I have not written for awhile. Been very busy! *I am providing links for further description for some of the places as it is truly too much for words.
Sunday we went to Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan and drove through Mexico City on the way back. It was a very long, very amazing day. I don't have adequate words - in any language - to describe the experience. It was majestic and ancient and beautiful and peaceful and breathtaking. My soul was calmed as I thought of those who created this place and their connection to nature and science and their gods and their greater influence on the world. I was in awe!!
On a personal note, I have a fear of heights and the stairs to the top of all the pyramids were very high, very steep with no handrails. But I made myself climb to the top. And then I was stuck. At the top. And my only options were to live up there or climb down. And as I am writing this on a computer with wifi it is obvious I made it down.
On the way back to Cuernavaca we drove through Mexico City. Loved it. The Pride parade happened the day before and there were remnants of the festivities all over the city. We are heading back to Mexico City this weekend so I will write more about it then.
Monday we had an art class after school. It was taught by a local artisan who makes flowers and small animals out of palm leaves. I tried numerous times. He showed me more than multiple times. But I could not make the loop with the correct twist to be able to do the weaving. He completed the work for me. I am not saying this to be self deprecating, rather to revisit the idea of "unskilled labor." I am an "educated" women but I could not grasp how to properly manipulate my hands to create the pieces of art which I saw him making effortlessly as he walked down the street. There are so many skill sets different people have, but some are more valued than others - in every sense. In terms of pay, class, and respect. That is unfortunately a universal truth that continues to disturb me.
Then we had a late dinner with Carmen's family. It was at an Italian restaurant called Marco Polo and the food and conversation were perfect. I cannot say enough about the kindness all people have shown me on this trip, but especially Carmen and her family. They are just good people in every sense of the word. Even though Carmen is close in age to my mother, I am able to hear her in a different way because she is not my mom. In tandem with Spanish, I am learning about life and the kind of person I aspire to be from her. My mom's messages might be the same, but even though I have to translate what Carmen is saying I can accept it. I think simply because she is not my mom...
Tuesday we went to two schools - which are located in the same town but could not be more different. The first is a bilingual school with Spanish and Nahuatl. The students were lovely. We heard them sing a song in Nahuatl which the school is trying to preserve. The physical accommodations of the school were limited, but the evident care and guidance from the teachers were abundant. The kids were proud to share their language and academic skills. The school was created in close proximity to where the students live so they can attend school. The parents are artisans who sell their crafts in downtown Cuernavaca. A few families graciously opened their homes to us. And to share the educational and artisan accomplishments of their children.
The second school was Marymount which is a private school - the first private school I visited here in Mexico. I have been on private school campuses in the USA and other countries - both high school and university - and this campus was pristine. All the facilities were top notch from the library to the technology in all classrooms to the dining room and food itself. It was overwhelmingly magnificent. I have been told, by many, that Mexico itself is a country of contrast. And while as an outsider I can respect that, I question that same issue in the USA.
I can and do question the funding and equity of the school system - the PUBLIC school system - in the USA. Because I live on the west side of Austin (Austin the is the dividing street between the west side of Chicago and Oak Park) my children were able to attend Oak Park schools. Which has a higher tax base so the schools are well funded.
Do I want the best education possible for my own kids? Of course!
Do I want the best education possible for someone else's kids? Of course! And if that means another family gets free preschool or free breakfast or free childcare because they need it and my kids did not am I willing to pay for it? Of course!
The quality and access to education should not be determined by parents' income, educational level, culture, immigration status, linguistic background. I will only speak for the USA in this sense, but the current public school educational system is not equal and it is not working to best serve all children. And I do not just believe Mexico is a country of contrasts, I believe the world is that way. Not in terms of diversity, but in terms of opportunity in general...
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