My first ever study abroad program is essentially finished, as I write this I am sitting at the gate in MEX for a flight back to Houston, and I could not have been more happy to take a chance on this trip. I knew I wanted to study abroad, that was never a question for pre-Rice Brian, but always saw myself going to Europe, maybe New Zealand, focusing on societies that honestly would not have been so much different than the US. Falling backwards into this trip however, I decided if I wanted to be a big traveler and see as much of the world as I can, I might as well push myself out of my comfort zone from the start and go to a country with a language I did not speak, focusing on issues I’ve never had to deal with in my life.
Collecting Water from the La Kisst Wetland (+DOG!)
Water is an integral part of human life, but our relationship to it is so vastly different in the US than it is in indigenous Mexican communities, acting as a communal resource but also spiritual catalyst, something worth protecting for a reason other than survival. That compounded in my mind with the struggles we faced during our projects to purify and clean water from a local source to use in our daily lives. We use tenfold more water than those who have to constantly think about cleaning their water. Our end solution would never be enough to keep our current levels of water use no matter how many filters or UV lamps we had. My biggest takeaway was that water treatments are effective only if they are rigorously applied and you are able to reduce your water use to a level that you can reasonably clean yourself.
Team Lions Never Bite Jalapenos at Tseinan
The NGO’s we met with, Isla Urbana, Cantaro Azul, and Tseinan, could not simply focus on their physical systems or devices they created to solve complex problems, I never imagined how socially and educationally focused they were to create a more widespread understanding of the problems before they can actually get people to want to solve them. Community outreach is the foundation of effective NGOs because you need to have a connection with the people you are trying to help to ensure the solutions created are sustainable throughout time. They cannot reach all their clients all of the time, and entrusting them to continuously put effort into fixing a problem is a difficult mission that I never considered.
Unusually Empty Main Pedestrian Street
The most rewarding aspect of the trip for me however was the free time, exploring a city I’ve never heard of until two months ago. I will never forget the tiny sidewalks, the pale but colorful buildings, the endless dogs all around, the endless hustle of the streets with people selling and buying constantly. The United States could NEVER create a walk-oriented community space like San Cristobal de las Casas. We were in walking distance of dozens of restaurants, never going to the same one twice, and I am going to miss getting dinner for less than $15, again the US could never.