Show and Tell
The more I hear about and see things from the state of Oaxaca, the more excited I get about our trip. In less than 2 weeks I will exist in another world. A country so close to our own, yet so different. The photos in the slide show and the art that Karen and I took to class Thursday gave us a glimpse of the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures. The architecture, as we saw in the photos taken by Karen in 2001, is simply beautiful. We repeatedly saw patterns on the ruins and arches (some decorated with paintings). Another element that stood out from the photos and art we observed was COLOR. The Oaxacan culture incorporates many bold colors in their wood and tin crafts, rugs, and even clothing. If we liked what we saw in class today, I can only imagine the response when we arrive on Monday, June 12. Karen Marcotte, our Humanities professor, suggested that we take an empty duffle bag to bring it back home full of Oaxacan art. I know I am!
Karen also highlighted a few things about our first field trip. Hmmm? Show and tell…field trip…am I in elementary school or college? Not that I’m complaining but it just seems kind of cute. I am really looking forward to volunteering at the local food bank. I’ve donated personally and helped with collecting donations at HEB stores but have never taken the time to go to the actual food bank. Karen handed out really interesting articles about hunger and poverty in our own back yard. Honestly, I never gave poverty here in San Antonio much thought. I know it exists in America, the richest nation, but the numbers never really sunk in. Click on this link to view mind-boggling facts about hunger in Texas.
Link
I know for a fact that this service-learning program is going to open up my eyes and heart even more so. It’s one thing to go and visit family in Mexico, enjoy its beaches and purchase beautiful art at a decent cost and another to take the time to observe and maybe even experience how the natives work to make a modest living. I expect to learn a lot more of my Mexican heritage and best of all, to be able to share it with you. Perhaps I will inspire one or all of you to do something of this nature.
Hasta mañana!
Random Note: My name in Hawaiian is Elikapeka. Click on the link below to find out yours.
Link
posted by Liz at 1:00 AM
1 Comments:
am so excited for you Liz.
I know how exhilerating it is to prepare for trips like this. It's going to be such an adventure and you'll be experiencing things that most tourists don't get to, and I know that you'll make the most of it.
I wanted to share this with you:
"This is the magic of travel. Any travel. You leave your home secure in your own knowledge and identity. But as you travel, the world in all its richness intervenes. You meet people you could not invent; you see scenes you could not imagine. Your own world, which was so large as to consume your whole life, becomes smaller and smaller until it is only one tiny dot in time and space.
You return a different person.
All you need to do is give yourself over to the unknown....What matters is that you have left the comfort of the familiar and opened yourself to a world that is totally apart from your own.
Slowly the memories of the familiar recede from your mind and you find yourself adrift in the experience of the world around you. Your thoughts and concerns change. Your emotions focus on new people and events. The world makes its claim on your heart and mind, and you are free, at least momentarily, from the concerns of your everyday life."
--Kent Nerburn, Letters to my Son, 1999.
I know you'll have an amazing trip. When you get back, you'll be ready to wander again, like I've been feeling lately. Stay safe, take plenty of photographs, don't overpack, drink plenty of bottled water, eat delicious food from the street, smile, wander, have fun, and don't waste a single moment.
---steph
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 11:59:00 PM
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