Paul Holland
2010- I'm visiting Cuernavaca, Mexico, for six weeks with the "Partners in Education 2010 Fulbright-Hays Groups Abroad" program. Thanks to Dr. Colleen Ebacher and Dr. Ronn Pineo from Towson University, Towson, MD, USA, 16 teachers will be experiencing and learning about Mexican social, economic, and cultural issues. We have a very busy schedule, listening to many lectures, often going until 8 at night. And over the six-week period we will be visiting dozens of historical sites throughout the area. Cuernavaca is called "The City of Eternal Spring." esolpkh
2008 Trip: I'm traveling to Antigua, Guatemala, to learn a little Spanish. Antigua is touted as being a beautiful, historic city near the captial, Guatemala City. Although I've read things on the internet that make me a bit wary (carjackings, busjackings, tourists being robbed/killed, etc.), I'm hoping the claims are exaggerated. One quote about a tour up one of the volcanos reads as follows: "it is still recommended that visitors travel with a tour group that is accompanied by armed guards." Yes, armed guards. How comforting. The negatives aside, Antigua is called the City of Eternal Spring because of its pleasant weather. I've arranged to live in a Homestay, which means I'll be living in the home of a Spanish-speaking family. More to come...
2007 Trip: I'm an ESOL teacher in Baltimore City, USA (a shout out to Highlandtown ES, 215, and the BCPSS ESOL staff!) visiting friends and family around the world. This is a web log/journal of my circling-the-globe adventures or possibly misadventures. I hope you enjoy following my trek to Taiwan (Taichung), Australia (Sydney/Perth), Malaysia (Kaula Lumpur), Greece (Athens/Mykonos/Santorini), The Netherlands (Amsterdam/Zwolle), and then back home. The journey will take 42 days. "To Life and Living It"
Travel Blog Posts
August 14th 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010 Well I'm back in the States safe and sound. The Fulbright Program in Mexico was intense and something I'll always treasure as a great opportunity. I now have a better appreciation for fresh clean water, food that I can buy without chemically treating it to kill bacteria, a good-paying job with benefits, the luxury of time to do with as I want, good health (and healthcare), and any number of other things. There's nothing like visiting a part of the world like Mexico and seeing firsthand how people are struggling to meet their most basic needs. 12 and 14 hour work days are common/6 days a week. The daily wage at Walmart is $5. That's for ONE day. Some things may be cheaper in Mexico, but they're not that cheap. But Mexico ... read more
August 4th 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010 On Saturday we got up early to start the day at 8am on a bus to see Puebla and many of the stunning churches in the surrounding area. Puebla is a large, colonial-style town that I could easily live in. It has a large modern area, along with its more historic part. I like the fact that it's flat as well, and easy to get around in. All the churches we saw were extremely ornate with a mix of European dominance and indigenous details. It's hard to capture the work and detail in pictures. ... read more
August 4th 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010 Sunday was our opportunity to attend a cooking class in Tepoztlan to experience some native dishes... gourmet style. We drove taxis to the scenic town which is believed to have special spiritual powers. It's nestled among impressive cliffs. A few ventured to the ruins atop one of the mountains, an arduous and tricky hike. It was a beautiful, spring-like day, but now that I've got a cold or "walking pneumonia" (haven't decided which one yet), I wasn't quite up to the task. We did have a fun time preparing our meal for the day.... read more
VAMOS- Our Community Service Learning Day
Published: August 3rd 2010North America » Mexico » Morelos » Cuernavaca
August 3rd 2010
Monday, August 2, 2001 Yesterday we volunteered at VAMOS, an organization that helps the poor, to help paint their building and prepare the food for their "la comida" (big meal of the day). It was a warm and sunny day, and the place was high up in the mountains outside of Cuernavaca. Once we left the outskirts of town and headed up, most of the roads were dirt with plenty of potholes. The people that run the meal do have a routine. The children sit down and eat, brush their teeth (which I videoed), take a vitamin, then play or work on crafts. Of course, the kids don't always do it in that order. ... read more
August 3rd 2010
Friday, July 30, 2001 We went to the Brady Museum way back on the 14th, but I forgot my camera. So when a friend, Diana Siemer, from Baltimore came to Cuernavaca on a scholarship for 2 weeks, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to show her this unique museum and get my pictures. The low down on this guy is that he inherited loads of money. His parents owned the Mayflower moving company. So what better thing could you do with your life than to travel to distant parts of the world, collect outrageous art, decorate a beautiful mansion with it, and then invite lots of famous and outrageous people to your house in sunny, cool, quaint Cuernavaca, Mexico for cocktails and parties. ... read more
July 23rd 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010 The Arts in the Schools: Arts for the most part are absent in public schools. And private schools are much better. They are not part of the regular school program, unless it’s a “special” school. Otherwise, it’s usually an extracurricular activity that costs a lot of money. ***** Tonight's presentation was on women in the arts. The first one wove cloth, the second painted, and the third played a small guitar and acts in local theater. They came to talk about their art. Mostly they said how much artists struggle to survive. The situation sounds similar to the one in the U.S., but, of course, things are always much more difficult here. The economy, like elsewhere, is suffering, too. One came to Mexico from Guatemala. She and her husband weave to make ... read more
July 21st 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 The Doctor's Visit: On Monday I started to develop a problem in my right ear. It felt like it had water in it, but it didn't. It was the kind of thing that I hoped was minor and would go away on its own. Tuesday I felt very dizzy (dizzier than normal that is) when I got out of bed or stood up from sitting. I also felt slightly nauseated. By the time Wednesday came I realized I had to see a doctor. The nice thing here is, and maybe it just applies to our school, is the doctor actually made a visit to the school. I can't think of the last time I heard of a "house call" happening in the U.S. And the real surprise is that it only cost ... read more
Lecture on Dying Languages Heard by Andrea
Published: July 21st 2010North America » Mexico » Morelos » CuernavacaJuly 21st 2010
I copied and pasted the following. They are notes from one person in our group who attended a lecture about the dying languages in the world. *** Yesterday when I was working at the school in the afternoon, I was invited to see a film that Dr. Elliot from Texas was showing about two linguists' searches and efforts to document dying languages. One was from Bolivia. If you are interested, below are some notes I put together. There is also a website where you can read about Dr. Elliot's continuing research with the Indians of Oaxaca that speak Triqui. July 19th, 2010 An accidental class on linguists and dying languages When I was studying alone at the school yesterday afternoon, some people came in to see a movie with Dr. Raymond Elliot called The Linguists. I ... read more
July 21st 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 We went to Santiago Tianguistenco Market (try saying that just ONE time fast), which is a huge regional market that "pops up" only on Tuesdays. Like all the other markets, this is where the common folk buy what they need. It's very similar to the markets in other towns, except that it's much, much larger, covering blocks of the town, making the roads near the center impassable by car. They sell fruits, vegetables, meats, shoes, pots, pans, clothes, purses, fly swatters, CDs, rubber gloves (in red), and about anything else you can imagine. It's sensory overload. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain most of the time, so it wasn't that enjoyable. Even though they have tarps covering most of the stalls and walkways, the plastic sheets are a patchwork, so there's no ... read more
NPR Radio Interview about Our Fulbright Program
Published: July 19th 2010North America » Mexico » Morelos » CuernavacaJuly 19th 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010 This is the link to the interview that our director and one of the Fulbright teachers gave that was played on NPR (National Public Radio) on Monday. They explain the program and its goals. http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/719102/... read more
esolpkh
| Joined | June 12th 2007 | Trips | 3 |
| Last Login | October 19th 2011 | Followers | 0 |
| Status | BLOGGER | Follows | 0 |
| Blogs | 51 | Guestbook | 67 |
| Photos | 947 | Forum Posts | 5 |
Options
Trips
2007- Around the World
June 16th 2007 -» August 6th 2007
2008- Guatemala
July 5th 2008 -» July 20th 2008
2010- Fulbright-Hays Program in Cuernavaca, Mexico
June 27th 2010 -» ongoing
June 16th 2007 -» August 6th 2007
2008- Guatemala
July 5th 2008 -» July 20th 2008
2010- Fulbright-Hays Program in Cuernavaca, Mexico
June 27th 2010 -» ongoing
Blogged From
TravelBlog Awards
Top Photos
Tot: 0.087s; Tpl: 0.003s; cc: 10; qc: 89; dbt: 0.0553s; 1; s:notus w:www (50.28.61.183); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.8mb
