Casita, Service Learning, and Geology on the Horizon

This week has marked the end of our first block of classes. In the absence of Gustavo’s lectures, we spent the week in meetings planning for next week’s service learning trips and hammering out the various directions and concerns of our Self Directed Learning Projects.

On Thursday we drove out to San Pablo Etla and visited “Casita” to learn about their work with alternative technologies. ‘Casita,’ meaning little house and was appropriately named for its’ size. Coming from different parts of Mexico and the US, the four people who started the workshop purchased land in a small community. They began building in Diamante, a community sandwiched between two municipalities, a busy highway, and the runoff of the mountains behind them. Christian, one of the four, walked with us and explained some of the problems he has observed, since joining the community 2 years ago. As we have seen in many other situations, water has been the source of many headaches here. While the roads were dry and dusty during our visit, when the rain comes the area floods and creates health hazards. Wedged between two municipalities, the small community lacks sufficient attention to receive essential basic resources. The community joined together and dug ditches to help alleviate the water problems. They also built a park from recycled materials and installed streetlights throughout the community.

The focus of Casita’s work extends beyond this community and across international borders. Their mission is to invent, build, and teach about bike machines and other alternatives, such as dry/composting toilets. They advocate for appropriate technologies that support autonomy and independence. The bicycles power water pumps and grinders as well as juicers and blenders. During our visit they made us comida and used their bike powered blender to mash the beans for the Tlyudas and then mix the watermelon and sugar to make delicious fresh smoothies. Though they showed us a short film about their history, we still had many questions about what they were doing and what their role was in the community. Unitierra, an alternative education group, hosted a series of videos that night that clarified these points of concern and explained Casita’s role.

We also had the opportunity to learn how to work with adobe. We chopped straw and used our feet to mix the adobe and then applied the adobe to the walls of their dry toilet.







Mixing the tierra, lime, and straw to create adobe.










Leaving our memory behind as we created designs that were embedded in the adobe walls.










Friday was our last day at our language school, Solexico. We finished classes and indulged in a huge chocolate cake and school-wide rounds of “happy birthday” in Spanish, English, Dutch and German to celebrate the February birthdays of Jesse, Arielle and Macky. So while anthropology and Spanish have come to a close, an exciting week of service learning projects and the start of Geology await us on the horizon!
Wish us luck in Vida Nueva, Bii Dauu, and Centeotl!! On to our next adventure
Jess and Mac

Migration, Weaving, and Basketball

Hola family and friends! Maggie and Hannah B. will be your lovely blog writers for the week:

The city center (the zocalo) was buzzing all week in anticipation of the second annual APPO (La Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca, a grassroots organization) congress. People from all over the state are convening to discuss the future of APPO and its horizontal structure of organization.

A woman grinding cochanilla, a small beetle
that thrives on Nopale, a cactus. The beetle is ground
and is used to dye the wool a beautiful red. (Click
on any photo to enlarge)

In addition, this was our last week of classes with Gustavo. The week included discussions about migration, Mexico´s deep culture of corn, and a definition of the common good. As usual he pushed us to think outside of our usual realm of ideas. We learned the effects of GMO (Genetically Modified) corn on the enormous bio diversity of corn in Mexico. Oaxaca is said to be the place where corn was first created. As we have been experiencing in our daily corn tortillas, we also talked about the role of corn as a staple food in Oaxaca. Gustavo also talked to us about the creation of a ´´common good´´ through friendship, which is a big theme in his lectures. Together with a few friends it is difficult, but possible, to share a definition of what a good life is. This takes time, and the definition is flexible.

Our final class, on Friday, was preceded by a two day stay in the village of Santa Ana de Valle. Our time there directly illustrated the drastic effects of globalization and migration on a Oaxacan village.

Learning to spin and card wool.

The livelihood of the village relies heavily on the revenues from the artisan rugs made there. Unfortunately the rug making is no longer a sufficient source of income, and one third of the population migrates both nationally and internationally. Many young people go to the United States or to Mexico City. Our main host in the village has several children in the USA and when he began his introduction of the town, he assured us that it was not a ghost town.

And we visited a curandera and students
were able to receive a "limpiar" or cleansing.

We all stayed in homes of the village. We visited a rug maker and saw a demonstration of the entire rug making process, from shearing the sheep, to dying the wool with ground up cactus larva, to the weaving process itself. A good sized rug takes a average of twelve full days and sells for a mere 900 pesos (about 80 dollars). We also visited the only traditional candle maker left in the town who demonstrated the process of creating highly ornate candles used for special occasions.
We ended our time there discussing the effects of migration on the town with Gustavo. He asked us what we would do if our lives had begun in this village, faced with the challenges of a dying craft and drastic population drop. We thanked him and said our formal goodbyes. However, he will be around assisting many of us in our independent projects, or even just to talk if we want.


These candles are made for religious ceremonies as well as used for when a man asks for a woman's hand in marriage.

We arrived back to the city Friday night, and Lindsey´s visiting boyfriend, Byron, made us a delicious meal of avocado salad, cheesey rice and tostadas to name a few of the many dishes. We were all very grateful. Afterwards, a few of us hoped on a bus and went to the beach for the weekend, which is where we are writing from now.

The day at Sta. Ana de Valle ended
with a spontaneous game of basketball with
some young men and boys from the pueblo.

Time in Oaxaca is flying by quickly. It is hard to think that one class has ended, and in a week, Spanish will also be over. We are still learning so much and will keep you posted on the coming weeks!!!!

Maggie and Hannah B.

Conversation, comida, and curanderos!

Hola from Oaxaca!

This week was full of conversation and great food. Monday in Gustavo's class we further discussed the political history of Oaxaca and Mexico as well as the Zapatistas and APPO. On Wednesday our conversation continued leading to a discussion regarding issues with genocide.

We were lucky enough to enjoy a visit from Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino. She is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Professor in the Department of Medicine at UVM. She is also the head researcher and founder of Vtrim, a behavioral weight loss program. Jean was in Oaxaca doing research about different aspects of Oaxacan nutrition. Continuing with our group projects the food group accompanied Jean and Cynthia to a clinic on the other side of the city that offers care to low income patients and does medical outreach to rural communities. We learned a lot about how the face of food related diseases like hyper tension, obesity, and diabetes are changing due to an influx of the fast food lifestyle as a result of globalization. We also learned that many people in Oaxaca use traditional healers because they are still culturally relevant, often more accessible, and less expensive than conventional medicine.

Thursday for our weekly field trip we had a delicious comida at Gustavo's house in San Pueblo Etla about half an hour outside of the city. We took a tour of his and his neighbor's land where they have a substantial organic nursery as well as some goats, turkeys, and rabbits. Gustavo and his wife Nicole live in a beautiful adobe house which Nicole designed. We talked a bit about creating an alternative "good life" and how by development standards they are considered poor because they don't have a flushing toilet (they have a composting dry toilet) and they aren't hooked up to the water system (they get their water from a natural spring), but they live a more simple, sustainable, healthier life. Nicole prepared us a tremendous feast of tortellini, beets and carrots from her garden, deviled eggs, fresh salad (also from the garden), a multitude of other fresh creations, topped off with a mango pudding and fragrant coffee for dessert. Maybe now we are starting to grasp the concept of comida...After we were all sufficiently stuffed we discussed Gustavo's experience and opinions regarding health care.

Friday about half the group along with Cynthia and Jean traveled 3 hours outside the city to a town in the mountains to visit a curandero, a traditional healer. We learned about the concept of hot and cold foods, different methods of diagnosis using an egg, incense, or reading the pulse, and saw a temezcal- a sauna like structure which originated with pre-hispanic Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica and often used after giving birth. It was an intensive and rich learning experience. This was an intense and rich learning experience.

Valentine's Day in Oaxaca is an occasion not to be missed! Between the hundreds of balloons that seemed to pave the streets, the traditional parades with big brass bands, and an abundance of couples, love was definitely in the air!

Water from Stone

Hello All!

Monday was a holiday here and we started our week on Tuesday. We are adjusting well to this new fascinating culture and our classes. Spanish classes are great fun. In Gustavo Esteva’s class this week we discussed the concept of communality and friendship. We learned the importance of the concept of friendship when forming community or a commons. What Gustavo conveyed is that friendship provides a base of relationships which provides a base for communality and common interests. It is through friendship that we begin to understand common interests and our own responsibility within our own community be it your town, organization, or your student compadres in Oaxaca.
On Thursday, we took a field trip to San Andres in Huyapan. In this small Zapotec community and growing bedroom community, we explored an area of land where the Zapotec owners are using techniques to reestablishing grown water into the aquifers down below. Amazingly, several men in the village have hand built long foot deep terraces (looks like topographic lines) all along the mountainside to slow down the torrential rains when they come which allows the water to seep in. They have also planted reed-like vegetation along some of the deeper earthen culverts that prevent erosion and again slow the pace of water runoff. Some of the water is captured in small ponds and is pumped into a green house in order to grow both tomatoes and native tree saplings of the area for reforestation. This center is a demonstration site where people from other villages come to learn different ways for restoring and sustaining sources of precious water in their communities.

Back in town, some of us visited an art opening on Friday. ASARO, a local graffiti collective, displayed a series of silk-screened t-shirts about Palestinian resistance. Their main idea is to pass on political messages to the community through their artwork.

Part of Gustavo’s syllabus includes a small group project. This week we broke off into groups and began the process of research. The five topics of the small groups include Oaxacan art, education, mobilization, food systems, and healthcare. As of now every group is defining their thesis and research methods. In the next month, groups will explore their questions through hands-on studies within the State of Oaxaca.

Tonight, Sunday, we are gathering for dinner at Mary Lou’s apartment to celebrate Jess’s and Ariel’s birthdays. Jess’s birthday was the 5th and Ariel’s is the 9th. Dinner gatherings are a good time to catch up and spend some quality with the community we are creating in Oaxaca.

Peace and warmth from south of the border. Hope everyone staying warm in the north!

Meg and Jordan

Mexico is wonderful and warm

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

Back in the City

Hola from Oaxaca! We returned to the city from our retreat on Friday. As we settle into our homestays, we thought we would give an update of our first week in beautiful Mexico.

For the last week, we have been at a retreat center in San Lorenzo de Cacaotepec, about thirty minutes outside of the city. In the mornings, we received cultural, political, and historical briefings with Gustavo Esteva, which were interesting, challenging, and insightful. Several afternoons, we had guest speakers elaborate on the culture of Oaxacan communities. We also participated in team building exercises with Sergio, our guide from Universidad de la Tierra. UniTierra is a learning center in the city with no teachers, no classes, and no grades. Our other guide, Luisa, also works with UniTierra.

Last Friday, we went on a unique tour of the city that was based on different neighborhoods and socioeconomic classes. Our tour was cut short because the teachers in Oaxaca had organized a protest in which they blocked off many of the main streets. It was a peaceful demonstration that occurs annually as a method of salary negotiation with the state. We did not see much of the action, but it was interesting to talk to locals and hear their take on the situation.

Later that night, we arrived at our retreat, Casa Hacienda el Encuentro. The rooms were simple yet charming, and our meals were delicious and authentic. We spent Saturday working on group-building and adjusting to the new setting.

On Sunday, we went to Monte Alban, the oldest Zapotec ruins in Oaxaca. The scene was breathtaking: you could see all three valleys that surrounded Oaxaca city. We had a wonderful tour guide, who elaborated on the different types of trees, construction, astronomy, and traditions. After a traditional lunch of mole and rice pudding in the city, we went to El Museo Cultural del Santo Domingo. This incredibly expanisive musuem houses much of the jewelery, books, and other artifacts found in and around Oaxaca.

We spent Monday in classes and orientation at the retreat center. On Tuesday, we attempted to watch the inauguration via satellite. It was shaky, but we caught a bit of the speech. It felt like the old days, gathered around a radio, hoping the connection wouldn't fade. Later that day we went on a field trip to San Augustin Etla, a village near the retreat. We went to the home of two women, Rosario and Lydia, who live almost entirely self-sustainably. Their house is made out of adobe, replete with compostable toilets, water jugs for windows, and furniture that they had contstructed themselves. They grow their own vegetables, both outdoors and in a small greenhouse. They also work with local women in the area to prevent domestic violence. Rosario and Lydia were incredibly inspiring and intelligent, and the trip was enjoyed by all.

Wednesday brought challenging classes with Gustavo, which left everyone a little pensive and overwhelmed (in a good way). We spoke of the challenges of sustainable development and the perpetuation of capitalism under the guise of globalization. That afternoon, Nicole Kast, a recent Swarthmore graduate, spoke to us about the culture of indigenous Oaxacans. Nicole recently moved to Oaxaca and is a history teacher and anthropologist.

Thursday, Gustavo answered questions that we all had about the readings he had assigned about Zapatistas and the Oaxaca commune. We then heard from Ruben Valencia, a community leader for young adult activists. After we ate lunch and laid in the sun for a while, Benjamin Maldonado spoke to us about the cargo system in traditional communities. In the cargo system, community members are assigned certain jobs or positions which they must complete in order to move up the ladder and gain respect. This is a way to maintain communal bonds and ensure that the work will be completed.

On Friday, we had our last session of orientation with Gustavo and Mary Lou. After lunch, we hopped on the buses back to the city, where we waited anxiously for our homestay families to pick us up. It felt like the first day of kindergarten all over again. Our families met us with open arms and warm smiles, making us feel at ease in our new homes. The last two days have been spent relaxing, exploring the city, and getting acquainted with our families.

Tomorrow, we start class at Solexico. We will have Spanish in the morning followed by Culture, Sustainability, and Social Change in Oaxaca with Gustavo. You can expect to hear more from us within the coming weeks. We will be dividing up the task of blogging between the homestays, so everyone's voice should come through eventually.

Adios!
Erin, Kiren, and the rest of the group!


(You can click on these pictures to make them bigger)






This is our tour guide at Monte Alban. He was very animated and knowledgeable of the local ecology and history.





This is the group at the retreat center.








This is the courtyard of the retreat center, where we spent time eating and soaking up the rays.