MPSRC: May 2008

In mid-April I made my Rotary presentation to the Guanajuato Rotary Club; I was very excited about this opportunity. I was approaching three and a half months in México and I felt confident about my Spanish skills. Additionally, the members of Guanajuato Rotary Club and their wives had shared the culinary delights of their culture with such pride. I had tried tripa (pig intestines), lengua (cow tongue), and tequila (the really good stuff you drink slowly in a glass or try too! The tequila that is so good it burns as it goes down your throat and you feel all of your insides on fire! Needless to say, I failed many times in acquiring the taste for tequila).

With all this generosity in mind, I decided that I really wanted to share something from the States with the Club besides the bags of Ghirardelli chocolates that I had brought, something that is more personal, something that they had to try, and something that they didn’t know about their northern neighbors….CUPCAKES! Yes, that was it; they are small (contrary to the reputation of most food in the U.S.), children eat them at school to celebrate birthdays, and adults frequent bakeries in the evenings to enjoy gourmet CUPCAKES in various cities across the United States. Plus, singers, Rihanna and Beyoncé, featured CUPCAKES at their superstar events this month (Rihanna’s birthday and Beyoncé’s wedding). And did I mention they are delicious? And very cute?

My friend from Colorado was coming down for a visit and I asked her to please bring a CUPCAKE pan, baking cups, and the rest of the goods that you cannot find in GTO in order to make CUPCAKES for the meeting the following week. Unfortunately, I had to find a way to bake the CUPCAKES (I don’t have an oven); therefore, I activated my Ambassadorial skills and created a very simple, fun, and perfect Ambassadorial experience.

The night before the Rotary meeting I taught an authentic content based English lesson on BAKING and CUPCAKES at my friend’s house with his English students. Both Maria and Jorge live outside Guanajuato with their mother (their father lives and works in Texas and communicates with them via phone calls every third day). Their mother came over with the video camera and a camera to also partake in the lesson. I was surprised with their enthusiasm, but enjoyed their willingness to learn. We chatted and baked while listening to classic American music. Time quickly passed by and we frosted the first batch and of course, had to try the goods.

I creatively demonstrated how to eat the CUPCAKE, but I think because I had them laughing so hard I didn’t put enough attention to the little details (i.e., pealing off the baking cup!). It was at this point that I had the absolute best learning experience. Jorge proudly took a bite out of his CUPCAKE and then another, eating away just the top part. At first I thought he liked the frosting best, but then it became apparent that he had no clue how to (or even, if he should) separate the baking cup from the CUPCAKE. I wanted to laugh at something I took for granted, but I knew that he would be embarrassed (I mean, how would I feel if I was eating tripa or lengua and people were laughing at me!). With a kind reminder he chuckled and quickly pulled back the baking cup to finish what was left of this CUPCAKE.

As I was packing up my box of CUPCAKES and leaving Maria and Jorge, their mom joked that they were going to bake and sell these CUPCAKES in the community store they ran. A job well done, I must say, but this story doesn’t quite end here.

The next night I took my two large plates of CUPCAKES and I traveled down my hillside 100 steps (five flights of stairs), past the two feral cats and some lurching cockroaches in the dark, because the landlord forgot to pay the electric bill and half of the complex on the hill did not have electricity for the night. Victoriously, the CUPCAKES and chocolates made their way to CASA ROTARIA safe and sound and my presentation was a hit. However, to my surprise the ROTARIANS were quite hesitant to try my CUPCAKES and to their surprise, I responded, with utmost eloquence (in Spanish, of course), that after trying tripa and lengua in addition to having my throat burned 1000 times over by their royal tequila that they HAD to try my CUPCAKES. After a round of laughter the brave ones began to reach for the CUPCAKES. Because I was so shocked at their timid behavior towards my CUPCAKES once again, I forgot to discuss how to eat the CUPCAKES (you’d think a teacher would learn!). But, it was too late. I looked over and one gentleman was eating his CUPCAKE with a spoon. The outer edge of the baking cup was pulled back slightly and he was politely eating it. Señor Oscar ate his CUPCAKE in such a dignified manor that my thoughts drifted across the Atlantic to English Royalty. I glanced towards the other end of the table and I see another gentleman eating just the top of the two CUPCAKES in front of him. Naturally, I smiled and thought of Jorge the previous day. Was it possible? Did I really make the same mistake again? How was I not learning from them? More importantly, how do I save face for all involved and articulate eating instructions?

District Governor, Al Cipres and Club President Alejandro Navarro

This experience is an example of the beauty and power of the Ambassadorial Scholarship - one by one we can affect the world to make it a more tolerant, understanding, and accepting place. By making time, reaching out, and sharing Ambassadorial Scholars help local citizens (of all classes) see beyond their current knowledge, experience authentic culture in their community, and foster personal relationships and interests (thus, developing intercultural understanding).

I know that Maria and Jorge will share their experience with friends and talk about our class in addition to the music, food, and conversation we had regarding the United States (normal every day Americans, not tourists taking photos of their country and buying their artisan crafts, but regular Americans who live every day life much like in México). Moreover, I have witnessed ROTARIANS bragging to their wives and other ROTARIANS about my CUPCAKES and with impressive detail, they have explained how these CUPCAKES differ from any dessert they have in México. Of course, their statements are usually followed by another invitation to try tripa and lengua, because they are sure if I try it again I will like it! J I, on the other hand, learned that even the simplest actions (i.e., pulling back a baking cup) should not be taken for granted.