Study Trip to Mexico March – April 2018
Overview
Ruth Powell (Kimmage Development Studies Centre) and Lenka Petrikova (KERIC) have recently returned from a study visit to U Yich Lu’um based in Sanahcat, Mexico, which is a partner organisation of the CODET project, to which KERIC are the lead organisation. The following is an informal, internal report from Ruth Powell to KERIC, about the trip and the CODET project in general.
Successes of the trip
- U Yich Lu’um is a small family run organisation of Mayan professionals from the Sanahcat area of Mexico. U Yich Lu’um is Mayan for “fruits of the earth” and the main objective of the group is to recover practices, knowledge, language, traditions, customs and ways of life, which are typical of the Mayan world view. The main success of the trip, for me, was seeing the relationship between the two volunteers and the organisation, which seems very healthy and full of respect and humour. Obviously, there are operational challenges, especially because U Yich Lu’um have only just moved to Sanahcat, but overall, the relationship seems very strong, and this was a very positive aspect for me to see.
- The visit to the agro-ecological plot was very successful. This was the first time the volunteers had been to the plot, and we spent the morning covering the irrigation system with small stones, and watering plants. The volunteers expressed an interest in returning to the plot, and this was very positive.
- The inauguration of the Cultural Centre took place, and the atmosphere of this event was very warm and encouraging. The volunteers made short speeches and everyone seemed very happy and excited about the official opening of the Cultural Centre.
- A two hour inter-cultural exchange class took place for ca. 10 children from the area of Sanahcat. The volunteers taught the children about the cultural differences and similarities between their cultures and the local culture and the children were taught how to do a typical Estonian dance and how to paint Easter eggs, which is a common custom in the Czech Republic. This was a very positive and successful class, particularly as the volunteers delivered the class in cooperation with two people from the host organisation. Recommendation: it would be great to see this class written up as a lesson plan, to include in a future draft of the ELT Module.
- There was plenty of time to discuss the work with the volunteers informally, every day.
- In our free time we visited Uxmal (a Mayan site of enormous archaeological interest), beautiful Centotes, (which are magical underwater caves), and we spent a day in Merida.
- The flights and transits were very comfortable and the visa process was simple (both as a transit passenger in the US and entry clearance into Mexico).
Difficult aspects of the study visit.
- Overall Communication: there seemed to be confusion and misunderstanding between the volunteers and the host organisation in terms of daily activities, money and the objectives of the CODET project. Recommendation: that KERIC contacts U Yich Lu’um with a follow-up email to find out if things have been made clearer after the study visit? I would suggest that Kenya, a Mexican volunteer currently volunteering in Cadca, helps with the translation of the email. She has said she would be more than happy to help. In terms of the study visit, Spanish was the working language, which effectively made it the role of one of the volunteers to also be the interpreter between the visitors and the host organisation. This obviously brought its own challenges.
- Accommodation: Personally, I found it quite difficult to live, work and sleep in the Cultural Centre (essentially a two bedroom house) for seven nights, and with hindsight, should have taken the suggestion to stay in a hostel/hotel in Merida and travel back and forth every day, via mini-bus. I think this would have been better for privacy and energy in the Sanahcat heat and I would recommend, that any future visitors base themselves in Merida, and travel to the village every day. I think this would have been better for the volunteers too, who already share a bedroom and work and live in the same space.
- ELT Module: the volunteers were not familiar with the ELT Module, however, we spent a short meeting looking at the booklet, together with the two volunteers and two members of the host organisation. Recommendation: that KERIC tries to encourage the sending agencies to use the booklet in pre-departure training from this stage onwards. That KERIC tries to support sending agencies in pre-departure training in general.
Next steps:
U Yich Lu’um and the two volunteers will send me feedback on the ELT Module, and will open a CODET facebook page, for volunteers and organisations. The volunteers will participate in more activities (a plastic recycling project, painting the house – if agreed by the community, translation work as both volunteers speak Spanish very well, video promotion of the Cultural Centre, and promotion and continuation of the English classes in the Centre). The volunteers will, hopefully, start to teach English to some people from the organisation, which will be more sustainable than teaching small children from the local village.
Final thoughts:
Many thanks to KERIC for offering me the opportunity to travel to Mexico, to meet people from U Yich Lu’um and to watch the CODET project in action. As I remember, the early ideas for CODET were written down in a hotel room in Saigon, just before Ivka took a taxi for her plane back to Europe, so it’s an extraordinary opportunity to see it in real life.
Many thanks as always too, to Kimmage, who allow me to travel and represent them.
Daily schedule:
Tuesday 27 March: Travel by plane from Dublin/Scotland to Cancun, Mexico.
Wednesday 28 March: Trvl by bus (4 hours) from Cancun to Merida. Trvl by car (1 hour) from Merida to Sanahcat. Welcome lunch provided, unpack and rest.
Thursday 29 March: Full day of presentations in the Cultural Centre by the host organisation and KERIC/CODET, informal discussions about the work and project.
Friday 30 March: Free day (Good Friday) visitors and volunteers went to Uxmal, the Mayan Pyramids.
Saturday 31 March: A visit to the agro-ecological plot. Followed by further presentations from the volunteers, on their work to date.
Sunday 01 April: A visit to the Cenotes (underwater caves) followed by the official inauguration of the Cultural Centre.
Monday 02 April: An intercultural exchange class with children from the local village of Sanahcat. Followed by a meeting in which we discussed the ELT Module.
Tuesday 03 April: A visit to Merida and the final meeting, with next steps for volunteers laid out. A farewell dinner.
Wednesday 04 April: Trvl by car to Merida, and by bus back to Cancun.
Thursday 05 April: Trvl by plane from Cancun, Mexico to Dublin/Scotland.