summary of 2003
Mexico City, March 2004[ver en castellano]
Dear friends and family: We'd like to offer you a quick summary of our lives in 2003. I know we're very late in getting this letter out, and this time we no longer have the excuse of last year, about the Tibetan New Year of the Water-Sheep being after January 1st. Actually, we were waiting for the very special Spring Equinox this time! Well, even if you don't believe me, please read on...
Southern California
In January 2003 we spent a few days in Los Angeles and its surroundings. Cecilia and I barely spent a long weekend there, taking advantage of a business trip, so we decided to concentrate on LA's post-modern architecture and in its Japantown. Cecilia was amazed by the Getty Center for the Arts. On the way to San Diego, we took a detour to Torrey Pines National Park, to see its beautiful unspoilt beaches and surreal rocky formations. We found that San Diego is a very pleasant city, and we even met some of the charming residents of its world-class zoo. We also visited San Juan Capistrano, one of the missions founded by Catholic Franciscan Father Junípero Serra in 1776, when Spain still controlled California. The buildings and gardens are well-conserved, and you can feel the peace of centuries here.
Our Mexican Family
In February, Alfonso presented his final oral thesis exam for graduation as a chemical-pharma-biologist from the UNAM. He did a good job on his topic, which was "the role of cinasa de tirosina JAK3 in the markings mediated by quimiocinas en el timo". I would be lying if I said that we understood most of what happened during those two hours, but we were happy to see Alfonso pass this test successfully. Besides, Alfonso kept his promise of cutting his long hair when he received his title!
In July, Cecilia's family (mother's side) threw a big party to celebrate a number of family events - abuelita Celsa turned 80, joined by five of her six children, her grandchildren, and even her first great-grandchild. Also, uncle Roberto turned 60; Cecilia's parents celebrated their 30th anniversary; and Cecilia turned 28.
Sights in Mexico
We seized spring to visit several places of interest in Mexico. In March we toured Tlaxcala, a sleepy city and state a few hours east of Mexico City. We visited some interesting monuments such as the Capilla Real de Indios, symbol of union between Spaniards and Indian nobles, and the ex-convent of San Francisco, which dates from the XVIIth century and is considered one of the most beautiful edifices built by the Spaniards in Mexico during that century. Near Tlaxcala we found the Xochitecatl-Cacaxtla archeological site, of Olmec and other varied origins. Xochitecatl (c. 750 AD) was a ceremonial center built to honor the goddess of Fertility, and is located on the peak of a small volcano, with privileged views. Cacaxtla (c. 650 AD) contains stunning polychromatic murals chock-full of Mesoamerican symbolism.
In April we visited Cantona (c. 150 AD), one of the largest prehispanic cities in Mesoamerica (about 5 sq. mi.). It is surrounded by an arid landscape as you can see in this panorama image.
A new home...
Probably the most important news this year is that we finally found and bought a house in the Condesa neighborhood, where we wanted to live. We decided to invest and remodel it, keeping with the original styling of the house, but also modernizing certain aspects of it. We broke down a few walls to provide more visual space and improve the natural lighting. We also installed a glass roof over an internal patio, which allowed us to connect the kitchen and the living room.
We are now gradually converting the house into our home, slowly adding details that are personal and that we feel make it comfortable. The fun part is to attempt a coherent fusion between the Mexican, Peruvian, and Asian details that inspire both of us.
Khala
In March 2003, Khala entered our lives. She was then a six-month old puppy, of the Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) breed, which hails from Scotland. She loves the cold and the rain, and running, jumping, and rolling over high grasses. Sometimes she will hear her ancestral calling and attempts to shepherd us in the direction of her choice! Her breeder insisted in entering her in a dog show, which she won in her category. You can see Khala here, very tired after a day of trials out in the summer heat. Her name means "black" in Hindi... (Those of you who knew our dog Yangkhyi in Dharamshala,do not be surprised: yes, Khala is very similar to her, and it is no coincidence!)
Hobbies
This year we dedicated some time to a somewhat odd hobby. It is the fusion between two apparently dissimilar interests: the ancient searches for treasure using codes and riddles, and space-age high technology. It's called "geocaching", in which one person will hide a "cache" or treasure, in some secret place, and will then publish its approximate location (its latitude and longitude on the Earth's surface) on the Internet, along with a few clues to find the cache. The rest of the players compete to find the cache first. To find it, the players need a GPS receiver - a device that receives and decodes signals from 24 satellites, with which it can calculate its precise location on Earth. The satisfaction comes from finding the hidden cache, after a difficult search! One interesting variation of this game is that of putting "travel bugs" in the cache. Whoever finds the "travel bug" takes it, and deposits it in another cache, from where hopefully someone else will help the "travel bug" on its way. We used this hobby to send a little present for Marco, our godchild in California... "Marco's Dog" traveled 5,000 miles in six months and reached its new owner (you can read its complete story, including maps, here)!
At some point we also played Gotcha (a.k.a. "paintball"), with a big group of people. But Cecilia and I had diametrically different reactions towards this game!
Visitors
Several friends stopped by this year. Juan Guillermo and Alejandro came from Medellín in January. They spent a few days with us in Mexico City before going to visit several Mexican states, including some we have not yet been to! Alexander was here on business in June from Lima, so we also got to see him here. Finally, in December, Bernardo came from Madrid to spend a few days with us. It was fun having all of them here. Now that we have more space at home, we hope you also have the opportunity to visit Mexico City this year, and that we can see each other or you can stay with us!
At work...
In November, Cecilia opened a private laboratory for the restoration of photographs, along with her friends Kimie, Sandra, and Ceci. The lab offers its services to museums, private collectors, and galleries. Here Cecilia and Kimie are proudly receiving payment from their first job - the restoration of a panoramic photograph almost 2 meters long, from a time known in Mexico as the porfiriato, in the early XXth century.
Cecilia also started to teach at the National School for Conservation and Restoration (ENCRyM), her alma mater.
On the other hand, Siebel Systems, where I work, had a much better year than the previous one. Besides, this year I assumed additional responsibilities for Latin America, so I am traveling more to Brazil and I am also taking Portuguese lessons.
Tepoztlan
Tepoztlan is a small town about an hour south of Mexico City, which has always had great importance for Cecilia's family on her father's side. Since we chose to hold our wedding there, we've visited Tepoztlan numerous times.
We had a great time on our last visit in December, when a good part of the family gathered to celebrate Silvia's birthday. There was much tasty food, as Mexican tradition and cooking flair warrant, and family games were arranged - races, games with water balloons, etc.
Our Peruvian Family
This year we had a few opportunities to see our Peruvian family. I visited Susie, Alfredo, and Lucia in Washington, in May and August. Also, Cecilia and I traveled back to Washington in December.
The family chose Washington to meet because Susie and Alfredo had just had their second baby, Alex, in November. My mother and my brother Eddie were also able to join from Lima. The last time we had all been together was two years ago in Mexico. So we spent Christmas Eve and a few days here.
2003 became 2004...
Soon after Christmas, Ceci and I took the train to Boston. I like Boston for its academic feel, and for its ethnic diversity. There are more than 100 universities in the area, and you can breathe in youth and tolerance to the dozens of cultures represented. It is also a city that has seamlessly combined its history with its more modern bent.
I know Boston well because I studied and lived there for four years. This trip brought back memories, and I also got to see some of the great changes the city has undergone - Boston is now at the tail-end of the Big Dig, the largest city infrastructure project ever attempted in the USA. Cecilia and I spent a full day walking the breadth and length of my alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was a very special day, because at every corner or hallway I had a story to tell Cecilia, about some memory that it triggered - whether it was about sports, friends, work, classes, or even about the secret visits through the hidden tunnels and passageways inside the structures of the MIT buildings.
We had fun times with our friends Mitsue and Jerome, Bernardo, Kristen and Ivan. Costas invited us to his fabulous New Year's extravaganza... where we also ran into Carlos Balarezo, a childhood friend whom I had not seen in over 10 years!!
In closing...
We hope you have had a great year. Best regards, much health for you and your family, and we wish you a happy 2004!
Until soon, we hope,
Cecilia Salgado and Ricky Cárdenas
Basta Ya!
