MexEx 2006

Hola de Manuel Ochoa Pena

2006-10-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

HOLA MIS AMIGOS DE BERKELEY, PUES ESTE ES UN SALUDO DE UNO DE LOS JOVENES QUE SUTEDES CONOCIERON EN LA CIUDAD DE MORELIA, EL MOTIVO POR EL CUAL LES MANDO ESTE SALUDO ES POR QUE EXACTAMENTE HOY RECIBI EL VIDEO DE LOS TRABAJOS QUE REALIZAMOS Y LA VERDAD DESPUES DE VERLOS ME SIENTO MUY EMOCIONADO Y CON UN GRATO RECUERDO DE TODOS USTEDES. POR CIERTO LAS GRACIAS Y TODO MI RESPETO PARA LAS PERSONAS MAS IMPORTANTES DE ESTE PROYECTO 2006, CREO QUE TODOS SABEMOS A QUIEN ME REFIERO, A : MR. KLOSE, A LA GUAPA TEACHER BUGARINI, A BEN Y SOBRE TODO AL SIMPATICO AUNQUE MUY SERIO EL SEÑOR SAKAMOTO.

NO LES HABIA ESCRITO ANTES PERO AUN HOY QUEDAN EN MI LOS RECUERDOS DE ESOS MUY BONITOS DIAS Y ESPERO QUE A USTEDES TAMBIEN, ME FALTARIA MUCHO TIEMPO PARA EXPLICARLES TODO LO QUE HA INFLUIDO EN MI EL HABER PARTICIPADO EN ESTE PROYECTO QUE SI AUN NO LLEGÓ A LLENAR MIS ESPECTATIVAS POR FALTA DE TIEMPO CREO QUE SI LOGRO LLEGAR A LA META QUE TODOS CREIAMOS, EL LOGRAR LA UNION ENTRE LOS ESTUDIANTES AMERICANOS Y LA CULTURA MEXICANA Y SU DIVERSIDAD, AUNQUE SE QUE PARA CONOCERNOS COMO CULTURA LES HARIA FALTA UNA ETERNIDAD, PUES AUNQUE REGULARMENTE LOS AMERICANOS ASI COMO USTEDES TENIAN O TIENEN AUN, NO SOLO SOMOS MIGRANTES QUE BUSCAMOS UN PORVERNIR; SOMO MAS QUE ESO, SOMOS UNA CULTURA Y SOCIEDAD CAMBIANTE PERO CON RAICES MUY INTERESANTES. TAMBIEN AUNQ NUESTRA SOCIEDAD Y EDUCACION ES MALA EN CIERTO PUNTO(TECNOLOGICAMENTE) TAMBIEN CREO QUE SE PUDIERON DAR CUENTA POR LO MENOS DE MI PARTE QUE ESTAMOS INTERESADO EN APRENDER Y CONOCER EL MUNDO QUE NOS RODEA, NUESTRA HISTORIA COMO PUEBLO, PAIS Y COMO DE NUESTRO MUNDO, PUES AUNQUE ES UNA FRASE MUY TRILLADA, TODOS SOMOS PARTE DE ESTE MUNDO AUNQUE NOSOTROS HAYAMOS INVENTADO UNA LINEA LLAMADA: FRONTERA.

COMO ME GUSTARIA TENER TAL VEZ LAS OPORTUNIDADES QUE MUCHOS DE USTEDES TIENEN AL TENER ACCESO A CIERTAS COSAS COMO UNA UNIVERSIDAD Y UNA CIUDAD TAN HONORABLE COMO BERKELEY. PERO AUNQUE SE QUE AUN EN MI PAIS ES ALGO MUY DIFICIL POR NUESTROS PROBLEMAS MAS QUE ECONOMICOS, INTELECTUALES, POLITICOS, Y SOCIALES; SE QUE CON AYUDA O SIN LA AYUDA DE NADIE PODRE SALIR AVANTE.

LES DESEO CON MUCHO CARIÑO DE MI PARTE A TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES QUE CONVIVIERON CON NOSOTROS UN FUERTE ABRAZO Y TODA LA SUERTE DEL MUNDO; Y LES DIGO QUE NO OLVIDEN QUE AQUI EN ESTA PEQUEÑA CIUDAD ENCONTRARAN UN AMIGO.

JESUS MANUEL OCHOA PEÑA

P.D. DON´T FORGET THAT ALL OF US ARE AMERICANS, BECAUSE WE LIVES IN ONE CONTINENT NAMED AMERICA. WE LIVE IN THE SAME PLANET.

KARLOZ VALENCIA

2006-07-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hola que tal, pues mi experiencia en MEX-EX a sido muy padre, aunque con muchos de los chavos no tengo mucha comunicacion, con otros me llevo muy bien, creo ue he aprendido muchisimas cosas, a veces creo que mas de lo que los chavos de estados unidos han aprendidio de nuestra Cultura, a veces es lo que me desanima un poco de ellos creo que no venian con toda la disponibilidad de aprender de nosotros, algo tambien muy padre ha sido trabajar en mi video ya que he hecho mucho trabajo de investigacion , como ir al H Ayuntamiento a conseguir casos de inmigracion e ir a visitar personas con esos casos, gracias a eso he convivido muy bien con mi equipo: Assata, Delphin y Nora, las tres son muy divertidas, ahora solo espero que nuestro video sea muy bueno ya que le hemos puesto muchisimas ganas los cuatro, y espero que al final se lleven un buen aprendizaje de nosotros.

The Real Whirled Cup: MexEx Team likely Winners!

2006-07-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Morelia, Michoacan
July 10, 2006
Sr. Nobu Sakamoto

Despite some of the top players on the MexEx team having been issued yellow cards in previous matches, wages have been placed on this outstanding lineup to triumph and rise as winners of the international Whirled Cup.

The US team arrived safely at the hacienda retreat to relax and meet with their Mexican counter parts. Team leader, Señor Klose, whose name closely resembles Germany’s star Futbol striker, in the past would have been mistaken for DaVinci’s rendition of Christ, his current reincarnation reposes that of a modern day conquistador flanked not with sword but with flamenco guitar, has chosen an extraordinary cast of players to go for the gold.

MexExers had to contend with penalties and injuries that jeaporadized their whole team from advancing to the finals. Late tardies to practice, bad attitudes towards teammates, and general malaise threatened to pull the team apart. After a few of the top MexEx players were issued yellow cards, it seemed there was no hope for them to move forward.

After much official deliberations, the final word came down from the top presidente of the federation, Don Ayers, that the team would go on.

In the first few rounds, it seemed the team had failed to step up and play better than average ball. However, as the days progressed, it became clear even to estranged onlookers of this somewhat ostentatious team, they may still have what it takes to win the cup.

The final match of the international Whirled Cup will not be televised nor will the revolution in Mexico, but stay tuned for the rebroadcast that will certainly be hotly contested and may even entertain a few headbutts.

Galnadgee

2006-07-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hey wassup, The trip has been going fine for me. My family here is hell of dope, the house is pretty big, I have my own bathroom and I am learning a few Spanish words everyday. Every morning I wake up at about eight, make my bed, clean my room a lil and head out to school. The CCL school is pretty dope. The two teachers are ill and we are learning A LOT everyday. Everything about the school is tight, the teachers, the people, the girls, the classrooms, the girls….. yeeeeeaaah basically I fell in love with this trip. I wasn’t really feeling it at first, but now I seriously don’t wanna go back, haha… the videos that we are making are looking good. I cant wait to finally finish it, it is a lot of work, and sooo hard to do, but hopefully it all comes out good. The Mexican students that we are working with are hell of cool. They teach me how to say certain things in Spanish, and I teach them some English, and the people that I am working with are hell of cool. We have like one more week down here which is whack because I have a feeling I will miss the Mexican students hella much. I try my hardest to speak to them, sometimes successful, sometimes not, but this trip is deffinately tha illest thing I did all year and I would totally be down to do something like this again. Word up, on that note, peaceit….

Assata

2006-07-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hello … this is Assata again …ummm I don’t really know what to say but I wore my hair in and afro and it was amazingly beautiful and all the Mexicans stared …what a wonderful day … I basically did that because I did watch Malcolm x the night before that’s hella crazy they show Malcolm x more in Mexico than they do in America …. Well yes Mexico is pretty fun except for my host mom she lightweight scares me … I guess the Spanish is going pretty well I could be learning a lot more than I am and I should make more of an effort but im not but I will …. One insight that I had about life is that you can truly do what u want but u have to make the descion that you are going to achieve what you want to do but you will never truly accomplish anything by simply trying and this probli sounds hella random but it does relate to Mexico ….in the sense of not trying my hardest to become better at Spanish but making the decision that im going 2 become a lot better at Spanish…and now I just have to start takin my own advice… but anyways…..i want 2 tell everyone about that sexy Chicago Mexican guy that I will marry but I didn’t find out his name but that’s ok …. So I guess im lightweight looking forward to going home and jus having down time wit friends and playing some volleyball …(getting in shape)
Earlier this week I was having a conversation with one of my fellow CASmates who is in the beginners level Spanish with me and all of us are of African American descent and I was talking about how I think that its a lot harder for black ppl 2 learn Spanish or anyone who is not white because of the fact that we speak a different type of English and not necessarily that the English is ebonics but in some way of another most black people don’t speak perfect English . And he really disagreed with me on that he said its because maybe we don’t work as hard as them but I really don’t think that’s it. Back in my Spanish class the majority of the ppl that were decent /really good were white and I think its because they already speak English well and in school they teach the proper Spanish which I think nobody uses but that’s not the point . I don’t think that it wasn’t that I didn’t work as hard as the other student who have taken the same amount of Spanish of me but its because you cant relate 2 that Spanish and you cant translate your own vernacular into that “proper Spanish” . I was kinda thinking about the future of CAS and how they are trying to combine all levels of Spanish together but Im kinda started to believe in segregations and the fact that if you are on the same level of someone and you speak the same vernacular you should learn with these types of students because you cant learn in a place where you feel inferior you learn with people that are like you and speak your language and understand what you go through on a daily basis … and Im not so sure that its good that we even integrate the students at a Spanish level maybe we shouldn’t have integration within education at all but now im just getting ahead of myself and maybe this could be an amazing thing we are really putting are heads together and trying something to make this work and get rid of the racism within Berkeley high school and we will never know if we don’t try!

How Sopa Tarasca, Pudin De Mango, and Agua De Jamaica Made My Day

2006-07-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Property of HORTENSIA MARGARITA ESPERANZA SULEEMAN

Today, in cooking class, we made Sopa Tarasca (The red bean broth soup that I was talking about before that I love so much that I have been craving). IT IS THE BEST. I have to make it when I come back to Berkeley. The cheese is Oaxaca cheese… It was just the best thing I have ever eaten in Mexico (well aside from CEVICHE, of course). Then the Pudin de Mango, it was so good. It was so good that Ms. B was savoring it and Ben almost licked the bowl (just kidding, but I know that he wanted to). I just want some more Sopa Tarasca. Oh yeah, the Agua De Jamaica was so good. I have to make that too when I come back home.

Last night, I came home at 8 because the Combi was sooo slow. I didn’t know that the movie (The Break-Up) was supposed to start at 8:15, and I thought that we were going to the Cinepolis that I went to last week. When we got to Plaza Morelia, the place was so crowded. It was huge, and there were long lines everywhere. It turns out that the tickets were all sold out, and that there are no other movies except for The RV (Robin Williams), Just My Luck (Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine, Dubbed in Spanish), The Omen 666 (I didn’t want to see that one), Cars (Dubbed), and a lot more that I didn’t want to see. I wanted to see Just My Luck, but it is dubbed in Spanish. What a disappointment. So all we did was walk around the mall, and it was pretty boring because there aren’t a lot of stores that I know in that mall. Then we went back home. But on the way home, we stopped at this little restaurant, and bought “Taco Al Pastor”, and it was fun watching the guy cut the meat from the spinning thingy with pineapples. We went home, and there was a spider in the car. Ew. Then we ate, and then my host dad brought his Berkeley shirt and his book about Berkeley that a student from Berkeley gave to him last year. I felt so happy seeing pictures of Berkeley in the book, and BHS was in there. The community theater, and the H Building. I explained to my host parents the pictures, and events in Berkeley that are shown in the book. I was so happy to see that book because I was reminded of how Berkeley is such a beautiful place and how I miss it so much. I have learned to respect Berkeley more and to have more love for it. It’s weird, I know.

Last night, I dreamed that my grandma, who had just celebrated her 80th birthday this year, was going to have her 85th birthday party. But the weird thing is that, I dreamed that I somehow had the ability to be present in Berkeley, talking to my parents and sister and aunt and uncle and cousin and grandma. It was so weird, because I knew that I couldn’t come, because I’m in Mexico. I realized that I’m still in Mexico when I woke up, but I was still half sleeping and dreaming. But my dream continued, and it was weird because I dreamed that I explained to my aunt that I am not able to go because I’m in Mexico. But she said that I am able to go. Then I dreamed that I was getting ready to go, but suddenly I couldn’t because when I was in the taxi by myself on my way to the party, I was in Mexico again, eating Nieve in the taxi. It was the strangest dream ever, and I can’t explain or describe it because it is a dream and I can’t remember the whole thing. I’m sorry if no one understands it because it’s so hard to explain it. SO WEIRD. Anyways oh yeah I dreamed that the iPod that I got was purple, and it was in the shape of an iPod mini, but the size of an iPod nano. It was weird, because it seemed that in my dream that I already knew that my iPod was like that. That happens to me a lot, when I dream of something strange, and I seem to know in my mind that it is true, like that time when I dreamed that I was in a store, and I saw my friend who is 15 in reality, but in my dream she was 18 and I knew that it was true. It was so weird how I didn’t have any doubt about how real the facts are in my dream, and that I didn’t have the ability to have connections between reality and my dreams. DREAMS ARE SO WEIRD.

Okay I’m going to stop now. Assata keeps on asking me how many words I have in my blog entry for today, and I keep telling her that it doesn’t matter, just write about anything. But Assata, I have 878 words in today’s blog entry.

Ben posts

2006-07-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

It´s 8:39 am on Thursday morning. I thought I was going to be the first one up, since I was the first one to bed last night. Think again, I just found a note from Nobu written at 8:00 am saying that he went for a walk around town. He probably went to this local bakery that we recently discovered. It is a couple blocks away, and they make incredible breads, croissants, and pastries. Two days ago, we went there for lunch AND dinner.

We are on the doorstep of `final week craziness.´ In many ways this second week has gone slow. We seemed to have a lot of time to do different things, but it is an allusion. Highlighted by the video production schedule, we realize that in reality our time is short. Many of the students have started post-production and will soon be pouring many hours into their pieces over the last week. Our home, where all the computer and camera equipment are housed, will be crawling with caffeine-fueled teenagers. For those of us without much video editing experience, myself included, we will support Nobu and the students in anyway we can. That video process in particular has been a great learning experience.

Yesterday was a full day. Janelle and I escorted the intermediate Spanish class to the market to buy ingredients for guacamole. When we returned to CCL, we got down to business—mashing avocadoes, dicing onions and tomatoes, and debating how much chile peppers to put in the mix. When the preparation ended, we threw down. The students did a great job making, and the teachers did a good job eating it. The other notable event of yesterday was watching the France / Portugal World Cup match. Once France scored on the Zidane penalty kick, they hunkered down and thwarted any offensive effort Portugal could muster. Some of us were disappointed with the outcome; some of us were elated. An Italy and France contest in the World Cup Finals has the potential for an incredible 90 minutes of soccer. We will see.

The church bells down the street are striking 9:00, so I should get on with my morning ritual, which today includes washing dirty dishes I left in the sink last night, oops.

See you very soon.

Take care,
Ben

Nora

2006-07-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Basically, I am in love with this trip. Already, my Spanish is much better. My first day, I learned the words for glue, bats, and dragonflies, all words I plan on using on a daily basis. Today, my video group went to a little town called Capula to interview people about immigration. We got some good interviews, and I think our movie is going to be really powerful. Yesterday, we interviewed a woman whose son died trying to cross the border. It was incredibly sad, and I was amazed how kind she was to us, people from the country which created the laws that make immigration so difficult. She has no one to support her now that her son is gone, and her husband is sick. I am learning more every day about the importance of this topic.
I love my family. We watch a lot of soccer, and my sister plays the violin really well. It rains all the time here, and hails which is the most exciting thing in my life, since I´m used to Berkeley weather. Much love to everyone back in Berkeley,

Nora

Matt

2006-07-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hey, its Matt coming to you from Mexico. It’s my first time out of the US and I´m really glad I decided to go on this trip. Morelia is an interesting city, and I’m learning my way around. I haven’t really learned how to take combis yet, but that’s because I can just walk to school and my teachers house because I live so close. My family is very nice, I’ve got two brothers, ones 18 and the other is 26. The younger one plays guitar and likes a lot of the same music I do, but I still can’t speak Spanish that well so I cant have a lot of conversations. My Spanish has definitely improved since I got here, at first I couldn’t understand very much, and know I still don’t understand a lot but I’ve gotten better. I have to work on my video now, so there will be more to come later.

Hortensia

2006-07-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

HORTENSIA SULEEMAN
JULY 4, 2006

This is so random. When I was in the Combi on the way to the teachers’ house today, the word “ETHNOCENTRISM” popped in my head. I bet that if Biko were to read this, he’d be SO happy. AND David just reminded me what it means. It means, when you go to another place, you try to make the people in that place apply the same culture as yours to theirs. AND “ASSIMILATION” just popped in my head JUST now. Which means when you go to another place and you try to be one of them, try to fit in to the culture of that place.
“This is hortensia talking and I just wanted to say that David is the coolest person ever. I wish I was David but im not so oh well. But I want to grow up to be him.” ←DAVID WROTE THAT isn’t he such a funny person? I seriously want to be like him when I grow up.
Also, why would I say that this is Hortensia talking when it is MY blog entry? It’s like I have the thought that people might forget who was writing this blog entry. ☹
ANYWAYS, enough of that. Today I ate so much food… I don’t even remember. What was good was yesterday, the red bean broth soup with fried tortillas. And I had to guess what time it was this morning. GOSH I really need a clock or watch. I am definitely going to the movies tomorrow. YES it is cheap day, 2 for 1 day tomorrow. AND I miss my iPod. 10 days until we finally leave our host families and then we get to stay at the teachers’ house (I think) and then be with our friends.
I am out of ideas, and I really don’t remember what I was going to say. I have waited so long for this Norwegian laptop to come to me so I could continue my blog.
I cannot believe that my host mom didn’t know that there are Mexican restaurants in the US. Also, that there are tortillas in the US.
I think that tomorrow, I’m going to watch The Break-Up or Just My Luck. I don’t know. I really want to watch Click though. Poseidon was pretty good. Except for the ending.
OH! I BOUGHT MY Labello Lip Balm (Rose flavor) that I didn’t know existed here. I got my first one from Holland, from my mother’s friend. (Notice how I wrote “mother”.) AND I’m going to look for a Peach (Durazno) one. I felt stupid because I didn’t remember what Peach is in Spanish, and so I had to ask in English.

Okay I’m going to stop writing now, It’s boring me even though that it gives me something to do, than just sitting around outside.

MUCH LOVE,
Hortensia

Maya

2006-07-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hola amigos en los Estados Unidos y el resto del mundo…
Soy yo, Maya desde el pais de Mexico,

Sorry for the delay in writing my blog, Mexico so far has been quite an adventure. My trip started off with quite a bit of turbulence (literally) but seems to be smoothing out now. The first two days were spent on a ranch close to the airport, it was a really good bonding experience for everyone and gave us an opportunity to take a breather before we headed off for Morella and taking on a new way of living. The first day in Morella was awkward for everyone I think, we met our host families and stayed with them the rest of the day. Unfortunately my family members were all tired and fell asleep at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Thankfully I had a huge window in my bedroom, I laid on my bed next to the window and watched Mexico pass by and could feel the anxiety and hope fill
every aspect of my being at that moment. The next couple of days were hard for me because it seemed as though my personality was a bit too grandiose for some of the teachers to handle. Although I am fully aware that I am an outspoken and a goofy character at times I didn’t think that it would get me in trouble down here. (Obviously a lapse of judgment on my part) I felt attacked by everyone and my hope for this trip seemed to be dwindling in the balance. I felt as though the person that I had become for the past seventeen years had been a mistake. I understand that this can sound a bit melodramatic and yet to me, at the time, in a different country and with very few to confide in, it wasn’t the least dramatic but instead very tragic, which in part go hand in hand. My teachers and friends seemed to all be distancing themselves from me and for a long time I did not even care to leave the confines of my host families home. I still feel hurt at times but I realized the only person who can make this trip worth while is myself. I miss you guys but I am certain that this will become one of the most successful and definitely a learning experience for me. The world has too many faults for me to become depressed with the petty drama that my life seems to encounter on a frequent basis. Mexico itself has shown me that there is much to learn and fix and very little time to accomplish it in, so take life in stride and remember that you make your own destiny and no one else has the power to defeat your hope if you don’t let them.
With hope and much love,
Maya Donis-Richman

David y Daniel

2006-07-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hey parents
This is double D comin at ya (David and Daniel)
So over this weekend we went to Patzcuaro, Santa Clara, and Tzintzuntzan. In santa clara there was lots of copper because it’s a copper town. A lot of people bought their gifts for you guys and for our friends and all. These gifts are off the heezy fo sheezy ma neezy. In Tzintzuntzan there were lots of pyramid ruins which were cool but the coolest thing was the view. We could see like a lake and lots of cities and stuff. It was also very interesting for me, David to walk into the bathroom and see a guy on a toilet staring at me. Kind of a scarring thing. But it showed me the kinds of bathrooms my brother had told me about while traveling in South America. In Patzcuaro Thomas, Marshall, Galnadgee and us all went into a restaurant and watched the world cup game with France and Brazil. Thomas called the score 1-0 and David Marshall and Thomas wanted france to win. Haha Daniel. Thomas Assata Deandre and us all went to the Omen. Assata was hella scared but the movie was kinda bad. Deandre and us are in a video group about the elections and we filmed a lot yesterday because it was election day. So far Obrador is losing and both of us want him to win. Oh well. We also found the BEST coffee shop ever and Daniel got a hella good pina colada and we both got hella good donuts and it was tight.
This trip has been hella fun but there have definitely been hard times. We both are sorta excited to go back to Berkeley but at the same time we want to stay here. So now Daniel is writing. Peace and love from Mexico. See ya. Later. Bye. Adios. Now Im done writing…right now.

Hortensia la escritora

2006-07-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

HORTENSIA SULEEMAN
JULY 3, 2006
I just realized this morning, when I was in my host mom’s car, that FUERTE is exactly the same as the musical term/Italian word “FORTE”. I cannot believe that I just realized that. It is because I heard her say something (in Spanish but I don’t remember what it is in Spanish) like “the thunder last night was FUERTISSIMO” I thought, “wow. That word sounds familiar. “OH! IT IS LIKE FORTISSIMO!!!” and that is when I realized it. For a long time I have had a hard time figuring out what the word “LOUD” is in Spanish. Now I don’t even have to think. It’s just like FORTISSIMO. Okay. So……….

Last night, I watched the TV in my room, and the anniversary of the LIVE8 concert on mTV. All through the weekend, I have put the list of channels that have American TV Shows that aren’t dubbed. I have discovered recently that the TV in my room has CABLE. And also a bunch of American shows that are in English with Spanish subtitles. I was so excited then. Here are the shows that I watch on my Mexican TV: LOST, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, to name a few. There is also Laguna Beach, and the OC, and Dawson’s Creek, and also Smallville, but I don’t really like watching those shows. I have also recently discovered that The Bachelorette 2, with Meredith, is going to air. I am happy now that I get to watch American TV shows. Last night, I watched the FRIENDS Marathon on the Warner Channel (WB), the last four episodes of the last season. Then, I watched the 3rd Rerun of According to Jim, the same episode. And also the WILL AND GRACE last episode… twice. I have never watched that one before so I was so happy. Last night, I fell asleep and woke up and the TV was off. Then I started to think if I turned it off or not. I realized that I never did. Then I thought that the house might be haunted… first it was that time when I ate lunch with my host mom and then her older daughter was cooking, and her younger daughter and her boyfriend were washing the dishes. Then, suddenly, knives and forks came flying towards our table. It was scary. KNIVES. No one would admit that they did it. They were like, “No fui… No fui…!” That is why last night I thought that it was pretty scary that the TV got turned off… when I never did turn it off. Then this morning my host mom asked me if I heard the rain and thunder. She said that the power went out. I was like, “THAT’S why…”

SOOOOOOOO yesterday, on Sunday, I watched movies with my host sister. Scary Movie 4, Dr. Dolittle 3 (I think), and Yours, Mine, and Ours (Tuyos, Mios, y Nuestros, dubbed in Spanish. It wasn’t that great.)

Today, for comida, I ate this red bean soup, I forgot what it’s called, but it was soo good. It was red bean broth soup with strips of fried tortilla and fresh mozzarella cheese (I think). It was soo good…. Especially when I added the hot sauce. I ate while watching “Ghost” in the Kitchen. I can’t believe that show aired on mTV.

Then I left for La Casa, and waited for Thomas on the corner for like 15 minutes. But he never showed up… so I called his host dad. He told me that he left. When I checked the time, it was 4. So my older host sister took me in her white, old version of the VW Bettle. It was my first time ever being in the old version of the VW Beetle. I was pretty happy. Just kidding. Anyways, when I got to the teachers’ apartment, Ms. B told me that I missed Galnadgee’s piñata (shaped like a star) and Galnadgee’s cake.
Then we went out to El Centro to interview people for our documentary. We interviewed 4 people.

OH YEAH. I ran out of my $40 US dollars that I exchanged because I had to buy gifts in Patzcuaro and Santa Clara. We went to Tzintzuntzan, and then Patzcuaro and then Santa Clara. But I exchanged $20 today. So I’m safe, but I’m waiting to exchange my other $20 because my first twenty dollars had a 11.15% thing added.

Anyways, I need to go to the movies on Wednesday. I’m going to watch Click, or Just My Luck, or The Break-Up. I watched Poseidon with Daniel, David, Thomas, Lizbeth, and Manuel last Wednesday, because it was 2 for 1. $22 pesos, which is $2.20 US. SOOO cheap. It was pretty good.

I miss Berkeley, and I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET A COMMENT FROM MR. HALPERN. I MISS MR. HALPERN TOO.

*TO MR. HALPERN: Did you know that today, when we interviewed people, that I saw your handwriting on the sticker on the camcorder battery in purple, for like the battery number? I was so happy to see that.

Anyways, I also miss my iPod. I was writing a bunch of titles of songs that I heard on the Live8 Anniversary that I need to download. It turns out that Daniel does the same thing too. OH and today we went to try samples of Rompope. It was weird. It was like, condensed milk with rum and something else. On Saturday, I bought a $12 Pesos Nieve, the Tequila one. It was just Tequila ice cream, and it wasn’t that good, just rum. I have to go now………..

I’ll write more later.
MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE,
HORTENSIA.

Hey it's Thomas

2006-07-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

So far this trip has been really fun and as a group we`ve learned so much. We have grown closer and gotten to know the Mexican students as well. Our movies are coming along really well and today my group filmed 4 really good interviews in the plaza next to the cathedral. I live on the other side of town so getting to school and to the teachers`s house takes a while. I go back and forth in a combi which is fun to ride, its like a small bus. Last weekend we went on a tour bus around the countryside to several smaller cities and saw ancient pyramid ruins, a copper workshop and much more. On Sunday I went to a market that was very similar to a flea market, and there were hundreds of people. At this point we are half way through the trip and we still have a lot of work to do, a lot of Spanish to learn and a lot of Morelia to discover.

mollie

2006-06-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

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

2006-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

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

2006-06-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2006-06-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-26T17:37:00.001-07:00

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

2006-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

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…