Grrrrr the war makes me so angry, reading about the US and British troops missing and the ones being paraded on the television. I read that Tony Blair condemned the maltreatment of prisoners of war because it went against the Geneva convention.... how dare he talk of following conventions. It really is sad that we try to enforce one UN resolution by sidelining the UN altogether. There is a peace demonstration at the University tomorrow at 1pm.

This weekend went away for Josalinas birthday, to Quaretaro city, to the north and Guanajuato, both are great colonial cities, visited Guanajuato last Dec. This friday is Rosies 15th Birthday, big party.

Click here to be confused.

http://ghj.sunsite.dk/tmp_ludo_stuff/fun/psychic.swf

Had a good weekend, didnt go to Toluca in the end, another week perhaps. Saturday went to Chupo, a gothic area of the city, cool market, a bit like camden town in london, but more gothic and less hippy. shot some video for a my art presentation on thursday. I dont know how Im going to link it to art, but I will try...

Saturday night went to a 15th birthday party, which is the biggest party for mexican girls. amazing amount of time and money are put into them, lots of (7) Chamberlans, or male dancers who put on a show, parading the girl about and dancing with the parents... etc etc. Found a cheap way to call home through the internet, so send me a landline number if you want to chat at the weekend, and a time in the afternoon youll be about.

Sunday was a quite too, went to a family party with freddy and hector, same family as a month or so ago, but this time in the afternooon, we all made kites with the kisd and went to fly them in the wasteland nearby, great fun. can use that for my video too. Jeremy and I know so many people in the town now its really nice, I went to the market in Santa Rosa on sunday morning to take some more video, and the bus driver stopped to give me a lift, but it was his day off, so he was in his car! I often hear someone shouting Juan! in the street, but I think we know too many people from too many places, as I cant remember where I know them from.... quite a few people speak good english as well.

Sculpting with alambre, or wire this afternoon, should be interesting. have an art midterm this week, plus the video to do. I hope we are all going to make a video for the final presentation. Ive worked out how to use the Macs here at uni, so its quite easy. I think Ill be leaving here around the 27th April, so not long now, 3 weeks early so give me some time to travel and visit Becky from Leeds Uni, in Taiwan. Also a couple of days in San Diego and LA.

See you soon,
John

Hello,



Universidad IberoAmericana celebrated its 60th Aniversary last Friday. Current Mexican President Vincente Fox, who also studied here was a guest of honor. somehow they let 7 exchange students into the building where he was speaking, where we took off our jackets and displayed our "no (A La) Guerra" NO to the WAR, T shirts, the photograhpers went mad and they threatened to chuck us out of the university, but all seems ok now. We were on 2 TV channels as well, apparently I was interviewed, but I didnt see it, also apparently on CNN spanish version, but again no proof. This was taken from the Saturday edition of Excelcior, a Daily national right wing. Nice to do our bit for the anti-war effort... Mexico is one of the key votes on the security council, so its under a lot of pressure to side with the US, but then who isnt...

The British Council organised an exhibition this week for studying in the UK, I met Hull at the stand and helped out on sunday, went out for a nice meal in return, but I didnt stay at the Camino Real as planned, as I thought it was a bit extravagant and I would prefer a Taxi home instead, so I could get into Uni in the morning, else it would have taken me 1.5 hours in rush our! Good chance to speak spanish though. Met lots of people from the UK, and showed a couple around Ibero.

Did a presentation on country risk today for economics, and have the third and final art presentation next week, not sure what Ill do yet. Spanish is going well, I had the midterm last week, went well, guitar is good, sculpture slow, bosmats birthday was on sunday, went out saturday night, next week going to Toluca and Valle de Bravo with Letty from my Guitar class, and Magnus from NOrway, that is the plan anyhow. Helen and David (siblings) come on the 12th, not far away, then I need to think about getting a flight to NOrthern Mexico, Tijuana, before heading accross the border to San Diego and then heading up to LA to fly to Taiwan. must be in back in singapore by 13 May as my flight runs out then, but the University in Malaysia emailed and the date I have to start there is later than I thought, so I dont start until June 9th, so I have some more holiday, which will be nice, hope to go to Indonesia and talk politics, or Sarawak in Malaysia, or Thailand and visit Tom from Hull. 4 weeks will be nice....

Want to work in China this summer teaching english? give me an email: john@cumbers.com

Goodbye for now.

The lack of diary has been due to too many parties and too many weekends away. The workload is light here, (mainly because Im taking arts subjects) so it gives me a chance to get out and enjoy myself, which I have been doing to the excess.

Sorry if emails have not been answered promptly, I didnt have time to check them last week.

Documentary.

I showed one of the films that I made in Singapore (on Indian food) at the end of my art class a few weeks ago, and the teacher Susannah Glusker, asked me what I used to edit it on, I told her the software (final cut pro) and the next lesson she handed me her cellphone and asked me to talk to her friend who was having trouble with the same software here in Mexico.

I ended up helping to edit a documentary she was making on Juan Reynoso, a Mexican Violinist from Tierra Caliente. I helped her out for a couple of weeks and got some pocket money to take to Vera Cruz last weekend for the carnival. Me, 4 girls and one guy from the Basque country in Spain and another Mexican rented a car from saturday to monday and headed to the carnival, Tajin (Mayan Temples), the beach, Jalapa and Puebla, had a great weekend, photos to follow.

The week before a Mexican girl called Karina organised a party for all the exchange students in D.F (Districto Federal, aka Mexico City) at which there were about 200+ people... very cool. The next night went to an underground party in a disused garage, was great.

Guitar is going great, learning some cool Latin rhythms to play, but still need a lot of practice at it. Ive made lots of friends around the village that we live in, Jeremy and I were bombarded with valentines presents and cards from a 12 year old girl who lives across the road from us, we think its safe to come out again now.

This weekend Hull University is visiting DF for an education exhibition organized by the British Council here at the world trade center. I am helping out on the stall to promote the university and I get to stay in the Camino Real, one of the nicest hotels in Mexico, on Sunday night, so I am looking forward to that. Its also Bosmats, girl from Israels, birthday on Saturday so having a party there, plus a visit to Taxco on saturday and another party on Thursday. So this weekend is already full, plus next weekend off to Toluca with a friend Letty from my Guitar class. Me and Magnus, from Norway are heading off there, two weeks after that is Rosies birthday, the daughter of the house we stay in, she will be 15 which is a big deal here, so a huge party of 200 plus people I think. Then two weeks after that David and Helen are coming to visit DF, my brother and sister, so looking forward to seeing some family after 10 months absence.

Also some great news, my other sister Sarah is getting married to her boyfriend Simon, so that rocks the casba. But in one year from now, so I have time to get home.

Have some cool plastercene heads to show you from my sculpture presentation last week. I gave the class each a piece of plasterscene and asked them to modal the person sitting next to them… need to download the pictures before I can put them on the site though.

Today is Ash wednesday, before easter, and loads of students and staff are wondering around campus with black charcoal crosses on their foreheads. Someone told me it was from a religious ceremony, but I don’t know much more than that, does it happen in Spain too?

Im sure I had more to say after all this time without saying much, but it appears not. Missing Hull, missing home, missing England. Loving Mexico, looking forward to Malaysia. Hating the war. John