Hierve el Agua (click to enlarge photo)
This week marked the beginning of our Spanish classes and Anthropology course with Gustavo Esteva. On Monday we split into small groups of 4-5 people at Solexico Language School. Five days a week, three hours each morning this format will be repeated. By many accounts the Spanish instruction so far has been helpful and fun, with the instructors incorporating games, field trips, and conversation into the grammatical lessons. On Mondays and Tuesdays we have Gustavo's class directly after Spanish, where we have so far discussed culture and current politics in Oaxaca, as well as a "salad" of other topics which arose in the first week of our meetings. A few of these spare but important topics have been farm subsidies, "what is neoliberalism", and healthcare. In the future we will also be holding discussions on: Power, Social Transformation, Personal Agency, Helping (Right of Intervention), Zapatistas, Culture Issues, Ways of Knowing/Alternative Forms of Education.
Typically after class we go back to our houses for most important meal of the day, or comida. Comida is usually taken around 2:30 or 3:30 in the afternoon, then we are free for the rest of the day to explore the city, take salsa, or yoga classes at Solexico, play soccer, take in a free movie at the open Pochote Organic Market, or sleep!
This Thursday we took a field trip to CASOTA, in place of Gustavo's class in the afternoon. CASOTA is a collective, autonomous space which features free showings of documentaries/cultural programs, grows a community urban agriculture garden on its roof, hosts visiting activists in their 5-cot dormitory, and runs a cafeteria which serves full, nutritious meals to low-income oaxaqueños. Collective members described the space's purpose to create an autonomous area in which people can be self-sustaining.
Besides our classes, we've also been learning a lot by walking around the city and talking with local Oaxacans. This past weekend some of us went to Hierve el Agua which is this little town with beautifulnatural springs. The bus ride was interesting to say the least--we took a little pick-up truck up and around the mountain for an hour to get there--but it was definitely worth it. The springs were absolutely beautiful and it was a nice change of pace from the busy city.
Besos de Oaxaca (Kisses from Oaxaca),
Lindsy & Renna & the rest of the UVMers
