Thanksgiving: It’s a hard time for me to be away from home, especially since it’s one of my favorite holidays. Great food, a short week of classes, time to relax and spend time with family, the day when I start listening to Christmas music (I refuse to do Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving). This year, it was just another work day. Unfortunately, the week was made even more difficult by my first bout of real stomach sickness since being in Mexico. Being sick is never fun, but it’s worse when you’re not at home. It’s unfortunate that these events had to come on the same week, but perhaps it’s better to get it all over and done with and then move on.
Last week, however, was a very good week; we had our first YAGM retreat. We have periodic retreats throughout our year of service, times where we gather together for a few days and discuss some of the bigger social, political and economic issues that impact Mexico and its people, many of them relevant to our worksites. This retreat was focused on globalization and food supply. It was good to be able to take a step back from work and talk about some “big picture issues,” because I often find myself getting tunnel vision when it comes to my work here. I worry so much about the day to day stuff, which mother is going to take me to eat with her, what lessons I’m going to teach the kindergartners, how I can be useful in the community center, that I forget the reasons why I’m here. The issues that we discussed – globalization, free trade agreements, and agricultural monopolies – are ones that directly impact the women with whom I work. Many of them come to Cuernavaca from rural areas, where they couldn’t make a living anymore working in the fields, and many of them have husbands that went to the United States looking for work. It’s frustrating, and even enraging, to talk about things like food supply and free trade agreements, which often undercut small farmers in favor of giant corporations. I admit, I’m not a very conscious shopper. I don’t think much about where my food comes from; I go to the grocery store and buy brand name products. I like farmers markets, but I usually don’t give that much consideration to buying locally. As much as the documentaries that we watched made me feel helpless about the state of the world and the imbalance of power, they at least made me aware of my own habits and knowledge, and that I need to be much more intentional about my consumption.
At the same time that we were dealing with some pretty heavy issues, we also had to time to relax and just be with each other. None of us have tons of free time, so it was nice to just sit, take a breath, talk and laugh together, have time to take a nap or a walk, do some sightseeing, and enjoy each other’s company. We visited the Robert Brady museum, the once-home, now-museum of a wealthy artist living in Cuernavaca who dedicated his life to traveling the world and collecting all sorts of art and treasures, and some waterfalls, Saltos de San Anton, that are in walking distance of the downtown. As part of our retreat, we also took a field trip to an organic, sustainable farm south of Cuernavaca owned by an American expatriate. She took us on a tour and explained some of her “permaculture” (sustainable agriculture) techniques. It was amazing how simple and sustainable her farm is; no huge combines or crop dusters for her. Here´s a picture of some of the sheep grazing and the beautiful wildflowers that grew everywhere on her farm.
Afterwards, we got some more play time, with a trip to the balnearios (pools) in Tehuixtlza, where we got to swim and relax in the afternoon sun. It was a very fast four days, both thought-provoking and refreshing. At the same time, however, it also made me a little homesick when I returned back to my normal routine. Being with my fellow volunteers is easy and fun; we get along well, joke and laugh, and our relationships are not a struggle. As much as the relationships that I’m forming both at home and my work are becoming very meaningful for me, they’re not always easy. There’s a language barrier, many cultural differences, and I often feel like I can’t express myself how I’d like to, sometimes because I simply don’t know the right words in Spanish. Some of the women in La Estación are very close to my age, but we are worlds apart in terms of lifestyle. By the time they’re my age, they’re married with children and spend their days doing housework and taking care of their kids. I love to listen to their stories, but I can’t always relate. I feel so far from home when I’m there that this past week of familiarity was hard to leave. In the face of these emotional difficulties, missing home and my family, this Thanksgiving week has to take on a different meaning for me. Instead of being a time to spend with my family, it is a time to give thanks for my new Mexican family and community. As hard is it is not to be at home, I’m so grateful to Angeles and Fernando, who have taken me into their home, and to the women at La Estación who invite me into their homes every week. It is a blessing that I am able to be here, that I’ve been accepted into a family and a community, even as an outsider who doesn’t always speak the same language. I’m going to borrow some words here from the book Gracias! by Henri Nouwen:
Last week, however, was a very good week; we had our first YAGM retreat. We have periodic retreats throughout our year of service, times where we gather together for a few days and discuss some of the bigger social, political and economic issues that impact Mexico and its people, many of them relevant to our worksites. This retreat was focused on globalization and food supply. It was good to be able to take a step back from work and talk about some “big picture issues,” because I often find myself getting tunnel vision when it comes to my work here. I worry so much about the day to day stuff, which mother is going to take me to eat with her, what lessons I’m going to teach the kindergartners, how I can be useful in the community center, that I forget the reasons why I’m here. The issues that we discussed – globalization, free trade agreements, and agricultural monopolies – are ones that directly impact the women with whom I work. Many of them come to Cuernavaca from rural areas, where they couldn’t make a living anymore working in the fields, and many of them have husbands that went to the United States looking for work. It’s frustrating, and even enraging, to talk about things like food supply and free trade agreements, which often undercut small farmers in favor of giant corporations. I admit, I’m not a very conscious shopper. I don’t think much about where my food comes from; I go to the grocery store and buy brand name products. I like farmers markets, but I usually don’t give that much consideration to buying locally. As much as the documentaries that we watched made me feel helpless about the state of the world and the imbalance of power, they at least made me aware of my own habits and knowledge, and that I need to be much more intentional about my consumption.
At the same time that we were dealing with some pretty heavy issues, we also had to time to relax and just be with each other. None of us have tons of free time, so it was nice to just sit, take a breath, talk and laugh together, have time to take a nap or a walk, do some sightseeing, and enjoy each other’s company. We visited the Robert Brady museum, the once-home, now-museum of a wealthy artist living in Cuernavaca who dedicated his life to traveling the world and collecting all sorts of art and treasures, and some waterfalls, Saltos de San Anton, that are in walking distance of the downtown. As part of our retreat, we also took a field trip to an organic, sustainable farm south of Cuernavaca owned by an American expatriate. She took us on a tour and explained some of her “permaculture” (sustainable agriculture) techniques. It was amazing how simple and sustainable her farm is; no huge combines or crop dusters for her. Here´s a picture of some of the sheep grazing and the beautiful wildflowers that grew everywhere on her farm.
Afterwards, we got some more play time, with a trip to the balnearios (pools) in Tehuixtlza, where we got to swim and relax in the afternoon sun. It was a very fast four days, both thought-provoking and refreshing. At the same time, however, it also made me a little homesick when I returned back to my normal routine. Being with my fellow volunteers is easy and fun; we get along well, joke and laugh, and our relationships are not a struggle. As much as the relationships that I’m forming both at home and my work are becoming very meaningful for me, they’re not always easy. There’s a language barrier, many cultural differences, and I often feel like I can’t express myself how I’d like to, sometimes because I simply don’t know the right words in Spanish. Some of the women in La Estación are very close to my age, but we are worlds apart in terms of lifestyle. By the time they’re my age, they’re married with children and spend their days doing housework and taking care of their kids. I love to listen to their stories, but I can’t always relate. I feel so far from home when I’m there that this past week of familiarity was hard to leave. In the face of these emotional difficulties, missing home and my family, this Thanksgiving week has to take on a different meaning for me. Instead of being a time to spend with my family, it is a time to give thanks for my new Mexican family and community. As hard is it is not to be at home, I’m so grateful to Angeles and Fernando, who have taken me into their home, and to the women at La Estación who invite me into their homes every week. It is a blessing that I am able to be here, that I’ve been accepted into a family and a community, even as an outsider who doesn’t always speak the same language. I’m going to borrow some words here from the book Gracias! by Henri Nouwen:“What is most important is to be grateful today and to give thanks… [Gratitude] reaches out far beyond our own self to God, to all of creation, to the people who gave us life, love, and care. It is an emotion in which we experience our dependencies as a gift and realize that in the celebrations of our dependencies we become most aware of who we truly are: a small but precious part of creation and above all of the human family” (p. 55)
I think that says it perfectly. I give thanks for my home in the States, my new home in Mexico, my family, my friends, good health, well behaved kindergartners, good Cuernavaca weather, and especially for all of you who are reading this, for your love, support and kind words. Happy Thanksgiving!
I think that says it perfectly. I give thanks for my home in the States, my new home in Mexico, my family, my friends, good health, well behaved kindergartners, good Cuernavaca weather, and especially for all of you who are reading this, for your love, support and kind words. Happy Thanksgiving!
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