The next adventure

Hello friends, I'm back in the states and preparing for a new adventure in Santiago, Chile. I'd love for you to join the ride. Come visit me at:

http://apoorvainchile.blogspot.com

Farewell Suchilquitongo...

The last day in Santiago Suchilquitongo - it`s time to bid farewell to my home for the past two months. It`s been a summer of many emotions and many memories. From the morning announcements to the smell of fresh hot chocolate to the marvelous view, you don`t forget things like this anytime soon.

There`s so many people to thank and so many things to say goodbye to, but today is a day just to take it all in and look back. The summer was a success and Project TECHNO made it through it`s guinea pig run. I hope it lives on, for it`s a project with enormous potential.

So many people told me what AMIGOS is like and what to expect, and they were all absolutely right - even when they contradicted each other. But yet, the experience I had no one else will ever have. I hope you have enjoyed seeing this summer through my eyes.

Perhaps one day, I`ll come back here and feel some nostalgia about that summer. The beautiful thing is that here, I have a feeling that things will stay just about the same. Sure the animals will get bigger, people will get older, and modernity will slap this community in the face some more, but something about this place makes me feel like it will always be the Suchil I knew. That`s an awesome thing.

Thank you for being a part of my summer. I will leave you with this view. It says everything I never could.

With love and final greetings from Santiago Suchilquitongo, Oaxaca,

Apoorva

Pinche tecnología

Google Earth is ridiculous. Here´s a satellite shot of my AMIGOS Community:

So here when there´s women you see walking around with umbrellas, it´s not because of the sun. They´re just worried about their privacy.

Cue credits

Yesterday we had our final computer class for kids. Overall, the classes went very well and the children´s progress was remarkable. I hope they use the skills they have learned positively and not just to find "video juegos" online. But I´m not too worried, when it comes time to do a presentation for class, they´ll be the ones busting out the Powerpoints. And that makes me proud.

I had another highlight for the summer yesterday. The teacher of the women´s cooking class at the Casa de la Cultura was interested in learning how to make Indian food. So yesterday evening, I spent a few hours with the women teaching them how to cook a typical Indian dish I would eat at home - green beans and cauliflower spiced to the max with mustard seeds, curry, cumin, cloves, red chili pepper, onions, garlic, cilantro, lime, tomato, etc.

It was ridiculously fun and it smelled like home. The best part was that all the women couldn´t stop snacking on it, and many said they would make it at home for their kids! I have officially accomplished the "cultural exchange" part of the AMIGOS Mission Statement.

Cue credits for AMIGOS in Suchilquitongo, I can count the days left in community on one hand.

Love,
Apoorva

Far too long to not have blogged

I can´t believe I haven´t blogged in more than a week. Apologies! Since my last post I have seen the festival of the Patron Saint Santiago Apostol in my town, been to a workshop in Oaxaca City, and attended the Casa de la Cultura Guelaguetza.

If my last post appeared as too negative and disheartening, I certainly did not mean it to be so. While the criticism was necessary, I do not think that this summer has been a failure or anything close to one. In reality, despite all the circumstances working against our mission, we have been successful. It´s fine for expectations and realities to be distinct.

The Guelaguetza last night was a presentation of dances from all the seven regions of Oaxaca and from our community as well. It was certainly an event, turnout was wonderful, and you could see once again that Oaxaca and culture go together like butter and toast.

Here is a video about El Baile del Guajolote (The Turkey Dance) that is traditional at weddings in Suchil. I worked on it with my host brother and host uncle, and it was presented to the whole community last night at the Guelaguetza. (The narrator is a friend of my host uncle - what a badass voice!)

The social movement still continues here in Oaxaca, but nothing seems to be as bad as news sources make it out to be. I even found this article about the situation in the Houston Chronicle - it made the front page! But I guess sensationalism comes from many sides here in Oaxaca. Some of the messages spray-painted on the streets assure that this movement will certainly become a Revolution with a capital R (I don´t think so, Tim).

But no worries, the teachers have taken their opportunity of owning the Zócalo to let vendors set up shop and sell anything imaginable - it´s capitalism at its purest. Strange that vendors supporting such an anti-capitalist movement would sell trinkets and crafts that no local would ever buy. Oh, the irony.

Very little time left now, less than two weeks. Will keep you updated!

Cheers,

Apoorva

Frustrations and adventures...

Frustrations

Hello friends, as you may or may not know, the Casa de la Cultura has been kind of on thin ice recently with the local municipal authorities. The town government wants to stop funding it, and everyday the people involved in the Casa try to do everything they can to save it. Last night, my host mother/director of the Casa met with the President and his Regidores (the Cabildo) to make the final push to keep funding and support alive for the Casa.

As she came in at 11 PM last night, the first thing she said to me was, "¡Nos fue mal!" in a very dejected tone. I then heard from her that the Cabildo essentially ignored the requests of the Casa and said that they would rather use the money to pave streets instead of preserve the culture of the town. All I heard from her, her brother, and her son was about how these men are total machistas, drunks, and care less about the goals of the Casa de la Cultura.

This part of Suchil has been a pretty consistent dark cloud over the atmosphere here. Everything that AMIGOS and the Casa de la Cultura does here lacks any type of support from the government, and sadly, power politics and corruption are the law of the land in the Palacio Municipal.

This is the part of the AMIGOS experience no one ever wants to talk about. In this case, there´s no cultural exchange nor leadership development. The only lesson from these events is that politics is always in play, even in a small town. Sometimes its forgotten that a corrupt president or a drunken secretary of health is more than just a quirky aspect of the AMIGOS community that you go home and tell your friends and family about.

For Suchiltecos, this is their life. We leave in 3 weeks, yet we have been affected by these politics. I can´t even imagine what it feels like for my host mother or one of the students at the Casa de la Cultura who live here and will have to deal with this for who knows how long. It´s a downer to talk about this, but I feel this is part of the experience and thus must be talked about. I´d love your comments on this topic.

Adventures

On a different, happier note, my host mother, brother, and I took a trip to Oaxaca City this morning. I wanted to see what a typical day at the market is like, and I asked to be taken along. It was a fun adventure and nice to see the city again.

A few highlights included:

• Seeing a band from the coast of Oaxaca playing at the maestro´s version of the Guelaguetza in the Zócalo - they were very lively and you could sense the tropical flavor in their music
• Learning what foods and items are legit and authentic and what´s not (in the city, there is authentic and pirated versions of everything - CDs, DVDs, artesanías, and even cheese)
• Buying cacao beans which we will later prepare and mix with sugar and cinnamon at my house so that I can have a nice pack of freshly made chocolate to take home

It´s been raining almost non-stop here and it´s actually really cold! Too bad for everyone in the States who are being nicely toasted. =)

Until next time,

Apoorva

Spanish vocabulary lesson

Life and classes continue here in Santiago Suchilquitongo. Here are some points of note from recent days (you will also learn some good vocabulary en español):

Clases llenas - Our technology classes for kids have gotten massive. We have 6 computers to use, and today 30 kids showed up! That means not a second goes by where you don´t hear "maestro!" or "maestra!" because they want to ask you any type of question imaginable.

They are great students and work very well together. But it´s a zoo in there. They have been getting better at typing now that we have been using the Mavis Beacon typing program, and they certainly have Microsoft Paint down. I´m enjoying it. It´s exhausting, but not as exhausting as sitting around waiting for people to show up! (Note that in the picture the computer is barely visible behind the throng of eager Mexican children)

La presa - Today confirmed for me that our community has everything. One of our friends from town, Heriberto, took us in his car to the presa, which is a pretty huge lake surrounded by mountains and cliffs. It´s majestic. There´s a small waterfall, and its completely tranquilo. It was a wonderful getaway for the afternoon, and it was fun talking in English to Heriberto, for he is an English teacher in the Istmo of Oaxaca.
So here´s a list of things in community: Food out of this world, pre-Colombian ruins, high-speed internet, a huge cultural festival (Guelaguetza) coming up next week, beautiful mountains, a secluded lake, and all 45 minutes from Oaxaca City. Superb.

Los Jardineros - Today we also began to prepare a piece of gardening area to do an amaranth planting demonstration for women in the community. We are working with the women in the cooking class, and did a little bit of digging and cleaning the area so we can plant the seeds. It was strange being on Project TECHNO and using a shovel, but it will be fun. It was clearly obvious I have done very little to no gardening in my life. Perhaps I should stick with the blog.

Three weeks from today, we shall we leaving community. It´s going by fast!

Love,
Apoorva

This post is absolutely serious.

Yeah, right.

Here´s an image homage to a funny joke. "When you get hit by a car, your shoe flies off and your ears will bleed" (AMIGOS interpretation, note the giant Virgin Mary painting in the back and my shoe, perfectly balanced in mid-air. Absolutely spectacular.):

Classes still going well. Time still going fast. Food still muy rica. Maestros still trying to start the next Revolución. Sounds like Oaxaca to me.

My Top Ten List

Here are my top six reasons why it really feels like I´ve adjusted to life here (I wish I could think of ten. Top Ten sounds way cooler, but I can´t think of ten):

1) I find myself hissing and making clicking sounds at any animal that comes within five feet of me. It doesn´t matter that they aren´t dangerous at all - it´s just a way to pass time.

2) I eat all food with a tortilla in my left hand and rip a small piece off for every bite - making a taco is only for weekends.

3) Jackets and blankets. I never understood why people here wore jackets in reasonably normal-to-cool temperatures and used thick blankets at night. I now use both regularly.

4) I feel the constant urge to show up everywhere about 20-30 minutes late.

5) It´s perfectly natural for me to say "¡Buenos días!" and "¡Buenas tardes!" to all people over the age of 30 that walk by me. But it`s never full phrase either - something more like "buenaas" or "bueo dias."

6) As you noticed earlier in this post of me repeating the fact I can´t think of ten things, I am perfectly comfortable with saying one thing in as many ways possible using as many different clauses, tenses, subject/preposition shifts, etc. as necessary. This is the way people talk to you here. Here that´s the way people talk. You see, talking here is done in that way.

P.S. Sheila, if you read this, what´s your e-mail address? I´ve been wanting to respond to your comments but I don´t have your address on my webmail here! Thanks!

Technology classes...for real!

Today marks another important moment in AMIGOS/Suchilquitongo history because we finally held some successful and interactive computer classes for kids! Sure, we had started earlier this week, but today all 6 of our computers were filled and we started seeing real progress!

Some of the kids probably had never touched a computer more than once or twice in their life. Two of them had never seen the internet nor typed anything in Microsoft Word. And there, 30 minutes later, they´re searching Google for pictures, copying and pasting into Word, and even arguing about the best way to format WordArt.

They still need help typing and most of them probably missed the day of class when they learned about punctuation. But progress is progress and they are still very young - 8 to 12 years old. Who knows what a little bit of practice making greeting cards in Word will do for the future of a kid.

I believe it and will continue to believe it: technology makes things move forward and changes the world - for the better I hope. Hope you enjoy the very "AMIGOS-style" picture of me working with the students.

Until next time, best wishes,

Apoorva

Life as a TECHNO Volunteer

Have you ever wondered what life is like at an AMIGOS project where high speed internet is available at your house and you say the word "blog" to kids multiple times during the week? It`s certainly not the typical experience, and I`m sure there are some who think we`re missing out on the "real deal." But I don`t think so.

First, let me tell you about all the unique things about being here in Oaxaca on Project TECHNO. Then, I`ll try to prove that even though we are so different, in many ways, we`re still doing AMIGOS:

Section I (If you were an AMIGOS Vol in the 60s, 70s, or 80s, this stuff might make you check the settings on your monitor, twice)

1) High-speed internet - Yes, I am able to blog at 10 in the evening, read the newspaper from home, and even delete spam from my e-mail account!

2) Food - Sorry guys, there`s no mandioca or bland rice and beans everyday. We eat mole, drink fresh chocolate, and pretty much enjoy food I`d pay for at home.

3) Size - Having a community meeting or making an announcement isn`t the same here. If you remember one of my previous posts, there`s nothing three güeros can do on their own - especially when there are 8,000 people in our town.

4) Modernity in all its shapes and sizes - People here watch Desperate Housewives, see the pirated version of Superman even before Americans do, and have access to all types of technologies and products that we have at home. Here, being an American in Latin America isn`t that big of a deal, and people aren`t that amazed or curious about us.

5) The Volunteer - We are no longer 16 year olds. Most of us are majoring in crazy things like international development or public health. For most, leaving the US is something we`ve done many a time before. Culture shock for us most likely will come when we return home, not when we are here.

Section II (Don`t you worry, this stuff will make any AMIGO reminisce about "that summer")

1) Kids - Kids are always kids, no matter where you are. They can get on your nerves and you just want to slap them with a keyboard, and then all of a sudden they are lovable and friendly. They learn quickly and lose attention quickly. Even if they`re learning how to use a digital camera instead of how to brush their teeth, they`re still kids.

2) Culture and being away - No matter how much you stay in contact through e-mail or phone, you are obviously still miles away from familiarity. This is a different place than back home. Things move way slower, people say "¡Buenos dìas!" and "¡Buenas tardes!" where ever you go, and the smell - it still smells like Latin America (you know exactly what I mean).

3) The meals - People here want to be as hospitable as possible. And that means they want to feed you until you keel over. In the community, there`s still really no such thing here as fast food.

4) The AMIGOS Experience - Still tons of down time. Still classes that never go the way you want them to. Still wondering if what you`re doing is really making any difference or not. Still knowing that this will never be like USA and hoping it never becomes so.

FIN

I`m sure there`s more that I`ve forgotten to put in. But in the end, this is an exciting experience. I will never forget it. There`s one more month left in Santiago Suchilquitongo...stay tuned!

Love,
Apoorva

Yes, that´s a trash truck!

So remember the post about the meeting in which there was a throng of 300 women and a drunken Regidor de Salud in our faces for almost an hour? I guess it turned out ok:

Yes, that´s a trash truck - driving through the main street in Santiago Suchilquitongo. There has been no trash service here for 1.5 years! Now all we need is the slogan. I´ve been suggested "Suchilquitongo, limpia y linda!" Sounds good to me.


The AMIGOS have done something successful...for the time being!

The Images of Suchilquitongo

Here are some pictures from my recent adventures:

World`s first soccer game on Zapotec Ruins

Maestros and their little photographers standing on top of the world One of the ruins at Cerro de la Campana Breakfast in Suchilquitongo: Chocolate and Enfrijoladas

Tallering and shout-outs

I have returned to Suchil after our 1.5 day taller (workshop) in Oaxaca City. It was a blast to see all of the other volunteers and hang out a little. We finally got to go to the Zòcalo and besides from the teacher`s revolution and no poinsettas everything looks pretty similar since I was last there in December.

While at times it felt as if time was passing really slow, after this taller I`ve realized that we`ve got not much more left - only one month! The next weeks are going to be busy as always, and I think we brought back a lot of good ideas from other vols as well.

Coming up in the next few weeks:

• Finally using a internet cafè for our tech classes
• Taking digital family portraits for fundraising
• Amaranth classes w/ women
• Working w/ older youth on the community-cultural blogs

I also want to send out a special hello to the AMIGOS International Board and staff who came to visit our community today. Hope y`all had a good time here!

Also a big thank you to all of those who have been reading my blog back home. I love getting comments, and it`s so nice to hear your support and kind words! You rock!

With warm regards,

Apoorva

What a day!

Today was probably one of the most ridiculous, crazy, exciting, and utterly confusing days yet in Suchilquitongo. Get ready for a kicker:

PART I (lighthearted, fun, and joyful!)

This morning, we took the kids from our digital photography class on a field trip to the ruins in our town. The Cerro de la Campana, as they are called, is up on top of a mountain and it takes about 45 minutes to walk there. Getting 16 kids to keep up, not break the cameras, and not kill each other is a interesting task.

The trek was pretty intense in the bright heat of the mid-morning, but the views just kept getting better and better as we got higher up. Soon, we could see all of our community and our houses looked like little toys.

The Cerro de la Campana ruins are from pre-Columbian times and this particular area was a military stronghold for the Zapotecs. There is also an enchanting tomb in the ruins, but the government has it locked and only archaeologists can enter.

In many ways, the Cerro reminded me of a rough and unrefined version of the ruins at Monte Alban. From the top of the highest ruin, you can see literally everything, and when you look down, you see all the ruins, many un-excaved. When I`m up there, all I could think about was what life was like back then, and how these ruins have in a way kept that society frozen in time. It`s very tought-provoking and yet kind of spooky at the same time.

So the kids took tons of pictures and we even found a soccer ball, so I got to play probably the only soccer game of my life on pre-Columbian ruins. The kids in our class have become so extroverted and some are simply hilarious. I will miss them a lot when we leave.

PART II (intense, crazy, and the type of event that makes you go, "What the hell just happened?")

The 2nd part of our day was something we were fearing ever since we set it up a few weeks ago. So we had been told that people were interested in coming up with a solution about the trash problem in the community. Many people burn their trash and ever since this new town president came to power, the trash truck hasn`t come to pick up trash.

So a few weeks ago, we went to talk to the Regidor de Salud (remember this guy, he plays a key role later on in the story) in the community and see if he could help us set up a meeting with community members. He said he could, and that he would call a meeting of women affiliated with the Oportunidades program in the community. (Oportunidades is a government benefits program that in my opinion is kind of sketch, but we didn`t know that then) This was the meeting that was set up for today, 6 PM.

So we were kind of scared about what we would say or do at this meeting, and we just decided we`d try to create discussion and see if community members had ideas. Well...as we head towards the Town Municipio, we start seeing women - everywhere. So apparently Oportunidades has about 600 members in the town, and about 300 decide to show up. Yes, 300. (Note to self: People always show up when you hope they don`t - Another lesson from Mexico)

We are scared out of our minds, and there is no town authority anywhere to be seen. We say hell, we gotta do something, and we begin the meeting. All 300 people crowd around us, we explain AMIGOS, what we`re doing here, and why we`re talking today. They start shouting out problems about trash, and how the town government doesn`t do anything. We try to ask them to think of solutions...things aren`t going too bad, and then the Regidor de Salud shows up...

This man is far too drunk to be speaking to 300 women, and he starts going off about crap - we have no idea what he`s talking about. Of course all the people get angry and frustrated. Then it starts raining... All of a sudden we are surrounded by women. They are everywhere.

The Regidor still keeps his drunken tirade going, and there are people shouting everywhere. Maya, Lindley, and I are speechless and scared out of our minds. What do we do?

At this moment, thank god, the Town President shows up and tells the Regidor to chill out. Things get a little normal, and finally we decide to only meet with the representatives from each barrio, 12 people instead of 300. The prez tells everyone else that the meeting is over.

Here`s where things began to change. We walk into the community meeting room with the President and the 12-14 women representatives, and soon the discussion comes to the fact that more public education on trash is necessary and a truck is also needed to pick up the trash.

After many long minutes of discussion, the President busts out a paper and writes down the days Monday-Friday. They begin to discuss which days will be what trash. (This is good, we`re getting somewhere) After more deliberation, it`s confirmed that starting next Monday, a trash truck will come to the community and pick up plastics, then metals, then glass products, and so on, day by day.

If this actually happens, I will be amazed and very proud of ourselves. There hasn`t been a trash truck that has come through this community for 1.5 years!! Somehow, someway, we got through it, and we may have actually helped start the clean-up of this community. I`m going to be skeptical until Monday, though.

FIN

P.S. Tomorrow we go to Oaxaca City for a Taller until Friday evening, and we`re gonna get a chance to hang out with the other vols and relax! (I`m excited to see everyone!!)

I`ll post pictures soon of the Cerro de la Campana. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of the mass of women who surrounded us and the borracho Regidor de Salud.


What a day, indeed...

A little disappointment...

Well you know they say "mo money`, mo`problems," and I guess if that`s true, this community`s gonna have one less problem. Unfortunately, our grant application didn`t get passed on for consideration. Yeah it sucks a little, but it`s a good lesson learned and I don`t think it`s totally our fault. I thought we wrote a pretty damn good proposal.

I am looking forward to the mini-midterm on Thursday. It`ll be nice to see some other Amigos and just chill in the city. It`s been a pretty boring and uneventful weekend otherwise. The Presidential Elections here went pretty chill, and I think the race is still too close to call. I`ve had enough protesting for one summer, so I`ll be very happy if this is over with pretty quickly.

Apparently, the teachers have no plan to stop their strike anytime soon. Kinda screws up our whole use of computer lab in the school plan.

But things will get better, they always do. A good lesson on patience I`ve had this week!

With love,
Apoorva

Foundation Grant Application...turned in!

A great way to end the week, we finally turned in the application for the AMIGOS Foundation Grant. So far, we have received good comments about it, and we`ll find out if we get the grant sometime soon, hopefully.

Here`s some interesting facts about our application:

Name of project: The Renovation and Rebirth of La Casa de Cultura

What we`ll do with the money: Buy material resources (sewing machine, stove, cd player, tables, etc.) for classes held at the Casa. We believe these purchases will support the community`s interests in preserving their historical and cultural traditions. Santiago Suchilquitongo is an increasingly fragmenting community, and the classes the Casa provides serve as a way to unite citizens, empower women, and create new youth leaders.
All of the classes are taught and led by either women or young people my age. It`s an amazing thing.

We are also planning to integrate technology by having kids take digital photos of the classes and its participants as a way to decorate the Casa. We also want to work with the youth to create a Casa de Cultura blog/website with podcasts, pictures, folklore, etc.

Ciao!

Amazing photographers

During our morning class today, we gave the kids the opportunity to take digital photos with the camera Ross brought to us yesterday.

Here are our students:

First, we explained the rules to them:

1) Always wear the camera strap around your wrist
2) Take turns taking pictures - one at a time
3) Always turn the camera off when not using it
4) If you catch someone not obeying one of the above rules, call them out!

It was hilarious, they figured out the camera almost right away and policed themselves about all of the rules and about whose turn it was. Soon, they were outside taking pictures at a whim of everything imaginable.

Kids learn technology so fast, and it`s amazing how much inherent understanding they have about taking pictures and following the rules. While some pictures were just goofy: a picture of their bikes, of trees, etc., some were kind of amazing.

This was taken by one of the kids:

This one too (the guy on the moto was going fast too):

Not bad for just the first day! I`m impressed - a great way to end a hard week.

Challenges and progress...

There has been a lot that has happened since my last post. Times have been tough and hectic, but rewarding. Working with the Municipality of Santiago Suchilquitongo is absolutely ridiculous and we still haven`t met the town president. Pretty much everything in this town moves very slowly, and although that`s perfectly normal and expected, it`s hell when you have a four-page AMIGOS Foundation Grant application due in three days.

Because of our time constraints, the teacher`s strike which means we can`t use the school computer labs, and previous attendance troubles for our classes (7 kids showed up to class this morning and yesterday - that is encouraging), we have all been pretty stressed.

However, our supervisor Ross (of Paraburger in Cheesedise fame) came yesterday, and talking to him helped us out a lot. We needed someone with an outside perspective to talk (and vent) to and get advice from. And today, we finally finished the whole grant application and are pretty much ready to turn it in. We`ll find out if we get it in the next two weeks.

All of these things happening all at once is challenging personally, for our partnership, and certainly for community members not used to dealing with three crazies like us. Getting the grant would certainly be the best reward, but in either way, we`ve learned a lot.

I can`t wait to watch some football and relax this weekend!

Love,
Apoorva

Exciting update!

So after yesterday`s not so productive classes, mis parejas and I got a chance to meet with the Casa de Cultura parents group and comite. We introduced ourselves to the parents and then observed as they spent 3 hours (literally) talking about the Casa and the student fees.

However, it was good because my host mom (the director of the Casa) explained to the parents that we weren`t comfortable with giving English classes. I`m very, very happy she addressed our concerns and understands that we aren`t here to teach English. Now we will be able to focus our classes on technology, youth leadership, and the `rescue` of the Casa.

The 2nd meeting of the night, with the comite, went amazingly well. We explained the AMIGOS Foundation grant to them, and they seemed to understand almost immediately. They decided that the best direction would be to request the grant for a `Renovation and Rescue of the Casa de Cultura.` They even started throwing out prices of different materials they need and began a pseudo-budget! I`m going to explain our application even more in a later post.

I think this is a great idea, and will probably be more realistic and sustainable than a Tourism Center. We are going to start working on the Grant Application tonight so we can turn it in before the 30th...Friday!

We have classes in a few minutes, let`s hope people show up!

First day of classes

Don`t look for an exciting story on this post. Today we just had our first English classes, and three kids showed up. Yep, so we drew some pictures and translated some words. Their homework is to bring back 4 to 5 of their friends. Very crucial homework.

I`m not a big fan of teaching English because we`re not certified to do so and it`s not very sustainable. But it`s what the people want, and maybe this way they`ll come to some of our tech classes.

I hope our oral history classes and meeting with the Casa de Cultura comite go a little better! I`m optimistic.

Love,
Apoorva

Our route is so good lookin!

Our supervisor Ross is on the left, then my partnership, then

Henry and Colin, and finally the partnership known as CleaMika

Awesome.

Amazing culture in Suchil

I have learned so much about the rich culture here in Santiago Suchilquitongo these past few days. Last night, my host mother and I talked about life in the pueblo and she told me all about the archaeological ruins and tombs in the community, life before intense modernity, and even curanderas!

This community has so much potential for tourism, and I know tons of people from around the world would come here to see, hear, and taste this Oaxacan culture. My partners and I are hoping to work together with my host mother and the Comite of the Casa de Cultura to create a Women`s Tourism Co-Op. This was an idea my host mother had.

I think its brilliant. Women would lead and run a organization in the community that would be in charge of tourism. The community museum that has been closed would become the Tourism Center, which would be the starting point for all tourists. From there, they could tour the city, taste the amazing food, and see some of the culture that makes Oaxaca and Suchil so special. All while knowing that their experience hasn`t been totally commercialized and is actually empowering and sustaining women in the pueblo.

I really hope we can get this moving, and technology would facilitate the project so much! Imagine seeing digital photos and hearing audio oral histories in the Center and being able to check out the community and make reservations on a website before arriving!

Exciting...

-Apoorva

Photos from Oaxaca!

Our route (from left to right): Colin, Clea, Me, Lindley,

Maya, Mika, our sup Ross, and Henry

Sunday mass, it was beautiful!

A view from my houseMe and my awesome partners!

In Santiago Suchilquitongo

I have now arrived to my community of Santiago Suchilquitongo. It`s a beautiful place from where I can see much of the Oaxacan valley. My host family includes the Director of the Culture Center in the community and her son and daughter. The house is a very interesting place, as they have just started an internet cafe business, which means there are two computers set up for people to come and use for 8 pesos an hour. On the other hand, it is very much like a Latin American community, with animals everywhere and trucks with loudspeakers going by all the time. My partners Maya and Lindley live in houses about 20 minutes away, and I`m planning to go visit them after comida.

It`s still very strange to be so far from home and I think it will take a while to get used to. But this community seems like a great place for Project TECHNO and I think my host brother will be able to help a lot with the classes and stuff.

Until next time, adios!

-Apoorva

I´m in Oaxaca!

After lots of training and traveling, I have finally arrived in Oaxaca! We have had 3 days worth of training in the city, and on Thursday my 2 partners Maya and Lina and I will go to our community named Santiago Suchilquitongo, which is about 45 minutes from the city. It is a town of about 8,000 people. The community sounds very exciting, and I can`t wait to start reporting from there! Our internet connection will surely be very nice.

¡Super padre gûey!

-Apoorva

Angry Oaxacan maestros

I've been seeing a bunch of news lately about school teachers in Oaxaca striking because they want higher pay. Then a few articles came out yesterday that a pretty serious encounter between the maestros and the police occured in the Zocalo. Apparently there was some tear gas fired and some independent news sites say that police shot at some protestors with guns as well. The Oaxacan governor denies this, but who knows?



I remember that the teachers were always striking back in December as well, and thus many kids missed school all the time. This time, kids haven't been to school since May! The teachers want higher wages, and the government says they don't have any more money. All of this in the midst of the July 2nd presidential election.

I don't know if this will all settle down before we arrive on Sunday, but it doesn't seem as if there will be a solution anytime soon. Hopefully the conflicts will be peaceful.

Here's an article by the BBC.

And here's one by an independent media source, Infoshop News.

And now, the time is here...

Tomorrow it all begins! CV training will be in Houston until Sunday and then I head off to Oaxaca! It seems like I was a new intern in the IO just yesterday. I'm excited and nervous and really hoping I haven't forgotten to pack anything!

I hope I will have decent enough internet access in my community to keep this blog in tip-top shape. This project ain't called Project TECHNO for no reason!

Here's to a great summer!

-Apoorva

This summer's election

After more than 6 months of preparation, Project TECHNO is about a week away! I'm very excited about going back to Oaxaca, and for sure this is going to be a very different experience than the one in December.

The Mexican presidential election will also take place this summer. At this moment it appears too close to call, but I the PAN candidate Calderon has a small lead (7% as of Tuesday). What will end up happening, I have no idea.

I want to cover the election from perspective of my community during the summer. I'm not sure how politically active the community will be, but I have heard that the parties do some tough campaigning to get the vote out (or perhaps I should say to prevent the vote from getting out) in the rural areas.

Tuesday was also an important day for the campaign - the presidential debate. The front page of the Mexican newspaper La Jornada titled it's front page article, "El debate, rehén de la televisión y de encuestas." This sounds a lot like American presidental debates! It appears as if nothing new came from the debates and that the results will have a lot to do with which candidate can best fend off attacks from the other candidates.

Here's the article

I wonder how much the US-Mexican border and immigration issues will play a factor in the election?


Apoorva

Photos from my December 2005 Trip

Here are some pictures I took during my December 2005 trip to Oaxaca:

The Program Guide is done!

About two weeks ago, I finished putting the final touches on the the Project TECHNO 2006 Program Guide! The volunteers will be getting the guide during training in June.

If you want to check out the final copy, here it is: TECHNO Program Guide 2006

(Note: this is the updated and final copy)

-Apoorva

A video for Oaxaca

This is a video of Program Assistants from Puente a la Salud Comunitaria. They are giving a charla on the health benefits of Amaranth.
I recorded it in December 2005 in the community of Loma Larga during my visit to Oaxaca with AMIGOS Regional Director, Jon Crail. I edited and produced the video in January 2006. Enjoy!

Hey!

Hello everyone! I’m Apoorva, and I will be a volunteer in Oaxaca this summer. I hope to write about all my experiences with Project TECHNO here.

As of right now, I am working on the Program Guide for Project TECHNO. Every volunteer will be receiving one sometime in April. I’m really glad I can contribute, and I am having a wonderful time doing so!

See you soon!