- This is a busy week volunteering at El Centro de Esperanza Infantil. All of the kids enrolled in the program are supposed to come to the center this week to begin the registration process for school, which begins towards the end of August. That being said, there has been plenty of work to do. On Monday, I helped take photos of the kids to send to their sponsors. It was a lot of fun, and I did my best to make the kids smile for the camera! We've also been very busy sorting report cards (boletas) to send with their letters and pictures. There is still a lot of work to do, but I look forward to helping out! I also have helped to translate some letters from Spanish to English and I even got to help a high school student write his letter (in English). These activities have definitely helped to improve my skills. One of the best things about volunteering at the centro is the interaction with the kids. They are all so bubbly and happy, all the time it seems. One little girl is there every day of the week, and she is absolutely adorable! She always asks to watch videos with us, the main one being a cartoon called El Chavo. Winnie the Pooh is also quite interesting in Spanish, fyi! Volunteering at the center has been very rewarding, and I'm very glad I've had the opportunity to do so.
- Tuesday started with a bang, literally. At 6 am, fireworks were exploding very close to my house because some local church was having a celebration. The activities are really ramping up down here in preparation for La Guelaguetza, a huge cultural celebration of all things Oaxaca. Luckily my parents warned me that things would be going boom in the morning, but it was still a little startling to hear their loud explosions that early. I'm very excited to participate in the festivities, and can't wait to try some of the amazing food dishes that Oaxaca is known for!
- It has been raining in the evenings for quite a few nights this week, which has really impeded upon my desire to walk around the city. It has, however, allowed me to begin watching a new TV series, at the suggestion of my peers. Parks and Recreation. It is quickly growing on me, and also helps me with my Spanish due to the subtitles from Netflix.
- Clinicals start next week, and I am amped! We have a meeting tomorrow with our medical director, where we will be going over expectations and our schedules for the next two weeks. I'm eagerly anticipating Monday morning (I just may be one of the only people in the world doing that), but am going to take things one minute at a time so as not to miss out on something in the meantime!
- There is a café next to my language school that serves one of the best, if not the best, frappucinos I've ever had. To make things even better, they top it off with a cinnamon sugar whip cream that is too good to be true. So if you ever venture to Oaxaca, make sure to make a pit stop at Nuevo Mundo Café. You won't be disappointed!
- I finally got to check out some alibrijes today. Alebrijes are some of the art pieces by which Oaxaca has made its claim to fame. Often made by artisans in the surrounding pueblos, they are wooden sculptures extravagantly decorated and hand-painted. All are done by hand and some take around 3 months to complete. They originated in Oaxaca and are a unique art form to this region. Here is a picture of one of the many different kinds:
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| This alebrije may just jump out of the screen at you! Ribbit! |
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