Whew! Or as Minnesotans would say, "Ufta." (I'm learning more than Spanish here ;)) What a week! I can't believe I've been here that long, and at the same time it seems like so much longer. One week ago today I was on my flight to Houston, and that girl already seems a little foreign to me. I came here for adventure and to be melded and re-formed by this country and already I can feel it happening.
Enough of the sentiments...time to catch up on the events of the week. Thursday we went to VAMOS, the school where we'll be doing our service learning. I wish I would have written about it right away while it was fresh in my mind. It's one of those things that I don't feel my writing skills are up to describing.
Maybe first you should know a little bit about me before I try to explain. For example...it might be useful to know that if you ask my friends, "What makes Maggie do her crazy happy dance?" there is about a 94% probability that you will get one of two answers, "Anthropology" or "Mexico." The anthropology obsession dates back to about sophomore year of high school when my parents bought me A Very Short Introduction to Cultural Anthropology for Christmas. (Good book! Find it and read it!) Oddly I can't remember why I asked for that book to begin with...probably because as an adolescent I spent way too much time pondering the strange behaviors of my peers (I was kind of an awkward kid). But anyway, cultural anthropology and I have become very good friends over the past five years ;).
Mexico on the other hand is a more recent preoccupation. At the risk of sounding cliche and naive, I will say that I've always wanted to help people. That's why I became an anthropologist...because if we can understand the people who need help, we have a whole lot greater chance of getting them what they need, right? Junior year of high school, a friend dragged me into a history fair project with her about Che Guevara...and so began an ongoing love affair with all things Latin American. After about two years, when I graduated from high school and needed to find an extra summer job, I snagged one as a waitress (server? to be more p.c. I suppose) at a local family diner. Almost the entire back-of-house staff was Mexican....many of them undocumented immigrants who spoke limited English. I remember being a bit disappointed that everyone was Mexican and not from a more "exciting" country like Honduras or Nicaragua that I didn't know much about :O. I guess that's because when Americans think of Latin America, Mexico is foremost in their minds...I think we know more (or think we know more) about Mexico than any other Latin American country, I suppose because there are so many Mexicans in the U.S. Anywhos...I suppose the greatest influence was that I dated a Mexican immigrant for about a year and got to know his family and friends in the immigrant community. I think just seeing that and being a part of something so foreign to my own life experiences was what hooked me :). I've lived a pretty sheltered life in a very conservative area, and seeing the real lives and real concerns of a marginalized subculture just made everything so much more human to me I suppose...
UGH! I'm not done but we have to go meet Charlie for our Xochicalco tour.
To be continued...(Ser continuado...? I think I may just be making up Spanish words now...:P)
What a great beginning for your email journaling/blogging... After reading this I feel as though I know you so much better and now understand that wonderful smile you always have. Like me, just being here is almost enough! There is an expression in Mexico that once the dust settles on your shoulders you can never brush it off. I think you've caught the disease. :-) Looking forward to reading many more of your insightful comments!
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