Girls Day Out in Oaxaca

These are some of the crazy girls I've gotten to know over the summer. We decided to take a day trip a little ways outside of Oaxaca. We walked around a bit in the woods...

and found a make-shift zip line. Random!?! I thought so too.


Had our driver take us to Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juarez--the greatest icon in Mexico after the Virgin Guadalupe. There are statues of Benito Juarez all over Oaxaca, an indigenous president who fought off the French when they invaded Mexico in the 1800's. So, of course, I couldn't turn down a photo-op of me and Beni.

We ate at El Monte, a nice and quaint little restaurant, and I couldn't help but think of mi amiga Dallass, who would've have loved all the animal skins that were covering the walls behind us.

Fun times with the fam

I waited for about an hour one afternoon for my host family. We were supposed to meet at Terra Nova on the zocolo for lunch...little did I know that I had been waiting in Alta Terra Nova and they were below...in Terra Nova (same restaurant, just one upstairs and one below...in my defense, this could have happened even in the states--in English!). Just shows how one little word makes all the difference. Obviously, we finally figured it out.

That's Rosita, Rico Padre, and Rosita...they have all been a huge blessing to me. When I asked the Lord to provide me with a 'real' family, I had no idea what that would look like, but they have made my summer wonderful. So many laughs and sweet memories that I will always have.

Friday Night Out, What a Treat in Oaxaca!

Every Friday night without fail, as I've traipsed about the city, there has been a never ending feast for the senses: lots of traffic, which makes crossing the street mean you risk your life many times over...so many smells, but most often that muggy smell of fresh rain...taxis, oh so many taxis with their horns blaring...and colors, tons of brilliant colors everywhere...music blasting from clubs out onto the streets...masses of people milling about talking and joking...little orchestras giving concerts in the streets as people watch and dance...getting jostled a bit as you navigate your way...and all of this going on for hours...so we took it all in together as we enjoyed our first date night in Oaxaca!

We played Carcassone and drank coffees in a little cafe overlooking la iglesia de Santo Domingo.

Later we went out for seriously-amazing-deliciously filling-is your mouth watering yet-food! I highly recommend you try Los Danzantes the next time you're in Oaxaca and looking for a modern twist on both food and atmosphere.

Beej also was officially initiated into the culture with his first taste of mezcal--made from a cactus called agave--this hard alcohol is SUPER strong and not for the hesitant (or light weight like me)!

Mi Amado=My Beloved

He was here...and it was a wonderful 12 days! Beej left this last Monday afternoon and praise God, he made it safely here and back in one piece! I'll show you some of what we did while he was here. This pick was taken right after he arrived in Oaxaca when we boarded the taxi collectivo to head home.

Mitla

In nahuatl means "the place of the dead or underworld". It was a contemporary of Monte Alban. It flourished and grew dramatically though after Monte Alban was abandoned. Unlike Monte Alban though, there were still people living and thriving in Mitla when the conquistadores came over from Spain.

The conquistadores took over the region and forced the zapotecas to destroy some of their own buildings and use the stones to construct the catholic church pictured above. The church was built over what was most likely the most important spiritual building to the indigenous people.

This photo shows a piece of a mural that once told the history of the kings and the elite of Mitla. It's amazing to me that pieces of the mural still exist at all.

The zapotecas didn't use any form of cement when constructing these amazing grecas--the designs are simply made by packing the stones together very tightly.

Dar la luz...

On Wednesday of this last week, my four hours at the Red Cross was feeling more like 400 hours because for the first three there were absolutely no patients. Now, not that I wish for harm to befall people or for accidents to happen, but I do want to see something interesting each day that I work at the hospital. Well, the perseverence paid off because last Wednesday may end up being the highlight of the summer for me! I got to watch a woman give birth, which is rare (maybe 2-3 births a month) at the Red Cross because it is strictly for emergencies and the government actually has a program in Oaxaca at the Civil Hospital where mothers can have their babies gratis (for free). It was amazing and a bit disturbing at the same time! I didn't expect to feel so emotional as I watched the baby crown, and then heard the mother cry out, "Una nina, una nina?" (sorry, I can't get the puncuation right on this laptop...). She was really hoping for a little girl. What disturbed the beautiful moment, was that Dr. Paro immediately cut the cord and the student doctor rapidly cleaned up the baby and slapped a diaper on her! I guess I am just so used to all the stories of my friends births were the baby is immediately given to the mom so they can bond even more. Still, it was an experience I will never forget. Oh, and down here, the "romantic" way to say a mother gave birth is "Dar la luz" which means to give the light.

Monte Alban

Last Sunday, our group wound our way up above the city to Monte Alban. It was once a grand city where the elite of the Zapotecas lived from about 500b.c. to 750a.d. The place is amazing, and the people were actually very advanced for the time. They studied medicine, understood astronomy, had a writing system, attempted new forms of architecture, and grew many different kinds of foods. I think that approximately 80,000 people lived in or near the city. As I walked around and took a lot of photos, I tried to imagine what the place would be like bustling with people, shops, markets, etc. It was raining when we visited, which made the place seem even more "mystical" and the rain was actually a blessing because there was hardly anyone else visiting that day.

This is one of the buildings where for the first time in this region, the people went beyond just function. They were creative and artistic in their design.



This is one of the first visions you see after you make your way through the gates and up a little hill into Monte Albon. I just loved the fog and the huge trees...although the weather and vegetation would have been different when the Zapotecas lived here.

This is where the game called Pelota was played. It had religious significance for the Zapotecas and was played in cycles according to their study of the stars. There were two teams each with about 5 players. The teams would work together to get the ball through a hoop (not picutred). I imagine it was a fierce competition because the winners sacrificed the losers, and offered their hearts to the gods.

This is called an estela. Most archeologists and historians believe it is a picture of someone who needed medical treatment and/or was a prisoner held by the Zapotecas. There are many of these stone tablets around the site. It was how they passed their history (both their personal life history and medical knowledge) onto the following generations to learn from.

Another Unexpected Visitor

Last weekend, I went out for dessert with a few other girls. We decided to try a place near the Zocolo and were enjoying our chocolate cake, when we were joined by this little character. He was only 4 years old, but he was already a pro at working the tables at the cafe. He plopped down and started talking with us--I have no idea where his folks were. I pushed my plate towards him, and he hastily devoured the rest of my cake, then began eyeing the rest of my hot chocolate. He finished that off too. It was hilarious. Once the food was gone, he quickly moved onto a nearby table and started the routine all over again.

El Mercado de Abastos

Let's just say this is the largest, dirtiest, most interesting maze of a market I've ever been in. I visited the market last Saturday--which just happens to be its busiest day. The pictures tell the story much better than I ever could.

La Cruz Roja

My summer internship is going to be amazing! I am working in the Red Cross Hospital right around the corner from the college. Can you believe that on the first day they asked me if I wanted to ride along and assist in the ambulances!?! I had to explain that I didn´t want to hurt anyone, so I´d rather just observe initially. This photo is of me on my first day. There are two other girls from the program, Stephanie and Caitlin, who are also working there. Caitlin and I will be working the same shifts.

El museo de Santo Domingo

This is an amazing museum. We will actually be visiting it three times for history excursions while we're here, but I just wanted to give you taste of what I got to see last weekend while I was there.

This is a beautiful fountain--one of the first things you see as you enter the grounds of the church.

Everything is painted in gold.

These are some of the urns that the priests would burn incense in as offerings. The different urns represent the different gods the zapotecas-mixtecas worshipped.

El Camino Real

The first Saturday I was here, we were all invited to a reception at El Camino Real. It is one of the nicest hotels/restaurants in Oaxaca and takes up a whole city block. I guess it costs upward of $500 a night to stay in the hotel. We all got dressed up (or as much as we could--none of knew about this reception before we left) and had a great time. The food was great (I tried octupus and liked it!), there was entertainment, and I got to know a few of the other girls in the program a little better.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Hola. ¿Como estas? So, my summer has begun in Oaxaca and it is already turning into a crazy experience! I arrived on a Sunday night, May 25th...it took all day to get from SAC to LAX to Mexico City to the airport in Oaxaca--which is the size of the airport in Arcata. Upon arrival, my bags were nowhere to be found. So I tried not to tear up too much (I was also very tired by that time) and took a cab to the Casona del Llano. The hotel was great--clean and right next to the place it is named after. El Llano is a large square with four fountains, a statue, and tons of beautiful trees.

About an hour after I got to the hotel, my bags arrived. Sadly, my hiking and running shoes, and my backpack were missing from them. I was told that stealing from bags as they go through customs is very rare, but it means that I will have to purchase some other shoes--a good way for me to practice my spanish in a real situation.

The following day, I met my host, Amparo, and went to her house. That first night in the new house was tough, but I made it. I did however meet another new, unexpected friend the next morning. I woke up around 5:30am to use the bathroom, and as I was washing my hands I noticed some wierd wires sticking out from under the faucet. I stepped back to look...and it was a cockroach!!! Apparantly, they love the water and if you forget to plug the shower drain (like I did that first night), they can get inside the house. I raced out of the bathroom as fast as I could, but no surprise--I could not fall back asleep. However, I met my little friend again the next morning when I was taking a shower, and he died a quick and painless death--an accident with my shoe.

What have I been up to...

Here's a few of the reasons I've been so busy I haven't written in a couple months! I only have seven weeks of school until the semester ends--and one of those weeks is Thanksgiving vacation. I'm looking forward to the break, but so far have really been enjoying attending H.S.U. My international political economy class is my favorite so far, which was a huge surprise to me because I've never taken an economics class before. I didn't expect to like it so much. I survived my midterms and am waiting to see the results, but as I'm reminded by BJ, I'm not back in school just to study myself sick, but to enjoy the process and trust God with the energy and effort I put into it. I'm just thankful that God has given us the means for me to be there right now!

Humboldt State University

I'm a Lumber Jack! I am really going back to school...it still hasn't sunk in yet. Although, I'm sure once I have to start doing homework again, reality will set in fast. I've been dreaming about going back to school ever since I received my A.A. degree several years ago (BJ, thank you for working so hard to make this dream possible right now). And this next Monday, I'm stepping out in faith and starting H.S.U. as a junior. My class load will keep me hopping, but I am excited about what I'm taking. I think my schedule includes almost every class with the word 'global' in it--that's an exaggeration, but most of what I'm taking is about understanding culture on a global scale, communicating through racial/economic differences, etc. H.S.U. has a reputation for liberalism, so I'm curious to see if any heated debates break out, or just the point of view the different professors will take. I get the feeling it will be anything but a boring fall.