El Arbol de Tule

After we visited Monte Alban, we traveled to Tule to visit one of the largest trees in the world named El Arbol de Tule. Upon first sight of the Cypress, I was astounded. Over two thousand years of growth resulted in a tree with a diameter of over fourteen meters and a height of around fourty five meters. It was intimidatingly huge- my mind could simply not wrap itself around the size of the tree.  My mind kept trying to split it into multiple large trees, but it truly was one living organism. The branches were humungous, their weight dragging them towards the ground and often creating right angles to the trunk. The tree had many twists and irregularities within it. There were bulges and crevices and a large gnarled knot that looked like a four-headed lion trying to claw its way out of the tree. The bark was rough and the feather-like leaves created a screen against the outside world. Unfortunately a wide piece of ground was fenced off around the tree so we couldn't touch the trunk or sit right under the tree as I desperately wanted to do. At some places the branches overhung the fence and we could stand inside a living curtain. I stood inside one of these branches and leaned on the fence, staring up at the magestic tree. A cool breeze whistled through the branches and the sun made dappled patterns on the ground. Tiny brown and white birds fluttered in and around the branches, filling the air with their song. It was so peaceful and beautiful, standing there and looking at the regal tree. I wanted to stay there for hours but eventually we had to pile in the van and head back. A heavy rain started to fall when we got home, filling the air with petrichor and my thoughts with the life-giving power of water to plants and trees like El Arbor de Tule.
-Peace out! Love, Rachael

Lynn's Corner

 Great ice cream in Mexico City... Bradley thinks outside the box and whips out his handy chopsticks when the wooden spoons are too small...

                               Mayan ruins in part of Anthropological Museum, Mexico City.

 I loved these little guys! One is coming out of a conch shell and the other out of a flower. They are Mayan as well and seem to be symbols of rebirth of the soul. Once I find something I really like in a museum I like to go back and revisit it a time or two before I leave so that I really get to know it.

Anna, Oriana, Alan, Seth and I went to Frida Kahlo's Blue House by way of a rather long Magical Mystery Tour, but it turned out to be well worth the journey. The house was amazing: full of vibrant colors and her art and some of Diego Rivera's, the words of Frida and others stenciled on the walls, as well as quite a powerful exhibition of her clothing and descriptions of her struggles to seem able-bodied in spite of her constant pain. The garden was beautiful as well. Patti Smith's poem was on the wall of the last part of the exhibit, strange yet moving to find it in the midst of all the Spanish quotes and letters.

 The Mexicans have apparently always loved their dogs! This is from a Pre-Colombian collection, as is the happy little fella below who is a wonderful contrast to all those fierce Aztec faces.

Our park outside the hostel in Oaxaca City was such a happening place! Bradley and Shane made friends with some BMX bikers who let them try their bikes out, Liadh met a 5 month old pug puppy (and screamed somewhere off the sonic scale in delight), and Drew and Caleb rocked their tough guy twin look.

                                                     One Sam, no deposit, no return.

                                                 Corn at the market in a beautiful basket.

Teotitlán del Valle

We've been in homestays for two full days now and people are settling in nicely. At first, the culture shock was difficult as this is a very small indigenous village with little modern comforts but we are slowly adjusting to bucket bathing and no running water. At times we miss fans and air conditioning, in the afternoons the sun is incredibly strong and the temperatures reach into the high 90's but we have been taking siestas and working in the shade when we can.
Our social interactions have been different to those in Oaxaca city and Mexico city because especially within this village, everyone speaks Zapotec and Spanish. In our households, our families speak Zapotec with each other but are able to switch languages easily and we have been able to learn some phrases that the indigenous people use to greet each other on the street or in the house. The families have all been very accommodating and generous, hardly letting us leave a meal without having at least a third serving.
There are three groups in homestays; Bradley and Sawyer are staying with an old woman, Caleb, Shane, Anna, Oriana, Rachael and Sophie are living in a large house with three families, and Drew, Alan and Liadh have been staying with a woman named Petrona, her husband Juan, Juan's sister, their son David, and their dog Loquillo. In most homes, there is a little courtyard with plants and in our home we have an avocado tree and a tree with little sour red fruits. Every morning the women in the village go to the market to buy food for the day and we get to go with them. It's a ten or fifteen minute walk but because it's early in the morning it's fresh and at the market we always see everyone from our trip buying interesting foods. Everyone especially enjoys the cheap bread stalls where we can buy delicious pastries and donuts for 3 to 5 pesos (between 25-45 cents).
On our first full day in Teotitlan, we helped around our houses and had a meeting where we learned about the women's cooperative that was hosting us and all the projects it does within the village. Yesterday we did tecio (community service) for Unitierra, where we drove to Huitzo, a small village on the other side of Oaxaca city and worked on a patch of land; digging holes for planting and mulching and watering trees.
This morning, most of the boys on the trip went and played futbol with some locals, they got up to play at 7 in the morning, in order to beat the heat and we are going to have a picnic in some caves later this afternoon when it has cooled down. Over the next week we look forward to improving our Spanish in our homestays and experiencing more of the culture of Teotitlan.
-Liadh and Drew

Oaxaca City to Teotitlan

At Universidad de la Tierra, with Gustavo Esteva

Though we haven't blogged in awhile, we've been doing a ton of cool things. After settling at Hostel Don Nino, we went out for dinner in Oaxaca City, where some of us sampled the local traditional dishes of Oaxaca. (Seasoned crickets anyone?). Then we walked to the Zocalo, a really hopping downtown ped mall. On the way there we met an Australian desperate to speak English, and somehow ended up at a concert where we attempted to dance the Cumbia and Salsa. Afterward some of us continued on to see more music, and watch children have crazy amounts of fun with really tall balloons. Before leaving we got to be part of a street performer stunt. Eight of us lay down in a line while a BMX biker jumped over us all.

Eating Mangos Pinas on the patio kitchen at Don Ninos

The next day we went to San Pablo Etla, where we were introduced to sustainable desert forestry and mountain preservation. For the service aspect of the day we revarnished a  community building. Some varnish remains on some of our clothes and bodies today, including the arms typing this post.
On Monday we met up with Scattergoodian Teri Gunderson, who lives in Oaxaca City and showed us some of the sights. Notably, we had a great time with her dog, Kiji, who jumps through anyone's outstretched arms on command. In the afternoon we went to the Oaxaca Learning Center, where we spent a few hours talking with kids our age trying to learn English. These intercambios were a really great time for all of us to practice a foreign language. There were many opportunities to laugh at ourselves, particularly at the end when we played a bilingual game of 'Telephone'.

On the way to our intercambios

Alan rocking his Spanish

-Sophie

The night before we left Oaxaca City for Teotitlan a few of us decided to try and listen to a sold out concert of the locally famous Cumbia artist, Celso Pina. It was an awesome location set between two gorgeous churches and it was the biggest can of sardines I have ever walked through. We squished our way through tons of people and stood on the edge of the crowd outside of the ticketed area to listen and jiggle to the music.

The next day was probably my favorite speaker of the trip. We talked to an amazing wise older man named Gustavo Esteva. You should check out his books if you haven't already. He talked about many ideas relevant to many of us, concepts of time, belonging to a place and the "I" versus "we" societies. I was mesmerized and I wanted him to be my personal village elder to direct me in my questions of life. I'll just have to settle for email advice. Anyway the cool thing about where we talked to him was that he is part of an alternative higher education idea that has people teach each other skills and knowledge that they know. A trading of knowledge rather than a diploma program. You can sign up month by month and if you want to learn the business of a tortilla restaurant they will find someone for you to go apprentice with. Universidad de la Tierra may be my next destination during or after college.

Zapatista pig at Unitierra

We arrived in Teotitlan last night and this morning six of us (who are staying in the same house) went to the market as we will every day.

Sawyer with Isabela, Shane and Bradley's host grandmother

-Oriana