Vacation

Ok, the post we've all been waiting for....drumroll please...
2 weeks of vacation; 1 word: incredible.

On the 11th, we traveled to Oaxaca. I almost didn't make it because my alarm didn't go off (my bad), but thankfully, my mom is a speed demon driver and got me there in time. We took a public bus together to Puebla, and from there another to Oaxaca. We arrived in the afternoon and had a little rest. We stayed at a really nice hotel right near the zocalo. The first night we all went out and ate at various places in the zocalo, and explored the nearby markets. Howard is really good about giving us time to rest whenever we are traveling; probably because he enjoys his breaks too. I don't remember the days exactly, but we did a number of super cool things. We went to 2 archaeological sites; Monte Alban and Mitla. Monte Alban was amazing; smaller than Teotihuacan, but in my opinion, more beautiful, because the mountains of Oaxaca are incredible, and there's less pollution in the view. The pyramids were easy to climb, and fun to explore (you could go into a few small parts...even though my claustrophobia was pretty strong, I managed ok). Mitla was smaller, without pyramids, but more opportunities to enter the remains and see the intricate designs and art carved into the walls. Mitla is really interesting because when the Spaniards arrived, they constructed their cathedral with pieces of the old temples, so there is a beautiful (although Colonial) church in the middle of the archaological site. There was also a really nice market in Mitla, where I bought Camila (my sister) a Club America (favorite soccer team) hat, which she has been wanting for awhile.

Also in Oaxaca, we visited two agricultural organizations, both trying to help indigenous farmers in Oaxaca stay competitive with the growing influence of US products and transgenic corn. They are experimenting with organic farming, and creative methods of irrigation. It's really tempting for a lot of them to immigrate to the US or abandon their farming lifestyle, but these organizations are trying hard to help them maintain their historical culture of corn. It's pretty great to see that in the midst of global economic crisis and TLCAN (NAFTA), there are people trying to avoid change.

The city was beautiful, and we had a really good time, but the real deal was in San Antonio Huitepec, an indigenous village of around 1,500 people, about 50 miles from Oaxaca City. Now, you would imagine that 50 miles would take about an hour, right? Try 6, on an incredibly terrifying road. I didn't really realize my fear of heights until I arrived in Mexico. There were a few moments when the bus tipped a little bit, and it felt like we were going to fall off the mountain into the countryside. The road literally cut through the mountains, which was absolutely breathtaking, but also scary. The really cool thing about Huitepec is that there are about 100 people in Richmond from this small town. So now we have a strong connection with this small community. We spent three days there, talking to various people, eating with them, learning about what it means to be indigenous in Oaxaca, and the challenges and benefits they face with so much immigration. The best was probably talking to the high school students (the high school only opened in 2004) about what it means for them to be indigenous, and how hard it is to maintain their culture and language (mixteco) in an increasingly "modern" world. Most of them said they would like to go to college, and then return to Huitepec to benefit the community. We watched a sampalilu dance, which is part of the marriage process, and also attended a dance. Hilary and I played the drum/cymbal in the band for awhile, which was fantastic. It's really interesting, because although the money that people working in the US have sent has helped many people in the community, the influence of the US is also destructive to the cultural traditions. I could go on and on about this town and the days we spent there, but I can't write a novel here, so I will just have to tell more stories in person. Overall, it was incredibly humbling, and I learned a ton. I realized the other day that I have met FAR more people who have lived in the US than I ever thought I would. I have heard so much about immigration, and I know there are millions who cross the border every year, but to meet so many people has been amazing. One guy I was talking to yesterday in the panaderia told me he thinks people should stop calling the US and Mexico two different countries, because the flow of people between both countries is so constant that we should just stop pretending there's even a border. I also thought being in central Mexico, it would be less common to meet people immigrating, but the lack of jobs affects the whole country, and people are desperate everywhere. Even indigenous farmers from Oaxaca, in a village that you can't even imagine are heading north for better opportunities and the fulfillment of "the American Dream." How bizarre, and sad.

From Huitepec, we returned to the city for one night, before leaving for Acapulco the next morning. I went with Brian and Ilana (who are together), Justin, and Lauren. It was great to get to know Lauren better, because we hadn't spent too much time together. The trip was so long. We left at 8 in the morning, and got to Acapulco at about 9 PM. We had to pass through Mexico City because that's the fastest way, but it took so long. It was worth the trip though. We arrived in the center, which was totally overwhelming after spending days in the mountains, and quickly took a taxi to our hostel, which was in a more remote part of the city. October is not tourist season anywhere, so things were pretty quiet. It seemed like we were the only people at our hostel, which was great. From Sunday to Wednesday, we woke up around 1 PM, went and got some food, and headed to the beach. We spent 2 days at Puerto Marques, and 2 days at Princess. The water was warm, the sun was wonderful, and we relaxed wholeheartedly. We stayed at the beach everday until sunset, when we reluctantly returned to the hostel, and then went out to eat dinner, usually around 9. We ate a lot of dominos, burger king, and tacos, unfortunately. Because we were in a less touristy area, there were far fewer options for places to eat. But thankfully, there were also 2 oxxos close (like 7/11), where we bought ramen, tuna, bread, large jugs of water, and other necessities. Every night after eating, we would hang out by the pool, which was all ours. It was so nice at night to go for a cooler swim, and chat by the pool. We usually went to bed around 2 or 3 AM, and woke up the next day and repeated the same pattern. One day, we went on a banana boat, which is a big float that you ride on attached to a speed boat. It was super fun.

Justin, Lauren, and I returned Thursday afternoon, while Ilana and Brian stayed another night and decided to go to a fancy hotel. It was so nice to get home after all the traveling, and to see my family again. It was also fun because Angela, an Earlham student who lived with my family last fall, was here visiting with her boyfriend Dylan, who was also here last fall. She and I know each other a little bit, and she worked at F+W this summer, so it was great to hang out with them before they left Saturday. It was also reassuring, because she told me the family loves me and is really happy with me. The rest of the weekend was really chill; I didn't hang out with anyone from the program or go out at night, and I had a lot of good quality family time. My sister Camila is working at Italian Coffee (like Starbucks) so I went to visit her at work a couple times and did some reading.

Today, we started new classes. The next (and final!!!) 6 weeks, we will be taking Literature, Grammar/Conversation, Writing/Reading, and a Mexican film class. My project is also going really well, and I am now going to be there 10 hours a week. I'm going to stay with my class (thank god!), but also be an assistant for high school English classes on Mondays. It should be good. My students were so excited to see me today, and the other professor who was filling in for me said a lot of them stopped coming when I was away; it's probably just because I'm less strict, but I also like to think they like me as a person too.

I can't believe it's almost November! This weekend is Dia de los Muertos, and I promise to take lots of photos. Friday I am going to a Halloween party at my aerobics studio; we are having a party with the karate class and we're both going to do a little presentation. We are doing a dance/aerobics sequence to "Thriller" which is shaping up nicely. Mago, the aerobics teacher, is really sweet, and is so excited about the party. It should be fun. And Hilary and I are planning to dress up at "Limon y sal" (lime and salt) which is the Mexican equivalent of salt and pepper. It should be quite cute. I hope everyone has an awesome Halloween, and I hope to talk to you all in the near future!!!

I have not updated in quite some time, so in procrastination from my paper (EZLN, Atenco, and APPO: Social Movements and Their Relationships with the Mexican Government) I would like to give a brief update:

Tepoztlan: 2 weekends ago, we traveled to Tepoztlan to climb a mountain to see a pyramid. It was essentially a cliff; we climbed straight up for about an hour and a half...my asthma was not too happy. But we made it to the top eventually. It is a tourist hotspot, for Mexicans and Internationals alike, and it's free on Sunday, so it is a constant flow of people hiking up the mountain...it sort of felt like we were on a pilgrimage. But the view and pyramid were well worth the hike. It was pretty foggy, but still beautiful. And there was a big festival going on at a church in the town, so we could hear the music and see the floods of people. Since it was Sunday, the markets were also incredible, and I was able to pick up a few gifts along the way. Hilary, Justin, and I ate in a market for the first time. It was pretty squashed, but it was probably the best food I've had in Mexico so far. We ate Tlacoyos, which are sort of like quesadillas, but much better. They had "queso de Oaxaca" inside, which is the best type of queso...it's salty and stringy. Mmmmm.

This past weekend, Hilary and I decided we wanted to check out Cuernavaca for a day trip, so we left Sunday morning around 9, and took the 1.5 hour bus ride to Cuerna. We visited the Palacio de Cortes, which is an archaeological museum with ancient-modern artifacts, and also includes a beautiful Rivera mural that portrays the history of Morelos very accurately. Next, we went to the Catedral, and the Jardin Borda, which has lots of beautiful fountains and plants. We ate lots of yummy food (churros, helado) and we found a great cafe that had delicious salads and coffee. We also visited the Mercado Artesania, which had beautiful jewelry and artwork. Hilary found a great painting for her brother, and I bought birthday presents for my mom and brother here, whose birthdays are both today. My 14-year old brother received from me a "100% guapo" shirt (100% attractive, essentially), and my mom some silver earrings. Camila and I stayed up until 1 last night baking them a cake. We finished it off with the very Martha-esque "R" that I stenciled on with some cocoa powder....everyone was impressed.

We are all watching the election very carefully. I already sent in my absentee ballot, but it's still interesting to watch the debates. I think I'm more interested in it here than I would be in the US. It's really interesting to talk to Mexicans about the election. They don't really care that much but seems to prefer Obama. The economy is freaking me out a bit...I took out cash today, taking advantage of the sweet exchange rate, but who knows what the future holds....

Sunday we head to Oaxaca for a week of group travel. I am super excited...we are spending a few days in the city, and then a few days in San Antonio Huitepec, the pueblo in Oaxaca where about 100 Mexican immigrants in Richmond are from. I think it will be a really cool experience to be able to go back to Amigos in Richmond, and be able to understand where these people are actually coming from. After Oaxaca, Ilana, Brian, and Justin and I will travel to Acapulco for vacation, from Saturday-Thursday, and then return to Cuautla for a couple days before classes start up again. I'm pretty excited for the tourist experience of lounging on the beach and drinking pina coladas.

UNILA continues to go really well....my students are pretty upset that I will be gone for 2 weeks, but they understand that I need to go. I still feel weird about being here in general. Being in Mexico, teaching English. Proliferating American values is not something I'm sure I support. And my students' intentions are good; and I understand why they want to learn English. But the confidence I have walking around this town, and the way I know people perceive me makes me uncomfortable daily. I feel like we keep asking ourselves, "what are we doing here? what right do we have?" Especially when visiting "indigenous villages" to see "how they live." I understand that there aren't many better ways to become more culturally educated, but it's hard when you're always coming from a position of power.

Entonces, I'm very happy here, but currently digging into the harder stuff of what it means to be American in another country, and how as much ans I try to reject my identity, I am still not Mexican, and I will never fully be part of this culture I love so much. Neither will me Spanish be fluent at the end of this program. But I think I have come to accept that. I will just keep doing my best and we'll see where that leads...