The Writing on the Wall

Even before I arrived in Mexico, I looked at images of the Tepehua Community Centre on google maps. The beautifully painted mural on the outside of the Centre was badly damaged. There was a lot of written graffiti in permanent marker.
When I arrived, I saw that a lot of paint had been peeled off and an attempted repair resulted in a color mis-match on some parts of the mural.
I first wrote about the plan for the mural repair on January 23rd, here: The Teens!

Although the repair started out with several enthusiastic guys scraping off loose paint and washing off the permanent marker, it dwindled down to nada in the days to come. Sometimes I would catch the teens walking by but only one, Junior, would stop. Even if for a moment, he would at least stop to tell me he could not stop- ha!
In the meantime, I was sourcing out paint, finding a paint store that could match the green we needed, gathering plastic bottles for mixing other colors and collecting drop clothes and cardboard to protect the sidewalk.
One day Junior agreed to meet with me. I asked him to come by himself. Mom and I got to work but Junior didn't show up. Hmmmm. As luck would have it, some of the young kids came and helped for a bit.

Sisters: Bere, Lily and Chuya couldn't resist helping us out! Thanks girls!

Mom agreed to buy the green paint and repainted the big parts of the mural with a roller. Pretty amazing!

The next day, a teen named Bryan showed up. He said he was an artist and would like to help out. I gave him one of the hardest tasks of fixing the sign. It took him a long time but he did it well. I was very grateful. While he was painting Junior came along. He is a nice kid and always ready to entertain the 'foreigners' but when I asked him to help, he said no. I asked both he and Bryan to come and help me at 1:00p the next day. It would be my last day in Chapala. 
Mom and I showed up early and got to work while it was still cool. To our surprise, Junior came as soon as he saw us and worked tirelessly for hours! Wahoo! Bryan came at 1:00 and the 4 of us managed to get everything repaired. A celebratory pose and photo was a must!
The writing was now off the wall!

Junior, on the ladder, was bushed by the time this photo was taken. He and mom mixed all the leftovers, and painted over the graffiti on the riser of the sidewalk.
 By 1:00p it starts getting really hot. Bryan puts on the second coat of yellow to complete the sun-repair.

Before and After of the side of the building.

Before and After of the front of the building.

What inspired me?

People inspire me.
Tammy, a woman in my community who adopted 2 children from China and raised countless dollars for other families wanting to to adopt.
Emily, age 19, from Prince Edward Island, who did the El Camino, not once, but twice!
Trudy G, a fellow jeweller from New Brunswick who has been going to the Chapala region for several years to teach the adult women new jewellery making techniques.
My kids! Loudon and Brennus are age 12 and 10. I want to teach them that there is a whole wide world out there. They are so fascinated by my venture and with the ease of technology, they can follow ever step.
My children's uncle inspired me when he and a group of other doctors went to Africa to provide free health care to a village. One year, he took his two oldest children with him, who were just tweens at the time.

I lived in Canada's Arctic for 5 years. Living in another culture inspired me.

Other people's stories and adventures inspire me. Stories of Inuit being lost on the tundra and surviving. Modern day adventurers like Don Starkle, Paddle to the Arctic and Victoria Jason, Kabloona in a Yellow Kayak who paddled through the Arctic. I read both of their books while living in Repulse Bay, NU. While living in Inuvik, NT, I recall many stories of people travelling the famous MacKenzie River by any means, even rafts.
I was once on the Dempster Highway with friends having a picnic and out of nowhere comes an elderly man on a bike. Coming from the south meant that he would have had to travel over 700 km on a gravel highway. He told us it was a personal journey.
When in Inuvik, there was a film screening about a husband and wife team who followed the Canadian herd of Caribou on foot. Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison documented this powerful adventure; Being Caribou.
Adventures by actor Ewen McGregor and friend Charley Boorman when they traveled by motorcycle all around the world going through many countries and therefore encountering many cultures. Both adventures were filmed; Long Way Round and Long Way Down are a must watch.
Movies inspire me: Into the Wild, The Wild, Tracks, The Way...