Hello all,
Sorry about the lack of updates but we have been very busy over the last two days. I am going to make this relatively brief, however, since I am exhausted and should probably get some sleep. Yesterday (Thursday Jan 27) we split off into groups of three to go on a quest around the city of San Cristobal. It was really nice getting out of the larger group and into smaller ones since the groups of three allowed us to experience things that are not possible in a large group. For the quest, we were given a sheet with vague instructions and questions as well as a map. Essentially, we went to almost every major part of San Cristobal and learned a lot because of the question sheet which made us pay more attention to what was going on around us. It kind of felt like the amazing race and my group was the first to finish.
Today (Fri Jan 28) we went to the indigenous village of San Juan Chamula which is not too far from San Cristobal. This village has a rich and vibrant culture and very few people speak Spanish (the main language is Tzoltzil). We started by going into the church which is the cultural focal point so to speak and requires written permission and the paying of a fee to enter. Over the last 20 or so years, tourism has found this village and it is extremely sad to see how the culture is being lost and the people are starting to depend more on toursim.Even in the church, there were a lot of tourists being disrespectful and gawking at the people as they prayed. I reached the sad conclusion that in a generation or two the place will be radically different and what if left of the culture will be for the tourists to see as opposed to the people actually practising it. I highly recommend reading more on San Juan Chamula.
Tomorrow we will be moving into our family homes so I am not sure when my next update will be, but I will try to make it as soon as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Adios.
Scott
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
San Cristobal de las Casas
Hello all,
We arrived today in San Cristobal after a relatively short bus ride from Tuxla Gutierrez. Today was an orientatation day where we moved into the hotel and walked around the city. We also went to the Treehouse Language School which is where we will be spending most of our group time together because from here on in we will split off into smaller groups and leave the large one behind. The funeral for archbishop Samuel Ruiz was today at the cathedral and we caught the tail end of the event (the picture on this blog is of the cathedral by the way). If you do not know who Samuel Ruiz is, he is most famous for being one of the main negotiators between the Zapatistas and the federal government and he is very much loved down here. If you do not know who the Zapatistas are, look it up. I am lucky to learn that over the next 3 days I will have free internet access because the hotel we are staying at has wifi. After the three days we are at the hotel, we will all move into our family homes. I will probably not write new posts every day but I will keep you up to date as much as possible. Adios.
Scott
We arrived today in San Cristobal after a relatively short bus ride from Tuxla Gutierrez. Today was an orientatation day where we moved into the hotel and walked around the city. We also went to the Treehouse Language School which is where we will be spending most of our group time together because from here on in we will split off into smaller groups and leave the large one behind. The funeral for archbishop Samuel Ruiz was today at the cathedral and we caught the tail end of the event (the picture on this blog is of the cathedral by the way). If you do not know who Samuel Ruiz is, he is most famous for being one of the main negotiators between the Zapatistas and the federal government and he is very much loved down here. If you do not know who the Zapatistas are, look it up. I am lucky to learn that over the next 3 days I will have free internet access because the hotel we are staying at has wifi. After the three days we are at the hotel, we will all move into our family homes. I will probably not write new posts every day but I will keep you up to date as much as possible. Adios.
Scott
Greetings From Tuxla Gutierez
Hello all,
We arrived in Tuxla late last night after a long day of travel. Today we will head out to San Cristobal de las Casas where we will spend the majority of our trip. The flight into Mexico City from Chicago was uneventful until the end where we had a lot of turbulence but amazing views of the massive urban sprawl, two volcanoes and smog. We had a long layover in Mexico City then we boarded our final plane for a while and came to the Chiapas state capital Tuxla Gutierez. I am not sure what kind of internet access I will be having from here on in but I will try to keep all of you posted as much as I can.
Scott
We arrived in Tuxla late last night after a long day of travel. Today we will head out to San Cristobal de las Casas where we will spend the majority of our trip. The flight into Mexico City from Chicago was uneventful until the end where we had a lot of turbulence but amazing views of the massive urban sprawl, two volcanoes and smog. We had a long layover in Mexico City then we boarded our final plane for a while and came to the Chiapas state capital Tuxla Gutierez. I am not sure what kind of internet access I will be having from here on in but I will try to keep all of you posted as much as I can.
Scott
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Our journey begins.
Hello all,
I have just found out that Pearson now has free wifi! Right now we are all sitting at the check in area waiting to go through US customs and security for our first flight to Chicago. More to come later.
I have just found out that Pearson now has free wifi! Right now we are all sitting at the check in area waiting to go through US customs and security for our first flight to Chicago. More to come later.
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