mollie

My face is covered in mosquito bites. It is really a large love-hate relationship. They love me and well, I hate them… with a large passion that is. I have gotten mosquito bites on my legs even when I had pants on. I don’t know how they do it, but they always find that one spot on me where I don’t have repellent and they ATTACK it!
I got lost. Not once, not twice, but three times…. so far that is. I have ended up at a Costco that I had no idea even existed. I really don’t think I was in Morelia anymore. It was just a wee bit freaky.
Never the less, this trip has been a blast. School days are fun and the Mexican students are really funny. It has been really interesting to see the different kinds of humor and how they are different from in the US. Like the joke they told us. There was a duck named glue and he fell and got stuck. Since it was still in Spanish when they said it I somehow heard that I was a duck named Glue. After the full translation I still didn’t really understand it, but just for that reason it was all that more funny. I am really excited for the day trips and weekends and anything else yet to come.


ADIOS!

Assata

Hello, world… this is Assata speaking or better yet typing lol…clever…so im in Mexico for my first time and I am havin a mixed experience. One part of me wants to see the real Mexico and not stay with these middle class people that have gotten the best of what life has thrown at them. My video project is about immigration and today we went to the cuts (the ghetto) of Mexico to ask a mother whose son died trying to cross the border if we could interview her. I would like to see more of the real mexico where is so much poverty .I thought this trip was going to be a life changing experience where you really get to see how people live on a day to day basis without most of the privileges that we enjoy in the US. Its kinda awkward walking downs the streets of Mexico being stared at in a rude disrespectful way just because I am black. At first I guess I kinda let my temper get the best of me but then you start to realize that people have never seen a black person and there curios to the way we live. But on the other hand its still really rude to have people stare at you like your some sorta animal that’s doing amazing things like walking and talking. I would think that all the racism in Mexico toward tribal people they would try to make a change and not looking down on black people. I don’t know I feel like there is positive things about Mexico but threes definitely things about Mexico that definitely needs to be improved. My home stay experience has been not the best but you live and you learn and you meet so many people in your life so its whatever ……but I think that this is awkward because everyone is trying to read my blog at this moment I kinda feel that in order to really experince Mexico we need to really open our eyes and see how all these people are living on a day to day basis and one thing I think that we really need to do is be able to relate to the poor peoples struggles and not be selfish and say stuff like black people have it worse we all need to feel and connect wit each other on a deep world …only then can we actually change the world

Hortensia

June 29, 2006
HORTENSIA SULEEMAN

I AM SO MAD. TODAY I WAS WALKING WITH NORA, MATT, AND GALNADGEE and Galnadgee stepped on dog shit today and wiped it on my jeans. It wasn’t much but I still got so mad that I just ignored him. I think that he’s pretty upset and sad. But he deserved it. And I’m just being mean. Although I think that it’s partly my fault. I jinxed it. In that lady’s house where we had Clase de Cocina, I said, “happy birthday galnadgee in case I get mad at you.” I was kidding but I think I jinxed it. If I didn’t say that it probably wouldn’t have happened.

ANYWAYS. Yesterday, Me, David, Daniel, Thomas, and 2 other Mexican Students went to the movies and watched POSEIDON. The place was SO NICE and the tickets were like 22 Pesos, US$2.20 because Wednesday was 2 for 1 day. IT WAS SO CHEAP. It was a pretty good movie too. I took some Myspace pictures. Then I went home. That’s it. This morning, I ate scrambled eggs con chorizo. It was SO SALTY. Then Thomas and I were late for CCL because of some confusion we had. LOST IN TRANSLATION. Not really.

I’m so sad. But I JUST WANT TO GO BACK TO BERKELEY AND DO WHATEVER I WANT TO DO… this afternoon, when we went to the cooking class, Assata talked about the stuff she misses about Berkeley. To list a few: BAJA FRESH (2 huge burritos for $5.95), KING DONG restaurant (call-in from 3rd period and get lunch early, don’t have to wait in line. And also the vegetarian food.), COLDSTONE, and so on.

I forgave Galnadgee. It wasn’t a big deal. And we just got back from shooting videos en el centro and other places, and at the bus stop a MOSQUITO (I think it was a mosquito) flew into my eye. It was PAINFUL. It hurt so much. Anyways, I think I’m going to go home now. Although I don’t feel like it. I miss my iPod. I’m not going to have entertainment for 3 whole weeks. THE FIRST WEEK IS ALMOST OVER… and we still have 2 weeks to go. THIS WEEK HAS BEEN GOING BY SOOOO SLOWLY. Why???

Honestly, I miss school. Just because of water. And the freedom of being able to do anything I want and going to places I usually go to. I’m just not used to the pollution and dangerous water and drinking juice or soda everyday. I AM SICK of juice and soda. That’s why I’m always happy to come to the teachers’ house because I could drink water there and see my friends.

I really have to go home. I don’t want to. I’m going to be sooo bored. I’ll write 6 more pages in my journal.

LOVE,
H-O-R-T-E-N-S-I-A

Ben posts

Hey you all,

i was just telling Alexander that we are rolling. notwithstanding the expected bumps, we are getting making huge gains. the engaged student video production teams, the CAS students´confidence in their Spanish, as well as the chaperones´level of trust and friendship, are all moving in a positive direction.

in terms of the video production, today is the last day of pre-production. the subject matter that the students are taking on along with their creativity and hardwork, are all going to come together in some incredible pieces. i can´t wait. i am keeping in mind that it really is about the process, not the final product. the chaperones and i get the opportunity to work with each and every group everyday during production time. i am witness to many bits of brilliance as the MexEx collaboration takes full form. the brilliance is not only coming by way of students´ media critique and compentancy; it is also highlighted by the increased level of Spanish spoken by our students. by leaps and bounds our students are understanding the Mexican students and taking more and more risks in trying new vocab and grammar.

we hear that the CCL Spanish classes are improving also. students are getting to know their teachers, and teachers their students. the beginners especially are digging their small class sizes and personal attention. yesterday, several classes of students went to the market. in addition to seeing the vast array of produce, such as cactus and tomatillos, they were grossed out by the visible `carnage`that goes into butchering a pig. one of the students took video on her digital camera of a pig´s foot being sawed off in full view. today, from the market to their mouths, the students took cooking classes. they used Rachel Rey expertise to create some delectable Mexican dishes. several other students were inspired by visiting Salsa dancers to their class yesterday. last night, they took a class and intend to take more.

as for us, the chaperones, we are loving this experience. we spend a lot of time together, and it is all for the good. we couldn´t have picked a better group of teachers to run this year´s MexEx program. each of us are contributing our own expertise to the endeavor. speaking for myself, i am learning 24/7. not only is my Spanish coming back, but i am getting the opportunity to learn a little about video. i spent most of the morning into the afternoon, editing footage that Nobu shot and beginning the process of what will hopefully be a small video vinette of our time at the hacienda. i´ll get that to you as soon as I can.

alright then, take care. we are looking forward to seeing Argentina play Germany tomorrow in World Cup action.

benjamín

Hey Family and Friends it’s DELPHINE!!!!!

I’m having a good time time in Mexico. My host family are extremely nice and are always feeding me food. And to think that I would always tell my friends that I was gonna lose so much weight because I’m such a picky eater but I think I’m going to take that back. The people down here stare so much at first I was really annoyed but now I have come to get use to it. I also pretend to be Beyonce or whatever Black celebrity that comes to mind. They stare at me for multiple reason heres the list:
1) Because I’m so beautiful !!!!!!
2) Because I’m so TALL.
3) Because of my BEAUTIFUL EBONY BROWN SKIN!!!!
4) Because I am the only Black girl (besides Assata) in Morelia.
5) Did I mention that I was beautiful (just kidding)
6) And because they never saw anyone with such gorgeous and creative braids (thanks Yolanda, she’s my personal hair stylist if you were going to ask lol)
7) And most of all because I am AMERICAN.
But besides that it’s all good. I’m really excited for tonight because I’m taking a Salsa class BY CHOICE and I love to dance.
I really love the Mex Ex kids. They’re really loving and understanding did I mention patient. I wish I could bring them back with me. This is all I’m going to write for the moment because I have to return to my video group that’s about “Inmigracion”. I love yall and good bye.

DeAndre's reactions

It’s been bad because people are staring at me hella much and cross frequencies (communication difficulties) between the Mexican kids and us. Today it was fine and we went to the little market place, and a guy stared me down which offended me hella much, it really pissed me off. After the market we went back to CCL, but I don’t understand anything they’re saying except for little words like house, etc. Galnadgee asked the teacher if everybody already went home to lunch, but I thought it meant we could go, so I stood up and my table said that was rude because the teacher was talking to me, but I didn’t know what he was saying. I only hear certain words. You don’t try to focus, but everybody focus differently. Even when I look them straight in the eye, I can’t understand. So I space off and I pay attention in my own way. And then I get mad at the group for telling me how to pay attention. I was angry and tired, and I’m mad at a lot of the CAS kids in the group because of stuff that has been happening like how they say things and how they don’t understand me. Hostile situations on the down low with some of the CAS kids. So I’m just not going to say anything because something bad is going to come out of it. But everything is fine with my family.

Galnadgee Joe-Johnson

At first when we arriived to the camp, I was sort of nervous and afraid to speak to the Mexican students. Most of the American students weren't very talkative with the Mexican students. At the dinner table, we introduced ourselves and tried to speak the language, but it was still very difficult. I think the main problem was that the students were afraid to say something wrong or stupid to the Mexican students, but they helped us by making us feel comfortable around them. By the end of the retreat, everybody was very close and friendly. When we had to leave, most people were upset because they didn't want to leave without the Mexican students. When we left, it sort of felt like it was the end of the trip, because we have already accomplished so much, but it is just getting started.

-Galnadgee Joe-Johnson

Hortensia's 4th Day in Morelia

At first, when I arrived in Mexico, I completely panicked. THERE ARE MOSQUITOES!!!!
On the first day, we stayed in Hacienda, and it was this retreat place. There were lots of mosquitoes and BATS. TINY BATS. Ms. Bugarini told us that there are NO BATS, but then we saw the bats, and at dinnertime we sat with this Mexican student who said that there are no bats. But when we went into our rooms to sleep, Mollie (who slept in Ms. B's room because she was allergic to the spiral mosquito incense) came out of the room, telling us that there is a bat flying around their room. Then there was a huge dragonfly in their room. Assata killed it by throwing her slippers at it, and then the Mexican girls took the dragonfly and put it on Delphine's bed. I couldn't sleep until like 2 am California time, and wrote in my journal. I couldn't sleep because I was so afraid of mosquitoes, bats, and dead bugs. I SAW RAMBUTANS ON THE WAY TO MORELIA CITY!!!

Today, on Monday, we went to the Centro Cultural de Lenguas and took a test, had an orientation, and a tour around the city. We went to a cathedral and a lot of museums. There was this place, the morgue, (I didn't realize that until we walked into this room with a tomb in it) and it was so scary. It turns out that the walls where almost everyone leaned on, were places where they used to take intestines out of people before burying them. I was so afraid of the place, and it was so scary.

I didn't like my house at first, and my host family, but they're really nice and I feel more comfortable around the house. I STILL MISS BERKELEY!!!!!!!! I live so close to Assata and Thomas, so we're going to take the bus together everyday. The COMBIS cost like $4 (pesos), and they remind me of the "mikrolets" in Indonesia.

MORELIA is VERY much like Indonesia. The pollution, the cars, trash, little stores on the sidewalk, etc. But it is a very beautiful city and most of the people are very polite. I'm beginning to like the place. We just got back from the campaign, the PDR campaign. There were tons of people, squished and all, but at least I got to see a real campaign. Instead of watching it on TV.

I MISS BERKELEY.
I MISS BERKELEY.


I have to go, before everyone takes my seat on the couch. I also need some major help with communicating with my host family. All I say at the house is "Si" "No" and "Que?" because I'm not very good at carrying a decent conversation in Spanish. But I'm lucky because my host mother is able to translate to English if I don't understand what she says.

*HORTENSIA*

*Buat Dadda: udah dapat kameranya?

Klose's first journals

23 de junio
Tears at SFO. Janelle almost got arrested. Met Jerome Bettis eating McDonald’s in the Houston airport. Saw beautiful clouds like icebergs and two rainbows as we descended into the brown and green valley of Morelia. Met the Mexican students and took bus to Hacienda Tzintimeo. Guys rode in the back of the pickup. Ate pozole y tamales. Played soccer in the rain at midnight on the basketball court. Tried to sleep, but was too hot, too many mosquitoes. Learned new word: raidolitos – coils of poisonous incense. These did not help. Nobu left the bed to sleep on the tiles of the bathroom floor. Deandre and I couldn’t sleep, went outside for a walk, entered another cabaña and saw a small black and red scorpion (alacrán) on the wall. Girls had a bat in their bedroom. Nobody slept well except for Galnadgee.

24 de junio – por la mañana
Ate chilaquiles for breakfast. World’s best lemonade – agua con sabor. Began community building games - !Que viva, que viva, que viva los libélulas!. Played soccer in pairs. Deandre was raw. So was Marshall. Swam in pool. Watched World Cup with a big family who had arrived to celebrate the grandmother’s 94th birthday. Celebrated when they scored, sang songs at halftime, but in the end…jugaron como nunca, pero perdieron como siempre. Ate a big lunch. Students began to integrate more. Ours are less timid and starting to open up, to use more Spanish. Built crepe-paper balloon in teams in the big boys’ room while the intermittent rain made music on the corrugated metal roof.

24 de junio – por la tarde
Played paintball and soccer amid sporadic thunderstorms, and were accosted by a half drunk Mexican man who was enraged because our students were playing paintball, because he was sure they would soon be going to war as soldiers, because that’s what Americans do. He then proceeded to yell that he hated America, our government, and our people, and that’s when I had to step up and defend our crew. So we exchanged some rather heated words, but after he left, Alfredo found him and explained how rude he had been, and he apologized to me. But this was in fact an excellent lesson for our students in how we are perceived in the rest of the world. This also provided a perfect segue into our lluvia de ideas, or brainstorming session with the Mexican students about the themes and purpose of our videos. We sat in a circle in the alberca by the pool in the late twilight, illuminated only by dim lights, and had a meaningful discussion about why we want to make the videos we want to make. Janelle and I translated alternately to our students and the Mexicans, facilitating the understanding between the two groups. What followed was an agreement that we are no longer “Berkeley,” not “Morelia,” but MEXEX – a unique group of passionate, socially, culturally, politically conscious young people committed to working for positive change and justicia para todos!!!
Then, we played two fun games – walking and clapping and suddenly having to get in groups, then singing numbers and beating rhythms on out knees. Finally, we went outside and magnificently sent our crepe-paper balloons into the night sky. Two crashed and burned, but one went off into the stratosphere. Deandre, Galnadgee and I stayed up until 4am talking with Maurizio and Juan - one of those all-night, life-changing conversations.
25 de junio
Woke up late at 10am hella cracked out. Took a quick swim to stretch out and feel better. Some people rode horses and motor bikes while we packed up. The bus came an hour late, but we arrived at the planetario in Morelia safely, which is all that counts. All of the sudden, the students were gone! As each one got off the bus, I called out their name and the name of their host families, who greeted them and took them away! We teachers were driven to our house (which Janelle’s uncle found for us just two weeks ago) by Alejandro Cerna, CCL director, and his family, and are now very happily ensconced in our luxurious, clean quarters. The biggest surprise is that we have free wireless, which means great things for our blog and video projects!

26 de junio
Teachers enjoyed their first night of freedom last night by going out to dinner at Sanborn’s and haciendo sobremesa. This morning we met our excited students at CCL, where they took the placement test, and are now off on a walking tour of the city. All seemed very happy with their families. We’re very proud that they survived their first 18 hours alone as mexicanos without calling us for help! The first video meeting takes place this afternoon. We’re still focusing themes and figuring out groups, and will use most of this week to storyboard, with most of the shooting to begin next week. Hopefully the blog will be up tonight with some pictures. Hasta pronto…