Just completed our first week of classes! Yeah! It is very exciting but
also very overwhelming to get back into school mode. We have Spanish classes at
Solexico (the name of the school) 4 days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
and Fridays for about 3 hours each day. Students are seperated into beginner,
intermediate, and advanced classes depending on their level of spanish. After Spanish, the whole group comes together
for an hour long introduction supplemental kind of class. In this class we talk
about Oaxacan culture and practice using our Spanish. At about 1pm we all head
back to our homestays for comida. We have about a 3 hour break to do what we
please before we head to our afternoon class at SURCO.
Our afternoon class, "Maximizing the Oaxcan Experience" takes
place from 4:30pm-6:30pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, this past
monday we were all given an assignment or challenge to practice our Spanish and
find our way around Oaxaca City. We were all paired up in groups and told to go
to go to one of the many markets of Oaxaca and find certain items. This was a
great exercise because again it made us practice our spanish and also helped us
familiarize ourselves with the city and where we can find what. The markets are
super awesome and filled with thousands of things. You can find almost anything
you need at these markets. There are art markets and food markets and markets
with a mix of everything. In almost every market there are famous Oaxacan
products such as chocolate, chapulines (grasshoppers), Handmade bags,
Alebrijes, Pottery and more! Again, these markets have just about anything you
need from a gold fish to a pair of shoes to some fresh fruits and vegetables.
They're great, inexpensive and close by!
On Thursday, the group was divided into smaller groups of three, each containing a beginner Spanish speaker, an intermediate Spanish speaker, and an advanced Spanish speaker. Similar to the previous exercise, each group was assigned a location that they had to find without a map, gps, or looking up directions beforehand. Except this time, the locations were outside of the city of Oaxaca. Locations included San Bartolo Coyotepec, Cuilapa, Arizola, Aztompa, Tlacachuaya, and Teotitlan. Each group was given a set of questions about their specific location to ask whoever they encountered on their excursion. We also were tasked with asking people what common idioms in Oaxaca mean. Here's a brief list:
"mi mero mole" - I like it very much; it's my favorite
"guey" - dude, guy
"chilanga" - a typical person from Mexico City
"chido" - cool, neat
"no manches" - no way!
We all came back together at the end of the day to share a meal and stories. Many people were nervous before their excursions but came back all smiles! It seemed that everywhere people went, there was always someone who was willing to point you in the right direction or give you advice. Such has been the overwhelming majority of our experiences in Oaxaca: warm (literally!), welcoming, and hospitable. Many groups came back with goodies such as mezcal, black pottery, alebrijes (carved wooden animals), and photos. It was an amazing opportunity for practicing breaking the ice with Oaxacans, conversing in Spanish, navigating around Oaxaca, and engaging in the local culture.
P.S. Happy 21st Birthday Analiz!
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