Saturday, June 30, 2012

Day 17 in Oaxaca, Mexico: Reflections on Fundacion Oaxaquena de Equinoterapia Conference
I truly believe yesterday was one of the most interesting and insightful. Me, my group, and my professor went to the Fundacion Oaxaquena de Equinoterapia to hear the founder and people helping with the program talk about what Equinoterapia is, how it started, and what its purpose is. One of my roommates here works there and I'll be honest the only thing I knew about Equinotherapia was that it was to help kids with spinal problems. My roommate described it to me as "the child gets on the horse and when they ride the horse it stimulates nerves in the spinal cord which help straighten their back." It sounded interesting but I didnt think that's what it was all about and the conference yesterday helped clarify what it was. Before I explain what Equinotherapia is I just want to say I'm proud of myself for understanding more than half the conversation because all the translating gave me a headache. So Equinotherapia, also known as equine assistance therapy and riding lessons the disabled,  is the use of horse and equine-oriented activities to achieve a variety of therapeutic goals, including, physical, emotional, mental, social, educational and behavioral problems.  The physical benefits of walking equinotherapy come from the horse, resembles the natural human gait. There is no machines used for this process. Most riders develop muscle tone, better flexibility and range of motion.
Honestly, my favorite part of the conference was learning about integration. A psychologist who was explaining his experience observing children with a range of disabilities mentioned having an atmosphere with children who are deaf, blind, and other problems heal together instead of seperating each child by disability. I agree with the psychologist but the problem is finding staff who are trained in all areas to work with these kids. I know if I was trained in all of those fields I would have done it hands down. Another part of the conference I found interesting was how these children with disabilities were discriminated against. I work at CORAL which is a rehabilitation center for children who are deaf and it made me think about how these kids must experience some form of discrimination since they can't hear. Personally, its disappointing that teachers of all the people would discriminate against children as young as three of four years old because they can't hear, see, or whatever disability they have. In my opinion, if you don't have any patience whatsoever you should not be a teacher.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Day 16 in Oaxaca,Mexico Reflections on Cooking Class Yesterday and CORAL
Well I just got home from CORAL and I feel very productive. Today I did alot of paperwork inventory on the children at the clinic and observed more therapies. Honestly, I love Wednesdays at CORAL because I get to participate with my favorite kids Ernesto and Angel. These boys are so sweet and adorable. When they were crying today during their session I managed to use my spanish to tell them to listen to the woman conducting the therapy and that I promised I would participate with them in the next half of the therapy. The boys surprisingly listened and the moms who were observing the therapy were impressed that I was able to calm their boys down. I can't help it I love kids they are just too precious. Besides CORAL, yesterday was a blast! I came home from CORAL to find my classmates and my professor at my host mom's house for cooking class. We made "Sopa de Azteca"(Aztec Soup) and "Tacos Durado." Those dishes are personally my favorite because my host mom made it a couple times at the house. Sopa Azteca is consisted of tomatoes, garlic, and onions, tortillas, and guacamole. Its one of the tastiest soups I have ever had and its so much better than the ordinary chicken noodle soup. Tacos durado is chicken folded into a tortilla flour then fried on a pan topped with guacamole and purple cabbage. I swear this dish is to die for it makes the tacos at taco bell look terrible. I personally can't stand fast food in the United States cause it makes me sick and its too processed. After me and my classmates made the soup and the tacos we did eat it together and it was amazing! To top it off I got to try chapulines, grasshoppers, and it tasted better than expected. I recall one of my classmates saying that chapulines tasted terrible but I liked the crunchy texture the only thing I didn't really like was that it was very salty but overall it was awesome! After we ate the dishes my host mom gave us the recipes for us to take home to make for our families. I can't wait to make these for my parents when I get home! Things just keep getting better and better!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012


Day 15 in Oaxaca, Mexico: Reflections on Puerto Escondito and the remainder of the trip
I can´t believe the weekend flew by so fast. This past weekend I went to Puerto Escondito with my group and it was such a blast. We went to the beach first and the water was really warm surprisingly. I was expecting the water to be super chilly but then again the beaches in the United States are freezing. After the beach we went out to a nice Italian resturant in town and they had the best seafood I have ever tasted. I really wish the United States had fresh seafood like Mexico because the food doesn´t feel heavy. Usually when I eat fish in the states it feels very heavy because of all the added hormones and chemicals. The only downfall of the trip to Puerto Escondito was the hotel because it was six people to a room and that´s not what we booked for. Honestly, I can´t believe this is my second to last week here in Oaxaca because I feel like I just got settled here and I´m used to my daily routine. I love chatting with my host mom daily, I love the people here in Oaxaca, I love working at CORAL I love the food, I love my classes, and I love the atmosphere. One thing I´m definently going to miss when I go home next week is how Oaxacans greet you everyday on the street with a ¨Buenas diaz¨ or ¨Buenas noches.¨ Simple greetings like that for me personally  boost my day and I know in the United States not many people would do the same. Another thing I´m going to miss is chatting with my host mom everyday during dinner because she tells me what´s going on in her life with her children and how she misses them. I share with her with the spanish I know what´s going on in my life and what things I like and what I see myself doing in 10 years. Lastly, I´m definently going to miss CORAL because I loved observing the therapy sessions and participating with the children. I love how when I walk into the sessions the children remember me and greet me with big bear hugs. I´m glad that I´m able to put a smile on their face and leave a good memory for them. I really want to come back to CORAL once I finish college so I can work longer in the clinic and do more community outreach and fundraising. Well, I´m going to make these final twelve days last and the best.

Monday, June 25, 2012



Day 14 in Oaxaca, Mexico: Excursion to Teotitlan Women's Weaving Cooperative
I don't even know how to put in words how amazing this day was. Today me, my group and my professor went to Teotitlan to learn about the Women's Weaving Cooperative and how they make the designs on the rugs they weave. I'll be honest I thought it was going to be boring at first but it wasn't at all. The ladies there were very friendly and welcoming and they were pleased to see how enthusiastic we were to learn about their cooperative. One thing that I found really interesting was how they make the colors on the rugs. When one of the women was demonstrating how she makes the colors she said for example to get a tan looking color she would use nuts. I love how mother nature is so useful not only for nourishment but for practical uses as well. Another thing I found interesting was when the woman  explained the challenges that many of the women faced to have their own cooperative. One challenge was the language barrier because the women in the area spoke Zapotec, an indeginous language, not spanish. Another challenge was trying to get the government involved for support financially and for recognition. After many attempts the women stopped trying because it wasn't benefiting the cooperative. Generations later, the cooperative managed to transform the organization that their husbands and fathers disliked into an organization that they are proud of and help their wives. I found it interesting that these women were able to make a drastic transformation in the mindset of their loved ones because it gives me hope that in other countries, like Eritrea, a change in mindset could happen. There is oppression toward women in Eritrea when especially when they want to be independent. I hope to one day in the future help women in Eritrea become independent and boost their self-esteem.
After the women at the cooperative explained the history and gave us a demonstration they performed limpia on us. Limpia is a healing ceremony that occurs when the person is cleansed with different herbs. Apparently over 100 herbs can be used for this process and some healers use mezcal during the ceremony. During the limpia I admit I was a bit nervous that I would do something to mess up the ceremony. When I put the herbs on my forehead, arms, and neck I did feel a powerful vibe. I'll admit I was stressed out that day because I was thinking about how to plan the next few weeks and manage my money like I always do but after the ceremony was over I felt the stress leave my body. It was scary and refreshing at the same time. I usually do yoga or pilates to ease the stress but never did I imagine herbs like basil, sage, and thyme could get rid of stress.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Day 12 and Day 13 in Oaxaca :)

Day 12 in Oaxaca, Mexico: Reflections
Well as it approaches midnight here in Oaxaca alot is going through my mind. Today's seminar on Susto: A Folk Illness was really interesting. I love how my professor talked about Ataque de Nervios.
According to the discussion we had in class, ataque de nervios is "an idiom of distress particularly among Latinos in the Caribbean, but recognized among many Hispanic groups." When my professor discussed the symptoms that are commonly reported such as "screaming uncontrollably, attacks of crying, trembling, heat in the chest rising into the head, and becoming verbally or physically aggressive" I couldn't help but having a flood of memories hit me harder than I imagined. I'm not going to mention names and I know I'm not of Latino descent but I have experienced ataque de nervios in my personal life. I remember when I would get into bad verbal fights with this person about things such as letting me live my life. This person is overly parnoid and overprotective and I've done nothing but work hard my whole life in school and I keep my GPA over a 3.5. It was frustrating when I would go out with my friends and have a million missed phone calls saying "where are you?" I always told this person where I will be and that I'm safe but I personally felt like a prisoner and trapped because when I go out I would always be nervous and check my phone constantly because I would worry this person would bug me and ask me when I will be home. When I would get home we would get into very bad verbal arguments. After we fought I would go to my room and when that person wasn't home I would go into a rage start throwing things, punching my wall, and crying. I didn't feel like Sofya anymore. When I was in seminar listening to my professor talk about this part of susto I felt like I was reliving the experience all over again because I was sitting in class with anger bottled in my chest. I still hold alot of resentment towards this person but I didn't think those feelings would pop up after a discussion on susto. Don't get me wrong I loved the seminar cause I was able to apply it to things in my life as well as learn more about the Oaxacan culture and this is not to say I was mad the topic was brought up. After seminar I went home read alot and then went to spanish class and honestly I was embarrassed when class finished. The reason I say that is because I found myself stumbling on the conjugations which usually isn't a problem for me but I was stressed cause I was thinking about getting my paper done and how much more reading I had left to do along with fieldwork at CORAL. My spanish teacher wasn't mad at me he told me not to worry and I did correct myself when i found myself messing up but I still felt embarrassed because I was afraid that he would think I don't care about the class and that he might stereotype me as a stupid American or something. I sometimes have a tendency to worry that something I might do by accident might be misinterpretted or offend someone when I'm in another country. Honestly, I guess I have susto in that moment when I worry like this but I am human after all.

Day 13
Today was pretty exciting I woke up at 9am to go to CORAL and continue working with the children there. I must say that my favorite part of working there is getting to know each child. One child that stood out to me was Ernesto because he was so open,friendly, and full of life. I met him on the first day I went to CORAL but I don't think he was comfortable to interact with me. Surprisingly when me and my friend Ashwini went into the room to observe the therapy session as soon as he saw my face he jumped out of his seat and hugged me tight. I couldn't help but feel so happy inside because I'm glad that he felt comfortable enough to hug me instead of view me as this stranger from another country. As the therapy session went on I couldn't help but notice how Ernesto couldn't speak in coherent sentences and it was hard for me to translate what he was saying cause it sounded like scrambled spanish. It hit me after the session that I forgot that he is deaf and he communicates his spanish better with sign language. I'll admit sign language was hard for me the first time I learned it at CORAL but I found myself to speak better sign language spanish than verbal spanish. I am good at both but I find it not as difficult to do sign language spanish. When I used my sign language spanish with Ernesto I couldn't help but feel a personal satifaction for being able to communicate my thoughts to him and his thoughts to me. I really am starting to feel like Oaxaca is my home away from home and I can't believe in two more weeks I'll be back in the United States. I wish this program were longer.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Day 11 in Oaxaca, Mexico: Excursion to the outskirts of Oaxaca to learn about Amaranth!
Yesterday was amazing and educational! Me and my roommates shaili, katie, and lauren woke up very early to meet the group and professor for our excursion to learn about the grain  amaranth. I remember hearing about the grain before on television but I never payed attention to it. When we were heading to the farm I'll admit the scenery was gorgous. I'll admit I love taking pictures of mountains and anything that has a countryside feel to it. When we got the farm we met with a farmer who is from pensylvania but has helped for a while on the farm growing this essential grain. I found it interesting when he said that amaranth is loaded with protein and high in folic acid. I never knew that and what surprised me even more was how scarce it was. After the farmer lectured us on amaranth and what the group does we met with the locals to learn about the different soils that are used to grow amaranth and which ones are not good. After learning about the different soils and the plant I'm considering gardening again because I love having my own vegetables at my convenience instead of going to a store to buy it. After learning about amaranth me, my group, and my professor started planting amaranth seeds. It was daunting at first and it was hard because i saw these huge crickets that were freaking me out but I mangaged to put that fear aside. After we planted the amaranth we were taking to another site to harvest them and that's where things got interesting. I remember picking up a handful of amaranth and freaking out because I saw these weird bugs. Don't get me wrong I like the the harvesting but I hate bugs. After we brought the amaranth back for harvesting we were fed lunch that had the grain in it. I must say out of all the foods I've had here in Oaxaca I loved the lunch we had yesterday. We had pasta with amaranth in it, black beans, meatballs, and a tasty drink called chata. I had three helpings and the amaranth made the food not only tasty good but fill me up very quickly. The chata is composed of milk, rice, and amaranth. It tasted like the rice milk I have back in the United States but the drink was definently sweeter. I hope I can find chata when I get back to the states otherwise I will be disappointed. Overall, this day was amazing and I can't wait for the next excursion!





Day 10 in Oaxaca, Mexico: CORAL
I can't believe its already been ten days that I've stayed in Oaxaca. I hope the rest of the time goes slowly cause I love Oaxaca! Today I went to CORAL and the first 2 hours were pretty boring cause it was just organizing books again. After the first two hours my supervisor Mariyana came up to me and asked me to draw a picture of the ear with the hearing aid in it (she gave me a visual to assist me in drawing it). At first I was thinking how terrible my art skills are and the last time I drew something nice was back in middle school. Surprisingly my picture came out nearly perfect to the visual aid she gave me for drawing the ear. After I drew I continued to observe the therapy sessions with the children. I'll admit my heart sank when I saw the kids getting upset if they made mistakes during the sessions but as the therapy went on they got better and better. I definently want to come back to CORAL in the future to do more global public health work to help assist in providing these services for the children and their families. After I observed the kids in therapy me and my classmate Ashwini were being taught sign language for an hour. Ashwini was amazing at picking up sign language but I wasn't as good and to top it off I'm still learning spanish so learning sign language in spanish was a bit harder for me. Hopefully it will get better but I'm not going to worry too much about the sign language part I'm more focused on learning spanish in my spanish class. I can't wait for what's going to happen tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Day 9 in Oaxaca: Field work at CORAL and Spanish Class
Well its day nine in Oaxaca and I would definitely have to say that it was the greatest day of my life! So I woke up for desayuno (breakfast) at eight thirty a.m to some tasty pancakes, cantelope, and yogurt. It was delicious as always and I can't wait for my host mom to teach my some of the tricks for cooking Oaxacan dishes. After breakfast me and my friend Ashwini took the bus and then motor taxi to CORAL. I must say that I'm proud of myself because I overcame my shyness today and spoke Spanish to the staff and children. My Spanish turned out perfectly and I didn't mess up too much with my verbs and tenses today while speaking. At CORAL I'll admit the first three hours were boring because all I did was organize toys and type on excel what books CORAL had and organize those by category. However, around 12 p.m things got exciting because I got to sit and observe individual therapy sessions with the staff and child. The one child that stood out to me was a little boy named Luis Jesus. The reason he stood out to me was because he not only had a hearing impairment but he also was mentally disabled as well. When I sat in the therapy session with his mother and the staff member he was such a happy carefree little guy. I'll admit I was scared that he would get some type of anxiety around me since I'm not from Oaxaca but he was fascinated by me. He was touching my hair and smiling every time I cheered him for building a mini tower. In the end he did cry because he didn't want to go home with his mom and he wanted to continue playing with me. I can't wait to see him tomorrow so we can bond more. Another thing I enjoyed today at CORAL was the group therapy session with luis, brenda, and alfredo. During this session the staff member instructed me Ashwini to build a house using sticks, glue, and confetti. I'll admit Ashwini's house came out much more organized than mine but I found the activity fun because it reminded me of when I was in first grade. I loved crafts and I always loved getting messy while making stuff cause I knew that meant I put in a lot of hard-work building the piece.
After CORAL me and Ashwini rushed to meet up with our group because we thought we were going to be late for Spanish class. We all ended up making it in time and the great thing was the staff at Amigos del Sol didn't get upset or anything what a relief! During Spanish class I couldn't help but feel proud and anxious to know what I would be learning next. I was proud that I answered alot of questions better than I did the first day and with fewer mistakes! I was also anxious to know what's next so that I don't mix up my tenses or verbs. My teacher Estaban is awsome and I wish I had a teacher like him in high school because the language teachers in my high school never really cared about the class. It was disappointing because in high school I wanted to learn italian but I had to teach myself since my teacher was aloof and disorganized. Overall, today was amazing and I can't wait to see what tomorrow is going to bring!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Day 7 Oaxaca: Seminar and Spanish Class
Yesterday officially marks my seventh day in Oaxaca and I can't believe it. Time flies so fast when you busy. I had my first seminar with my professor and it went better than I expected. I was expecting seminar to very boring because my past experiences with three hour classes were super boring. The class was nice because we started with an activity of defining culture and then discussed different subfields of anthropology. One thing I found interesting in our discussion yesterday was when my professor was discussing the concept of culture.  According to my professor "culture powerfully influences cognition, feeling, and self concept. Cultures shape emotions, there are universal ones but some cultures emphasis some emotions not others. For example, women can’t express anger in Latino culture. My professor also mentioned that there are no anger diagnoses in the United States. Intermittent Explosive disorder is the closest to being considered an anger diagnosis. The reason I found this interesting was because I'm a psychology minor and I've never come across any anger disorders in any of my psychology courses. It makes me wonder why the United States doesn't want to come up with any diagnoses because that can lead to a lot of problems for the person. That person may not be able to get a job because of their impulsive personality and have marital problems in the future. Another thing I found interesting was when my professor was talking to the class about how his approaches culture. My professor said "I believe in culture, I think it exists and is an important, if not always conscious, force in shaping social life. We understand culture through lived experience not only an abstract set of ideas." I agree with my professor because when I think about it culture has shaped my social life greatly. I'm Eritrean American and even though I was born and raised in America my actions do reflect both my American and Eritrean side. For example, if I'm out with my friends for dinner and they are ordering lots of greasy fattening foods I'm usually the one who tries to look for the healthiest option on the menu since I was raised eating alot of traditional Eritrean foods. Eritrean food is composed of grains, vegetables, and lean meats and in my opinion is much better than American food.
Besides seminar, I had my first Spanish class yesterday and I really loved it. I'll admit that's where most of my anxiety came from when I arrived to Oaxaca on the first day. I've studied Italian for four years in high school but never took a Spanish class in my life. When my Spanish teacher started teaching me Spanish I managed to understand 80 percent of what he was saying because a lot of the verbs and phrases are very similar. I can't wait to learn more Spanish and I feel that I'm absorbing it more since I hear it everyday from my host mom and around town.

Day 8 in Oaxaca: CORAL
Today has been super busy. I woke up at 8:30 to have desayuno (breakfast) and head out at 9am to get to CORAL at 10am. I'll admit that I do get nervous on the bus only because I hate when the buses end up side by side or when one bus is about to hit the other from behind. I'm sure the drivers are very experienced but its still scary. Me and my classmate Ashwini managed to get to CORAL early and the staff gave us some work to do and discussed our schedules. First we organized the toys and then we got to sit and observe the group therapy session with the child and their parent. Personally, I loved observing the group therapy session because I got to interact with the child and their parent in Spanish and learned about how CORAL helps these children who can't hear practice hearing with their aids. I was hoping to go to the clinic in CORAL to see how they diagnose the children who have hearing problems but it was the first day and the staff wanted us to observe and become well adjusted to CORAL. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!


Monday, June 11, 2012

Day 6 in Oaxaca: Monte Alban Excursion
 I woke up today and had the weirdest dream. My dream consisted of me at Monte Alban walking around and meeting the kings of different Mesoamerican groups like Mixteca and Zapoteca. It took me ten minutes to realize it was just a dream but it was nice to have a visual of what the different Mesoamerican groups looked like. Yesterday was quite adventurous because I went to Monte Alban with my professor and group and we got to see the ruins and learn about the history of Mesoamerica. Our tour guide was excellent and very thorough especially when he was describing the different plants used for medicinal purposes and healing. One thing I found really interesting was when our tour guide was talking about the cactus plant called peyote which was a hallucinogin that was used for cermemonial and medical purposes. I remember doing a project on peyote for my drugs, culture, and society class this past fall semester. From what I recall peyote was used medicinally and ceremonially for many ills and that when intoxicated with the cactus they saw "horrible visions". Padre Andréa Pérez de Ribas, a seventeenth-century Jesuit who spent sixteen years in Sinaloa, claimed that Peyote was usually drunk but that its use, even medicinally, was forbidden and punished, since it was connected with "heathen rituals and superstitions" to contact evil spirits through "diabolic fantasies." The reason I found this interesting was because I had no idea that the alcoholic beverage mescal came from peyote as well. I've never had mescal before but my professor did mention that here in Oaxaca the people believe that mescal is good for the stomach because it stimulates the appetite. Personally, if I was offered mescal before I ate I would be very skeptical because of the mind-altering effects it does to a person. 
Another aspect of the trip I found interesting was when the tour guide talked about how women prepared for childbirth. I recall from the reading by Young and Garro "Medical Choice in a Mexican village" they talked about how midwives helped women in Mesoamerica prepare for birth. The reading mentioned that the midwives gave massages to the mother-to-be and gave counselling on diet. During the tour our guide mentioned how the midwives altered the baby's position during the massage which I found intriguing. I never knew you could alter the baby in the womb through massaging the mother.
After the excursion I reflected on everything that happened and I realized that medical practices in the United States already began here in Oaxaca through the small details that people overlook. Its amazing because when I think about how there are some people in the United States who are skin heads I feel that they never really paid attention to the history. Alot of skinheads believe an ideal America should be white and all immigrants should leave. When I think about it not only is it not true but the United States is the way it is because of immigrants. Immigrants are the backbone of America and I don't understand why there are people who don't pay attention to the history and judge.  I can't wait for the next excursion because I'm finding myself more emersed in the culture as the days go by.



-Sofya

Saturday, June 9, 2012

June 9th Day 5 in Oaxaca, Mexico
I can't believe its already five days that I've been living here in Oaxaca. My goodness time flies when you least expect it. Today so far has been very peaceful I edited my paper for my seminar Monday and had a wonderful breakfast with my host mom. My host mom made "los huevos con stringbeans y melón"( eggs with string beans and cantelope) and it was delicious. Back in the United States I usually avoid cantelope because its my least favorite food and I found it sour tasting. I ate the cantelope for breakfast this morning and it was so sweet and juicy I was shocked. I'm definently going to miss the cantelope when I go back to the United States. Besides breakfast, for lunch "I had tamales con salsa y pina"( tamales with salsa and pineapple). Honestly, when I heard we were eating tamales I was expecting it to be unbearably spicy because I recall watching a cartoon when I was younger and the character ate a hot tamale and was complaining of it being very hot. When i ate the tamale it was not spicy at all until I put the salsa on it but it tasted very good. I swear as the days pass I become more excited and anxious to see what the day will bring because I'm learning and trying new things everyday. I love the Oaxacan culture I love the food, the people, and the atmosphere I wish the United States was like this.

Friday, June 8, 2012

June 8, 2012 Day 4 in Oaxaca
Honestly, I know its only been four days that I've been in Oaxaca but I am in love with it! Today was once again an adventurous day because I learned how to use the public transportation here. Personally, I was very scared for this day to come because I have never taken a public bus in Mexico when I came to visit my cousins years ago. I went with my buddy Ashwini and it wasn't as bad as I expected, I managed to find landmarks while I was sitting on the bus so that I can remember where to get off and take a motortaxi to my field site. The motor taxi was pretty cool and scary because it reminded me of those rides at amusement parks that you sit on and they spin you side to side until you get dizzy. The reason I found it slightly scary was because its a very tight squeeze when you sit inside it and the sides are open so I thought I was going to fall out. At the same time it was pretty cool because the thrill of riding it felt like an adventure straight from a movie.
The field site I was assigned to is called CORAL which stands for Centro Oaxaqueno de Rehabilitacion de Audicion y Lenguaje. I found CORAL to be wonderful because they provide low-cost rehabilitation services to children who are deaf and work with their parents in therapy sessions. When me and Ashwini arrived to CORAL there was this little girl who I thought had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. She had beautiful dark skin but when I looked at her eyes they were as blue as the ocean and it looked like glass. Her mother was telling me that her daughter inherited the blue eyes on her father's side of the family because his ancestors came from Spain. The supervisor at CORAL showed me and Ashwini today the different areas where they conduct individual therapy for the children and group therapy with the parents. The supervisor also showed us where they children play and told us that we will be going to schools to observe how they observe children who may have hearing loss and bring them to their clinic for diagnosis. I find it wonderful that work like this is being done here because I'm sure it must be hard on the parents dealing with their child being deaf and struggling to make ends meet.
Overall I really am becoming more emersed in the Oaxacan culture as each day goes by. Honestly, I hope this month goes slow because I really feel like its my home away from home. Everyday is an adventure here and I can't wait to start working at CORAL next week and getting to know the children and their parents. 
"No puedo esperar a que las aventuras de mañana traerá!"


Thursday, June 7, 2012


Thursday June 7th Day 3 in Oaxaca: Examining the differences between Oaxacan culture and American culture. Reflections on my homestay.
Right now its 10:21pm in Oaxacan time and I'm so exhausted, buts its a good feeling because it means my day was full of adventure. It started with me waking up at 7:30am to a once again amazing breakfast. Today my host mom served me and my classmates cut up mangos and watermelon then she served us huevos con habas frescas junto con jugo de la sandía fresca y yogur. (eggs with beans along with fresh watermelon juice and yogurt). I'll admit I was hesitant to try the yogurt cause I thought it would upset my stomach but it didn't. Honestly, I'm glad I got adjusted quickly to everything here in Oaxaca from the food to the laid back atmosphere. Back in the United States I'm used to thinking constantly on my feet and not having enough time to do anything. I've noticed that Oaxacan culture is very relaxed about life in general. The people here take their time on anything whether its cooking, eating at the dinner table, chatting at the dinner table, running errands, or attending meetings. Today when my host mother was serving me and my classmates breakfast she was talking on and on about things to do in Oaxaca, asking us our favorite fruits, what our favorite activities. By the time she finished talking to us we left the house around 7:40am and still got to the ProWorld orientation exactly at 8am. Even after the orientation was over and I went home with my classmate Katie I managed to finish more schoolwork than I expected thanks to the large amount of time I had today and the relaxed atmosphere of Oaxacan time.
Personally, I wish the United States time was exactly like Oaxacan time because there would be less stress among everyone. Another thing I observed today was how people here in Oaxaca greet you while walking down the street. I had alot of women approach me and my classmates saying simple greetings like "Buenas diaz" or "Buenas tardes." I know in the United States we focus on ourselves because we have our own things to worry about and accomplish. It makes me sad to think about this because I feel that if everyone in the United States could just put aside their differences and put aside the daily stress that life gives we would all be saying hi to each other. I love how the Oaxacan people live collectively because they care about not only keeping their culture but taking care of their people as well. They say that smiling is a great way to make yourself stand out while helping your body to function better. Smiling improves health, your stress level, and your attractiveness.
Another thing I really enjoyed today was exploring the Zocolo with my professor and classmates. In my opinion I still get overwhelmed by the colonial buildings and the vibrant colors on those buildings. Professor Guarnaccia took us to the market today which had restaurants in it and a market to buy hats, clothes, and other woven materials. One thing I found interesting and unique was that in Oaxaca they eat grasshoppers. I'm curious as to why Oaxacans eat grasshoppers but at the same time I really want to try it at a restaurant. I'm pretty sure grasshoppers have some type of nutritional value to them at least I think they do.
Anyways, tomorrow I'm going to my field site CORAL with ProWorld and I'm meeting my supervisor to figure out what I'll be doing there and what's required of me. I'm super excited to get settled and working with deaf children and their parents to provide them low-cost rehabilitative services.

Buenas noches a todos!!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012


Wednesday June 6th 2012 Day 2: First Official Day in Oaxaca
Last night was very tiresome but it was totally worth it. Today was very eventful, first we woke up early in the morning at our hostel, Posada Don Mario, and we had breakfast with Professor Guarnaccia downstairs. We had "huevos al la mexicana" which is Spanish for Mexican style eggs. I must say those eggs were the best eggs I've ever tasted. It was full of flavor and to top it off the beans that were served with the eggs made it not only tasty but filling. The ladies at the hostel were very nice as they served us breakfast and it made me wonder if every hostel is like this here in Oaxaca. Next we went for our orientation at the HUB to get an overview of the summer program, learn briefly the history about the history of Mexico, and learn about the recent healthcare reform that's happened here. Honestly, when Professor mentioned healthcare reform it reminded me of the ongoing controversy between the Democrats and Republicans in the United States. Professor made a great point today when he was talking about the healthcare reform that's happening here in Mexico. He said that economically universal healthcare is great because the economy will be excelling since everybody will be healthier. Personally, I am a supporter of universal healthcare and its not because I think its good for everyone. The reason I support universal healthcare because economically it will help the United States, life expectancy will rise, and people will be happier and healthier.  As an American I must say that I am disappointed in the United States because I feel that the concept of universal healthcare isn't explained clearly by politicians and the fact that no one wants to take the time to do research about healthcare reform for details.
Besides the healthcare reform issue another thing that makes me even more disappointed in the United States is the fact that its one of the richest countries but they don't provide fresh food unprocessed foods in our supermarkets. When I tasted the eggs and beans here in Oaxaca I immediately noticed the difference in taste and how I felt after I ate. Usually when I eat eggs back in the United States I feel heavy and very tired. However, when I ate the eggs here in Oaxaca I didn't feel tired at all I felt satisfied and ready to take on the challenges of today.
After orientation at the HUB, Professor Guarnaccia took me and my study abroad classmates for a little walking tour of Oaxaca. When we were walking down the streets of Oaxaca it reminded me of the time I went to Eritrea because alot of the buildings in Oaxaca are very colonial. Eritrea was almost colonized by the Italians so the buildings there have alot of influence from Italy just like Oaxaca's buildings are influenced by the Spaniards. I observed that there are alot of catholic churches in the area which I find fascinating, I'm hoping on one of my free days I can go to the church.
I did get to meet my host mother today at the hostel after me and my study abroad classmates went on the walking tour with Professor Guarnaccia. Her name is Socorro Pinelo and she is the sweetest woman I have ever met. When she took us to her house me and my classmates were mezmerized by how it felt like our home away from home. My room is like a personal suite because I have my own bathroom and bedroom and I have a view of the mountain that I saw on the way from the airport. I do admit that the anxiety I had earlier about interacting with my host mom for the first day died down because I managed to understand and use the little spanish I know to communicate my appreciation for her hospitality. I'm really loving the Oaxacan culture so far and I'm looking forward to continue expanding my understanding of the culture.

-Sofya Andemicael

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Day 1: Newark to Houston, Houston to Oaxaca Departure Thoughts
I literally cannot find the right words to describe how I'm feeling right now. I'm a combination of anxious, excited, nervous, and worried. Is it possible to feel so many emotions at once? As soon as my alarm clock went off today at 7am it hit me that today is the day that I won't be in good old New Jersey where everything is familiar. Honestly, I have traveled outside the United States before but not by myself for over a month taking classes and staying with a host family. I've always wanted to learn Spanish and I'm amazed that I was able to understand some and pick up basic phrases when I went to visit my cousins years ago in Isla Holbox. I guess it helped that I took Italian in high school for four years along with visiting my Italian cousins for a couple of weeks.
Personally, I never heard of Oaxaca and when my professor mentioned that there is a large community in New Brunswick from that area I realized that everytime I got my hair done on French St I would see little restaurants that said Oaxaca or Oaxaquina. I'm very excited to see what Oaxacan culture is like, how the Spanish dilect differs from other regions in Mexico, and the festivities there. I'm also very nervous and excited about meeting my host family for the first time. I hope I don't make the mistake of mispronouncing something in Spanish that ends up upsetting the family. I'm very anxious to see the family dynamics play in the Oaxacan culture and see if there are any major similarities or differences with the American culture. Another thing I'm really anxious about is where I'm going to be placed to do my fieldwork because I really wanted to get started right now and make a difference in Oaxaca. All I know for now is that I am going to make a difference down in Oaxaca by emersing myself in the culture and help at a grassroots level. I know for sure the day I return to the United Stated I will have a more clear understanding and deeper appreciation for the Oaxacan culture.

-Sofya Andemicael