Nourish and FCB

Composed by Megna and Teresa

Bertha’s daughter, Carmen, is currently working in a gallery located in San Miguel Allende. She had been encouraging Bertha to visit for a few weeks, offering to pay for traveling costs, but Bertha kept postponing her trip because she wanted us to accompany her. It is a funky, artsy city resplendent with independent art galleries and family-owned shops selling sculptures, art, and jewelry. Bertha’s friend Dan, who resides in Pozos, has his work featured in a gallery, which she was eager to show us, so we set off with her on the 17th when Geoff and Janice were taking a day off. San Miguel is about forty minutes away from Pozos, and we reached there by noon. We had lunch at a Starbucks, complete with an indoor garden, and explored the shops. It became evident that livings costs in San Miguel far exceed the living costs in Mineral de Pozos, and we balked at purchasing the beautiful crafts, but still had a good time talking to some of the shop girls. We met a girl who spoke perfect English, and lived in America with a while with her fiancé before things fell through. She was very friendly (helping Megna pick out the perfect white summer hat!) and recommended some fun places to visit if we came back, including a karaoke place called Mamma Mia.

We returned to Pozos in time to catch yet another party organized by Alberto, the Mariachi festival. Alberto invited Mariachi bands from nearby cities, including Guanajuato and Mexico City to perform in Pozos. It felt like the entire city came out for the show, which Crystan and I (Teresa) attended with Marvin, Prisma, and Rodrigo. Prisma is a girl from Notre Dame, and it was her last day in Pozos, so our outing to the Mariachi festival was like a goodbye party. The outdoor stadium was packed—the entire city must have come out for the festival. We got seats near the front of the stage and had an excellent view of their elaborate costumes, violin and guitar skills, but were temporarily shocked when fireworks were fired directly into the crowd of a few hundred people. The bands were singing famous songs, that were lost on Crystan and myself, but the crowd was bursting with life and singing along with the artists. After the festival was over, we ran into three Mariachi band members that were exploring the town. Marvin invited them over to his house, and Rodrigo brought over his guitar. We had a great time talking to them and enjoyed our private live performance at Marvin’s house. They sang along with Rodrigo’s guitar playing, and everyone jumped out of their seats and started dancing at one point. The night did not end until around 4:30 am, which was when the Mariachi band sadly bid us farewell.

We (Teresa and I, Megna) met with Geoff at 9am Saturday morning for an exciting new assignment with our Holgas: self portraits! We had a great time exploring Pozos for interesting locations to shoot and came up with some great shots that incorporated us and our beautiful surroundings. Later that evening, Crystan, Marvin, and I headed back to San Miguel de Allende to get a taste of the nightlife we heard so much about. Marvin had already been before and so we had an idea of where in town we wanted to be. The club entrance fees were a bit pricey (and so we were nervous about being able to afford the bus back home!) but Marvin and I had a great time dancing the night away. At one club, a cover band sang songs by the Beatles, Santana, and the Rolling Stones, while the other club switched between techno and Spanish music. We made it back to Pozos at 8am, just in time to get to Geoff’s at 9am on Sunday morning with the intent of finishing our photography work. The power, however, was out from 9:30am to late in the afternoon and we were unable to use the computers we needed. The electricity is a problem in Pozos from time to time, but water is a much more pressing issue in daily life. Alexandra, a local girl our age explained to me that the water problems are connected with Pozos’ history as a mining town. The water is full of minerals and is therefore unsuitable for drinking, bathing or even washing dishes. There is a town pump that must bring fresh water to the whole town, but there are often problems with the pump (perhaps because of the altitude of the town). Not only is it an inconvenience (one never knows when she will be able to take a hot shower!), it is quite expensive as well. I believe that this problem needs to be sorted out before Pozos can become a larger tourist destination, because hotels require a reliable source of hot water. Perhaps we can suggest this as a project to a group of engineering students at Duke, and work with Adriana and FCB to improve the water supply in Pozos.

We had a meeting with Adriana on Monday and attended a presentation about a new and upcoming weaving project. She had invited a weaver from Guanajuato City to share with the people of Pozos her weaving experiences and the potential products that can be created and sold. She projected a presentation depicting vivid tapestries and purses that she created with naturally dyed yarn that she manufactures herself. There was a turnout of around 10-12 people that ranged from teenagers, to middle aged women, to Bertha herself, who already crochets baby blankets and clothes to sell. Ideally, these women will be able to create these goods at low cost to generate a long-lasting sustainable living for themselves. The project is currently slated to include ten families, but we hope that the project will increase in size next year and remain sustainable without additional aid from FCB.
After the meeting, we met with Adriana to discuss our plans for the remaining few weeks. The goal is to start on English classes and computer classes for some local students to help locals manage their businesses, cater to English-speaking tourists, and hopefully aid youth in their aspirations to pursue college educations, since English abilities are an important criteria for admission. Juan dropped off computers on Thursday for us to use at Bertha’s house before we went to Guanajuato to simultaneously explore a new city and meet with other university students doing work with Adriana through FCB. Hopefully, knowledge of programs like Excel, and tools like e-mail will help with marketing and business management.

On Wednesday, Crystan, Teresa, and I (Megna) returned to Geoff’s to finish up the work we were unable to during the power outage on Sunday. We were armed with huge portfolios of our prints when we were invited to visit San Luis Potosi with our Ibero friends. After running home (ok, in a taxi…) to drop off the portfolio and prints we met Mario, Marvin, Ferchas, and their friend Guillermo in town to take the two hour bus trip to San Luis Potosi. We got there in the evening and went to the several churches and plazas near the center of town, and then spent some time at a rooftop restaurant with a great view of town. We finally made it back to Bertha’s house at 7am to pack, get two hours of sleep and shower before Juan came to pick us up in the FCB van.

We found ourselves in Guanajato city Thursday afternoon, and dropped off our bags at the hostel, which, coincidentally was named Casa Bertha! The place was clean and we had kitchens, bathrooms and hot water (which now feels like a luxury). Our group of eight from Pozos set off into the city to meet Adriana for lunch, and unknowingly ended up on a strenuous hike uphill for forty minutes. The city, so unique and beautiful, is in a valley surrounded by green mountains that are delightful to look at and killer to walk up. But all was forgiven when we found ourselves at the terrace of the house, built by two people from North Carolina, with about thirty Ibero students and a breathtaking view of the city. We spent the rest of the day there, and had a large meeting after lunch to discuss the end of the Ibero students’ summer service projects. We went around the room speaking about our experiences and lessons learned. Although much of the Spanish was lost on Crystan and Teresa, it was plain to see how each student was touched by their work and interactions in towns such as Tamaula and Pozos. Many spoke about having such a tangible influence on the lives of others, the strong relationships they made with host families and a few tears were shed about their work with the children of the town. It was wonderful to see how students our age are reaching out to less privileged people of their own country, and I have such a strong respect for the Mexican government mandate that students spend a summer or semester on a service project.
After the meeting and group picture, we all returned to the terrace for hours of music and dancing. Adriana joined us in singing traditional Mexican songs that the Ibero boys belted out with arms around each other. We moved the party to the hostel and then another club for our last night as a whole group. The next morning, we said tearful goodbyes to Mario before exploring some more of the city. We saw many little craft shops (and I bought a beautiful handmade leather bag!), cafes, and outdoor vendors. We also went to a huge indoor market with hundreds of shops for Guanajuato souvenirs and a few food stands as well.

We also decided to partake on a tour in the evening. A band decked out in Spaniard costumes sang Mariachi songs and strummed a variety of instruments, including a white cello. Because the tour used to be a wine tour before drinking in the streets was declared illegal, the members of the band served everyone a sweet drink, which we all assumed to be juice, in a white, ceramic “drinking vessel.” We weren’t really sure what they were called, but they had one long white neck through which the drink was poured, with an opening on the side from which we drank from. The band took us through the streets of Guanajuato to some of the major buildings, including Guanajuato University and the famous Callejon del Beso, while serenading us with traditional Mexican songs the entire time. The tour came to an end on the steps of Guanajuato University, where an actor impressively performed three different roles in a skit about forbidden love. The audience thoroughly enjoyed his alacrity and humor, which ended the tour on a high note.

We left the next afternoon after another night of dancing, and bid Marvin and Ferchas goodbye. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to see them again in either Mexico City or North Carolina, assuming that Adriana’s plans to send them to Duke for a panel about migration issues works out. Serendipitously, we saw Bertha walking in the streets of Guanajuato when we were on the local bus to the central bus station. We all promptly jumped off the bus to greet her…it was such a wonderful surprise! Bertha was evidently traveling in Guanajuato for a niece’s birthday party and had just gotten off the bus when we arrived at the central bus station. She directed us to the proper bus, and we had a cramped ride to Dolores Hidalgo. The bus was extremely packed and I (Teresa) ended up standing for most of the two hour ride. It wasn’t very painful though, since there were about twelve other people standing, including a young girl who looked about seven or eight years old. The bus system is clearly very popular, which isn’t a surprise considering the excellent price (Guanajuato to Pozos cost less than $7.00), and how frequently the buses run. Although we had a great time in Guanajuato and learned so much about all the other work FCB is doing, we were relieved to finally be back home after over three days of traveling!

Hola! We are two weeks into our project (halfway over for me!), and I cannot believe how quickly time is flying despite the relaxed pace everyone follows in Pozos. The Blues Festival last Saturday definitely shook things up: hundreds of bikers on their Harleys showed up to listen to live bands in the ampitheater and camped nearby for the night. Several local vendors set up booths as well, and it was fun to finally shop for locally made wares to bring back as presents. We met Geoff Monday morning to begin our involvement in his photography project. Karen was actually the first person to describe his work to us, a few days ago during our bus ride to Irapuato. The project focuses on the children of Pozos: Geoff gives them a tutorial on black and white photography, and then asks them to photograph their lives and the town they live in. The children are given film and a camera called the Holga, which is a simple and inexpensive Chinese camera made entirely of plastic. The cameras, as we found out firsthand, are very intuitive to use but also produce beautiful pictures that have a soft quality to the image and some vinetting near the corners. Geoff took us to our first visit of the mines that Pozos is so well known for, where we took our Holgas and saw the open mine shafts, 300 meters deep with about 100 meters of water at the bottom. A beautiful but dangerous location: we were told a story about a sixteen year old boy from Pennsylvania who fell into one of the open mines a few years ago while on a picnic with his church group. According to Geoff, it took eight days, a pulley system and a scuba diver to recover the boy’s body. This was definitely not one of the charming tidbits of history we were informed of while planning our trip here! The town of Pozos, however, is as picturesque as we were told it was. Fairly high up in the mountains, the mornings and evenings are cool and breezy but the town is quite obviously located in the desert. The town is dry and dusty, the cacti are plentiful, and the flowers are shockingly bright and colorful where they spill over walls and through windows. Many of the buildings are crumbling, but there is roadwork going on everywhere to repair sidewalks and cobblestone streets. Behind most doors you will find a classic Mexican courtyard surrounded by shady, thick-walled rooms. One of the most striking features of the people of this town, besides their warmth and generosity, is how young they are. There are always children running on the streets playing with a dog or soccer ball. Many of the pictures that the Pozos children shot were remarkably beautiful, and a few of the children are obviously quite talented. It was very interesting to take a look at the contact sheets we developed for the Pozos children: they were very bold in taking close-up pictures of themselves and their friends, and we even found some pictures of myself and Teresa! The pictures of the town were also intriguing in the way they showed the children’s perspective on their own lives, not to mention the fact that many of the photos hinted at the photographer’s talent. Geoff told us specifically of one seventeen year old girl who is confident and focused behind the lens, and shoots wonderful pictures of Pozos, but unfortunately already has a job at the nearby Colgate factory. This is the kind of steady work that is valued for its reliability despite the low wages, and also prevents the girl from pursuing what may be a future career or passion for photography. I do believe, however, that Geoff and Janice’s work opens an exciting realm of creativity to the Pozos children. On Saturday, two of the girls told Geoff of a small nearby festival being held to celebrate, in their words, “un santito,” or a little saint. We grabbed cameras, piled in the car, and arrived just in time to see the children of the town stage a beautiful dance in which half were dressed as Aztecs in feather headdresses and half were dressed as a European army in red and black costume. The band was lively as the leaders of the two dance groups clashed swords and we snapped some beautiful pictures.

We’ve only been in Mexico for seven days, but Megna, Crystan, and I have already traveled to six stunning cities, including El Gustano, a tiny community of around three hundred people and Guadalajara, a modern city with a beautiful historic district. We were originally planning to travel directly to Mineral de Pozos after we flew in on Sunday, but Adriana invited us to travel to Guadalajara with a theater company from Chicago and boxing group from Notre Dame. She welcomed us into her house in Irapuato, giving us a chance to relax and settle in before diving into our project. Ian, a recent graduate from UNC Chapel Hill, and Kaitlyn, a Masters student from Loyola University, introduced the town of Irapuato to us and helped us ease into the peaceful swing of Mexican culture. The city center, or zocalo, is always teeming with local residents—families with young children, high school-aged teenagers, men in cowboy hats serenading every passerby with their guitars, and friends relaxing outside cafés and taco stands. There were many vendors selling giant balloons, carnitas, and fresh fruit from Vera Cruz. Both Ian and Kaitlyn are fundraising interns with Adriana and are both impressively knowledgeable of Mexican culture and Mexican way of life. Ian managed to convince a vendor into letting Crystan and I sample his carnitas for free. According to Ian, it is unusual for vendors to let us sample their food, but since carnitas is a dish of national pride, the vendor was more than happy to give us a sizeable portion of his cooking, but he stopped short of revealing to us his secret recipe.

We traveled to Guadalajara with the Chicago students and were taken on a tour of churches, palaces, and government buildings. The architecture of the buildings was breathtaking, and served as excellent subjects for the designated photographers of the theater company. On our way back to Irapuato from Mineral de Pozos, we were introduced to representatives of one of FCB’s largest donors, Georgina from a bank named Monex. She had flown in from Mexico City and was dining with Adriana and Carmen, one of FCB’s largest private donors, in a beautiful house overlooking the entire city of Irapuato.

We also met many university students from Mexico City, including Miguel, Fernanda, Mario, and Marvin. According to Kaitlyn and Ian, the Mexican government has mandated that every university student in Mexico dedicate a summer or a semester to public service work. As a result, Miguel, who studies food engineering, is going to dedicate a few months to identify effective strategies for increasing the output of goat cheese manufacturing in Tamaula while generating more competitive varieties for the market. Mario and Fernanda are both studying architecture, and Marvin is studying communications.

When reaching Mineral de Pozos, we attended a presentation run by Adriana about starting a weaving manufacturing business for local students. There were about twenty or so students in the one-room building. Nearly all the students in the building shared that they have relatives and family members in the United States, an accurate reflection of the economic situation in Mineral de Pozos. It was clear that job opportunities are not only sparse, but perceived to be sparse. The goal of FCB is to help future generations establish livings in their local communities and to diminish the perception of migration as the primary solution to their economic problems.

We were taken shortly to our host family’s home. By family, we mean Berta. We have all decisively concluded that she is the sweetest lady ever and felt at home immediately in her simple, picturesque home. It consists of three rooms, and the three of us are sharing one room and one bathroom—a very cozy arrangement. She was nice enough to sit down and ask us about our eating preferences, having recruited her cousin, Teresa, to help cook meals for us. Crystan has declared multiple times that she will never leave Mexico—everybody has been incredibly warm and inviting. Becoming a member of the community feels like a very natural process.

It wasn’t long before Adriana swooped in and took us with some students from Mexico City to a small community outside of Dolores Hidalgo, called El Gusano. The community consisted mainly of farmland, and local residents are trying to start a shawl industry. They have encountered little success, since the price of manufacturing their shawls is around forty American dollars, an amount that Mexicans would not be typically willing to pay. We circled at an after-school center, funded for by UNC. It consisted of computers, which adults are encouraged to use to master computer skills, and young women are given a stipend to supervise art classes. The children there ranged from around five to twelve. They gleaned a lot of pleasure from painting with their fingers, and demonstrated extraordinary imagination and talent. One little boy sketched a very realistic car from an existing model, and another painted a blue banana complete with three dimensional shading. Adriana is starting up soccer teams in adjacent communities to involve the local children in friendly competition. We played basketball and Uno with some of the little girls, and became fast friends. On the way back home, Karen, a supervisor of the theater company, shared that the women of El Gusano have to walk forty-five minutes every day with their produce just to take a bus to town and sell their food to make a living.

We shall be starting work with Jeff and Janice from Rice University on their photography project after they fly in on Sunday. We’ll be helping them recruit children from Mineral de Pozos for the project and more. Hopefully, he’ll give us more details when we meet him on Monday. As of now, we’re going to mingle with the Pozos community at the Blues Festival this evening. There is supposed to be hang-gliding, music, and local vendors selling their craft!

I was in the process of booking my plane tickets to Guanajuato back in April when I serendipitously glanced at the New York Times headlines. Swine flu? Epidemic? Deaths? I couldn't believe that a year's worth of planning, fundraising, and writing applications for funding were going to be washed away by an unrelenting flood of international panic and paranoia. I held off on purchasing my tickets, but was thrilled to learn that Megna, Crystan, and Priya saw the swine flu for what it really is--a reflection of inadequate healthcare systems in Mexico. After a month of discussing the feasibility of our work with FCB and anxious waiting to see if Duke University would lift its travel restrictions on the entire country of Mexico, the ban was lifted and we reinforced our desire to continue with our project. Our project will consist of aiding with vocational education at a new and upcoming culture and arts center in Mineral de Pozos with the long-term goal of helping local residents acquire the skills they need to take advantage of the recent boom in tourism. We will be traveling for the first few days with Adriana, director of FCB in GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, before reaching Guanajuato. I don't know exactly what to expect, but am ridiculously excited about being involved with this project!