On Monday, we left for our rural homestay in Ixtlilco. I can not adequately describe the many ways this trip impacted me. Not only did it provide faces and immediate relationships with the migant story, but it also allowed me to explore and observe the culture within which I will be living and learning. Our week was packed with visits to places and with people in the community both formally through our school, and informally through our host families.

On Monday, we (my classmate and I)settled in with our host family who took us to work with them. A group in the community is employed by the government to reforest, but they have to collect the pods from the trees when they fall, shell the pods and grow saplings from the trees which they will then plant at the beginning of the rainy season. Right now, they are shelling the pods. In a small cement building, we sat on the floor around a sheet with a pile of pods in the middle, a spanish subtitled film blared, and we soon learned that most of them are related and they all know each other and each other's family. It was a neat experience.

Monday: We visited the ejidos (community agricultural land) where they grew sugar cane, figs, and had huge greenhouses of tomatoes which they let us eat off the vine. It was blistering hot though. Later we had a visit with migrants who shared their stories with us.

Tuesday: We visited a newly established farming cooperative which takes a holistic approach to community and personal moral development while also providing employment to local youth in hopes to keep them from criminal activities and migrating to the USA. We also visited telesecundaria where the students learn via satellite TV and the teacher basically moderates the class. I'm not sure how effective it is, but without it, many of these students would not go beyond a grade school education because they cannot afford to transport back and forth the next town for school. Later women from opportunidades told us of the difficulties of social welfare in Ixtlilco and the necessity of government support so that families can afford their kids education and live decently. Gender roles were interesting to examine here. The government refuses to give the grants to the father because it would be spent on alcohol. The mothers are responsible for the finances of the home, yet wield much less respect and power in public spaces. It was difficult for me to reconcile sometimes.

These are only the "business" aspects of the trip. So much more took place outside the formal boundaries with our personal interactions with the townspeople and our families. But, I am tired and our Spanish classes begin tomorrow. Stay tuned....