The Volunteers + Sandra

Swine Flu is Fun!

Potential Travel to Teach webstie photo?

Gettin' the Hell Outta Dodge

It's really not as bad as it looks.

Or is it?!

Mas out of order

Lost our way in Orea Del Monte

Someone took a puke on my seat in the bus.

So they gave me a bag to put over it.

We painted a playground with a bunch of kids.

They were really great.

On the road to Oaxaca from Xalapa

The road less travelled

More out of order

I made a 10 pesito donation so Abby could do this

In the Collectivo

On the way home from the beach.

A view of our secret beach

Your blog writer

A Day Out Of The Sun

Children of the guy that makes the secret beach possible... I think.

That is his dog under the sand.

Pictures/out of order

Santa Domingo

Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MX

Los Chicas

Monte Alban

Monte Alban

Abby eats a cricket

Actually very good tasting, and we 

have some to take back to home

Fog makes Connor worried

Xalapa is very foggy

Holy Week(s)

We're back from our two week vacation extravaganza (I still can't believe that Easter gets everyone in Mexico a full two weeks off).  Let me catch you up on our zany adventures.

We took a bus south-west for eight hours to Oaxaca, a little town which we've heard great things about.  We arrived in Oaxaca at about 3:30 in the morning with our roommates and were able to find a great youth hostel to stay in for the night.

Oaxaca is a huge tourist draw for Mexicans and foreigners, and although we found the town very charming, we were there at the peak of tourist season and it was a little overwhelming.  Despite the touristy crowds, we were able to see some cool stuff: there's a church called Santa Domingo, a Dominican church that was gorgeous, made in the late 1500's.*  There's a beautiful old monastery connected to the cathedral that has been turned into a museum.  The museum, aside from being very gorgeous what with its courtyards and fountains and old medieval paintings, was very impressive: it had everything from ancient artifacts to stuff from the revolutionary wars.  It was such a great use of the space.  There was so much to see, but we were pretty tuckered out when we were looking through it, so if my  description of the museum is vague, I apologize.

We also spent an afternoon at the ruins of Monte Alban (about 20 minutes outside of Oaxaca), where the Zapotec tribe had a thriving city going for about 1000 years.  Again, I'm a little vague on the details because my Spanish isn't what it should be, but there were plenty of old buildings to climb on and in and around, and we all got good and sunburned and had a pretty splendid afternoon.

Oaxaca also has tons of great shopping places lining the streets and this amazing, lively market place and really excellent regional food, but at the end of the day we were pretty drained out from a tourist and money-spending overload.

It was a god save when we heard word of a secret beach**.  Our friend's friend (who was soon to become our good friend Adres - who also happens to be Connor's Mexican clone) told us about a beach where a man named Carlos lets people stay for free if you eat at his place. The whole thing seemed a little sketchy, but we decided to go for it, and soon enough we found ourselves on a rickety old bus flying through these terrifying mountain roads in the middle of the night for an eight hour bus ride to "Carlo's island."  We arrived in Rio Grande at about 5:30 in the morning and got a cab to someone's house who gave boat rides to the island.  It was a surreal experience riding on a tiny boat through this beautiful, discreet, mountainous area to the Pacific Ocean during sunrise; it one of the most beautiful things I've ever witnessed.  

We were supposed to meet Andres and his friends at the island, but alas, no one was there, and we had to meet Carlos all by ourselves.  We felt mighty awkward, but Carlos was an old laid back hippy whose catch phrases were "No pasa nada" and "No te preocupe," and he soon made us feel right at home, giving us hammocks to sleep in and mezal shots to put our minds at ease while we waited for our friends.  Despite being burnt to a crisp, Con and I had the time of our lives playing playing in huge Pacific waves and eating some of the best seafood we've ever had in our lives.  On the last day, we climbed a mountain (OK, maybe it was a very steep hill) to a lighthouse where we saw an absolutely beautiful view of the ocean.  It was such an amazing experience!

I only have ten minutes of battery left on the computer, so have to wrap this up mighty quick.  I'll tell you about the kids with painted a school with in another blog - but they were adorable and we had a great time playing Twister and singing Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.  

Another fun fact: a legitimate pharmacist actually advised Con to take tequila for his stomach problems.  I love Mexico!

*Side note: it's hard to concentrate while writing this blog.  We're in this awful, touristy, faux-french cafe for internet access, and it's playing some of the worst elevator music I've ever dealt with.  Right now I'm trying to ignore "The Dog-Gone Girl is Mine."  Wait, now it changed to "Reunited and it Feels So Good."

**Further distractions from the internet cafe: Now playing - James Blunt's "You're Beautiful."  Oh Lordy!  I feel yucky here.  There are more white people here than Mexicans.

Foto

La Muerta Chicita (the bar)

Dancing lovers

Cascada de Munja (The Nun)

The Nun

Abby went swiming (there is a suit under the towel)

Deep Valley in Xico

near the waterfalls

More bloggin'

Hahaha.  That is the sound of me laughing contemptuously at all of you sad sorry Minnesotans.  I see that there is snow in your forecast for tomorrow.  We're looking at a 92 degree day tomorrow.  I actually don't know which is worse.

I know it's been a while...where to begin?  A couple weekends ago we visited a gorgeous little town called Xico about 30 minutes outside of Xalapa.  It was so beautiful, I don't know if I can do it justice.  We had to walk for about 45 minutes on a little stone path to get to las cascadas (the waterfalls).  It was such a jungle - very lush and green, and we found a smaller waterfall down a little hidden path called El Cascada de Monja (The Nun's Waterfall).  Apparently a nun died swimming in it, and in true Mexico style, it was open for swimming (at your own risk of course).  There were forboding crosses nailed to trees remembering others who died, but this just made the swim all the more dangerously appealing to me, so I was the only one of the group who jumped in and swam in a waterfall.  It was freezing and a little creepy (I actually had the feeling that the ghost of the nun was going to grab my ankles and pull me under to the bottom of the 30 foot lagoon).

In other news, Connor got a $2 haircut, we found the world's best cantina (bar) right around the corner where we have started giving the mariachi band english lessons - we even bring worksheets for them!  The bar is full of old Mexican men - we visit every Wednesday for lunch, and I always leave with a full belly and a huge ego from all the compliments that are showered on me - one old man named Antonio even gave me his ring!  

We also found a very hip little place called the Muerta Chicita where Connor and I dance the night away.

In other news, Con and I met with the director of the program today to discuss making a short documentary about Travel to Teach.  We showed her my other work, which she seemed to like, so we're starting a script and should begin shooting soon if we can get our hands on some equipment (Con and I have been making contacts around town trying to find someone who will loan us a camera and mikes.  Xalapa is a very artsy town so there are plenty of film makers, and yesterday we met with a very intimidating woman who seems to think the world revolves around her - she didn't speak a word of english and I had a very strong feeling that she hated me, but she was very nice Con, so we'll see).

Working here gets better every day.  We love the city and the people, and the kids are learning so much.  They take off two weeks for Holy Week(s), so we're leaving for Oaxaca tomorrow and will be back on Friday to catch a Mexican wrestling match - Lucha Libre.  In the second week we'll be busy painting a school.  Then it's back to work.

Connor and I saw a really beautiful thing today after our meeting with Adriana: the streets were filled with literally hundreds of people led by priests.  They were all waving palms and singing Hosana.  There were guitars and drums and people of all ages filling the streets celebrating Palm Sunday a day early.  Not sure why, but it gave me goosebumps.  Must be all those years of churchin' in my blood.  So I'm definitely going to mass tomorrow to see what the celebration will be like.

Oh, one last thing.  We have two more girls (One came and left - Heather, from Washington state, was here for two weeks.  We'll miss you Wala Wala.)  The others are Bethan from Wales and Maria from Sweden, two very lovely ladies.

More Photos for Yall

Photos For Yall

News From South of the Border

So much to blog, mi amigos.  Where to start?

I'll have to break it into subjects.

Part one:  Educacion.

The classes that Con and I are teaching have been getting better and better.  We've come a long way from the scared little newbies of a month ago.  Now I actually look forward to teaching the huge first grade classes.  We're learning how to connect with the kids using songs and games, and they're actually learning a few things.  

The best class ever is Rincon (see: Rincon: Small Town with a Big Ol' Heart).  I get along so well with those kids, and their mothers say that they miss me when I'm gone.  The kids are smart as whips and remember everything I teach them.  Last Monday Connor and I were playing soccer with the kids (who, I must report, were running circles around us) and Con twisted his ankle pretty good.  He's fine now, but his legs are still mega sore (as in, can't walk up or down stairs without groans of pain) from the game.

We've decided that kids in MX are significantly tougher than kids in the U.S.  A little boy named Cecilio played soccer/futbol with us.  He's just a hair taller than my hip, and he runs like the wind, throwing his whole body in front of the ball, smashing into the concrete.  He got his personal parts kicked twice during the game and got hit in the face with a ball (the ball was from Connor and one of the kicks to the sensitive parts was from me), but kept on giving his all without complaint.  

Part two: Cumbre Tajin.

This past weekend Con, Shelly and I took a bus five hours outside of Xalapa to go to a huge festival called Cumbre Tajin.  The festival celebrated the Totonac Indians, indigenous to Veracruz state, and other Veracruz traditions.  It was definately not a festival for the weak.  We camped out in a tent on Friday and Saturday night, and attended concerts that went from 7:00 at night to 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning.  The band that rocked my world was a very popular Veracruz band by the name of Los Tigres Del Norte.  You can't listen to them without cowboy boots and a white cowboy hat.  Con was excited when his old favorite band from Junior High, Kinky, played on Saturday night.  The crowd went absolutely nutzoids for them.  

During the days, there were countless things to do.  Traditional indigenous dances were going on everywhere you looked, and food was prepared using ancient methods and utensils.  La comida estaba muy rico!   Everything was really family friendly.  You could make your own rain sticks, make your own pottery (which we definitely did - mine was a shot glass!), learn traditional dances...I'm just scraping the surface here but you get the idea.  

It wasn't all giggles.  There were literally thousands of people at the festival, and the sun was beating down on us all day long.  Fortunately, we found a tent filled with pillows, cucumber slices, and cool refreshing drinks.  Hipsters were lounging around everywhere you looked, and it was one of our favorite haunts.

I've saved the best for last.  Their is an ancient ritual known as Danza de los Voladores de Papantla (Dance of Papantla's flyers) that took place everyday at Cumbre Tajin.  Five men wearing traditional clothing would climb up a pole roughly 10 stories high.  Once at the top, four of them would tie a very long rope around their torsos, and the fifth would dance on top of the pole, playing music for the gods.  I nearly peed myself when the musician stoop on top of the pole, which was swaying in the wind, and was about the same size as a telephone pole, playing away on his flute.  The four men fell backwards and spun around and around the pole until they reached the ground.  It's quite a spectacle.*

It was a great weekend, but we're glad to get home and get back to work.

*Apparently, the day before we arrived, one of the men broke their rib bones during the ritual.  Glad I didn't see that one.  Woa doggies. 

Rincon: Small Town with a Big Ol' Heart

It's been a long, tiring, productive day.  I'm going to make this quick.

Con, Shelly and I go to an itty bitty town called Rincon every Monday.  There, Con teaches cooking classes to a group of women.  We sell their wares in Xalapa and the women sell their stuff in Rincon.  It's a really nice program.  

Meanwhile, I teach their kids English.  It's a great opportunity for the kids, because they wouldn't normally get a chance to learn English until secondary school, so this gives them a step up above the rest.  They've never had any prior instruction - I hope I can make the most of our time together.  The kids are great and seem eager to learn.  We had a lot of fun together today, but dang did they ever wear the poop out of me!  I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.

To get to Ricon, we have to take two buses, and then walk for about two miles down a dusty old road.  The whole process takes about 2.5 hours.  Today we got to the bus station an hour early, foolishly thinking that Daylight Savings was a global event.  Not in Mexico!

I think things went pretty smoothly today.  The women hearted Con Con's carrot cake (obviously) and the kids hearted me (obviously).  Tomorrow I teach kindergarten in the morning, mentally handicapped kids in the afternoon, teachers in the evening, then spanish class, and finally salsa class at 9:00.  It's gonna be a doozy.  Con also is teaching teachers english tomorrow, then Spanish class, then teaching a group of teenaged boys (who love him - it's a really fun class, I helped out last week - one boy is the spitting image of George Michael from Arrested Development, except brown, and he's just as awesome), then salsa class.  In conclusion, es tiempo para dormir.  Buenos Noches! 

(Side note: Lizzy, get well soon!  I heard you were sick!  And Lucy, thank you for mentioning me to Nick's mom, it sounds like she's working for a really cool program!) 

More Photos

Welcome to Rincon

Before class

Before class modeling

Amazing Grace Carrot Cake, Mexico style.

Yep, those are rojo carrots, we ran out of yellow.

Abby's class.

Photos

In small town with cooking class.

This tastes so great!

Walking for miles to bus stop, later we decided to thumb a ride.

In the back of the truck that we thumbed the ride from.

It was very safe.

The group I taught to make carrot cake.

They really loved it.

Walking to the school we picked up a straggler, far left, 

the other fella, Herman, works with the school, 

and the girl on the far right is our roommate Shelly.

(Abby is behind the camera)

Coyolillo Carnival Photos

Back of truck.

Parade.

Masks, to dress up as demons.

Band we danced to.

Second family that told us to come in and eat.

Great guy, Edwardo.

First family to tell us to come and eat their food.