Classes and the Hospital: 

I started taking Spanish classes Monday and began working in a local clinic today. What an experience! The clinic I am at is for lower class people and is set up so that they do not have to pay the visit. I believe they do have to pay for some of the medications provided. It is interesting to see how the doctors get by with little funds. A big culture shock, for me, was the lack of gloves used. They just do not have the money to constantly buy new gloves. While I was there today I worked as a scribe for the doctor and helped with vitals. I saw everything from a pregnant 16 year old coming in for a check up to a woman who had chopped off the top of her finger during work (yes Mom, I told them about you). 

The woman cut her finger with a machete and was missing half her nail bed. There was blood everywhere. Despite the anesthesia shot into the finger the woman was not able to endure more than three stitches. I don't blame her, it looked painful. I really wish I had brought my camera with me.

There was also a boy with epilepsy. He was at school and had a tremor inducing vomit all over himself. The teacher brought him in thinking he was very sick. I wanted to go hurl. No one wore gloves when working with him (and only the doctor wore gloves with the woman with a cut finger). When the doctor and I went back to her office to see regular patients (the boy was in an Emergency Room) she went to work at her type writer. After a minute she realized how smelly her hands were and we washed our hands. 

One of the final patients when I was there had a vaginal infection due to an IUD. We looked the door, the woman stripped her pants and lay down on the table and the doctor opened her up. Now I know what an inflamed vagina looks like.  

A graduation party

I have also had time to walk around the city with the others in my group. As we walked to the markets for dinner after class we came across a party that took up a whole street. It turns out it was a graduation party for a local school. Mom, Dad, you have high expectations in December.

Regulas 

Dani was sick early this week so I made her a get well card (Mejurate pronto!). I quickly learned that when you give something in Mexico, it opens the flood gates for more in return. Dani and Vero made me a thank you card each plus another they made together. They also gave me random items they made including: a newspaper boat, some sort of painted bottle they say is for my basura, and a black paper that I can scratch drawings into.

View of the sunset from one of the squares. 

Church where the Organ Concert  was held

Tuesday night some of the others in my group and I went to an Organ Concert held in this church. The organist featured Oaxacan music with a percussion accompaniment and the audience even sang along with one song. The organ looked very old and two people stood by to help the organist work the stops.

La Protesta

Sunday was Mexico's presidential elections. Oaxaca is not pleased with the results and have been holding protests every day. The locals assure me that this is normal and that Oaxacans love holding protests.

ps. See Dad, I am drinking water. See??

La primera de julio: still getting to know my new home

This morning I met the other students, there are seven of us all together. We took a tour around the city to learn where the hospitals are and how the bus system works so that we may use it when we have exchanges.  Most of the other students spoke limited Spanish so the guide spoke in English. Today was election day for Mexico. There were a lot of events going on associated with it (including a lot of fire works). As we drove around the city we passed the building were people go to cast their ballot. There was a line wrapping all the way around the block. 

My host family is pretty awesome. For lunch, Evangalina (the mom) made agua de horchata. It is new favorite drink. I spent most of the afternoon/evening playing games with Danny and Vero. When Vero asked me if I wanted to play a game with her I though she was asking me if I wanted to go home. Jugar and Hogar still sound similar to me. I had to go ask her mom what she was saying! I think we went through every game in the house including (but not limited to) Sorry, a Janga version of Phase 10, Operation, Hide and Seek, Tag, and something that involved piranhas. They even tried to teach me a number game but I could not understand.

Jardin Etnobotanico

I walk by this botanical garden on my to the school. It boasts plants from all over Oaxaca.

Benito Juarez

 A statue of Benito Juarez, pointing towards Monte Alban, overlooks the city. He was an Indian (native race) and orphaned at the age of three. His uncle took him in and he became a shepherd in the mountains. There was a lot of civil unrest going on in Oaxaca at the time. When Juarez was 11 he decided to go into the valley to learn what was going on. He went to live with his sister and took a job for a Franciscan. The Franciscan was impressed with him and over looked his training. Juarez's first language was Zapotec (native tongue), his second Latin, and his third Spanish. As an adult he helped overthrow the French Occupation of Mexico and the Second Mexican Empire. He later became President of Mexico. Oaxacans are very proud of his success story and the capital city is named after him (Oaxaca de Juarez).

Monte Alban

 Benito Juarez points towards Monte Alban, which is everything in this picture plus some. Only about 10% has been excavated. If you look closely, some of the hills have an additional bump. These are thought to be unexcavated sights.

The guaje tree from which Oaxaca received its name

When the Aztecs came to Oaxaca another group of indigenous people lived here called the Zapotecs. Instead of taking them over the Aztecs and Zapotecs had some sort of mutual agreement. The Aztecs named the valley for the type of tree that grew there. Oaxaca is derived from the Nahuatl word, Huaxyacac, which refers to a tree called a guaje. Confused how Oaxaca comes from Huaxyacac? Me too. I still have a hard time explaining to my dad that an Oa is pronounced "wa" and xa is pronounced "ha." The name was later passed on to the Spanish Conquistadors. This tree is very important to the Oaxacans. 

Marcado de carne

After the tour, the other students and I went to one of the big markets in town. This vendor sells raw meet. I think they also cook it (but I'm not positive). The guy with the green strip is a student named Isaac. He bought pork sausage. He had me help him with his order, which ended up with me having to sample some of the food. mmm...

Corn on a stick?

The Oaxacan form of cotton candy. They boil it, put lime juice on it, salt, butter, cheese and chili powder (in that order). I could eat ten of these.

Tacos!

My family hosted an exchange student from Leon, Mexico this past school year. The one thing he suggested I do was try the tacos. I spent a long time looking for these bad boys (as well as chocolate covered grasshoppers but I think they use a different word because no one knows what I'm talking about). It looks more like an English Taquito but much bigger. As always: served with bean paste, guacamole, salsa, and cheese. It was delicious!

ps. I love the food here and the weather. It is soo much like Southern Oregon. Freakishly hot during the day but warm rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon/evening. Good think I brought my sombrilla!

Mi primer dia en Oaxaca.

At 11:20 friday morning my first plane took off for Los Angeles. 2 more flights and 21 hours later I arrived in  the city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

I am staying with a host family. The dad is an architect, the mom stays home to take care of the kids: Susana is 18 and starting school at the University soon, she is interested in Biology; Danella is 9 and she loves to watch Nickelodeon; Vero is 7 and she is full of life and charisma.

They live above a store and gave me a room with my own bathroom. I also have internet. (Talk about spoiled)

The house is very open and the weather reminds me of Southern Oregon during rainy season. It's beautiful.

My room looking out

Looking in

Bathroom on the left

Closet to the left of the bathroom

 After settling in I wondered around the city. Everyone seems very friendly, I even saw a few American families. I can not wait to meet my group and go out with them. The police drive around in souped up vehicles and tote AK-47s. I try to avoid eye contact whenever they drive by.  

A park in the middle of town

Everything is made of stone. Sometimes asphalt or concrete but mostly stones. To me, all the buildings look very similar. They are built as one long strip with varying colors and the only identifying factor is a sign out front. The only grass is that peeking out of the cracks. There are trees everywhere! They grow in the most unique shapes. There are also beautiful hills surrounding the area. I can't be homesick because it's like I'm home!

Dios y Santa Maria

 I passed by 3 churches on my outing today (at least). They were each magnificent. Sadly, I did not find the church building I had intended to.

The yellow sign is warning pedestrians of falling bricks

The city has a lot of character. Old and new are thrown in together (and everything is covered in a layer of dirt). I love walking by the noticeably older buildings and wondering what they once held.

My dinner from a cafe near my home

After wondering the city for a few hours I stopped for dinner. The food is so good! It was a jamon tortas (think ham sandwich) with lettuce, tomato, avocado, bean paste - we're talking quality food here. I have no idea what the side dishes were, they were good, but they made my gringo mouth burn, my nose started running and I wanted to cry.

People watching from the cafe

There are vendors all over the city (and their goods are very diverse). The group in the picture were selling papas fritas made on the spot. They must have been good because they had a line taking up half the block.

Tomorrow I am to go to the University to get a tour of the city and learn about what is expected of me while I am here.