Experiments with The Truth

El Camino de El Guerrero: Reading, Writing, and Self-Education

2012-01-24T12:30:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-04T19:30:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-09T14:04:00.003-06:00

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

2011-11-10T12:50:00.001-06:00

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)

2011-10-27T16:58:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-25T12:15:00.004-05:00

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.

A Pasearse: Thoughts on The Mexican City

2011-09-27T15:41:00.002-05:00

One of Mexico's beautiful qualities is that any day of the week you can walk to the centro and simply pasearte. In other words, you can go by yourself, go with your family, go with friends, and just wander and soak in what's going on. Whether it be live music, food (to name some favorites: esquites, hot dogs wrapped in bacon, and tejuino), art vendors, or just people-watching, there is free entertainment. It's not uncommon to see the centro completely full late on a Saturday night with people simply enjoying conversation and it is also not uncommon for the centro to host Mexico's biggest events.

If you don't live close enough to the centro to walk, you can hop on a bus or take a cab inexpensively. Mexico's narrow economy forces many men into public transportation work in order to make ends meet. Although unfortunate for those wishing to live beyond each quincena, it provides the public with more than affordable and rapidly rotating public transportation. In the US, the norm is that the bus you're looking for will come once or twice within the hour. Here, although there are no schedules nor marked bus stops (you just have to know where they are or you better ask somebody), it's reasonable to expect your bus within 10 minutes.

As a former Los Angeles resident a friend and I would joke that you can't leave your home in LA without spending money. The American city seems designed as a never-ending sprawl of zones that continues to extend and stretch. The same could probably be said to be true of Mexico City and Querétaro for that matter. The difference, however, between the American Sprawl and Mexico's is that Mexico's has still retained – whether by choice or not – the ability to not become automobile-dependent.

In the US it is common for, sometimes, every person in a household to have a car. In Mexico, however, a household might only have one car to be shared amongst everyone. And, in some cases, that one car might be the taxi when it's off duty. Thus, the US ability to drive has allowed for spread out supermarkets and malls to be economically viable. In some ways it has reached the point where it is difficult to operate without a car.

In Mexico, every block has a farmacia, an estetica (haircut place), and an abarrotes (convenience store). Everything comes in smaller portions – food, q-tips, paper towels – which allows people to still buy what they need without exceeding the money they have. (You can buy 1 envelope, for example, rather than a box of 20.) You have the convenience to be able to walk anywhere and access what you need. Whether it is intentional or not, the Mexican economy is such that it is not uncommon for a family to run their own convenience store or barber shop creating low prices ($3 US for a haircut) and an over-abundance of them.

The inspiration for this post came from a recent trip back home where I drove countless times: to buy vegetables, bread, etc. It had been over a year without driving, but I was struck by the immediate rise in my frustration as I managed my way through traffic. It made me ponder our reliance on the automobile and the American city. The Mexican city, while not as developed as that of the US (economically or infrastructureally), provides it's citizens more exercise, more time outside, and less dependence on the automobile. And, although it may not by design, it's something to be considered.

Feel Like a Peace Corps Volunteer (Finally)

2011-09-15T13:26:00.002-05:00

This past August completed my first year in Mexico. Even though I had come in expecting that it takes up to a year to just get comfortable in your own skin in a new country (think about how difficult it is to move to a new city in your home country let alone to a foreign country), I never really felt like I accomplished much anything Peace Corps-ish. I had started a bunch of projects but never completed anything -- partly due to having change sites partway through my service.

Almost immediately upon my arrival here in San Blas, Betty had a project of providing enironmental education to a group of fishermen's wives. From time to time I would participate in the platicas with themes like sustainable development.

Towards the end of this cycle we offered a sign-up sheet to those interested in participating in community projects. The point being the promotion of caring for our own communities and not relying on the government to do things that can sometimes take years. If every person did what they were capable of and did not rely on / wait for / assume others would do them, not only would we have a more developed world but a more developed humanity.

After discussing various projects, we elected to renovate a basketball / fútbol rápido (think soccer, but with less people and smaller goals) court.

Before

Needless to say, cleaning these courts up was way more work than I anticipated. Not to mention having to endure the blistering heat and suffocating humidity of San Blas.

All in all, the work included the following:

Replacing backboards
Hanging new basketball and fútbol rápido nets
Chopping back the overgrowing vegetation
Removing the vegetation growing in the cracks of the court
Painting the neighboring wall with murals and environmental messages
Repainting the basketball poles, soccer goals, and basketball court lines

After several sessions at the court and with help from countless people (PC volunteers Andrea, Hannah, and Denise, a friendly muralists, the ladies from the environmental education talks, and local community members) the project came out a success. Honestly, it came out better than I ever imagined.

After a year here, I've done a lot of thinking and analysis in what is partially my quest for self-realization. I started off in Peace Corps México wanting to be strictly a facilitator and strictly behind-the-scenes. I wanted the people to learn how to do the work so that it could be could be continued upon my departure.

While I will still strive for this concept of sustainability, I've realized that accomplishing something now has value too and that accomplishments should not be delayed infinitely just for the sake of sustainability. Both need to be accomplished at the same time.

I've since taken a more hands-on approach in all my projects (including in this project). It has actually required more work and planning on my part than before, but it has been more successful. As I read in a John Wooden book, he spent just as much time planning his practices as conducting them. In other words, he was focused on the human element and admits he was average in other areas. I, too, have decided to focus on the human element. I believe my time here will make me a better leader of people and through that more self-accountable.

New backboards installed

The muralist who helped us out tremendously

The ladies putting the primer down

Our counterpart helping out

Removing weeds from the court

An awesome mural of the local mangrove forests

One of our first volunteers

A randome basketball donation by a random x-pat

Mobilizing the kids was a great help

Denise painting an environmental message on one of the murals

The finished mural

We painted the backboards with the image of the Mexican flag in order to detour people from vandalizing them

The Peace Corps volunteers at the end of a long day

Finished product

San Blas, Nayarit

2011-06-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

After two and a half weeks of waiting to see what would happen, I finally ended up in my new site: San Blas, Nayarit! San Blas is a little beach town of about 9,000 people on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Being honest, we kind of lucked out being placed here.

View Larger Map

We've been placed here to work with the CONANP office who is in charge of taking care of Isla Isabel, which is a national park. While it's hard to know at this point, I will probably being spending most of my time with the fishing community here to potentially help them form a co-op and organize themselves as a larger unit.

My initial impressions of San Blas are that it's a nice, comfortable beach town full of really easygoing people. The town is small and is easily walkable and bikeable. The infrastructure here is also really different from where I was living before in Gogorrón: there's restaurants, bars, banks, a centro, and FISH.

When I compare San Blas' culture to that of Ejido Gogorrón's the differences are striking. People here are very open and warm while in Gogorrón many people tended to be more reserved until you got to know them. Comparing the two places made me recall something from Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers:

Cultures of honor tend to take root in highlands and other marginally fertile areas, such as Sicily or the mountainous Basque regions of Spain. If you live on some rocky mountainside, the explanation goes, you can't farm. You probably raise goats or sheep, and the kind of culture that grows up around herdsman is very different from the culture that grows up around growing crops. The survival of a farmer depends on the cooperation of others in the community. But a herdsman is off by himself. Farmers also don't have to worry that their livelihood will be stolen in the night, because crops can't easily be stolen unless, of course, a thief wants to go through the trouble of harvesting an entire field on his own. But a herdsman does have to worry. He's under a constant threat of ruin through the loss of his animals. So he has to be agressive: he has to make it clear, through his words and his deeds, that he is not weak. He has to be willing to fight in response to to even the slightest challenge to his reputation--and that's what a "culture of honor" means. It's a world where a man's reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self-worth.

Over time nobody in San Blas has had to worry about eating because fish (a high protein food) are so abundant here that anybody has access to them; in Gogorrón most people had to always struggle to makes ends meet. Many people there, to this day, still get by with their cows and goats and most have given up farming the land because it's not very fertile and can only produce certain crops. Life in Gogorrón is not forgiving. It's a grind.

Not to mention, of course, that people in San Blas are much more accustomed to seeing foreigners which also helps explain why people are so nice to me. Also, who's actually going to be in a bad mood living on the beach?

Removed From Site

2011-06-01T12:47:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, May 18th we were removed from our community for security concerns. The even sadder thing is that there's no chance we're going to go back.

The last two weeks I had in the community were definitely the best I'd had and I really thought that I might be finally turning the corner. Its funny, we always complain about how we wish we had more free time, but precisely when I has less free time is when I was having the most fun. Less free time means stuff to do and people to see. Maybe we're just never happy.

Right now I feel sad, guilty, relieved and conflicted. Sad to have left all of the relationships and work I'd invested in. Guilty because I sent an email describing a supposed kidnapping that took place in the community (that sounds like maybe NEVER actually happened) that got us removed (although there were other events in the past). Relieved because of the issue of having to find somewhere new to live while the owner of my house returned from the US. And conflicted because we may be going to a new site but I don't know it's worth leaving behing all that had been accomplished.

As we went to the community to say goodbye to everyone and get the rest of our things I realized how much progress we had made there. Not just with work, but with integrating into the community which was the most important thing. I knew I was headed in the right direction when I saw the people sad to have us go and to myself sad to leave them. Barely after 6 months I was finding friends, knowing the culture, and finally get a real hold of Spanish. I had various projects that were really going along great like our community development meetings and my Tae Soo Do classes with the kids. It's hard because I feel like I let them down. The municipality even approved funding to buy sparring gear and mats for my students.

The thing with Mexico is that a lot of organizations come here for a week, throw some cash at a problem, and then leave. Invariably whatever they wanted to do never works. Our promise was that we'll be there for 2 years with a real opportunity to know the community and approach problems in a culturally based way. Sadly, we had to break that promise. In fact, it's embarrassing in a way.

The owners of the store I always shopped at.

Juan and Betty.

Director Antonio from the secondary school.

Tae Soo Do students.

Meeting with ejidatarios.

Don Alfredo and don Marcelino.

Vivi, Chuta, and Doña Sen.

US and Mexico Exchange

2011-04-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

The house I live in right now is empty because the owner actually lives in the US, hence why I'm able to rent it. Somewhat ironic, right? I guess you could call it somewhat of a cultural exchange, if you will: I'm in Mexico and he's in the US.

Here's where the interesting part comes into play: He just got busted by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Basically, I have to find another place to live because he could be coming back any day now. Being affected by firsthand like this by a common US-Mexico issue is really interesting and something I didn't quit imagine when I came here for Peace Corps Mexico.

Being here, and especially in the communities like the one I live in, you'll find that almost every other person (it seems like at least) has been in The States at some point -- and most of them liked it. Because of that exchange, the US has had a really big impact on Mexico in terms of words in their language, foods that they like, and dreams that they have. For example, it's not uncommon to see the occasional American style home with grass in front (which isn't the typical Mexican home in my experience).

Being here also gives you the perspective of why so many people do go to the US for work. Really, there isn't too much industry in the communities (unless it's lucky enough to be near a big city). You mainly just have your little family owned convenience stores and things of the sort. Also, the industrial type jobs that they do work here have 12-hour work days which is just brutal. Can you imagine welding steel for 12 hours? It's already hot enough here to begin with. The wages compared with the working conditions provide some incentive if nothing else.

Anyway, here are some images of what will most likely be me ex-house.

There's no trash service (or even trash cans) so the only option to to burn it.

There's always a lot of construction going on here in the community.

I won't miss these guys. They smell terrible! And, no, they are not clean, at all!

A lot of the dogs here have dread locks because they're not allowed inside.

The roosters in the mornings don't phase me anymore.

This is my house -- soon to be former house.

Tae Soo Do

2011-02-20T16:22:00.000-06:00

For anyone that’s been to Mexico you know that it’s a beautiful country with welcoming people and you also know that in many areas it feels just like the US. On the other hand, for anyone that’s been in the campo in Mexico you know that it’s a different way of life. Since moving here six months ago there have obviously been a lot of changes in my life, but Tae Soo Do has been a rock of stability.

In August of 2010 I departed for Mexico as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps just after graduating with my Tae Soo Do black belt in June. For the last three months I have been living in the rural community of Ejido Gogorrón (sometimes called Ex Hacienda Gogorrón for the giant former hacienda here) working with the Comision Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), a part of the Mexican federal government. I work here in the area of sustainable livelihoods and community development to help raise the socio-economic level of the community with the end of the helping the community to take better care of the national park they live within.

Every Tuesday and Thursday after my days of trying to get the hang of Spanish, making cheese, learning about cultivating chilies, and conviviendo I get to return to something familiar to my heart – Tae Soo Do (anyone that has their Tae Soo Do black belt knows that it just becomes a part of you after training that much during the testing process). Apart from our normal volunteer duties we’re able to have secondary projects to do things like teach English, etc. I decided to do something a little different: teach Tae Soo Do.

Right now, I have about twenty students and the classes are taught outside (although I think it’s easier to do knuckle push-up on the dirt – except when there’s rocks). When there’s electricity installed I will move the classes into the ejido salon so we can incorporate grappling into our program here. I’m also working with Instructor Garcia who has his Hwa Rang Do school in the neighboring state of Guanajuato. From time to time I’ll be training with Instructor Garcia here and he’s been kind enough to help me out in any way he can.

Working with the kids here has really been a great experience. The opportunity to help shape them into responsible human beings has been really fulfilling as I can already see improvement in their behavior. Also, the opportunity to offer something to the community that isn’t available or normally affordable is a blessing. Many parents have already thanked me for taking the time to work with their kids, but the pleasure has been all mine.

Frog leaps. To say ribbit in Spanish you say rock.

Ejido Gogorrón Community Meeting

2011-02-11T13:48:00.001-06:00

Part of our assignment here is to work in the area of community development with the goal, since we don't come with any resources but ourselves, to basically help organize people a little better. What better way to accomplish this than through a town hall meeting?

Betty and I organized a meeting (with help of some other volunteers) to introduce ourselves, the Peace Corps, and CONANP more formally. After that we explored the concept of sustainable development, had a group activity where the participants drew their ideal community, and identified the top preoccupations of the community.

We identified the following issues:

Trash - Right now there are no trash cans or land fill. So, the trash either gets burned or thrown on the streets because, frankly, there aren't too many other options.
Drainage/sewage system - The community has a 75% (or 50% depending on who you talk to) complete drainage system, but they want it finished. Currently everyone uses septic tanks and some people don't have them covered or properly installed. Not to mention that a 4 year old girl fell down and died in one of the incomplete parts of the sewage system.
Pavement - The roads are not paved. The kicker is they can't be paved until the sewage system is finished.
Employment - Obvious issue with no obvious solution. We're thinking investment in more human capital like more thorough schooling, computer classes, etc. to make community members more competitive in the job market.

All of these things are going to be difficult to do, but that' why you try. Obviously we're not going to be putting in drainage systems or paved roads ourselves, but we'll keep knocking on doors to see what's out there.

Betty.

Our counterpart, Gaby.

Trying to speak Spanish.

Our boss, Ingeniero Oscar.

Writing down community preoccupations.

A group sharing their ideal community.

Here's a video of me presenting with my garbled Spanish...

Navidad 2010: Killing a Pig?

2010-12-31T17:10:00.002-06:00

So, I woke up on Christmas morning at about 6 or 7 in the morning to the screams of one of our pigs. I ran outside to see what going on and they were tying it up and pinning it on its back. Then they hand me the knife.

We had always talked about how I wanted to be the one to kill the pig, but I didn't expect to happen to damn early in the morning. So, there I am, running around in basketball shorts in a t-shirt (which is way out of place in Mexico) killing a pig. Yes, I did it. I stabbed it in the heart. Don Joaquín started the wound for me and I just pushed the knife in (we stabbed it in the heart). I didn't even have time to think. Don't worry, the pig died in less than a minute. It died quicker than I thought it would.

For all of those out there who are going to say that's so terrible, think about how much meat you eat without knowing what the process is like. After doing this I actually have a lot moe respect for what the meatpacking industry has been able to accomplish. Don't get me wrong, I read Fast Food Nation and all that, but still, the amount of meat they can produce to feed our whole country is amazing. In order for us to kill, remove the guts, and skin one pig, it took us probably 3 hours or so. It's a lot of work. And it's actually way less bloody than you think. To make an analogy, it's kind of like gutting a giant fish.

Needless to say, I had an interesting Christmas eating the carnitas (pork cooked in its fat -- bomb).

Graphic pictures below.

Removing the hair from the skin.

Finished product.

Making Tamales. They're traditional around Christmas time.

First Project: Queso

2010-12-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

The first project I've started dedicating time to here is a cheese businesses that is owned by one of the members of my host family. I'm not going to lie, the cheese is off the hook and he's already well known in these parts. So, all in all, it makes a nice, straight-forward first project for me here.

We've met a couple times about his business and yesterday I got to shadow him for the whole day so I could really get to know how he runs things. The day started at 5am with us going around the community too purchase milk from local producers. After that, we came back to the workshop and started making cheese until about 2. The whole process is pretty fun and interesting but right now he works 7 days a week which obviously cuts into his time to other stuff. More than anything though, he really wants to expand his business to be even bigger than it is right now. In order to do that though, he's probably going to need a small business loan.

This is where I come in to play. Our job here is to work at the grassroots level in order to connect community needs with government resources. Using my access to my contacts here as well as being able to research things on the internet, I can hopefully figure some good options for him. For example, the Mexican federal government is very interested in stimulating small business and they have special loans programs which I'm investigating if he can qualify for. If his business can grow it would aid the whole community because he buys all of his milk locally. Thus, if he has to increase production, it would also help about 10 to 20 more families because he would need to buy more milk from the.

More to come later....

AFter getting the milk in the morning from the local farms.

Checking the milk.

Starting to make the cheese.

Pretty cool, right?

I burned my hands like a baby trying to do this.

Finished project: three tables of cheese.

The whole family getting in on the mix.

Packaging the cheese. Mine is the ugly one on the right.

Swear In and Site Move

2010-12-01T13:32:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted but that's because there's been a lot going on.

First of all, we finally finished our Peace Corps training (6 days a week for 3 months) where we had a really nice ceremony with a bunch of important politicians from both Mexico and the US Embassy present. It was a great time to celebrate being done and to get to see everyone for one last time before we shipped out.

Some of the other volunteers and one of the Spanish Teachers.

Now, I'm in my site in Ex-Hacienda Gogorrón, Villa de Reyes, San Luis Potosí. Right now I'm staying with another host family for one more month before we're allowed to get our own places. I've been living out of a suitcase for almost 5 months now which is getting a little old, but the end is in sight! Nevertheless, my host family is great and super welcoming. I couldn't have asked to been placed with better people.

The lock broke on my door so this is my new lock.

One of my host brothers on the right.

My host dad on the right

Overall, my site is very rural. On our land (which is pretty damn big) we have a donkey, hens, roosters, dogs, turkeys (with baby chicks), and pigs. So there's are a lot of animal noises going on but it's fun. Also, on the other hand, the site is lacking in some of its resources. For example, it doesn't have paved roads or internet access for the most part. The interesting thing is that it neighbors a little city that has all these things (this is where the municipality that I work in is) and only 30 minutes from the state capital. Anyway, these are some of the things that I'd like to work with the community attain with I'm here the next couple of years.

Día de Los Muertos 2010

2010-11-03T18:47:00.000-06:00

Día de Los Muertos is DOPE! I've been wanting to celebrate this holiday for years now to just see what it was all about. Well, no better time to celebrate than my first November in Mexico, right?

The closest thing that we have to this in The States is Halloween, but it really doesn't match up quite right. Sure, there are skulls and ghostly figures, but the overall theme of Día de Los Muertos is much different. It actually has meaning and real significance which is way different than how I spent my Halloween last year (in Las Vegas, cough). It's a really unique holiday because you get to see a real mixture of pagan Pre-Hispanic traditions mixed with modern day Catholic traditions.

This holiday represents an opportunity for the Mexican people to remember those that have left us. But, and this is very big difference, the remembrance isn't sad at all -- it's a celebration. Everyone has the day off, there's outdoor markets everywhere, stages set up with music, and great food (like there is for every holiday here). This couldn't be more different than what I'm used to.

People here make altars in honor of the dead, give calaveras (skulls) made out of chocolate or sugar to each other (with the recipient's name written in sugar on them -- by the way, it's an honor to receive one of these), and they even go to the cemetery to clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones. If you're trying to imagine what a graveyard must look like with tons of people, mariachis, and food everywhere just think of Disneyland -- honestly. I loved it.

The calavera I got for my host grandma.

From left to right, my host grandma's calavera, mine, and my neighbor's.

This is a cemetery if you can believe it.

People picnicking in front of their loved one's grave.

Last but not least, I got to personally partake in the festivities. I visited the cemetery with some fellow Peace Corps Trainees and one of the trainees host sisters. We decided to adopt one of the graves that nobody had "loved" yet. So, we bought flowers, cleaned the grave off, and decorated it. Here are the pictures:

Tehuacán

2010-11-02T13:58:00.000-06:00

As part of our final training (we only have a week and a half left!) the small business team went on a trip to Tehucán, Puebla, to visit with various groups about their businesses.

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We met with multiple artisan groups including medicinal plant groups, palm handicraft groups, and a pottery group. And, although not artisan-based, we also met with a group of salt mine owners who were struggling with getting fair market value for their product.

This cactus, if you can believe it, is more than 300 years old! They only grow one to two centimeters per year!

All in all, it was a really interesting trip because I really got a glimpse into some of the potential issues I may be dealing with over the next 2 years. For example, some of these groups made some amazingly high quality products, but they really could use some support on the business side of things. To give some perspective on how talented these groups were, one of the artisans groups received first place in a competition that included all of Mexico’s handicrafts (with more than 70 entrants throughout the country). Another group, the pottery one, was also recognized personally by Vincente Fox himself (Mexico’s previous president) for artwork pertaining to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. However, despite all of these outstanding accolades, they are still grinding to get by.

The potters that gor recognized by the former president of Mexico.

These are the salt mines. Hard work. Keep in mind, this is a dessert.

Some of the thematic issues were:

No web page (a lot of the time these communities don’t have any internet access or cell phone signal).
Somewhat arbitrarily assigned pricing that sometimes doesn’t capture to the true amount of time that was put into the product.
Very little marketing or self-advertisement of accolades (like the first place awards).
Division of labor – sometimes there weren’t clearly defined roles for each individual within the group.

One of our last challenges before getting sworn in as volunteers was to host a workshop at a local high school within one of the community’s where representatives of the groups we had met with attended. We did the whole thing in Spanish which was definitely a challenge since it lasted about two hours in total and we were broken into small groups at times to brainstorm on various issues (for example, mine was teamwork/division of labor). All in all though, the workshop was a success as we had about 30 guests and they all seemed to have left satisfied and with some new knowledge under their belts.

Nevertheless, consistent with everything I’ve seen here so far is that the people here are incredible. They have a true passion and enjoyment for the work they do and, above all, and incredibly hospitable. To give an example, after purchasing some items from one artisan group they immediately tuned around and went to the store to buy us cookies and soda. It’s been amazing to eat the food in all these communities and have seconds or thirds when they struggle to get by themselves, at times. I really admire their ability to live in the moment.

Yes, these are caterpillars. They kind of tasted like chips -- salty and crunchy.

Nothing like home made mole and tamales.

Cell Phone Please!

2010-10-22T14:53:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

The cell phone that my friend Susana was kind enough to give has been giving me some troubles lately. So, I was wondering if anyone out there would be kind enough to maybe "donate" me one of their old phones that they don't use anymore. The only requirement is that it be a SIM compatible phone (what they use here in Mexico). I don't exactly make enough money here to go out and buy another one.

If you want to help me out just shoot me an email or leave a comment here on this blog and I'll get in touch with you.

Thanks!

My Future Site

2010-10-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

My future site is in the Municipality (like a county government here in Mexico) of Villa de Reyes which is in the state of San Luis Potosí. It's pretty much smack-dab in the middle of country.

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This week we all went on our future site visits which allowed us visit the offices (and counterparts), communities and houses where we'll be staying once training is over (in about a month). I'm going to be working with the CONANP branch of the Mexican government: Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (national commission of natural protected areas). Villa de Reyes is located within a national protected area named Parque Nacional Gogorrón which is the area which I will be serving.

It's obviously a tricky situation that there are communities that live within the national park. Amongst other things, there isn't a whole lot of industry for them to partake in here. So, the main issue is always jobs -- which usually have to come from the land somewhere -- and making sure these jobs are sustainable (i.e., the land doesn't get killed in the process). This is where I (and the other volunteers) come into play. Basically, I hope to work with them to develop some type of sustainable income. For example, they grow chiles here -- maybe I can work with them to market them better in order to increase the amount they sell. There are also a bunch of old Spanish haciendas here. Maybe I can teach them how put them on GoogleMaps so they can be more accessible on the internet and therefore draw more clientele. These are just some of the ideas that come to mind right now, but I'm sure there will be many more to come.

Here is a photo of my main CONANP office which is in the capital city of San Luis Potosí (about 45 minutes driving from Villa de Reyes).

And here is my new host house that I will live in when I move to my site at my community. I'll only be living them for a month, but it's main purpose is to give me time to look for my own place. I will be living in a private house in the back of their property that will eventually become one of their sons. But, int the meantime, it's all mine (although it's still under construction).

My bedroom. Simple but nice.

My future host mom. You can see the wood stove behing her where she cooks the beans and tortillas. She has a gas range inside which she uses for other things (like meat I suppose).

We have our own horse!

...And our own rooster. I guess I'll be getting up early each morning.

Videos from Independence Day

2010-10-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

The first video is the famous grito that happens at every square in every town Mexico on Independence Day. Being in the plaza on this day was very cool, but was a little different than I thought it would be. I guess I was expecting something more like a Las Vegas scene but it was a lot more Disney than that. There were families out with their children and I think everyone was sober. Also, while the grito was well delivered by the governor, but he should have put a little more passion into it because I think the crowd could have gotten into it more. Nevertheless, it was awesome and I'm glad I witnessed it first hand.

Check out the video below:

Here is a video of the tightest fireworks show I have ever seen. There were tears in my eyes as I watched it. Not because it was so beautiful but because the fireworks were directly overhead and the ashes were falling into my eyes. If you don't love fireworks just check out the last 20 seconds of the video because that was the coolest part.

200th Independence Day Celebration

2010-09-26T19:06:00.000-05:00

Mexico celebrated its 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain this past September 15th. Obviously, this anniversary was a pretty big deal here and the thing pretty much lasted the entire week. On Monday, the 13th, all the concheros were in the street dancing in honor of the indigenous people of Mexico. There were probably more concheros than onlookers, to be honest.

On the 15th, at 11pm, was when the actual Independence Day celebration began. It's tradition in Mexico for the governor to come out onto his office's balcony (which typically overlooks the main plaza in town) and perform the grito (Basically ¡Viva México! and a couple of other independence related things). Needless to say, this was awesome! There were tons of people there and everything was capped off with an amazing fireworks show that was so close the ashes were falling into my eyes and making me cry.

Site Visit Part II - My Community

2010-09-16T19:26:00.000-05:00

Along with visiting the hacienda in the previous post (which might be one of my projects while I'm here) I also got to visit the actual city I'll be living in. Villa de Reyes has about 8,000 people and is actually a pretty nice, well developed town, despite its size. I will have access to internet (thank God), running water and electricity.

When we visited the community I was able to meet the Municipality's president and secretary who were both really excited to have us (me and one other volunteer) working there. Although, I think a lot of my time will be spent working in the SEMARNAT (a branch of the Mexican government) office nearby.

I didn't really take too many pictures of Villa de Reyes itself, but I did take some of the ejido which I will be working with as well as the city hall of Villa de Reyes.

My ejido I

My ejido II

The Bay Area even in Mexico

The city hall of Villa de Reyes

Site Visit part I - The Zorro 2 Hacienda

2010-09-05T20:43:00.003-05:00

This past Monday all of the Peace Corps Volunteers working on Small Business or on Environmental Education had the chance to check out some of their future sites. Luckily, my site was one of the ones we got to check out! God, that sounds corny.

Anyway, the site seems pretty cool. First, there is this pretty tight hacienda where apparently they filmed Zoro 2 at which they are renovating to turn into a hotel. All in all, it's a pretty cool spot. They expect it to be ready next year sometime. In some ways it reminds me of Versailles in France, but not as grand, of course. Nevertheless, this may be one of the projects I end up helping out on in some way.

The girl in the second picture down (the one in the church) is one of my counterparts who I'll be working with on these types of projects and others. She's employed by the Mexican government.

I'll post more information on my site vist the next post (like stuff about the ejido and the town I'll be living in).

First Post

2010-08-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

I made it safe and sound to Mexico. I'm in the city Queretaro where I'll be stationed for the next three months with my host grandma, whose name is Guadalupe.

So far we're just doing language training and getting a hold of the culture which is part of he reason why they put us with our host families. She doesn't speak any English so it's been a really good opportunity to practice. Plus, she's pretty cool and laid back so it's been nice.

Queretaro is a awesome city. I kind of lucked out because I only live a few blocks from the historic downtown (where there are a bunch of plazas and shops). Thank God because they have free wifi here and I don't have internet at my house, haha. In actuality though, it's been kind of nice to have more time on my hands to do more productive things than check sports scores.

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Anyway, this city is an old Spanish city so it has a cool flavor to it. It has an old aqueduct that runs through it, a bunch of old churches, and just overall a cool vibe. It's pretty bustling and has over a million people in it.

So far the Spanish is going pretty good. We have Spanish class for 5 hours a day (Monday through Saturday). This, combined with living with my host grandma, has been really good practice. I got placed in the high intermediate Spanish class, but it really makes you realize how much you have to learn. My listening has improved drastically, but talking feels like I'm a baby.

Lastly, I found out where I'm going to be placed after my three months here (for the next 2 years). I'm going to be living in the community of Villa de Reyes (8k people) in the state of San Luis Potosi. It's right next to the capital city, also named San Luis Potosi, so I can also hit that up if I miss the city life.

I'm going to be working with the Municipality of Villa de Reyes to help work on their sustainable business initiative pertaining to their ejido (kind of like a community farm). This is pretty much exactly what I wanted, that is to do something with government and business, so there's nothing to complain about.

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