1. Tlaxcala is the capital of Mexico's smallest state, Tlaxcala and is a very important historical site. Pre- conquistadores, it was home to the Olmecas. Because they were in opposition of the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes used them as an alliance to defeat the Aztecs and thus Tlaxcala became a staging ground for Spanish advancement. Today, the colonial architecture remains.
And the Huarache is a typical food in Tlaxcala: tortilla on the bottom, covered with beans, then your choice of meat (or not), cheese, and nopales (cactus).
2. New Spanish expressions (not necessarily in the workplace or volunteer context, but we did learn these from Debbie)
- ¿Quien sabe? - who knows?
- microcuencas - micro water basins, Debbie's new project
- ¿Hay una posibilidad a...? - Is there a possibility... (this way you can get out of conjugating verbs)
- No ya - not yet (Angel says this is not correct but apparently is used in the communities)
- Cuerpos de Paz introduccion - Peace Corps introduction. VERY important. Learn it.
3. Recommendations about integrating:
- Attend community events (ex: on Friday night, we went to a dance in the Zocalo, where Debbie goes semi often and has met some friends and dance partners)
- Say Yes to invites when you can (ex: we attended a fiesta that the ex-senator of Tlaxcala invited us to)
- Make yourself a "regular" (ex: Debbie frequents the same panaderia, restaurants, carpenteria, and many other shops where people now know her and she knows them)
4. Job Challenges
- Commitment and interest from the community might not be what you hope or expect
- It may be difficult to be on the same page as your boss and/or counterpart regarding funding and planning on community projects
- Not having a lot of man power; so having to start a lot of research from scratch.
5. Culturally appropriate behaviors in the workplace
- Saludos: pay attention to each person, because they are all different in the way the greet you - be prepared to shake everyones hand and give a few besos
- Get to know your coworkers. Debbie has taken the time to get to know everyone in the office and knows at least something about their personal life. It seems common to spend a few minutes chatting with each person in the office even if not work related.
- Stay professional
6. Strategies for collaboration
- Collaboration between SEMARNAT, CONAFOR, CONAGUA (government agencies). Debbie has really pressed to be able to have meetings with people from these different agencies to be able to work together. We had the opportunity to attend one of these collaboration meetings
- Attend conferences and meetings in your field to gain more knowledge and meet the experts
- Working 24-7. Networking with everyone you meet, because you never know who they'll know or what their professional background is. (ex: while hiking La Malinche on Saturday, we met 2 grad students from Yucatan who study exactly what Debbie is researching)
7. Collaborative / participatory planning process
- Meet with the office about project ideas and get feedback
- Meet with the community to find out their needs and get feedback about project
- Start project and constantly reevaluate
8. Secondary project ideas for Debbie
- Earth Day in April
- Microcuencas
9. Gender roles
- Varies by community - some women are more involved than others
- Did not seem to be a problem in the workplace
10. Other
We had a really great time and this trip probably made me more excited about my PC service than I've been yet. We got to see Debbie's cute apartment, enjoy some culture and outdoors, and got to venture out to see all the projects she is currently working on. She was a great host and a very inspirational volunteer. As she said, she's had her challenges and probably had higher expectations than she should have but she's a "raging optimist" and her positive outlook has really helped her to be successful in all her Peace Corps goals.
Here are some more pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccajoyb/TlaxcalaTrip
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