 |
| Grilled cheese night at ML's! |
We're nearing the end of our fourth week here in Oaxaca and it seems like we're getting pretty settled in the city. A variety of assignments for Spanish classes at Solexico and UABJO kept us busy during the week. Interviews and group projects filled in the gaps between classes, and our independent projects vied for our attention as well. As the weekend approached, though, we had an excursion to the beautiful Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca and some serious unwinding to look forward to!
On Tuesday we had a guest speaker in Oliver's class, Simón Sedillo. Coming from a family who became U.S. citizens through the southwestern expansion, Simón feels strongly connected to relations between the U.S. and Mexico. He is determined to use his knowledge, background and talents as a filmmaker to take a realistic and proactive approach to current issues.
 |
| Some of las chicas enjoying their comfort food. |
On Wednesday our whole group got together for a grilled cheese night at Mary Lucia's. It was great to have everyone together in the same space... especially with some much-missed American-style comfort food! We talked about the highs and lows that we had experienced in the past week and found that overall, despite some minor setbacks and adjustments, we're really loving life here in Oaxaca.
 |
| Welcome to Capulálpam! |
On Friday morning we hopped into our trusty vans and headed for the mountains. Capulálpam, situated on a steep mountainside, is home to about 2,000 people and to our delight, drinkable tap water! It is home to several fresh springs from which the entire town gets healthy, mineral-filled water that is bottled at a plant operated by three local women and a driver for delivery services. Designated a "Pueblo Magico," Capulálpam was incredibly serene and beyond beautiful.
 |
| Settling into our casitas. |
When we arrived, we split into two groups for housing: eleven girls in one cabin, and the remainder down the road, where as a group we spent most of our time. We enjoyed a yummy comida and some relaxation time before learning about and participating in a temezcal, a traditional style sweat lodge. Most of the evening was spent in this emotional and physical detox adventure, being cleansed (and brought closer than we ever expected) through a series of teas, chants, stories and plenty of steam.
 |
| La Escondida, home of the temezcal (and delicious food). |
We turned in early for a restful night's sleep and headed out in the morning to learn some more about this magical place.
 |
Fresh spring water
ready to be distributed. |
Being over a mile above sea level became very evident as we climbed to the mountain peak to check out the water bottling plant. Here, we got to see the machinery behind Capulálpam's water bottling enterprise and, thankfully, get some water to power the rest of our hike.
 |
| Grapefruit (toronja) trees! |
Next we stopped in a plush, surprisingly Vermont-esque meadow and sat beneath some giant trees while we learned about the mining conflicts that the town has faced for the past few decades. Although the townspeople have the rights to their town and the land on the surface, underneath the soil lies a very sought-after gold supply which Canadian mining operations have bought the rights to and have been trying to excavate. Because the locals at one point mined for gold before realizing the damage it could do to their town (they have already lost fourteen of their fresh springs as a result), the townspeople are very strongly opposed to more mining and so far have been able to resist further excavation of their lands. With the help of organizations around the world, one of which being UVM, we hope the town of Capulálpam will be able to stay strong in their fight "No a la minería" (against mining).
 |
| Dry corn stalks, a sign of some pretty amazing tortillas. |
The winding road back home made us all glad to be back in the city, if only to set our minds back into writing mode again! As the weekend comes to a close we're all tying up our plans for vacation starting on Friday: the ultimate motivation to get everything done!
Con mucho amor y cariño,
Kat y Paige
♥
On Friday morning we hopped into our trusty vans and headed for the mountains. Capulálpam, situated on a steep mountainside, is home to about 2,000 people and to our delight, drinkable tap water! It is home to several fresh springs from which the entire town gets healthy, mineral-filled water that is bottled at a plant operated by three local women and a driver for delivery services. Designated a "Pueblo Magico," Capulálpam was incredibly serene and beyond beautiful.
