Archives for June 2018

My time here in Oaxaca is coming to an end. Me and my other classmates are rushing to stores to buy last minute gifts. I have to admit the feeling is bittersweet. On the one hand, I miss home and I am ready to be with my family again. But on the other hand, I do not want to leave Oaxaca. I have had so much fun on this trip and learned so many new things. I am going to miss looking at mountains, working with the horses and hanging out with my classmates.  I met some amazing people on this trip and I am kind of sad I won’t be able to see some of them again until the fall. I am also going to miss SURCO and Amigo de Sol. Every Monday and Friday we would have a morning class at SURCO where I would get a fresh mango and churros. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we would have Spanish class with Amigo de Sol. Miriam (my Spanish teacher) taught me so much and she is the best Spanish teacher I have ever had. I am so happy that I came to Oaxaca and I hope one day I can return.

For the past month, my work site has been at Equinoterapia. In English, Equinoterapia means horse therapy. Me and another classmate named Diana have been assisting in therapy sessions, as well as taking care of the horses. In the beginning, I was nervous to work with them, but now I enjoy it.  I never realized how many benefits there were in horse therapy until I came here. Horses can provide physical as well as emotional therapy. They help people with physical and mental disabilities, as well as addictions. The heat from the horse helps stretch the muscles in people’s legs as well as help people release endorphins.  The energy a horse gives off is also very powerful. Their energy is what helps people deal with their emotions during therapy sessions. I have to admit, I did a small session that required me to  express my feelings while brushing the horse and I could feel the its energy. What horses are capable of is amazing. I really enjoyed my time here and might even volunteer at a horse therapy site in New Brunswick when I come home.

This past Sunday I went to the archaeological site Monte Alban. It is one of the earliest Zapotec civilizations. Evidence shows the civilization was thriving around 500 B.C. The Zapotec basically flattened out the top of an entire mountain to create this civilization (cool right!?). I also found the way they structured buildings interesting. From the images below, you will see that most of the building is gone. The only part that is left are rocks-this served as a base. The rest of the buildings were built from adobe, which are sand dried bricks. The buildings were made from this material so they were flexible, making them resistant to earthquakes.  Located at the plaza were the main government buildings. All the buildings were placed according to the direction of the sun. This meant there was one building for each direction; north, south, east and west. They did this because many of the gods they worshiped were centered around the sun and moon. It was fascinating to learn how smart the Zapotec people were during this time. Visiting this site helped me develop a new appreciation for history and archaeology.