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Tuesday, 27 May 2008 |
Melanie is a Senior at Nerinx Hall High School and a member of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish. She participated in the March 2008 Uxpanapa, Mexico Immersion Trip with Nerinx Hall, St. John Vianney, and St. Mary’s students.
 "May God bless you with foolishness to think that you can make a difference in this world, so that you will do things which others say cannot be done."
-Franciscan Benediction
I think many would be skeptical to hear that students from area high schools were going down to a small village in Mexico where no one speaks English and make a difference in the community. Yet, that is exactly what we did. As a group, we worked on the farm, painted murals, poured cement floors, poured a basketball court, picked beans, and herded sheep and cows. I left St. Louis only knowing a few phrases of Spanish, but came back being able to hold a conversation.
One thing I learned was that when two people are willing to communicate it can be done. My roommate Margaret and I stayed with a loving family that gave up their home and own bed so that I would have a nice place to sleep. Their one year old son Kevin would show off his dance moves every night before bed and come in every morning to see us when we woke up. They were interested to learn about us, our families, and culture as much as we were about them and their culture.
My job for the week was working on the farm and building electric fences for the animals. It was a week of firsts for most in my group with cutting trees for posts and herding sheep and cows. The work was hard, but one of our work group leaders, Andres, knew the song "Pretty Woman" and always started singing it for us! The teenage boys of course knew Shakira and wanted us to sing that too! One cultural barrier that was overcome during this work experience was that a woman can do as much hard work as a man can. In the United States, women have come a long way with becoming equal to men, yet this movement has not been reached everywhere in the world. This experience helped show that women can do hard work like pouring floors, carrying tree posts, and digging holes.
The week was very rewarding with new friendships and a better understanding of the culture. With the internet and email, I am able to keep in touch with my Mexican friends, share pictures, and hope that one day I will be able to see them again!
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