Update From The Bad Arts and Sciences Kids who Keeping forgetting to do the Blog

Hello Friends & Family,

Geology class with Barry Doolan is going very well. This year our class is focusing on water, so we've learned how to use a colorimeter, test Total Dissolved Solids and pH. We're making predictions about what we might find in the water in various places around the state of Oaxaca, and then testing the water to see if our theories are true. Last week, we ventured off to the remote town of Apoala where we tested the community's water, explored deep into caves with lots of guano, and hiked down to the gorgeous waterfalls to go for a swim. The falls were absolutely beautiful despite the frigidness of the water. It was an amazing place to visit as almost every other place we have visited has had a water shortage. Apoala is comparable to a hidden oasis in a desert. Upon descending into the Apoala valley, the landscape changed drastically from dry and rocky to lush and green. They cleary had a very successful agricultural system despite the "dry season" Mexico is currently finishing. It seems as though there really is such thing as a dry season in Apoala.

After the Apoala trip, Russell, Annie, Kristina, Ellie, Erika, and Claire took off for the port for the weekend - Puerto Escondido. Annie celebrated her 21st birthday with us Saturday on the beach, ending the night with a nice dinner right on the sand and some dancing. Sunday, we traveled to a smaller beach called Manzanilla about 20 minutes from the main beach Zicatela. At Manzanilla we hired a boat to take us out, show us some sea turtles, and snorkle in various locations along the coast. We soaked in the sun all weekend and finally, with sunburned backs, climbed onto the 15 passenger overnight van to take us back to Oaxaca.

We'll be sure to add some pictures once we return from our trip to Capul...Calup..Caup... A pueblo in the Sierra Norte that I cannot pronounce, nevermind spell.

ARTS AND SCIENCES FOREVER

Greetings from the Food Track

Imported: USA - Jean Harvey Borino

Commence: Health in Oaxaca class

On Monday Jean Harvey arrived ready to teach us about ongoing diet trends, both global and Mexican. We have been discussing topics such as the health care bill in the USA, health care in Mexico, and the relationship between American agriculture policies and Mexican health. We were given a breif Nutrition 101 class, where we reviewed essential components of a healthy person's diet such as: carbohydrates, protien, calcium, iron and daily caloric intake. We have been reading about obesity trends, both urban and rural-in addition to Western medicine and homeopathy.

At the start of the week some girls went to watch everyone's favorite pastime- baseball! Although "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" wasn't sung, it was a lively game between Oaxaca and Campeche with Los Guerreros de Oaxaca winning the game.

This weekend, a group of girls ventured to Puerto Escondido, while others took advantage of the last weekend in the city. In the llano (a small and beautiful park) a human health and environment fair was held; dozens of NGOs, cooperatives, Universities, small businesses and working groups came together to educate the public. It was wonderful to see so many people involved in amazing projects such as pedal power (generating electricity by bike pedaling) environmental art, sustainable agriculture models and projects, in addition to human rights and environmental advocates. Overall it has been a fufilling week and a great start to a new class, which has made the end of this program seem further than it actually is.