EIL Intercultural Learning

Hola From Mexico! Myself and fellow EIL volunteer Karen O´Regan are soaking up the incredible atmosphere in one of Mexico´s most culturally diverse states, Oaxaca. Oaxaca City really is fiesta central at the minute, with parades, music and dancing every day and night in preparation for the annual Guelegetza festival on Monday the 20th and 27th of July. Each community demonstrates its local costume, music and dance in festivals all over the state, and the sea of colours in the streets really is a sight to behold!
     
This is our second week in the country, having taken in the sights in Mexico City for a day, before travelling to Oaxaca to attend classes at the picturesque Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, a Spanish school. I have managed to form a good relationship with my host family, as my Spanish improves poco a poco. The phrase ´poco a poco´ is one of the most widely used phrases in Mexico, and is really like a philosophy for the people here - the people I have met have great patience (especially with my stuttering Spanish) and the phrase ´little by little´ really sums up their way of life!
     
We have only been here a week and we have already made the national Mexican TV news! We were interviewed in the city´s main plaza ´Zocalo´, in a cultural item for TV AZTECA about the festival, and I really didn´t mind singing Oaxaca´s praises! We have also been taking Salsa lessons at the school, which is great fun, although we really can´t keep up with the local standard! The local cuisine is so different to European food - we have salsa and tortillas with almost every meal, and sampling the chapulines (grasshoppers) was amazing!
     
I really have fallen in love with this city - the people are so friendly, and I have never felt so safe in a city. This may be because the city´s economy relies on tourism only, so they really have to be nice! But it is more likely that since the people are so welcoming, tourism has naturally prospered in this remarkable state!

Anyway, this week sees the start of the Mezcal festival here in Oaxaca, a huge market with many types of Mezcal, a strong, smokey local spirit made from the agabe plants. There will be lots of free samples, so we need to rest up for the tough week ahead...! Hasta Luego!!

Brian