I'll Tell Maribel

Maribel is my colleague, she is a Me'phaa Indian. Yesterday she asked me a bit worried: Where have you been? You never miss classes and two of your students were asking for you. I apologized for telling so few people. I went to the Quantum Fest, I told her. I had forgotten which day it was supposed to be, and when I saw, it was the next day, I just took off.

I love this, this University exists in a parallel Universe. Even though Chilpancingo is the capital of the Indian State of Guerrero, it is surreal for my standards. My mother studied  in this University in the mid 40s of last century, but she and my father decided that Mexico City was a better place for us to grow up. So I have been away from my roots, for over forty years!

Coming to work this morning, I run across my friend  Miguel Ángel. I host a zombi page on Ovnis for him, [link]. I say zombi, not because it addresses zombies, but because it is undead. Nothing has been written there since SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2009.  I ask my friend then: What are you doing here? I came to finish up my work with the plants. I am in charge of the Botanic Garden here, we are having an exhibit. We are going to show some Olinalá trees. I felt like in "The Teachings of Don Juan", by Carlos Castaneda!

Let me explain the context, in over two years that I have met him, I thought he was concerned only about the paranormal, and the esoteric.  All of a sudden I realized that he is in charge of one of the most important treasures of humanity. Guerrero has one of the richest ecosystems anywhere on Earth, and as a consequence of the Universe!

Let me tell you about Maribel, and then I wrap this up.

Maribel asked me if I was coming today. I said, since it is Sunday I may not, but anyway, why? I asked a woman to come and clean this place, she said, I want to know if I have to give her the keys or not. Anyway, I'll give her the keys, said Maribel.

This morning Doña Toñita heard I was coming in the building, and asked who is that? When she saw me I told her about the cleaning lady. She said, there was no water yesterday, thus that lady couldn't wipe the floor, but this morning they got water and she could do it. I said: I'll tell Maribel.

This conversation, and the earlier one with Miguel Ángel, are surreal!

How will I tell Maribel? I do not have her phone number, besides I don't think she can contact anybody to come clean.

I'll try to do a little explaining here.

There is a Union, but they don't work on weekends: Union rules!

Maribel pays these ladies with the money she collects from the students!

These people that invited me run a parallel structure, inside the official bureaucracy. The University pays me from official channels, but I do get money on the side, for little things, like inviting a friend from Berkeley, that should be getting a Nobel Prize next December 15, in Stockholm, but is getting squat because the big honchos sidestepped him. He is very nice and took everything in stride, but that was a travesty. Read one of his reactions to the announcement here.

Chilpo's Bogdan is in a good place to find the meaning of it all. Read above.