Vamos a la Playa!

La Playa!

Five weeks have flown by here in Oaxaca.  Week five wrapped up our first chunk at Solexico and sent us all off the the beach to start of our Spring Break!
On Monday, Solexico was closed due to Constitution Day, so we all spent our morning at Oliver's learning lots for three hours.  We all returned to Solexico for some of our final days at the language school.  On Thursday, everyone had another Spanish Exam, and of course we all passed and then on Friday, Norma (one of the teacher's at Solexico) brought us all to a little market where some of us found food that reminded us of home; huge plates of pasta, flatbread, curry...it was great!  We are all finished up at Solexico now for a few weeks.  We all return for one final week later on, but the week varies due to track work coming up.  We all hope we don't forget everything we have learned before our final exam that week!
After our market adventure on Friday, we sent it to Puerto Escondido!  We all split up between two vans, one leaving at 1pm, the other at 2pm.  It was a 7 hour trip filled with lots of turns and Dramamine.  Along the way, the driver picked up a new person in every pueblo to give them a lift to where ever they needed to go along the way; it was an experience.  After the 7 hour voyage, we all made it safe and sound and checked into our hotels excited to soak up the rays on Saturday.

The pool at one of the hotels some of us are staying at.

We are all enjoying our little break down here in Puerto Escondido.  It is refreshing to get out of the city for a while and being here has also made us all appreciate the fact that the city really isn't all that hot and humid. Most of us return to the city on Wednesday some time.  Until then, we will continue to reapply sunscreen.


We are all already so excited for next Sunday when we get to embark on our week long village stays!
Hasta Luego!
Gabby & Kristi

Week 4: Grilled Cheese and Sweat Lodges

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
                         ♥

Rugs and Hugs

The town museum: host to many Zapotec artifacts. 

Things learned from our second week in Oaxaca city: never climb a mountain in Birkenstocks and “Tuna” is not a fish-ridden ice cream flavor (its actually a prickly pear). This week commenced as usual with a typical Lunes: class at Solexico from 9 to 12, followed by a hearty “comida,” some lollygagging around the “Zoak” (Zocalo) and a half-hearted attempt at rockying up the steps to the Guelaguetza auditorium. Monday night everyone was forced to buckle down and complete our first essay for Oliver’s class. For our assignment, we were asked to reflect upon one of three topics: the features of neoliberalism in a U.S-Mexican context, the importance of indigenous communities to the Oaxacan state and the main environmental challenges in Oaxaca and how they are addressed.

            With the stress of the previous night’s “ensayo” off our backs, we were able to rest a little easier in Spanish class the following morning. Later Tuesday night we had class with Oliver, who finished up his discussion of neoliberalism and induced this week’s theme of migration. Upon finishing class we were divided into interest groups (ecology, health, youth, for example) and assigned a small, preparatory independent study. We were given a number of local organizations and NGOs and tasked with conducting an interview on a subject of our choosing. We will use the interview to write a collaborative paper due this Thursday. The purpose of the assignment is to prepare us for our Independent Study projects, which will involve a similar process.

            On Wednesday we had a group meeting with Mary Lucia at a nearby yoga studio. We are lucky enough to have the facility available to us for weekly check-ins. The meeting commenced in a sort of Dr. Phil fashion with ML and our TAs Amber and Carey asking us how we are adjusting to life in the city. While many of us are still being “burned” by the language barrier, some of us on their way to an enviable Oaxacan tan. Later that afternoon we all took a fieldtrip with Oliver to COMI (El Centro de Orientación del Migrante de Oaxaca), a refuge center for migrants from Oaxaca and Central America. The purpose of the center is to provide temporary housing, work and medical services, to help them along their prospective journeys. Before touring the facility we were given a lecture in Spanish by the program coordinator about recent migration trends and the dangers associated with a migrant lifestyle.

Just some of the intricate hand-woven rugs. 

Friday we were fortunate enough to escape the city boundaries and spend the night in Santa Ana del Valle, a small Zapotec weaving community a hour south. Upon arrival, we were welcomed as part of the community. We were separated into smaller homestays, with some of us staying at the local environmental program bunkers. The pueblo was slow-paced, tranquil and the people were extremely generous and gracious for our visit. That afternoon we watched the women show us the rather involved process of traditional weaving, from shearing the sheep to the elaborate end product. We even got to see how the yarn is dyed with natural colorings, such as those from marigold, tree bark and cochineal (a small beetle). All of the townspeople were happy to share their craft with us and even let us try out our skills on the loom. After the demonstration, many of us walked away with our own gorgeous, hand-woven products.

Early the next morning (6:00 early…), almost all of us woke up to meet a local father and son, whom were nice enough to take us on a hike up the nearby mountain. Panting and sweaty, we enjoyed the

Some of the girls enjoying the mellow street in Santa Ana del Valle. 

splendor that was the mountain peak, while also realizing we should probably stop frequenting the Panaderia (Mexican bakery). We made it down just in time for breakfast and quickly scurried off to get a tour of the town museum. Before leaving Santa Ana, we were welcomed to the house of the town healer. She informed us about the strength of home remedies and even performed a “cleansing” on Torey, who has been having sleeping problems. At the end of her cleansing, she went around and hit everyone with a pile of herbs while blowing a smoky concoction in our faces. With newfound good fortune, we look forward to the next adventure Oaxaca will bring.

Con abrazos y besos,

            Torey and Elena

Spanish Classes and Exploring Oaxaca

Even during the water shortage, one youngin' went for a swim.

As the sleep was wiped from our eyes, headaches faded and our final day of the school-free life crawled forward, we slowly began to understand our roles in our new homes: breakfast at 9:30 on the weekends, and comida (our big meal of the day) at 3.  Slowly but surely our understanding of the layout of the city was etched into our brains.

 First week of Spanish classes at Solexico.

Monday, we arrived at Solexico, our new Spanish school, and were immediately humbled by our grasp, or lack there of, on the foreign language. Classes at this school are taught the way a foreign language should be taught: classes are no bigger than eight students, some as small as four. The teacher addresses the formal curriculum as well as misconceptions  of the language in our formal grade-driven schooling.

Oliver's class on Tuesday evening weaved through the enriching and egalitarian aspects of Neolibralism as an economic ideology (sarcasm). This was confirmed by historical investigation of the modernization of the Mexico of today.

Our Spanish classes continued with positivity and a general sense of eagerness to learn. On Wednesday we met in the afternoon as a group to discuss stages of culture shock: Cultural euphoria, confrontation, adjustment and adaption, respectively. Essentially, arriving in another country, you spend your first days basking in the sun, euphoric. Soon however, grave reality strikes and you must confront your horrible sunburn. Adjusting to this reality you start to wear sunscreen, cover your neck with a bandana. And eventually you emerge has an adapted bronze traveler. Disclaimer: the process is not always a smooth transition from one point to the next. Relapses can occur.

We observed the diversity of Oaxaca's transit system.

Thursday, our environmentalist desires were satisfied by a visit to the Centro demostrativo de permacultura in San Andres Huaypam. This small complex exists as a model for people to consider both in its sustainability as well as its impact on the restoration of the watershed in which it is a part of. 

Friday finally upon us, we finished our first Spanish essay, each student completing one corresponding with their level. As the last of the emails were sent to our Maestros, the night life began. We danced, we laughed, we took taxis home (mom), we ate delicious late night street food. 

The rest of the weekend consisted of excursions this way and that. Several students took a collectivo (loose translation: carpool) to a conference on mining, others hopped on a tour zipping around to cultural and geographic hotspots in the surrounding area. All in all, Mexico is fully in our faces and bellies, already reports of dreaming in Spanish are coming in, friends are being made, and the beginning is barely behind us.

Peace out,

Caleb and Sean

We explored Oaxaca's various indoor markets in which you can find: garments, Mezcal, ninja stars and birds.

Things got a little crazy.

On Thursday, we ventured to Centro Demostrativo 

de permacultura in San Andres Huayapan.

This is a compost toilet,
which uses waste to replenish the soil.

Soil is used to grow a variety of plants and
vegetables in their numerous greenhouses.

The circle of life is complete when these plants and
vegetables are cooked on an oven made of fibrous materials.

Hola! Bienvenidos a Oaxaca!

The adventure began last Sunday for six of us at the Houston, Texas terminal where we were ready to embark on our journey to Oaxaca.  A nerve was hit as we waited for our flight when they removed Oaxaca off the flight board for a few minutes-but all ended well.  Late Sunday night we arrived in Oaxaca and made way to Casa Arnel with the amount of 200 pesos between six of us.  Despite this minor detail, we managed to get a room and enjoy the night.  

In the pool at El Encuentro (click on pic to enlarge)

The next day we woke up in awe at the beautiful, quaint spot, Casa Arnel, where birds chirped and hammocks overlooked the courtyard.  That day the group slowly trickled in and by that night everyone had arrived anxiously waiting what was to come for the next few days.  Early Tuesday morning we all enjoyed a meal together which introduced us to the classic Mexican breakfast.  We all packed our bags and went off to El Encuentro (a retreat just outside of Oaxaca city).  These next five days were amazing and luxurious as we got to know the group, our awesome TA's, Amber and Carey, our new mother Mary Lucia, and our Oaxacan culture professor (who is actually German), Oliver. 

Our first day spent was getting to know each other by discussing our goals and expectations for the trip.  We all came to the consensus that in order to fully enjoy our semester would be to put our UVM lives behind, stay present, and constantly observe our surroundings.  After our meeting, we were literally herded to Comida (we say this in a non demeaning way) where we were welcomed to a large feast that put smiles on all of our faces.  We were spoiled the next few days with delicious food, great hospitality, and beautiful surroundings.  

Monte Alban

On Thursday, we went on a grand tour of Monte Alban which is an archaeological site originally built by the Zapotecs. The ruins are pyramid structures some that were dedicated to religion and sports arenas.  Friday, Oliver took us on a bus tour of Oaxaca city and we were able to see the city from a viewpoint. This allowed an inside scoop of where we were staying and living for the next few months. 

On our last day, we spent time refining our question for our independent study and had an interesting Zapotec speaker, Kiado Cruz. We learned a great deal from him, specifically, the importance of community and the power of silence,and we must take this into as we share knowledge with our Oaxacan homestays. 

Time to return to city life! Yesterday we went homestay bound to enter our new and mysterious home for the remaining time.  We returned to Casa Arnel and waited anxiously as our new parents came to pick us up.  (Sorry mom and dad - you've been replaced).  We all piled into our new family's car,  a little nervous, but ready to begin our Oaxacan lives.   Our house spent a day on the town, exploring the market and eating a classic comida corrida.  Tonight, we will be celebrating Elena's birthday with our first group get together en la cuidad.  We can't wait for what is to come! 
Abrazos y besos,
Adrianna and Jessica