Surviving Mexico

September 28, 2017 · 8:58 pm

Earthquake rescue, relief and rebuilding–It’s up to me!

In the days since two strong earthquakes shook Mexico, I’ve seen a lot of conflicting advice, suggestions, and commentary. What I’ve come to realize that it comes down to personal responsibility and that the only person who can decide if you are personally responsible or not, is, well you.

Let’s talk about Jorge. He wasn’t a trained first responder. He wasn’t a building expert. He was quite ordinary in fact. But what Jorge did was assess the situation, said to himself “It’s up to me.” and crawled through rubble to rescue 4 children trapped inside. (Jorge Houston: el desconocido que ayudó a rescatar niños del Rébsamen)

This was not an isolated occurrence. Thousands upon thousands of residents took up the call for aid just minutes after the earthquake. Instead of saying “Well, the military will get here soon and they can take charge.” they said “It’s up to me.” and formed human chains to remove rubble and search for more survivors. (Rescuers save 16 trapped inside factory, These Photos Of Mexicans Helping Each Other After The Quake Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

Here in Mexico, there is a decided lack of confidence in the government and with good reason. As the days passed and the government was predictably slow to respond, the search for survivors has become victim body recovery and the main efforts have been refocused towards relief for those most affected.

Another shining example of humanity at its best is Doña Rosita. Doña Rosita carried her donation on her back across town in her rebozo. She could have said, “I’m old. I don’t have anything to give.” but she said, “It’s up to me.”

But again, the government tried to impede these efforts. Here in Moroleon, various “centros de acopio” (donation sites) sprung up. Police officers arrived at several to demand the organizers shut down. Some did, but others decided “It’s up to me.” and continued their collections and deliveries.

Even with donations pouring in, the government put up obstacles to relief, requiring IFE (voter registration cards) before survivors were given much-needed supplies. It’s a shame that many of those most in need didn’t grab their ID before their house crumbled to the ground. (DIF MUNICIPAL DE JUCHITAN) In addition, several political parties have been accused of diverting supplies in order to claim credit, angering many citizens.

Let’s talk about Shannon. Shannon saw that most of the aid was headed to Mexico City although the metropolis was not the only severely damaged area. She could have said “Well, I have a business to run and my own family to take care of. The Red Cross will eventually get to these other towns.” but instead she said “It’s up to me.” and drove a truck full of supplies to Atzala, Puebla, Mexico distributing them without asking for any ID. Shannon is accepting PayPal donations for her next truckload of supplies.

With the immediate needs of survivors now taken care of, it’s time to shift the focus again, this time towards rebuilding. There has been no word from the Mexican government on this topic and I very much doubt there will be any effort to help those who have had homes damaged or destroyed. In fact, at least one government employee has been fired when he petitioned the government for earthquake aid. (Topo de Coahuila es despedido por trasladarse a brindar apoyo en la CDMX)

It would be easy to say “Well, I don’t know anything about building. I can’t help there.” But I said to myself “It’s up to me.” So here I am to present one worthy recipient.

Let’s talk about Florence. Florence lives near the town of Tlalnepantla de Baz, just outside Mexico City, with her husband and two young children. Immediately after the earthquake, she invited anyone who had lost their home in the earthquake to stay with her. With the second earthquake, Florence’s home became structurally unsound. Two entire walls will need to be torn down and rebuilt. Internet unreliability these past few weeks caused Florence to lose her job teaching online and now she isn’t sure how she will be able to pay for these repairs. If you would like to help Florence rebuild, contact me here.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

.The devastation from these earthquakes and the hurricanes that hit Mexico earlier in the month may seem overwhelming and it is. Perhaps you think that there isn’t anything you can do, that these official organizations will sort this out. Maybe they will. I’ve listed below organizations at the actively involved in relief and rebuilding efforts.

Whether you decide to donate or not, well, that’s up to you.

Relief 4 Marginalized Zones in MX

Unicef Mexico

Global Giving Relief Fund

Fondo Unido Disaster Relief and Reconstruction Fund

Impact Your World Assist Earthquake Victims in Mexico

Gael Garcia and Diego Luna’s Relief and Reconstruction Campaign

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Filed under Safety and Security

Tagged as Mexican earthquake aid, Mexico earthquake 2017, where to donate for the Mexican earthquake aid

September 26, 2017 · 8:36 pm

3 Awesome Ways You Can Help Mexico’s Earthquake Victims

Survivors in Mexico need your help to rebuild their lives!

My Heart of Mexico

Mexico is dealing with possibly the biggest humanitarian crisis in its history, and we need your help.

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Bone Broth

Recently among the Prepper and Homesteading groups I follow, there’s been a lot of excitement about bone broth. Apparently, it’s the best thing to come along since sliced bread. Only, it isn’t something new. We’ve been making bone broth for years.

For those of you not familiar with bone broth, it’s the liquid that results from boiling the bones of an animal, poultry, fish, sheep, goat, cow, pig. That’s it. (Bone Broth Basics, Nourishing Broths, Bone Broth Benefits: From Digestion to Joint Pain, Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease, Making Real Homemade Chicken Stock or Bone Broth, Gut-Healing Bone Broth Recipe)

It’s SOOOOO healthy. Look at this list of health benefits!

Alphabetical Listing of Conditions that Broth Benefits

aging skin, allergies, anemia, anxiety, asthma, atherosclerosis, attention deficit, bean maldigestion, brittle nails, carbohydrate maldigestion, Celiac Disease, colic, confusion, constipation, dairy maldigestion, delusions, dental degeneration, depression, detoxification, Diabetes, diarrhea, fatigue, food sensitivities, fractures, Gastritis, grain maldigestion, heart attack, high cholesterol, hyperactivity, hyperchlorhydria (reflux, ulcer), hyperparathyroidism (primary), hypertension, hypochlorhydria, hypoglycemia, immunodepression, increased urination, infectious disease, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), insomnia, intestinal bacterial infections, irritability, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Jaundice, joint injury, Kidney stones, leaky gut, loss of appetite, meat maldigestion, memory, muscle cramps, muscle spasms, muscle wasting, muscle weakness, Muscular Dystrophy, nausea, nervousness, Osteoarthritis, Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis, pain, palpitations, Periodontal Disease, pregnancy, rapid growth, restlessness, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rickets, seizure, shallow breathing, stupor, virility, vomiting, weakness, weight loss due to illness and wound healing

My first real exposure to bone broth was at Mama Sofia’s dinner table. Mama Sofia is now nearly 100 years old. Think on that! She served us up some chicken broth and there was a chicken foot in it. The broth was absolutely delicious, but I didn’t know how to eat the chicken foot. My son, only 4 at the time, was also taken aback. He couldn’t stop staring at it. My husband’s aunt Caro finally picked up the chicken foot and said that this was her favorite part because she could use the toenails to scratch the top of her mouth. She was teasing of course. Once the bone was out of the way, we all tucked in.

We tend to have either chicken or beef soup at least once a week. Twice a week when it’s colder. There isn’t a set recipe. We use whatever happens to be in season. The guy who runs a vegetable stand in front of his house always has a small bag of freshly cut vegetables for 12 pesos and then we add whatever else we have at the house.

Today, for example, we made beef soup with 2 kilos of soup bones, 3 garlic cloves, first of the season squash, some carrots, an ear of yellow corn, a bit of cilantro, 2 chayotes, a medium sized onion, a tomato, 6 small potatoes, a hunk of cabbage, a piece of cauliflower, a joconol (yet another type of cactus fruit), a piece of broccoli and a handful of chickpeas, a handful of green beans and salt to taste. Sometimes we have nothing but potatoes and onions available, so that’s what we use.

Let me tell you, a mugful of broth from this hodgepodge soup is just the thing right before bed.

These middle-class ladies that have “discovered” bone broth might be on to something. That something being real food is better.

This broth will raise the dead–South American saying

Sometimes I wonder why it is I feel more alive here in Mexico. I still have health problems, life sure ain’t easy, money is ALWAYS an issue. It could be as simple as there’s no fluoride in the water. Or perhaps it’s the constant challenge of managing in a culture not my own. Or just maybe it’s the bone broth.

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