Educación Ambiental

The past few weeks have been filled with schools and kids.  I started working on a regional environmental education program when I first arrived, with the understanding that my partner from a local environmental organization and I would present the program to teachers the week before classes started for the 2017-18 school year. 

Five days before we were supposed to begin those presentations, zero had been scheduled.  Two days before we were supposed to begin, we had 9 presentations on the calendar, and all was well.  I am a planner by nature so I will admit that it’s been a long, steep learning curve to adjust to a different flow here in Mexico.  My takeaway lesson is this: don’t worry if things still aren’t done right before they need to be, because somehow things always come together in the 11th hour.

Presentation #5 on day #1, to a nice, small group of teachers. 

 Local school, with shade. 

Lovely vista from a school en el campo. 

The first day of presentations we hit the road at 6:30 AM to visit five schools in four different municipalities.  Although we had to run from school to school, we had great conversations with teachers and were delighted to hear that there was so much interest in the program.  Day two was a lot easier as we only had to visit two schools, located 10 minutes apart.  Day three presented a new challenge as my presentation partner left her job the night before and I had to deliver the last two presentations with someone new.  

I considered the whole week a great success because a) we talked with 131 teachers in 41 different schools in 3 days, and b) we made it to every school on the list, even though we sometimes only had a phone number to call and advice to just ask people on the street where the teachers were. 

 One of the schools fired up the grill to give us a breakfast of corn tortillas, steak, beans and grilled onions. It was SO GOOD.

School mural.

A week later, the local water agency asked me to help them with a water-education event for kids.  I had to pry myself out of bed before 7:00 AM to make sure I had time to heat the boiler for a shower, and get to the office in time to pick up my helper, Tiare.  I was told to be there by 8:30 to set up for the event, which started at 9:00.  The event organizers arrived a little after 9:00, at the same time as a bus load of students who were ready to roll.  Everything started late, but somehow it all came together and everyone had a good time.

Morning view waiting for things to start. 

Backdrop for the days events.  

Helping kids with their paintings. 

Tiare and I were in charge of an activity for kids to paint an ocean or a river, while discussing sources of water pollution and simple solutions.  It was great to spend time with the kids, all of whom I think enjoyed getting themselves and us covered in blue paint.  As I was talking to a group of kids about water pollution, Tiare told me “Autumn – you need to go up to the plaza.  The director of the water agency is asking for you on the loud speaker.”  So up I went to suddenly find myself on a team of adults racing against water agency staff in an obstacle course designed for sprightly young children.  

We started out running through tires and then hopped in bags for short-distance sack races.  Next up was a wheelbarrow, and when the guy behind me told me I had to get in for him to push me, I was like “are you crazy? There is no way I’m getting in that.”  After a full minute of arguing and audience pressure, I finally got in, holding on for dear life.  I survived to run across a plank of wood precariously balanced on 6 bricks while carrying a glass of water, followed by a run through cones using a spatula to carry a cup of water, and finally, a run through cones with a ball placed between the backs of me and my partner that we then had to drop into a bucket.  Needless to say, my team lost the race but I've rarely heard so many people laughing so hard. 

A finished painting of ocean life. 

After the event, I took my helper Tiare out for a frappe to thank her for her work, where it came out that she and my co-worker Israel knew all about that obstacle course and sent me to the wolves to save themselves!  I was completely oblivious to what I was getting into, even when the guy on the loud speaker started singing “American Woman” as I approached the starting line.  Sure, I embarrassed myself during the race, but I provided everyone with some good laughs at my expense, and I’m pretty sure that’s a core part of my job as a volunteer.  It's definitely something that I'm really good at ;)

Baby Got Back

I recently had a really great day, followed by a not so great day.  The highlights of the great day were being asked to review something and hearing that my input was useful, and then explaining the meaning behind one of my favorite songs ever – “Baby Got Back” – to my coworkers.  I think it's fair to say they were all greatly impressed with my lyrical aptitude.  

Music has been a great cultural bridge for me in Mexico and I fully appreciate that one of my coworkers loves to listen to English-language songs from years past.  The day of the great Baby Got Back episode, I also got to hear In Da Club, Whip It, Stayin Alive, I Kissed a Girl, and One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer playing from his computer.  The next week he said that his millennial-age wife couldn’t believe he found someone else who liked his music, and then we had a discussion about how we both thought that the Backstreet Boys were a cheap imitation of the great kings, New Kids on the Block.  It’s great to find a generational counterpart to share your music memories with for sure.
FYI - if you weren't around in the late 80s, you really need to watch that New Kids on the Block video to understand what we grew up with - and to learn how to properly dance in a group.   

This was my view on the walk home before the rain hit - looking north.

The low point of the not so great day was having my apartment inundated with rain water.  I am sad to report that when we get monsoon-style rains with winds, water can enter through every closed window on the west-side of my house.  I was sitting on the couch when I noticed a shimmer on the floor and then saw that it was an inch of water and that more water was cascading down the wall.  For the next two hours, I ran from room to room with towels, a mop and a bucket performing triage on the small rivers that gushed from the bottom of every window.  Each puddle reached half-way across the room in the front entry, living room, and laundry room.  Thankfully, the window in the kitchen is over the sink so it took care of itself.  I learned that my tile floors are really slippery when covered in water and I was slipping and sliding with arms flailing, with all the grace you can imagine.

Rain pounding the window.

I wrung out this towel roughly 6 times in 2 hours.

My neighbor's corn, taken out by heavy rains.

Luckily, that corn bounced back when things dried out and it now towers above the clothes on the laundry line.

The next day, the sun was out until around 2:30 when round two of our monsoons hit and my apartment walls housed small waterfalls for the second day in a row.  Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as the previous day, but my hands were wet and shriveled from mopping and ringing out wet things all day.  If you’ve ever been swimming with me, you know that I don’t handle shriveled, wet fingers well.  It took days for my towels to dry after the storms, but at least I live on the second floor and was spared from the street flooding you can see in the photos below. 

Facebook photos showing local flooding after 2 hours of intense rain.

My apartment has flooded two more times since then, and the other day I felt water dripping on me from my bathroom ceiling during a major thunderstorm, so it appears that flooding will be an ongoing challenge.  This week I took off with a coworker for a meeting 40 minutes away and we had to dodge around 10 rockslides on the 2-lane mountain highway, one of which was so fresh that he had to exit the car to help move rocks and make the road passable.  

So, yeah, life has been extra exciting here lately.  While I appreciate getting to feel a little bit like I'm back in the Pacific Northwest, I'd appreciate it even more if all that rain could stay outside and those rocks could stay put.

 Another Seattle-like rainy day, with lots of rocks on the road.

My coworker left our car to help remove these rocks so cars could pass in one lane.

 I took this image from someone else's Facebook post to show a rockslide on the road heading to the coast (on the same day as our smaller rockslides heading inland).

Another Facebook photo showing the road to the coast. Let's hope this gets fixed soon as no traffic could pass yesterday. 

Caring for Your Volunteer

It's been a rough week for people in the US, Spain and Sierra Leone.  I think it's fair to say that we all need some extra love, care and joy these days, so let's talk about something light-hearted - caring for your volunteer. 

Let’s say you know someone who’s serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, and they’ve been in country for a year and a half.  They’re integrated in their community, they’ve adjusted to the local food and customs and, in general, they seem to be doing great.  In my experience, once you pass the halfway mark of your service, things related to work get a lot easier and life becomes more routine.  However, a lot of other things get harder.  Missing people, places, things and foods from back home – it’s tough, especially when you have a craving that you can’t satisfy (going for a hike on a snowcapped mountain, having brunch with a friend, hugging your cat, strolling through Target for things that you don't need but really want, or just hopping in your car to go explore for the day where you encounter people who speak your language).

My lovely little pueblo mágico... 

...complete with free-range horses.... 

...mountains, volcanoes, farmland, houses and a cemetery. 

Which brings me to the point of this post: that volunteer you know?  They still want – nay, they need – care packages every so often.  The arrival of something familiar, a luxurious treat, a favorite food or a new form of entertainment – it brings so much joy and comfort to volunteers that we typically squeal while doing a little happy dance when that package arrives.  The value of a care package for a volunteer’s state of mind cannot be overstated.

I’ve received a few packages during my service, and some very generous deliveries of goods from US visitors.  I can’t fully express how appreciative I was to receive those spices, gloves, books, health and beauty products, shoes and pants.  Nor can I say thank you enough to my normally shy sister for talking to a post office employee about filling out a customs form to mail me underwear.   

While I still have a good chunk of time left here, I also just hit the "single digit number of months left" countdown.  Mexico is awesome but I’ve been struggling lately with a sense of longing for several things back home.  When I found out there was a new food establishment selling fried chicken in my town, I went right away for an 8-piece order.  I only ate fried chicken like once a year in the US, but here?  Ohhhhhhh baby.  I was in heaven to have something so familiar and so very not Mexican. 

 Kentucky-style chicken (honestly, that's the name) served with mashed potatoes, coleslaw, corn tortillas, an oil chili sauce and a bright orange salsa. 

This "restaurant" fries up that tasty pollo.

If you know someone serving in the Peace Corps, send them a little electronic or physical care package at least once during their service.  You will never have a more grateful recipient and your name will echo on the streets of whatever pueblo they’re living in.  Chances are, you know what would resonate with the volunteer in your life, but since this post is 99% self-serving, I’m going to tell you what I would want in my care package. 

iTunes gift cards – The great thing about iTunes is that you can purchase a series or a movie and then download it to your computer to watch offline.  This is extremely useful for those volunteers in sites without consistent internet or for people like me who have internet almost every day but in a limited physical space.  I recently had a really strong (and perhaps, weird) hankering to watch Fraiser.  I can’t explain to you why I need to watch this show, but I do.  I need it bad.  And I need iTunes gift cards to make that happen at $15 a season.

Crackers – It’s easy to find saltine crackers here and it’s easy to find crackers covered in sugar.  It’s hard to find anything else unless you know someone with a Costco membership who is willing to drive 3-5 hours to deliver your precious crackers.  I always need crackers like these, and these, and these, and these, and these.   And goldfish crackers.

Candy – I cannot explain to you why I need gummy worms, but I need them. Badly.  I also always need M&Ms and red Twizzlers.  And fortune cookies.  And Starburst chews.  And twinkies.  In other words, I really miss artificial junk food.  I will also take healthier treats and fancy lip balm (not to eat). 

Books and Magazines – Reading is a keystone activity for all volunteers.  For someone like me who is located a 13-hour bus ride from the Peace Corps office, it can be difficult to access books in the volunteer library more than 1-2 times a year.  I’m also sad to report that in Seattle you have to visit the library in person once a year to verify your address, so I lost my access to free online library books awhile ago.  I have a wish list of books, but I will read anything that I receive.  I literally just finished reading every page of a Costco product magazine, even the parts with articles about supplements for bone strength.

That's pretty much it: food and entertainment.  I don't frequently ask for things, but I gotta tell you - some Frasier and gummy worms would do me a world of good.  And earn you undying affection and a super awesome gift from Mexico for the next time I see you (or when I'm back in the US and can mail things in less than 2 months).  I can't promise you that the crackers will last to the end of my service, but I can promise that your name will be praised on the streets of my pueblo for all to hear. 

Pigs and Fancy Nails

This past week I had two good cultural experiences that involved fried pig parts and artificial nails.  If you've ever eaten pork rinds in the US then you're familiar with experience #1: the chicharrón. Made from fried pork rind (and sometimes other parts of the pig), they're usually a tasty, crunchy snack that's great with guacamole and super popular here in Mexico.  My coworker brought in two bags for our team breakfast this past week and some people wrapped them up in tortillas for a chicharrón taco.  Some of the pieces were airy, crispy "chips" like what you see in the US, while others were hard, dark and looked like a body part other than skin.

Later that week, another coworker took the leftovers home and completely transformed them into a new food.  She cooked chicharrón with water, tomatillos and chilis for 1.5 hours to create a soft, supple and flavorful stew to eat with corn tortillas.  Not your normal breakfast plate back home, but bursting with flavor.

As you can see, this bag of chicharrón looks a little different than your grocery store pork rinds.

Transformed for a delicious breakfast.

Experience #2 resulted from an insider connection with a student taking an 8-week class on how to apply and decorate artificial nails.  Two of my friends participated in the class, spending three hours every Monday-Friday honing their new skills, and my friend Rosy invited me to be her model one day.  I’d never had fake nails before but I decided this counted as a cultural experience so why not try it out.  

Site of my nail adventure. 

I entered a room next to our local Raicilla Museum with 12 other students and their models.  Rosy started by cleaning my non-existent natural nails and then sizing me for nail tips.  I don't know what type of material is used for nail tips back home, but these tips were hard, one-inch pieces of white plastic.  Each one was essentially superglued to a nail and then cut down to a length that looked more human.  Stage 2 consisted of painting the bottom half of my real nails with an anti-fungal liquid and then putting peach and white putty-like materials on each nail.  The final step consisted of painting an arc of white dots on each nail, followed by a lacquer and time in a UV drying booth.  The whole process took about 3 hours and at the end I had my first ever set of artificial nails.

Rosy, the creator of fancy nails.

This was considered really long and fancy for me.

It was fun to spend time in a room full of women who were chatting and laughing and to see all of the different designs, some of which included glitter and diamond-like adhesives.  I also watched the teacher make a large bowl of pasta and corn salad which was then served on top of tostadas with a side glass of coke.  Rosy told me that she had taken a previous class with most of the same women to learn how to do professional makeup.  Most of my female friends here don’t have long, decorated nails on a daily basis but they go to town when it’s time for a fiesta.  Parties here are no joke and the basic dress code is super high heels, fancy nails and top notch makeup, so Rosy explained that it was important to learn how to get yourself ready at home (especially if you have kids and limited funds). 

This is how women really do their nails for parties here (image from the internet).

I knew that it would feel different to have long nails but I was at a bit of a loss when I got home and needed to take out my contacts.  After a few attempts where I almost stabbed myself in the eye, I figured out how I could use the insides of two fingers to safely remove each contact.  There's a great sense of pride associated with figuring out how to remove your contacts when you feel like you have alien hands.  Everything is harder with my fancy new nails – typing, opening cans, putting backs on earrings, picking my phone up off a flat surface, getting my keys out of my bag, getting anything out of my bag…. On the bright side, I'm really good at scratching things right now.