So, today was sooo absolutely thrilling (haha). We did a lot of orientation stuff, which consisted of sitting in a small room that was quite warm, and I began to get a headache. We started at 9:30am (we were supposed to start at 9:00, yay we're in Mexico!) then listened to a lot of talking by our instructors. Then we had lunch at 1:30pm, then back for more listening stuff at 3:30. But at the end it was really interesting, because we began talking about actual Oaxacan culture, and some of the facts of the country. Such as the fact that there are 16 different indigenous languages, and 14 dialects. Also, 70% of the people live in poverty, and 40% are unemployed or underemployed. Those statistics are staggering! Also, 85% of the land is owned communally, much of which is by indigenous communities, and are run by their own governments. Except, while the federal government respects them on paper, they totally disregard them in person. Really rather lame of them, I think.
Our instructor, Jonathon, is really cool, and the other instructors seem awesome also. I ate cactus tacos, with oaxacan cheese for dinner. The girls in my group are all here now, and a lot of fun! Oh, and there's 17 girls, and 1 guy. Jeez, I feel kinda sorry for him. Well, we all do. Tomorrow we have our evaluation to figure out what spanish level class we'll be in. Whoohoo!
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70% are poor and 40% unemployed? What is it like walking around there? Don't you worry about being the rich foreigner?
We are in the capital of Oaxaca, which is a little more touristy, and a big city, so we haven't seen the poverty as much, although it is definitely there with the women with babies, begging. Or the 10yr old playing accordion on the street asking for change. But the statistics are for all of Oaxaca, and I think especially rural areas. However, yes, I often feel like a rich foreigner and I feel rather self-concious. I try to be humble and not flashy, and hope actions, etc, override money. Basically, I dunno.
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