I believe it is time for me to talk about my experience during my first month in Mexico City. I want to begin by saying that for all who still think that dozens of people are dying daily due to the swine flu, I have to tell you that I have seen 5 people wearing facemasks in a one-month period in a city of approx. 25 million. No one talks about the influenza meaning that if I hadn’t being warned in Toronto before coming I would have thought that the swine flu never passed by this city.
Enough about the flu though, I have to say that Mexico city is the ideal place for individuals with a limited budget, every place you go seems to be free of charge: The Zoo, Museum of Anthropology, The Angel of Independence, El Palacio de Bellas Artes, Chapultepec Park. Also, bikes can be borrowed any day of the week which is a great strategy implemented by the government in the attempt to reduce the great pollution that beautiful Mexico City breathes. Fortunately, I have been able to visit many places in just one month; my favorite visited site so far was Las Piramides de Teotihuacán. This place is incredible, the pyramids are amazing but I was mostly impressed by the Aztec culture, its political and social organization as well as their particular use of mathematics, knowledge of science - mainly in astronomy and medicine.
I also like how the majority of Mexicans acknowledge their ancestors and understand where they come from, accepting it with great pride. It is interesting to see how many Mexican street names and monuments recognize the revolutionary aspect that deeply characterizes Mexico’s history. It is not rare to see Emiliano Zapata’s face numerous times a day on book covers, paintings and in other art forms. Also, a subway station is named after Zapata - other subway stations are called: Revolucion, Allende (from Salvador Allende), which I find very significant. Perhaps it is background and interest on social justice but I really enjoy this type of environment where it is common to see labour protests lobbying for worker’s rights and other demonstrations, which in my opinion contributes to the empowerment of the popular sector of society.
I always leave the best for last, which means my placement - El Caracol, which is where I am most of the time. El Caracol is an organization that has honestly impressed me. I had never seen an organization as holistic as El Caracol. El Caracol is an organization dedicated to provide support to children and youths living in the streets and to those at risk of joining the street population. El Caracol is divided through many areas but the major ones are: Calle (Street), Casa (House), Comunidad (Community), Each one assists a different group which is classified according to particular circumstances. For instance, (Calle-Street) provides assistance in the streets through street educators, once the youths accept to seek greater assistance in their lives, the educators take them to the transition house where they are able to take showers, change clothes, sleep and eat. Throughout the process, the youths do not use drugs, which is a period that positively assists their health while they are using the services of the transition house. The youths who decide to stay at El Caracol (Casa-House) are further analyzed in order to see if they really want to be part of the program. After they have been accepted, El Caracol assists them in developing labour skills through El Caracol’s owned bakery where these youths work and subsequently sell the products without saying they are “street kids” - which means people buy because of product quality not pity sentiments. Youths are also assisted and linked with toxicologists, medical specialists and psychologists to optimize their corporal and mental health. Many youths are also taken to government agencies to obtain identification documents that help them reintegrate into society without the stigma. El Caracol also provides assistance to the youth in the (Comunidad-Community) to reduce the risk of the youths turning to the streets.
El Caracol is supported by theories and methodologies that are focused on the social phenomenon of street populations, therefore as a worker, it is necessary to read and read to understand the issue and to work with these populations more effectively. El Caracol is characterized by its excellent work paradigms, which are employed in similar organizations around the world. My placement is multifaceted, which means that I will not be able to describe it in only one blog assignment which is why I intend to gradually expose the different areas of El Caracol to all those reading this blog.
