An adventure walk
By Michelle Newlands
Today we were given the opportunity to see how Mexico looks from the inside.
“Quanto Cuesto?”
By Michelle Newlands
Today at 7:00 a.m. three of the other girls and I met Gary and set out on the first of many morning adventure walks. We call them adventure walks because Gary says he doesn’t like retracing his steps, which means we explore new directions each time. Gary’s brain should have been drained by 8:00 a.m. when we finished because we didn’t give him a chance to rest it. Between the four of us girls, it was question after question.
“Gary what’s this?”
“What does that mean?”
“Is it true that....”
He knew the answer to every question we had.
Barely Getting By on Next to Nothing
By Andy Sparling
What’s it like to be poor in Mexico?
Lourdes Salgado can tell you.
She’s 32, a wife and mother of five children in one of Cuernavaca’s poorest neighbourhoods....La Estacion. She looks maybe fifteen years older.
The family has lived in this two room cement home for seventeen years. She came from rural Mexico....the state of Oaxaca, south of here...when she was fourteen. Her husband is from Guerrero. There was no work in those places, so to Cuernavaca they came.
The city is paralyzed and we’re all dying from pollution
By Andy Sparling
Mouths slightly agape, our group of 12 Canadians watched the sprawling urbanscape and brown polluted haze as we flew into Mexico City.
There are 25 million people here. That’s about 10 Torontos.
But in Toronto, everyone has a toilet to use. Here, 4-million people don’t.
My first time
By Matthew Killby
First Day
By Gary Warren
I was surprised that four participants showed up this morning for our 7 a.m. fitness walk. This group doesn't want to miss anything and I am impressed. We took it easy for this first morning walk, partly because they are still feeling the effects of the high altitude. But our 'score card' included the place that crushed corn and made tortillas; the first street dogs; the straw crosses to keep away the evil from the homes; the street garbage; and the traffic out on the main street to Cuernavaca.
First night
by Gary Warren
That is probably a misnomer. Our true first night was in uncomfortable chairs in Terminal One at Toronto International Airport. We left the cafeteria at Loyalist College about 11 p.m., and drove through snow and slush to our first night in the waiting area.
Our first dinner at the Abbey.
By Michelle Newlands
“If you need anything, ask and we will do everything possible to get it for you... we love you all even though before today we did not know you.”
These were the words that that Sister Alejandro used to greet us at our first diner in the Abbey.
Barking Dogs
By Andy Sparling
It’s been three years since I was here. And when I woke up for the first time Friday, it all came back.
A message to our group in Mexico 2009 from Acting Vice-President of Academics Geoff Cudmore
Please pass along my good wishes for a safe and inspiring trip. International travel and especially this kind of international education do provide the opportunity for life altering experiences. From the first moment that you encounter new cultures and embrace new experiences, you are forever changed.
Enjoy!
Geoff
