LIfe (yes, it still exists here) in Mexico

Such a huge amount has happened and changed since my last post a lifetime ago that I don’t know where to start…
Well, the current situation is this:
Fear has an astonishing way of bringing the world together…too bad billions of people around the globe don’t obsess simultaneously about a huge, joyful party or about peace and respect. But it is the sight of face-covered Mexicans walking in slow motion down city streets, an intent and urgent reporter’s voice reeling off ever changing infection and death rates, a little virus that has traveled to almost all the continents on Earth, this is what has got us all panicking in unison. Not exempt from the global movement of fear are the parents of SIT students (my study abroad program), or the organization of SIT itself. On Tuesday afternoon we all received a phone call from our director,
“SIT is sending everyone back to the States.” Our director is known for joking, a lot,
“What!!!???” I said “You’re joking…”
But he wasn’t this time. SIT had figured the wisest thing was to move everyone to the same place (we were all separated doing independent projects), keep them there for a few days, and then send them on airplanes with gloriously fresh, recycled air back to the States so they could contract flu on the plane and have it at home (I hope my sarcasm is picked up…).But really I do understand their perspective…with all the news that is flooding American TV screens it appears is as if all of Mexico will be wiped out in the next few weeks. Plus the news is changing so much it is almost impossible to know how bad things really are. Parents must be going wild.
Luckily my mom was not one of those wild ones. And to make an emotionally long but temporally short story short, after waffling back and forth uncountable times on Tuesday I decided to sign myself off the program and to stay in Mexico. Maybe really dumb…but here I am. So far I am super excited to have stayed. But I guess when that fever creeps up I may not be so happy…(no, no of course not. Haha, I couldn’t write that without a side note).
To other news, I am continuing my independent study project for about two more weeks (it will still get graded and I will still get credit for completing the semester!) The topic of my project…hmm, well the project sort of created itself without much of my input. Basically those of you who have known me for more that a few hours will be well aware of the fact that I have a so far incurable disease called Indecisivitis. With this project we all had to choose a non-government organization (NGO) to work with. Of course I waited until forever to choose. I was waiting for a specific lecture we had near the very end of the program with an NGO I thought might be perfect. Sadly I was sick that day (another story…the swine flu can’t be any worse!) and missed the lecture. So the day we were supposed to leave for another city (and start our projects) I met with the organization to see about the possibility of working with them, not really knowing what they did but by then it was pretty much my only option. Not exactly what I thought it would be. Not to downplay this organization! (Otros Mundos) I think it does incredible work and I am really happy to be with them! They are wonderful people!! It is just not the project I was imagining…but with Indecisivitis these things happen. So I am working with a small “school” for alternative technologies (rain water cisterns, dry toilets, less smoky stoves (important here where many women get sick from the smoke produced from cooking all day over open wood fires), biodigestors to produce biogas for cooking etc.) Rural communities in the area nominate three representatives to attend the school and be trained as promoters of these technologies. In this way the expertise is in the community and these communities can replicate the technologies all on their own. Of course the reality is not always so perfect, but this is the goal. Based on this, my project is más o menos addressing the general theme of how communities are seeking to lessen their dependence on the government and reclaim their own power and autonomy. How are communities seeking to be more self-sufficient and autonomous and how can this school for alternative technologies be one tool in this process?(for instance, cisterns to capture rain water allow communities to have a free source of water without depending on some private water company or government water system). There are communities here that have decided to not receive any government services or programs. I would like to investigate this more, why? What have been the consequences? Etc. etc.
But with this whole flu thing I am losing motivation to do a good and thorough job with this project. The other students are just writing up what they can from secondary resources…I can kind of take however much time I want, do whatever I want…and I am bursting to travel!

So there’s an update. The most tragic thing of all is that I was going to travel with my most dearest wonderful friend and now she is going home… :( :( Instead I will be all by my little lonesome without her unshy ability to make friends with everyone we meet. But sometimes life is odd and you’ve just got to make do with what it throws you.