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11 Years in Oaxaca - Personal Discoveries: I’ve been living in Oaxaca for over 11 years now and I feel more at home here than in the Big Apple where I was born. When I first got here, I was going back to the states once a year but now I haven’t been back there for over 6 years and, to tell you the truth, I don’t even miss it. All the creature comforts that people have in the states are mostly absent here in middle-class living. Hot water is a luxury that most don’t have, nor need, forget about carrot peelers or TiVo. I can’t even ... read more
Pitfalls in the Bathroom Stalls - Oaxaca, Mexico: Oaxaca is a haven in many rights.... beautiful valleys, delicious food, exciting tours, ancient Zapotec ruins, colorful traditions and warm, friendly people... but eventually you’re gonna need to go to the bathroom! ... read more
Moctezuma’s Revenge – A Real Threat? - Oaxaca, Mexico: Come on now! If you’re going to come to Oaxaca how can you not try all the delicious food here! Foreigners come here all the time deathly afraid of the food and drink. Horror stories of “Montezuma’s Revenge”, (really bad diareah for those who haven’t heard), run through their head and they literally come here predisposed to enduring long, grueling hours ... read more
Busin' it in Oaxaca - A Dose of Reality: When I told my girlfriend, (who is Oaxacan of course), that I wanted to write an article about the Oaxacan public transportation system she grabbed my shoulders and said, “No, please don’t!” So I would like to publicly offer an apology to her because I’m going to do it anyway. So please accompany me, my friends, on my daily bus trip from my house into Oaxaca city ... read more
My Story: Part one - The Decision: People in Oaxaca constantly ask me, “So Arion, where are you from?” and when I say New York, their next question is undoubtedly, “What are you doing here!?!” As I’ve answered this question so many times, my automatic response is, “I ask myself that every morning!” They usually laugh not at all satisfied with the answer but no one insists. The truth is that it’s quite an interesting story and it goes a little something like this... read more
Hey Compadre - Compadrazgo in Oaxaca, Mexico: Whether you live in Oaxaca or vacation here on a regular basis, if you've begun to integrate into the community, eventually you'll be asked to be a padrino or madrina (godparent) to an ahijado or ahijada (godchild), so you'd better familiarize yourself with "compadrazgo", or co-godparenthood. In a nutshell, it's a web of mutual rights and obligations of monumental importance throughout Mexico and elsewhere, both in urban centers and rural communities, cutting across ... read more
Seat Belt, Cell Phone and Speed Limit Laws Enforced Against Drivers in Oaxaca: Driving in Oaxaca, Mexico, became a little more difficult in September / October, 2009. That's when federal, state and municipal governments actually began enforcing the law, at least in the City of Oaxaca and in parts of the central valleys. Until then rules of the road for driving in Oaxaca were on the books, but not enforced; or if enforced at all it was on a very sporadic basis.
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Oaxaca Swine Flu - A Personal History and Some Thoughts as of May 3, 2009: We first heard about swine flu, (a.k.a. the H1N1 virus), on the news, April 24, 2009 --- and worst of all there was mention of "Oaxaca," where we live. Our house guest, John, a doctor from New York, had arrived the day before, on a bus from Mexico City. He had flown there from his hometown, waited in the airport, and then taken an eight hour bus ride to Oaxaca. There had been a traffic jam leaving the nation's capital, so the normally six hour ride turned into eight. And the bus was jam packed... read more
