EIL Intercultural Learning

Arran Sadlier won a EIL Travel Award to Mexico. After an orientation programme and Spanish Language course he went on to volunteer at two projects.

I went to Isla del Viejo Soyaltepec for three weeks in July and August 2008. The island is very beautiful and is aiming to attract eco-tourists to the island. There were many activities to do: swimming, horseback riding, kayacking, fishing and many more things to see such as the grand tree ‘Pochota' and the ‘bat cave'.

There were several things for the volunteer to do. I stayed in the eco-cabins on the island. Teaching English was sometimes difficult as not all the kids were always enthusiastic to learn English during their summer vacation. Some did learn well. Going by a fixed timetable was also problematic seeing as many of the islanders didn't have watches resulting in people turning up at different times for English class. Teaching English worked better by always carrying a pen and notepad as people would often ask for the English of how to say certain things often related to their work or daily life. In this way it was possible to give people a 30 minute English lesson and others would soon gather round. Teaching computer skills in the primary school is possible but difficult to arrange - permission needs to be given by Fidel the school director and the secretary needs to open the school with the keys. The electricity on the island comes and goes and at one stage was down for 8 days.

There is a project on the island to help the community to build cookers which are more sustainable as they use 20% of the firewood as is currently required for cooking and to have chimneys to carry the smoke to outside of the homes as this is affecting primarily the women's health who do the cooking. There were perhaps some miscommunications between the co-operative on the island and the organisations as the materials were not available to begin construction. I painted and put up a bin with which to collect plastic bottles which would be used in making the new cookers and would at the same time deal with the issue of plastic bottle waste on the island. This was put up at the eco-restaurant and I also asked many people who were to have cookers built in their homes to begin collecting their plastic bottles. I also created a map of the island so it would be easy to locate where the various houses are and how best to get there.

I was also able to help the people of the co-operative with bags/cleaning/showing tourists around when there were tourists on the island. Mazotecan is also the main language of the island, but everyone speaks Spanish. It is very important for the volunteer to speak some Spanish.

I was able to get along with the guys my own age the best perhaps unsurprisingly, and most evenings we would play football as the heat of the sun subsided and they would ask many questions about Ireland. There certainly seemed to be more young men on the island than young women. There are clearly more opportunities for men once school finishes which for many is around 16. The men are brought up to be able to work the corn fields, fishing, wood cutting or construction & carpentry. The women have fewer opportunities for work. Many families had sons and particularly daughters who had left the island to search for work in Mexico City. There was also a divide on the island wealth wise - some families of some 7 people would live between 2 rooms in wooden cabins with palm-leaf roofs while some would live in brick houses with many modern conveniences. I also observed that women stayed in their houses a lot. Some men also have developed drinking problems.

Pine wood was used to build the eco-cabins. This will only be suitable for people to stay in for at most 6 more years as the pine wood is rotting with the rain.

For future volunteers I would advise to bring a football to play with the kids. It is a great way to meet and play with the kids - they all loved playing soccer. In return the kids taught me how to make papelottas - handmade kites - and play marbles. Future volunteers need to be aware that no one on the island speaks English. One thing I found difficult was trying to form a connection with many people on the island. Women also seemed to feel uncomfortable if I talked to them on the streets - I felt this was because they felt it was socially unacceptable. People on the island have a quieter way of communicating. Often if they don't understand you they may not tell you that they don't understand you.

After the island I went to volunteer in Amecameca for two weeks. In the mornings from 9am to 2pm I would help in Cottolengo: cleaning, sweeping, mopping, the rubbish outside, helping with PC problems and administration tasks, helping some kids eat, playing football/basketball and other games with them. There are about 20 people with disabilities in the centre. Their ages range from 6 to 46 years old. They are all very affectionate and most are very easy to work with.

From 4pm tp 8pm I would teach English to different skill and age levels in an English language school. The students were generally well behaved, did their homework and were enthusiastic to learn. Class sizes were very manageable, between 3 and 9 students per class. Ages varied from 8 to 40 years old. Amecameca itself is a beautiful location beside the stunning El Popo volcano. The town leaves you in a prime location for weekend trips to visit nearby places in Mexico with it's close proximity to Mexico City. The inhabitants of Amecameca are all quite curious, responsive and friendly to foreigners.

Throughout my time in Mexico I met many Mexicans. In general I would say that Mexican people are the most openly affectionate and generous people I have met in all my travels. Many people I met gave me gifts and sincerely welcomed me into their homes. People would often go to a lot of effort and self inconvenience to make me more than welcome. The sense of humour is similar to that of many Irish people - Mexicans are forever playing with words and joking is an important part of social interaction. You can get to know some people very quickly in Mexico. It is a beautiful country with a rich culture and history. Mexico has a lot to offer, more than I had time to experience. I will definitely go back one day.

Arran Sadlier