sooo much life in these parts.

the air here in san cristobal de las casas, chiapas (mexico…come on…) is like butter made from the sun and you can smell it spread over the rooftops that are thatched and mud red.

i work all day in two different NGOs, promedios and the center for chiapan women’s rights. it’s a 9 to 8 kinda thing. and i cook a lot and go out A LOT, until the sun comes up. meeting all sorts of amazing people and not sleeping. my yerba mate is the only thing keeping me going.

my project is on the effects of NAFTA in communities of indigenous women, and, moreover, what those women (being, i hypothesize, the most adversly affected by free trade and neoliberalism) are developing not in opposition, per se, to neoliberalism but as alternatives to it. it’s all being approached from a third wave feminist perspective without, hopefully, overlooking the political sphere by focusing too much on identity, but still recognizing the inherent importance of communicating what these women have to say. their voices aren’t being heard enough.

soon, the aniversario de los (zapatista) caracoles will happen. floods of people will be here. it’ll be overwhelming and amazing at the same time.

tomorrow i move to a room that i am renting for a month. it’s in a cute, open air house sort of thing that’s more of a house full of people than a hostel, no door person or staff but a bazillion beds and a sweet kitchen, maybe more like a commune or something. all of the houses here have courtyards, which makes me really happy. that’s how it should always be, i think.

i met a gorgeous artesano that has long long long dreadlocks and, supposedly, aztec blood, and one set of clothes and makes jewelry that he sells on the street in whichever city he happens to be in at the time. he just does what he wants, kind of moving where ever the wind blows. his name is omartsin and he does installation and sculpture and painting and is amazing. but being an artesano, he picks up and leaves whenever he feels like it without a word. hope he’ll come back soon. he says my eyes say much more than i do. probably true. i think he’s in the caribbean right now? or maybe guatemala? man, you guys should see me since he left. what a mess! that’s what they do to you, though. you realize what the boys in the states don’t ever say or do and it’s very clear what you’ve been missing. no offense.

also met various other wandering boys that play music and live for it and are from ireland. yikes. romance overload! i really just want to work hard and help as much as i can and learn, so maybe no more for awhile. we’ll see.

i a happy if tired. i spend so much time on my project but i am also living life as hard as i can and loving it.

i forgot how much i miss almuerzo and sitting around the table at home for 3 hours drinking beer and eating home cooked food in the middle of the day. it’s a good thing to be together. more and some photos, soon!

xoxo
leah hope