is a picture of the Gran Acropolis of Edzna. Equally as interesting as Edzna were the villages around it, with the thatched roof houses that I'm told are typically Mayan. You might be interested to know that the Mayan language is still very much alive, and that 1 year of study of the Mayan language is a requirement for all University students on the peninsula. Several of my patients have threatened to teach me Mayan, I assure them that Espanol is a sufficient enough challenge, thanks anyway. We tried to go back to Edzna for the "espectáculo" (show) that night. (evidently there is quite a light display), but it started to rain in earnest and it was not to be.

We also went up to both of the forts built on the hills on either side of Campeche. There is one to the south, Fort San Miguel, the other to the north, Fort San José el Alto. These, in addition to the walled city mentioned previously, were all constructed to stave off the pirates. Gauging from amount of effort they invested in the fortifications, it must have been an incredible problem. Evidently, even all of that didn't always work, for raids by pirates were still successful. This is a picture of Aldo on the top of Fort San Miguel overlooking the ocean and the city of Campeche, just to the north.

The therapy side of things is going well, my earlier assessment that PT is 25 years behind is only partly true, there are several therapists here that only do modalities as an adjunct and think functionally. There are, however, a lot of therapists that just move from modality to modality. One striking impediment for me is that the ice machine no longer works.

Finally, the language side is a roller coaster ride. Last Friday at work, por ejemplo, it seemed as if I knew less Spanish then I did when I got here, but yesterday, one on one with Aldo, I did well, occasionally talking without having to translate. For those of you that have plopped yourself into a situation like this, you probably know what I'm going through. At times, you feel like a sailboat in the middle of the ocean with no wind, you can see the island, but you just have no way of getting there, at other times, the wind picks up and you chug along. Anyway, more later, hope these blogs aren't too incredibly aburrido.

Life in Campeche

Mi estimado amigos:

Campeche is a truly wonderful place. Some 400 years ago, the Spaniards built Campeche on the coast, however, it was constantly being raided by pirates, so they built a large wall around the central city. In Spanish, a walled city is know as an amurallada (muralla = wall). At the time, evidently, it was a marvel of engineering. Anyway, I live in the original walled area (some of the wall is still standing, see the first picture). Campeche is situated in a dense jungle and is surrounded by a plethora of Mayan ruins and artifacts (picture 2 is a jade Myan mask about 700 years old).

I have started working at the clinic. It really helps my Spanish to work in a familiar setting. When I am out on the street, I still only catch a couple of words in a sentence, but in the clinic, I can follow the Spanish, and they seem to be able to understand me (even with my unfortunate, and I fear permanent, gringo accent).

Therapy in Campeche is about 25 years behind the times, they do mostly modalities. I am working with a younger therapist, though, who is much more up on things. He is frustrated with the way the medical hierarchy works here, the PT's are seen as not much more than techs. I assured him that when I was his age, PT in the US wasn't much different, and hopefully Mexico will come around the way the US has.

I am going to go to a Mayan ruin this Saturday called Edzna, it is one of the largest in Mexico and is only 30 minutes outside of Campeche. I will post after my trip with some more pics!

Saludos,

Alfredo

Arriving to Campeche

Hey guys

I got in last night, spent the day today getting a tour of the facilities, meeting the governer (en serio), getting a lesson on how little Spanish I actually know. Folks here speak really fast, but they are very nice, total strangers will help you on the street (believe me, I've tried). I feel extremely welcome and safe. The locals outnumber the tourists here about 10,00/1 (otra vez, en serio.)

Yesterday I was vacillating between giddy child-like anticipation and self doubt (such as - what the hell have I gotten myself into?). After meeting the folks and touring the rehab center, I am reminded why I did this, it is going to be great!

I have attached a picture of the catedral Zocalo, right down the street from my hostel in la área histórica de la ciudad

This is something I won't be doing much of this Winter.

Getting ready to leave

Hey guys:
I'm getting things all lined up for my 7 month trip to Campeche Mexico. I am leaving a week from tomorrow and still don't have some of the finer details worked out such as where I will be living and what I will be doing. As I find these things out, I will let you know. Here's to jumping in with both feet and a limited base of Spanish!