Blogs from Tlacolula, Oaxaca, Mexico, North America

My first stop in Pueblos Mancomunados was Cuajimoloyas. I arrived there at around 11 AM (1h from Oaxaca to Tlacolula, 1h from Tlacolula to Cuajomoloyas) and the first thing I did was rent a room in a cabaña compartida and check out the tours they offer. If you want to hike in Cuajimoloyas, you have to hire a guide for 2 reasons : 1) you would get utterly and completely lost without one, since there are no road indications and you have to cross many private grounds ; 2) you would miss all the interesting information about the local stories, the fauna and flora there. In Cuajimoloyas, there are 5 hikes you can do : Canyón del Coyote (+/- 3 h : ... read more

I had a pet spider once. His name was Jorge. Well, I guess I can’t technically use the term ‘pet’; he was more of an acquaintance who I had a good cohabiting relationship with. Jorge and I agreed upon two things: 1. That he could live in my room as long as he never left the window sill, and 2. That he could eat as many ants as he wanted. This arrangement worked out nicely for both us. You see, I hate ants. They are horrible disgusting critters. A spider, with its 8 legs and more then enough eyes, is creepy but at least, in most cases, it works well independently. Ants, on the other hand, work in colonies. COLONIES. That’s a lot of ants. That’s a lot of ants. One bite may not hurt for ... read more

This blog entry has been constructing itself in my brain for weeks now. It’s amazing how sometimes you feel like you have so much time yet somehow the days just keep zipping past you without allowing you to accomplish what you had set out to do. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you try to save; the greedy day will find a way to use them up. When groups are here, it feels as if all of my minutes are gobbled up by the team members – I am constantly dictating what to do, where to go, how to sleep, what to eat, and (with a smile of course) responding to any other question one might come up with. When not directly with the team, I spend my alone time worried that they will find me ... read more

Well the entry title says it all! I am officially exhausted! It has been quite the week. The last time I updated, we had the KBC group arrive and at work here in the home. That was nice to have some familiar faces here - but also very busy! Leah is working as the groups coordinator, but while they are here, I am along for the ride in helping with their weekend touring and night time activity. This group was really good in terms of what they were doing at night because often they just did their group devotionals and headed to bed. But last weekend was definitely full - and fun! Last Saturday we ventured over to Monte Alban which is one of the largest and most well preserved Zapotec ruins in the area (or ... read more

It's amazing the effect that watching television can have on your perception of the world and day-to-day activites. On the positive side, it can make you more knowledgeable about certain events, nations, animals, etc. but it can also decensitize you to such things as murder, human remains, war, and many others. I noticied this more this week while paying attention to my reaction to various events that I experienced. I wasn't shocked or appauled at seeing a full display of human bones, I wasn't disgusted when shown an infected appendix that the hospital and, while visiting the Oaxacan prison, all I could think about was how an inmate might try to escape. Bones The television series 'Bones' is a recent discovery of mine. I purchased Seasons 1 through 4 when they were on sale this past ... read more