My first week in Oaxaca has come to an end. Looking back, I’m most pleased with my progress in Spanish. I came in knowing absolutely no Spanish, but now my host mom and the girl that I tutor at Centro now can understand me. I also learned that life in Mexico is much different than in the States. It is difficult to do simple things such as brush teeth and do the laundry because of the lack of clean water in Mexico, for example. I will update you guys on the major parts of my life in Oaxaca.

Language Learning at Becari Language School

Each day I travel to Becari to learn Spanish from 9-12 PM and then 5-7 PM. I spend that time learning grammar and practicing Spanish conversation. All of my classes are 1 on 1 so far. Throughout my time learning Spanish I have started making so many connections to places and things back at home. I have enjoyed language classes because they open doors to other cultures. Talking to my Spanish teachers, I’ve learned about their lives and so much about Oaxacan culture. I particularly like one particular teacher, whose infectious laugh and personality makes me enjoy Spanish class with her so much. This week, I want to continue taking both morning and afternoon classes, but also make sure that I spend a lot of time studying Spanish on my own, both in the mornings before classes and in the afternoons after dinner. Then I hope to apply the Spanish that I’ve learned in conversations with people in Oaxaca.

Volunteering at Centro de Esperanza Infantil

After my morning class and la comida, I go to Centro de Esperanza Infantil. I will work there for a total of 3 weeks. So far I have been tutoring a 16 year old girl in math, namely geometry and algebra. My experience tutoring her has made me grateful for all the time that I spend younger doing math drills because all of it truly laid the foundation for me to do well in school later. It initially was extremely difficult to communicate in Spanish, but by Friday we were starting to understand each other! This upcoming week, I am hoping to teach some fun workshops to the kids and get to know more about their home lives. I also hope to create a website featuring the children in order to get more donations to the Centro. I will propose these ideas to one of the director’s tomorrow.

Life at the Homestay and other Cultural Explorations

Today we had an orientation by Child Family Health International and Becari with the other July participants. We learned more about the history of Oaxaca and its leaders, visited a chocolate factory, took a bus to visit the different hospitals and clinics in Oaxaca, and walked through the Zocalo, the city center of Oaxaca. I’m glad to have a group of other students to experience the city with now. One of my favorite parts of my time here has been living with my homestay family, although there are some days where I feel like an undernourished girl. Senora Eugenia is kind and patient, and makes delicious meals. She reminds me of my own grandma, and I’ve been enjoying slowly being able to converse with her. Meal times in Mexico are different than in the States (8 AM breakfast, 2 PM lunch, 8 PM dinner) and it took me a bit of time to adjust. Socially, I spent time with two students from Becari and some students from Stanford participating in BOSP programs. This week, my cultural goal is to talk to more of the street market sellers and engage in conversation with them. I also want to spend more time with my host family at night and talk to them more. This weekend, I hope to go to Hierve el Agua with the other CFHI participants. Culturally, I really enjoy the city of Oaxaca – the colorful buildings, the merry dancers at Calenda, all the festivities and colors and indigenous peoples and wooden animals on the streets. Oaxaca is such a bustling city of culture and history, and I am grateful to be here.

Hasta luego por ahora (Bye for now), tomorrow I wake up at 8 PM for class, and a new week begins.

Wow, after 2 plane flights (with lots of sleep and a moderate amount of Spanish learning), I am finally in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico! I am currently writing this on the porch on the second floor of my house right in front of my room. I stumbled out of baggage claim to meet Ariana, who is a 17 y.o. girl living in the homestay. I said “Hola!” and asked her “Como estas?” but from there our communication began to rely heavily on hand signals and Google Translate. I have a LOT of Spanish learning ahead for me to do! We were picked up by the grandmother’s son in law, who spoke some English so we were able to talk – he asked me my age, where I went to school, where my parents were from, how long I would be staying, etc. I also learned that there were 4 other Stanford students who were living in the same house. As we drove we saw all of the different shops and places in the bustling city of Oaxaca, which is very colorful, and the temperature was pretty hot compared to California. Upon entering the house, which was quite nicely designed albeit a little small, I was greeted by the grandmother (who later introduced herself as Eugenia or Senora Arces), who asked me what I wanted to eat and made me a chicken tamale. It tasted strong with a distinct corn taste from the wrapping and some burned taste from the chicken. Afterwards, Ariana took me on a walking tour of Oaxaca, where I saw the whole city from a vantage point near the house, the stadium where the Guelaguetza Festival is held, murals with people from Oaxaca history, and a statue of Benito Juarez. Outside of the house are many stairs where people exercise. I had some time to rest and unpack, and am enjoying my free time on the porch at the moment.

Headed off to Oaxaca, Mexico today! After a busy spring quarter and wild week at Kesem, I’m at LAX about to head to Mexico City at 6 AM in the morning. After weeks of talking about my trip and taking classes to prepare for overseas travel, I’m excited to finally begin my journey. Shoutout to my family for supporting me and to Stanford for financing the trip. I decided to spend my summer in Mexico because 1) I wanted to learn Spanish and there is an excellent program in Oaxaca to learn the language 2) I was curious how the healthcare system works in a different country 3) I wanted to travel and learn about the world through cultural immersion and experience 4) I liked how there was lots of opportunity to do volunteer work with NGOs. I have to board now, but shall keep updates on my journey. Adios for now!