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The Newcomers enjoy having a good time together and exploring our new home! Here are some of the ways that we do this. Besides those listed below, we have groups for tennis, biking, hiking, baby-play, dance, cooking... in fact, if you have an idea, there's a potential activity! Come join the fun!
 

General Meetings: Held at 9:30 the first Thursday of every month from September to June. Locations may vary depending on the theme of the meeting.

 

Welcome Party: Each September we host a Welcome Party to get together after the summer and to invite new arrivals to meet our members and consider joining. 

 

Dine-Outs:  Querétaro has many great restaurants and each month we make a plan to try one and enjoy a variety of cuisines. These dinners are a great opportunity to get to know fellow club members better.

 

Cultural Visits: Each month we plan for either a day or weekend family trip to a nearby place. In the past these have included trips to the towns of Taxco, Guanajuato, and Zacatecas, tourist attractions like the Tequila Train in Jalisco or the Bioparque Estrella zoological park, archaeological sites such as Tula and La Quemada, and the San Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary to see the winter home of the monarch butterflies migrating from the U.S. and Canada.



 

Holiday Celebrations: Halloween,Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter are the major holidays that we will celebrate, often with a family event. What is more fun than dressing up for Halloween to wrap your 'mummy' in toilet paper? Or searching for hidden eggs? The Newcomers Club is very kid-friendly and we try to make these events very special for the little ones and grown-ups alike.

 

Euchre: What a fun card game this is!  We gather at someone's house on a Friday evening to share appetizers and see who will be lucky this week!

Spanish Café: This is a weekly group for those that want to practice Spanish for real-life situations: visiting the doctor, negotiating with the car mechanic or getting what you really want at the market.  It's a great, safe environment to practice in and to learn.

Gourmet Dining Club: Every other month a host and co-host prepare a menu and share the recipes with the club.  A date is set and everyone brings their assigned dish, and a delicious meal is shared by all.

Charity: We currently support two charitable causes.  Throughout the year, we hold raffles, book swaps or just set out the 'jar' to collect donations that are split between these charities:

  • Casa Hogar for Girls: There are about 15 girls aged 5-18. The Newcomers women select a girl for whom they would like to be the "Madrina". We buy birthday presents and Day of the Kings presents for the girls.  On a Wednesday evening of each month we visit the girls and bring a dinner to share with them. We also bring a birthday cake to celebrate all of the birthdays during that month. We all have a great time!

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  • Animal Shelter:  The local shelter cares for about 4,500 animals that are stray or abandoned each year. About 40% are dogs and 20% are cats. They perform ≈ 800 sterilizations/year. The monthly expenses of the Animal Shelter are $30,000 pesos. These expenses are covered by donations, operations done by the vet, pensions, and adoptions.

    Book Club: The newcomers like to read! Each month we discuss a different book.  It is interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on the book and to share some laughs, experiences and ideas with each other.  We select our books ahead of time based on members' suggestions.  We can get the books in English when someone is traveling or from the local Gandhi bookstore or the library in San Miguel.

    Here are the books we'll be reading in the 2011-2012 club year:  

    Date Book Title and Author

    Sept 23

    The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

    Oct 21

    The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society By Shaffer and Barrows

    Nov 18
    		 The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
    Dec 16
    		 Tastes like Cuba by Eduardo Marchado
    Jan 20
    		 The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
    Feb 17
    		 Omnivor's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
    Mar 16
    		 Leaving Tabasco by Carmen Boullosa
    Apr 20
    		 Infidel by Ayaan Hisri Ali
    May 16
    		 The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lin
    Jun 15
    		 The way to Paradise by Mario Vargas Llosa