Oaxaca Slideshow

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Mercado at Etla, Santa Ana del Valle & lots of Tejate

During this busy week we continued our regular Spanish classes at Solexico. On Wednesday we had the opportunity to collectively take a bus to the weekly Etla market. Located in the center of the village, the colorful market offered garlic, oranges, quesillo, onions, black and green pottery, alebrijes, and a variety of electronics and prepared foods. After spending the afternoon observing and interviewing vendors, we collaborated into groups to discuss the politics and organizations of markets such as Etla. After purchasing items from the market, we returned to our studies back in the city, followed by our weekly cafe social.



To the surprise of many, our first Spanish compositions were received well by the Spanish professors at Solexico. With more confidence in our Spanish-speaking abilities, we boarded the vans for a two-day excursion to Santa Ana del Valle; a tranquil village situated by the foothills of the Sierra Norte. Led by Don Ramón, a respected elder of the community, we observed the traditions of the village that have been maintained for centuries. We all had tejate, a Zapotec drink made from corn, flor de cacao, and chocolate, which was prepared for us on a mortar and pestle by one of the indigenous women in the village. Later that day, after comida with a local family, we visited the community museum as well as view a demonstration of the process of rug-weaving. From the unprocessed wool, to the making of the yarn, our group participated throughout most of the process. It was an amazing experience to see, including how they dyed the wool and what natural ingredients they used to color the yarn. It was also incredible to see the intricate hand-craft that went into re-stringing the loom after each rug was completed.

The next morning, a group of students was led by Don Ramón to hike one of the mountains at the foothills of the Sierra Norte that was collectively owned by the community. Although difficult, and early in the morning, the views of the sunrise on the valley were far more rewarding. Before reluctantly leaving, we attended a talk with a curandera (medicinal healer) who told us her story of the way her son and herself had received their God-led gift to heal people using a wide variety of flora and fauna. In her beautiful patio, we viewed one of the healer’s common ceremonies (limpia-a cleansing) for ridding bad energy, fright (susto), and sadness (tristeza), where she used natural herbs, aroma, and aromatic incense. It was nice to return to our normal routine in Oaxaca City, but surely that many of us will return to the beautiful Santa Anna to purchase hand-made rugs, visit the town’s historic museum and revisit our friends from the village.
Micky & Jack LaubBge.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Huayapam & Settling in!


This week, in Oaxaca, we started our Spanish classes at Solexico and were delighted to find out how much we enjoy that which we are learning. Our Spanish is already improving! We have been continuing to learn about the culture and community of Oaxaca with the great Oliver. On Thursday, we took a field trip to a permaculture demonstration called the "Centro demostrativo de permaculture" in San Andres de Huayapam. Here, we learned about successful attempts to raise the water table in places, such as Oaxaca, that struggle greatly with the lack of water. In order to improve the water situation and also to grow food, and work towards a sustainable living situation, we learned that the workers here strive to have nature "do the hark work" so that they will, therefore, not have to buy gas, build pumps, etc. The place was beautiful and it was incredible to see such how much work had gone into such a wonderful and environmentally sound project.


In exploring the city, we have become more comfortable with our surroundings and we are settling nicely into our home stays. Though several of us have reported getting turned around from time to time, we seem to always find our ways home! At Solexico, several additional classes and opportunities are given to us. Many of us have taken advantage of additional activities such as (but not limited to): pick-up soccer games, cooking classes, salsa classes, social and bonding times at local cafes, and intercambio experiences (the opportunity to talk to a student who wishes to learn English in an attempt to improve our Spanish!) This weekend, group members have gone on bike tours, have eaten Oaxacan chocolate, went to the big market at Tlaclalula, have participated in group Zumba classes in the llano park, and have had a great amount of fun!

Looking ahead to next week, we plan to continue with our Spanish classes and focus more on our independent study projects (more information to come!) Oaxaca is a beautiful and great place. We miss our families greatly and will be sure to soak up some extra sun while many of you are shoveling, bundling up, and wearing ski goggles to class!
Sierra & Jocelyn

Monday, January 16, 2012

First Week in Oaxaca!

(click on image for larger view)
Hello friends and family! We've had a pretty packed week after arriving on Monday. We were able to explore the city in the morning on Tuesday before leaving the city for "El Encuentro,"the lovely setting of our week long retreat. We stayed in an old "hacienda," which is an old horse stable with a beautiful landscape, a pool and a Temezcal (sweat lodge).

We worked with Aerin and her super nice Oaxacan partner, Sergio. Aerin lead yoga each morning, and some of us went running in the morning as well; we were then greeted with a delicious breakfast. One of our main objectives is to be healthy and stay present in order to experience the wonderful opportunities that Oaxaca presents. Some epic bonding was had by all.


Oliver, our geography professor, lead us on a bus tour of the city with "refreshingly sarcastic" snippets of information. We also spent part of a day at Monte Alban, which is a large area of indigenous ruins.

Back at the retreat, Sergio lead (some of) us in a spiritual hour in the Temezcal; we sat in a round hut structure with a natural roof. Hot stones were placed in the center and Sergio poured water on them to create steam. As we chanted in Spanish, we "came back to the womb of the earth."
After enjoying incredible food and interesting classes at the retreat, we made the journey back into Oaxaca and met our host families (on Saturday)!

We live with an extended family in a large house, who rent out several rooms to travelers. There is a shared courtyard in the middle, with gorgeous trees and plenty of dogs, birds y niños. We spent our free day exploring the downtown Oaxaca, wandering through markets and gaining a general sense of our new home. Everyone who we have encountered on the streets has been extremely friendly and welcoming.
Tomorrow we will begin our Spanish classes at Solexico, a local language school. Everyday, for the next six weeks, we will have class from 9-12 and then return home for comida with our families. Some afternoons we will have more class, but other days are free for exploration. We are so excited to begin our lives here and to learn both inside and outside the classroom!
Abrazos y besitos,
Marisa y Danielle