Tonight, courtesy of Sky we've been watching a Scottish millionnaire bring succour to the needy of Merthyr Tydfil and those doing good work in Aberfan. I know, I should be learning Spanish.
It got me wondering if Larry could be a secret millionnaire who will reveal himself later on in our programme to the needy of Taffs Well. But, we're neither doing any good work or are particularly needy. From reading the bi-lingual weekly newspaper it would seem that giving to the poor and needy is something that people in San Miguel de Allende do a lot of. There is a population of around 100,000 and 10,000 are foreigners mainly Americans. The cultural institutes have a wide programme of events that are fundraisers and award grants to talented but poorer students so they can pursue their gifts in music, dance and the arts. I don't know yet if these are run by Mexicans or ex-pats wanting to put something back into the community. Or both perhaps?
We've visited three of these institutes. They are large airy colonial buildings, walls painted with figurative & abstract murals and galleries of contemporary Mexican art and crafts; with workshops,a theatre and outdoor class rooms, where students may be painting watercolour, sculpting stone or, learning Spanish.
Then, there are the bone idle tourists like us enjoying a beer and people watching in the luxuriant courtyard gardens.
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