May 12, 2008

Weeks Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen

Home Stay: My host mom was an absolute delight and the greatest cook in the world. Because hours were slim and few, I mainly spent time talking with her at lunch and dinner about all sorts of beautiful topics: GMOs and corn, the EZLN and the resistance in Chiapas, the changes she’s seen in Amatlan and the dwindling water supply, Nahuatl, why she receives students, her take on the U.S., NAFTA, her animals, and the list goes on and on…

Her hospitability was so remarkable. I have never tasted such delicious food and I think she only duplicated a dish three times. She even showed me how to make chilaquiles and tortillas from hand. I always wondered why Mexicans had such a fascination with tortillas because they never tasted that phenomenal to me—and then I had hand-crafted tortillas made from the corn of my mamá’s fields. It really did make everything taste that much better.

Every student expressed their gratitude for the hospitality of their home stay parents and it made us realize how we must bring this hospitality back to the U.S. and open our hearts and homes to the family and friends of those who have been so wonderful to us.

Internship: I closed up my internship at the recycling program in Tepoztlán last Wednesday. My feelings are pretty mixed about this experience. On one hand, I felt like I didn’t contribute much of anything to the program and that a lot of my time observing was just a waste of time. On the other hand, I don’t know what significant help I could have provided in 5 weeks. After reflecting upon my experience, I realized all that I have gained from it: understanding the work schedule and roles in a Mexican organization, several discussions of US and Mexican politics, hearing about the difficulties of the program and their ways of solving them and then comparing this to my experience with Students for Environmental Awareness at Monmouth, and comprehending the hesitation of the Mexican people in participating in the recycling initiative.

Eco-Friendly House: We visited an almost completely recycled house in Cuernavaca. There were so many techniques and different materials that were put into the construction: used tires and adobe for some walls; bamboo sticks weaved through with straw, manure, and mud for other walls; bottles from a landfill for decorative walls; recycled plastic plumbing tubes for an awning outside; phone books and tubing for more walls; a dry toilet and a lot more that I can’t think of right now. I was super excited to be here and see a successful eco-friendly house being constructed. And the fact that the home owner was partaking in the construction—it’s like my fantasy!

Countin’ Down the Hours: And now I near the end of my stay here in Mexico. For about 2 months, I was quite homesick and desperately wished I could see my family and friends. But now that the end approaches, I am clinging between a longing to go home and a desire to stay here. I have learned so much about Mexico—it’s history, culture, politics—and I’ll be leaving it all in less than a week. I have done an incredible amount including all the places I’ve seen (pyramids, Costa Chica, Puebla, Taxco, cathedrals, the countryside, mountains of Amatlán, Mexico City, Tepoztlán, Emiliano Zapata’s birth and death place, Acapulco), all the things I’ve done (released endangered turtles into the sea, saw my life flash before my eyes before driving away a massive bull, made tortillas on a clecuil, climbed a mountain in a skirt, political discussions with Mexicans, lounged on a beach for two days, attended a forum on human rights) and all the things I’ve learned (LGBT movement/life in Mexico, water wars and the effect of privatized water, EZLN movement towards autonomy, Spanish conquest, past and current indigenous life, Afro-Mexicans, machismo and the women’s movement, NAFTA and the World Bank/IMF, why Mexicans emigrate to the US & Canada, influence of foreign NGOs in Mexico, government repression, manipulation of the media, homogenization of corn by GMOs).

And as I contemplate my cumulative project for the semester, I am reflecting on all that I’ve done and how I can bring my experience back home. I’ve already written a monologue that I hope I can perform at Monmouth College which is about Mexican immigration to the US. For this project, I hope to create a workshop where I can inform people of the social/political/environmental movements in Mexico and how this history and culture influences the people who have decided to come to the US.

So, I hope I leave here having given something of significance to those that I interacted with, possibly including that all US citizens don’t hate them. I know that I’ve received a wealth of information regarding so many themes and topics regarding Mexico and I can’t wait to share it all with you when I return. ¡Los vemos!

April 18, 2008

Week Twelve

My internship has taken a little while to get used to the fact that time is thrown out the window. Let’s just say I’ve spent a lot of time staring at them, “observing” as they call it, and taking notes. But recently we seem to have decided what the pancakes I’m doing there. On Wednesdays, I’ll be working at the recycling center sorting the recyclables there—without gloves, mind you. I found a priceless personalized cassette called “friends forever”—obviously not anymore. And I found a really great teeny-bopper magazine with Daniel Ratcliffe on the cover. He’s such a hunk with his non-existence lips.

Reflections: We also have been talking about women’s involvement in social and political movements in our classes. It’s incredibly interesting to hear about the revolutionary advances that the EZLN (Ejercito Zapatista Liberacion Nacional) have made on the issues of women in its revolutionary movement against neo-liberalism. Instead of pushing women to the sidelines, they have been incorporated in 1 of 10 laws proposed in 1994 that demands respect and the equal inclusion of women in society. Once again, I could talk about this all day so if ya’ll wanna hear more, just ask when I return. I enjoyed what Maddy put in her blog about how not to look like a tourist in France so I thought I’d indulge you in:

How to not look like a tourist in Mexico:
1. Dear God, don’t wear shorts. Capris are alright but shorts are a one way ticket to woopin’ and hollerin.’
2. Talk in a soft, quiet voice unless you want to annoy the whole restaurant/bus with stories about how your day was. It doesn’t even matter if you’re speaking Spanish, they will know.
3. Don’t have blonde or brown, fine hair—but sometimes some of us can’t help that.
4. At least have someone in your group that speaks conversational Spanish and please know some Spanish yourself. This concept tends to elude most tourists who visit Mexico.

April 12, 2008

Week Eleven

I started my internship and home stay this week. My home-stay is stupendous. I’m staying with a 72-year old woman named Doña Irene who is a corn farmer and a cattle raiser and is as amble as I am. I’ve had some many great conversations with her about farming issues in Mexico and the changes in Mexican politics and the environment that she’s experienced. In addition to that, I faced off against a maniacal bull with a taste for blood.

Let me start from the beginning. There was a big cow that was mingling with her cows but it did not have a brand anywhere on it, meaning it was a free roamer. Doña Irene had her brand in hand ready to claim it and there were three guys who lassoed it to the ground. While this was all happening, the other cows really wanted to get the dickens out of there but the pinned cow was blocking one way and I was blocking the other because there was a barbed wire fence behind me. So Doña Irene told me to not let them pass by giving me a big stick and telling me to hit the ground really hard and look intimidating. So, while they were busy with this other cow, one big, black one approached me. I tried to puff up like how animals do to look threatening but I really don’t think that worked. I hit the ground with my massive stick and stared into its soulless black eyes. NO PASA! I said in my mind. We had a really great staring contest going on when it decided I was no one to be messed with, nodded its head in submissive acceptance of its defeat and walked away. Some people might say I’m incredibly daring and brave but I just say that I was doing my job—a job that only the fearless can even contemplate achieving.

I also took a bucket bath (you fill a bucket with water and use another smaller bucket to pour water on you) in candlelight. I also live with two ducks that appear to resemble the spitting dinosaur that killed Dennis in Jurassic Park. And they constantly shake there tail feathers.
 

April 6, 2008

Week Ten

This week we had a wonderful visit from several social work students from UNAM, Latin America’s most prestigious school which is located in Mexico City. Throughout the week, we shared many insightful conversations surrounding the interconnectedness of social and political issues but the theme of the week was gender and sexuality—a topic not often covered by their school and not often discussed in Mexico.

For me, the most striking presentation of the week was the Gender and Sexuality panel on Tuesday. This diverse group was composed of two homosexuals and two people who defied the confines of typical gender roles and they each shared their life experiences and the difficulties they faced within their culture.

The first speaker expressed his difficult childhood having been abandoned by his biological father and having grown up with an alcoholic step-father who beat his mother. When his mother died at the age of nine, he found work in household care. Later on, he married and has since been very happy and wishes to raise his children in a family filled with love and acceptance of difference.

The other speakers were absolutely phenomenal as well. When asked how they would react to a child’s sexual preference that was different than heterosexual, one responded that he believes that children need to have the love of their parents “because they will be encouraged to progress in society” with it. Another question asked where the LGBT movement should progress or change from this point and another speaker responded that LGBT people should search for respect and acceptance. In addition, families need to orient themselves to accept all differences and have them channel their curiosities to questions. But, in the end, she stated, we should be more worried about the negatives of neo-liberalism than oppressing a group of people.

My other favorite part was when she ended her viewpoint by commenting that “our mission in life is to love” and to “hook-up” essentially—that life is about interacting and why can’t we make that a healthy interaction amongst all people?
 

March 31, 2008

Week Nine

Costa Chica, the Third Root, and La tierra no es vende

We went down to the southern state of Guerrero in a region known as Costa Chica. Our purpose here was to learn about the Third Root—the Afro-Mexican presence in Mexico and why it has been forgotten by the Mexican people.

Monday: We visited a bilingual school (with Mixteco—an indigenous language—and Spanish) called Emperador Cuahtemoc in Chinameca, a town just outside Acapulco. Here, one of the teachers told us about the difficulties in starting up the school and the current strides in education. She explained to us the difficulties in government aid for starting up local schools and how they originally taught under a sheet metal roof until they could gather enough funds for the building. Some other tidbits of the education process include the provision of text books in Mixteco paid for by the government but that teachers tend to use these as a springboard for discussion and tend not to follow its structure. She also said that the children enjoy attending school and oftentimes stay after class hours to ask extra questions or work on their homework. She believes that this is a result of the teaching style which emphasizes the Mixteco culture. Then she told us about her life struggle to become an educated, career-bound indigenous woman from a small town. After third grade, she left her town and her family with her sister to receive more education and worked as a nanny to get through school. She then finished high school as a house servant and passed an exam to become an education promoter. She began teaching in a small town which was a 14 hour walk away from her home town which she would walk when going home for the holidays or emergencies. The toils and strengths of the people here are absolutely stunning. Pushing hard with the motivation to progress and also maintain their own culture, these people surpass insurmountable bounds and excel in life.
That night, we slept in a motel right on the beach with the biggest waves I have ever seen. I woke up in the morning to the repetitious crash of the waves on the shore. I saw the sun slowly spread its warmth over the cool currents of the vast, salty water.

Tuesday: We arrived in Cuajinicuilapa (Cuahi) were we stayed for two nights. We then walked through an Afro-Mestizo Museum and got a general overview of the history of slavery and the Afro-Mexicans that emerged. What was most interesting was that the museum was new yet quite scarce in truly revealing information. It tracked the early history but failed to discuss the more recent perception of the Mexican people that Afro-Mexicans just don’t exist. Where the museum was a huge step towards recognition of the presence of Afro-Mexicans, it failed to acknowledge the wall of ignorance that barred their culture from the Mexican history books. We then went to a small community where they performed the Danza de los Diablos which was a dance brought from Africa. Where the community has lost the meaning of the dance, they fill it in with their own interpretations. But what is more important to them is that it is a link to their past and to their ancestors.
Afterwards, we discussed the varying ways that people preserve their culture including through the preservation of language (bi-lingual school), pride through schooling, maintenance of art (Danza de los Diablos), and the recognition by society as a whole.

Wednesday: You would not believe what I did on this day: I released an endangered baby sea turtle into the ocean…I know. You should have seen my face throughout the whole time. So, an environmental organization supported by the government told us about the dire situation of three species of turtles that visit that particular part of Mexico. There used to be 150,000 turtles which has now dwindled down to a mere 100. In an effort to protect this severely endangered species, the organization came to the coast and set up a fenced incubation area to transport the newly laid eggs to a safe zone away from poachers and predators (the coastline is even guarded by about 5 National Guard soldiers). What is really great about these efforts is that they have joined forces with the previous poachers, using their skills in finding eggs and digging them out without breaking them. Knowing that these people don’t intentionally want to eliminate the turtle from existence and that they only take the eggs and the mother turtles for monetary or cultural means, this organization decided to incorporate and not alienate the coastal citizens. After the talk a few baby turtles hatched and we were allowed to carry them to the ocean and let them walk to the water. They were so docile when we were farther from the water but as soon as they heard the loud waves they started crawling out of our hands searching for their new home. I still can’t believe I did that.

Thursday: The next day, there was a panel with three different groups: two were nearby indigenous towns that were making efforts to protect their culture and the other was an Afro-Mexican group from Cuahi. We mainly talked about identity and how each group is making measures to protect their identity. After dinner, we went the same small community near Cuahi and learned about the lemon farmers there. Having started from an idea of a teacher, this community-led project is designed to provide jobs to community members while using their natural resources. What was most interesting about this group is that they lean more to the right of the political spectrum utilizing government aid and idolizing large corporations. But they were increasingly successful in their efforts and intend to maintain the community-based management and also desire to promote organic produce. Yet, I wonder how corporations and businesses can be green-friendly and community-friendly when their greatest drive is profit.

Friday: We traveled to Agua Caliente and listened to a presentation on La Parota, a potential mega-project dam in the region that would affect water supply and cause environmental havoc. They explained to us the history of the World Bank and the Mexican government’s desire to build the dam. Having been terrorized, betrayed, and ignored, the group hesitated with the information they gave us for fear of a governmental spy. The land to these people contains an ancestral history and connection and they continually repeated their dedication to protecting it, including laying their dead bodies down before the machines caused any harm to the region. And in response to a neoliberal’s claim that these people are opposed to development, they retort that the only opposition is in the fact that the development would not help them. In fact, the energy that the dam could create would be transferred to California and the money would shift into the pockets of the top dog CEOs of Mexico and the U.S. Referring to their opposition as a “monster,” the people explained to us the tricky tactics of the engineers and paid-off government officials; these tactics have even killed several of their members. With tears in their eyes and power in their voice, this group of extremely dedicated individuals has influenced me in a way beyond belief. How can our fellow sisters and brothers be so completely twisted and robbed of everything we know so that televisions in California can stay on for 6-8 hours a day?

Reflections

After hearing about the indigenous groups and Afro-Mexican’s histories in connection to their land and their struggle, it really makes me realize how little I know about my own history. During the panel, they asked us to talk about the native peoples that have lived in our region and only one person out of six could state what indigenous group lives in her area. But, for me, I do not know and I find that to be incredibly disrespectful and pathetic. I will definitely try to correct this fault in my education in the future. Another thing I desire to bring back to the U.S. is a sense of responsibility with the information I have received. I cannot possibly return to the United States and simply toss aside all of these stories that I have absorbed. There is a reason these people have entrusted me with their knowledge—it is to live a life of struggle for the betterment of humanity and the betterment of my soul. Living a carefree, ignorant life, to me, is pathetic, shameful, and disrespectful to all the struggles that have brought us the comforts of today and I refuse to live it.

March 24, 2008

Week Eight

My spring break has been Fahbuloso. On Saturday and Sunday I went with two other girls to the Distrito Federal, otherwise known as Mexico City. Holy smokes there were so many people.

Saturday: We saw the big cathedral in the zócalo (town center) which had several separate rooms for different saints or Catholic religious figures and they were all bedazzled with gold and intricate carvings. Afterwards we went to the Palacio National, a government building with half of its second story painted with murals by Diego Rivera depicting the early Aztec people of Tenochtitlan. After chilling out in their garden and watching the plethora of cats lounge around (and one threw up!) we went to the Templo Mayor which includes ruins from Tenochtitlan of a temple built in the 14th century to the Aztec god of war and god of water. Having been built over by the Spaniards, it wasn’t until the late 1970s that they discovered it under some other buildings. After this, we saw a gathering of Aztec dancers (about 100) all synchronized dancing to the pounding of the drums. It looked and sounded so fantastic with the dried cocoa beans tied to their ankles. It desperately makes me want to take more dance lessons. Something about traditional dances really appeals to me. Perhaps it’s because I have a lack-there-of in my life. Or perhaps I had it in another life.
Sunday: We went to the zoo where some people were more fascinated by a stray squirrel jumping from the trees than the boring zebra. Afterwards, we went to the Castillo which housed several presidents, an army camp, and the French Mexican Emperor Maximilian. It had a fantastic view of the city and had been constructed on top of an Aztec fortress; it feels like everything nice in Mexico City has been placed on top of an Aztec structure. Then we went to the Museo National de Antropologia and saw some wonderfully kept remnants of the indigenous past. There was a modern Nahua exhibit and a short movie showed the infusion of Nahua words into the Mexican language. I got really excited when they mentioned Chilaquiles—perhaps the greatest food the world has to offer.
Monday: We waited for two hours in a line going up the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán but the view from the top was splendid. There were plenty of European students and tourists in line with us but not very many U.S. students. My guess: boozing it up and being disrespectful on a beach town to a culture and country they don’t even realize is there in their drunken stupor. SPRING BREAK 2008!!!! Speaking of that, one of the program’s students and I took a bus to Acapulco to enjoy some peaceful rays of sun.
Tuesday-Wednesday: Thank Jebus that we managed to avoid most U.S./European tourists in our two day slothing on the beach which most Mexicans attended for their days off during Semana Santa. Other than the constant barrage of “Banana Boat?” “Hair braids?” etc., it was a really relaxing time and the water felt so refreshing. At night, we chose to avoid all the obnoxious Spring Break bars and, instead, stayed in the apartment we were renting and played Jenga rather enthusiastically (with some help from Jamaican Rom). Wednesday night we took a bus back home to Cuernavaca (with a great dubbed showing of Dr. Doolittle 2 and Taxi with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Falon).
Thursday: Walked around Cuernavaca and went to the Robert Brady Museum. He was an art collector so we got to see some Diego Rivera Art and a Frida Kahlo painting (Self-Portrait with Monkey)!
Friday: Took a bus to Taxco to see the procession of the cross for Good Friday. Taxco is known for the intensity in which the people take it upon themselves to experience some of the pain that Jesus endured before he was crucified. About 100 men participated, half carrying giant bushels of prickly stems upon their backs (to experience the carrying of the cross) and the other half holding cords of rope with needles at the end which the periodically threw across their backs (to experience the lashings of the Romans). Women participants had chains on their ankles and carried a cross while bending over as they walked. It may seem revolting or unnecessary but this is the tradition that these people believe in and I had to see with my own eyes the dedication they were willing to put forward to experience the suffering of their Christ.
Saturday-Sunday: We went to the Puebla, an absolutely gorgeous city filled with architecturally magnificent buildings. The town was built up by the Spanish in order to outshine the nearby Aztec town of Cholula which was a very popular religious site. Regardless, all the town’s buildings are unique and colorful. We went to a museum that had previously been the headquarters of the Anti-reelectionist party against Porfirio Díaz. I actually saw the bullet holes from the government’s surprise attack which had sparked the Mexican Revolution of 1910! It was really amazing to be in that house after reading about the event in all of the books in the Newberry Library. At night, my friend and I went to a café where a rock band played “Smoke on the Water,” “Down in Africa,” “Hoochie Coochie Man” and many more classics. It certainly was a hoot.

Reflections: After all the travelling including many fabulous dubbed movies I had an amazing spring break. I was able to see different parts of México—although really only the touristy aspects but it was better than sitting on a beach the whole week. I learned that people speak a lot faster and the food is spicier in Acapulco than Cuernavaca. I observed the dedication and variations of the Mexican Catholic beliefs. I was able to actually talk with and hang out with some Mexicans (imagine that). I relaxed on a beach and basked in the glory of the sun. I saw the countryside. And amongst all this, I’ve really been missing home. Studying abroad for a year is really starting to affect me now. I just want to be with people who know me and be surrounded by their laughter and love. As obnoxiously cliché as it sounds, it’s amazing how you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. And I love everything that I’ve been doing here and I love this country and the hospitality it has awarded me…but I wish that you all were here with me right now. But, for now, I’m going to rock this program and learn as much as I can from my time here so that I may bring my experience back to the U.S. and back to Monmouth and, most importantly, back to all my friends and family.

March 17, 2008

Week Seven

I went to meet with the organization I will be interning with during the month of April. They’re an environmental organization with a specific focus on recycling in Tepotzlán. During my time there, they mentioned their educational work with students and my internship professor mentioned that I participate in theatre back in the States and they got pretty excited about that. The Lorax in Spanish? Siiiiiiiii. I also found out that during that month I will be staying in the same small town that I had previously stayed in for a week except with a different host family. I will be with an older woman farmer who has a wealth of knowledge in pretty much everything I’m interested in (indigenous religion, sustainable farming, historical México). I am so pumped about living in a small town and being able to hike in nature and immerse myself in rural life.

Homework was quite a barrel of monkeys these past two weeks what with my Spanish class ending and midterm assignments being freely dished out. And ya’ll know how I get around times like those. Yeeeeah. On Friday I performed a monologue that I wrote about my time here (for one of the midterm assignments). I sincerely hope to bring it back to Monmouth and perform it. It needs some more tweaking and some more practice but I’m quite proud of the piece.

March 10, 2008

Week Six

Nothing too exciting happened this week. We had a lecture on U.S. interventions in Latin America and then watched a movie on the School of the Americas/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation which is a training school for Latin American soldiers (which have often been used to oust democratically elected officials). As I heard background history about the U.S. involvement in Latin American issues and the bloody results of the U.S.-backed, suppressive armies, and hearing the experiences of students at the yearly protest in Georgia against the SOA, it instils a great desire in me to make certain that a group of Monmouth students attends it next school year. And while past leaders have done their absolute best and have really put all their efforts into making it happen, something always manages to fall through at the last minute. This will be one of my goals for senior year.

March 3, 2008

Week Five

Contacto con la Gente (Contact with the People)

From Sunday until Friday morning I spent the week in a rural town in Morelos with a host family and one other student. Let’s just call the town Sweetness because I can’t actually put the name down due to the privacy of the citizens. We had day trips to three other towns and speakers galore. The theme of the week centered on rural life including their hardships and strengths and the effect of migration to the U.S. and Canada.

Monday: We went to a small town called Ixtlilco Grande and were given a tour of the town’s agricultural sector by the ejido commissioner. He explained to us the importance and prevalence of ejido lands which are divided amongst families but controlled by the ejido community council (each ejido owner has a vote in decisions regarding the land). This type of land governance has been in place since the Mesoamerican cultures thrived in Central America but has been slowly rooted out by Western concepts of privately-owned land and are discouraged to this day. We visited a corn farmer where he showed us how he has to apply pesticides from a container by hand to each plant. He then thanked us for our visit and one of the students asked, “For what?” He responded that our interaction and our interest with other people’s lives “teach us all to love humanity.” Afterwards, we traveled over to a tree nursery where the government provided the community with money to reforest their mountainsides which will eventually prevent soil erosion and redevelop biodiversity in the countryside. When we came back to the town center we ate at a Chinese restaurant which is pretty funny in itself. Actually, the cook had been a migrant to the U.S. and worked in a Chinese restaurant there. With food in our bellies we went over to the public doctor’s office in town. When we got there, there were people waiting outside and apparently the public doctor (typically recent graduates completing their mandatory year of service work) chooses his own hours and doesn’t leave “out of office until _____” notes. So, if you’ve got a finger dangling by a thread and you don’t have the money to go to a private doctor, you have to travel 45 minutes away to the nearest hospital.

Tuesday: We visited Sweetness’ primaria school with kids in three levels from 12-15 years old. Unique about this school is their use of televised broadcasts of classes for about a quarter of the class period and then they review the lesson with the teacher. What’s good about this is that the kids can have more visual instruction (which they otherwise wouldn’t have due to lack of materials) and teachers have help with the lesson plan. What’s bad about this is that lesson plans are chosen by the government and the schools lack administrative staff, placing larger responsibilities on the three teachers. The teacher who talked with us told us of his exhaustion with the job and how he soon would be leaving to go teach in a private school. A part of me wants to yell at these people who give up so easily on the children who aren’t given the best—even a mediocre—education. Another part of me can’t blame him for desiring a job which provides a sufficient amount of money and time for his family.

After this visit, we heard a speech by the Office of Environmental Protection from the nearby town of Tepotzlán. Not gonna lie, the first speaker’s voice was quite monotonous and I nodded off a few times so my notes are a little illegible. But the third speaker rocked alternative waste management. Their recycling program was formed about a year ago with the main objectives of giving responsibility to the consumers/participants and, of course, reducing the amount of waste. To gain the support of the community and learn from their efforts at recycling, the members of this organization collected information from citizens, local authorities, students, merchants, NGOs, and maintenance workers. I think that this is the greatest way to conduct any work in a town—by asking the people what they have and haven’t done, what has and hasn’t worked, and what they want to get done. In their first 4 months of recycling, they recovered 93 metric tons from the trash.

Wednesday: We heard a speech by a worker in a governmental welfare organization called Desarrollo Integral de la Familia or DIF (Integral Development of the Family). He talked mainly about the program Oportunidades which provides $300-$500 monthly for single mothers and financially disadvantaged families. An interesting comment he said was that it’s hard to require participants to find a job when there is no work available. He also said that “when people are poor, they’re intellectually poor” which can be problematic because how does one measure the intelligence of someone? A poor, rural farmer can be extremely intelligent in how to maintain her crops but won’t know long division; an urban poor person may not know the literary history of England but can retell the religious tales of his people.
After the speech, we went back to Sweetness and met with a 72-year-old woman farmer who told us about her experiences in farming. She talked about her dislike for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the disastrous effects they have on the soil because they require so much chemicals. The land she now works belonged to her great great grandfather but she has no children so it will pass to her cousins when she dies. She’s pretty certain that they will sell it. She said that she has tried to reach out to youth to become farmers of the land again but no one listens because either the work’s too hard or the people leave to the U.S. to work for better pay. This woman is so incredibly strong and agile in her old age, ambling over rock walls and moving rocks out of the way to clear a path for us. And her soul was fuerte as well, having lived as a single, working woman for her entire life. And what a life: with the sun on your back and the soil in your hands, knowing that you’re utilizing the centuries old knowledge of your people that came before you, and when you’re done you return to your small town surrounded by loving, close-knit family members. I could live that life. Except, I would like to return to a family of my own at the end of the day. You know, someone to read “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” to at night. Yes.

Just before sundown, we heard migration stories from two citizens of Sweetness. One described the humiliation and criminalization he experienced when he was caught one time while crossing the border and how he vows to never return to the U.S. The other described his trek over the border and how his group resorted to eating mayonnaise for three days in their walk across the dessert because the food carrier had accidentally left the food while fleeing from the border police. One of the speakers explained the pains it took him to leave his pregnant wife and child when going to work in the U.S. The argument that most United Statesians leave out when discussing the immigration issue is why are these people coming here? They’re not looking for more money to buy an expensive car or a big screen TV; they’re going to the U.S. out of survival for their family’s sake because there are so few jobs in Mexico. And the U.S. thinks that it’s an effective policy to humiliate and degrade these people who are only seeking what the U.S. constantly promotes and offers—self-improvement through hard work. We open up our borders to the free transfer of goods but not people and as the corporate conglomerations grow in Mexico (efficient cutbacks on jobs and lowest wages possible) and the small, independent workers lose their jobs, where else are these people supposed to go? I know the U.S. is really big on band-aid solutions but maybe, just maybe, we should all first consider why these people are here and then consider how we can help our neighbors instead of treating them like scum on our shoes.

Thursday: We went to another small town, Totoloapa, and visited a recently established community center called Centro de Cuauhcalli or House of the Eagle Warriors. This was started by a foreigner (like Caminamos Juntos) and had just finished its initial case study of the town and identified what areas needed the most help. These included educational work with children including the encouragement of creativity, addressing the complex pressures on youth. Right now, the organization is attempting to improve the scores of entrance exams to universities so that more students may have a chance to attend a higher place of learning. The group has also started to work with farmers in educating them on the scientific process of canning goods so that they can address problems if they occur. Later on during the day we visited the Union of Communities in Morelos where we talked about their anti-GMO stance and the protests and organizing activities they participate in.

Reflections

The homestay with my family was not what I expected. The mother was shy and my friend and I always felt like we were interviewing her with all our questions. No one else besides the immediate family was ever over at the house so we didn’t get to see that big family dynamic. Although Rammstein’s “Du Hast” was blasted 6 times by our host brother, we felt unwanted and uncomfortable. But the dinner before we left, our host mother asked me what school I went to. She finally felt comfortable enough to start asking us questions and then we had to leave. I wish that we had more time to talk with her. But we did learn that her husband works illegally in Chicago and he hasn’t been home for 5 years. That it takes her 2 hours to prepare and cook each meal and that one of her daughters helps her around the house (which means her daughter sacrifices something). We learned about the traditions of Mexican weddings and the slow disappearance of the Nahuatl language.
Once again, I feel so honored to hear the stories of all these people. Now I just have to figure out what to do with this knowledge…
 

February 25, 2008

Week Four

On Wednesday, I went on an eco-tour of the community I’m living in in Cuernavaca. The two tour guides/environmentalist community members mainly discussed the pollution of the river (more like a stream), the privatization of the trash collecting service, and the steps being taken to reduce water pollution through the reuse of human waste. This is done after a filtration process and the filtered water is used for the maintenance of gardens and trees as opposed to it being disposed of in the nearby water sources. The fumes given off by the river were particularly horrid. The water was a murky gray with plastic bottles collecting on its shores. As we peered down from a bridge we noticed the intersection of two streams of water: one came from the richer, higher elevated houses from the top of the city and the other came from the poorer, lower elevated section of the city. The “richer” water was clearer and cleaner looking and the “poorer” water was smoky white; yet, when the two crossed flows the other became deluded, erasing any semblance of richer or poorer water. Interesting how natural resources fail to abide by the societal and geographic boundaries we place upon them.

On Friday, we had a speaker discuss her experience as an Afro-Mexican woman in a country which widely denies the existence of its black citizens. Beginning with the transportation of Africans to Central America to replace the slave work lost by decreasing indigenous populations—and the fact that native peoples had been recently considered to have a soul (whereas Africans were given no consideration towards their having a soul). She then talked about images of beauty in the media centering around white United Stateians and devoid of darker skin tones. She said that a common phrase used is “you’re pretty but if you were white, you’d be even prettier.” The government has a particular part in the denial of its black citizens. In the Mexican consulate in the U.S., when a researcher asked to gather information on the black population, she was told that “we did have blacks, but now? No.” When immigrants return back from the U.S., they are interrogated for their “claims” of being Mexican citizens and continually asked if they’re certain that they’re not from Guatemala or Honduras. On Mexican passports, there is no option for Afro-Mexican. Her closing statement was particularly powerful: “Recently, I thought I should go to Africa, dress like an African, dance, sing like an African. But then I realized that that wasn’t necessary. That Africa was part of me; that it would be a part of me in every part of the world.”

That Friday night, we saw a monologue by a United States woman’s experiences with the deportation of her husband and all the trials that ensued. It provided a unique perspective of someone who had so much faith in the United States government system and then realized how fool-hearted she was. This reminds me—I saw a performance of Rent last week with all the dialogue and songs translated into Spanish. It was performed by an arts college in Cuernavaca and was quite disappointing, indeed. Monmouth probably could have put on a better performance. Only three people had promising voices: Maureen, Roger, and Angel. If Angel didn’t have a good voice combined with his decent acting, I would have up and left. I wanted to punch the over-enthusiasm out of Mark—he would have made a good narrator in a children’s play or a telenovella. But, I am glad I saw it if only to see the lack of effort spent on the theatre arts in Mexico. It’s amazing how much we take for granted the great theatre performed at our schools (particularly Monmouth—no bias there).

February 18, 2008

Week Three

This week has been much more relaxed and easy-going filled with lots of free time.

On Wednesday, we visited a maquiladora plant. These factories have been common in Mexico since the 70s and since the passage of NAFTA in 1994, they have become more prevalent. Basically, these plants import materials without tariffs (usually from the U.S.), assemble the product and then ship it back to the country where the materials originally came from. So, we visited a maquiladora that made swimsuits for stores in the U.S. like Wal-Mart, Marshall’s, Carson Pierre Scott, and some others. We were given a tour by someone who considered himself to be the social worker of the factory. It was clean and bright and was, in itself, manufactured to appeal to the tour-goers.

Some of the benefits that the workers received included paid sick time (3 days) and vacation time and health benefits. Breaks included breakfast for 15 minutes, lunch for 30 minutes, and a 6 minute exercise break. Typical weekly wages are 850 pesos (approximately $85, which equates to about $12 per day). The worker’s wages and time requirements for the production of each swimsuit (typically 9 minutes and 37 seconds) are predetermined by the U.S. companies that the swimsuits are being made for. This may seem like a generous amount of time for a swimsuit to be made but the intricate stitching and detail requires precision and constant focus. The tour guide told us that he continues to fight with the companies to extend this time so that the goal of 80% production rate can rise to 100%. In this maquiladora, the turnover rate (3 months) is very high due to the low wages.

Afterwards, a physician scientist/social worker gave a presentation on the research she has been conducting at the maquiladora plant including testing calcium levels in workers (there is a higher deterioration of bone mineral), domestic abuse, and creative expression. She explained that the plant we visited is much more considerate of its workers’ welfare which does not reflect well upon the other factories that refuse to allow tours to pass through their plants.

On Friday, we had two talks on NAFTA: one was by our intern about its effects on migration and the other speech was by a business associate on its benefits to the economy. It was good to hear the opposing perspective on NAFTA compared to what we’ve been reading and observing in the community. We learned about the flaws in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in valuing the wealth and success of a country’s economy (excludes unpaid household labor and the proper value of the environment) and the environmental improvements that NAFTA has adapted (but are they used or efficient?). I could talk about these economic talks for forever but I’ll spare you the details for when I can tell you face to face and emotionally infuse them with verbal inflections. You know how I do.

Until a later date, hasta luego. 

February 11, 2008

Week Two

Talk about another long and week! I have a feeling things will be going like this for the rest of my time here.

Saturday: I visited el Carnival in Tepotzlan where I climbed a mountain in a skirt! Hoo-hah! We didn’t really realize the monstrosity of the climb when we started but kept telling ourselves (typically at 15 minute intervals) “We can’t give up now that we’re this far!” It was about a two hour hike to the top where we saw some indigenous ruins and could see the entire city (and actually heard the parade going on down below) and the surrounding mountains. It was gorgeous! There was so much vivid color and detail that can never be captured through a camera lens. On our way down these little punks kept video recording us and I said, rather politely in English, “Excuse me, can you please lower your camera lens and leave us alone.” Okay, maybe I added a little persuasive language. I admit, it was a little mean, but they did leave us alone after that! Sometimes my verbose soul escapes my calm and accepting demeanor.

Later that night, I went out to my first discoteca experience and danced the night away. It was so liberating! And they played “Yeah” by Lil’ John and Usher. I felt so at home—or like I was back in high school doing crunches in Aerobics class.

Monday: Our group went to see the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Guadalupe to hear about the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe and her significance in Mexican history and culture. The Virgin of Guadalupe is perhaps the most revered religious symbol in Mexico with shrines in taxis, stores, homes, painted on walls…basically everywhere. It’s like the Christian Mary, but the Virgin of Guadalupe has a darker skin color and appeared before a poor, indigenous man. Her apparition is interpreted by the sisters and many Mexicans as her desire to return dignity to the poor. What’s most interesting about “La Virgen Morena” is that she is considered to be the replacement of the Aztec mother goddess Tonantsin. In order to convert more indigenous peoples, it is theorized that the Catholics melded the two traditions to benefit the conversion of many Mesoamerican religious to Catholicism. Later, in small groups, we discussed whether this religious figure is liberating or oppressive for Mexican women. Oppressive traits include the submissive like placement of her downwards-facing head (or perhaps, like the priests on the Xochicalco temple, the placement of her head towards the ground means she is speaking to the people whereas if it faced above she would be a communicator to the gods), the unachievable status of a virgin mother role model, and the possible creation of the Virgin by the Catholic Church which only took the place of an indigenous woman figure (Tonantsin). Liberating traits include her being dark-skinned, strong ability to give orders to men, and the immense popularity of a woman figure.

Tuesday: I started my Spanish classes!! So far, they’re absolutely wonderful. There are only four other students and my wonderful teacher, Rosario. Wouldn’t you believe that the first chapter we’re working on is entitled “El medio ambiente” (the Environment)? How wonderful. We each gave a 10 minute presentation on an environmental activist and I spoke about Barbara Kingsolver. The other students did Wangari Maathi, Ralph Nader, Edward Abbey, and Theodore Roosevelt. We also talked about the effects of tourism on the environment the other day. I got really passionate about the coral reefs in Hawai’i—and in Spanish!

Wednesday: We visited the Palacio de Cortez which was converted into a museum and now houses a Diego Rivera mural on the conquest of Mexico in Morelos until the Mexican Revolution of 1910. It took up an entire hallway and my favorite part of it was the parallel sacrifice scenes of the Aztec sacrifices over the doorframe on one side and the Inquisition burnings of indigenous peoples over the doorframe on the other side.

Thursday: A guest speaker gave a speech on the current events of Mexico, in particular the effects of NAFTA on farmers and the present political parties. He discussed the passage of NAFTA and the anger that has resulted amongst Mexican citizens since its gradual inclusion into Mexican economics. When asked if the political climate now was similar to the political climate before the Mexican Revolution of 1910, he commented that “we were slaves then, now we are the excluded.”

Friday: SJGELA had our first lab/reflection group where we discussed identity and cultural adjustment. The main cultural adjustment that we identified is the sense of a gringo presence wherever we go including the stares (whether of curiosity or contempt) and the privileges we get for it. We also discussed what we can do if we start feeling homesick and I pinpointed my release to listening to my music. Nothing cheers me up like some good Mates of State or India.Arie and nothing calms me down like Cat Stevens or Iron & Wine.

For identity, we discussed how others re-present us versus how we see ourselves. I thought this was a really great activity and would be neat to use in Listen Up! There are three columns: the first column includes identities others ascribe to me, the second column includes the identities/labels I reject, and the third column lists the identities that I claim and how I chose to present myself.

Saturday: Half of the group visited Tlamacazapa this weekend, were given a tour of the town and participated in the daily lives of the women there. On the walk around town, an intern at Caminamos Juntos and a Tlamacazapan teenage participant came with us. When asking about the retention rate of citizens of the town, the intern said that it was very uncommon for people to leave due to strong family ties. But oftentimes, it is considered that poverty drives people from small town life to the urban areas. The intern then commented that “I often question: is this [poverty] a result of oppression or just a different way of living?”

Each of us carried a jug of water on our heads, weaved a small basket, and some of us made tortillas. The woman that my group participated with was a very strong, dedicated woman who has been weaving since she was a child. She told us of all the difficulties that accompany her life including back pain from years of weaving and lugging water, the economic instability of living off weaving and bracelets her husband sells in Mexico City which may or may not sell that week, and the minimal amount of water during the dry season (sometimes waiting two days in line for a jug of water).

Reflections

It was an incredibly humbling experience to carry that jug of water strapped around my head, albeit it was only for a little while. I can barely imagine having to do that once a day, every day of the week. I also hand-washed my clothes the other day, taking two hours to do two small loads which would have taken 5 minutes to put in a laundry machine. These activities really made me realize what commodities we take for granted every day and I cannot conceive how some people call these women lazy because their houses are dirty or their children are underfed when they have their lives consumed by fetching water, washing clothes, cooking food from scratch, taking care of the children, and then weaving or working to help pay for food, their children’s education, water (or, more often, soft drinks because they’re cheaper), weaving supplies, and other necessary items for the week.

Another thing that I forgot to mention last week that I think is incredibly interesting is the concept of dualism in Mesoamerican religions. This concept considered gay priests and priestesses to be incredibly powerful because they held a dual connection within their bodies and therefore were able to communicate closer to the goddesses and gods. But as soon as the Catholic missionaries came in, they condemned the practice of homosexuality and punished those who followed it.

Until a later date, hasta luego. 

February 4, 2008

Week One

Hola amig@s de Cuernavaca, México!

Holy moley, guys. It’s really hard to express everything that’s happened in only one week but I shall try, regardless. I suppose I should briefly explain the program situation before I continue in order to provide some sense of context. My program is called Social Justice, Gender and the Environment in Latin America (SJGELA as in: I’m sih-jell-in’ it right now) with six participants. The other twelve people that are living in the house are in a program called Social Work in a Latin American Context. All our activities are done together except for classes and class-related field trips.

Friday: And now, the main event. I flew into Mexico City last Friday with fellow Monmouthan Cassie Frantz and we met up with five other Social Work students that we would be sharing a house with for the rest of the semester. (This made up half the group and the other half arrived on Sunday.) We left the airport just in time to battle the rush hour traffic of Mexico City and I got to experience the mad driving skills of the chilangos (Mexican City citizens). We got to our house called La Casa Verde in Cuernavaca, the capital city of Morelos, and had a delicious dinner. Afterwards, we were all a little pooped from waking up so early that morning and most of us just went to bed.

Saturday: We walked to the Zócalo (town center) and saw the artisan market and some of the old buildings. For example, we saw the city’s Catholic cathedral which was forcibly built by the conquered Tlahuica from the stones of their religious buildings. Later on, we went to a nearby waterfall with a very friendly/crazed goose. The area surrounding the waterfall was very lush and serene; but, from what I’ve seen, the land has been cracked and dusty. On the way from Mexico City to Cuernavaca, the flat lands and agricultural lands seemed so desolate and barren. Granted, it is the dry season in Southern Mexico but knowledge from my research at the Newberry Library and what I’ve been learning here seems to be placing the status of agriculture in Mexico in a very unfortunate position—mainly for small, rural farmers. Not only are they being driven out by large, corporate farming but the decline in proper environmental care (often as a result of losing touch with native techniques and/or dependence on chemicals) has resulted in fields of rocks and unmanageable soil.

Monday: I started classes with my first class being Globalization, Social Struggle and the Environment. We’ll mainly be discussing the impact of neocolonialism, neoliberal economics and globalization on Mexican social struggles and the Environment (not necessarily the conservation/protection of the Environment but developing an understanding of the current state it is in and what has caused its destruction). It’s going to be great to receive some historical context of the Mexican Environment before I begin my month-long internship at a local environmental organization (April-May). After that class we had dinner and then a lecture and Q&A session on NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). We learned about its intent and the effects it has had upon the citizens of Mexico. In my opinion and from the information received from the lecture, NAFTA was a theory of neoliberal economics that believed it could pull Mexico out of its third-world status and thus lift its people out of poverty through free trade and further intertwined economics. But its promising theory has been overshadowed by the results of its application in 1994. It has pushed Mexico back to its pre-revolutionary status where the wealth of the nation was kept within the hands of a few political and business elite. Hearing this lecture has encouraged me to take an economics course when I get back. One more to the list, eh?

Tuesday: We went to hear the director of Caminamos Juntos (We Walk Together) speak about her organization’s involvement in rural women’s empowerment. Working in a nearby community called Tlamacazapa, this social worker has spent eleven years with the members of the community, particularly the women. Susan was probably one of the most humble, genuine, amazing people I’ve met. She explained to us the importance of social work but warned us not to assume that we have all the answers for a group of people different from ourselves (in history and culture), especially if we have only been in an area for a few years. She mentioned that in order to help or understand others, we need to be mentally and physically centered/sound so that we do not drag our problems into others’ lives. She told us that’s it’s easy to start an idea because we’re all smart people with great ideas but it gets tough as we decide whether to follow through with that idea. For instance, her small group of social workers was able to connect the sickness and the illness of the people to their contaminated water supply. But they couldn’t just evaluate the problem and come to a solution in a U.S. cultural mindset; they couldn’t just tell the women to boil the water every day when that would have required more firewood, more water, and more time. The social workers needed to evaluate all the interconnected problems of the town as a whole: abuse of women, drunkenness, culture of verbal silence, lack of education, history of native persecution, malnutrition, stress, the death of children, etc. When they identified all these problems, they realized that the women needed a sense of self-worth in order to break out of their cycle of silence and reclaim their lives. It’s amazing to realize the empowerment that this group has kindled within these women so that they may have the courage to solve their own problems with minimal help from outside sources.

Wednesday: I went to my second class called Mexican History, Culture and Cosmovision in which we’ll be looking at the history of Mexico and comparing it to the modern time. After that, we went to a community called Amatlan and met with Nacho who is the area’s veterinarian, spiritual leader, and member of the Communal Land Council. He explained to us the history (Mesoamerican to conquest to modern age), beliefs and morals of the Nahua tribe with particular emphasis on the themes of duality and balance within the religion of the tribe. We then hiked to a spiritual site located on the foothills of a nearby mountain. He led us through a spiritual ceremony where we praised the South (representative of women), the North (representative of the spirits), the West (hope of the sun to rise again), the East (representative of…can’t remember). Afterwards, we asked questions and he talked more about the religion. He explained to us that the land is losing respect from us yet, if it disappears, we have no other home. When asked what we should do to help, he told us take our knowledge and our experiences back to our friends, our family, our fellow students, and everyone we know. Then, we should always be active in our communities and with our social movements. It was just so amazing to be there, in the open, with cave paintings dating from 2,000-10,000 years old, in an area that has been used by a people for centuries as a religious site. Truly captivating.

I know I wrote a lot, but it’s hard to sum up these two experiences in words where words fail to encompass the beauty, the passion, the calmness, the sincerity of these two people. One coming from another country seeking to help people and then realizing that what the people really need is empowerment and the satisfaction of self-achievement. One coming from an ancient past seeking to protect his people from the lies and deception of neoliberal economics. Both wishing to enrich their own and others lives so that life may be that much more livable for those they encounter.

Thursday-Friday: We visited the architectural remains of Xochicalco (pronounced Sho-chi-cahl-co) where we saw pyramids, hipball fields, and an astronomy tower. The hieroglyphs were stunning. There were depictions of women priestesses! In your face Spanish machisimo! What really got me was that in the late 1800s when the site was discovered, the archeologists decided that it would be a great idea to dismantle the pyramid with all the hieroglyphs, have it cleaned, and then reassemble it later on. What they forgot to do was draw the original positions of the pieces on, you know, paper, and then when they brought all the pieces back, they realized, "Darn it all! We’ve forgotten where these durn pieces went." And so then they just pilled the "confusing" pieces in a pile next to the pyramid. Wooooow. After the insightful tour of the site and the religious implications of the native culture, we left to spend the night at a nearby hacienda which was formerly a plantation (before the revolution of 1910). After many bug bites, a ruckus of geese in the middle of the night, insightful conversations on identity and our purpose as social workers in Mexico, we came back to Casa de Verde.

Reflection

So far, I’ve had a difficult time with my Spanish. I’m getting better at listening to people and not translating every word in my head, but I’m finding it hard to spit out the right words when I want to talk back. Spanish classes start Tuesday with three hours a day, five days a week for five weeks. I’m really hoping that helps. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to learn eventually during my one month home stay and my one month internship. I’ve learned that "que ric@" describes one’s pleasure for just about everything. The intern here gave us the example of "Oh, that breeze? Que rico."