Mel's Oaxaca Service-Learning Blog

I am totally looking forward to this trip. I have never been on a plane and this will be my first time out of the state. Geez! Talk about being sheltered!

Friday, June 16, 2006

Wednesday June 14th
I woke up 4 am to the sound of dogs barking and barking. It was strange to hear dogs because we hadn't seen any since we got here. So I couldn't really go back to sleep. Then a few minutes later I heard the teachers chanting and singing Mexico's national anthem. At that time, I was like, okay what is going on now? You see Monday and Tuesday night had been kind of noisey. All night we heard singing and laughing so I figured the teachers were just having a good time. But then I heard Liz and Melissa up talking and they were looking out of our windows. They were unable to see what was going on but we could still hear all this comotion. By this time we started to hear loud "thud" noises on the roof. We couldn't disifer the sound. Liz thought it was fireworks but we never say a spark or heard a pop like you would typically hear from fireworks. By this time I got up and I saw Melissa sitting on her bed covering her face with a shirt. She was trying to catch her breath and said her throat was itchy. I hadn't noticed anything in the air yet because my bed was the farthest from the window. Then it hit me! I felt my throat itchy and my eyes immediately began to water. I told Liz, hurry and shut the doors and all the windows! They are throwing tear gas!!!! It was awful because our room was on the top and we could smell everything. By that time, Denise had made her way to our room and alerted us that police were on the streets throwing tear gas at the teachers who were protesting. She told us to stay put and she would let us know what to do next. Well being that I am so nosey and I am a journalism student I wanted to know what was going on. So I grabbed my camera and ran up the stairs to the roof top. Keep in mind tear gas is potent in the air at this point. When I got upstairs I was shocked. But at the same time my adrenaline was rushing. I mean this is something I have always dreamed of reporting on, so I my goal was to get as many pictures as I can without getting introuble. Never in my life had I seen anything like this.



I wasn't scared at that moment I just wanted to take in as much as I could before it was too late. Denise and other students came up to the roof too. I called my dad to get Express News phone number, this was something we had to let them know about. Denise called and spoke to someone while tear gas is being shot across the street and teachers hollering in the background. It began to get nosier and more tear gas began to fill the air. By this time helicopters were flying right above us. It was intense. Teachers were still in the streets and tear gas was still being used on them. Apparently the governor Ulises Cruz had sent the state police to invade the streets. I am assuming he had enough! His reputation was on the line. But no matter how he felt, the teachers were PEACEFULLY protesting. They were not harming anyone. As a matter of fact, that night the teachers were having a good time. They had a brass band playing and everyone was singing some of their favorite songs. After a long history of protesting for 20-30 years the teachers had enough. The needs were not being met and desperate needs takes desperate measures.





So eventually we had come down from the room and were all piled up in the manager's office of the hotel. Denise was sending emails to all of her contacts and the Express News. We had all submitted a few pictures to them too. By this time again the tear gas was getting bad. Brandon had came into the office and his face was completely red and his eyes were tearing. As he sat down we told him to put water on his rag and pointed to a big bottle of the floor in the corner. It looked like water but the joke was on him. He drenched his towel with this clear liquid and covered his face with it. Immediatly he threw the towel off and says, "this isn't freaken water." It was hilarious! It was Mezcal. We all started laughing. Poor Brandon. And for those of you have never tried Mezcal from Oaxaca, it is some potent stuff. It is almost like drinking rubbing alcohol. The local people drink it with no problems. So in the midst of all this chaos we were still able to laugh together.
Well we had finally downloaded our pictures and I went up to my intoxicating room to quickly shower. By the time I got back to the lobby Denise and Karen had called a meeting with all of us. It didn't look good. The hotel owner had just got off the phone with the Secretary of the Tourist Center and they recommended we evacuate the hotel immediatly. The reason was because where we were staying was right smack in the middle of all the drama. They couldn't guarantee our safety. Thhe good thing was we were going to another hotel that was safer and the protestors were not in that area. But the bad news was that we had to walk to the hotel. Buses were not functioning or taxis were not being let in the area. So we had to hurry and pack and get back down to the lobby. At this point I started to get a little scared because injured teachers were ringing the hotel's doorell to let them in. They were hurt and needed help but the hotel could not let them in, if they did then a lot more would get in too. So we got a small towel covered our face and was snuck out of the hotel. It was a terrible site. The tents and tarps that were up had been destroyed. Buses were completely destroyed and small fires had been started. The streets were a complete mess. It was nothing like the days before. So here we are a bunch of Americans in the middle of all this and we are walking with all of our luggage. It was hot and smokey. It was a dangerous situation. It was hard to look the teachers in the face because you could see their pain. I tried my best to keep a cool head. But as we approached a four way stop I turned to my left and saw hundreds of teachers marching our way with machetes and lead pipes in their hands. They were adjitated and ready to defend themselves. That made me a little nervous. I was tired and having an asthma attack, I just wanted to get to the hotel. Finally we arrived to the new hotel and it was like nothing even happened in that area. It was quiet and protestors were no where in sight. Denise gets our room keys and passes them out to us. Me, Melissa, and Liz were still roommates! Thank goodness! We had already bonded and got along well. We all went to our rooms to unwind and call our families. My parents were just glad that we made it to the hotel safe. They didn't know we were going to walk in the middle of all the action. I was just exhausted and was waiting for the day to end. But I couldn't stop there, I was hungry and I have to eat! So a few of us went to this nice restaurant. Everyone was happy to see they had hamburgers on the menu. With fries! Comfort food! I had a steak and fries. I was too hungry for a burger. We also had a few margaritas which were really delicious. They hit the spot. The food and the drinks helped us forget about all that we had just went through. It was so weird, a few hours before we were being shot at with tear gas and now we were having a hearty meal and tasty margaritas. we became friends with two of the waiters there. We were asking them where we could find a "disco" at. They had asked us all to meet them at the restaurant at 9 and they would take us. We never made it to meet them! oops!
We stayed at the restaurant for a few hours and then headed back to our hotel. When we arrived Karen and Denise were waiting for all of us. Another meeting! Anna Maria was there too. The class was happy to see her. She had walked all the way from her house just to meet us. And that is a far walk. Especially when the buses or taxis were not running. So we all gathered in the lobby again with the Director of the Tourist Center and Anna Marie. It was bad news! Apparently more teachers were coming in to Oaxaca to join the protest and it was going to get worst. We had plans to go see Monte Alban and other historical sites but if we were to go we might not be able to return back to the city. The streets would be blocked and they didn't know what to expect. Anna Maria has friends that are teachers and in the union so she knew what was best for us. She was looking out for us. So the director and Anna Maria recommended we go back to San Antonio. We were all disappointed. It was sad because I worked my tail off to get accepted for this study abroad program. Our stay was suppose to be for 2 weeks and we were only here for 3 days. Some of us cried and others were pissed off. But in all reality leaving Oaxaca was the best decision. They could not guarantee our safety and if things got worst then what would we have done. We would have had to be air lifted out of there. (which at the time sounded pretty cool)
In Mexico things are not handled like they are in the US. There are no civil rights there. Denise and Karen apologized but it is not their fault. I respect both of my professors very much because they took of all of us. They kept a cool head at all times and got us all where we needed to go. The mother instinct in them immediatly came out. I felt comfort knowing they were there to guide us.
Well so packed up and prepared for an early flight. We had to meet in the lobby at 5am. It was a long day for us but we made it! We stuck together. Going through all of this was an emotional rollercoaster. First I was excited then scared, then overwhelmed to happy again. Then scared and sad. It was like a dream. I am emotionally drained. It sucks though that the teachers have to go through all that just to get basic nessessities. Back at home we take the smallest things for granted. We are more worried about materialistic things rather than our needs. In Oaxaca they don't know about the materialistic things, they live each day working hard for what they have. They earn every cent they get. We as Americans, as a sociey can learn from them. Many young people come from Mexico to get a descent education and they work hard. And we are over here making fun of them and talking smack because they supposably take our jobs and our money. It is not right. They know what it is like to suffer. My dad always says, the more someone suffers the stronger there become." And I believe it! As I walked down the streets in Oaxaca I saw many many beautiful people. But when I looked into their eyes you can see what they have been through. Their pain and struggles. But they still remain humble and hard working. What I saw in Oaxaca I have brought home with me. I will never forget the things that I saw and the people I met. I am so blessed that I was able to visit such a wonderful place with such a great group of people. I have learned to appreciate life and what I have more. The local people in Oaxaca were some of the friendlist people I have ever met. It makes me proud to be a Hispanic! Now my job is to incorporate what I learned there into our lives in the 21st century.

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