Greetings from la casa de Matamoros! Apologies for the delay on the posting of this blog, we have had quite a series of events and trips! Last Monday, February 15th was spent busily working on our cultural field journals for our Community Culture and Change class with Corrine (that’s a lot of C’s!) After a rowdy celebration at Mary Lou’s for Valentine’s Day, Corrine gave us a day off. Some ventured around the city, observing and shopping; while others relaxed at home. On Tuesdsay, Oaxaca 2010 celebrated Shiren and Page’s 20th Birthday (una vez más) at Bisnoga. Bisnoga might just be our favorite place for food and drinks. An open top café lets you see the stars and have fresh air while enjoying a sliver of strawberry drizzled chocolate cake and a margarita. Wednesday our group continued to work diligently on the cultural field journal. Perhaps this needs a brief explanation.
We have all been able to pick an area of interest to research throughout our time here in Oaxaca. The cultural field journal is an opportunity to explore and compile ethnographic research, that will be turned in first to Corrine (our Anthropology professor) and later, Gustavo Esteva.
On Thursday, we all boarded the Millennium Falcon and headed out to Tierra Del Sol (quite literally, the Land of the Sun). This is an ecologically conscious community project, started by the wife of an ex-pilot. Located 40 minutes outside the city, this gorgeous plot of land is in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains and ancient ruins. Pablo (the ex-pilot and owner) guided us on a tour throughout this magical place. The tour began with an organic vegetable garden, where crops were grown for an experimental CSA (community supported agriculture). Next we entered a meeting place whose framwork was constructed of bamboo, an ideal structure for efficiently capturing water. The walls and floor were caked with mud, which supports the structure and keeps the space cool. We then walked over to see raised garden beds and a gorgeous lilly pond. Our day ended with gathering lavender and beans in the rain, it was really fun to help out and we all had a blast despite the weather.
On Friday, Oliver debriefed us on our upcoming fieldtrip to Mitla on Monday. We were able to ask questions about the education system here in Oaxaca, as our trip Monday was to a high school. We learned about the innerworkings of the public and private sectors of education, and discussed the demographics. What is really interesting is the ways in which secondary schools in Mexico prepare students for jobs and career paths immediately after graduation. Friday night several girls at Matamoros were able to make Tamales. This is a strenuous but exciting process where you have to knead and work the masa (corn and oil mixture) until it is ready to fill the insides of corn husks. After spreading the masa on 20 husks, we filled them with a delicious chicken salsa verde, and neatly folded the husks which were then baked for 1 hour. Needless to say, breakfast the next day was stellar.
Overall, the weekend was very relaxing, and on Sunday some ventured to the mountains for a day of hiking while others rode a crazy bus to Tlacalula-a town that has a fabulous market. We are now having an exciting week, wrapping up spanish and anthropology class, and getting ready for our village stays!
