Cultural Education & Study Abroad Readiness

Tour of CCIDD, and introduction to the Mexico program
This morning, after a traditional Mexican breakfast of tortillas, eggs with salsa, beans, fruits, and a variety of other options, Mark and Hugo, our 'guides' during our time at CCIDD, so to speak, gave us a tour around the CCIDD facility. Beyond just being impressed, this gave the C.E.S.A.R. students and their adult leaders a familiarity with meeting places, recreational options, and a general acquaintance with what will be our home for the next nine days. He also introduced us to Hector, the security guard, (nicknamed by CCIDD employees, "Hector the Protector") who works full-time to secure the premises. All doors in CCIDD are double-locked, and the entire facility is extremely secure and safe.

Furthermore, Mark explained the full itinerary to us, providing clarity on what activities the students have to look forward to and what sorts of things will be occupying everyone's time. The emphasis of the program is to be a mix of experiential and academic learning. There will be academic sessions relating to economics, social analysis, cultural comparison, and numerous other topics relating to the Mexican ethos. I was very impressed by how comfortable the students, all aged 11 and 12, seemed with approaching these intellectually-complex topics. They did not seem daunted at all! There will also be a variety of experiential learning opportunities, notably examining ancient pyramids, painting a mural with Cuernavacan art students, and visiting a local orphanage.

Overall, the introduction gave us a sense of how very busy we will surely be in Mexico!

Our guides, Hugo, left, and Mark, right

Mark leads the C.E.S.A.R. participants on a tour of CCIDD. Behind him is the dining hall.

The 'Rights and Responsibilities' Puzzle
Following our tour around CCIDD, Mark led us in an engaging activity that involved piecing together a puzzle. Every member of the group was given a puzzle piece, approximately 8 inches by 6 inches each. Each puzzle piece had a sort of guideline for our time in Mexico on it. We then all had to work together to piece together the puzzle, and after the puzzle was in one unit, each group member traced their piece and wrote the guideline inside the tracing. By the time this was complete, the left side of the puzzle included 5 'rights' that we all have for our time in Mexico and the left side 'responsibilities' to ensure those rights are upheld.

Afterwards, all members of the group, including Mark and Hugo, traced their hands on the paper and signed within their hand tracing, as a sort of commitment to follow the guidelines and ensure a positive environment during our experience in Cuernavaca.

The Rights: (summarized)
-->To be treated with respect
-->To be safe from violence, both physical and verbal
-->To be heard
-->To learn
-->To be treated fairly

The Responsibilities: (summarized)
-->To treat self and others with respect
-->To keep others safe, and not to hurt others
-->To listen
-->To accept differences
-->To treat people fairly

We also learned that the C.E.S.A.R. group is the youngest-ever group to stay at CCIDD in its longer than 30 year history. Typically groups are college age or older! This puzzle activity was created by the CCIDD stay especially for the C.E.S.A.R. program, and was a great introduction to the principles that will guide the students in their experience.

Working together on the rights and responsibilities puzzle!

A portion of the completed puzzle

The group at work on the puzzle

The puzzle pieces being traced and written onto a poster

Afternoon Activity: 'The People's Market' vs. 'Mega'
This afternoon, we split into two groups to explore 'Mega,' an American-style superstore that resembles Wal-Mart, compared to the 'People's Market,' a giant, crowded, Mexican marketplace. Each group was given a list of things to buy, (including, for example, bananas, green chilies, oranges, etc.) and had to compare the prices at the two institution so as to buy at the lowest cost. The students got very involved in the activity, and clearly enjoyed themselves a great deal.

On a different note, the students, Myzel in particular, enjoyed saying 'Hola!' to nearly every person we passed, and almost all responded in a pleasant and friendly manner. Multiple students commented on, "How nice people are," in Mexico, and the kids seemed to really enjoy the attention we attract as obvious tourits, getting waves and smiles from countless people in Cuernavaca.

Michelle helps Myzel and Michael purchase banana´s in the People´s Market

Michael crosses items off his list at the Mega Mart

More to come!
I have discovered an internet cafe where I can upload pictures, so a lack of pictures is hereby a thing of the past! Tomorrow we will be hiking a mountain and seeing ancient Aztec pyramids, and will return around dinner time. After dinner I will work on updating the blog and, hopefully, will be able to add pictures from both today and tomorrow's activities.

We are all doing great and all of the kids are doing a wonderful job at being in a new culture away from home. Spirits remain high, and deservedly so. But for the time being, Quan, Myzel, and Michael need me to go play cards with them before everyone goes to bed! More coming tomorrow.

Until soon,
Aaron

Related to nothing in particular: Myzel and Quan relax in their room during a 15-minute break

Michael needs to resurface after realizing the pool water is much colder than he anticipated!

On our way back from the markets, we encountered this cathedral/fortress that was built by Cortez centuries ago