Day 4: Connecting with Community & Oven Building
Buenos dias a todos,
Today was a day filled with highlights, so get ready for a long blog entry! Although it may have seemed like a normal, long, and tiring day, this Thursday was packed with good memories. And to me, most of these memories revolved around the community and people of Santiago Suchilquitongo (Suchil).
One of the biggest things that our team experienced today was meeting the president (el presidente) of Santiago Suchilquitongo! I really did not know what to expect from this experience, but our team ended up learning a lot about what makes Suchil unique. I thought that I knew a lot about the town, but hearing the unique details from local citizens in-country is a totally different experience.
Here are some of the main reasons why Suchil is so cool, in my opinion (I paraphrased/summarized them from el presidente):
This town (pueblo) is located between two very different regions, the Mizteca and the “Valley”
There are four different languages that are native to Suchil, though mostly only Spanish is spoken today. Although it is one community, it is still extremely diverse.
Suchil has many fun traditions, such as the Annual Pueblo Festival of the Patron Saint, that separates it from other local towns.
The community and the people in this pueblo are very kind and giving; they support each other.
Out of all of the reasons listed above, the last one struck me the most today. I noticed a lot about the people of the Suchil community, and I feel extremely grateful and happy. Here’s are some of the many highlights of our day:
Breakfast and Starting the Day – Richard and Sarahi, our main NGO contacts, hired chefs to prepare all of the delicious meals we have shared in Suchil. Not only are the chefs amazing cooks, but they are extremely kind and flexible as they work around our eating preferences. In addition, we even handed our keys to the hotel maid – the hotel owners insisted that we have our rooms cleaned. And Richard and Sarahi have done an amazing job making sure we are safe and happy (even when we get sick!).
First Day of Building Solar Dryers – the members of the Mesquite Flour Project got really involved with the building process. Not only did they help us construct our designs, but many of them provided insight that made our designs and construction processes even better. Although we struggled with the language barrier, we managed to complete the basic frames for our two oven designs thanks to their help. And we even had time to throw a frisbee around!
Meeting the President – Thanks to the help of community members, we got to meet the president of Suchil! And as I said before, meeting more members of the community opened our eyes to the uniqueness of this pueblo.
Playing Sports at a Local Community Center – Led by Antonio and Carlos (Mesquite Flour Project members), we walked to a beautiful community center and got a chance to play pick-up sports with local kids. Although it was tiring and our team never won, it was extremely fun. Overall, it was amazing to see a community come together like that and include us with open arms. Some things, like enjoying sports, really are universal!
Ending the Day – We ended the day walking with community members back to our hotel, El Pedregal. They offered rides to those who were tired, transported our bags, and walked for 20 minutes just to make sure we were safe… and they didn’t even stay to eat dinner with us! And when we got back to the hotel, we were greeted with tamales that were out of this world!! The chefs stayed in the kitchen, even after we delayed our dinner by an hour.
Today, I think everyone today went back to their rooms with full hearts. The people of Suchil have already done so much for us. From what I have noticed, they are extremely supportive, kind, and selfless. I am extremely thankful that they are a part of my PUC experience, and I can’t wait to see how they continue to be integrated into my time in Mexico!
