Zacatecas 2009

Election 2 - Lindsey

2009-06-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

Even the kids get involved in these election campaigns!

Election - Lindsey

2009-06-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

There is an election coming up on July 5th. If you thought the last U.S. election was exciting, it was nothing like the excitement here in Zacatecas! This a picture from just one of the political rallies.

Toma de Zacatecas - Taking of Zacatecas by Gift

2009-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

95 years ago today, Francisco “Pancho” Villa entered the city of Zacatecas. Then two days later on June 23, 1914 he led his army in the taking of Zacatecas from the hands of General Victoriano Huerta, the rising dictator of Mexico at the time.

This victory was significant to the Mexican Revolution as it began the end of Huerta’s regime as well as a season of peace in

Mexico

, which makes today a very special day for Zacatecans. And what do Zacatecans do on a day like this??? They go to the streets and celebrate, of course!

Quotes by Abril: Numero Seis

2009-06-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Cohort 8: after a looong discussion of simplifying a phrase

from 3 words down to one for coding purposes…

Emily finally concedes to change it on one condition,
"Fine, then can we all promise not to get confused?"

Quotes by Abril: Numero cinco

2009-06-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Standing inside the ATM booth....

Bekah's card got stuck.

Happens to someone at some point no matter what country you are in.

What should you do?

A) quietly leave the booth and seek assistance from the real people in the actual bank to fix your problem?

B) Call the 1-800 number and put a hold on your account until you can get a new card?

C) Punch the machine until the blasted thing spits it back out?

What did they do?

Christina punched the machine to which Bekah replies:

"there's a camera right there"

so Christina looks at the camera and says "I'm sorry"

Just Say It, Zacatecas. By: Sarah W.

2009-06-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm all about open communication and just saying what the dealio is. Actually, to be quite honest and open while I have the floor, I'll just come out and say it:

I want a "DTR" with the local population here.

(A DTR is most commonly understood as "Defining the Relationship"
or, even sometimes, "Destroying the Relationship."
Mostly, it's like a Baptist college blurry friendship to relationship thing... I digress...)

The last couple days have been filled with a few hints that maybe Ocho is “not all that.”

Perhaps the people of Zacatecas and Guadalupe, Mexico just “aren’t that into us.”

Why would I say this? Well, there are the obvious signs…

They don’t write.

They don’t call.

They don’t show up for interview appointments.

What am I supposed to think?

Please. We are really pretty and everything, perhaps one of the prettiest cohorts in a long time (ha), but this isn’t the first time any of us has been stood up (right?).

I know it’s not just me because other people have been experiencing it, too.

Or maybe it is just me and I’m ruining April’s research experience…

But, all joking aside, we have been very fortunate to have a lot of good runs with interviews. Families, couples, and individuals have been overly accommodating and kind to us, so I don’t mind a few no-shows here and there.

But don't worry, Zaca,
I'm pickin up what you're puttin down...

and p.s. Alin's happy birthday was yesterday... it was, indeed, very happy. Perhaps pictures will ensue...

Where are the chopsticks? by Lindsey

2009-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

One day Gift and I were hungry for Chinese food. We remembered seeing a Hong Kong restaurant not far from our hotel, so we decided to try it. Unfortunately, this restaurant didn't even have chopsticks! Looks like we are going to have to stick to tortillas from now on. Mexico is great at making those! Or, if we get really desperate for Chinese food, we may have to find a kitchen where Bekah can cook for us =)

precious information to have ANYWHERE !!!! by Alin V.

2009-06-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Cockroaches (or simply "roaches") are insects of the order Blattaria. This name derives from the Latin word for "cockroach", Barata.

There are about 4,000 species of cockroach, of which 30 species are associated with human habitations and about four species are well known as pests.

Among the best-known pest species are the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, which is about 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long, theAsian cockroach, Blattella asahinai, also about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) in length, and the Oriental cockroach,Blatta orientalis, about 25 millimetres (0.98 in). Tropical cockroaches are often much bigger, and extinct cockroach relatives such as the Carboniferous Archimylacris and the Permian Apthoroblattina were several times as large as these.

What to do IN CASE of an “encounter” with a Cockroach or ENCOUNTER 101:

STEP 1. Don't run, he will run first !!!!

STEP 2. Don't yell, he's already trying to hide...

STEP 3. Don't. He has a family too. Why killing him? Move…he was there first !!!

STEP 4. You will never win the fight… but, go one…everybody tries at a certain point in life...

Quotes by Abril: Numero cuatro

2009-06-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Taking our stroll around the "Aztec" or not aztecan ruins.... we came across a courtyard to which we realize was a very important cultural center including tribal gatherings and human sacrifices, to which Bekah says....

"Ooh! Christina and April - come with me! Let's be the human sacrifices -

David! You go be the king!..."

A GSP student for ya... ;)

Our Adventure to La Quemeda by Bekah and Christina

2009-06-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Since we learned we'd be coming to Mexico we knew we had to see the ancient pyramids that were in the area. We learned that the largest ones were around eight hours away by bus so we opted to go to La Quemada, a ruins just outside the city of Zacatecas. We boarded the bus this morning with the majority of our cohort members and headed out. Miles of desert and farmland later we got off two miles from the ruins. Walking down the long, seemingly endless, cacti surrounded road we wondered if we'd ever arrive. The ticket booth appeared and we paid our 40 pesos to see the ruins of an ancient civilization. The pyramid was on top of the only hill in the area and we scaled it to find what we'd desired at the top after some doubts. It loomed at the end of an ancient "ball field ". Square and massive it had large steps reaching to a ledge at the middle of its height. We continued to climb the mountian to see the other structures in the area. There was another half pyramid built into the cliff. We came upon a human sacrifice altar and the area where the rituals occured. We imagined what living in this desolate environment so many years ago, tentatively 6thc. AD, would look like. From this height we could see for miles: cacti, mountains in the distance and trees. This was the head of their civilization, it connected the many ranchers and peasants that were ruled from this spot. So much has come before us, what will we leave behind?

Another kind of .... callejoniada !!!

2009-06-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

I heard another callejoniada going on around the block. I joined them and could observe a really interesting thing. There were some “macho” guys among them; they looked more like gang members in the United States. Long t-shirts, drag and drop jeans, baseball straight caps, shiny diamante earrings and the walk, yes, the walk….

One of them spoke English so I asked him what was going on. He said that this is a family throwing a street party and they invited more people to come, most of them were around high school age. Usually the crowd follows the musical band and when they stop, the crowd starts dancing. What I could observe was that the guys dressed like gang members where not even moving, untouched by the music, the dance, the motion. They had to keep a status.

I stood there observing that....

...even if the callejoniada is happening for 10, 15 years (according to John), if the ,,gang” effect would spread, callejoniada would really suffer great changes.... everybody would just: "chill"

Out there... continuing...

Alin V.

So who's running the show? by Gift

2009-06-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

The street that we live on never sleeps, it seems. A variety of activities (and oh the noise!) fill the street beginning at around 9am in the morning till about 3am the next day. If it isn’t the Callejonada that makes its way several times up & down and around the block (see Christina and Bekah’s post), it would be some random organization like the organic chemistry association reunion from a local university or a beauty pageant or the big-bad-spankin’-new-muffler club that would find a reason to parade ever so loudly on this street. Avenida Hidalgo has been a stage of sorts… a platform where it’s ok to put on a show. Earlier this week, however, the parade was of a different kind. A huge group of protesters marched down the avenida to express their displeasure towards the current National and State administrations. Miners, teachers and concerned citizens alike united to become a megaphone of demand for change in light of the up-coming senatorial election. They were loud and did not hold anything back. Ever since Mexico’s long-time ruling political party, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), lost control of the lower legislative house in 1997 and the presidency in 2000, there has been chaos and instability in the government. As a consequence, there has been a void of sound leadership among the Mexican people. According to one of our participants, “the government has no credibility. It looks like a democracy, but it isn’t. People see the government as a show.”

At the Drop of a "Sombrero".... by Abril

2009-06-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently Sarita and I don't really think things through sometimes....

We went to check out the famous 'Teatro de Calderon'

to be up on our Zacatecan sites and culture.

Weeeeeeeeeelllllll.

There just so happened to be this show playing at the exact moment we went in to check it out! I mean, the poster looked really cool. It had this Arabian woman on the front and it was all in Espanol so we thought

"how interesting! to see these two cultures play out"....

So we bought our tickets and settled into the middle of a row towards the front.

(Hindsight... shoulda sat in the back on the aisle for a quick getaway...)

So we are looking around and taking mental notes for really awesome observation notes later...

(*winkwink* Hope you are reading this Dr. Ryan...)

However we start to notice there are a lot of families here with flowers,

(which sends up the first red flag)

Then the lights go down, and the curtain and all the familias' cameras go up.

(second red flag)

That feeling of being ripped off or duped slowly comes over us as we watch what turns out to be a group of teenagers, not in synche i might add, attempt to do some sort of bellydance to this Spanish, Indian, Middle Eastern song....question mark?

(third red flag)

When the second group comes out... the gig is up.

It's official.

We payed 50 pesos to come to a School's Bellydancing Dance Recital.

Volunteer work... an "upper class" concept? by Gift

2009-06-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

This is Jose Fernando, the gentleman with whom Alin, David and I got acquainted on the bus as we headed off to take part in cleanning the streets of Bracho, the town where Zacatecas City was founded. There is a nation-wide movement called, “Limpiemos Nuestro Mexico!” (Let’s Clean Up

Mexico!

). The local municipality, including advocate like Jose Fernando, has committed to making “A Better Zacatecas” and has invited its citizens in cleaning its streets and towns. As grateful as Jose Fernando was for our help, he expressed disappointment for the lack of participation from the community. He says, “the people are just not in this mind-set.”

Quotes by Abril: numero tres

2009-05-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I were conducting our first interview with Pepe tonight.....

Pepe: "I have a very rare personality. I am very cheesey."

Abril: "Oh Pepe, we are going to be such good friends!"

Interviews and Rock Concerts! by Christina and Bekah

2009-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Today we had our first interview with our interpreter. He is a student at the state university here studying to be a veterinarian. He has some interesting views about family, politics, etc. We enjoyed getting started and beginning our journey as researchers. Later today we were able to attend yet another festivity outside our hotel in the plaza. A politically sponsored rock concert took place surrounded by a younger crowd. We are definitely beginning to see the many sides of the city.

So it begins....

2009-05-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

We have begun interviewing and data collecting with a BANG! Tonight, Jody and I went to a married couple’s home and interviewed the mom. She spoke fluent English and was able to communicate not only her words, but her thoughts and ideas to us. She is getting her Masters of Philosophy at the University in Zacatecas and doing her theses on the hermeneutical analysis of Bull Fighting. She is an environmental activist, and had some amazing thoughts/views on the drug war going on here as well as the Swine Flue. She offered insights we could never have asked for. It was fantastic! The interview was a few hours long, and we could have gone longer. We are going to meet her and her musician husband for dinner/drinks on Wednesday. They are eager to tell us more.

The interview ended up being exactly what we want while we are here: We are here to learn. We are not here to impose our standards, ideologies, or Americanization upon any of the people. We are here to take a “one down” position and learn from our participants. Such learning can only take place when you humble yourself and mentally prepare to have your ideas/stereotypes rocked.

Best!
Emily

Callejoneada by Bekah

2009-05-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just now as we write this there is a Callejoneada (street party) happening right outside our hotel. This involves live bands dressed in 16th century costumes, dancing, balloons, cups on strings and a lot of alcohol! This phenomenon is said to happen weekly here usually brought about by students who travel through the streets stopping to dance in the plazas, imitating a 400 year old Spanish tradition. Christina and I had the fortune to observe this unique event twice tonight after our full day of acclimating to this city. We are excited about learning more about this aspect of the culture here.

Quotes by Abril #2

2009-05-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

The new Ocho Cheer: practice it, learn it, love it!!

Earthquake!

Prisonbreak!

Swine flu Outbreak!

Goooo Zacatecas!!

-courtesy of Dr Ryan

Walmart - Siempre! by Lindsey

2009-05-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to meet our interpreters this afternoon, and they were excited to show us around the city. This evening our interpreters accompanied us on the bus to Walmart. Can you believe it - Walmart?! It had everything from Kellogg's cereal to typical Mexican pastries. Also, we hear that the large superstore across the street called Soriano is owned by a Chinese company. Having stores like this has obviously affected the economy of Zacatecas and many other aspects of life here in Mexico. In the coming weeks, it will be interesting to learn how globalization has affected the way the Zacatecans live.

Church Bells Ring! by Gift

2009-05-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

We live a couple of blocks away from the the Plaza de Arma where the famous Catedral is located.

The richly decorated, carved red-stone Catedral

was built in the early 1600s and reported to be looted during the civil wars in the 19th and 20th century. The benefit of living a couple of blocks away from the Catedral is that you do not need an alarm clock to wake you up. The church bells do that for you very early in the morning!

Off to Zacatecas!!! by Gift

2009-05-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning the cohort left Guanajuato and headed northwest. About 4 hours later, we arrived in Zacatecas city, the location where we will be carrying out our research. Zacatecas city, like Guanajuato, is rich in history as it is in the mineral that is known for -- silver. For the next five weeks we will be making our home in a hotel located in the heart of downtown Zacatecas on one of the busiest and most vibrant streets in the city.

Quotes by Abril... Numero Uno

2009-05-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Wisdom of Guanajuato:

Sarah and I were buying water at a little shop and tried rather pitifully to carry on a conversation. The shop lady's response to our lack of Espanol was,

"Go to discoteca, drink tequila, and you will speak soo much Spanish!"

Guanajuato, Mexico - An Inviting Place

2009-05-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Cohort eight had a wonderful introduction to Mexico. We arrived in Leon, Guanajuato early Tuesday morning on May 26 and took a van to Guanajuato City. The driver took us through tunnels that used to be the Rio Guanajuato riverbed, but today serve as the city's main road system. Guanajuato produced 20% of the world's silver for 250 years since it was discovered in 1558. The richness of the city's colonial past is evident in its remarkable Spanish colonial-structured buildings, vibrantly-painted houses, eye-catching doors (not to mention intriguing door-knockers) and cobble-stoned roads. The apparent tourism infrastructure and the presence of La Universidad de Guanajuato, among others, draw scores of people from all over the world, including cohort eight!