During the last two weeks of February, (March 1st deadline) I wrote a grant to study in Mexico for a month this summer. The grant opportunity was available to any teacher in the United States who teaches Spanish. However, only 30 teachers in the country would be accepted. Pretty mean odds! But, I decided to give it my best shot. I wanted this desperately -- like a dream come true.
The full title of the grant is Oregon International Institute -- Mexico: Integrating History, Language, and Culture. It's being funded by the (NEH) National Endowment for the Humanities.
The committee was to inform the applicants on April 1st. It was going to be a ve-r-r-r-r-r-y long month. Anyhow, on March 18th my phone rang and the poor man got the message, "I'm sorry, but we don't answer our phone." He started to congratulate me -- via the answer machine when I snatched that receiver right up. If you haven't already guessed, I was awarded the $2,800.00 grant. So on July 22nd, I already have my plane ticket, I will be heading to Puebla, Mexico (60 miles south of Mexico City) for a month to live with a Mexican family and study with 29 other teachers. Can you tell I'm a little excited?
The schedule is pretty intense. Our school day begins at 7:45 am. That's pretty early for summer! We have an hour of methods classes, two hours of Spanish language classes, (¿Cómo está usted?) and two more hours of classes to learn about Mexican history and culture each day. Then two afternoons per week we will take local culture & history excursions. (on-site visits and discussions) Every weekend we travel to another part of Mexico to continue our studies of the country. Some of the places we will visit are Oaxaca, Veracruz, Merida, and Mexico City. Am I in heaven yet? I know it is going to be a lot of work, but I am so looking forward to this. Oh I almost forgot, we can also take Mexican dance and music classes two nights a week. Guess what I'll be doing? ¡OLE! |
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National Endowment for the Humanities
Oregon International Council Directors
Anne Mueller & Mary Bastiani |
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Anne and Mary,
I want to tell you that I miss Puebla and all of Mexico so much. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of it. Thank you both for EVERYTHING you did to arrange for such a wonderful program. I can't even imagine the work that went into all that scheduling. As I mentioned, I run a writers and illustrators conference every year and it is tons of work, but nothing in comparison to the efforts that you each put forth to make Puebla such a huge success. Mostly, I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of it. I am so grateful. In my application, I wrote that it would be a dream come true (to be involved in this project) and it truly was. It was an amazing experience. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! |
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Fernanda -- a Mexican Cutie.
Part of my Mexican Family. |
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| My roomie, Karina, and Fernanda. |
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Lupita, her daughter, Veronica and her son, Jos?.
That's Veronica's daughter, Fernanda |
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MY MEXICAN FAMILY
Karina and I arrived at our new home on July 22nd, 2004. We shared a room together in Puebla for almost five weeks. Karina and I were the best roommates. We loved all the same things. We loved walking to school and staying up late at night -- talking, talking, talking. We loved taking pictures and filming videos and we had plenty of photo shoots. It was fun.
Our Mexican Mom was Lupita. She talked to us every morning at breakfast, in Spanish, of course, and helped us to learn her language. It was hard at first and she corrected our grammar a lot, but soon the language became a little easier as we learned more and more.
We also had a Mexican brother, but like most brothers we rarely saw him. José worked a lot of hours and we only saw him twice the whole time we were there. He was nice though.
Our Mexican sister, Veronica came over almost every day. She lived a few blocks away with her family. She always brought her little Mexican cutie, Fernanda with her. Sometimes her husband, Juan Carlos would stop by, too. |
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 | | That little piece of paper that Fernando is handing me is proof of five very busy weeks at ETC (Espanol Training Center) in Puebla, Mexico. I loved every minute of it. |
| |  | Karina gets her piece of paper, too.
We did it!!!!
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 | Time to celebrate.
Let's Party!!!!! |
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| No POMP and CIRCUMSTANCES here. This is all business. Happiness is getting that diploma. |
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| OIC NEH ETC GRADUATING CLASS of the SUMMER of 2004 |
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Graduating Class of August 2004
OREGON INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL -- NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS for the HUMANITIES
Español Training Center -- PUEBLA, MEXICO |
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 | | Let's Fiesta! Kevin, Karina, and Me |
| |  | Laura's & Carla's Family
with Laura's friend, Alfredo and me |
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 | | The Music of the Night |
| |  | | Meet my Mexican Mom, Lupita. |
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 | | Lupita & her daughter, Veronica |
| |  | IMAGINE Sol and me dancing to John Lennon's IMAGINE.
Sol added a new twist to that song. |
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 | Mary and Grace and their Family
Check out the Pinata on the table.
Now that's festive! |
| |  | Marilyn, John (the professor)
Jennifer & Patricia |
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 | | Carmen & Her Mexican Family |
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Time for Fiesta!
I'm ready! During the last week in Puebla, the English Training Center, my school, hosted a "real" Mexican fiesta for all the students and their host families. Our teachers came, too. The food was amazing and the music was great.
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| PHOTO SHOOT WITH MY ROOMMATE |
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 | | Ooops! you caught us in a photo shoot. |
| |  | You've got to love that red hat.
It's so Karina! |
| |  | | . . . and another! |
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 | | Give a smile . . . |
| |  | Row, row row, your boat.
Gently down the stream in Xochimilco.
(pronounced "So-she-milco")
Some call it the Venice of Mexico. |
| |  | | . . . get a smile. |
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My roomate, KARINA and I!
We never miss a photo op. |
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| THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS FOR THE HUMANITIES |
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The National Endowments for the Humanities (NEH) asked for all participants in the México: Integrating History, Language and Culture program sponsored by the Oregon International Council to evaluate its merits. This is what I had to say:
NEH Seminars and Institutes Program
2004 Participant Evaluation Form
Please enter your comments in the spaces below, then click the "Continue" button.
Directors: Anne Mueller & Mary Bastiani
Host Institution:
Oregon International Council
PO Box 111, Salem Oregon 97308-0111
Phone 503-375-5447, Fax 503-375-5448
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Español Training Center
Title of Seminar/Institute:
México: Integrating History, Language and Culture
Summarize your overall assessment of the experience and the effect you anticipate it will have on your teaching and scholarship.
The program was wonderful. It was filled to almost overloading and it was worth every minute. My immersion in the Mexican history, culture, and language was a most valuable experience, which I will treasure always. My love of this culture and language intensified as the weeks passed and my interaction with the Mexican people increased. I found them to be a very generous and friendly people. Their patience and their encouragement, as I fumbled with their language was heartening, and I am grateful to them for that. My language level improved greatly through my constant use, and I intend to share this knowledge in my classroom with my first graders through a variety of language lessons, which I have developed. I hope to return to México in very short time to continue my education.
Evaluate specific aspects of the program, such as the director, visiting faculty (if any), colleagues, topics, organization, discussions, and activities.
The directors, Anne Mueller and Mary Bastiani, provided a program brimming with educational value. The five weeks were tightly choreographed to include five hours of classes each day. The classes included one hour of Spanish language methods, two hours of Spanish language, and two hours of Mexican history and culture. Every afternoon we were expected to interact with the community as we completed recorridos (walking tours) of Puebla. During the recorridos, we were encouraged to meet and talk with various members of the community in order to practice our Spanish speaking skills and to learn more about the community we were living in.
In addition, each weekend we traveled to another part of México to continue our studies of the country. We visited Oaxaca, a beautiful small town with many indigenous people and famous for its chocolate. Veracruz was a lovely seaport city, which was very hot and humid and had a folk festival in the middle of their zócalo. We also got to put our toes in the Gulf of México for about an hour. Mérida was another beautiful city with historic buildings and mansions. México City was brimming with culture and museums, and we were also fortunate to be able to attend a folkloric ballet at The Palace of Fine Arts. In each place, we visited churches, climbed up the sides of pyramids, and went to the market places and zócalos and marveled at the native crafts. We visited many other places, too, which were a challenge to pronounce: El Tajin, Téotihuacan, Xochimilco, Chichén Itzá, Popocatepetl (“Popo,” an active volcano), and El Arbol de Tule, which is the biggest tree in the world and is located in Santa Maria del Tule, Oaxaca. We visited Monte Albán, Mitla, and Tlaxcala. We studied about the Mixtecs, the Olmecs, the Zapatecs, and the Aztecs and saw their influences at the archaeological ruins and in the museums.
Was it heaven? YES! Was it a lot of work? ABSOLUTELY! It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Already, I am looking for another grant for next summer so that I may live and study in México to learn even more Spanish.
Evaluate the host institution particularly with respect to hospitality, housing arrangements, the suitability of library facilities, and computer facilities.
The Español Training Center made every attempt to make us feel welcome. They anticipated our many needs and graciously answered any questions or concerns that we had. In my case, I had technical problems with my computer and they brought in their own computer specialist to assess it. Unfortunately, it remained unrepaired, but I very much appreciated their attempts.
My Spanish language class was amazing. I've taken a lot of Spanish language classes in my time. I even majored in it in high school and in college, (proves my love and fascination for the language) but my class offered at the Español Training Center taught by Armando was by far the best Spanish language class I have ever taken. When my fellow teachers and I walked through that door, we spoke only Spanish (well, at least most of the time.)
I don't know if it was my living in México and my being immersed in the language 24/7 or if Armando had some magic powers, which brought the dormant language in me to life, but I am so grateful. The class was fun. We laughed and we learned.
I wasn’t aware of any library facilities at the Español Training Center, but I didn’t feel a need for that service while I was there. Also they had no computer facilities. I would have liked to have computer access at the school with internet availability, but it wasn’t much of an inconvenience, since there was an internet café very near the school.
I was aware that some of my fellow teachers had finer housing arrangements than my roommate and I had, but I felt our accommodations were adequate. Also, the school offered to change any situation that was not comfortable, so they were very accommodating in the housing matter.
Do you have any suggestions for improvements?
During the last week of school I learned that the 2005 NEH grant that our directors, Anne Mueller and Mary Bastiani, applied for to continue this program was denied. Although I realize that I am not eligible to participate in this program again, I was very disappointed that other teachers will not be able to take part in this very, rich, learning experience.
(Optional) Suggest topics for future seminars or institutes, or names of potential directors (with contact information, if possible).
I would be very interested in additional programs similar to this one, which focus on language learning, history, and culture of another Spanish-speaking country; perhaps Spain or in South America.
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| |  | Our Class is a Very, Very, Fine SPANISH Class!
Armando, Angie, laura, Patricia H. Ann B.
Martha, Maryh A., Donna (me) |
 | Ann B., Martha, Laura, Patricia, O, Armando
Dawn, Donna (me), Mary A., Angie
(Photographer, Marilyn)
Hear No Evil! Say No Evil! See No Evil!
(Okay, so I'm peeking.)
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 | Sol, Armando
Ann B., Mary A., Donna (me), Patricia H.
Laura, Dawn
Sometimes our class HAD to go shopping! |
 | Patricia H., Donna (me), Dawn
The Scavengers
in the Z?calo |
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SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASS
My Spanish language class was so cool. I've taken a lot of Spanish language classes in my time. I even majored in it in high school and in college, (proves my dedication to the language) but the class offered at the Español Training Center taught by Armando was by far the best Spanish language class I have ever taken. When we walked through that door, we spoke only Spanish, well at least most of the time. I don't know if it was my living in Mexico and my being immersed in the language 24/7 or if Armando had some magic powers, which brought the dormant language in me to life, but I am so grateful. The class was fun. We laughed and we learned.
Armando planned a lot of fun activities to help us learn his language and he gave us "castigos" when we got the answers wrong. A castigo is a punishment. Sometimes we had to speak for three minutes, without stopping. Now, for most of us that would be easy, but Armando only allowed us to speak in Spanish. That means we had to think on our feet . . . and THAT was no easy feat.
And then in order to learn how to give directions, Armando had us position each other for a class picture. We had to use words like - detrás de (behind), al lado (next to), en frente de (in front of). It was kind of a strange class picture. Say, "Queso!" Told you this class was fun.
I tested at the beginning of the program at a Benchmark Level 2. Wow! That was a huge surprise. I thought I was going to be lower than low. I mean I haven't spoken serious Spanish, other than to the kids in my class, in more years than I can count. I didn't expect to remember much, but it was a perfect placement. I could dredge up old learning and make sense of it. As the new knowledge was piled on, it all started to come together. When I tested out of the program at the end of five weeks, I was at Benchmark 4. YIPEE! Now, I just have to find a way to use the language every day. I don't want to lose a single word of it. I guess I'll have to go back to Mexico again -- SOON.
Sometimes we HAD to go shopping in one of the many market places. Armando wanted us to practice speaking with the local merchants. We had to find out how much their crafts were and we had to compare prices from stall to stall. We had to use our money sense ($$) -- from dollars to pesos. It was confusing at first, but we soon caught on. The merchants had some beautiful wares and oh, so colorful. Look for pictures of them at the Market Place section -- coming soon.
We also took a trip to town for a scavenger hunt. Each team of two or three students was given a list of five places to locate throughout the downtown section of Puebla. We had to ask the Poblanos (That's what the residents of Puebla are called.) on the street for directions and use the city map of Puebla that Armando gave us. I went with Patricia H. and Dawn. Now, I'm pretty fast, but keeping up with Dawn was almost impossible. We raced up and down the streets of Puebla to locate all of our sites. Then we dashed back to the Zócalo as fast as we could to be the winners. The second group came in a half hour after us. See what I mean about being FAST? But we won!
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Are YOU serious???
Kevin and Karina |
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| Salsa Club |
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Bull McCabe
An Irish Pub in Puebla |
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| Salsa Club in Red |
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Justine, Carmen & Christy
Girls Just Want To Have Fun! |
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Laura & Angie
Good Friends |
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We worked hard all day. We worked hard all night. Whoever said partying was easy????
There were several cool nightclubs near our school. And we visited . . . well, a lot of them. |
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| OAXACA -- Pronounced WaHaKa |
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 | Women in full dress costume, beautiful flowing and swirling dresses --
reds and blues, pinks, greens, and yellows . . . |
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 | . . . danced and twirled with large baskets of
flowers balanced on their heads. |
| |  | They looked like fairy princesses and
I wanted to be one of them. |
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 | Large puppets strolled down the street
with little children following behind.
Even a granny joined the parade |
| |  | My friendly vendor, Miguel, taking a break
from . . . vending - of course.
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 | The z?calo was edged with restaurants. On its
perimeter were both indoor and outdoor cafe-style
seating. Karina and I searched for the perfect
restaurant, reading every menu, sometimes twice. |
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OAXACA (pronounced WaHaKa)
The "A"s sound like someone cooing over a newborn baby.
Every weekend we visited another part of Mexico to study its culture. The first weekend we boarded our bus and traveled three hours southeast to the city of Oaxaca. It was a delightful and colorful city. It was much quieter than Puebla, probably because it was smaller and there were fewer cars and taxis. On our first night, Karina (my roommate) and I roamed the streets near the zócalo.
The zócalo was bustling with vendors selling their crafts, balloons, blouses, pottery, rugs, and so much more. One vendor proudly showed me his shawls. I showed a glimmer of interest and he was my best friend for the rest of the weekend. I explained that I had already bought a shawl in Puebla, but that didn't daunt him. He suggested I could always use another or buy one for a friend. He was very persuasive, but I wasn't convinced. I told him his shawls were beautiful and I moved on. I didn't expect to see him again, but alas, the next day and the next, too, he sought me out. I never did buy a shawl from him, but we did share a few friendly conversations. He even let me take his picture.
The zócalo was edged with restaurants. On its perimeter were both indoor and outdoor cafe-style seating. Karina and I searched for the perfect restaurant, reading every menu, some twice. Then just as we were ready to sit down, we heard a ruckus in the street. It was a parade -- some type of government pre-election parade -- and we quickly gave up the idea of eating and with cameras ready, we joined the festivities. Large puppets strolled down the street with little children following behind. Women in full dress costume, beautiful flowing and swirling dresses -- reds and pinks, greens, and yellows, danced and twirled with large baskets of flowers balanced on their heads. They were beautiful!
Finally, with camera disks full, we finally settled down to a perfect dinner.
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 | TULE TREE - Arbol del Tule
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TULE TREE
Arbol del Tule is Mexico's largest tree. It is more than 2,000 years old and has a circumference of 164 feet. They say that it would take 70 people, with arms out-stretched, to encircle the tree. It is located just outside of Oaxaca in the town of Santa Maria del Tule. |
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| TO MARKET, TO MARKET in SANTA MARIA del TULE |
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 | | To market, to market to buy . . . |
| |  | | Dresses and Pottery |
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| |  | | Dolls and dolls and more dolls. |
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