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