Here We Go Again?
The rains. The mango pits tossed in the street. It’s that time of year again. Just when we were finally able to hear firecrackers or helicopters flying overhead without suffering flashbacks of tear gas grenades.
May 15 is National Day of Teachers, a day we’ve come to associate less with apples and chalkboards than roadblocks and riot police. No matter what side of the conflict we’re on, May 15 is a date that’s loomed in our minds for sixth months. We hesitate to savor the peace in Oaxaca, because we know its days are numbered. May 15th is when time runs out: Oaxaca’s Day of Reckoning. We say: “Business is looking up but after May 15th…?” “The tourist as starting to come back but in May…?” “The kids are back in school, but…?” Even the teachers of section XXII don’t seem exactly jubilant to pick up their placards again; it feels more like carrying a cross.
