The second day of my stay in Oaxaca, Sra. Clara’s husband, Jose, walked me to Becari Language School. I met Martha, the local director, as well as the other CFHI participants. There were only two others, Onyeka and Jimmy, in the program and we ended up becoming fast friends. We later also met several other students at Becari from all over the world, and everyone was extremely friendly and interested in exploring the city together.
My daily schedule typically involved waking up to a nice Oaxacan breakfast prepared by Sra. Clara then making the short walk over to Becari. For the first two weeks, I had 4 hours of Spanish instruction along with Onyeka and Jimmy. The instructors, Arturo and Javier, were both very enthusiastic and excellent teachers. They often took us on field trips to local markets and museums and really made class fun!
After classes, we volunteered at Centro de Esperanza Infantil, an organization that helps poor families keep their children in schools. There, we tutored students of all ages in a variety of subjects, helped students translate their letters to their sponsors, and sometimes just played or chatted with them. Our last day volunteering at Centro de Esperanza infantil was a sad one. Throughout the first two weeks of the program, I had tutored Itand, a bright high schooler, in chemistry and some English. The other students and I had gotten to know her during our time there, so leaving a new friend was tough. Even so, making a local friend had made me feel more at home in Mexico, and we are all still in touch with Itand through Facebook.
Typically, we had plenty of free time after classes and volunteering and especially on weekends. We often relaxed at cafes, enjoyed the festivities at Zocalo–a lively park at the city center, or went on excursions to cultural sites and landmarks. One weekend, we even went on a road trip to Puerto Escondido, a beautiful beach town.
What I miss most about Oaxaca are the people and culture. My host family was so warm to me, as was everyone else I encountered there. The people were always friendly and happy to stop and chat or help me when I needed it. The perpetual festivities were also fun to experience. I could always find performances around Zocalo, and it seemed that everyone loved to dance there! So my friends and I decided to give it a try as well. One night, we went to a salsa club and learned some moves. Later, we all took a lesson together. Oaxaca is such a community-oriented place with an incredibly rich culture. I really love that about it!
Fanny's Summer Abroad 