Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Provecho

My street:


My room/apartment entrance:


I have about three months left in Mexico and I’m freaking out.

I know, I know three months is sooo much time and I shouldn’t already be feeling sad about leaving but the truth is that I am.

My relationships are strengthening, going beyond mere friendliness. Finally I feel like Mexico has become my adopted country, as opposed to just another country and culture that I have lived in and learned about. Already I am thinking about things that I will miss (other than the people): the fresh juicy mangos, the tropically shaded bugambilias that explode over every stone wall in the city of Cuernavaca and leave the streets smelling like sweet perfume, the tacos and late-night gringas (another delicious cheesy version of tortillas and al pastor meat), the salsa classes, the commute to UTEZ, the constant sunshine, my students, my colleagues, the Spanish language, the drop-off/pick-up Laundromat services which include ironing and folding, the cheap taxis, the Mexican people, and one of my favorite Mexican customs, lo de “provecho.”

The view down onto my host property/pool from my second-floor room.


A gringa in the making (just call it a Mexican cheesesteak):


We learned about provecho from the first week of Fulbright orientation in Mexico City, but it never fails to make me smile when I see it in action. So what is it? Provecho comes from the word aprovechar, which means “to make the most of.” In practice, it is a simple word that is said by every Mexican individual in the presence of someone who is eating. It is equivalent to “enjoy” or “bon apetit.”

The reason why I love it so much is the frequency with which it is used, the goodwill emitted by the word, and the level on which it represents the Mexican culture as a whole.

I hear it when I am eating my Tupperware salad in the teachers’ lounge at UTEZ and a student comes in for a meeting with his or her professor. “Provecho!”

I hear it when I am out to dinner and a certain party leaves their table and passes mine on the way to the exit. “Provecho!”

I hear it when snacking on something in the central plaza of Cuernavaca and a stranger sits on the bench near me. “Provecho!”

It is a simple 3-syllable word that brings immeasurable goodwill to a meal. And it is the story of my adopted culture. The Mexicans are a culture who enjoy their lives, who always seek pleasure out of whatever hand they are dealt with, who spend time with each other, and who usually desire the best for their fellow Mexicans. They are (at times illogically) generous, go out of their way to be helpful (even if they are incapable of helping, ie/ in giving wrong directions or running across the street to ask someone else and coming back to report to you instead of simply saying “no sé”), open, positive, and always see the glass as half-full.

Certainly there are aspects of my own culture that I miss dearly (punctuality, efficiency, speed, etc.). But there are also things about the Mexican culture which I have come to love, most especially provecho, and which I will do my best to bring home to my culture and apply to my everyday life.

And now... to aprovechar my last three months here.

3 comments:

  1. Carpe Diem Molly, como dijo Horacio una vez...

    "No quieras asaber, pues ello nos está vedado, qué fin, Liconoe, han señalado para mí y para ti los dioses. Y no interrogues a los cálculos babilónicos. ¡Cuánto mejor es sufrir todo lo que pueda suceder! Y ora Júpiter te conceda más de un invierno, ora sea éste el último que ahora quebranta el mar Tirreno contra los acantilados de desgastadas rocas, sé prudente. Filtra tus vinos y, ya que la vida es corta, ajusta esperanza larga. Mientras hablamos, el tiempo celoso huyó. Atiende al día presente, y no te fíes lo más mínimo del porvenir"

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  2. Hospitality of strangers in the states
    last saturday night at sju walking to a party
    Leo: Well don't you girls look ravishing
    Girl dressed in 70s apparel: WHAT?!!?!?!?! (hand on hip eyes squinted like shes trying to pierce my soul)
    Leo: nevermind (does the charlie brown walk away)

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  3. Leo:

    It might have been the use of the word "girls".

    Still, I can't believe the Charlie Brown retreat didn't endear you to them...

    ReplyDelete