Hello for the last time from Guanajuato...
I spoke by phone today with Guadalupe Razo, the Durango state coordinator of the 4-C Program, the Mexican
counterpart of our 4-H Program in the United States. She will be sending us information about her program
in Durango with the expectation that we will share materials with her about West Virginia 4-H.
Durango 4-C has conducted exchange programs with 4-H in Arizona and Michigan. It should be interesting to
discover how 4-C programs are conducted in Mexico.
I hope you can take time to read this week's comments of our West Virginia students. They have shared some
observations about their community service experiences in San Jose de Transito. We hope our photos capture
a sense of the community and our kids' participation there.
Our teens also have expressed some early and later impressions of the time they have spent here.
Their insights are honest and very touching. I am so impressed with their resiliency and courage. They have been up to the challenge.
I want to say a special thank-you to our West Virginia counselors and teachers, Celina Melgoza and
Gail Stone. Everyone should be blessed to work with such generous and committed volunteers. Muchas gracias also to our gifted in-country
coordinator, Maria Isabel Carranza.
This is our final report from Guanajuato this summer. The kids will finish their classes, presentations, and exams at the end of the week.
We'll be back home early next week. It will be a bittersweet departure -- great to be home among family and friends, but difficult to leave
this remarkable city. I hope we can bring back a little bit of Guanajuato to each of you who may be interested.
Please contact me anytime with questions, comments, or suggestions. We are already planning next year's program.
Input from this year's participants will be invaluable.
Hasta luego...Rich Fleisher
"As the traveler who once has been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one
other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own."
Margaret Mead
Community Service Images and Experiences
"I thought that it was great to be able to see how less fortunate people live and to be able to help out a little bit." Travis
"My time in the community of San Jose de Transito was some of my favorite time I've spent here in
Guanajuato. The kids in the kindergarten there were precious and everyone was so generous. I think we
all really had a blast doing things in the community, and the kids enjoyed it because we were such a
novelty, being Americans and all. Even among such poverty, the people were still content with what
they had and would gladly give you anything they were able to give. I think we got as much out of our
experiences there as they did. It was great." Ashley
"I really cherished and enjoyed my time spent in the community with the
kids. They were so sweet and willing to cooperate, and yet lived in
extreme poverty conditions. However, most of the people were happier and
enjoyed life more than most people in America who I know." Meagan
"I enjoyed the elementary school getting their gardens fixed. It was very hard
to talk with the older kids because they didn't seem to want to talk back much.
The little kindergarten kids were very cute and had a lot of fun." Mike
"When I first went to the community I realized how different some people live.
The people don't have as many conveniences but they are happy. I enjoyed playing with the
kids and seeing the happiness on their faces. It meant a lot to me to help them out." Savannah
Closeup of making a West Virginia keepsake of a Polaroid picture for each kindergartener.
"By the standards of most Americans, including the lower class, the members of San Jose de Transito
live a life void of many luxuries. By my standards Americans live a life void of the things that
bring happiness."Allen
"The community was so much fun, we got to play with all the cute, little kids.
It made me miss the kids at Ruby Hospital where I volunteer in pediatrics.
We only went 4 times, but I feel like they grew to like us quickly even though
they don't see people from the U.S.A." Anne
"I have enjoyed work with the kinder kids; they were great to be with.
I liked working with secondary and primaria. The community has shown me how
well I have it at home. The Mexican people don't have much, but they enjoy life."
Chris
"The community was a blast. We only went 4 times, but it was a great experience.
The people are so poor and you can see it from the streets. Whenever we walked into
the community, the kids' faces lit up with smiles. They are all very poor, but they were willing to give.
It was a great experience to make them happy." Lauren
"Everything we have experienced at San Jose de Transito is what no one other than we, Los Escaladores, will understand.
The people of the community may not have a lot, but they were always willing to give us anything they could.
Hopefully they learned and gained as much as we did. " Maui
From Early to Later Impressions
| As opposed to "Los Escaladores" shrinking from 12 to 10 members, my knowledge and interest of Mexican language and culture has expanded to no end. I came to Guanajuato with various hopes and expectancies and everything I have learned has gone beyond those. I have much more confidence in my Spanish, and I have gained a sense of independence. I can't believe our 5 weeks are almost over. Physically, I will be in West Virginia in a week, but a part of me will always stay here. Maui | I went through a lot of blank faces while I was here. They were given by me and other people. My Spanish has improved a lot, but I still don't know anything. I can understand but I can't speak. I have exceeded what I expected I would accomplish. I have made many great friends and had a fabulous time with them. Everyone should experience something like this. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. I had a wonderful time. Lauren |
| I have loved it here the whole time. When I first arrived I was so insecure about using my Spanish. Now I am understanding much more. I have learned so much about myself. I have learned an enormous amount about Mexican culture and the Spanish language. I would like to stay longer but there's no way I can. I am and have had a wonderful time. Savannah | My impressions of the city and the culture have not changed. Each day I am surprised by the smallest differences in the culture of the Mexicans and my own. I really would not like to leave paradise incarnate to return to a land I once thought was free. Allen |
| I think that things are totally different for me now that I have lived in Guanajuato. I've broadened my horizons a lot and have become more accepting of things I don't understand. Through these past four weeks, I've not only realized how things are here, but also how much I appreciate the things at home. I've realized how much my friends and family mean to me, but also experienced the warmth that another family can give when they take you in as one of their own. I've discovered how many things I'd taken for granted in the United States, like macaroni and cheese, water, malls and the people. I think that when I get home, I'll return with a new, more mature perspective. It will be great to get home, but I hope I never forget this experience or what I've learned here. Ashley | When I first got here, I was a little bit apprehensive about how everything was going to turn out. As everything progressed, I grew to love this city and the way of life here. I can't explain the feeling that this city gives me, but all I know is that I will definitely want to come back. Mike |
| This experience has given me insight into the Mexican culture. I have enjoyed living with my host family. I have learned their way of life and how they do things around the house. I like the Mexican people's warm hearts, open minds, and helping ways. My host family has opened their home to me and made me feel at home. Yet, Mexico is nothing like my home in West Virginia. I can't believe that I am leaving, but I am looking forward to seeing all my friends in West Virginia. Chris | Mexico is very different from the U.S.A. The people, the culture, the town. I love all of it. Most women here do not work outside the home, even the upper class women. The culture here is wonderful. They care very much for their families and spend lots of time together. The housing is very different, because they are all together. Anne |
| Many of my long-held thoughts and ideas have changed during the weeks that I've been in Mexico. I have come to love this country and its people and formed strong bonds with many of the people that are here with me (Maui, Allen, Mike - los tres americanos guapos siempre!) Though I miss my family and friends, I wish that I had more time, as this has doubtless been the most incredible experience of my life. I haven't the words to describe my feelings as this trip comes to a close, so I must suffice to say that I will be back often, and that I will replace the piece of my former self that I leave here with memories and sentiments that I will carry for a lifetime. I have one wish for those that read this and have no idea what I'm feeling: Go. See. Travel. Make yourself aware of another culture. The experience will alter all that you have ever known and leave you changed as a person. Travis | This has definitely changed my life and the way I look at life. I never realized how blessed I was. My family here has only four burners to cook with and no oven. At home, I always thought it was a pity if the microwave wasn't working for some reason and I had to use the oven to cook in. But imagine, for your entire life, only having four burners to prepare all of your food, and there are like fourteen people in my family here. One of my host sisters just had a baby here on Friday, and he is so adorable! I guess that the human body and mind can learn to adapt to almost anything, and we in America are extremely catered to and end up missing some of life's greatest pleasures. I told my parents that I wasn't coming home with the group and that I wanted to live here for at least a year, but then they threatened to fly down and physically bring me back with them. Oh well, I guess we can all dream. Right? Meagan |
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