With my co-workers in front of the basillica.
This was a busy week! The highlight was an outreach trip to the beautiful little town of Talpa de Allende, about three to four hours outside of Guadalajara. It’s famous in these parts because it’s the end point of a big pilgrimage that happens in the spring, so the economy of the town basically revolves around selling religious articles and services for the pilgrims who come. Due to its prominence, it also gets religious visitors year-round.
The trip there and back was gorgeous, even though we’re in dry season; I’d love to go back when it’s all green. You cross the Sierra Madre mountain range to get there, so there are plenty of lovely views along the way. The downside of the trip was that we were in a van that bounced us around so much that my Fitbit logged 20,000 steps just because my arm was bouncing up and down! And the mountain roads are very steep and curvy, so we were very glad to finally get there!
I went with two women in the office, one from our fraud unit and the other from our Social Security office (lots of folks get their SSA benefits in Mexico). We met my staff member Ale there – she went up the night before with her husband and baby to spend the night with her parents. They invited us for a lovely breakfast. We sat down to a delicious fruit plate, yogurt, sweet rolls, granola, and fresh orange juice. Turns out, that was just a starter. Every time I took a bite, a new platter arrived: potatoes, refried beans, carne con chile, chilequiles, scrambled eggs with ham, fresh cheese – and when I thought there was no more room on the table, the tamales de elote (corn) arrived with fresh sour cream to go on top!
Their house was gorgeous – it’s a huge rambling hacienda style that’s right on the main street, but when you step inside, it’s an oasis of cool tile, with rooms off the corridor and a lovely patio and garden in the middle. During the pilgrimage, they rent out rooms and set up cooking stations outside. The story of the house was fascinating – Ale’s father’s grandparents owned it for many years, and he used to go there to play as a child. Somewhere along the way, they sold the house to Ale’s mother’s parents and she grew up in the house – and then she married Ale’s father! So it’s come full circle. Ale’s parents were just incredible hosts and their hospitality was the highlight of the trip!
Ale’s home
The purpose of the trip was to meet the locals and answer questions, since many of them aren’t computer savvy – we had a pretty good turnout. We set up tables and Ale and I met with people who wanted to know about passports and visas (many of them have kids born in the U.S. who don’t have U.S. passports yet). One of my co-workers had a table to talk about how to avoid being exploited as an agricultural worker, and the other co-worker fielded Social Security questions.
On our way out of town, we made a quick stop at the town square to see the basillica and buy rolls of the famous Talpa guayabo fruit stuffed with dulce leche (like a sweetened condensed milk that is carmelized). About halfway home, we stopped to grab a sandwich – delicious ham with fresh cheese on a small baguette – yummy!
Last Sunday, we attended the first communion of my boss’s little girl – she was so cute and the ceremony was lovely. Afterwards we went to a local country club for lunch – we sat with a couple who are living in GDL due to the husband’s work with the Hershey company.
Thursday night was book club at our house. We had a good turnout and interesting discussion of “In the Garden of the Beasts,” about the U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the 1930s.
Here are some more photos from Talpa.
Church square
Buying candy (with our driver)
My co-worker Ale (right) with her mom and her baby
Religious procession down main street
Windshield view
Church square
Talpa de Allende basillica
Inside the church