Manos de Vida

Hello! I am finally writing about my internship! I've completed one week, three to go..... it's hard to describe. It's going to be hard work...I'm going to be tired and not have free time during the week, etc....but it's also going to be really rewarding. I'm excited.

So the organization is called Manos de Vida. Their offices are located in Southern Oaxaca (it takes me 45 minutes to walk there lol). My "boss" is the nurse whose name is Liz and pronounced Leez. The organization works in 6 communities in the outskirts of Oaxaca that are basically like slums where people have come down from their pueblos in the mountains to find work. They live in haphazard tin or wood one-room houses with dirt floors. Almost all of them speak different dialects apart from their espanol and cannot read or write. The situations are dire, especially at a first glance, but the people are amazing. They're so kind. And their kids are so fun.

Manos de Vida travels to each community at least 2 a week. They are really focused on helping the people by building relationships, which I really like. They have "Club" once a week that consists of bible school for the kids and classes for the moms about things like dental hygiene and how to cook soy or amaranto (look into it!) and the importance of cleanliness and bathing and things like that. Then they visit to check up on the kids....weigh the ones who are malnourished...visit their homes, etc. They also have big projects with groups of retired people who come from the US. One group was here the week before I started and built chicken coups (gallineros) and there's a group coming from Seattle not this week but the next that's going to help with 18 concrete floors in houses. They also build ecological bathrooms. It's like...Manos de Vida teaches the people about basic health and builds relationships, and they teach these people to teach the other people who "don't get it." So it's teaching them to help themselves. Which I think is the best way to work.

Anyway...my jobs this week were both in and out of the office....making copies, drawing chickens for a book about how to care for your chicken coup, giving surveys in the communities, playing with kids, hiking a mountain with them, participating in dental health classes, learning how to cook soya, etc.... Basically, I was REAL tired but had LOTS of fun and learned SO MUCH. IN ONLY ONE WEEK!

The pictures below are from Wednesday where we were in Yagay from 10 am until 7 pm, and I hiked the cactus infested mountain in shorts (bad idea), with some of the kids.

It's not as serene as it seems this giant mountain!

Yagay...the community from afar.

I got these stuck in my hand on the final ascent....they call them "jumping cacti". Ow. NOT FRIENDLY!!!

My friend Eliza. She's hard core. We had success and exito and reached the top!

Good Intentions

Hello all (=

I had the BEST INTENTIONS to spend time right now writing about this past week (week 1 of my internship) and I have LOTS to tell you, but I'm going to postpone that blog until tomorrow because of THANKSGIVING!!!!!

I just had a Thanksgiving dinner I will never forget lol. It's a few days late, but it was worth it. Thursday was kind of lonely...I was definitely homesick and missing my family, even though my host mom was SO sweet and made this chicken dish thing that had a sauce like gravy (=. It's just not the same when you eat it with rice and tortilla lol.

But today our group...all American students and various Oaxacan friends/boyfriends....had a Thanksgiving "comida." SO FUN!!!!

Here are some things our menu consisted of:

• 10 rotisserie chickens .... I HELPED CARVE!!!
• 16 pies .... pumpkin, apple, pie de queso, chocolate, cinnamen roll delight (?)
• 4, 4L bottles of wine ... seriously.
• our homemade (close as can be) versions of stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, fruit salad, APPLESAUCE (that was almost like mom's!!!!), green bean casserole, gravy, etc.
• cookies with nutella lol, fudge

Needless to say....I am drunk on food, even though I didn't have any of the wine. There was lots of laughter and love, especially since we've all been off doing our own things this week and haven't seen one another.

For sure a Thanksgiving I won't forget. And as for homesickness....yes....it's true. But 3.5 weeks and I'll be home for Christmas. I can't wait for the hugging!!!

Chiapas Parte Tres....el Dia Turistico (Aguasazules y Palenque)

Here's my last Chiapas update! These pictures are from our second to last day in Chiapas....our "tourist" day. Yay! We went to Palenque, which was 5 hours away from San Cristobal. Palenque is different ruins. Mayan ruins. These ones were really neat and different then Monte Alban and Teohuatican...which may have been more impressive at first glance, but these were just as awe-inspiring. The pyramids were different.....more shapes and structures. Some of them seemed even like greek towers or castles. It was cool (= We were there for sunset too! AFTER my camera died.....lame lol.

Don't mess with the Mayans lol. Look at that skull!

These pictures are from Aguasazules, which are waterfalls in the jungle in Chiapas. We went on our way to Palenque and could even swim. THey were beautiful. And cool fact: we heard howler monkeys in the background the whole time we were there! Chido!

Chiapas Parte Dos....Tzaljechen y que Aprendimos

Here's the serious part of my Chiapas trip....

Besides being beautiful and fun, Chiapas was by far the most incredible and inspiring Witness for Peace trip in terms of what we learned. We spoke with the organizations SiPaz, Ceipac...etc...all human rights organizations in San Cristobal de las Casas, the city where we stayed. We learned about the militarization and paramilitarization of this state in particular. We learned about protests and fights by the Zapatista movement for Indigenous and human rights. We saw manisfestations and campouts in the city Zocolo to protest violent arrests by the government of campesinos and indigenous people, under the excuse of la guerra on narcrotrafficing. We learned about the specifics of what constitutes a "low instensity war," and how unjust this style of warfare is. AND we spent three days in a pueblo in the rainforest called Tzaljechen....birthplace of Las Abejas.

Las Abejas are a nonviolent organization who work to fight for indigenous rights, but are incredibly inspiring because of their solidarity and faith and commitment to non-violence. Tzaljechen is a coffee-growing community and, like many Zapatista communities, is autonomous. This means that they've chosen to cut themselves off from the government that is committing human rights violations. It also means that they receive no money, run their own schools, have their own system of government, etc. They are horribly poor but have an amazing dignity and perserverence for their cause. About ten years ago, in a nearby community called Acteal, where the Las Abejas organization is governed from, a group of paramilitaries entered a church of women and children and murdered them. They proceeded to even cut four fetuses out of their pregnant mothers and decapitate them. All because it was an autonomous, "abeja" community. We visited Acteal on our way back to San Cristobal. We spoke with the Board of Directors of Las Abejas and went into the church where the massacre took place. We visited the memorial for them and saw all the photos. It was horrible.

At the end/in all....Chiapas was very inspiring for me. As this is the third WFP trip, we've learned how leftist and one-sided they can be, so our group did a lot of our own research and talking......but to see the people and all we learned.....it was just an amazing trip.

PS....above are some photos from the 3 days we spent in the pueblos....

CHIAPAS Parte Uno....San Cristobal de las Casas

Last Wednesday night we set off on a bus, well drugged with Dramamine, with goals to arrive in San Cristobal de las Casas, in the more southern state of Chiapas, by the next morning. And behold....bleary eyed and with kinks in our necks we made it! San Cristobal is a really cool city. While Oaxacan tourists can be older and come to learn the language and culture and interact with the people, San Cristobal caters to the young and the adventure-seekers. Backpackers, outdoorsy-buffs, and politically leftist activists. The main city streets are smaller and quainter than in Oaxaca, and more colorful, but the city stretches beyond just the Zocolo and city center. The markets were colorful....I added photos of a fruit stand and bean stand....and lacking of the smell of chapulines! And the room I shared with Erin was cute and colorful. HOWEVER...it was COLD!!!!! Thus the blanket picture...(=

All in all it was a great trip. I'll add more later....we spend time in a pueblo called Tzaljechen and one called Acteal.....we learned bastante about las Zapatistas and their movement as well as a non-violent organization called Las Abejas (the bees)....then we talked about everything surrounding this conflict....the paramilitarization of Chiapas, etc., etc. etc. I'll put another post about that later. But it was a GREAT "vacation" EXCEPT I got sick. With a parasite. In the pueblo. That involved not being able to eat and fainting and throwing up and diarrhea in a toilet that I had to flush my hand and yep....it was great. But I survived (= I'm here to tell the tale. And I still came away with great memories and lots that I learned.

So more later....but love to all! I'm glad to be back.

ADIOS for 8 days...

Hello All....

This is going to be a short post because I'm late. I'm sorry.

I'm leaving for Chiapas in an hour. We are taking an 11 hour bus ride to arrive at San Cristobal, a city in Chiapas which is the Mexican state south of Oaxaca and the poorest state in Mexico.

I'm very excited....we will be hearing from leaders of many social justice organizations there, talking a lot about the Zapatista movement, exploring the beautiful city, spending another 2 nights in the middle of the week staying in a pueblo like the one I visited in October, and having free time to explore the rainforest, waterfalls, and Mayan ruins.

I'll check in if we have a computer in our hostel in San Cristobal. Otherwise, talk to you ain about 9 days. I love you!

A Weekend in Paradise

PUERTO ESCONDIDO:

Motocross Competition

International Surfing Competition...with Australians!

A few days in the sunshine swimming and relaxing at the beach....I made a turtle!

A cute and fun fisherman's warf....we saw someone with a 75 pound HUGE like needle pointy nosed thing.

A Weekend in Paradise (=

Side note: We had a great time, the only problems we ran into were on the way there...a van just 15 minutes ahead of us was stopped and robbed by people who had put big rocks across the road and had knives and a gun. So we rode much of the way with our money and ipods and phones and camaras in our bras. Thank God no one was hurt and our group didn't get stopped. We saw the rocks. The second danger we encountered was cool! The second day there were Manterays in the water! We had to get out like, 4 times, every time they got close because they were circling the cove. But I'd never seen one before! Steve Irwin!

Yay for relaxation and good friends (=

Bbbbbbbrrrrrrr........

Ok. So since Muertos the weather has been COLD! not like, snowing or raining lots cold, but like....pants and goosebumps and windy and I'm wearing a sweatshirt with my hood on right now COLD!!!! I asked my host mom why and she said that the dead bring the "fresco" every year and that it's not going to be HOT anymore. WHAT? Why did no one tell me this? I brought one sweatshirt and one light jacket and NO long sleeved shirts and only ONE pair of long pants/jeans. I'm in Mexico for gosh sakes! I don't know what I'm going to do! The other problem with this realization is that I just checked the weather on my computer for Mexico and for Burlington (home). Burlington right now is at 44 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm sitting here, unable to get warm and guess what Oaxaca is at? 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Seriously. I'm going to DIE when I go back to Washington. Dear me. What has Mexico DONE to me? haha Next thing you know I'll be moving to Palm Desert or something.....just kidding (=

Also....for everyone's information, I will not be blogging for the next few days BECAUSE I'm GOING TO THE BEACH!!!! YAY!!!! This time we are going to Puerto Escondido and staying in a Hostel. There is an international surfing competition this weekend and it's our last 3 day weekend (our classes end next Wednesday and we leave for Chiapas that night). So thus, we must celebrate basking in the sun. Especially since it's cold here! I'm excited. And this time I won't be kind of like the hostess or have responsibilities to take care of my family's apartment, so I think I will be less stressed. The only thing I'm nervous about is that I'm trying to save as much money as possible, so we are taking camionetas (surburbans) instead of autobuses (giant buses with bathrooms). They are cheaper and much quicker but the drivers are CRAZY and I have like, 200 times more of a chance of getting carsick. I'll bring some bags....and OD on Dramamine lol. We are leaving tomorrow at 3 and can sleep off the van ride all night in the hostel and be roaring to go on Friday. Then I'll leave Escondido Saturday night so I only have to pay for 2 nights in the hostel. GRAND PLAN! I'm looking forward to lots of sun, relaxation, fun, and some surfing that's muy CHIDO!!!!

So hasta luego my loves. I miss you all. Take care.....stay warm!

Pensamientos

Like my new SHIRT?! I bought it to wear for Muertos....at least, that was my excuse for buying it (=

Things I've stopped counting:

• How many mosquito bites I've gotten. (I HATE mosquitos) I think it's reached millions....I'm NOT exaggerating.
• How many tortillas I've eaten. I don't even want to know. Mom and Dad...if I get off the plane and look pregnant....I swear it's just my tortilla belly!
• Ants that I've squished...I'm sorry Allie!
• Times that I've tripped or stumbled while walking in the street. 1) There's so much to look at! 2) The streets and sidewalks are uneven. Thus....it's not my fault!
• How many times I've ALMOST been hit by motorized vehicles. Haven't died yet (=
• How many times I've had to say "No Gracias" to the street venders selling everything from hammocks to combs to clothes to food to CHAPULINES! (I don't count those as food)
• How many protests/parades/marches/demonstrations/manisfestaciones/public celebraciones that I've witnessed. Communist rallys, marches for Indigenous rights, wedding parades, performances of the dance of the pineapple (really lol...at the end they give the pineapples to the crowd) ETC.

Muertos 4 ... Las Comparsas

The tradition of Comparsas is like what my school did last Friday. A parade through the streets with costumes and dancing and a band. However, the original idea of Comparsas is a public dance illustrating and making a game of the idea of Death. The characters in the dance traditionally include Death, the Devil, someone dying, a Doctor, Coffinbearers, etc. Now comparsas have evolved beyond this original story....however they still include elaborate homemade costumes as well as lots of music and dancing. I went on Sunday to Comparsas in the nearby pueblo of Etla with President Anderson and his wife and some of my other peers. It was a lot of fun....here are some pictures of the costumes and festivities.

Muertos 3 .... Los Planteones/GRAVEYARDS

Saturday night....the 31st...I had an interesting experience. We went to a cemetery in Oaxaca called San Miguel (less authentic) and one in a nearby pueblo called Xoxo (pronounced "HoHo" like Santa Klaus). It was a experience of juxtaposition. The celebrating that included food and Mezcal and carnival rides and music. And then the waiting and mourning and decorating of the graves. Especially in Xoxo, some of the older, Indigenous people had sat down to wait and it was obvious that they believe in the spirit of the Muertos. It's a beautiful tradition. I'm glad I got to witness it.