There’s still a spark of faith in Mexico

Gina Yoryet Roman
March 25, 2012
There’s still a spark of faith in Mexico


Last night coming out of church I was somewhat disappointed but not surprised to only see another 4 people at mass besides my mother and I. What’s more distressful is to see all the youngsters crowded up in every single bar, drinking till they drop up to very early hours of dawn in desperate need of disconnecting from reality.

I’d never seen such an empty and isolated temple. What’s keeping people from going to this particular church? Could it have to do with where the church is located? Between two cantinas, in front of another one, a block from a sex shop. Maybe because it was Saturday night?

The priests at the church were transferred to that particular temple a few weeks ago and they are trying to make the best of it with their persistence and devotion which is something to admire and respect them for. They brought the old traditional style mass in Latin to Guadalajara and México City to conserve the authenticity of Catholicism but some don’t seem to be too comfortable with that because not only do we not speak Latin and we can’t follow through, but we tend to be very impatient and give up immediately.

Sometimes I want to stick to Spanish mass but then I remind myself that I have to be more lenient, explore and get into my religion into more depth and hold on to something - that powerful force above us because that is the only way I’ll find my purpose and I try but I eventually give up and go back to basics.

Could it be because Mexicans have lost our faith due to all the never ending turmoil that broke out about five years ago? Could it be all the distracting factors that are keeping us away from finding inner peace?

Whatever the reason may be, there has to be a way for us to regain our faith because after all, “somos Guadalupanos” and even the most despiteful and feared villain can be a devout catholic like the character in “La Morenita,” which created a whole lot of controversy because the previews portray the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe surrounded by bullets, weapons and illegal substances.

The message of that movie is that although some may live a troubled life, deep down we all look for inner peace and all our fears are assuaged by praying, and having faith.

That somewhat lost faith re-appeared this weekend when Pope Benedict the XVI came to León Guanajuato to offer a mass at Parque Bicentenario in Silao for the internal war in Mexico to cease. I would’ve loved to go since I was given complimentary tickets but I couldn’t because of work related issues but his powerful presence was felt in every corner of Mexico and the peace in the air was mirrored in the faces of the 640 thousand attendees.

The thousands of pleased frowns on tv and the 640 thousand devoted souls sticking around the whole day and night to see the Pope and pray for a better Mexico was an injection of hope to see the country that we’ve been destroying little by little change for better, to know that we’ll be able to find the peaceful place we’ve all been longing for, the town of us, fellow country men in where the many generations to come will find victory surrounded by harmony.
“¡Otro mundo si es possible!” – Another world is possible!

Get fit or Die Trying

“Get fit or Die Trying”
March 23rd, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Román


I’ve been a bit too distracted but more so, discouraged as of lately as I’ve come across a few unexpected and disturbing encounters.

Many things have not been going the way I’d planned them, so that’s when I have to face the ugly truth and force myself to snap out of it and plan and strategize according to my skills.

This pain on my throat has been dragging for the last week or so which has got me feeling light headed, delirious and weak. At this moment all I want is to get it all out for once and for all so I can go back to my “normal” and hyped up self.

The only “good” thing about this is that at last I lost the last two stubborn kilos I’d gained, lost and gained right back since the holidays. So now I am back at my ideal off competition weight – 50 kilos - 110 pounds.

I am not too keen on the idea of losing weight when I am ill but it definitely helps my mental state, especially because I’ve been skipping my workouts most of this week because I haven’t felt strong enough to even go for a brisk walk.

Therefore, in the midst of my delirium the thought of giving life to my writing (and because I’ve now been posting since early 2009) surged so April is the perfect time to do so. And while sorting my posts I came across one of the best health and fitness interviews I had in May of 2009 which I really needed to boost me up.

1. SOS: What do you love most about helping women get into shape?
GINA: There are many reasons but the most important one is that I feel motivated, that is my drive especially when I start seeing the results, the changes, the reaction and satisfaction in women’s eyes. The simple fact of being a woman and knowing that I have a compromise with other women, seeing someone happy with their body, makes me happy. It is very self-fulfilling to help people but in general it boosts my self-esteem because I feel useful especially when I’m feeling down. And also because YOUR BODY IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET, YOUR PRESENTATION, THE FACE YOU SHOW TO THE WORLD, IF YOU DON’T TAKE CARE OF IT, IT MEANS YOU DON’T LOVE YOURSELF. THEREFORE IF YOU DON’T LOVE “YOU,” YOU DON’T LOVE OTHERS.


2. SOS: What do you have to say about the excuse of being too busy to exercise?
GINA: The bottom line is that people will always have an excuse; “something will always come up, there will be obstacles and there will be many moments when we take two steps forward but then we take three or four steps back.”

So it is not a matter of “NOT having time” it is a matter of making time to exercise. For example me, I am not superwoman or anything but my work agenda is very unstable, I don’t have an 8-5 job and that has to come first so I have to juggle my time between being a writer, editor, a translator, interpreter and sometimes a demo girl and health and fitness advisor but I still make time to exercise especially because I spend a lot of time sitting down.

We know that when lounge around too long the weight creeps up before we even know it so we have to have consistency.
After doing hard core long distance competition for over 9 years I have amazing discipline so it is not hard in the least anymore.
When it comes to your own standards “YOU” are the first one setting your boundaries and standards. Is it hard? Certainly!
Can you make it happen? Absolutely! What if it doesn’t happen? It means that you don’t want it with all your heart, soul and mind.

Is it impossible? NO! So I encourage you to hop out of the couch and get moving! Do whatever it takes to reach your goal. Buy a log to help you record your workouts and meals. Even if you work out for 20 minutes it’s ok, just get started!

3. SOS: What are some of the mistakes women make when they first start exercising?
GINA: They overdo it and they don’t watch their diet. They want immediate results and they get into these extreme diet and work out for a while and when suddenly their bodies can’t take it anymore, they stop, they start eating even MORE than before and that is the biggest mistake!!

That’s why I have never believed in diets, I’ve NEVER dieted a single day of my life! One thing that most people are not aware of is that dieting can be very counterproductive. Why? your stomach gets smaller when we diet and when we can’t handle it anymore, we tend to eat two or three times as much which leads to two or three times the added weight.

That’s what happens to a large number of people. I’m sure you are well informed about health and fitness but you see this happening over and over and over again that’s why they keep coming up with all these diets, the Atkins diet, and so and so. I don’t believe in any of them. As far as eating I have my own rules and discipline. I’m not saying follow my advice, I do follow experts advice but to a certain extent because first and foremost I am the one who knows my body more than anyone else and I know what my limits are. At the end of the day, I know my temple more than anyone else so I will nurture it with whatever it takes to reflect the healthy woman I am.


Something else I’d like to point out to the ladies is, wearing make up when working out! OMG! That is a BIG NO, Ladies, STOP wearing makeup when you workout! Let your skin breathe, don’t be afraid to show the real you when you’re kicking butt! Leave the hooking up, jewelry, and texting sessions for later. There’s always time to be a lady but be willing to get down and dirty and break a sweat when it’s necessary.

Also when they say,
“My metabolism is slow and I accept it, you are naturally thin and gifted because you are very energized. NOOOOH! Those are obstructing thoughts before we even get started. You can speed up your metabolism with a healthy diet and working out constantly.
And last but not least, women (I’m saying women because we are always the ones with this weight issue LOL!) have to differentiate the meaning of skinny and thin, there’s a huge abyss between these two adjectives if you reflect upon it. I won’t get much into that because we are running out of time, perhaps next time.

4. SOS: Are there any weight loss myths you'd like to debunk?
GINA: “Take this pill and you will see overnight results! You will have the body you’ve always wanted!” That is one of the biggest lies and people are easy targets to deceive when they are in undergoing a desperate inner battle.
So we have to be realistic that everybody is structured differently so if you see someone’s body and they guarantee that you will look like that, that is NOT going to happen. I told you before that you have to make the best out of what you have. Play with your workouts and with your diet, pretend you’re dressing to kill. Eat and exercise to give you a killer body! YOUR body, not someone else’s.


5. SOS: Is there any final advice you’d like to share with us?
GINA: Ladies, STOP wearing makeup when you workout! Let your skin breathe, don’t be afraid to show the real you when you’re kicking butt! Leave the hooking up, jewelry, and texting sessions for later. There’s always time to be a lady but be willing to get down and dirty and break a sweat when it’s necessary.
Also stop emotional, compulsive, unnecessary, mindless and exaggerated eating.
Spice up your workouts, make them fun! Combine them, stick to each one for let’s say 6 weeks, see which one gives you better results. Combining work outs is like combining/mixing outfits, it can really fun so make the best out of it.
Ladies, stop nonsense jealousy just because you don’t look like the woman next to you. Age gracefully, dress according to your age, be a lady, stay away from anything in excess; alcohol, smoking, drugs, etc.

For further advice, look for me in the health and fitness forum of SOS!
and don’t forget that we are in this together every single step of the way.

God bless!


http://thatskinnybitchh.tumblr.com/

Food is an important part of a balanced diet

Do NOT reward yourself with food, you are NOT a dog!

Replace, “I am fat,” with “I have fat and I am getting rid of it!”

Because you will NOT achieve the body you want until you LOVE the body you have

Doctors treat the patient not the illness

There is NOT a single diet that will do what eating healthy does.

SKIP the diet, just eat healthy

Tatau part II

Tatau Part II
March 20, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Roman



Body art has always been a controversial issue due to its origin especially because long ago only criminals and prostitutes were literally branded so they would stand out.

Despite this controversy, there are many people who choose to decorate themselves with not only one or two designs but they cover their entire body.
An excellent example of this is 36 year old María José Cristerna“La Mujer Vampiro,” who is one of the most tattooed people in the world. María’s reasoning is her personal life drama.

I always try not to judge a book by its covers since I have 5 tattoos which I got at a very young and unstable age.
There is a limit to everything though, but how much is too much?

One thing that has always annoyed me about tattoos is not to be able to donate blood.
I understand that we have to be extremely careful because who wants to be infected?
There are other things they should consider before rejecting us completely. Why not do a blood test or HIV or check how many tattoos we have, how long ago we got them, are we healthy? And so forth.

This may change soon because on Thursday of this week I was listening to the radio and according to the host, there is a current bill waiting to be approved in which will allow tattooed individuals to be blood donors.

That was great news and I am still trying to figure it out though. Guadalajara has always been a very conservative city and “tapatíos” may not completely accept that because appearance is of high importance to them. It’ll be interesting to see the outcome.

That also made me wonder about “carving,” a new trend that it is unknown as to how far back it goes.
Just like “La Mujer Vampiro,” many find shelter in physical pain after having lived a personal trauma but carving is beyond temporary pain and decorating one’s body. This new method of carving is the most animalistic way to voluntary suffering.

There is so much we can do to our temple and I have to disagree with this painful method to harm our body.

The “justification," if any, is that human beings have different ways to react to pain. Some hide in alcohol, some hide their pain behind drugs and different things when they’re going through internal turmoil and don’t know how to be at ease.

Whatever the reason may be, I strongly believe that it is our duty to control our inner demons and feed our souls by doing well to others.

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
March 16, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Román


“It is not negotiable, nor is it relative, but absolute.”
“Semper Fidelis” is more than a fancy slogan. It is truly a way of life. "Always faithful." It isn't "Sometimes Faithful." Nor is it "Usually Faithful.

“Semper Fidelis,” were the last words always said to me after an all night phone conversation with my High School BFF (best friend for life) while he was in the Marines and the seal enclosing the piles of letters I saved forever.

When M. L. A. repeated those two words time after time, I started vocalizing them in my mind and they were engraved in my soul until it was shattered and we soon parted forever due to unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances, not because he did me wrong. I thought that entire “Semper Fidelis” thing was a false illusion shaped in my deceitful mind. I was convinced that he had betrayed our friendship and he had failed to live by his own principle, to always be faithful to our friendship bond.

Those words were locked deep inside and many years later I reopened the window to the opportunity to meet and trust other people which made me gain new friends. Sometimes life holds unwanted happenings that are out of our means so I forewent that disappointing experience with my first best friend.

All of those memories are now buried somewhere in my heart and sometimes I long for a conversation to hear about what he did with his life, what a good father he became and all the accomplishments he has achieved. and I would certainly love to tell him about me and when I meet the man of my dreams, I want them to meet.

Wherever he is, I will always pray for his well being and wish that he still remembers the doctrine to always be faithful...

The future of health care

The future of health care

De Panzazo

“De panzazo”
March 7, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Román


“De Panzazo,” - To get through by the skin of one's teeth, a documentary directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo, produced by Carlos Loret de Mola was released on February 24 in 18 cities in México which shows facts of how México’s education system has been faltering in the last 200 years.

“México’s children and adolescents between 8 and 17 are undergoing a stressful situation now more than ever due to the lack of education opportunities because of financial hardship. The abstract meaning of innocence has been buried and lost somewhere along the line because of the internal and never ending crime turmoil that has left thousands of deaths in which approximately 35 thousand minors within the last 5 years have been recruited for illicit business,” (According to childrens’ rights sources, “It’s About Everything,” Magazine, year 1, Number 3).

Extreme poverty, family breakdown and the lack of opportunities for education make them easy targets who are offered “substantial amounts” of money to “come out” of their misery when in reality they are the ones most at risk as they are used as“carne de cañon,” - cannon fodder.

The lack of solidarity amongst our rulers and citizens isn’t of any help therefore México needs to come together to tackle the education problem for once and for all to increase its quality and get millions of Mexican children out of the hole.

Elba Esther Gordillo (The most controversial and feared woman in Mexico), AKA “La Maestra,” The head of the SNTE, Sindicato Nacional de los Trabajadores de La Educación - National Union of Education Workers since 1989, portrays a very concerned attitude towards the release of “De Panzazo,” because these are “false allegations of opacity within the SNTE,” according to this indestructible woman.
Millions of Mexicans question themselves “how much longer will Gordillo be in power? Will the next SNTE leader really strive to make a positive change and fight to boost the education system?”
Nobody really knows all we know is that the future is very bleak for many and if we don’t come together, things will never change.

Students have the right to complain about the low quality of our educators when 1) The number of Teachers in Mexico is unknown, 2) Out of that unknown number, a high percentage (8 out of 10) of the teachers who took the state test, failed, with this delivering a low quality of professionalism, 3) 7 out of 10 students don’t comprehend or study what they read which causes them to lose interest in school and leading a high number of them to drop out of school and wander in the streets.

According to “De Panzazo,” 21% of the budget goes to education, 7% of that is for innovation and infrastructure but the changes are not visible, so where is the remaining percentage really used for? Therefore, many are doubtful as to how the money is being used or whose pocket is that budget landing?

Statistics:
 The average population 15 and over in Jalisco has completed Middle School with an average grade of 8.8.
 The average population15 and over in México has completed Middle School with an average grade of 8.6.

Out of 100 inhabitants 15 years and over
 5.1% Doesn’t have any level of education.
 58.1% Has only completed a basic level of education.
 0.6% Has completed a technical or commercial degree and have completed Elementary School.
 18.5 Has completed higher and middle education levels (High School).
 17.3 Has completed higher education levels (college and university)
 0.4 Is not specified

Illiteracy
5 out of 100 inhabitants15 years and over in Jalisco don’t know how to read or write, which is 8 out of 100 inhabitants, nationwide.

Source
http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/jal/poblacion/educacion.aspx?tema=me&e=14


Source
http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/monografias/informacion/jal/poblacion/educacion.aspx?tema=me&e=14

Pepito

Pepito
March 9, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Román with shared story by M. V., M. G. and A. O.



Although working with Children can be gratifying and joyful because the moments spent with them are incomparable, I’ve never been one to voluntarily work with them, not because I dislike it but because I don’t know how to handle those energized creatures. Throughout all my teaching years, the only three times I’ve worked with two little girls and one boy it’s been amazing because they made me laugh.
While teaching them we did many fun activities, sometimes I had to be very creative and spontaneous and we monkeyed around to get them to release their energy and tire them out we blew bubbles, played with dolls and little cars, danced, played hide and seek and many other activities.

One thing that is quite intriguing to me is their brain capacity. Sometimes adults think that because they cannot express themselves fully, they are not getting a full glimpse of their surroundings. I’d have to disagree with that because the whole time I spent with those cute little persons, I spoke to them only in English and they caught everything so from thereon, I have a great admiration for them because they teach us the most valuable lessons.

Two years ago S., the first little girl I worked with, inquired about “Pepito,” one of the most legendary characters in México who nobody seems to know, how he was created, where he comes from and how people became acquainted with him. It didn’t even cross my mind that a five year old would know about this character since Pepito is perhaps way older than our
Mexican Revolution because my grandmother (who was born in 1910) would always tell jokes about him.

Even though at that time I didn’t have an answer for S. , I questioned myself many times. “Who is he in reality? Is he a big bulky, intimidating and fierce looking“norteñote” – northerner from Monterrrey? Is he “Michoacano” or “Jalisquillo? How about a timid and introverted “pueblerino” from a small village in the outskirts of somewhere “donde no paso dios”? No! Pepito sounds very blunt, humorous, expressive, energized, someone who uses a lot of swear words and profanity. That’s it! Pepito is “chilango!"

But that matter was left at that since I couldn’t get to the bottom of it.

Then it reemerged about a week and a half ago and perhaps that clarified all my doubts. I split up my students into two groups of four in one of my classes. They were assigned to write their own book and script for their bestseller to put it on video and act it out and so we learned about Pepito’s life…

(Shared story by: M. V., M. G. and A. O. with modifications by Gina Yoryet)

Once upon a time, in a small, picturesque and fairy tale like town called Guadalajara, a chubby little boy named “Pepito” was born. During the first years of his life he was raised in a “Cantina” because his father was a bartender. While he was growing up, he learned bad words, mischiefs and “albures,” Mexican jokes which are a pun or a double entendre in which one of the possible meanings usually carries sexual undertones.

At the time he started school nobody was able to handle him because he was known as “the king of the neighborhood.” One day while in class the Teacher asked the group, “What is the fastest thing in the world?”
One of the boys answered, “Lighting!”
Another boy said, “Electricity!”
And then Pepito raised his hand and implied very assertively, “Diarrhea.”
Needless to say, the teacher asked him, “Can you explain your answer Pepito?”
So Pepito answered, “Yesterday I got up and turned the light on after waking up because I was feeling a bit queasy and the diarrhea came out faster than lighting…"

So Pepito grew up with that belief and he spent many years trying to find proof to back his theory and sought for “faster” theories but he was unable to.

Ten years later Pepito went past the Elementary School he had attended and he thought that his knowledge was enough so he decided to look for work.

“I started working at Mercado de Abastos,” he said. As time went by, Pepito became acquainted with all the vendors and one day he inexplicably came across his lost mother whom he hadn’t seem in a long time. So his mother took him in his house and accepted him to work in her stand at Mercado de Abastos with her.

One day she sent him to buy a clump of “mejorana,” - "Marjoram", a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. She repeated “mejorana,” many times so Pepito wouldn’t forget it. When he was walking on the street Pepito kept saying in his mind, “mejorana, mejorana, mejorana…”

When he suddenly stepped on a banana peel, slipped and fell. He landed on his back banging his head against the sidewalk. He was unconscious for a few seconds and when he realized what had happened, he rose immediately and started repeating the word he claimed to remember, “mariguana, mariguana, mariguana,…”

When he finally got to the “tiendita,” he asked the woman at the store for a bundle of “mariguana,” the woman was puzzled and nodded a “no” in reply to him.
A young man nearby happened to hear the conversation and he said to Pepito, “come with me, let’s go to my house and I’ll give you what you’re looking for.” So at last he got what his mother had requested and sprinted back home, gave it to her and she cooked an exquisite meal with that.

At dinner time, she asked the guests, “How is dinner?”
And they all answered very gaily and giggly, “awesome, great, perfect, excellent, nice, cool, delicious, exquisite!”

Pepito felt an incomparable self-fulfillment unlike before because he had made so many people happy so ever since he was able to reach all his goals and lived happily ever after….