Cultural Education & Study Abroad Readiness

Cuentepec: Intercultural dialogue, basketball, and dancing!

Our day began with a bus ride to the rural village of Cuentepec. The community consists of almost exclusively people indigenous to Mexico. In fact, it was more common to hear the indigenous language-Nahuatl-being spoken than Spanish! Furthremore, many in Cuentepec, especially women, dress in clothing traditional to their indigenous culture. It was interesting for the C.E.S.A.R. students to be able to, within the Mexican culture, be able to see a new culture that was entirely unbeknownst to them. However, the most interesting part for me to observe was the intercultural dialogue the kids were able to have with kids from Cuentepec through a translator.

Residents of Cuentepec participate in a cross-cultural dialogue with the C.E.S.A.R students

Using a translator, the C.E.S.A.R. students and their peers from Cuentepec asked each other various questions about the other's respective culture. Among other conversational topics, the kids compared their afterschool activities. The C.E.S.A.R. students were surprised to learn that, for children in Cuentepec, afterschool means helping their parents work in the fields for boys and cooking tortillas for girls. The children in Cuentepec, conversely, were fascinated to hear of the American students' recreational time, including watching T.V., doing homework and participating in C.E.S.A.R. Michael, an adamant Tupac fan, was dissapointed when the kids from Cuentepec said they had never heard of Tupac, although Myzel, by no means a Tupac fan, applauded them for this! Most interestingly, the groups discovered some similarities, as well: both groups, regardless of what country they called home, liked spending time with their friends, having fun, reggaeton music, and playing basketball. The lattermost interest prompted an invitation to play an intercultural game of basketball, C.E.S.A.R. vs. Cuentepec, which was a lot of fun for all involved!

We spent several hours total in Cuentepec, and the students had ample time to talk, play, and get to know the residents of the village. Before we left, some school children even threw us an impromptu dance party to Mexican music!

Myzel launches a shot for team C.E.S.A.R.! He made it!

Maya teaches indigenous girls in Cuentepec how to participate in a complicated clapping game

Dance party!

Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos
"I want to work here when I'm older!"
This was not an uncommon reaction among the C.E.S.A.R. students after exploring the magnificent facilities of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos. The center was opened fifty-three years ago by an American priest living in Cuernavaca. The center's inception is a fascinating story in itself. One week a boy was caught stealing from his collection bin. Rather than let the boy, a homeless orphan, be punished by the police for his transgression, the priest decided to care for him as his own. A week later, the judge involved in the initial's boy's case requested the priest somehow care for nine more orphans, and Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos began.

Today, the center houses more than 550 children, ranging in age from one year to fifteen years. The campus feels much like its own self-contained city, and includes a church, a hospital, a fully-stocked pharmacy, multiple basketball courts, a farm (which provides much of the food for NPH, boasting hundreds of pigs, sheep, and chickens), a large swimming pool, dormitories, a library, a kindergarten, a primary school, a junior high school, and a museum!

The institution is made possible through tremendous altruistic support from countless individuals and corporations. There is so much support, in fact, that any NPH resident who graduates from high school can return to perform two years of service to the community in exchange for full tuition coverage to college! Our guide informed us that the vast majority of students do in fact graduate high school and do, in turn, perform their two years of service.

We were all awed by the mission, management, and success of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos! After our tour, we were able to spend time with some of the kindergarten students, among the youngest at NPH. Their eagerness to play with us in itself was worth the visit!

A small portion of the numerous donors to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos

The boys' dining hall at NPH.

Our guide lectures us during our NPH tour

This amount of pots and pans is used to make one lunch at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos!

Michael observes some of the NPH sheep

The C.E.S.A.R. students watch just a few of the 300 pigs NPH houses!

Nyesha and Pachan take a look at some of the orphanage's chickens

This structure was donated by a former NPH orphan who still felt a connection to the place that showed him the meaning of family

This church is capable of seating the entire Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos community

Playing with the kindergarteners at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos!

Quan, Aaron, and Michael are swarmed by kindergarteners at NPH!

Michael with NPH children

Maya and Nyesha push girls on swings at NPH

Two adorable three-year-old kids from Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos who wandered over to the kindergarten play area

Carlos, an NPH kindergartener we quickly learned to love!

Maya helps a girl climb the slide

A merry-go-round type device was a source of amusement...

Nyesha, Maya, and Pachan with their many new friends!

A C.E.S.A.R. student's artistic depiction of the day, created during evening reflection

Going out to dinner!
To wind down our long, fun, and inspiring day, the group went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. Most tried out Mexican dishes, although Michael and Myzel ordered T-Bone steaks!

Leslee, a CCIDD volunteer, helps Michael decipher the Spanish on his menu

The whole group in the restaurant (Michelle took this picture, explaining why Aaron is in it and she is not!)

More to come!
That about concludes today's entry. It has really been nothing short of a remarkable day. The kids had a blast playing basketball, dancing, and discovering similarities with their peers in Cuentepec. Moreover, the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos was a fantastically uplifting experience. Every one of us was blown away by how modern and beautiful its facilities were and we were all inspired by the palpable happiness the kids there, once orphans, emitted and by the general atmosphere of hope the center conduced. The day was fun, the day was educational, and the day was, above all, loaded with events and with memories. For this reason, I need to get to bed. However, I wanted to leave the families of the C.E.S.A.R. students with one more insight into the trip.

I have been truly blessed to work with all your kids, and while they are having the time of their lives here in Mexico, they still think about you all a lot!

I think this is well-demonstrated by a picture I took from Quan's notebook, of a game of hangman that he played. I'm confident in saying his thoughts represent those of all the C.E.S.A.R. students. I was really touched to see the first three things he thought of in his game, and I hope you are, too:

Good night, everyone. As the last two days wind down, I'll be sure to keep you posted on our final adventures. I have no doubt they will be among the best!

Aaron