Since then, we have been visiting various parts of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas. First of all, we visited a place called Laguna, which is an extremely poor barrio outside of Veracruz City. The streets there are made of dirt and mud, covered in trash, and almost impossible to navigate. The houses are shacks. Everything is shoddily thrown together from tin and rebar and some concrete, but nothing has any permanence. Of all the communities I have seen in Mexico and in other parts of the world, this one is definitely the worst. We went there to visit a place called “Los Amiguitos,” which is a children’s center founded by a woman named Goldi. The kids come to the center during the day and play, sing, learn, and eat because their families cannot provide for them. Goldi is incredible—she is one of those people that just literally never stops going. I wish that I had more of a chance to work with the kids there. Maybe next time.
After seeing the kids at the refuge and looking at a new piece of land that the Peace and Justice Center bought for the construction of a community center in Laguna, we took off and drove to a place called Acayucan, where we only stayed for a night. The next day we drove three hours to Nuevo Progreso, a small community of 300 people that is nestled in the mountains of Oaxaca. The only way into the community is a one and a half hour dirt road. When we got there, we immediately started working on the installation of a water purification system.
Nuevo Progreso is an incredible place. Aside from the landscape being gorgeous and lush, the people are hospitable beyond anything we could have ever asked for. They fed us three meals a day and housed us and took us around the area to explore. They were also extremely grateful for the water system we installed.
We stayed in the community three days and two nights, and here are a couple of highlights:
1. After installing the water system, the community planned a celebratory party. They slaughtered a sheep and cooked it for us in honor of the occasion, and it tasted absolutely incredible. We also sang and danced to Matt’s fiddle tunes (including Turkey in the Straw translated into Spanish), and I made balloon animals with the kids. It was a great fiesta!
2. The day after we finished the system, some of the people from the community took us to caves that are about an hour away from the town. They were immense and picturesque, and they were almost completely untouched by tourism. We felt like true villagers, which was pretty cool ☺
3. I also had the chance to go on a horseback ride to the top of a hill that overlooks the entire community! The landscape that surrounds the place looks like it should be featured in National Geographic, with its lush greenery and rolling hills and mountains.
4. Lastly, I started my thesis research! I plan on doing my thesis on the effects of economic development projects carried out by nonprofit organizations on communities in southern Mexico, and I interviewed some women from the village who started a community panadería (bakery). I found out some interesting information, and I am very excited to continue my research over the next couple of weeks and months.
That is about it for Nuevo Progreso! I’ll write a new entry about my next stop!
Hope all is well wherever you are.
Take care,
Anne Marie
Caves near Nuevo Progreso--we went exploring! Woo!
People washing water bottles for their new system.
Yay horseback ride!
Beautiful Nuevo Progreso.
Working on the system.
2 comments:
Awesome! This blog should be part of your thesis.
Reading this Anne Marie makes me once again how truly special you are and that you are so willing to make an impact in this world!
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