Hola todos! Selina y Gemma here with updates on our exciting adventures here in Oaxaca!

It is crazy to think we are already a quarter of the way through our time in Oaxaca! We have been learning nonstop in the classrooms and out in the field. Everything here is so new and fascinating that it often tricks us into forgetting that these adventures are in fact school.

            In these last three weeks of classes, our spanish has improved so much thanks to the daily 3 hour spanish lessons we all take at Solexico. We were divided into groups of 4-5 people at the beginning of the semester, creating a close-knit and comfortable learning environment for everyone. The intimate size of these classes has given us the opportunity to engage in deeper, more complicated conversations in Spanish, exploring a variety of social and political topics prevalent in Oaxaca City and/or Mexico in general. We have also gone on a variety of field trips with our classes: some students visited the postal stamp museum, others tried out their spanish at a local market, and our class dined at a beautiful Mexican restaurant for breakfast. We just turned in our big writing assignment for Spanish last Friday, affirming our improving grammar skills as well.

            We are also in the thick of our collaborative research projects (CRPs) for Jonathan’s class, exploring topics such as traditional medicine, food waste, art, education, and geography. Working alongside a local mentor for our group, we have been given access to an incredible array of resources here in the city and in neighboring pueblos. This experience has not only been eyeopening in terms of the content of our research, it has also been great for our spanish as our mentors speak little english and we have been interviewing local specialists in spanish as well. While definitely challenging, conducting research in spanish has provided us with a unique insider view on our topics that has proved critical in forming our theses. 

            Last week we were lucky to go on a day trip to Teotitlan, a rug-weaving village. Upon arriving to Tetotitlan we were welcomed into Vida Nueva, a Women’s rug-weaving cooperative. After learning the history of how the cooperative started, and the polemics they faced due to the fact that they were women, we saw a demonstration on how they use natural elements to create the dyes for the rugs. This was fascinating and throughout the demonstration you could hear “oohs” and “ahhs” coming from all of us. Who knew that grinding up the “Cochinilla” bugs would make a stunning, bright red dye!

 After the demonstration we learned about the different meanings of the symbols on the rugs—ranging from life and death, to butterflies and community. The women are also heavily involved in charity projects, including planting trees and providing disadvantaged children with toys. Their whole cooperative is very inspiring and does a lot to give back to their community. The trip ended with a great meal consisting of lots of guacamole, and nearly everyone buying a rug or scarf from the women. It was super interesting to see the skill and craftsmanship involved in making these rugs, and I think it’s safe to say we were all thoroughly impressed.

Some of the beautiful hand-woven and naturally dyed rugs.

            We just got back from a weekend retreat in the mountainous Oaxacan town, Capulalpam. Eight years ago, the federal government of Mexico gave this town the title “Pueblo Magico” (magical town) for its advancements in ecology and withdrawal from the mining industry. Located on a mountain, we went for a long hike Saturday morning, exploring the surrounding nature and discovering for ourselves the true magic of the place. Several important figures in the local government gave us talks about the history behind the town, its current government system, and their fight against the mining companies. 

Saturday evening, many of us experienced a traditional Mexican healing ritual called, a Temescal. Seen as a form of rebirth, the temescal takes place in a small and completely dark sauna with 5-6 other people either naked or with a bathing suit on, simulating being in the womb. Our healer, Abril, threw different aromatic teas on the rocks to fill the room with beautifully scented steam and gave us a delicious herbal tea to stay hydrated during the intense 1 hour of emotions and heat. While each group’s experience was unique, the general process consisted of singing a song about renewing ourselves and talking about a variety of topics that helped us let go and come out with a new perspective of our identity and future. As we left the sauna, she rubbed mezcal and rosemary on us to heal our pores. This was yet another magical aspect of the weekend!

           

 Overall these past few weeks have been a mixture of emotions. We stepped out of our comfort zones and benefitted greatly from doing so. We had moments of excitement, anxiousness, happiness and even fear—but came out of it with more knowledge and wisdom than we could have ever imagined. If these next two months are anything like these past few weeks, I am beyond excited to see what they have in store for us. Every day here is a new adventure and a learning experience, and as our trip progresses and we become more comfortable and adapted, Oaxaca starts to feel a little more like home. #blessed

Bienvenidos a Oaxaca, Let the Adventure Begin!

Hola! Buenos Dias!

Mollie and Kate here to update you all on our first two weeks in Oaxaca!

Let's begin with filling you all in on the retreat at La Villada! After two days at Casa Arnel, we packed up a day bag and piled into a van, driving through the busy city. Eventually we headed up a windy mountain road. We arrived to the most beautiful cottages  located in the mountains of San Felipe and Ejido Guadalupe Victoria. The sun was hot and there was not a cloud in the sky. We spent an hour or so by the pool, chatting with one another and getting ourselves comfortable. Orientation began shortly after our soaking up the sun! We had three full days of informative classes about our upcoming experience in Oaxaca. We did group activities and ice breakers as well.  The whole retreat really helped to ease any worry or concerns we may have had. Oh and the food at La Villada was to die for! It was all original Oaxaca cuisine made fresh from the family owners! Everyday the women of the family prepared desyauno, comida, and cena. There was always a vegetarian option and also an option for people who enjoy meat. Each meal had a different fresh juice option, dessert, and other deliciousness. It was a great way to start the next three months of our adventure in Oaxaca!

                                       Some of us relaxing between orientation sessions

After our beautiful stay at La Villada, we piled back into the van and said our goodbyes, one of us even got a beautiful mug as a parting gift from an admirer! We  drove around different areas within the city, Oliver explaining to us the history of each one.  We learned about the geography and political history of these neighborhoods, and got to see everything from the colorful housefronts with flourishing gardens to the shantytowns populated by squatters.
After our tour was the much awaited introduction to our host families. We awaited in anticipation at Casa Arnel as one by one our host families came to pick us up. We lugged our belongings and went to settle into our new homes.
The next day we set out for a very popular site in Oaxaca, Monte Albán.  It is one of the oldest cities of Mesoamerica, and has rich Zapotec history. Zapotec is a type of indigenous culture that is very prominent in Oaxaca; the city today still has large Zapotec populations. At one point, Monte Alban was the socioeconomic and political capitol to more than 17,200 people. They had a little museum that we perused with the help of a friendly guide, and saw skulls of ancient people gilded with gold and jade. Some even had perfectly circular holes drilled in them, an ancient surgery to relieve pressure in the brain. After a brief history lesson, we trekked up to the 6,400 ft above sea level city of ruins. Upon climbing up the first pyramid, we were completely in awe. The sheer size of the collection of ruins combined with the 360 degree views took our breaths away. We walked around and learned more about the history, although truthfully most of us were distracted by the beautiful weather and bird eye view of Oaxaca.

Below is a picture of your beautiful weekly reporters at the top of their first pyramid

A selfie from the first pyramid                                                          Skulls of ancient Zapotecan people

                

 A panorama from the top of the second pyramid

 


Left are some original depictions recovered from Monte Alban, and right is the view from the top of the first pyramid.



This past Thursday, we faced a new kind of adventure. As part of our class, we were given a picture of a site outside of Oaxaca, and it was our challenge to partner up and figure out where it was and how to get there using only public transportation (no taxis!) Though many of us were nervous, it was a good chance to practice our spanish since this activity relied solely on our help from other people. Many of us have stories of taking the wrong bus and sitting next to a woman with a live chicken on her lap, or walking up the road in the hot sun, but ultimately all of us succeeded in finding a place outside the city and connecting with the local people. I think many of us were thankful afterwords as we got to see some amazing sites outside of the city and gain more confidence in ourselves and our ability to navigate here.
Afterwords we met up at our school SURCO to talk about our experiences. The conversation mainly consisted of funny stories and sharing the history and important facts about our sites. Our destinations included the widest tree in the world, a rug-making village, a town known for its pottery with special black clay, and a beautiful painted church. After our conversation we filled our hungry tummies with some amazing tamales made with pumpkin from Oliver's (one of our instructors and director) garden and some yummy quesadillas.

Here is a picture of my site, Cuilapam de Guerrero, located in a small town 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca. It was a conquistador era monastery with a beautiful museum inside, and lots of history on the revolutionary war hero Vincente de Guererro

That's all for now, hasta luego!

Kate & Mollie

Week 1: Orientation

Thanks to the lovely staff at La Villada!

Here are some pictures from our orientation, which turned out to be a wonderful time for students to bond, get to know the different political, economic, cultural background of Oaxaca, and just to chill before being thrown into their study abroad program.

Getting ready for lunch with J. Treat

First class session with Oliver, Claire, and JT

String dynamic

View from retreat center

Oliver's city tour 

Listening to the guide, Adalbert teach some fun facts about the archaeological site, Monte Albán.

¡Bienvenidos a Oaxaca!

The students are all arriving today (and some even arrived a day earlier), and we're getting prepared for our first week of orientation and field trips. Keep your eyes peeled for many more posts and pictures to come from the UVM Oaxaca students!

¡Bienvenidos a Oaxaca '16!

source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U3VZeV8IjpE/maxresdefault.jpg