Projects Abroad, Newsletters from Mexico

Many countries in the "New World" and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492 in the Julian calendar and October 21, 1492 in the modern Gregorian calendar, as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in many countries in Latin America, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in The Bahamas and Columbia, as Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Day) and National Day in Spain, and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of IndigenousResistance) in Venezuela.

For the past couple of weeks I have been working in an orphanage for young boys located in Guadalajara, Mexico. Everyday the other volunteers and I are attacked at the door with hugs, kisses, laughs and practical jokes. Working at the Casa Juan Diaz Orphanage has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life.

Picture yourself on the beach looking out at a warm sunset standing amidst a multitude of baby turtles on route to their ocean home knowing that they emerged from a group of nests that you collected and kept safe for this day. The first time I brought hatchlings to the ocean I realized that I was part of a process that was small yet vast. I am no longer learning 'about' biology, I am experiencing it. I am living with the earth rather than upon it.

The Guelaguetza, or Los lunes del cerro (Mondays of the Hill) is an annual cultural celebration that takes place in the city of Oaxaca, capital of the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. The celebration dates back to pre- Columbian times and remains a defining characteristic of Oaxacan culture. Its origins come from celebrations related to the worship of corn. Communities from within the state of Oaxaca gather to present their regional culture in the form of music, costumes, dances, and food. It is the most famous event of its kind in Mexico.

Spending two months in Mexico has been one of the best, if not the best, experience of my life. I never expected to enjoy it so much. My Mexico trip started out as something I had to do for University and I was expecting to go to work, return to my host house and count the days to my return to the UK. By the time I was due to return, I didn’t want to leave and I tried to stay as long as I could.

Mother's Day is a day honoring mothers,celebrated on various days in many places around the world. In Mexico we celebrate this day on the 10^th of May. Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.

Another big celebration during April is the Children's Day Celebration on the 30^th of April. Lots of parties for the kids all around the city are held. The government also arranges a wide list of activities for them in museums, parks and even restaurants. It is not just a day to celebrate but to think also a bit about the rights of our children and the way they should be treated in our society. Here I decided to give you a brief note about this interesting subject.

Benito Juarez is considered one of Mexico's greatest and most beloved leaders. During his political career he helped to institute a series of liberal reforms that were embodied into the new constitution of 1857. During the French occupation of Mexico, Juarez refused to accept the rule of the Monarchy or any other foreign nation, and helped to establish Mexico as a constitutional democracy. He also promoted equal rights for the Indian population, better access to health care and education, lessening the political and financial power of the Roman Catholic Church, and championed the raising of living standards for the rural poor.

On the 5^th of February 1917, the current constitution of Mexico was adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This is another one of our celebrations during February. The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1917 is the present constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro by a Constitutional Convention during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917, with Venustiano Carranza serving as the first president under its terms.

When I landed in Guadalajara’s airport I was far from home, in a country I had never been before that spoke a different language than my own. I was also in a place where, for the first time, I looked like everybody else. Being from the central United States I was used to being the one that looked different. But when I came as a volunteer, a foreigner, my looks made me blend right in.

The piñata is a brightly-coloured paper container filled with sweets and/or toys. It is generally suspended on a rope from a tree branch or ceiling and is used during celebrations. A succession of blindfolded, stick-wielding children try to break the piñata in order to collect the sweets (traditionally fruit, such as sugarcane) and/or toys inside of it. It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas.

November is here and with this month comes two of the most representative celebrations of our identity as Mexicans: The Day of the Dead and the Celebration of the Revolution of 1920. In this newsletter, you will find a lot of interesting information to have a bit of an insight into these two events and hopefully you will want to find out more.

As some of you may know, during summer time we arrange English courses for kids and adults either in Guadalajara or Ciudad Guzman. One of the most important ones is our Summer Course at ICTC, the most important language centre in Ciudad Guzman. This was the third edition of this course and we are proud to say that it was a complete success. This success is shared between all the people at ICTC on charge of arrangments of the courses and the volunteers that put so much commitment for this.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Yucatan Peninsula via the invitation of a wonderful organization "El hombre sobre la Tierra" that has been working for 15 years with many poor indigenous communities in the area. I had the chance to spend a couple of days with one of these communities and had the chance to experience first hand the precarious situation they live in and the result of hundreds of years ofneglect from the government and society.

From most parts of the town you can't see the Volcan de Colima, just a magnificent white peak jutting up above everything else. This is called Nevado de Colima and being higher than the volcano it protects us in Guzmán from anything it might churn up. So in order to see it we would have to venture up and over the mountain into Colima Volcano National Park, not far from the edge of the town.

My time at the camp was so enjoyable. It was a relaxed atmosphere, but at the same time, a rewarding experience. During the night we would develop our techniques of how to track the turtles and then using our new skills to find the egg chamber where the soft gooey eggs were hidden. During the days at the camp there was still work to be done, from cleaning the turtle pools, feeding the turtles, planting the collected eggs from the previous patrol in the incubation area, learning about the biology of the turtles and their habits in the wild and of course burning some of that excess energy off on the volleyball and football pitch.