Sunday, November 9, 2008

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2008

TEAM 11, DELORES HIDALGO, MEXICO

8:30 AM breakfast meeting at the hotel. Today is a free day, a break from our daily routine a day to do as we please.

WE received word that an important church official was to arrive in Delores, and that a parade and celebration would take place around the plaza in front of the church. We all opted to observe the event which was intriguing, brief (the wait was longer than the event.

Now the day was ours. Mist of us went our separate ways to enjoy the aroused city in our own manner. It seems that Sunday is the day for all activity to ride from the daily mechanics and burst into a conglomeration of sights; sounds; smells; and family activity. I relished my presence here.

At 7:00 PM Carl rejoined our group for the evening meal at trip to t eh Pollo Sabroso Restaurant, an impressive establishment that is out of the ordinary for the area, and only open on the weekends, proved to be totally delightful experience, and well worth the wait. We ended the night by listening to some music in the town square.

THOUGTH FOR THE DAY: Never underestimate the power of common courtesy.

Larry Hess

Friday, November 7, 2008

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008,

DELORES HIDALGO, MEXICO

Another early day began with a 6:45 breakfast meeting. The first meal of the day was the usual fare, but an addition to the morning routine this day was something called Amaranth, which is a mixture of mystery grain that looked like birdseed, and some sort of edible adhesive. The whole concoction was molded to resemble a skull in honor of the continuous “Day of the Dead” celebration. After Carl mangled the treat to cut it into slices, it still proved to be a tasty discovery.

While still at breakfast, Carl reviewed our itinerary for Saturday’s trip to Victoria, and explained that he was unable to join us. We all exchanged E-mail addresses and then it was time to be off to the University.

We did our usual trek in the brisk morning air, and progressed through a light work schedule at t eh school. Each Group had two classes in the morning beginning at 8:00 A.M. The classes pretty much mimicked the previous days and we were done teaching by 10:00 A.M. At this time we sadly said good-bye to Pam as she left for her trip home. I think she now regrets signing on for only one week. Adios Pamela!

The rest of us piled into Chuy’s car and drove to the Mendez Torres pottery factory. There we toured the factory with each step of the fabrication process explained to us by a guide who spoke only Spanish. Chuy translated until Ruby commandeered the task.

WE returned to the hotel after the tour and had our lunch with pleasant conversation. After we ate we were free to do our own thing. Thanks to Nan who allowed me to use her laptop computer, I was able to send an E-mail home. Then for me it was off to Delores Hidalgo to venture into an unfamiliar world. The others preceded me into that world. We met back at the hotel at 7:00P.M., for our evening meal. I have found our meals are not only quite delectable, but they always include a pleasant conversation among friends. When finished, we all engaged in making sandwiches for our trip to Victoria before we retired for the night.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

My thought for the day come from a man that I most admire:

“It is better to give a dog the right-of-way rather than dispute the fact with him. For even if you kill the dog, it will not cure the bite”. Abraham Lincoln

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

November 5, 2008 Global Volunteers Journal – The day after the Presidential Election

Thought for the day:

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And brings the tune without words
And never stops at all
-- Emily Dickenson

This morning we were giddy. Not only because we rose at an unusually early hour to meet our 6:30 A.M. departure deadline, but also because most of us were celebrating the exhilarating Obama victory and his inspiring victory speech. We met at 6:00 A.M. for coffee and breakfast bars with Jamie and Chuy. Armed with snacks, we boarded our Mercedes bus for the trip to Leon and morning of classes at UTL. We were accompanied by selected students from UTNG English classes.


Our bus wound through beautiful mountain scenery and picturesque city of Guanajuato which impressed our Global group with its beauty.


Arriving at UTL, we were greeted by the English Department staff, offered fruit and cheese to sustain us, and then whisked off to our class assignments. Team I and II each met with four classes. We all agreed that we were very impressed with the Leon students and staff, and we enjoyed a variety of class formats during our brief stay. We particularly appreciated the preparation and thoughtful questions posed by the Leon students who interviewed us concerning the Presidential election and U.S policy.


Following our morning classes we were served a delicious lunch in the staff meeting room which had been prepared by one of the teachers. Our Global Group was presented with individual awards in recognition by the Dean of the English Department. After a few photo ops in front of Global Volunteers banner, we boarded the bus for our return to Delores.


We enjoyed a few hours of "down time" during which some volunteers were wowed by a charismatic Catholic mass at the church on the plaza. Dinner at El Carruaje was a treat – the enchiladas verdes were delicious. WE topped off the evening with a nightcap at the Suite Bar next door to Las Campanas. Imanuel served us well and Janet enjoyed his version of “La Bandera”, a drink served in three parts and representing the 3 colors of the Mexican flag- white, green, and red, represented by lime juice, tequila, and spicy tomato juice.

Finally, it’s to bed in anticipation of another very busy day in Delores.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Nov. 4th - Election Day

From Janet Brown

After a breakfast which included Pan de Muerto the volunteers strode or taxied to the university. Group I met with Rosalia’s class where the students were prepared to ask many questions. Group II met with Marcia’s group where the students practiced listening and note taking.

Today’s classes ranged from level 1 students whose English was very limited to upper levels where for example, conversational sessions with Nathan’s class included practicing interviewing skills.

One adjustment to the schedule occurred with our Spanish instruction class which is postponed to another day. It gave the group time to put our feet up (figuratively) and share experiences. I was glad to hear Larry say that this is one of the best experiences of his life. I found it interesting to share the details of ice fishing in Northern Wisconsin – I don’t think that the students believed that people would sit on ice and catch fish through a hole.

After school, Karl led an expedition through the market where we saw all manner of things for sale from food to clothing to gadgets for children.

We had dinner at the Hotel El Caudillo where Larry continued his enjoyment of mole and some of the others had chicken smothered with a sauce made from corn fungus.

We adjourned to our hotel to check out election results on Fox, the only English language election returns available. We had to go to bed before all results were in as we have an early morning trip to Leon

Thought for the Day: “We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together, and if we are to live together, we have to talk.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday, November 3, 2008

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

Our morning started at 8:30, our country coordinator Carl explained that we will meet with some of our teachers for breakfast. A fantastic breakfast was served at what only can be described as the courtyard of a beautiful impressive renovated home. From there we retired to a private meeting room in the back of the restaurant, loosing Dean in the process. Concern for his whereabouts a search was started. And he was found at the University. We were then divided into two teams. We entered the school seeing many of the young excited faces of the student body as we entered. After a meeting with the Dean of the school and his impressive introduction of each Global Volunteer Team 11, we all felt very welcome, and a lot more important than we thought..

We then went to classrooms, were introduced to the students, shared some of our personal historys, and were presented with a list of questions to ask the students. The early morning class was for beginner English speaking students, difficult but fun. The afternoon class was for intermediate students who had a beginning understanding of English, although not confident in their speaking skills there were lively conversations, and questions were exchanged on many topics. We were all asked about the Presidential elections by both teachers and students and we were surprised by their interest in the subject.

Team 1 assignment was to teach adults and advanced English speakers late in the day, Team 2 mission was to shop for our needed supplies, so we were off to Mercado Soriana, the large “Walmart” type store where Nan purchased a bright purple rolling backpack for just under $13.00 US dollars. My teammates agreed that yes, bright purple was my color.

We returned to the hotel with our supplies and met up with Team 1. Our new G.V. Larry loved his introduction to Mexico and the Global Volunteer goals, and the students and facility of the University. A remark uttered by Larry that this had been “one of the best days of his life” and the veteran Global Volunteers said in unison-"yes we know."

Dinner was once again a great success, and then it was time to retire to our rooms and groan at the early hour to once again forge ahead.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Yes, we can make a difference!

Nan Houston Lovejoy


Sunday, November 2, 2008

GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS TEAM 11, DELORES HIDALGO, MEXICO

Everybody arrived luggage and all – yesterday. All safe and looking forward to another Global Volunteer adventure. There are six of us plus Carl, our country manager.

The whole team officially met for the first time over breakfast. Introductions were made and background info exchanged. Following that we had our team orientation. Carl led by explaining his Global Volunteers role. After-wards Carl took the group on a walking, shop until you drop tour. We had a late lunch and waited for our ride. During our fast but safe trip, we passed through San Miguel De Allende, otherwise known as “Gringo Gulch” and arrived at out Delores Hidalgo hotel about fiveish.

Following time to unpack, Carl took the group on another walking tour followed by dinner. A busy day indeed!

Dean Houston


Arrival at Dolores Hidalgo

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If crime didn’t pay, who would bother to be a crook?

Everybody arrived luggage and all – yesterday. All safe and looking forward to another Global Volunteer adventure. There are six of us plus Carl, our country manager.

The whole team officially met for the first time over breakfast. Introductions were made and background info exchanged. Following that we had our team orientation. Carl led by explaining his G.V. role. After-wards Carl took the group on a walking, shop until you drop tour. We had a late lunch and waited for our ride. During our fast but safe trip, we passed through San Miguel De Allende, otherwise known as “Gringo Gulch” and arrived at out Dolores Hidalgo hotel about fiveish.

Following time to unpack, Carl took the group on another walking tour followed by dinner. A busy day indeed!

Dean Houston