Students are getting used to the basic routine of the day: breakfast, academic seminar in the morning, workshop, lunch, workshop, free time, dinner, nightly meeting. Today’s focus was culture, so we started the morning with a seminar about American and Latin American culture–stereotypes, above and below the surface characteristics, values and traditions, and how culture can be transmitted or misappropriated.
During our first workshop we visited an art school run by the Xuchialt Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to local arts and supported in part by a partnership with one of Leon’s sister cities, Minnesota, USA. The resident artists taught us how to make a traditional sawdust carpet by adding bright dyes to bags of mini woodchips then sprinkling them in patterns on an inch-high bed of uncolored sawdust chips. Traditionally, the week before Easter groups of artists spend a day designing these directly onto the small streets of Leon, creating “carpets” of color that stretch the entire block. In the evening when the works are finished, the Easter procession starts…and the entire works get trampled on until they blur into dust, and without hard feelings. It’s an ephemeral art, like a Tibetan sand mandala. (Or like a trip abroad where one’s only takeaways will be the powerful memories?) After building our own carpets, we were a bit shocked to learn we also had to complete the tradition and stomp over our works. Luckily we got some photos first.
In the afternoon, we visited a circus arts center and challenged ourselves with salsa dancing and stilts walking. Some were more terrified by the heights; others by the dancing. But everyone embodied one of our words of the day–to do something con ganas–and students fully embraced the new opportunity and tried it out. It was a fun, sweaty, unique experience.
We capped the day with a traditional pre-Columbian Nica meal of indioviejo, an achiote-flavored stew of chicken and vegetables and thickened with ground corn.
Today was also one of our students birthday’s, so after dinner we celebrated Kush’s birthday with a surprise dulce de leche chocolate cake and a group poster and later roasted s’mores over candles.
Tomorrow we’ll be discussing aid and development and speaking with a local nonprofit.
Thanks everyone who posted comments!
Hi Kush,
It is good to see your birthday smile and that dulce de leche chocolate cake looks yummy! The carpets you guys made really look beautiful. I am glad you are experiencing different aspects of the rich culture of Leon every day and making some lifelong memories. We missed you here, but I am sure you had a gala time there.
The work on the garage has started and should be completed by the time you are back.
Love you,
Dad
To Daniel and Elly,
Thank you for arranging a surprise celebration for Kush’s birthday and for blogging every evening after what I am sure must be exhausting days of work. You are doing a wonderful job! We all love reading these blogs everyday.
Naresh
Hi everyone!
I love reading about your daily adventures.
Sophia
I hope you are enjoying all the new experiences.
Love. Mom
Hi special
Love you and miss you. Hope your having a good time. Hope your surviving without snap chap. 🙂
Embraced this experience.
Love Dad
HI Everyone, Looks like today was a lot of fun. Michael remember to take lots of pictures. What a wonderful experience for you all.
Everyone looks so happy. I’m proud of you and all that you are getting to do with new friends.
Love,
Pa
Hey special , hope you’re having fun out there and don’t forget to take lots of pictures ! We miss you , love you , Unique
Hi everyone this is Alia, Ariadna’s mom…….yeahaaa the one crying at the airport. Hi Ari. I’m exited to hear that you guys are having lost of fun. We love you’,
W Love mama bear
Kush,
Hey babe glad you got to celebrate your birthday it looked like fun ☺️ I’m still missing you, hope ur missing me too. Seems like ur learning a lot too. Can’t wait to hear about it when youre back. BTW the Leo Luau was today but it was so boring I wasted 3 hours of my life there and my Pokemon Go didnt even work the entire time there ? Anyways hope you’re doing something fun like volcano sledding or something IMY and hope to hear back from you soon. ?
Hi Maya, what beautiful carpets you all made and the circus arts center looked like fun! It’s incredible how much everyone has learned in just a few days. We miss you here but it’s comforting to know that you’re experiencing so much there. Take care, we love you!
Hi Gina/Tubby!
Good work and I hope you are having fun! 🙂
-Stubby
Hi Natalie, it was hot today but probably nothing like you’re expericing there. The swim meet against the seals was okay. I cheered on Trinity for you. I found out that the tryout for water polo will happen on the 15th at the Chabot swim club. We are all dong well and hope you are too! We miss you a lot.
Mommy, Daddy, Nathan(age 10) and Olive