Oaxaca 2010

It has been a wonderful, transformative, magical time in Oaxaca. In the students own words:

I”ve met so many amazing people and pushed myself to do things I thought I’d never do This is a trip that I will remember my entire life and I am so grateful to be given this opportunity. Erica

Oaxaca has been a crucial component to my experience as an undergraduate at UVM. I will take with me amazing new friendships, conversational Spanish, and fond memories of this beautiful and unique country and its people. Melissa

Through every experience and conversation throughout this trip it has become more and more clear that there is so much power in what people and communities can do. It's really exciting to realize that everything we want to see, we can begin working on today, right now. Page

Oaxaca has been an unforgettable experience teaching me to push my limits, live in the present and love as much as I can. It may be the end of the trip, but it is at the beginning for the end change I wish to see. Shiren

The speed at which the past 4 months has passed is difficult to grasp. Eye-opening, beautiful, challenging, fun. This group of amazing individuals is one of the most valuable things to return to Vermont with: new friends, shared experiences, new ideas and lots of motivation and excitement to share what we have learned. Jesse

Living in Oaxaca has enriched my life in more ways than I ever imagined and in more ways than I can possibly write down on paper. The eye-opening experiences and genuine people here will forever influence the way I think and act. I can only hope that other people can learn to be open and understanding toward cultures other than their own. Elena

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. (Mary Schmich) Caroline

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." (Pericles) Allie

I'm reaching up and reaching out,
I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me,
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been.
Spiral out. Keep going, going... (Lateralus by Tool) Lesley

How can I possibly sum up Oaxaca in a couple of sentences? Suffice it to say that I couldn´t have hand-picked a more incredible place or a more fun and adventurous group for such a journey! Thank you especially to Mary Lou, and to Corrine, Gustavo, John, Amy, Cynthia, Jean, Barry, Mia, and to our families. It´s impossible to articulate just how much we´ve all grown in the past three months, and we never could have done it without you. Annie

To summarize this experience in a couple lines would be utterly impossible. Even with all the space in the world there is no possible word combination to appropriately articulate the thoughts, smells, tastes, and everything else intangible that is Oaxaca. It was truly a perspective-altering, life-changing adventure! Taylor

Oaxaca has given me new friends who already feel like family members, the ability to slow down and appreciate each moment as it comes, a deeper and more meaningful understanding of culture, and the realization that I am never an individual but always part of a connected community of people and nature to which I owe my life. Alexandria

Oaxaca is cultural candy for the senses: the people, the food, the language, and the beautiful places to experience were all life-changing. Claire

Oaxaca has been a life-changing experience for me; I am both sad to leave and excited and hopeful at the prospect of sharing what I've learned with my own community. Amber

This past three months have been an amazing adventure, which has risen my consciousness of and connection with community, culture, family, food, nature and myself. When I leave I feel like a part of me will remain which can't be regained but i am taking back a lot of valuable information and memories which will keep this experience alive. Natalie

There’s nothing stopping me from doing what I want with my life “Keep on Dreaming boy cause when you stop, its time to die.” (Shannon Hoon, Blind Melon) Russell

During out months in Oaxaca, we have traveled everywhere from Apoala to Zaachila, from the mountains to the beach. Along the way we have learned so much about ourselves and our relationship to the places we occupy. If is impossible to summarize so many amazing experiences of what has been the best semester of my education. Sarah

Oaxaca has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. The places I've been, people I"ve met, and experiences we've shared are memories I will keep for the rest of my life. Casey

In Oaxaca with dirty black feet walking down the street to the drum beat. Ellie