June 16, 2008

On our first day we were invited to a breakfast in our honor at the university. We met the teachers and for the first time a department/major head spoke to us about his major, Environmental Technology. This was new and we could tell he was a bit nervous but we appreciated the effort. We then interacted with the students for 3 hours and it was a great experience for everyone. After school we returned to the Hotel Hidalgo and continued our cultural exploration through the city. During dinner we made plans for the weekend and for volunteering for the Saturday classes.

Another first for the program: We have been invited to have dinner in the homes of some of the students and professors! Several volunteers are very interested and excited about this opportunity.

Team arrives in Querétaro

As with any team that is new, there are stages that must be experienced: storming, forming, norming and performing. During the orientation session today our team was in the storming phase for sure. There was apparently different expectations for the university, Global Volunteers and the volunteers. Poor Carl was caught in the middle of making everyone satisfied--I´m sure he will prevail! In the end, we must remember we are here for the benefit of the students.

It´s an awesome experience we have to be invited into another country´s culture and I challenge us all to leave our own cultural experiences behind to fully engage in this gift. Through our team building exercises we have learned that we are a diverse, educated, spirited and opinionated group of people excited to mke a difference here.

Our last day in Dolores. Up and packed and out to UTNG for a final, 8:00 a.m. class with Rosalie, helping her students practice their conversations for next week’s oral exam. This was a final reminder of how much fun it has been working with these young people.

Then a wonderful send-off ceremony, with speeches from the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and a couple of more advanced students, traditional songs, and a karaoke number in English. Our host at the pulqueria and his wife were also there, and it was wonderful to be able to thank them again for their hospitality. We were given certificates of appreciation and, in turn, thanked UTNG for letting us work with them and see what a wonderful future they are building for Mexico.

We then set off for Guanajuato. The mountain ride was as glorious as at our arrival, but now we recognized names and landmarks…our Mexico. We dropped our bags in our rooms and headed out for the city center. What an exciting city – bustling with energy on a Friday afternoon. We saw the Diego Rivera museum and the marvelous architecture and exhibits at the Alhondiga museum.

Also ran into Chuy on the street, on his way to class. Lunch outside in a shady square, a little shopping, and some people watching in the green Jardin Union. Our final dinner was at a window table overlooking all the activity in the square – mimes, costumed musicians, and hundreds of people out enjoying the evening. Back to our hotel for an early night since Evelyn and Mary have a 4:15 a.m. taxi to the airport. Joyce will enjoy a more leisurely departure on Saturday.

While we’re all looking forward to home, that Willy Nelson song comes to mind, “On the road again…just can’t wait to get on the road again…”

Our last full day in Dolores. Joyce and Mary took a last walk around down town before breakfast, when the city is so cool an green.

After our morning meeting, we walked-up to the campus for the last time, since tomorrow we'll ride up with Carl. We had three classes , two with Chuy and one with Bill. Students are still hard-working and eager, but exam time is starting; and many of them are focussing on next week's finals.

Spent the break in the library and returned to the sac for conversation club only to find the room full of students taking exams. After waiting next door for some time we returned to the teachers' area where Marcia brought us one final student for conversation practice.

Back to the hotel with Carl where we'll have our final meeting and and head off to a party at Vero's. Tomorrow morning we have an 8am class with Rosalie, a good-bye ceremony, and then we're off to spend an afternoon and evening in Guanajuato prior to am Saturday flights back home.

So many final thoughts... but a short one: Truly it is in giving that we receive... and we all have all received so much from our volunteer experience in Dolores.

The last week is rapidly coming to an end and we are getting more used to the program and the lovely town of Dolores.

We had a late start for classes, 10:20 am, so we could enjoy some time in town. Got a ride to campus with Carl and had a great variety of classes again. Some are small and quick to speak English. Other classes may be large and are having English classes for the first time. But all of the students are receptive and seem to enjoy our presence.

We spend an hour at 4:00 pm in Conversation Club to help those who want extra time to practice. Have met some industrious kids.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Plaza Restaurant and took a brief stroll around the park. Actually saw one of our students dancing in the band shell. His specialty was “break dancing.”

THOUGHT: No matter how thin the pancake, there´s always another side.

George Vecsey, NY Times sports writer

Today was the first of three late-start days. Our first class only began at 10:20. This afforded Joyce a chance to roam around Dolores taking photos to preserve and reinforce her memories, and we all had a nice breakfast at the Plaza Restaurant.

We worked with Marcia for the first time today. Marcia is an expatriate American with a more direct teaching style than we have observed. The kids came to class on time! In her classes we prepared the students for an oral exam on describing other people. ¨Jeans” is a word they all know!

The Conversation Club had more advanced students today and was quite interesting. We could see how they are starting to grapple with the age-old conflict of remaining at home (Dolores, San Felipe, etc.) or moving away from family to pursue economic opportunity. They were smart and funny.

Our host at the hotel drove us out to the country to visit the 2^nd oldest church in the Americas – a rare treat. This was followed by a barbecue in the hotel patio, hosted by Sr. Pompeio, which was an excellent conclusion to yet another fascinating day.

THOUGHT: An adventure is only an inconvenience right considered.

G.K. Chesterton

Hi ho! It’s back to work we go. After reviewing our first week on Sunday evening, we’re all committed to week two, but the alarms did seem to go off awfully early this morning. (The switch to daylight savings time didn’t help – it was dark outside.)

After a meeting with Carl, he drove us (what luxury) to campus and then headed back to Querétero.

We had our first class with Nathan and worked in groups on the concepts he provided us. Back in the teachers´area, Joyce dutifully transcribed the log, and we all waited for our first class with Veronica. Unfortunately, she was sick today, but Jaime eventually found us and took us to her class for a 15-minute session, which we hope was of some help to the students.

Next was JJ´s class, where he challenged us to create and deliver a lesson. After five minutes of brainstorming, we decided to use world maps and have the students plan a vacation – pricing tickets, packing, etc. It went quite well.

This was doubly fortunate because, after a quick snack chez UTNG, we had a second group of Veronica’s students to manage on our own. Although they were at a slightly different level from JJ´s, the lesson plan worked.

After a break, we met in the resource room with the Conversation Club. At first, there was only one participant, Gerald, an amazing UTNG graduate who had just returned from working in the US due to his father’s sudden death. His intelligence, focus, and drive were inspiring. Towards the end of the session, a couple of beginning students joined us, and we hope they come back to practice.

Dinner at El Caudillo – our waiter wanted to practice his English so ordering was a bit of a hodge-podge, but still a pleasant evening.

Heavy traffic around El Jardín -- watched an ambulance try to weave its way through, then home to the hotel.

THOUGHT: Ignatius Loyola’s “What profits a man if he gain’s the whole world but suffers the loss of his soul?” seems to speak to the Mexicans we’ve met who worked in the US but returned home.