In Mexico, all those graduating from Mexican universities in the profession must spend a year in a remote village practicing — including doctors, vets, dentists, teachers, etc. Elvia’ s niece Danielle, who just graduated in dentistry, just finished her year in a very small village and here are Elvia’s memories of her ‘year of service’ and I found it so lively and interesting I included it in today’s post.

“I went last weekend to my generation party(I don’t know the word in English) in Orizaba,, a very nice city not far from Coatepec. We celebrated sixty years we have left the teacher school. Can you imagine that?? We finished school sixty years ago and we disemmenated around the whole Veracruz state. We were young, inexperienced, foolish, fatuous, unwise etc. But we had to face the situation and learning how to live in a little, little town without (sometimes) electricity, water, etc., and far away from your dad and your mom, jaja. And you WERE the teacher, you had to teach. I remember we had to walk three Km. from the bus stop to my school. The school had a well, so we got water using a small bucket tied to a rope because teachers and students had to clean the classrooms. I took my task so seriously that when we finished my hands were bleeding because of the rope. Anyway the party was really nice and it was a lot of fun to see my old friends — gordos, enfermos, canonsos, rengos, sordos pero muuuuuyyy felices.”

“My reading workshop goes beautifully, last week we read LOS SORRENTINOS by Virginia Higa, un Argentine young writer who was very successful with her provincial story. I didn’t like her book. It was well written but very forgettable. This week we have ATONEMENT by Iam McEwan and I am really enjoying the story. Okay I leave you, I hope you are ok and the Johnsons too big hugs and kisses Elvia.”

Her group was reading Katherine Ann Porter and I suggested they not neglect Porter’s best story, The Thief, or Theft, I forget the title exactly, have to look it up.