Hello all, Tom here in the computer lab at the
Universidad Intercultural Maya Quintana Roo
It has been quite a journey by bus, plane and tricicle-taxi to get here.
It is hot and rainy and very tranquilo.
I sleep in a hammock in a casa-de-baja in the backyard of my host family's house. I have a shower with nice cold water and a desk with all my books on it. I sleep next door to turkeys and they crawk (?) at all hours, starting a chain reaction all around town. My neighbors are constantly blasting TV or radio.
I have been meeting many people. Family, neighbors, friends, teachers, town elders and kids.
My host family is very kind, very pacient and generous. And very big.
I eat meals with them and its a rotating table of brothers and sisters coming and going.
Hilberto, my host brother, is a agroecology major.
When i first got in, he and Sharon took me around town.
He pointed out all the tree names and we ate lots of fruit.
Papaya, Mango, Coconut, Aguacate, and a million little fruits which are all delicious.
Its hard to remember all the new names, words in spanish and maya, fruits, trees, animals.
Everyone is ready to teach and learn, everyone is excited for the intercambio.
The other day we rode bikes around town, trading words in spanish english and maya.
We had a welcome dinner with Claudia and her husband Henry,
Moi, Francisco, Sussana, both teams of students and some other friends.
We ate tamales with jalapenos and salsa,
and drank chaya which is the local indiginous protein drink.
We sang songs in Spanish and Maya and English with the students.
The students love coldplay.
Edwin my teammate listens Blink 182 and european metal.
I met some other students that have a reggae band called Chan Santa Roots in Carrillo Puerto.
The students and professors presented us with a welcome to mayaland letter.
We hope that this will be the seed of many a intercambio to come.
I have just recently started trying to describe CAN and the goals of my study, little by little.
Beyond that, my time now is about creating the new relationships of trust and setting up for future interns to come in and collaborate on the projects the students are doing.
Earlier today Moi and I did a television interview for the local station about the intercambio.
There is a lot going on and its hard to put everything into writing
I love you all
perhaps you should come down here and party?
3 comments:
TOM! sounds amazing! tears are oming to my eyes as I read your posts. keep them coming....
glad i met you in SC, if briefly. thank you for keeping all of us up to date. though it's time for a change to our food system, toward one that respects the producers and consumers more, that change won't be automatic. it'll take people like you to be ambassadors and liasons, so that lots of people realize they're in the same boat. keep 'em coming don tomas, and be well
Tomas, gracias por las fotos. Digale hola a Moi para mi! Todavia quieres que te envio las canciones?
oh, y soy Sarah Wheatley.
Suerte y suena como estas haciendo buen trabajo!
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