Tutoring Sessions in the Afternoon

Sometimes, without my usual friends, I do things that I never would have imagined myself doing. Things like finishing two books in one weekend or trying to get into classical music. You've got to do something to fill the time – especially when you don't have a commute to eat up two hours of your day (I, luckily, get to ride my bike to work).

Sometimes you come across projects that you never imagined working on before, also. I am technically a Sustainable Livelihoods volunteer (small business in an environment friendly way), but I can't say that my projects have ended up being in that area.

However, through a small business project I once had, I came across the second-grader-son of one the women I was working with. He apparently still couldn't recite his ABCs, read, or write. How did he pass the first grade?, I wondered.

I decided that any decent human being shouldn't pass up the opportunity to help a child out like this. If you can't read your options are pretty limited in life (his mother, sadly, never went to 1 year of school). I can't say I was super enthused to work on the project (teaching isn't my passion), but I did know it was important. Very important.

Actually, this has been a big lesson for me in the Peace Corps. I think that when people think about the Peace Corps (or any type of social service, for that matter) they think it's going to be a great time. More precisely, that working with others humans beings is super rewarding. Yes, it is. But, it's also frustrating. You're not going to change every person that you meet. Not every person you meet is interested in changing. The bottom line is that social service is work and we have to learn to love it – with its up and downs – like many other things in life.

Anyway, I've been working with the child for some months now and we're starting to see some slow but steady progress (my fellow volunteer is pitching in now, too). He can usually write his complete name (in Mexico that means four names) without error and his reading is improving. Right now were working on learning the upper-case and lower-case of each letter.

I've also been working with child services (DIF) to connect the child and his mom with some other resources. Maybe more tutoring. Maybe he has a learning disorder? Maybe more accountable teachers that won't pass him just because they don't want to deal with the issue. Needless to say, that's been a whole experience in itself. But we finally have an appointment in Tepic (the capital city) to meet a child neurologist. If we can get an official diagnosis (if there is anything, of course) I'm thinking it will be easier to get him some more help.

Writing his name.

Reading, Writing, and Self-Education

When most people hear about The Warrior's Path: Personal Development through Hwa Rang Do, they immediately think about martial arts and physical exercise. Of course, martial arts is the principal item that drives the program and it's the reason we get together two days per week, but it really focuses on so much more that that.

This youth development program has had each of its components specifically tailored to the culture of my community. Of course, this isn't to see that I know what's right or that the US' culture is better (I can see many things that the US could take away from Mexico like family time or living in the now), but that there are areas where can all strive to be better. 

Below are a couple of the areas that we're currently working on.

Three Books by Mexican Authors 

Mexico, and Latin American, in general, has a rich history of talented authors, many of whom are unknown to the everyday person, myself included. Despite Mexico's rich tradition of literature, it is common to hear Mexicans mention that there is a lack reading in the culture. I think this is highlighted best by a leading Mexican presidential candidate failing to mentions a mere 3 books that have influenced him during a press conference at a book fair, of all places.

Upon conducting my interviews with the kids applying to the program, I became of aware of the fact that there is literally zero required reading of complete books the high schools in my community. And, on top of that, a handful of the kids had never read a book in their entire lives. So, where are they are going to get it from if the schools are aren't providing it the parents don't emphasize it?

To me, reading is an important tool, especially in today's age of TV and internet, to exercise our minds, self-educate, and grow as people. Thus, one component of the program is to read three complete books by Mexican authors. Why Mexican authors? To help provide a deeper pride for their country and a deeper respect for their culture (and it also reminded me I should be doing the same thing with my culture).

This past Monday, the 24th of January, we finished reading our first book: El diosero by Francisco Rojas González. It's a book of short stories, some funny, about Mexico's indigenous people.

Discussing the first half of a book we read over Christmas break.

Writing

Practicing writing obviously has it's advantages, but it would be a lie if I said that was a component in the program from the get go. I really didn't decide to add it in until I was reading the essays applicants had to write to apply to the program. Needless to say, when I saw the spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and run-on sentences, I decided it was something we had to work on. If this program's goal is personal development and to get kids into college, writing is a must. 

I knew I did the right thing when a student told me that they don't receive detailed feedback on their essays in school. I think constructive feedback is required for any type of growth.

Rewriting their personal essays with corrections. They all got a lot better.

Fundraiser

As separate piece, I currently am conducting a fundraiser for $1,500 to pay for the three books we're reading, official uniforms, belts, and some equipment that we're missing (e.g., mouthpieces, chest protectors for the bigger kids, etc.). The community has contributed to over 50% of the project's funding through providing a martial arts facility, training equipement, and sparring gear (all free of charge). To date, we have received donations totaling $1,000. We only need $500 more!

All donations are made through the official Peace Corps website and are tax deductible. Donations can be made here. Thanks for your generosity!

Peace Corps donation web site.

Tae Soo Do Instruction Begins

After all the presentations given at the local high schools, the applications finally started coming in for El Camino de El Guerrero – albeit just a couple of days before the deadline. I have to admit, there was a point where I didn't think anyone was going to apply. ( should have known that between being in San Blas, where things are on a slower schedule, and dealing with teenagers, that everything would be last minute. But, the most important thing is trying your best; if it doesn't work, try something different.

Upon receipt of the applications, the next and final phase before selecting the winners was an interview. The point in the interview was to really see what kind of person they were. To find out if they were truly interested in participating or just wanted to give it a casual try. Also, for those who maybe lacked in grades or in their essay, to see if there was a motivated person inside of them that deserved that extra chance.

Applicant interview with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer.

All the requirements that applicants had to go through – (1) the application form, (2) a letter of recommendation, (3) a minimum GPA of 3.0, (4) official school transcripts, (5) a parental letter of consent, (6) a 1-page essay, and (7) and interview – really separated those who truly wanted to participate in the program from those who were only curious. Not to mention, this was the first interview many of these kids had ever been in.

All of this, of course, was the point: I firmly believe that people, generally, do not appreciate what is given to them for free. Therefore, as this is a "free" program (at least monetarily), the goal was to give it intrinsic value. In other words, to make the selected individuals feel like they really earned their spot in the program and that it was something special to be selected. That being said, when I called the winners to let them know they were accepted, the genuine joy and excitement in their voice let me know it worked. I just wish I had recorded some of them.

Since Tae Soo Do training began with the eleven selected applicants (five boys and 6 girls) instruction has been great. It's always difficult beginning from scratch because there are no higher ranking students who already know the ropes and who, therefore, can help you. Instead, all of the culture and customs need to be implemented slowly.

Needless to say, the thing that made me the happiest after the first class was, besides hearing them complain about how sore they were, that they all came back a second time. Now, as we're begin our second month of training, I hope the success continues.

Learning how to bow at the end of class.

Breathing and dynamic strength exercise.

White belt basics.

La Isla Isabel

Peace Corps Mexico is set up in a unique way in that its volunteers are required to work for various branches of the Mexican government. In my case, I work with CONANP which manages the country's natural protected areas.

In San Blas, the natural protected area is Isla Isabel which is an absolutely breathtaking place! Its'a about a 3 hour boat trip each way, but well worth the trip. As a Boy Scout I've camped all over the place, but never I have seen something that seemed so untouched by humans. Needless to say, it's internationally renowned for its bird species (including the blue footed booby) which have not evolved a fear for human beings. In other words, you can walk right up to them and they don't get scared. The island was made a national park after Jacques Cousteau urged the Mexican government it was a special place.

I had the great pleasure of visiting the island personally a few weeks ago....

Our guide.

The blue footed booby.

The brown footed booby

Our other guide.

The fisherman camp.

Frigates.

The Warrior's Path: Personal Development through Hwa Rang Do

A year ago (almost to the day), I was dropped off in Ejido Gogorrón and and expected to make the best of the situation. The difficulty lied in having no structure, little guidance, and no concrete plan. Coming from a highly structured environment where there was always some tangible goal my entire life (school, college, work – never a time without order) the adjustment was hard: sleeping 10 hours a day probably due to mild depression, not always wanting to mingle with people but feeling judged by staying indoors all day, and adjusting to things you like and don't like about a new culture. Not to mention changing sites 6 months into the game.

People always say "The Peace Corps is what you make it," or even there's even the Peace Corps official slogan: "The hardest job you'll ever love." There was a time when I wondered if this was true as I often felt listless and uninspired with nothing to rouse me. But, like the name of this blog, the Peace Corps is partially about finding yourself and I think we all know that takes time.

In the Peace Corps, since you have the free reign to create your own projects, you have to let yourself think big. For me, I was always scared to "think big" to the point where I simply wouldn't do it. If I thought big and put my all into something and it didn't work out, that would mean I was less of a person, that I was not capable of inspiring others, and not capable of success. I would be just average. But, this is flawed thinking.

We all want to be above average and that requires risk; by not taking the risk – by fearing failure – one will never be above average. Being above average inherently requires taking risks.

Back in Gogorrón, I always felt like my best project was when I taught Tae Soo Do. Maybe it wasn't something that would fill up a metric or leave a bunch of check marks on a page, but I believe human beings are some complex we cannot always just be boiled down to a check mark. I felt like I was making a different in people's lives.

One time after conducting class, with my students tired from good physical training and kneeling on the hard concrete, I began to lecture. I began to speak about the importance of trying in life and how within that failing exists. Someone who has no failures in life is probably not someone you want to emulate because they likely are not tobe trying anything at all. (Ironically, as I write this, I see how it ties into my own fears).

At the end of the lecture, between my Spanish and the students being about 12 years old, they message finally got through. I saw one young girl nod her head as the message suddenly clicked and had meaning to her. This was a powerful sight for me and it's not something I can put on my Peace Corps trimester report. I've learned this doesn't make it any less important.

After moving to San Blas I wanted to continue to teach Tae Soo Do, but in a bigger town I felt lost. I didn't know everyone here and I never would. How would I promote the program? Where would I do it? Who would actually participate?

I got in touch my martial arts instructor from back home, Grandmaster Taejoon Lee, to run some thoughts by him. It was the first time someone had got on my case in a while, but I needed it. What I wanted to do had no focus, no direction.

From that conversation grew El Camino del Guerrero: Desarrollo Personal a través de Hwa Rang Do (The Warrior's Path: Personal Development through Hwa Rang Do). It's a year-long program that, through martial arts and education, will provide academic scholarships for its participants to go to college. Preference will be given to participants who come from economically difficult situations.

• The program is only available to kids in their last 2 years of high school
• Applicants must have intentions of going to college
• There are only 14 spaces available (7 boys and 7 girls)
• In order to apply it's like applying to college:
• A minimum GPA of 8.0 with official transcripts
• A letter of recommendation from their school's director
• A one page essay describing why they want to study what they want to study
• A filled out application from
• A letter of consent from their parents

Since the program is about personal development, we will focus on:

• Tae Soo Do
• HIV prevention
• Nutriton
• Exploration of Mexican literature (in order to create more pride)
• Community service projects (in order to foment teamwork and leadership skills)
• School (they must raise their GPA to 9.0 by the end of the 2011-12 school year)

Yesterday I finished speaking with approximately 350 kids between the 2 high schools in town. Out of that group, 122 people (34%) requested applications for the program.

Applications are due in a week and a half from today: Monday, November 21st.

Who knows how many people will actually apply. But I've learned that being ready for success also means being ready for the let down of failure. If I am let down, I will pick myself up and try again.

Granja Los Indios (Shrimp Farm Los Indios)

In San Blas, instead of using ejido land to grow crops, people farm shrimp. Buyers from all over the region –Guadalajara, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta– come to San Blas for shrimp. San Blas is apparently special in that it has a estuary where fresh water meets salt water. I think that maybe this is what makes it ideal for shrimp farming.

I've been working with Granja Los Indios for a couple months, mainly trying to get myself up to speed about what actually happens at the shrimp farm. It's definitely not a simple, black-and-white operation. There all types of costs to grow the shrimp (larva, food, fuel, etc.) and the market price is variable. Not to mention working with something (shrimp) that I have no idea about.

So, if there's so many buyers what do they need help with? The granja has had a hard time turning a consistent profit due to the disease mancha blanca which kills the shrimp off fast. After a year in the Peace Corps, I think it's safe to assume there's other factors involved, too. Things are almost always more complicated than they seem.

A new cosecha will start again in January where we're going to implement some super detailed accounting. We hope to identify some specific areas where we can improve on and we'll see what happens from there.

I love this sign.

Throw-Away Culture

Six hundred and sixteen pounds of garbage were picked up –in two hours– in a beach clean-up that fellow volunteer Betty organized. This includes 443 plastic drink bottles and 380 plastic bags making them the two most frequently found items (and thus the two most frequently littered items). The commonality is that they're both plastic.

Literally everything we can buy in a store comes in plastic packaging but it doesn't all make it in the trash. And even when it's in the trash that doesn't mean it no longer exists, as we like to think. (If you've never been, I strongly recommend you go to a dump to see what it's like. I made it to my first one while here in Mexico and it blew my mind. As obvious as it might sound, trash still exists even after the garbage man comes and takes it away. There's nothing like seeing the real thing and it shows how much our infrastructure hides us from things.)

What of the plastic? Well, we've created a super convenient one-time use culture where everything can be "thrown away." However, doing what's convenient or easy isn't always the best thing. And, as much as I hate to say, this is having some serious consequences.

Stats on some of the items that we're picked up.

Six hundred and sixteen pounds in 2 hours.

Separating the recyclables.

More trash comes.

The final result.