Soon after my last blog, I had midterm exams, which made for my most difficult week in Spain, academically. I had four exams, one for each of my classes, as well as the DELE exam, which, is a language proficiency exam, all in the same week. Most of my exams turned out well, but a couple, including the DELE exam were quite difficult. I felt like a real college student that week because I was sleep deprived, spending every day, all day stressing, studying and scrambling to find enough time to get everything done and juggle it all.

Angie comes to visit!

The following weekend our program went on an excursion to Sevilla! It was a great visit, however it was pouring down rain nearly the entire time and I think the beauty of Sevilla would have shown itself a bit more if it had been sunny. One of the highlights of Sevilla was visiting an Alcazar that was built with the same sort of design as the Alhambra.

Alcazar en Sevilla

Catedral de Sevilla

Christopher Columbus's tomb...

Anyway, Sevilla is a beautiful city, a little bigger and more modern than Granada, but smaller than Madrid, and has a lot to offer. If I were to live in a different city in Spain, I could easily see myself living in Sevilla. However, after returning to Granada, I realized that I really appreciate the multi-culturalism in Granada that I did not see in Sevilla. Oh, and I forgot to mention, that I met a girl named Maya

Maya (and her roommate) and I meet up!

The day after we got back from Sevilla, luckily classes had calmed down after midterms, just in time for Alexis to come visit!

Alexis comes to visit!

The following weekend I kept on adventuring and went to Barcelona! Barcelona is a beautiful city. I loved seeing and hearing Catalán (which I can understand reading but not listening to it being spoken). I loved the Ramblas with all of the street art being sold, the beautiful beach, park Montjuic, all of the Gaudi art that can be seen throughout the city and especially at Parque Guelle with really impressive ceramic art all over the park.

Parque Guelle, Barcelona

We went to Sagrada Familia, which is a Cathedral designed by Gaudi, but was not finished before he died and is still unfinished. The Cathedral is very impressive but in my view much more of a piece of modern art than a church. I loved seeing all of the bright colors he used and all of the architecture that he used inspired by nature.

Sagrada Familia

One very memorable night in Barcelona was going to an FC Barcelona vs. Levante futbol game! It was a lot of fun to see a Spanish futbol game since it is such a huge part of Spanish culture! Barca won 5-0! Venga!

To be honest, I did love Barcelona, but I think that I like Madrid better because of all of the history and older rather than modern architecture that can be seen there. It was also a little bit harder to appreciate Barcelona when my lack of sleep from midterms and adventuring around with my lovely visitors caught up with me and when I realized that I am “a dos velas” as they say (broke).

Making it back to Granada was quite the experience because Elvia and I flew into the Malaga airport at 10pm, but busses from Malaga to Granada stop running after 10pm…so we had to spend the night in the tiny airport! When I finally made it back to Granada, the sun was shining brightly, and being home in Granada again almost brought tears to my eyes. After being in huge, unfamiliar cities it was refreshing to come back to comfortable and beautiful Granada, to my wonderful host family, and it made me want to cry realizing that I only had two weeks left here.

The last couple of weeks I have been experiencing my “last’s” in Granada – my last classes at the CLM, my final exams (thank God those are over), my last belly dancing class that I have been absolutely in love with, my last English class that I teach to great students, my last chance to see friends that I’ve made in Granada, my last night out at the discotecas.

My Adult English class students!

Alpujarras

Megan and I exploring the Alpujarras!

Last night out! Elvia and I with the xmas lights

I am also sad, however, because I will be spending my first Christmas away from home! On Wednesday I will by flying to Oslo, Norway to spend Christmas with my friend Maaike! We will then spend a week traveling to Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and back to Oslo before I fly back to Madrid to then catch my flight back home. I am really excited to see what Christmas is like in Scandinavia, see more of Europe, and have a few more adventures before I head home!

I miss you all so much though, and Christmas will not be the same not being near you. Enjoy the holidays – Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and Happy- whatever else you may celebrate, and I will be back in Seattle on January 9th, ready to see you and give you un abrazo muy fuerte!

With much love,
Carrie

Tapas and sangria with Maaike and Brianna in Tarifa

The last I wrote I was about to embark on a mini-adventure for my fall break. It was a great adventure indeed and quite a whirlwind of a trip! My friend Maaike came to visit me from Norway, which was so wonderful! My friend Brianna that I met in my intensive grammar class joined Maaike and I venturing to Tarifa, the city at the southern most tip of Spain, Tanger, a city at the very northern tip of Morocco, and Cádiz, a costal city about an hour from Tarifa. We had a great time driving through hills covered in olive trees, by Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean waters and through cities we had never seen before. Tarifa was a small but quaint town where we stayed in a nice hotel for a great deal and enjoyed eating tapas and sangria at a cafe across the street and walking on the beach where we touched both the Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean.

Sunset in Tarifa

Tanger

The quick five hours that we were in Tanger were great (minus nearly getting sea sick on the 30 min boat ride there)! We were driven around in a tour van through different important neighborhoods in Tanger, rode camels, walked through awesome markets, ate a yummy Moroccan meal, visited shops selling rugs and tapestries, spices, and other souvenirs (which was a little uncomfortable when we didn’t end up buying anything…).

Camello!

We could have stayed for longer, but we were quite pooped after the morning and afternoon of hardly having time to process all that we were seeing, hearing and experiencing. I would really like to go back to Morocco some day for a longer period of time and in less of a rush. Nonetheless, it was very cool to be in an arab country, with a different language, culture, and religion from Spain.

Cádiz

When I returned to Spain I started my new classes: Grammar, Islamic Culture in Spain, Political System of the European Union, and continued my Development of Spanish Cultures class. I really enjoy all of my classes, especially the European Union and Islamic Culture because I am learning SO much new information (it’s kind of overwhelming). All of my professors are great, but what I don’t like is that our whole grade is based on two tests, and the classes are mostly lecture, rather than discussion. I’m an essay-writing, class discussion kind of a girl, so it’s a little frustrating at times, but I’m enjoying the classes nonetheless.

Rainy day with Johanna

The last month until last weekend has really consisted of my LIVING in Granada, rather than being a tourist and visiting many other cities. My life has consisted of class, meals/hanging out with my family, running a bit, and a couple of outside activities. In addition to my classes at Centro de Lenguas Modernas I am taking a belly dancing class at another Universidad de Granada campus. I love those days because I take the metro bus to the campus, enjoy a great class with a very fun teacher, it relaxes me and helps boost self confidence, and it’s with other Spanish/European students. It’s also cool to dance to arabic music, which opens a window to part of arabic culture which I am learning about through Spanish history and my Islamic culture class. A couple of weeks ago I started teaching an English class to adults! At first I was going to just be an assistant, but the teacher ended up being absent for several days and I’ve ended up teaching the class on my own…and am now the official teacher! It’s really fun and I have a great class with mostly middle-aged women, from diverse backgrounds. They are from Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Morocco, Dominican Republic, and different parts of Spain. Although I don’t feel totally prepared all of the time and I wish I had more time to plan out my lessons better, they all seem to enjoy me being their teacher and are really sweet and fun to work with. It’s made me think a lot about, and given me good experience for after graduation, since I hope to teach abroad before pursuing my master’s. I also started meeting with an intercambio student named Rocio, to practice conversational Spanish and help her with English. She is 20 years old, studies both Elementary Education and concert piano! So we have a lot in common! She is such a sweetheart and easy to make conversation with. I try to go running several days a week, and although I am not in shape enough by any means, I am running a half marathon with other girls in my program tomorrow! That will be interesting…haha and fun.

Fall arrives in Granada

While I’m really happy being much more busy with more to focus on, I’ve become a little more melancholy lately because the weather here has become almost identical to Seattle…it gets dark early, is cool/cold, and rains a lot. But unlike Seattle, it pours often, and umbrellas are necessary! Summer seemed to turn to autumn in a matter of days! I went from wearing sun dresses and sandals to jeans, boots and a jacket in a week! The first day that it rained, I was really happy because it made me feel at home…but now I’m sick of it already and want the sun back! But I keep telling myself that I’m not allowed to complain because I’m in Spain for peat’s sake, and I am blessed with a wonderful family that provides me with yummy hot meals everyday and a warm, dry bed to sleep in.

However, my most recent adventure made me more than happy! Our program spent an amazing 5 days in Madrid where we visited countless monuments, historic sites, and art museums, as well as visiting the cities of Segovia and Toledo. To name a few, we visited the Museo del Prado, the Reina Sofia, El Escorial, Palacio Real, Fuente de Ciebles, and Puerta del Sol.

Museo del Prado

I loved the Museo del Prado and was so blown away to see so many paintings by Greco, Goya, Velazquez, Sorolla etc. in real life that I have studied for years but only seen in textbooks. I love paintings that reflect what was going on in history such as seeing how many paintings have religious themes or portray nobles, and to realize that the painters were hired by the Catholic Church or the state (which were inseparable at that point in time). While I didn’t enjoy the Reina Sofia as much, it was unreal to be in the same room with El Guernica, Picasso’s famous painting of the bombing of the town Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, portraying the terrible and unnecessary violence, death and destruction that occurred.

El Escorial

El Escorial, built while Felipe II was king, was crazy to see its huge convent, basilica, monastery, library and palace.

Madrid at night

Madrid was interesting and different than I expected. It was huge and modern, and reminded me a lot of the U.S…which was strange. The streets were so wide, there were so many cars, city lights, and the buildings were so tall! It was very cool, however, to see the mix between big city and historic aspects, such as all of the neoclassic architecture, statues and historic buildings. While I decided (and was surprised to realize that) I don’t think I want to live in Madrid, I did enjoy walking through the masses of people in the city center, taking the metro, and especially visiting the Parque de Buen Retiro, which is a huge city park, complete with gardens and trees, a lake, street vendors and performers, and tons of people.

Parque de Buen Retiro with Catalina!

I had a crazy Halloween with some of the people in my program because we dressed up and took the metro to a huge discoteca (with 7 floors!) The metro was packed with people dressed up for Halloween chanting the name of the discoteca. It was a very fun and crazy adventure.

Segovia

Segovia was a beautiful, but very small town. We were shown the mixture of cultures seen there-visigoth, muslim, jewish, christian, and roman influences. There were really cool churches and other buildings to see with gothic architecture, a very cool castle/alcazar, and impressive roman aqueducts. I think I’ve realized that I love visiting historic cities more than big modern ones because of how much I can learn.

Toledo

Toledo was also a much smaller and historic city, and had very cool churches and cathedrals to visit, a beautiful synagogue, and was fun to wander around and see the random touristy shops, however I was quite tired by the time we visited Toledo on the way back to Granada, so I was happy to get back on the bus and sleep.

I’m back in Granada (and happy as can be to be back with my host family, and friends here that I now feel much closer to) with so little time left! In the next couple of weeks it is crunch time with mid-term exams (including the DELE, a language exam equivalent to the TOFL for international students in the U.S….), then lovely Alexis will be visiting the week of Thanksgiving (so excited!), and then I only have a few weeks left until I say goodbye to Spain and go to Norway to spend Christmas with Maaike and her family and perhaps hop to a couple of other European countries until it’s hello Seattle once again! I have missed you all so dearly, (and have wished that I could be there with you, especially upon the sad news about the death of our sweet dog Mercy), but am trying to live it up here while I can.

Sending you peace, love and delicious tortilla española!

Love,

Carrie

The view from one of the towers of the Alhambra

As of yesterday I have been in Spain for a month! This week I had two final exams and today I finished my month long “intensive” grammar class, closing the first chapter of my study away experience in Granada. A month has passed, the sun still shines bright and warm though it is cooling off a bit and fall seems to be in the air, the “honeymoon phase” of arriving in a new place has worn off, and I am now more or less accustomed to daily life in Granada. When I think about stepping off the plane and bussing from Madrid to Granada, I feel like it was just yesterday that I arrived, but reflecting on all that I have seen and learned, and especially when I think about those back home who I miss like never before, it has been a long month!

To be honest, I feel quite spoiled here, and I feel like I don’t deserve the mini-vacation that I now have before I start my new classes (during my vacation I am going to Tarifa, a city at the very southern tip of Spain, and taking a day trip to Tanger, Morocco!). While I have spent many hours sitting in class learning several centuries worth of Spanish history, as well as learning and re-learning lots of grammar and vocabulary, coloquial Spanish phrases, and Spanish culture of various regions, I have had quite a bit of free time on my hands to wander the city and to stop for some yummy ice cream, pastries or drinks. Even when I have been studying for my tests I have been sipping on or eating something scrumptious at a nearby cafe or park, still feeling as though I were living in a dream. I wish I could send some of my free time and the relaxation that I am privileged to have here to my hard-working parents or my friends that are stuck in the library already pulling all nighters. Another thought that has crossed my mind many times here is that I don’t feel like I deserve all of this because, what am I doing for the world right now? How am I giving back? I feel called and find it so important to serve others in my life, and since I am not working here, a key part of my life seems to be missing and I end up feeling so selfish all of the time. Hopefully starting in October I will have the opportunity to volunteer at an organization in Granada and give back in some way.

Since I last blogged, I have visited more beautiful and mind-blowing places than I can count on my fingers (both places several hours away as well as little spots that I have stumbled upon in Granada), but to name just a few and write a little blurb about each, I have visited: Ronda, Córdoba, Guejar Sierra, Sacramonte, and the Alhambra (in Granada).

Ronda

Ronda is a very cute city, smaller than Granada that is well known for its Plaza de Toros, which is the oldest one in Spain (I will talk more about bull fighting in a bit…). I really enjoyed wandering the ancient neighborhoods of Ronda with beautiful historic buildings similar to those in Granada, and especially loved crossing an old bridge that looked out onto endless dry hills covered with rows of olive trees, and that looked down into a deep canyon where a river runs through at the base. It was incredible to see such huge rocks with white buildings perched and lined up right on the edge of the cliffs!

Plaza de Toros en Ronda

Córdoba might have been my favorite visit in Spain so far. It was incredible, mostly because of our visit to the Gran Mezquita/Catedral de Córdoba. The cathedral used to be the third largest mosque in the world before it was taken over by catholics during the “reconquest”. It was incredible to walk through the “forest of columns” as our tour guide called it, with thousands of red and white arches, and intricately decorated walls and ceilings, with arabic writing. The craziest part of the mosque, in my opinion, was the fact that the muslims that built the mosque destroyed temples of others living on the Iberic Peninsula at the time such as the Visigoths, and used the materials to build the mosque. Then, when the catholics “re-conquered” the muslims, they built a catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle of the mosque! It was just crazy to see the fight for power over others in the name of religion through art and architecture, all in one place. When I visit places like this, knowing that so many people suffered in order for the structure to exist, I am filled with mixed emotions, seeing so much beauty and ugliness at the same time. Walking around the city of Córdoba was also beautiful, and we also to go to “Baños Arabes” which was a replica of the Arab bathhouses that were used way back in the day. It was basically a spa, with cold pools, a warm pool, a hot pool and a sauna. It was very relaxing and was also interesting to think about how it was used centuries ago.

Inside of the Catedral de Córdoba/Gran Mezquita

Córdoba

A few weekends ago I visited Guejar Sierra, which is a little town about a half hour bus ride away from Granada, and hiked around with a couple of friends up some paths and roads that looked out onto views of dry hills scattered with white houses, lots of trees (which I have been missing a lot), and the river Genil. It was a very hot but gorgeous day and it was refreshing and peaceful to get out of the city for a day, work up a sweat, and hang out with nature for a bit.

Guejar Sierra

Río Genil

Sacramonte

A couple of weekends ago my “Development of Spanish Cultures” class took a walking tour of Sacramonte, which is the neighborhood of Granada where many people live in caves carved into the mountainside. Sacramonte means and is called “Sacred Mountain” because it is where many Christian martyrs were killed. Gypsies (who were nomads originally from Egypt) are a large population of those that live in Sacramonte because many settled there during the 15th century. In those very hills Flamenco developed because gypsies and other oppressed groups used music and dance as a means of expressing the tragedy and oppression that they experienced (largely from the catholic monarchs in power at the time). Speaking of Flamenco, I went to a Flamenco festival the other day with hours of great flamenco musicians and dancers! I loved it!

Alright, so the Alhambra! I finally got to visit the Alhambra last Saturday and join the other 8,000 tourists that visit everyday! Our directors wanted us to wait until a month of learning about the historical context before visiting. Words or pictures cannot capture the beauty of the Alhambra. (Oh, by the way, if you don’t know what the Alhambra is, it was the last muslim king and queen of Spain’s palace). The outside is not so pretty, mostly built out of brick, however there are gardens outside of the Alhambra that are gorgeous and so peaceful. Characteristic of muslim/arab gardens, there were colorful flowers, aromatic plants, fountains with the relaxing sound of trickling water, and fruit trees. Inside of the Alhambra is incredible. Everywhere you look there is intricately detailed geometric patterns in ceramic, plaster or wood on the walls, columns, arches and ceilings, arabic writing, fountains, and windows that look out onto the city of Granada. After Isabel and Fernando “reconquered” the Nazarí, the last muslim empire in Spain, they took over the Alhambra and used it for their own political purposes. A crazy moment that I experienced in the Alhambra was standing in the room where Isabel and Fernando signed off to expel all of the jews from Spain as well as to send Christopher Columbus to the Americas. I seriously wanted to cry, knowing that in that room, the suffering and injustice experienced by so many people was destined by a king and queen. I wanted to go back in time and punch both of them in the face, along with Christopher Columbus…but then realized that maybe I wouldn’t be here if I did…dang it!…and I guess that’s not exactly being peaceful myself…

Inside of the Alhambra

One of the fountains/gardens outside of the Alhambra

Some things that I have noticed and think about in Granada is immigrants’ experiences here.  I have noticed a few racist attitudes and remarks directed toward Asian immigrants and wonder what their experience is like here. There are quite a few immigrants from sub-saharan Africa in Granada, who are often those selling jewelry, bags, sunglasses, etc. on the side of the road, and I want to hear their stories. On the news just the other day, there was a piece about hundreds of dead bodies that wash up on the coast of Spain because of immigrants that attempt to cross the straight of Gibraltar or other stretches of ocean in small rafts. It is so tragic. There are quite a few Morrocan immigrants in Granada, which makes sense, and many Moroccans are those who sell beautiful artesanias in touristy shops. Last year I wrote a research paper about Ecuadorians being the third largest immigrant population in Spain, and have been wondering if there is a large population in Granada. I know that a large population live in Madrid, where I believe, more Ecuadorian immigrants live, so it will be interesting to visit Madrid in a couple of months.

I find politics in Spain really interesting. The PP is a conservative party where many of their members own big business and banks. PSOE is the socialist party, which is the current president, Zapatero’s party. Apparently Andalucía as a whole is socialist, but Granada is much more conservative than other parts, which is interesting. There are two nationalist parties, one from Cataluña and one from País Vasco. Before coming to Granada I knew that Cataluña and País Vasco were two autonomous regions that have sought more autonomy than others and identify first as Catalan or Vasco before they identify as Spanish, but I didn’t realize to what extent. In País Vasco, many claim that their people were the first inhabitants of the Iberic Peninsula. There is a violent terrorist group that wants País Vasco to become its own state, including parts of Navarra and Southern France. In Cataluña, the government has prohibited schools to teach Castellano/Spanish, and only allow Catalan to be taught, even though both Spanish and Catalan are official languages there. Cataluña just recently prohibited bull fighting from the province, and many argue that it has a lot to do with Cataluña not wanting to associate itself with Spain, and bull fighting is a national symbol of Spain.

Speaking of bull fighting, it is a very hot topic in Spain, and I have mixed feelings about it as well. In bull fighting, 5% are corridas, which use adult bulls, and end in killing the bull, and 15% are novilladas, which are corridas using bulls between 3-4 years old. The other 80% are events with bulls where the public participates, such as encierros, running with the bulls from one place to another, ending in a plaza de toros, or small town parties that use young bulls as entertainment. Those who are for bull fighting claim that it is a Spanish tradition and art that cannot be taken away, and that in reality very few bulls are killed in comparison to animals that we kill to eat, and they are treated much better and live happy lives compared to animals that we eat. Those against it say that it is horrific and cruel treatment of animals for public entertainment, and tradition doesn’t justify anything. I personally do not want to support or attend any bull fighting, mostly because I know that I would be really depressed and disgusted if I went, but I do not judge those who attend them or believe that they should not be prohibited because they are a Spanish tradition. There are many beautiful and artistic aspects of bull fighting, but I prefer to learn about it in a classroom rather than going to see one.

As for my social life in Granada, everyone on my program is friendly and I get along with them, I have made a few good friends, especially from my grammar class and hope to get to know them better, as well as meet more Spaniards. Starting in October we will receive intercambios, students to practice Spanish/English with, so I hope to make a friend that way. I haven’t partied Spanish style too much, although for a friend’s birthday I did go out to a club (a really cool venue with a great view of the Alhambra) and danced until 5 in the morning. I haven’t done that since then, but I’m sure such an outing will happen a few more times during my experience here

Well, if you are still reading after my long winded blog, thanks so much for reading! I miss home so much!…my friends and family, PLU, the Diversity Center, evergreen trees, the Puget Sound and Mt. Ranier! Know that you have a special place in my heart and I am thinking of you, even when there is an ocean between us, but also don’t worry about me and know that I am “living the dream”, here in Spain

Much Love,

Carrie

¡Saludos!

I’ve been in Granada, España for a week and a half now, but it definitely feels like I’ve been here for way longer! This is my second semester studying away in college. As you probably see on this blog, the last time I blogged was right after my semester in Oaxaca, Mexico, two years ago. I absolutely loved Oaxaca, but I’m trying not to compare Spain to Mexico too much, or any other Spanish speaking countries that I have visited because it is a very different place, and a very different study-away program. However, part of my inspiration to visit Spain came from my travels to Central and South America. I saw so much Spanish influence in Latin America (largely because of Spanish colonization) in the language, the architecture, the culture. Although a lot of Latin American history that includes Spain is full of tragedy and injustices, so much of what Latin America is today was influenced/imposed by Spain, including beautiful aspects of Latin American culture as well. I wanted to see first hand the plazas, churches and cathedrals, and other art and architecture in Spain, that I saw so much of in Latin America. I wanted to see how the way of life, language, culture and way of life is different. In addition, in my last couple of years at PLU I have taken quite a few Spanish classes and have learned a lot about Spanish history and contemporary society, which has really called me to study here. Entonces, ¡aqui estoy!

So, I’m going to TRY and write less than I did in Mexico…because blogging became sort of a chore after a while, but I can’t promise anything because I am the queen of being long winded and I have far too many words for my own good.

First of all, leaving home was WAY harder than the last time I studied away. Ever since I came back from Mexico I knew that I wanted to visit Spain, but I second guessed myself the whole time between returning from Mexico and applying for Spain. This is my last fall semester of college, and by studying away I am giving up the opportunity for more great leadership and job positions at PLU, as well as living with some of my best friends. I had an incredible summer with amazing friends and family that I love so much, and I was a mess upon leaving. In addition, my flight was kind of a fiasco. I thought that I was leaving early Saturday morning, but I ended up getting switched to Friday evening, with a 10 hour layover in North Carolina, in addition to the 5 hour bus ride that I had to take from Madrid to Granada. I was also worried about Hurricane Irene in North Carolina. But, nevertheless, I made it safely, and none of my flights were canceled, and I wasn’t affected by the Hurricane at all. I even met some lovely students on my flight and two girls from my program in the Madrid airport, who I bussed with to Granada! God is good.

The bus ride was long, and I was feeling pretty disoriented, tired and dirty, but excited. The first things that I noticed in Spain were the streets seeming clean and well paved, like most in the U.S., but still seeing quite a bit of grafiti on the cement walls of the freeway as we drove by. The drive from Madrid to Granada was surprisingly dry and reminded me of eastern Washington a bit…which made me have second thoughts from the start…haha. But as we got closer to Granada, the land became more hilly and green, which is my type of scene

So, I’m finally here and life is great! I have a wonderful family (who I just recently realized hosted two friends of mine in the last couple of years too!). I have a host mom and dad, two host brothers, a host sister, and host grandpa. (And two host cousins who are around quite a bit). The kids are 12, 16 and 18, and the cousins are 5 and 7. I love them all, especially Fernando the 12 year old, and the kid cousins. They are so much fun, but so loud and loco! My host mom is so sweet and fun, and makes me feel so comfortable. We live in a very small house/apartment, on the fifth floor of a complex. It is very close quarters…I live in a very small room with my roommate Elvia (who is a sweetheart, I really like her), but we are making it work. My favorite thing about my family is sitting down to eat meals with them because that’s when we spend the most time together and get to talk.

Speaking of food, we’ve had some interesting food and some really great food! I think the weirdest thing I’ve eaten has been cooked cauliflower with mayonaise on top with tuna…The yummiest thing I’ve eaten here…oh I can’t choose! Tortilla española is great, which is almost a kiesh without crust, with just potatoes, eggs and onion. My host mom’s lentil soup is great, and she made this amazing fish the other day with a seafood salad. A typical Andalucía food that she made last week was Gaspacho, which is like cold tomatoe soup with quite a bit of salt and vinegar. I think it’s pretty good! Bread (like yummy french bread) goes with every meal, and we eat a lot of fried foods (so I might be developing a little tummy…). I’m not a picky eater and have enjoyed pretty much everything we’ve eaten, but I’m really missing vegetables in my life! Luckily we do have fruit everyday too. The quirkiest thing about eating in Spain is the time that we eat! I make my own breakfast in the morning before class (around and then we don’t eat lunch till 3pm, which is the biggest meal. Then we have dinner at 10pm (not kidding!), so I get pretty hungry and end up eating a piece of fruit in between, and am still starving upon mealtime. My body is definitly getting accustomed to the schedule, (and the siestas too!)

Sitting down to eat with my family is a time when I get to practice my Spaniard Spanish a lot and it’s so fun, but it is also a time when I realize how much I have to learn! My family speaks SO fast, and with very Spanish accents, using vosotros all of the time.  I feeling confident about being able to follow the conversation most of the time, but sometimes they speak so fast and drop their s’s so much that I can’t follow (especially my host dad). I’m catching on to vosotros alright and have picked up a few Spanish/Adalusía words and phrases used here, but there is still a lot to learn! I keep realizing that even if I become a Spanish teacher someday, I will always have so much more to learn because Spanish is different everywhere you go! Some fun words I use everyday are: vale (ok), chulo, guay (cool), and no me digas! (now way!)

The city of Granada is SO beautiful, with so many beautiful buildings, plazas, fountains. Similar to Central and South America, I love how all of the buildings are all connected, and have pretty colored paint and beautiful adobe roofs. I love the architecture of old buildings like churches. I love the tiny roads, especially the cobblestone ones that snake around neighborhoods like a labyrinth. There are so many people in the street, late in to the night, especially in the hundreds of bars and cafes that there are, everyone tapeando (eating Tapas!). I’ve had a few tapas so far and it’s great. Buy a drink (like some yummy Sangira) and you get free food! I’m trying not to overdo it though so that I don’t spend too much money (Euros are worth more than dollars…so I have to be careful). Walking down the street, everyone is dressed quite nice, most women in nice dresses and heels or cute flats. The only places where people don’t look gorgeous (but still look good nonetheless) is the places where people work out. At first I couldn’t find good places to run and it seemed like people don’t run much, but in the last week I’ve actually found a couple of great parks and paths to run on near the river where I live and tons of people run there even after dark! It’s great!

My classes here are going well so far, but it’s a lot of class! (But really not too much work, at least yet). In September I have four hours of Spanish grammar class everyday and two hours of Spanish culture class twice a week. Starting in October, our grammar class meets less often and I have two more classes: Islamic Cultures in Spain and Political Systems of the European Union. My professors are great, and the directors of our program are wonderful! I especially like my grammar teachers, Ana and Fermín. Ana is full of energy and really nice, and Fermín has this hilarious dry humor and is always making witty plays on words. I really appreciate that the Spanish Culture class also involves several excursions. We’ve already had two excursions. The first was in the Realejo, which is the historically Jewish neighborhoods of Granada. The second was the Albaicín, which is the the nieghborhoods surrounding the Alhambra, which are historically muslim, and the oldest part of Granada. Both are beautiful and there is so much history in the way that the streets are laid out, the materials that buildings were made out of, the styles of architecture. Two of the best viewpoints that I’ve seen so far in Granada have been on these tours. One was on the Realejo tour when we walked up to a beautiful public garden that looked out on the city, and the second was in la plaza de San Nicolas.

Something that I’ve learned on these tours that still blows my mind is the way that architecture reflects two different cultures and religions. When Isabel and Fernando the catholic monarchs expelled the muslims and jews from Spain, there were lots of false converts, and those who did convert still held onto their cultures and customs of origin. In some of the churches, you can see that there are Muslim influences on the catholic cathedrals in the way they were constructed. Muslim converts who constructed catholic churches used their culture’s architecture. If you see arches that are almost full circles rather than half circles on the building, if the material is brick or ceramic, and with lots of designs and no human figures, it means that there are Muslim influences. If the building has human figures and is made of stone, it is most likely Christian influences.

I think I’ve definitly overdone my word limit for you so far, so I’m going to end this soon. But one more thing is that I went to the beach last weekend and swam in the mediterranean (which was surprisingly cold, and super salty!) and I got a nice sun burn from soaking up the sun .

I want to comment on what I have thinking about in terms of Diversity and Social Justice (I can never forget to see the world from a social justice lens after my leadership in the Diversity Center!), but I think I will save my observations and thoughts for next time, so that I have more time to see more and process my experiences. Until next time!

I hope and pray that all is well with you! I am loving Spain and seeing and learning a lot, but still missing home a lot too. Know that I’m thinking of you!

Besos y abrazos desde Granada,

Carrie

P.S. I’m technologically challenged, and I uploaded pics, but I can’t figure out how to have them show up on my blog…let me know if you can see them!

I sit here reflecting, over a month after my return from Oaxaca. I’ve left Oaxaca, left Mexico City, and even left Seattle, to come back to school at PLU, in Tacoma, Washington. Oaxaca is now just a memory rather than the city in which I lived for four months, and moments spent abroad are only illustrated in pictures pinned on my wall rather than moments happening in the present. I reflect on my trip, look through the pictures, tell of my experiences, memories, and what I learned to friends and family, but it’s now an experience of the past. However, Oaxaca isn’t just the name of the city and Mexican state that I lived in for four months; it’s not just the name of a study abroad program printed on a brochure. The name Oaxaca, for me, entails countless memories of laughter and friendship, learning and growth, beautiful and breathtaking sights. It brings back questions, feelings of confusion, frustration, and anger from learning about the complex conflicts and injustices in our world. It reminds me of individuals who put me in awe by living everyday, with a love, compassion, and generosity that I’ve never seen anywhere else in my life, and individuals that celebrate life amidst struggles and tragedies that life throws at them. My experience in Oaxaca is now an integral part of who I am; my personality, passions, beliefs, and outlook on life. I look back on my trip, many times sad for the warmth, beauty, color, culture, great memories and friends that I left, but I am now moved, empowered, motivated and passionate about the life ahead of me and what I can be a part of in our world. Above all, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to study and live in Oaxaca, Mexico, and am excited about the fact that we never stop learning and growing in life, and I am sure to have many more experiences that will have a similar or greater impact on my life in the future that will enable me to give back to the world in whatever way that I can.

Thank you to everyone who’s been reading my blogs! It really means a lot to me. Take care and God Bless!

We left for Chiapas at night and traveled the 12 hour bus ride while trying to sleep…and being unsuccessful at times because of the curvy, bumpy roads. We arrived the next morning to the beautiful town of San Cristobal, Chiapas, at a higher elevation and cooler climate than Oaxaca, surrounded by beautiful hills of pine trees and other green vegetation, and quaint, colorful buildings with cute matching roofs. We stayed in a nice, comfortable, little hotel with very generous and welcoming owners who cooked us delicious meals and did all that they could to make us comfortable. The man who owned the hotel even drove a few of us to the doctor to get medical attention…which was an interesting experience.

Just after Día de los Muertos and before my last trip to the beach, I got quite sick, vomiting and bad diarrhea. But then I started feeling better and my poop started looking a little more normal. (P.S. my group talks very openly about poop all of the time. It’s how we bond). But just before leaving for Chiapas, I started feeling sick again, and my runs turned into bad, watery diarrhea again. I took my Peptobismol before leaving, hoping I would get better, but it started getting worse during the first couple of days in Chiapas, and one night I had diarrhea every half hour that looked more like vomit than poop…it was very uncomfortable and a little scary. I started to realize I probably had a parasite. A couple of other girls in our group were experiencing similar issues, and a couple others were sick with other things such as bad colds and coughs that persisted for far too long. The owner of the hotel told our director “oh, there is a free health clinic that treats foreigners very well. I can take you there”. Our director gave us the choice between going to the free clinic or to a private clinic where we would have to pay 300 pesos (about 25-30 dollars). Without thinking too hard about it, we decided to go to the free clinic. We arrived, and I had a very uncomfortable experience.

It was very evidently a free clinic, very poor looking individuals and families who looked quite sick and had been waiting in line for hours, sitting in long lines that trailed outside onto the sidewalk. The owner of the hotel walked us past the line of Mexicans and straight to a door that read “urgent”. A nurse peeked her head out and asked about our ailments. She let one of our friends in, and another woman came out and walked all over the hospital asking other doctors questions and finally found another doctor for our other friend to see. My friend Becca and I were still waiting outside, but close to tears of guilt because of what was happening. It was obvious that because we were white, foreigners, we were recieveing medical attention before any of the other Mexicans who had been waiting in line all day. It was unjust privilege, justified by saying our cases were “emergencies”. It just felt so wrong, that there was an indigenous, very poor family with a screaming baby waiting outside the emergency room, and we were going to be seen before that family. Our two friends came out within a half our or so with several medications. Becca and I decided not to see a doctor, because we didn’t feel that our sicknesses were emergencies, compared to those waiting in line, and it wasn’t fair at all the privilege that they were granting us.

I came back to the hotel upset and shaken up, and decided I would just deal with my diarrhea. But luckily, my director finally convinced me to go to the private clinic. It was a polar opposite experience. We entered a very nice building that was quite vacant. I asked the nurse at the front desk if there was a chance I could see a doctor that afternoon. She said “yea, just a second”. I sat down, and two seconds later she was taking my blood pressure and temperature. A minute later, I went in to see a jolly, plump doctor who asked me about my stomach pains and poop, felt my stomach and listened to it with his stethascope. He said “yea, you have amebas” quite calmly, and perscribed me medication. I wasn’t supposed to pay the front desk, I just handed the doctor 300 pesos, which felt a little fishy. (Just to put this into perspective, 300 pesos in Mexico is a lot for a poor family. The average wage that Mexicans make PER DAY is less than five dollars.) This was one of those days where my privilege was just so obvious. I either had racial/ethnic privilege of being a white, foreigner to cut Mexicans in line at the free health clinic, Mexicans that can’t afford to receive medical attention otherwise, or I had the socioeconomic privilege to afford to hand a doctor 300 pesos and receive quick medical treatment.

In Chiapas, Witness For Peace focused on social movements in Chiapas such as the Zapatista movement. We heard presentations from many non-profit organizations such as SIPAZ, CIEPAG, and DESMI. The presentation with SIPAZ talked about the different types of violence that exist, direct violence, cultural violence and structural violence. The woman who presented was incredibly knowledgeable, and to be honest, a lot of what she talked about when right over my head. But what I did understand was very powerful. She talked about the iceberg analogy in relation with violence. Direct violence is the tip of the iceberg, and cultural and structural violence is the part of the iceberg that is beneath the water and is the larger problem, the root problem. What she was referring to with this analogy is militarization, para-militarization and war of low intensity, especially in response to the Zapatista movement. SIPAZ (which literally means YES PEACE) is an organization that is allies with rebel groups such as Zapatistas and provides information/education about such issues to the public. CIEPAG (Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas de Acción Comunitaria-which means- Center of Economic and Political Investigations and Community Action) is similar to SIPAZ, and their presentation talked about many similar issues, presented a very anti-capitalist position, and discussed the history of capitalism and neoliberalism and what has gone wrong and created violence and suffering in Mexico. They too are allies with certain pueblos and provide information about realities and injustices going on. They get their information by talking directly to the people in pueblos. DESMI (Desarrollo Económico Social de los Méxicanos Indígenas-which means-Social and Economic Development for Indigenous Mexicans) is an organization that helps autonomous communities thrive, and support their goals in creating economic alternatives (other than depending on government and corporate powers), but instead depending on community involvement. DESMI loans money to communities so that they can use it for such things as growing crops. All three organizations gave very powerful presentations that enlightened us about issues and histories that we knew nothing or very little about.  

Just to give you some context about some of the organizations and what they are talking about, (such as SIPAZ and CIEPAG): If you’re not familiar with the Zapatista movement, it happened in 1994 when the government implemented NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), which oppressed the people living in rural areas (mostly Indigenous people of Mayan descent) in Chiapas by demanding land or that their land be used for certain means (the means of corporate interests). (Meaning the government was going to exploit their land and natural resources ). But the people said “No” and declared war against the Mexican State. The government has tried to manipulate the people, create a environment of fear and terror by bringing in paramilitary groups to threaten or kill those who refused to cooperate. Para-militarization is very complicated and there too many paramilitary groups to keep track of. Paramilitary groups are made up of non-military or non-government people, many times just other people from pueblos, that the government bribes or forces individuals to threaten or kill people for government and corporate interests. When conflicts arise, the government then says to the public that certain pueblos are having political or religious disputes between themselves and that the government has nothing to do with it. There have been masacres, people who have disappeared etc.  The people rose up and demanded their rights, and their way of rebelling against the government and capitalist powers that exploit their land and commit violent acts, is by living autonomously, without any government intervention whatsoever. The Zapatistas are a revolutionary group that is not necessarily a non-violent group, because they say that if the government acts violently towards them again, they will raise arms in response. However, there are many rebel groups that are non-violent and live autonomously as well, but do not believe in reacting violently. Groups such as this are against globalization, against neoliberalism. We visited a pueblo called Tsahachen that is a part of the non-violent group called Las Albejas (which means The Bees), which was an incredible experience and helped us understand these issues a lot further.

It took us a couple of hours from San Cristobal driving through windy roads surrounded by immense beauty of endless green hills. banana trees, open green pastures of grazing cows and goats, rivers and creeks. We arrived via small dirt road with drop offs on at least one side of the road as we drove up the hills. The minute we arrived, we were surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of small children. They were all so precious, curious eyes every which way. After putting our bags and everything in the town’s school gym (where we slept on the floor), we played with kids until dinnertime. Many of the kids didn’t speak Spanish, so we had to learn a few words of their indigenous language, tsotsil, to try and communicate. But I guess the beautiful thing about kids is that you can play and have fun without words. I had such a blast with the kids, running playing tag, pato pato gallo (duck duck goose) etc. That evening we were greeted by the man who is the town’s leader of the Albejas, who has ties with Witness for Peace. We had brought food for the women in the community to cook for us, and they cooked us a lovely meal of black beans, tortillas and coffee, which we ate for every three meals a day everyday, sometimes with some eggs or potatoes as well. The women were so beautiful. They wore long black braids with ribbon tied in, they all wore pink or purple and black stitched blouses and long black skirts. Most women in the community didn’t speak Spanish either. We were happy to sleep on the gym floor and I had no problem falling asleep each night because we had such full days of activities!

The next day, we took a little hike to see the coffee that the community cultivates. It was so fun and a great learning experience. Many women and children came along with us on our hike and helped explain questions we had about the process of growing and selling coffee in addition to what the guides told us. The ripe coffee fruits were small, red, and oval shaped, and you could eat it and it tasted pretty sweet, like fresh sugar snap peas. They explained to us that the coffee is cultivated, picked, soaked/fermented, washed, dried out in the sun, it’s washed again, then dried again, and then sold to COOPs or companies that sell coffee. It’s was so fun to see the coffee drying out on the cement. The entire basketball court by the town’s school was covered in coffee beans that were drying in the sun, and a man had a rake and would walk across the beans separating them. People also dry coffee beans on their tin roofs. A very cool thing to see. Tsahachen is a part of a coffee COOP, and refuse to sell to corporations because the trade is unfair and they would rather sell within their community. They have been offered to cultivate non-organic coffee that can be mass produced, but they, like many other communities refuse to do so because it destroys the land/makes the soil much less fertile, which they see as killing a part of their identity because they have such a tie to mother nature. It was a beautiful hike and we saw many lookouts of the mountains and hills. Pictures can’t capture the beauty.

Later that day, we had the town’s leader of the Albejas speak to us about the pueblo’s experience with violence that the government and corporate powers are responsible for. Almost the entire pueblo came to listen with us. They started off the meeting with the chorus group singing a song, which was so good! They were accompanied by accordion and guitar, and it sounded very upbeat and happy, but the lyrics spoke of injustice. “Vamos todos a luchar para el sociedad civil. Para un Mexico mejor y un pueblo con justicia” was the chorus of one of the songs that they sang which means “Let us all fight for civil society. For a better Mexico and a town with Justice”. Jose, the town leader told us of a massacre that happened in a neighboring town called Acteal, committed by a paramilitary group twelve years ago. The paramilitaries entered the pueblo and the people scattered and hid. Many hid in the town church, but the paramilitaries heard children crying, entered the church and opened fire, killing over 40 people, many of which were women and children, and some pregnant women as well. Jose talked about how the government denied having anything to do with the incident. He said that the government is the one who tries to create divisions between communities, buying followers, telling people to stay quiet about the injustices that have occurred. But he, just as the rest of the community talked about how they will not stay quiet, and they will keep fighting for justice. “No vamos a callar, no vamos a quedar aqui, vamos a seguir caminando” he said. They don’t want revenge, they want justice. Some paramilitaries were put in jail, but were just recently released early because the supreme court said that they were denied a fair trial. Watching the faces of these people was so powerful. There was so much pain in their eyes as they heard Jose retell the story, but they remained strong, as they believe in continuing the fight. It was so inspiring to see individuals who have experienced so much pain and injustice live with so much hope and strength. Jose told us that what we can do for them is fight for justice in our own lives, and be witnesses for them, tell the truth, the truth that the government is lying. The last day that we were in Tsahachen, we were saying goodbye to the town, and thanking the women for the meals that they cooked us. One of the women began to speak and started crying. She said that she was very content to have us visit and that she cooked the food for us with her whole heart. It was so touching to hear her say that, and at first I was so surprised that our visit meant so much to her. But after thinking for a while and talking with others, I realized that our visit meant so much because she has witnessed so much injustice and lived with so much oppression and pain, and having others to listen and be witnesses and allies for their community gives them so much hope. Espeically because us being North Americans, whose country has done immense damage to many indigenous communities via corporate exploitation, but being North Americans that are fighting for justice, gives them hope for a better future.

The day we left Tsahachen, we visited Acteal, the town that had been massacred. It was a very intense experience. The first thing we saw when we pulled up was a statue of corpses lying on top of one another, with faces of suffering. The statue read “Pillar of Shame” and had news paper articles attached to it. One read “They stole our fruit, they cut our branches, they burned our trunk, but they can never kill our roots”. We talked to one of the community leaders who told us of the massacre and the lies that the government had been telling. Hearing him tell of the massacre, first hand from a community member who witnessed it, and still chose to remain non-violent, was incredibly inspiring. He said that they continue fighting for justice with faith in God and hope for a better future, that justice will be brought. We walked around the small pueblo, and even entered the church where the massacre had happened. It was a very small, wooden structure with a floor of soil and wooden benches. Towards the front of the church were pictures of those who were killed as well as candles lit. When we entered, everybody was silent, and tears fell from some of our shocked eyes. We also went to see the memorials for those who had been killed. There were pictures, alters and candles for every individual who was killed, as well as several murals expressing the pain, suffering, and grief the massacre had caused the community. We all left a little more somber, but glad to have had the powerful experience of visiting Acteal, because it really made such injustice a reality and pushed us to think very critically and deeply about all that we had seen and learned.

On one of our last days in Chiapas, we took an excursion to Palenque, which are Mayan ruins very close to the Guatemalan border. On the way we stopped at waterfalls called Agua azul. Both the waterfalls and the ruins were absolutely magnificent and beautiful. I’d like to share one of my journal entries about our trip to Palenque that not only has to do with describing what it looked like, but my reflections about what I had learned the days before. I had a lot of time to think on the bus ride there:

“The road to Palenque is beautiful. With every mile, the vegetation becomes more tropical and the climate warmer and more humid. The people begin to look different, their mayan descent is evident with slimmer faces and bodies, and a different stitch in their traditional blouses. Women near our bus with bags of fruit or snacks as we slow down over a speed bump. Another woman holds out a basket begging for money. Young boys carry firewood with the strap of a bag on their foreheads. Young girls carry buckets of bananas balanced on their heads. The faces of these people are much more serious and painful than those of Oaxaca or San Cristobal. They read a history of immense exploitation and injustice, discrimination against their native descent, despite their ancestors genius, creators of great architecture. The ruins of this genius beauty can still be seen in a touristy location amongst banana tree leaves and layers of jungle, thick vines hanging like streamers connecting the tall trees that hold a mysterious history as crickets buzz and birds sing. Turquoise blue river water turns white like lace as it tumbles gracefully down smooth light brown rocks. The tropical vegetation and different art makes me feel as though I’m in an entirely different country. As I shift in my seat as the bus bumps and jerks around turns, dodging other trucks, I stare out the window, seeing inexplicable beauty, endless bright green. Patches of land cultivate beans, pumpkin and corn. Others are bare and a depressing brown and burnt from clearing trees to sell lumber. My brows furrow with concern. My heart calls out to the indigenous people as I see a billboard graffitied with the phrase “Death to Capitalism”. Men in traditional white hats walk down the roadside next to a sign that reads “You are now entering Zapatista territory”. I respect these people for their endless fight of resistance and admire their autonomy and sacrifice. They are so strong. My soundtrack of this trip is alternative hip hop that speaks to the same fight that these people are behind; against the beast of globalization and neoliberalism that exploits their land and resources and causes poverty and suffering. I conclude that there is so much to be learned by simply seeing and listening when traveling to other countries. So much to learn from these oppressed people. Thank god I can’t sleep on car rides.”

We had a goodbye session, wrapping up all that we had seen, learned, experienced, and discussed that week and throughout our entire trip, during our last day. A man named Julio, who is a Zapatista and drove us to visit Tsahachen and Acteal, spoke with us. He had really incredible, uplifting and inspiring things to say. He talked about how despite all of the injustices in this world, and the complex issues that seem impossible to change, and the powers that seem impossible to defeat, there is, of course, hope. He said, if we listen with our hearts, this world would be very different. If we let our hearts lead us, and we let dignity be what moves and motivates us, there is hope. He said we can’t just see or hear issues that are going on in our world, we need to let ourselves feel. If we allow ourselves to feel, that is when we seek justice. When have to care about our impact on others, and be aware and conscientious about how the entire world is connected, because if not, we are harming others. For example, with globalization, and land privatization, the indigenous people are not only being exploited, but they lose their identity because nature is a part of their spirituality, and identity. When we take away what is most key to their spirituality and identity, we are committing great injustice. We simply have to ask ourselves “is it just or is it not just?” We can reform, modify and change laws, but most of the time those laws change in favor of those with the most power. I really liked it when he said “You cannot reform justice”. He said, I ask you and invite you to see, listen and feel with your heart, and that way we can continue learning in this life. I ask you to have contact, respect and coexist with mother nature. He said “we are not against development. We are against this kind of development. The kind that only benefits very few”. He was referring to capitalism, globalization, neoliberalism, and in terms of the damage it has done to Mexico, especially the indigenous population. “It’s not money that we’re asking for. It’s dignity, respect, and coexistence”. We need to respect and celebrate our differences. This world is a rainbow of diversity, but when we try to mix all the colors together, we end up with gray-the color of sadness and grief and suffering. He said “those with power, have money. Those who rebel, have dignity.” A quote that I really like from the Zapatistas is “quisieron enterrarnos, pero olvidaron que somos semillas” which means, “they tried to burry us, but they forgot that we were seeds.”

During our wrap up session, we also talked about ways to take action on the individual, community, national and international level. It really helped to talk about taking action, because a lot of times we learn about tragic, confusing, complex and frustrating issues in our world and feel powerless. But it really helped me see how I want to live my life with consciousness, dignity and hope, like Julio said. We also talked about what it will be like going home, and talking about what we have learned to different people in our lives, and how to have respectful and respectable conversations with different individuals from all viewpoints.

Our very last activity was an activity where we passed around a jar full of beans, and we had to think to ourselves, out of everything that we have learned, seen, experienced here in Mexico, including with Witness for Peace, what one thing we will take with us when we leave. We went around in a circle, said what we would take, and took a bean out of the jar to symbolize that one thing. I thought it was going to be a cheesy activity at first, but it ended up being very powerful. Everyone had something very thoughtful and sincere to say, and by the time we got around the circle, we were all bawling our eyes out. (Unfortunately I was one of the last people to speak in the circle, so I was struggling to get words out of my mouth between my sobs) haha. What I said was “I will take with me the power of relationships. The fact that we can learn anything from anyone in our lives, no matter where we are or how different we are from others. Every interaction we have with another individuals is important because we never stop learning in this life, and we never stop meeting and having relationships with others.” I had a lot more to say, and felt like I couldn’t and didn’t articulate it in the way I really wanted to, but it’s okay because when the activity was over, we all hugged each other crying out of sadness that this trip is coming to an end soon, but joy because of the great friendship we’ve made with each other here.

I can’t believe it is already December…I’m trying not to think about it. The thought of leaving is already a little bittersweet. I’m excited to come back home to spend Christmas with my family and to visit all of my friends, but I will definitely be leaving a part of my heart here in Mexico, and know I’ll be back someday. But, I still have three weeks left, and I know from experiencing this trip that a lot can happen in three weeks, so I’m doing my best to live in the moment, and take advantage of being in a city and country that I’ve come to love. 

I hope and pray that you all are well in health and spirit. Love you and see you soon. (And I will talk about my internship during a different blog…I think I’ve taken up enough of your time for today). Thank you for reading my blog! Take care.

Con amor,

Carrie

So, they say “Día” de los Muertos, but really, Día needs to be Días, because there were seriously celebrations going on for a week long! Weeks before the week of Día de los Muertos, people were talking about their plans for making their alters, what they were going to cook, what celebrations they were going to participate in, which cemeteries they were going to visit. A few days before Muertos, I went to Mercado de Abastos, a huge market in downtown Oaxaca. I went with the Yoga studio that I attend once in a while because the Yoga studio is also a house that supports young Mexican women and gives them resources to receive an education. They have annual Muertos celebrations of going to the market to buy items for the alter, setting up the alter together, cooking tamales and having a Muertos dinner celebration with all of the women in the house and any yoga students that want to attend. Unfortunately, because of all of the events that our program and school planned for us, I was only able to help the girls going to the market, but I still had a blast and a very cultural experience in doing so. It was the most colorful and bustling place I’ve ever seen. There were marigolds and other flowers being sold every where you looked. There were people swarming the market buying multiple baskets and bags full of pan de muertos (bread of the dead), fruit, nuts, veggies, chocolate, sweets, spices, mezcal, decorations and more to offer the dead on their alters. There was an entire section of pan de muertos, pan of every size, huge loaves of bread with little decorations or muñecas, colorful plastic skulls or faces placed on top of every loaf. It was so crowded, I felt like I was floating along in the sea of the crowd, without a care of how many people were bumping into me or pressed up against me. It was loud and bustling, so exciting, I felt so exhilarated. The girls bought way more than I was expecting. We each carried a large woven bag that hurt our arms and shoulders from the weight we were carrying, as well as sharing the weight of another bag with the other hand, and underneath our arms we clutched boquets of flowers. The girls bought two large sticks of sugar cane, and after lugging all of the groceries to a taxi and placed almost everything in the back, one of the girls and I held the two sugar cane poles out the window of the taxi, and they had to have been at least two or three feet longer than the taxi.

At School, the week of Muertos, we made masks and painted them so that we would all have one to wear for our comparsa (parade). It was really fun. We all helped each other smear Vaseline all over our faces, then paste pieces of wet gauze all over only leaving nose holes to breathe. Everyone painted thier mask in a very creative and original way, it was so cool to see what each person came up with. I decided to make mine a skull but with colorful flowers pasted at the forehead (this seems to be a typical Día de los muertos theme- Skeleton decorations dressed in colorful skirts and hats with flowers all over). The comparsa was way too much fun! We had a band come to the school to play traditional music as we marched down the neighboorhood streets with two large traditional dolls (somebody gets inside of the costume and dances around). We danced around in the sunshine to the music with all of our friends, and at every corner we were encouraged (…more like forced..) to take a little shot of Mezcal. Seeing as I am quite a light weight and don’t drink very often, I (and many of my friends) got much more tipsy than anticipated. But it was a very fun cultural experience and I’m not going to lie, we were quite a happy, giggly bunch.

The next evening, we visited three different panteónes (cemeteries). One was the general panteón, and the other was one called Xoxo (pronounced Hoho), and there is a new and old panteón in Xoxo. Going to the panteónes really challenged my cultural norms, in a good way. I was surprised to see that outside of the cemeteries, there were carnival type things going on. It was compelete with rides, games that you see at fairs (the ones where you shoot something and win a large stuffed animal), delicious and fattening food, cotton candy and other sweets, music, and TONS of people. At the panteón general, there weren’t many people visiting the graves, but there were tons of tourists, Mexicans and foriegners, and there were tons of flowers and candles, and alters set up. My first reaction was “Oh my gosh, I feel like this is so wrong. We’re all being so loud and taking pictures and walking on graves. I feel like we should be quiet and reflective, and praying”. But I think the point of Día de los Muertos is that life and death are so close together, and although it’s okay and normal to mourn over loved ones, we should celebrate their lives! That’s the whole point of putting up an alter, is to offer your loved ones things that they loved in their lifetime. They drink and dance and sing and eat tons of food because they are remembering and celebrating the lives of the dead! Xoxo was incredible! It was such a huge party! Not only was there a carnival going on, there was an even bigger market, concerts going on, and I can’t even describe how many people were there! In the cemetery, it was so interesting. There were flowers and candles everywhere, and a family at almost every grave. Some were singing and laughing and drinking mezcal, others were silent, and others seemed to be mourning. I felt a little strange being a tourist and just staring at people sitting at thier graves, but there were tons of people walking through the cemetery as well, and visiting the panteónes is something that many Mexican families do as well. At the second panteón in Xoxo, the environment was a little different. It was a little more quiet, and a little more gloomy. It was still beautiful with flowers and candles and decorations, but the people visiting the graves were much more quiet and sad looking, and those who were singing seemed to be singing a melencholy tune.

I also visited the cemetery in Teotitlan when I vistied that weekend again. It was much different visiting the panteón during the day because I actually got to see all of the colors present! Orange, pink, red, green, white, flowers of many kinds, but mainly marigolds. The panteón in Teotitlan was much more quiet and there were much less people, but it was a beautiful experience. We sat on the grave of the grandpa of the family, we chatted amongst ourselves and ate fruit and nuts. The grandma was sitting closest to the grave and was crying and I saw her take a few shots of mezcal. I realized that the point of mezcal isn’t only to make people happy and celebrate the lives of the dead, but its a symbol of memory. If the person who died liked mezcal, you drink mezcal to remember them. I think going to the panteónes was the most powerful and enriching experience of Día de los Muertos and really helped me to see and understand what the holiday is all about. It also helped me to feel much less scared about death and ghosts or spirits. It didn’t scare me to think that my host parents believed that thier parents were going to come and visit the house and the alter, and be in the house. It was beautiful.

The visit went very well, and Juan and Petrona continue to blow me away with generosity. The other girls that stayed in thier house with me the last time and I printed pictures from our last visit and made a little photo album with a thank you card on the front. We bought them cookies and soda as a little treat as well to bring. We got there, and they were grateful to recieve our gifts, but Juan had made the three of us purses to gift us! It takes at least a full day to make a purse, so he took three full days of work to make purses for us! Also, we did not stop eating since the minute we arrived. We ate egg soup, tortillas, tamales, fruit, nuts, lots of pan de muertos, chocolate, atole, and best of all, Mole. It was the best Mole I’ve ever tried in my life. We left with tummy aches because of being stuffed to the brim. We can never repay the generosity that we have received from them.

Another activity that we did was going to a town called Etla to see thier comparsas. It was an interesting experience. I accompanied President Anderson (the president of PLU) and his wife during the visit to the town because they visited for Día de los muertos. In Etla, people traditionally make thier own costumes, some of which look like Halloween costumes, and others are just very creative and bazaar. Our director was explaining that the tradition in Etla started with a street theatre type performance with political satire to make a point or send a message. 

In the zócalo in Oaxaca, there were similar comparsas with strange costumes. A few of my friends and I listened to the music and watched the people in costume dance and then joined in on the dancing too. It was very fun. It was pretty interesting all week to see the curious mix of traditional Día de los Muertos aspects and Halloween. People show up to the cemeteries dressed in grusome costumes, little kids all over town had parades with thier schools, and some were dressed up in traditional costumes, but others were dressed in halloween costumes. And the people go ALL OUT with costumes! There were little kids as young as 3 or 4 dressed up as pumpkins, devils, vampires, what have you, complete with face paint and fake blood! It was fun to see.

Also that week, there were two more girls staying in my host families house. A girl named Jara who is in a post-baccaloriate program for medical students and the guide of her program. They were both very sweet, fun and smart women, and I had a great time getting to know them and was very sad to say goodbye. 

All of the eating tons of food, drinking, staying out late, etc. caught up to me and I got sick soon after Día de los Muertos…but I would definitely say it was worth it. It was a once in a lifetime experience…well I hope I get a chance to come back and see it again!

Tonight my group leaves for a ten day excursion to Chiapas with Witness for Peace. We will be focusing on Social Movements that have happened there and hear and learn from the people. I’m very excited and ready for yet another adventure! I wish I had time to write more, because there is so much more to say about my experience in Oaxaca this last month, but I ahve to go catch the bus for Chiapas in like 15 minutes…(I’m now quite accustomed to Mexican time…always being fashionably late). 

I hope you are all doing very well! I love you all and will see you in about a month and a half! ¡No manches! God bless, and talk to you soon.

Carrie

I think I’m experiencing a mid-viaje crisis! haha. I just glanced at my calendar this week and realized how little time is left! Yes, I still have much more to experience, but time is just whizzing by! I’ve been here for almost two months now, and just a bit more than two more to go. I have about four weeks left of my classes for fall semester, then we have a 10 day trip to Chiapas, (our last excursion with Witness for Peace), and then I have a month long internship…and then I’m home for Christmas! Qué cosa. 

I recently returned from one of my most powerful experiences thus far, here in Mexico. Last weekend, we took our second excursion with Witness for Peace. We stayed with families in small indigenous towns to meet the people who live there, listen to their stories, see what life is like for them, and especially learn how they have been impacted by immigration. I stayed with a great family, a woman named Patrona, her husband Juan and her son David. Their house was very small and simple, and they had several chickens, a turkey, and a very cute dog named Tootsie. Both Patrona and Juan weave rugs, bags, and other pieces of artwork for a living. (So does the majority of the town). Patrona also makes tamales and sells them. Their family has a couple of wooden weaving machines, and Juan showed us how to weave a bit! Patrona also taught us how to make tamales (a very long process), and it was so much fun! I felt so at home right away, because Patrona was so incredibly friendly, loving and generous, and the family let us participate in thier everyday lives. We helped prepare meals, clean up, etc. I felt so bad at times, for example,  they refused to let us sleep on the floor, they gave us their beds and they slept on the floor! They give so much even when they have so little. I honestly felt more at home there than I do with my host family in Oaxaca.

The organization that we worked with in Teotitlan is called Nueva Vida, which is an organization of fourteen women who have gotten together and created a micro-empresa, selling thier artwork. In addition to being amazing women because they have broken the traditional roles of women and created thier own business, (they are expected to stay at home, cook, clean, take care of children, and obey her husband), they have also created programs benefitting the pueblo. They started a reforestation project in the hills of the pueblo and the project has been continued by other groups in the pueblo using usos y costumbres (I’ll explain this in a minute). They also promote sustainability throughout the community by painting messages about not littering and recycling on trash cans and recycle bins and place them throughout the town. We visited the reforestation site, and it was one of the most beautiful, peaceful places I’ve visited in my life. The women showed us many herbs used for medicine as well as plants used to paint the wool that they use for weaving. We also helped paint some trash and recycle bins and contributed new messages about sustainability.

So usos y costumbres, or tequios, are the responsiblities that each member of the community must take on. As we’ve learned in Sociology, Oaxaca state is made up of 8 regions, 20 districts, 570 municipios, and then seperate communities. Each municipio is self governing, but is also governed by the federal government. Tequios (community work) are separated into three groups; political, civic and social, and religious work. Indigenous publeos like Teotitlan are criticized for their form of self governance for a few different reasons. It is said that there is religious intolerance, discrimination against women, discrimination against those from outside of the community, and a violation of human rights. Although some of these aspects were visible when staying in Teotitlan, the town has progressed a lot, and seems to function quite well. In many indigenous pueblos where there is a large amount of poverty, there seems to be a high rate of alcoholism, domestic violence, and women seem to be powerless. But it was so cool to learn from this empowered group of women who have changed so much in thier community. I asked Patrona how things have changed. She answered that a lot has to do with the federal government bringing programs that educate the community about health, domestic violence awareness, and other issues. With an increase in education, many changes were made in the community. (at least one positive thing the government has done!) I saw many murals painted throughtout town, spreading awareness about environmental issues, violence, and alcoholism. It was cool to see such change. The women also answered that women have gained more rights and power in the community as a result of immigration. 

Because life is so difficult in a rural setting; growing and gathering all of their resources from the campo, with very little income from the products that they sell, and many things that can go wrong with crops, family issues, health, etc. many families are forced to look for work elsewhere, and migrate. I can guarentee that every member of the community in Teotitlan has a family memeber that has immigrated because of poverty and the harsh living situations, and the search for work in order to support thier families. The few benifits that families of immigrants recieve is money from the family member (that is if they find work and have enough money to send back home), and when men are gone from the family, women then have authority in the family and are able to participate in the community more, gaining more rights. 

The most powerful thing about living in Teotitlan for a few days was getting to know the people, and from those relationships understanding larger issues in our world. Although it may seem that many people who travel to the “third world”, travel to “help” those in need. This is great, but I learned in Teotitlan that we have SO much to learn from poor communities, perhaps more than we could ever do for them. I learned so much about living simply and smartly, conserving resources, generosity and love, and more than anything, I learned how hard people in Mexico work. I was discussing this experience with my intercambio, Denise, and she said “I really think that’s what you can learn from your experience, is how hard Mexicans work. No matter what situation a family is in economically, they are going to work their butts off to make ends meet, without complaining.” Our U.S. mindset is far too often judging and discriminatory against latinos, and especially immigrants. We hardly ever think about the tough life that immigrants are forced to leave in order to find work or a better life,  and what they are sacrificing in order to support thier families (and may never see thier families again). The director of Vida Nueva told us “We don’t want charity, we want market, to make a living. Please, what you can do for us, is help change the mindset that NorthAmerians have about Mexicans, help them to understand our situations, and tell them what we are really like. And tell them to come and see for themselves how we live.” I left with a totally new perspective about immigration and how we treat immigrants in our country. In my opinion, the answer to illegal immigration is not deporting as many people as we can, it is helping improve the root causes of poverty, which is the reason why so many people turn to illegally immigrating. (And trying to legally immigrate is pretty much impossible in the U.S.!)

I had an incredibly powerful experience in Teotitlan, and my family invited us back for Dia de los Muertos! I’m super excited, as I consider them my second family in Mexico. So here are a few other experiences I’ve had lately and other things I’ve learned:

Two weekends ago was a weekend full appreciating the beauty of nature. Our group went on a day trip to a beautiful place called Hierve el Agua (which literally means Boiling Water…even though the springs aren’t hot). Our group took a hike with breathtaking views of green hills and mountains, trees, enormous rock formations shaped by the carbon springs, cactus, and other interesting plants and bugs. After the great hike we were sufficiently hot and sweaty and we jumped in the carbon spring pools which were cool and refreshing. We had a great guide that explained the geology and biology of the marvels of nature there, as well as the history of the first nations that lived on the land and the significance it had for their people. An interesting and frustrating fact that our guide told us is that the Mexican government has spent a plethora of money on constructing hotels and resorts in small towns to create infrastructure and business, but have ended up leaving them unfinished, untouched, and empty. On our hike we walked by an empty resort/hotel with a huge, but empty pool overlooking the mountains. It is frustrating because the government seems to waste money on extravagant projects with a supposedly beneficial goal, but haven’t followed through and have simply wasted money when they could be spending money much more efficiently.

Another great adventure that I experienced last week was going on great hike with my friend’s host Mom. There is an overlook of Oaxaca nearby, with huge flights of stairs leading up to the lookout. I often  exercise/run there, but my friend’s Mom took us to trails further up with incredible views of Oaxaca City and the mountains of San Felipe (a smaller town just north of Oaxaca). It was absolutely beautiful (and a great workout!).

With the same friend’s host Mom, a few friends and I went on a benefit run raising money for breast cancer last weekend. The run was a fairly small event that took place at a nearby park, but it was a fun and great experience, was empowering to see Oaxacan women organizing such an event, and it was great to get the chance to run somewhat competitively again, and for a great cause. 

Last week’s classes have been good, a continuation of lots of reading (a little too much for my attention span and my tooshie…), but the focus of my classes have been very interesting and  powerful this week. In my Literature class, we read several stories from a book called “Llano en Llamas” written by Juan Rulfo. The book is a collection of stories narrating lives in rural Mexico and describing his vision of the world; focusing on poverty, sadness and suffering. We also talked a lot about “Mexico in Crisis” and several authors that have written about powerful events in Mexico, including Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Carlos Mosivais, Elena Poniatowska, and more. Right now, we are reading Gringo Viejo, written by Carlos Fuentes, which is a story about Ambrose Bierce, a North American writer who in his old age, decided to come fight in the Mexican Revolution to die with dignity. 

We’ve recently talked about a few events in Mexico’s history such as the the massacre of Tlatelolco in 1968 and the earthquake in 1985, as well as crisis that Mexico is currently experiencing. I really enjoyed learning about such historical events as well as current issues as they illustrate the history of Mexican politics and corruption. The massacre of Tlatelulco happened during a social movement in which many students were a part of. Students from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and others (a total of 2 million people), organized in La Plaza de Las Tres Culturas in Mexico City and peacefully protested against the Mexican government. They protested the government’s priorities and demanded educational reform, and increase of funding on the Government’s part. The Mexican government was getting ready for the Olympics and feared the reaction from other countries to the protests. The crowd vocally insulted the government and said such things as “We don’t want the Olympics, we want revolution!” The Mexican army then blocked all entrances to the plaza and opened fire on the crowd, killing between 200 and 300 people, then quickly cleaned up the bodies (without identifying them) and the blood, pretending as if nothing had happened. (I gave a presentation in class about “Posdata”, a book written by Octavio Paz which includes an explanation of the Massacre of Tlatelolco). Every October 2nd, there are still protests all over Mexico about what happened that day, and in Oaxaca on October 2nd this year, there was a huge march with thousands of people, as well as graffiti sprayed in many places saying things such as “October 2, 1968, we will never forget”. 

We also talked a lot about the 8.1 earthquake that happened in Mexico City in 1985. The earthquake lasted two minutes, but destroyed 68 buildings, caused 150-200 million lost jobs, and 35-40 million deaths. The Mexican government is highly criticized because it took them six days to take action cleaning up the rubble and recovering bodies. They found people trapped under buildings, still alive ten days after the earthquake had happened! The PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) started losing credibility and power after this event because of the disaster that they caused. Many people compare this tragic event with with Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. and how the Bush administration received a lot of criticism for having sent aid far too slowly to those affected.

Current crisis happening in Mexico has much to do with the current government of Felipe Calderón. Calderón is very conservative economically, and has neoliberal tendencies. He has promised to improve the drug war going on, but in reality things have gotten far worse. It’s estimated that narcotrafficking has profited $142 billion dollars last year, and the violence, brutality and murders that have happened because of it have drastically increased. (Amigos, please consider the drug wars going on here in Mexico and your decisions to buy or consume drugs (including marijuana), and the fact that you are giving profit to bloodshed). Calderón is seen as corrupt by the majority of Mexicans that I talk to. We just read an article that is very concerning that says that Calderóns 2010 budget proposal to fight the economic crisis is a “2% tax on food and medicine, both of which are currently exempt from taxation, and increases in the prices of electricity, gas and water. Pushing the initiative to “combat poverty,” Calderón said, “If we arrive at a point where poor families consume less water, without sacrificing their well-being, consume less electricity, we are going to help these families save money, but we are going to save our own budget, because each kilowatt that is not consumed represents a subsidy that we don’t have to pay”". Calderón, in my eyes, is clearly not trying to combat poverty, but rather is trying to gain as much money for himself as possible, and is seriously corrupt! 

The day I returned from Teotitlan, it was Columbus Day. There was a massive protest by API, Asosiación de Personas Indígenas, and indigenous people marched down the main street where my school is located, for over an hour! They expressed having suffered since the arrival of Columbus and the fact that they are still deprived of rights. It was so powerful to see, especially just coming back from Teotitlan. I support them fully! 

Because of my realization that I have such little time left here in Mexico, I am going to another beach this weekend called Puerto Angel. It’s supposed to be much more tranquilo than other beaches, which will be nice because I have a literature paper to write…

I hope and pray that all is well with you! Take care. 

Love,

Carrie

The last couple of weeks have been a new chapter in my experience in Mexico. After returning from the Mexico City trip, we immediately started new classes and new schedules. I am taking a Sociology of Mexico and Oaxaca class, and a Mexican Literature class. For Sociology, I have an incredible professor that makes the class very interesting, tackling subjects that are very relevant to our experience here. So far, we’ve been talking a lot about the composition and culture of families in Mexico , gender inequality/machismo and domestic violence in Mexico, Migration and how it affects Mexican families, and how all of the above are interconnected. In literature class, our director from PLU, Jim Predmore, is the professor. We just finished reading a novel called “Los de Abajo” written by Mariano Azuela, which is a story about the Mexican Revolution from the viewpoint of campesino revolutionaries. It is very interesting because the author expresses the opinion that many who were revolutionaries were very ignorant and did not understand the big picture of why they were fighting the revolution. Although they wanted revenge against the federals for personal motives – federals raiding their homes, stealing their crops or lifestalk, kidnapping or raping thier wives, killing community and family memebers, setting thier houses on fire, and other atrocious acts that affected them personally, they did not understand the big picture of what the revolution was all about. Also, Azuela expresses the opinion that both the revolutionaries and federals were corrupt and selfish, and expressed the viewpoint that in war, there is never necessarily a “good” or “bad” side. Both sides can be violent, corrupt, and fight for selfish reasons rather than for a cause or their country. This makes me think a lot about conflict and war in our world today and where there might be truth in Azuela’s opinion right now in our world. Both classes are great so far, although I’ve had to readjust to sitting on my butt for half the day reading…oh college! I’ve also been struggling to stay on my toes and be productive because I don’t have a set schedule here (activities other than class and studying), and there is so much to see and do, and I’m always surrounded by friends…I get distracted so easily here! But my productivity is getting better, and I’m getting better about being willing to sacrifice going out with friends to dinner or dancing so that I can get homework done and stay on a healthy sleep schedule. 

This weekend many friends and I went on a great adventure to a beach called Puerto Escondido which is between 6-12 hours driving (depending on which route you take and how much windy roads you can handle..). It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to in my life! Palm trees, white and yellow sand, warm ocean water that is turqoise blue and clear, hot sun. We stayed in a hostel called the Mayflower, which was great. I shared a room with five other girls, there was a kitchen where we cooked dinner, and we met many other people from around the world! We met people from France, New Zeland, Australia, Spain, Italy, and several different states in the U.S. I’m definitely a fan of hostels now as they are much more affordable and I get to meet awesome people from around the world!

The hostel was pretty much ten steps from one of the beaches, which was awesome and convenient. The town was smaller and more quaint than I had expected, but the main business is still tourism. The minute we set foot on the beach, we were bombarded with offers to take boat rides, take surfing lessons, or buy souveniers. At times I felt so strange at the beach and felt that it was so unjust that all of us privileged white tourists were basking in the sun, jumping in the waves, and sipping on piña coladas or coconut milk, while all of the Mexicans in the area were waiting around for tourists to give them business. One memory I have that made me quite sad, was that it started downpouring while we were on the beach and we all ran to the hostel to dry off, but several men that had been on the beach all day long trying to sell bags, hammoks, and other souveniers, were crouched under a building to keep thier merchindise from getting wet, but as soon as the rain let up, they would continue down the beach, continuing to try selling what they could once again. I understand that tourism is a good thing in many ways because it creates infrastructure and business, and gives individuals jobs. However, first of all, there is still a very concerning amount of poverty present and secondly, I often feel like tourism takes away from the culture of many areas. I learned nothing about the costal culture while there, but it was far too easy to find out which bars had free drinks on ladies’ night. Most of my Mexican friends in Oaxaca are studying subjects such as business, administration, advertising, or tourism, all of which apply to industrialization and increasing tourism in Mexico. I still don’t quite know what I think of all that…

It was definitely worth the trip, and I spent every day in the warm ocean water playing in the huge waves and laying in the sun with my friends. The main reason why we went was beacuse it was our friend Reed’s birthday, so we bought a cake, I sang “las mañanitas” to him, and with the help of three of our girls, we succesffully smashed his face into the cake, Mexican style! I think he had a good time. haha.

A very unfortuante event happened my last night in Puerto Escondido. On the way home from one of the bars on the beach, several of our students were robbed at knife point and some physically assaulted. It really shook up some of my friends and those of us who were not a part of the groups that were robbed spent the rest of the night calming them down and talking them through what had just happened. The feelings that my friends who were robbed expressed were anger, being upset, disappointed and scared. I thank God that everyone is alive and okay. I feel so fortunate to not have been in the groups that were assaulted, and that I can look at the big picture of what happened and why. We are foreigners that obviously attract attention, and looking foreign automatically gives people the idea that we have money. In a country where there is a large amount of poverty, people are willing to take drastic measures to get money, as it’s a necessity for surviving. Also, Mexico is a country where there is much more sexism and machismo present. Not only do men see women as sex objects (no matter what you are wearing), but foreign women are a huge target because the stereotype and image of women in the U.S. is that we are easy and promiscuous. We had a talk with our program director and the director of our school in Oaxaca, and she talked to us about how to protect ourselves from this sort of think happening in the future, and culturally why we experienced what we did. She explained that in a machismo culture, the ideology is that women always have the blame for whatever happens to them. (Hearing her say this made me want to scream! It’s so unjust!) If they are assaulted, molested, raped or what have you, nobody will sympathize with you because people will believe that you were asking for attention with what you’re wearing, or drinking or the manner in which you were dancing, etc. One of our students went to the police after being assaulted, and the police did absolutely nothing. Foreigners are also a huge target because if you are assaulted or robbed, if you want to bring a case to court, it takes years to get settled, and most foreigners are only here temporarily, so it is easy to take advantage of us because we won’t have time to bring our cases to court. It was an unfortunate thing that happened, and although our group could have taken a few more precautions, it was not their fault and it was just chance that it happened to them. At least everyone is more or less okay and we all learned from the experience. I remember sitting on a hammock in the hostel with one of my friends who had been assaulted that night, and she laughed out loud and said, “Wow. This is the real world, Carrie”. Isn’t it peculiar that something so ugly can happen amongst so much beauty? That is reality, isn’t it?

To be honest, I almost didn’t go on the trip because I felt overwhlemed and felt that we had just returned from our D.F. trip, and all I wanted to do was relax in Oaxaca, get to know the city better and hang out with Mexican friends…rather than our big group of 27 gringos. (I love everyone in my group but I am sometimes embarrassed and overwhelmed when we are all together, it seems like we’re taking over the venue). I’ve realized that we’ve already been here for over a month, and sometimes I still feel like we’re so busy hopping around from one adventure to the next, and we’ve hardly spent time exploring Oaxaca! Sometimes I feel still feel like we’re just visiting rather than living here. I want to LIVE here for the next three months! What does that mean?-I ask myself. Well, I had a great day the other day where I ran errands by myself in town, went to the book store, got a mango popsicle to eat, and ran into friends at a nearby park and sat down and chatted for a while before I went on my way once again. It was a beautiful day in that I really did feel like I was a part of Oaxaca, I didn’t feel out of place. I knew exactly where I was and where I needed to go, I felt comfortable and happy, and I ran into locals who are my friends! I hope to have more of those experiences in the next few weeks and months, and I think it might take wandering around the city alone a bit more. I don’t know if I will actually ever feel like I truly know Oaxaca like I live here, because there are so many hidden treasures to be discovered here. The other day I went wandering around town with a friend and we were actually looking for a place to take traditional Oaxacan dance classes. We couldn’t find the building, so we instead stopped at an adorable two story cafe overlooking one of the Catholic cathedrals and the hills of Oaxaca behind it. While we were perched on the second floor eating, a traditional Oaxacan parade came down the street and into the square of the cathedral! It was so happy and colorful, traditional skirts flowing with the dance, big paper maché figures, mariachi music, catching the attention of everyone nearby. It was such a pleasant surprise! 

I’ve realized that I need to force myself to be OK with not having a set schedule, to go with the flow, and embrace everyday and the adventures that come with it! I am such a busy body and I thrive on schedules and checklists. But that’s not how life goes here. Life is a beautiful adventure of learning, experiencing, observing, talking, creating friendships, finding joy in all that we can, and working towards bringing justice to that which we can’t.

We are extremely lucky students here and we don’t have class on Fridays, so I’m going to do my favorite Thursday activity and go to a salsa/merengue/cumbia/bachata club called Candela and go dancing tonight! This weekend we have an excursion hiking to natural springs! I’m super excited to be amongst the beauty of  nature once again. 

That’s all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please know that although I am in our neighbor country many miles south, I am thinking of you and appreciate your friendship. God bless!

P.S. I can’t believe it’s October! I have to admit, I am quite pleased with having summer weather in October and not having to deal with the sun setting at a ridiculously early time. I love Mexico!

Besos y abrazos,

Carrie

The house that we stayed in is called “La Casa de los Amigos” which is housing for individuals and groups that are a part of non-profit organizations and are dedicated to learning about peace, social justice and development. The house was originally owned by Orozco, one of the big/famous three muralists in Mexico and was later donated to Quakers who dedicated the house to this purpose. It is a house full of passionate activists and very intelligent individuals, all very friendly and caring. It was fun to live in the same house with all of my friends on the trip because in Oaxaca we all live with seperate host families. I got to know many students a lot better, and grew stronger in many friendships. I’ve had countless deep and life changing conversations with other students in my program, and every person here has something unique and inspiring to contribute to the group.

Every day we had meetings with our Witness for Peace leaders, where we talked about many things, and had a different focus everyday. Much of what we discussed had to do with Mexico’s history and politics, Globalization, and Neo-liberalism. We learned how corrupt Mexican government/leaders have contributed to problems of disemployment, and poverty. However, we learned about how the expansion of large corporations (The majority NorthAmerican/U.S. corporations) are the culprits for the many injustices present here.

When we globalize companies in “underdeveloped” countries, they drive out local businesses who can’t compete with the rich and powerful companies, thus causing disemployment. Many of those who lose their jobs because of the inability to compete with corporations are forced to turn to labor in factories for those corporations. Although those corporations that mass produce products require many workers, the jobs available offer low wages that are practically impossible to live on and unjust labor conditions. This is made possible by agreements by the U.S. government and the Major corporations in power that eliminate regulation and want “free trade” so that things are cheaper for them and products can be imported and exported much more quickly. However, there is no longer regulation to ensure that workers are ensured fair wages and working conditions, and many times this causes individuals to turn to migration within the country, or immigration to the U.S. in search of a better life and jobs for thier families. The famous and worst “agreement” was NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) signed in 1994.
There has been a large impact on rural Mexico because of Globalization and Neo-liberalism because the agricultural communities (mostly indigenous communities) have land taken from them and privatized by corporations for mass production. The communities cannot compete with the companies on privatized land, and are either forced to work for those companies, which have no regulation ensuring that they recieve the same wages that they did before, or they migrate in search of other work. Many are forced to move into the city, where they have no experience and no life skills for living in the city. This is why we see many indigenous individuals living on the streets selling whatever they can or begging to make a living and feed their families. Also, many times work cannot be found except for in the U.S. The majority of immigrants that immigrate to the U.S. are from rural communities, many from the Southern part of Mexico (such as Oaxaca). It is so sickening that we have so much prejudice against immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, when we largely contributed to the reason why immigration is happening on such a large scale. An equivalent of 1/10 of the Mexican population has immigrated to the U.S. because of poverty and the inability to find jobs here. 40% of the Mexican population works in the “informal market”, meaning people who sell things on the streets such as food, gum, trinkets, pirated movies and music, sometimes stolen goods, etc. Individuals who are forced to work in the informal market because of not being able to find work elsewhere do not pay taxes to the Mexican government, which means a huge lack of money for the government that they could use on social programs that could help the poor (that is if the government would use the money for social programs and not be corrupt and take the money for thier own already rich leaders).
It is so ironic because many individuals who are forced to work in the informal market end up buying products to resell from places such as Walmart because it’s what they can afford, when large corporations like Walmart are the ones responsible for disemployment and poverty of the people in the first place!

Mexico has many other issues such as pollution, contamination of the water and lack of potable water, drug trafficking, violence, and many social injustices. While in Mexico City, we had to be very careful not to waste water and had to conserve very carefully as well as be very conscious of our amount of waste created. One story that I heard from an economist who was a guest speaker for our group was that in order to mass produce blue jeans for the U.S., the U.S. turned to Mexico because to make certain washes on the jeans in the U.S., regulation requires us to recycle our water, but its cheaper in Mexico and there is less regulation about both labor and environmental consciousness. What happened was, the factories in Mexico used chemicals mixed in with water to create the certain washes on the jeans, and instead of recycling the water, they just dumped it out. The U.S. wanted cheap labor and the labor that they abused ended up contaminating the water in Mexico, which is one of the reasons for the lack of potable water. It is estimated that by February of 2010, there will be absolutely no potable water left in Mexico City. 

It’s been so frustrating because in the past few years, I’ve become increasingly passionate about trying to be a responsible consumer and trying to be conscious about where I choose to shop. But products that come from globalized companies are EVERYWHERE! It’s unavoidable to buy products made in sweat shops. The economist/guest speaker also told us that many times it’s cheaper for the U.S. to make many products in our own factories, but then have them assembled in other countries where cheap labor exists. Pretty much any product that you can think of: clothes, electronics, cars, airplanes etc. are assembled in “underdeveloped” countries by using cheap labor.

My friends and I had a very passionate and frustrating conversation about the questions “Do we as consumers have power to contribute to improvement of this issue?” “Does it help to pick and choose where we shop?” “When I see large corporations here, I think to myself ‘that’s out of place’ and I know it’s most likely a bad sign, but when we see it in the U.S., we think nothing of it. What’s wrong with this picture?” “Can we really judge others who shop at exploiting corporations such as Walmart, when they are shopping there out of the inability to afford products elsewhere?” “How do we make change?!” We talked about how it’s not just one company that exploits other countries and demands cheap labor. It’s everywhere and unavoidable. If we choose to not shop at certain stores because we know that they are associated with unjust labor and exploitation, we are reducing the demand of products, and thus decreasing the need for as many workers in the sweat shops, causing them to loose thier jobs. But if we choose to buy products from such stores, we are just feeding into an unjust system and supporting those exploiting corporations. And even if we do choose to not shop at certain places and can make an impact by decreasing the demand of products sold there, it’s not necisarily keeping those corporations from existing, and exploiting. We need to send a message to our government and such corporations about why we choose not to shop there and why they need to change! We basically need an uprising/revolution to change anything! (that’s an exaturation…and that’s not very peaceful…). But we need to do some serious reconstruction of the politics behind free trade market. I was told that Obama is actually working on revising NAFTA, which is great, and really needs to happen, but I hope that we can get enough support in congress to make any impactful revision pass.

We had several speakers this week from different non-profit organizations as well as economists and historians to help us better understand these issues (many of which were hard to understand a. because the issues are very complex to begin with and b. because they were speaking in fast spanish). One woman that spoke was very powerful because she was from an organization in Mexico called PRODESC that is made up of six women who act as resources for workers who are being deprived of human rights in their labor. They empower workers do organize and protest to demand thier human rights such as just wages and working conditions. Also, many women are forced to work in sweat shops and are treated not only unjustly through wages and labor conditions, but through abuse by men who work at the factories (and this can happen because of the lack of regulation). There was a case of many women in a rural town called “Juarez” where women were raped, abused and killed in the factories because of the machismo from the men in the factories and because the women were alone and vulnerable in the factories. The speaker’s argument was that globalization isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it’s almost impossible to change the existence of capitalism and globalization, but we need to create more support for workers and ensure that they are being treated justly. It was very inspiring that only a group of six women were empowering workers in that way, and made me realize that if we set our mind to something, organize, and gain support, we can make a difference!

The current U.S. economic crisis has also affected Mexico drastically because many U.S. factories that are in Mexico have been closed because of the recession, causing lost jobs here as well. Also in many factories, the wages have been decreased, in some cases 50% of what they were before, and workers are hardly given any hours.

We were in Mexico City for Independence Day! The 15th. It was incredible. The Zócalo (city center) was decorated elaborately with huge light displays, stages set up for concerts with high tech equipment, people were selling (and have been since the beginning of September) tons of things to prepare for the 15th such as flags, sombreros, noise makers, face paint, etc. Our group went to the zócalo the night of the 15th to celebrate and hear the grito (shout of independence), and we got very close but were stuck in line with hundreds of other people who were trying to enter the extremely crowded Zócalo, full of thousands of people. We saw the fireworks, and it was fun to experience at least being near the Zócalo. In line, however, and walking to and from the zócalo, our group experienced a lot of hostility towards us. People swore at us and said things like “go back to the U.S.! We don’t want you here!” Some of my friends even experienced some physical assault. It was very uncomfortable and discouraging to have those things said to us, but at the same time, I thought to myself “well, they actually have a right to yell. We represent a country that has done an immense amount of damage to not only Mexico, but nations all around the world. We are representing a country of greed, and power and exploitation.” I also felt very strange decked out in Mexican independence gear (sombrero, flag, face paint), when I represent a country that has taken away freedom and independence from many (for example, the poor and homeless caused from economic agreements made by the U.S. gov’t and corporations). It was also very peculiar to think about the fact that much of Mexico is not free, in that they are locked into the cycle of poverty and are suffering from the effects of greed on the part of other countries such as the U.S. as well as corruption in their own government. And yet, Independence day is a HUGE deal. I’ve never seen that much pride for a country before in my life. During the grito, president Calderón came out to speak, and interestingly, the entire crowd (thousands!) yelled and cursed at him. Independence day was almost a day for the people to come together and protest the corruption in the government. Although our country is responsible for much suffering and injustices, I realized that we are so privlelged and free in many ways, and yet we don’t recognize it. We don’t celebrate our independence like other countries do. For me, celebrating Mexican Independence day was a time for me to support the Mexican population and celebrate the power of the people to make change happen, and I want to be an individual who helps change happen for the better of Mexico. 

One of the most powerful and tragic images that I have of Mexico city, however, is that although there were clearly tons of government dollars put into the 15th, and although there is clearly tons of government money spent on extravagant statues and momunents (some made of marble and gold!) that are all over the city, there were individuals (including a concerning amount of children) on the streets begging us to buy independence day trinkets from them, so that they can survive, so that they can feed their families, and far too many families living on the streets. There is clearly corruption in the government, and the wealth is not being spread at all, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor, and there are not government programs to help the poor. Both Foxx and Calderón are expected of winning Presidency fraudulently. Foxx (who was President when NAFTA was signed), was the owner of Coca Cola company in Mexico!…sounds a little fishy to me.

…As you can tell I’m very passionate about the issues that I am learning here, and I feel called to contribute to the change. Although I am aware that I only know the basics of the issues and there is so much more to learn, and so much more that I want so badly to learn, I can feel optimistic believing that education is the first step towards making change happen. If you feel moved by this information, please spread the word! Please keep in mind, that I may not know many specifics, and maybe I don’t sound completely articulate about these issues, but I am learning everyday, and changing and reshaping my views and opinions everyday. I know that much of our country does not believe or want to hear the viewpoint that I’m expressing, so please contribute your opinion so that I can understand better other viewpoints on these issues.

I apologize for talking about so many negatives, but these are realities. When we choose to ignore unjust realites in our world, suffering continues. But, I will talk about a couple of happy things for a minute too

During my trip, I went to the Frida Khalo museum, which was actually the house that Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera lived in between 1929 and 1954. It was so cool! There were only a couple small galleries open, but the art was incredible, and I learned a lot more about Frida’s life and how her experiences are refelcted in her art. The neighborhood of Frida and Diego was very cool too, very quaint with cute little shops and flee markets. 

Another excursion that we took was to the pyramids of Teotihuacán! It’s ruins and pyramids of a very advanced civilization that lived long before the Aztecs. We visited (and I climbed!) the third largest pyramid in the world! They were absolutely breathtaking and incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it before. (And I’m still sore from climbing them!) 

One of the last excursions that we did was to the Basilica church, which is the place where Juan Pablo was said to have had the image of Guadalupe appear before him. If you don’t know the history of Guadalupe, (I didn’t know before this trip either), when the Spanish came and conquered and destroyed the Aztec culture, they erected Catholic churches all over Mexico. (When looking at the churches I think to myself, “wow, what amazing pieces of architecture, but what a tragic history that comes with it and makes it hard to appreciate”). If you visit the Zócalo in Mexico City, you can see the remains of the Aztec temple that was destroyed by the Spanish, and then on top of the remains, and using the materials from the Aztec Temple, the Spanish constructed the largest catholic church in Mexico. The Spanish had a hard time converting much of the indigenous population, until an indigenous man named Juan Pablo had a vision of an indigenous woman telling him to follow Catholocism. This hugely influenced the indigenous population of Mexico and there was a huge amount of conversion to Catholosism because of his vision. The virgin Guadalupe is supposed to be the Mexican identity and is said to perform miracles. It was fascinating to visit the church (there is a new and an old cathedral, as well as a chapel where he claims to have had his vision), because Guadalupe is clearly a huge part of the Mexican culture.

By the end of the trip, we were all exhausted and many people in our group sick, so it was a very restful 6 hour bus ride back, although we did stop in Puebla for lunch and to walk around for a couple of hours. It was an incredible trip, full of powerful education and experiences. We had great leaders who were very intellegent and passionate women, but also very humble and kind. We were all ready to come back to Oaxaca, to rest and start our new classes. My classes for the next couple of months are Sociology of Mexico and specifically Oaxaca, and  Mexican Literature. I had Sociology yesterday which I’m extremely excited about. 

By the end of our trip in Mexico City, I strangely felt like we were going back to the U.S. The first three weeks (our intensive Spanish classes) were a packed full of four hours of intensive Spanish classes, two hours of salsa, and an hour of conversation with our intercambios. (Then on top of that meals and going out with friends). We finished our first session of classes and took the excursion to Mexico City, and by the end I felt like it was the end of the trip. But it’s just the beginning. I’m still getting used to the idea that I’m living here, not just visiting. Things will be very different now, with much more intense classes, but much more time on my hands. I only have a two hour class everyday, and I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the day! (other than eating and studying…)

That was the longest blog I’ve ever written before, and hopefully the longest I will ever write, but thank you so much for reading the whole thing! You must be a true friend to actually sit through reading this whole mess of my thoughts

I hope and pray that all is well with you, and I will update my blog again soon.

Con amor,

Carrie