So I was skimming my blog feeder today and have noticed for about the last week that there's been this whole explosion of posts about Mexican food because (gasp) Cinco de Mayo's coming up. The funny thing about this is that when I was in Xaaga tues and bored I was chatting with the nurse intern about all the upcoming fiestas, noticing that kids in the preschool across the street were practicing dance routines, and she was saying they were preparing for dia de los niños (or day of the children) which was yesterday (April 30th, to honor and celebrate children—who represent the future-- largely through festivals, candy and toy give-aways, etc.). And then she said that maybe it was instead in honor of dia de las madres (May 10th), which is a really big deal here.... and at that point I asked about Cinco de Mayo. She stopped, shrugged and said "maybe in Puebla it's a big deal, but here, no one really cares." She was incredulous that in the US Cinco de Mayo is seen as the day of Mexican liberation and independence!
Meanwhile, it's May 1st, labor day, and I plan to soon head to the Zocalo to see the end point of a number of marches scheduled for this morning. In the hospital I'm working in there was a big notice from the social security workers' union (basically the social services sector that's linked to employer-based subsidies as well as the rural open population) about the march protesting the privatization and cut-backs to Opportunidades benefits (sort of like AFDC) with a note at the bottom that it's obligatory (which is pretty standard, part of the responsibility one owes for the benefits of communal benefits). I didn't get a chance to ask people yesterday about it and what that would mean for patient appointments given that Tlacolula is a half-hour away.
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