CEDESA

This past weekend I spent in Dolores Hidalgo, a really pretty city about two hours North of Irapuato. Once a month a group of farmers meet at CEDESA, a development center, to spend the weekend discussing better farming techniques, problems relevent to their lives, and solutions to those problems. Professors from local universities and professionals in the field of agriculture, human rights, and social science give presentations.

Most importantly, it is an opportunity for the men and women to come together to discuss shared problems and discover solutions. This week they discussed how to get the most out of the tourism scene, the sterotypes that exist amongst the family, and the problem of immirgration in the area. We watched an incredibly powerful movie, Letters Abroad, about immigration and the lasting affects it has in the area. I was extremely interested and truly got a lot out of the movie and group conversations afterwards. For many, they simply have no option. There is not enough money in farming, school is too expensive so crossing is the only option. For others it seems they go out of curiosity and because of the stories they hear. I am very interested to learn more and I am sure I will in the coming months.

A role playing activity

Guillermina brought 12 seeds, one for each community that is represented. She passed them out to a rep from each community and they are going to plant them in their community.

Due to the financial crisis that has hit the US and ultimatly Mexico, funds for PLAMAC have for all intensive purposes, come to a hault. They had to sell their office and all of the things, mountains of books, materials, manuals, signs have had to be shoved into Guillerminas garage. It was pretty sad moving the stuff. And it presents a bit of a problem for the house.

There is more in the garage now. We had a rainstorm last night and a lot of the stuff got soaked...

I have been busy working on the greenhouse in Valanciantia. I enjoy the hour or so. Plus the nephew of one of the women comes by each afternoon to help. He is a really nice kid and he is incredibly patient with my spanish and eager to help in the garden.

La plagua. The plague that has killed most of the plants...


While in Dolores Hidalgo about ten of us went on a walk after the classes. We stopped in a house where plates and mugs made by womens groups in the area are stored. It was eleven at night but the family was eager to show us around their home and sell some of the group mugs and plates.


A half block away from the house their is a big field. Everyday a fella brings his cows to graze in the field. A football field away is a Walmart and Sams Club and to the left is a major highway. I dont know how he gets his cows there...


I post or two ago I told you about Herman, the fella in the market who spent time in the US and welcomed me to come and chat whenever. I had a free afternoon so I swung by his spot in the market and we chatted for a bit about his expereinces. He didn´t want his picture but here is a picture of his spot with a friend and his nephew.

A really neat restaurant that is always busy. Only quesadillas in the morning. They make em on one side and then all the pots in the middle have stuff from Nopales and mushrooms to cows blood and chicken.

Eighty cents.

Thanks all and I will update you all soon. I only have two more weeks here. I knew it would go by fast but man... Take care!

Alcance Victoria, el Zoologico, y mas

There is a train that runs North/South through the heart of Irapuato. It is a popular route of many migrants making the long trip to the states. I have had several conversations with many of people making the trip. For many, this is not their first time making the trip and they are eager to try pracitce their English on a gringo like me. I am all ears.


The tracks that run through the city

I was biking the other day past the tracks and I saw a man asking for food to cars that drove by. He had a backpack and nothing else so I figured he was making the trip. When I got back to the intersection with some sandwiches and gatorade, I noticed that there was another man, or boy with him. I sat down with Avacho, an 18 year old boy making the trip from Honduras to the US. He and his father, the man begging in the street, are 30 days into their journey. Man at 18 I was stressing about the bus schedule in Cleveland... Anyway, I asked Avacho about his life in Honduras and his plans for the US. I am particulary interested in the education of many of the men and women who make the trip acorss the border. In Avacho´s case, his family could not afford education in Honduras and he has no plans for education in the states. I have been hunting around for homeless shelter here in Irapuato because I would like to see the services available. Ask and you shall recieve I suppose. I asked Avacho about services he has been provided. He pulled out a pamphlet of a place called Alcance Victoria, a homeless shelter for men here in Irapuato. They also house migrants for up to a week to help them recover. I checked out the place and have been back each day since.


La casa de Alcance Victoria

The shelter houses, right now, fifteen men. Many of whom have either been addictied to drugs and/or alcohol. They rely on no donations and make the money to run the house through the work of the men. They work construction, landscaping, and carpentry. Alcance Victoria has homes all over the world. It uses the Bible as a tool to fight addiction and all of the men at AV in Irapuato take their faith quite seriously. I attended a mass with the men. Man you need to be prepared for their masses. A whole bunch of singing, jumping around, laughing, clapping. It was good fun and quite an experience for me.

Anyway, I have been helping out in their carpentry shop daily for two hours or so. I am learning a lot, practicing my spanish, and meeting many interesting guys. I am doing very medial things that any body could do. In fact there is a ten year old there who is the son of one of the fellas and he has more responsibility than I do! But it is a testament to the men´s hospitality that they welcome me back everyday. In fact they fed me the other day. Hot dogs, eggs, and beans... I had to stomach the hot dogs...





The shop

A couple of my students from my English class in Guadalupe Paso Blanco invited me to the zoo over the weekend. It was extremely kind of them and I had a blast. (Ana Lucia, Victor, and Mary)

Check it Justin! They were mighty cute

Feeding the animals was encouraged. In fact this monkey and her baby got everything from carrots and bread, to doritos and candy.

My time is going by mighty quickly here as I knew it would. I knew it would take some patience, but I finally have my days full of things I am truly enjoying. Thank you for reading!

Adiós todos.

Always a Nice Face

Things have been going well here. I have fully recovered thanks to my family aqui en Irapuato and classes have resumed as usual. In Valencianita students are on their summer vacation. This has caused the numbers in our English group to shoot up!


Here is the class in Valencianita with menus they made. (We are working on food vocab and numbers)

I like having a big class because the students are eager to learn, however the age range is across the board. I have to begin makin multiple lessons for the class. In Gudalupe things are great. There is catachism class at the same time so when the youth in the catachist class grow bored or run out of stuff to do, they usually make their way over to our English group.


As I was waiting for the bus back to Irapuato a group of jovenes showed up late to class. We had a quick alaphabet lesson. They have been ontime from then on!

In Valencianita I have also begun work daily in a greenhouse that was started last year by a women´s group in the community. The place is in need of some loving... Last year it was cared for daily and the women were provided with more chilis and cabbage than they knew what to do with. I am not exactley sure what I am doing, but the place can only improve. I hope.

Voy a plantar semillas en lunes

I went on the cheap side with colored pencils. I then spent the better part of an hour sharpening. I thought this was quite pretty though.

I hear the weather in Syracuse is beautiful. I got hailed on during my ride home the other day!

Yesterday in the market I ran into a man who had lived in Chicago for nine years. He was eager to talk. When I bought my apple and all was said and done he told me that if I needed anything, like Spanish help or help getting around the city, I am welcomed to go and see him. I am fortunate enough to have a great family here so I don´t think I will need help getting by, but I am eager to talk to him more about his experiences in the states and the services he was offered during his travels.

This man is no exception. Every person I have met has been kind and hospitable. Of course I have been sweared at in English by kids, but that is because they just want to use the only English they know! Ok, thank you for reading all and I will update soon...

Mí Familia de Irapuato

I have been a bit under the weather the past few days. It is probably something I ate a few days ago. Anyway, its been pretty ugly. However, I have been so lucky to be living with such a nice family here in Irapuato. They have been super supportive. Constantly checking in, buying me the right food, medicine, and this mornign we even went to a health clinic for blood samples. I really don´t think that this was neccesary, but they insisted. I am feeling miles better today.


I have a couple pictures from classes in Valencianita and in Guadalupe. We started verbs in Guadalupe the other day. Kind of exciting I suppose!








Clase en Valencianita




Clase en Guadalupe

There is a small green house in Valencianita that was organized and is ran by a womens group in the community. Its not doing too hot right now, which is interesting because at this time last year I guess they had more chili than they knew what to do with. Anyway, I´m going to spend some time after english classes helping out in the garden with some of the women from the group. I can give my green thumb some pratice and learn more about the group and their aspirations.

Ok, take care all!

Kinder Graduations!

Graduation from Kinder here in Mexico is a big deal. In both Valencianita and Guadalupe, the communities shut down for the days of kinder graduation. There were masses dedicated to the soon to be primary students, and then evening fiestas. If you did not have a child graduating from kinder, you were swept up into a family´s home anyway to eat and celebrate.

La fiesta en Valencianita. Todos los muchochos bailaban y cantaban mientras los padres disfrutaron el tiempo.

I was fortunate enough to get invited to Mary´s house to celebrate her nieces graduation. Lots of food, lots of singing, and lots of pictures.


Cutie huh?



Oue English groups are in full swing. In both classes we began vocabulary de la casa y un poco grammer. In Guadalupe we formed our first sentances in English. I am enjoying the classes. I understand my time here is quite fleeting, but I am very thankful to Gullermina and Silivia for setting me up with these communities. I feel that English groups is the most productive thing I can provide in my month here.

La clase en Guadalupa dibujando sus casas.

Mary y las otras personas del grupo de ahorro. The white box is where the money is kept. Every Monday they meet to deposit a small amount of money. Mary keeps the key and the girl in the blue keeps the box. It is a very cool project that the jovenes seem to really enjoy.

Un rio porque de la lluvia...

Los chivas en la casa de Mary. I spent part of a morning helping her father tend em. Good fun

We took a day trip to Guanjuato. Despite the weather (and the look on all of our faces) we had a very good time.

I spent this afternoon in Valencianita with Chuncho and her friend driving from community to community that has some sort of project whether it be a womens cooperative or savings group. This was incredibly kind of her. The roads were far from friendly and this occupied a good three hours of her day. Plus she rushed through lunch, which in Mexico is a big deal. I am blessed to be around people like Chuncho here in Irapuato.

I was eating lunch today when a fella making the long trek from Honduras to the United States stopped by Silvia´s restaurant. Silvia very generously welcomed him into her home and gave him a nice lunch. He had travelled on the train, a very very dangerous method of travel for migrants, for the past ten days. He was eager to talk and I was eager to listen.

Gracias todos. Con un abrazo...