More photos

Students in Capulalpam de Méndez

Exploring a cave in Santiago Apoala

In front of waterfall in Santiago Apoala

Amber's Oaxaca photos

Students board a bus to visit a women's weaving co-op

Amber learning how to weave a rug at the co-op

Fireworks at a festival for a local saint

View from the top of Monte Albán

Monte Albán

Catholic convent in Oaxaca

Swimming in a fresh water spring at Hierve el Agua

Hierve el Agua, a set of natural rock formations in Oaxaca which are created by mineral-rich fresh water springs

The Bat Cave in Apoala

To truly enjoy the ambience in the bat cave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HmdkR0HQYE

Apoala Adventure

Last Saturday, some of us went to a remote tiny pueblo called Apoala. We found it in the Lonely Planet (which called it the Shangri-la of Mexico – um.. yes, please) but none of the locals we asked had ever heard of it. We did not let this deter us though and we left early Sat morning on our Apoala Adventure.

It began with a taxi to the bus stop, an hour ride by van to Neochitxtan and then hiring two cabs to take us on a two-hour ride on a bumpy unpaved road to Apoala. We finally reached a beautiful vista and looked down on the quiet valley of Apoala, population 300 (yes, hundred). There is only one guesthouse in town with 3 rooms and there are no other restaurants or bars so the staff there cooked us lunch.

After lunch our guided tour began. Our guide had lived in south central LA for the past few years and could speak ‘some’ English, although surprisingly little for having lived there for so long. He first handed out hard helmets and flashlights for the caving portion. It was a bit more intense than any of us were expecting but very cool. The cave was filled with the squeaking of hundreds of bats that kept buzzing the tops of our heads. I kept telling myself the rope that I was clutching for dear life was just damp because it was humid.. not due to any bat droppings, of course. Afterwards, we hiked around the valley admiring the sheer cliffs and then headed to the waterfall. We went straight down to the bottom and a few brave souls in our group went in the water. The hike back up was fairly painful and I was regretting not jumping in the murky water when I had the chance.

That evening was the big championship soccer game – US vs. Mexico – but our guesthouse told us they didn’t get the channel. Our guide invited us to his house next door, a small concrete rectangle with two twin beds and a 12 inch TV. We all huddled around the small TV, cheering for Mexico (when in Rome) and listening to the donkey’s braying outside. It was definitely how you should watch an important Mexican soccer match.

After the big Mexico win, we stumbled back in the pitch black to the guest house and happily collapsed after a long day. Early the next morning we were woken up by the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking and an angry turkey gobbling away. An awesome Apoala adventure overall!

For photos, click here: http://katefennerblog.tumblr.com/post/7026422088/last-saturday-i-went-with-5-other-girls-from-my

So far

Things are going well in Oaxaca. We are in our last week of class. So far we have studied a lot about indigenous people and migration. We have also taken some trips:
Monte Alban - Zapotec ruins
Tule - the biggest tree in the world
Teotitlan - to see a womens weaving cooperative in an indigenous village
Santiago de Apoala - 300 person Mixtec town where we went hiking and caving
Hierve el agua - petrified waterfalls

We are enjoying ourselves and making lots of good friends. Stomach infections have been kept to a minimum and we are happy.

Abrazos,
Kate, Amber, Lisset, Rebecca

Saint Jalatlaco Festival

Hola from DC!  Kate took the following video of a festival celebrating a local patron saint, which she encountered on her first night in Oaxaca.

Lets Get Pumped Up!

OK guys I will be the first to post on our blog. I am super excited for our upcoming trip to Mexico! This will be my first time living outside of the US for an extended period of time so I'm a bit anxious to see how the trip plays out. I don't know about the rest of you, but I’m fluent in Spanish and would be more than happy to help those that are less Spanish-savvy in getting down the basics. This is going to be an awesome learning experience for all of us :) I think that this blog would be a great place to start to get to know each other before our trip so I hope others post before we leave...maybe we can start an ongoing dialogue to explore our research interests and even just our personal interests.

Let me start by saying that my favorite part when learning about a different culture is experiencing their foods! I’m big on Mexican cuisine and would be more than happy to be anyone’s dinner, lunch, breakfast, snack, etc. partner :) I’m also big on nature so leisure walks and even hikes would be fun. And as far as my research interests are concerned, I'm interested in looking at NGOs/grassroots orgs. and how they create programs to help their constituents. I am particularly interested in those organizations that have won government support/have been co-opted by the government and the partnership/working relationship between them. Oh and I forgot to mention…experiencing the night life is a must! Anyone want to be my dancing partner??

Anyhoo, I look forward to getting to know all of you and learning lots about Oaxacan culture!