10/2/13: It has begun! While we are getting the website up and running, our fundraising group has already started brainstorming different ideas to be able to raise money to help financially support us on our journey! Our correspondence group is working hard on our group video stating why we wanted to get involved! Today we got the chance to sit down with our class and really discuss what we view as our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) are for our upcoming trip. Take a look!
10/7/13: Video is finished! It is up and running, little imperfections and all. A job well done by our correspondence group! Feel free to check it out below!
10/14/13: Today was a Mindfulness and Meditation day. We focused on how we will be able to make ourselves more emotionally available and prepared for the things we may experience while there. We realize that we may encounter situations that may test our emotional boundaries, so by preparing with these meditation techniques, taught to us by Mary Elizabeth, we are allowing ourselves to become more readily prepared.
10/16/13: Today we got the chance to Skype with our UNICH counterparts, while both attending a lecture about the agriculture of Mexico given by ... This lecture gave us an opportunity to compare the agricultural status of our two countries. This gave us a bit of an insight why some farmers in Mexico were no longer able to farm in a profitable manner, sometimes due to cheap imported prices from the NAFTA trade agreement.
10/21/13: Today Julie had a PowerPoint to share with us about Chiapas. We found one map particularly interesting as you could really see which areas had ports to the sea and why that might contribute to drug trafficking. Two other maps compared the levels of previous violence to current levels of violence. This was able to depict how a lot of the violence that is occurring is happening along the borer, as well as in the ports and routes that drug trafficking follows. Julie was able to give her personal testament about the city of Vera Cruz, and how the changing times have shown an increase of violence even in cities once known for there harmonious state.
10/23/13: Today we got a chance to meet as groups and discuss each of our projects. We met to determine how each group could aid the others. For example how this blog could help aid the fundraisers and how the video crew can help this blog. We also received a presentation from Edgewood's nurse on what to be careful with in Mexico, such as vaccinations we may want beforehand and what we should not eat or drink while we are there. Can't be careful enough!
10/28/13: Today we talked about the Zapatista timeline.
1524-1527: Spaniards conquer Mayans
1824: Chiapas is part of Mexico
1910-1920: Mexican revolution
1968: Student movement
1974: Church organizes the indigenous Congress in San Cristobal
1983: Marcos, EZLN born
1989: EZLN, 1300 armed members
1992: Ejidos privatized
Jan 1 1994: Rebellion (12 days)
Dec 22 1997: Acteal indicident
1524-1527: Spaniards conquer Mayans
1824: Chiapas is part of Mexico
1910-1920: Mexican revolution
1968: Student movement
1974: Church organizes the indigenous Congress in San Cristobal
1983: Marcos, EZLN born
1989: EZLN, 1300 armed members
1992: Ejidos privatized
Jan 1 1994: Rebellion (12 days)
Dec 22 1997: Acteal indicident
10/30/13: Today we met with our project groups to discuss more progress. We got a lot of work done within our groups, it was nice to be able to use the class time to discuss it with Julie on hand to facilitate our decisions. We were supposed to connect with our UNICH partners but there was a missed connection, due to a time change!
11/6/2013: This week was a very fun week for us. On Monday we had mindfulness and it was very exciting. We meditated for a little bit and then we did a different way of expression. We colored pictures. We were able to show our own views through our drawing instead of all of us laying down to think. It was a nice change of pace and everyone seemed to enjoy it. On Wednesday we updated our group projects and then Skyped about the playground! We individually spoke after to the UNICH students via Facebook. We were cut short on time but it was exciting to talk to them personally instead of as a group just listening.
11/13/13: This week we did a lot of organizing for the fundraising. We have a garage sale coming up and radio talks so we had to think about that quite a bit. We also learned a little bit about the social movement. The most interesting part of the week was certainly listening to Malio on Skype and the information he had to give about the Compost Project. We also were able to Facebook chat our UNICH partners and it was very exciting to get to know them more and compare the differences between them and us.
11/20/13: Monday we were able to take some time with Mary Elizabeth to think about how mindful thinking will help us deal with some of the situations that we will come across during our time in Mexico. Much of this week has spent in preparation for our big weekend! This upcoming weekend we will be appearing on the radio stations WORT as well as La Movita, and hosting our garage sale on Saturday, November 23, at Edgewood College in Predolin 114-116 from 8 am till 3 pm. Come stop by and see what we've got! Also, check out our Meet the Sponsor's page!
11/22-23/13: Well I think we can all say that this was a very successful two days! Friday morning, a group of us were able to go on the WORT radio station and have the chance to talk about who we are as a group and what we are doing! Much of friday afternoon was spent sorting through the loads of donations you were all able to provide! Then Saturday arrives, and even with the weather not on our side, we were still able to have an incredible turn out to our garage sale! We were able to sell over $500 worth of donations! And that is no small feat! A huge shout out to all the wonderful people that were able to donate their used things for us to be able to sell, as all of it was much appreciated!
Watch a short clip of our WORT radio interview!
Watch a short clip of our WORT radio interview!
11/27/13 - 12/1/13: For all of us, this was our thanksgiving break. Whether we
spent it hunting deep in the woods, or at large family gatherings, we all had something to be thankful for. Among all of us in the Bridging Borders class, we had one thing in common; we are all incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be able to take this trip and to help those who need it. We could never do this without all the care and support from all of our family and friends, as well as from our gracious sponsors. But first and foremost, we have to thank our Professor, Julie Whitaker, for without her, this trip wouldn't have even come about, much less be right around the corner!
Now for those of you wanting to share more of this thankgiving spirit, we have created a website where you can directly donate to us online at http://www.gofundme.com/5k6w44 !!! Any and all donations really do make a difference and we appreciate every little thing you are able to give.
spent it hunting deep in the woods, or at large family gatherings, we all had something to be thankful for. Among all of us in the Bridging Borders class, we had one thing in common; we are all incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be able to take this trip and to help those who need it. We could never do this without all the care and support from all of our family and friends, as well as from our gracious sponsors. But first and foremost, we have to thank our Professor, Julie Whitaker, for without her, this trip wouldn't have even come about, much less be right around the corner!
Now for those of you wanting to share more of this thankgiving spirit, we have created a website where you can directly donate to us online at http://www.gofundme.com/5k6w44 !!! Any and all donations really do make a difference and we appreciate every little thing you are able to give.
12/4/13: As a class, this trip is becoming all the more real to us now. With only 4 class periods left, and 28 days until we leave, I can truthfully say that many of us are getting more and more excited with each passing day. Vaccinations, packing restrictions, travel details, and weather preparations dont even begin to cover all the things we have begun to talk about in terms of our trip, but the thing that has become most relavent to us is our quickly approaching ability to develop deeper and more personal relationships with the lovely people of UNICH, and Chiapas, that we have been trying to get to know over this past semester. Many of us really want to make sure that we are able to help and really make a difference while we are there. Not only a difference in their community, but a difference in ourselves, allowing ourselves to overcome the language barrier, and be able to put a face to the Chiapan people, whom we have been studying and reading so much about. We all truly hope to be able to connect more deeply with Mexico itself, and be able to see faces when we hear stories on the news about Mexico, instead of having it be just another country to our south.