We’ve been pretty lazy with uploading fotos, so I thought I would reproduce the values as listed on the wall of Casa de Las Flores. Also most of the words are cognates, so it’s good practice for any and all Spanish learners. 

Valores:

Alegria, Confianza, Optimismo, Esperanza, Responsibilidad, Cuidado, Empatia, Preservancia y Transparencia.

Fomentamos la

Satisfaccion, Afectiva, la Expresion Emocional, la Solidaridad, el Conocimiento intuitivo y sensible, la Resolucion Pacifica de Conflictos y la Belleza en lo Pequeno.

Plus, a few gems from Emily’s Tzotzil Class….

There are 4 words that never accept the possessive prefix and they are

k’ak’al (sun)

k’anal (stars)

ik’ (wind)

vo’ (water)

One can possess banumit (land) but it is extremely grammatically complicated. The type of thing that makes you angry that so many ancient Maya languages are dying out….

<3

Outside the Museum of Mayan Medicine
Inside the Museum Of Mayan Medicine’s Garden

I found these awesome poster ads for coca-cola in the Museum of Mayan Medicine.

Here are some close ups of the posters

Wreck Your Teeth! Drink Coca-Cola!

             If you want to be like him, Drink Coca-Cola!

Always want Gastritis? Drink Coca-Cola!

These are brilliant on many levels. Since other people can say it better than I can I will quote from www.killercoke.org

“Coca-Cola is delicious. This is what many people who drink the beverage would say if they were not being exploited. Yet, this is not the case in Mexico; in Mexico, citizens, while also being exploited in terms of labor, are indirectly forced to drink Coca-Cola because of the lack of water supply due to Coca-Cola’s use of it. In order to perform such debasing acts, Coca-Cola is affiliated with political parties and advertises extensively throughout Mexico. Thus, in order to make a profit, Coca-Cola exploits the citizens of Mexico by depriving them of water and wages through its connection with the government and advertisements that will inevitably delay Mexico’s advancement in the future.”

This week with Club Balam we went on a trip to a Museum about Mayan medicine. These days when we are feeling under the weather we will most likely run to a pharmacy to grab an advil, or peptobismal or maybe vitamin C tablets. Although these work, we learned that most ailments can be cured with plants or herbs. It was very interesting to learn about all of the various plants that can cure anything from headaches to diarrhea (a lot cured diarrhea )

Here some of the kids are checking out the tiny sauna, also used for healing purposes. It was located in the Museums Herb Garden which both grew and explained the use for all of the various herbs they had their Garden.

Whether you are in New York or in Mexico there are always ways to skip the drug companies products and heal yourself the natural way. So all in all, very informative and fun day!

Hola from San Cristobal!

Tomorrow marks our first full week in San Cristobal. We started our first day off  in Cancuc, Chiapas for a beautiful religious festival with textile expert Walter F. Morris. We learned about the Zapitista movement over lunch and after went exploring around the lively town including walk through their marketplace where they sold all kinds of handmade goods.

Everyday in Chiapas feels like a blessing! Never have we felt so invited anywhere else we have been. The colorful streets match the bright, happy vibe we get from the people we’ve met. The girls and boys at Club Balam made us feel very welcome and at home, as did the boys in La Casa de las Flores. We have already painted a mural in the Garden, set up a compost bin for the Garden, and have many ideas for what we’d like to continue doing with the kids.

Much Love!

From Lee and Nora, talk soon