C.E. Flores's Blog, page 43
May 6, 2019
Natural Healing– Bugambilia
I’ve already mentioned that the bugambilia morada (Bougainvillea glabra) can be used medicinally along with eucalyptus and aloe vera for cough treatment. Most often an infusion is used to treat asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, and other respiratory conditions.
This lovely, bright plant, known as camelina in some parts of Mexico, has several other traditional uses as well. It has been used to treat dysentery, stomach pain, and skin blemishes.
Bougainvillea glabra is also known as the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower. The plant that appears to be full of purplish flowers actually has very small white or yellow flowers which are surrounded by colorful papery bracts. The video above shows a close-up of the actual flower. The flowers of Bougainvillea glabra are used to treat low blood pressure in Panama.
The Bougainvillea glabra has anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. The leaves are effective in preventing dopamine-depleted neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease because of their antioxidant composition. The antioxidant component also has potential in the treatment of cancer.
In addition, studies have shown that other varieties of the Bougainvillea species, mostly the Bougainvillea spectabilis, have antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antifertility, antihyperlipidemic, anti-atherogenic, antipyretic, anthelmintic, amylase inhibitors, thrombolytic, and analgesic properties, leading to the suggestion that the bougainvillea glabra be studied further in the future.
[image error]
I’ve found a few recipes that use bugambilia for cough remedies.
Recipe #1
2 parts gordolobo (common mullein) flowers
One part bugambilia bracts
One part eucalyptus leaves
One part tejocote (Mexican Hawthorne) leaves
Boil in one quart of water, reduce to simmer, then strain the herbs out. Add limón and miel (honey) to taste. Sip as needed throughout the day.
Recipe #2
2 parts gordolobo (common mullein) flowers
One part bugambilia bracts
One part manzanilla (German chamomile) flowers
One part jamaica (hibisucs) flowers
One part tomillo (thyme) leaves
Pinch of ground canela (cinnamon)
Boil the herbs together, strain, drink hot or cold with cinnamon for flavoring.
Recipe #3
Mix gordolobo (common mullein) and bugambilia bracts with tamarind juice, flavored with cinnamon and honey. Drink as needed.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate gordolobo in my area. I’m going to check with the herb seller at the tianguis in Uriangato next time I go. He’s got rattlesnake skin and armadillos shell, so the odds are in my favor he’ll have some.
I did prepare the simple infusion tea with just the bugambilia, however. It has a mild taste and a bright pink color.
[image error]
May 3, 2019
Horsing around
The three musketeers waiting for Lady to open their door!
Lady has been giving us a run for our money lately. She’s learned not only how to open her stall door, but the goats’ door as well. For a couple of weeks, we went around blaming each other for leaving the doors open. It wasn’t until one day we caught her in the act that we finally wised up.
[image error]
We have to run a wire through the latch or she opens it!
Lady has also been eating the eggs. My husband had been blaming the dogs. So he constructed a puppy-proof barrier and the eggs were still gone when he went out to collect them. Lady is considerably taller than the dogs, so she didn’t have any issues keeping on keeping on with her egg consumption.
[image error]
Cookie giving me the skank eye!
Cookie, who still hasn’t dropped her foal yet, has her own little circus going on. Since she is supposed to be “my” horse, I’ve been allowed to ride her, huge belly and all, for short periods of time. We take it nice and easy and don’t go too far.
One evening we decided to go just a little bit further down the road. Once we passed our normal turning around spot, Cookie kept giving me the skank eye. I tried to redirect her attention back to the road so that I wouldn’t get impaled by the low-hanging mesquite branches, but she’d just turn her head to the side and give me another look.
Her pace slowed considerably so I figured she was tired. Sure enough, when we made a U-turn, she started trotting away, no more skank eye. It certainly gave me a chuckle.
[image error]
View of the patio/animal corral from above.
I’m not sure what we are going to do when baby Cookie arrives. Already our supposed “patio” is animal crowded with chickens, puppies, Cookie and then Lady and the goats when the doors are magically opened. Time to brainstorm a better solution.
May 1, 2019
Surviving Voluntary Exile: How to overcome common obstacles to making a successful life transition
If you’ll remember, I created a course called Surviving Voluntary Exile: Overcoming Common Obstacles to Making a Successful Life Transition a few months ago designed to help those struggling with living in a new country at CourseCraft. That course is still available, but I wanted to expand the information’s reach. I know that some live in areas where regular internet access makes taking online courses difficult.
So today I’m pleased to announce that Surviving Voluntary Exile: How to overcome common obstacles to making a successful life transition is available in ebook and print format. The ebook has all the basic information and links to the optional readings, while the print book has journal pages for you to complete the activities that will help you create your best life in your adopted country.
You can get the ebook free from Amazon for the next few days.
The course is still available and is a great option for those who want the interaction of a supportive community as they work through the lessons. In celebration of the release of the book format, the course is also on sale. [image error]
I hope that with these new methods of distribution, more exiled, deported, migrant, or expat women will find a way to make it work despite the hardships.
April 30, 2019
A to Z List Blogs About Mexico Worth Reading
April is A to Z Challenge time! This year, I concentrated my writing endeavors on Creative Content rather than Surviving Mexico. That’s not to say that I didn’t write anything this month just not a post for each letter of the alphabet. Delightfully, my SOTB Bloggers group furthered the alphabet and wrote their own posts about our theme of Blogs About Mexico.
Today I’d like to share the entire A to Z list with links. If you haven’t read these delightful, authentic blogs, then be sure to check them out.
A-An American Girl’s Adventures
E- Emily Garcia
I- I am Karen
R- Red Shoes are Better than Bacon
S-Surviving Mexico–Adventures and Disasters
V-VidaMaz
Y-.another day in the jungle Life in Yelapa
Z-Zipolita’z y Angelita’z Adventurez in Mexico
Also be sure to read:
And To This End, U.S. Veterans Are Being Deported Due To Zero Tolerance
I hope you enjoy meeting new bloggers in Mexico. Stay tuned. I’m in the process of turning these wonderful features into a book!
April 26, 2019
Sunday Drive
[image error]
Last Sunday I had the full day. No classes, no articles to write. A clear schedule. So we went driving around. We decided that we’d go to some Pueblos Mágicos since everybody and their brother were at the beach for Semana Santa.
[image error]
We stopped in Cuitzeo first and I found this gorgeous hand-painted gourd. I had to have it! The artist had a few other things that were amazingly painted as well. I wanted a wicker basket since Cuitzeo is known for its reed basket weaving, but didn’t find one that I liked today.
[image error]
Then we went the round-about-way past Huandacareo. Of course, all the balnearios were packed, but we went to the centro. There was an artist set up in front of the church selling some lovely oil painted boxes and paintings, but I had spent too much on the gourd and didn’t have enough money for anything else.
[image error]
We found a quiet beach area shaded by mesquite that would be worth a second visit for a picnic lunch. It was deserted at the moment, but the man with a herd of goats said by afternoon it would be packed. Semana Santa and all.
We dropped off my gourd and two plants I bought at home then headed in the opposite direction, Yuriria. As expected, the centro was a ghost town though hopeful artenesia vendors had set up in front of the monastery. They had some lovely souvenirs for sale including wooden lanchas (boats). Yuriria has a crater lake that includes boat rides. We went to check that out as well.
By this time my phone had died so I didn’t get any pictures, but the lake was a quiet, cool drive. It seems like the boats weren’t running, probably because the lake was so low. We are still in the dry season here. We’ll have to check it out after the rains start. There were several quaint restaurants and a recently installed walkway as well.
At the other half-circle around the lake, there was another park. A bit dry and dusty for current use, but probably just lovely in June. Our backsides started to ache at this point, so we decided to head home. We’ll be back though!
April 24, 2019
A to Z Blogs About Mexico — Undiscovered Oaxaca
[image error]
Melissa writes about little known places at her blog Undiscovered Oaxaca.
[image error]
I’m a foreign language teacher, and I got a job teaching English at a small engineering university here in 1998.
There is a lot of information out there in English for tourists visiting Oaxaca City and the villages immediately outside of it. But Oaxaca is a huge state with so many wonderful places to “discover”. I started the blog to reserve the name Undiscovered Oaxaca because I imagined that name for a guided cultural tour company I may or may not one day start if I decide to move out of teaching. I’m not so sure I like the name anymore though as it has a slight colonial vibe going on with the idea of outsiders “discovering” the place.
I still love the tag “Beyond the known” though. Anyway, as I said, the blog is supposed to be travel information for places outside Oaxaca City. I have a ton of ideas and notes, but not a load of free time to work on it as I work full time and have three kids. My husband works 80 hours a week so I do most the domestic things. I also do freelance translations (specializing in academic articles).
I volunteer with an organization that promotes linguistic rights of indigenous peoples. We are also building a house in my in-law’s hometown where we have also built the town a library and are trying to establish a food forest, so blogging is a pretty low priority for me right now.
As for the purpose and why I do it I want to get information out there in English about lesser known places, but not really *for* the tourists/travelers, but rather *for* the places. There are a lot of communities in Oaxaca right now that are trying to establish ecotourism or cultural tourism as an income stream for their community, and those are places I want to promote. Oaxaca and Oaxacans have given me so much I want to help make these ventures of theirs successful.
It’s difficult finding time to write! I have always written. I kept a journal of my travel experiences from 1991 to 2003, but writing for oneself is different from writing for the public. I also have participated in online forums and Facebook groups quite extensively since about 2000. I’ve written tons of things there that could have been blog posts, but mostly in response to people questions. I find I have a harder time just organizing something that’s for the public not in response to a question. In fact, several of my blog posts have actually been written because someone asked something in a Facebook group and I didn’t feel like I could respond adequately in that format, so I wrote a blog post then linked to that in the group. Hopefully, I will get up to a post a month!
I’ve lived pretty much all my adult life in Mexico, so my best life experiences have happened in Mexico, but not necessarily because of Mexico, you know what I mean? Like becoming a mother, successful moments in my career, etc. By becoming part of a Mexican family, doors that tourists don’t even know are there have been opened to me. That’s part of why I think about running a tour company some day. I could arrange experiences most tourists would never have access to.
Five years ago we moved to another small community in another region of Oaxaca, we moved there because we felt like we were needed there and could make a positive impact through our work in education. Our house was broken into during Semana Santa, our dogs were poisoned and everything that could fit out the window was stolen, even things that didn’t have much value. What did I learn? I think mostly that there are too many people in the world. For every young person I see use education as a path to transform their reality, there are 5 more who are so desperate they will poison other living beings for trinkets.
My advice for those planning on coming to Mexico is don’t be afraid to try new things, new foods, go places that don’t look nice. Unwinding on a beach resort is great and has its place, but that’s not all there is to a trip to Mexico.
I can be found at:
April 23, 2019
A to Z Blogs About Mexico–The Hurt, The Hope
[image error]
Esperanza has just begun blogging at The Hurt, The Hope. Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Mexico as a teenage exile from the United States?
[image error]
My dad was deported so I live in Mexico now. There is a song by As It Is by the same name as my blog. I do not focus on one particular area, though I am based in Monterrey, ML. Topics include talking about mental health, music and how the broken US government affects us.
I blog in hope that my experiences and thoughts help others in a situation similar to me to not feel so alone. Since I myself am only 17, I aim for a teenage audience.
[image error]
My favorite blog post was Alone in A Room. I love the way I felt writing it, it was calming. It was difficult to blog about losing a close friend of mine from church. He was one of the leaders and I was very close to him.
The best experience I’ve had in Mexico was going to Guanajuato. It made me see that the world is so much bigger than someone my age believes. The worst experience I’ve had was being bullied by others because of my speaking problems and being American. I realized that the misery I felt then was only temporary and better things come.
[image error]
My advice to others is to keep an open mind, be respectful and enjoy the little things.
I plan to continue studying and have my life in Mexico. If I get enough of a following, I hope to see my blog become known to others outside of our community. Depending on how far this goes, I may start doing vlogs.
I can be found at:
The Hurt, The Hope
April 21, 2019
The Anniversary of the Heroic Defense of Veracruz
April 21 is a national holiday. It marks the day in 1914 that US naval troops invaded Veracruz and the death of an unknown number of Mexican civilians, nearly 200 soldiers, Luis Felipe José Azueta Abad and Virgilio Uribe Robles both cadets at the naval academy. Azueta and Uribe are included in the roll call of honor along with the six Niños Héroes that died during the Battle of Chapultepec on September 13, 1847.
So here’s what happened in a nutshell. During this time period, relations between the US and Mexico were not the best. Additionally, Mexico was in the midst of a civil war. There had been an unfortunate incident earlier in the month in Tampico, Tamaulipas. Nine unarmed US sailors had been arrested when they entered an off-limits fueling station. The sailors were later released, unharmed, but the US Navy demanded an official apology from the Mexican government and a 21-gun salute. Mexico apologized but the 21-gun salute was not provided. A request was made to the US Congress to authorize the occupation of Veracruz.
While awaiting authorization, President Woodrow Wilson learned of a shipment of arms set to arrive on April 21 in Veracruz for Victoriano Huerta, who had taken over the Mexican presidency the previous year with the assistance of the US ambassador. The weapons had been financed by a US businessman with large investments in Mexico and a Russian arms dealer from Puebla. This arms shipment was used to legitimize the occupation of Veracruz.
As a result of the invasion and 7-month occupation, US citizens were expelled from Mexico and housed in refugee camps in New Orleans, Texas City, and San Diego. The tension between Mexico and the US, along with the ongoing Mexican Civil War, kept Mexico out of World War I. The US considered another occupation of both Veracruz and Tampico in 1917, however, the new president Venustiano Carranza had the oil fields destroyed there, reducing the value of another hostile invasion.
As for civic events in honor of this day, they tend to be limited to Veracruz and military bases.
*****
Do you want to learn more about Mexican holidays and traditions?
Then check out A Woman’s Survival Guide to Holidays in Mexico!
April 15, 2019
A to Z Blogs About Mexico–Mexico Cassie
[image error]
Cassie blogs her travels at Mexico Cassie.
[image error]
Ummmmm. I didn’t think long and hard about my blog name. I love it now though.
We are from the UK. My husband and I had long talked about moving overseas again. Once we had kids we decided that we’d try a six-month trip and see what happened. It took a while to find the right location but once I suggested Mexico, everything fell into place. We had had our honeymoon here and always said we’d go back.
We were sick and tired of always working and always being stressed. We didn’t like that we weren’t seeing enough of our kids, that I basically worked to pay nursery fees so I could work. It was a ridiculous and vicious cycle and we wanted out. We wanted to slow life down and see if we could live according to our values and passions in life.
Six months wasn’t enough. All it did was show us how much we didn’t want to go home. We did go home though. We went back, arranged our life and left for Mexico again.
We have no plans to leave. We’re not saying we’ll never go home, or somewhere else but right now the UK isn’t especially attractive to us. We love that our kids are growing up here. We will probably discuss our options as we approach educational milestones for the kids – high school and university.
I love living here, I feel so grateful and happy. I guess I loved the kindness we saw in Chihuahua City, a place everyone was scared of on our behalf. An uber driver canceled our fare when I took our son to the hospital in the middle of the night. He didn’t say anything, he just did it. Another guy gave me an icy water for free when I needed something to put on my daughter’s bumped head. And when we drove miles out to a water park that turned out to be shut for a private party, the owners let us in because they felt bad for us. We experienced nothing but kindness and welcomes in this city everyone warned us against visiting.
The worst experience we’ve had was when my husband had his bag stolen in CDMX. We were in El Globo so I guess we felt as if we were at home in Merida so we let our guards down. Luckily there wasn’t much in the bag but it was annoying. We learned that we were dumb to let our guard down in a not so lovely area of CDMX.
[image error]
I live in Yucatan so the bulk of my writing is about here but when we explore and travel I write too. I also have two guest series that I love. ‘Postcards from Mexico‘ where other bloggers send me a ‘postcard’ about somewhere that hasn’t been written about on my site. ‘Eating Around…Mexico‘ is a similar idea except you write and tell me about your ideal day’s eating in a specific location.
I also write about exploring with a family. We have small kids and we love exploring Mexico. I know some people are nervous about bringing their kids and venturing off resorts. I want to highlight the majesty of Mexico without being unrealistic about where things aren’t great.
I began by writing for me but I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I also write, edit and proofread for others but my blog is my true love. My tag line on my business cards is, ‘explore, write, empower’ and I stand by this. I want to explore first and foremost, write about what we do and how we do it and then empower others to do the same.
It upsets me how much people are fed misinformation about Mexico.
My favorite blog post…Oooh, tricky. There are a few I’m quite proud of. I love a few of the collaborations I’ve facilitated. Partly I love them because I craft them. I don’t just whack other people’s words and a few photos onto a page, I work really hard to make them come together. I love the piece I just wrote about Dia de Muertos, for example. I also love my Copper Canyon series because I loved exploring up there.
I am not sure I found anything particularly difficult to blog about. Some articles are hard to get into but I usually get there. I definitely need to go and edit some of the early ones now I know so much more about writing and blogging. If only I had time!
I want my blog to grow and grow and get better and better. I won’t sell out. I’d like to earn decent money from it.
If you are considering moving or traveling to Mexico–Do it! Read Mexico Cassie and then do it! Learn Spanish, don’t be afraid but do check in with locals to see where is sort of ‘off limits’ at the moment. Embrace Mexico and Mexico will embrace you. Be grateful you get to be here.
I can be found at:
Mexico Cassie
April 13, 2019
A to Z Blogs About Mexico–My Life of Craft-N-Dab
[image error]
My Life of Craft-N-Dab by Lynne has been evolving quite well over the best year! You are sure to enjoy the mix of craft projects and Baja travel posts she writes about!
[image error]Coming to Mexico was a combination of voluntary exile and ready to enjoy life at a younger age. I really don’t discuss voluntary exile much as many times people really don’t understand and I don’t like it to define us.
It took me some time to figure out my blog name as I was progressing with blogs from living in Mexico, the wine country here and my love of crafting and dabbling of many things.
My blog encompasses Baja California Peninsula with the main focus of Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe wine country. I have blogged a little on buying and building in Mexico with the hope of expanding, living here in general, a series of Adventures of the Week and information on wine country. My other area of focus is crafting and dabbling with these having included items for our home, ourselves or gifts.
I’m finding myself focusing more and more towards a photo blog with information tied to these images as I’ve always loved and still take pictures. I do the blog for myself but also I hope to provide ideas, tips & tricks for crafts and other projects, share our experiences of living here plus information and mapping of Valle de Guadalupe wine country.
I would have to say that my favorite posts so far are in the series I have been blogging named Adventures of the Week because it takes me to places sometimes expected and others not.
My most difficult specific blog post would be on the Honduran caravan. Living closer to the border the perception has been different and I felt very torn on what I was hearing/seeing on both sides (for and against plus the whys).
[image error]
I love the beauty of the country, the people and culture. I love how people always say good morning, day and evening whether they know you or not. On the most part, people are so friendly, kind and helpful. Valle de Guadalupe reminds of our old home in Washington state and has been a big draw for us, so love the area. I plan on staying indefinitely in Mexico but still have ties to the US.
I think the bureaucratic red tape of Mexico at times can be from good to frustrating. The being on time can be an issue also. Have learned to say if you are not here by a certain time we won’t be here and it helps. Another thing we have found sometimes you almost have to be rude for someone to really listen to you which is so difficult to do at times, really not our style.
For those planning on traveling in Mexico, research, research, and research! Even then, things will occur that you didn’t plan for.
I plan to continue expanding the crafting and dabbling portion of the blog as I also work on the wine country including the mapping aspect. I know someone with a database of information on the wineries and are looking at a possible joint effort to tie this information to the mapping. I am also working on my first blogging challenge of 30 days of wine which will be an individual, not a group effort.
I can be found at:
