News and New Photos!

Fran's birthday was September 13 and I am just now getting around to posting the photos from that day!  Note:  This is when Fran was still wearing her glasses.  When she started playing basketball, Luis Rene, El Dentista, decided he would get her some high quality contact lenses for her birthday.  You can see the change below.

Zanunga (mine) and Mole Negro (Fran's) at Biznaga Restaurant

September 13 is Fran's Birthday, September 15 is Independence Day

Cuautemoc poses with Fran on her birthday

A friendly policeman (he was smiling until I raised the camera) and his dog helping Fran celebrate

Tehanas helping Fran celebrate her birthday (we were walking to Biznaga up the Alcala)

But wait!  There are more photos!  A few days ago her father and elder sister and nephew visited.  I wanted to take portraits, going for a more focused view, rather than being distracted by color.  Here are some of those:

My favorite picture of the bunch -- and I caught Fran's dad cracking a smile.  This is her dad, her sister, and nephew.  I will add their names as soon as Fran gets home and reminds me!  My worst disability is remembering names.

He looks very solemn, but that's just the way many men behave in front of a camera!  Fran is not wearing glasses because she was just gifted with contact lenses for her birthday by her friend Luis Rene, El Dentista

Fran, her father, and Lara Medina, our new friend and supporter from Los Angeles.

Fran, her father, and me.

Father and Daughter

Fran's family, minus her mother (who has never ventured beyond Cuicatlan, the closest city to her remote pueblo) and her two brothers.

Now for the progress report!  Fran is not regretting that she changed her major.  She is more engaged with the material and seems to have more in common with her fellow students.  As usual she is learning as much, and probably more (life skills), outside of class.  Lara Medina is staying with us for six weeks through Airbnb, and she has been a wonderful influence.  A professor of Chicana/Chicano studies at CSU Northridge, she has exposed Fran to many new ideas and taken her to many places during her stay.  They also paint watercolor pictures together in the evening.  Their growing friendship is a beautiful thing to see, and I can see the effect it is having on Fran.  I bought her the book written by Malala and she is reading it and discussing with Lara.  Fran will be reading one book every couple of months to get her started, and hopefully to develop her own pleasure in reading.  Lara will be Skyping her every so often to discuss the books, and to check in.
         Lara also started a campaign for Fran because her expenses are rising, and there are 4 ½ more years to go.  Donations are falling off a little, so I am reaching out again to make sure Fran is covered until the day of her graduation!  Here is the website Lara started,  and here is the Weebly website where you can also contribute.  If each of you could reach out to a friend or two with this information, we would appreciate it so much.  We are hoping to expand our network.  And please don't forget to subscribe to this blog, and comment.  It helps to know who is out there watching! 
         I'll be checking in a couple of times at least before the holidays.  Days of the Dead are coming up fast, this weekend!  Peace and Seasonal Greetings to you all!

Fran's Progress

Fran and her friend Jazu in the Agronomy Lab

Fran changed majors!  Did I tell you?  Yes, of course I did!

She made a wise decision, and is much happier this semester than I have ever seen her.  Part of it is being in a field that she can relate to, and part of it is gaining mastery over her life as a student.

There are three agronomy specialties that she must chose between at some point, animal nutrition, animal care, and crop engineering.  She hasn't taken any animal courses yet, but that will come soon.  She said she was amazed to look through the microscope for the first time, where she could see the amazing details of seeds and plants!

Naturally she feels more connected to this field because she was born and spent most of her life in a very remote and tiny settlement where the raising of food and a few animals is crucial to survival.  When I say remote, Cuicatlan is the nearest town, and her village is an 8-hour walk from her village, and a 2.5 to 3 hour drive over rough and dirt roads that can be inaccessible during the rainy season.  She believes she will be able to contribute something to help her village and her parents succeed better at raising nutritious and healthy crops.

Interesting to note that in the not too distant past, her village was even more remote, by another 2 or 3 hours, so it gradually relocated to the new site.  Only a father and daughter team still remain in the original village site, cultivating their little plot of land.  The father is in his 90s, and the daughter in her 70s.  On a fairly regular basis, people from the new site visit the old site because the land is actually more fertile there, and they are still raising crops such as coffee, that they can haul in to sell.

But back to Fran's world in Oaxaca City.  Last year she studied so hard, and got through almost all of the required math classes.  She is taking the last one, Linear Algebra, and then she will only have a few statistics classes to deal with.  The rest will be more hands-on in her field.  Last year she was determined and serious.  This year she is determined and happy.

And funny!  It turns out she's quite a clown (like I am) so we keep each other laughing.

Our gratitude continues to grow and deepen towards those of you who are included in her circle of support.  It really has begun to feel like a little community.  We have four more years to go to graduation!  

As I'm sure you realize by now our budget is to the penny, so if you are ever thinking that you need to withdraw your support, we would so appreciate your letting us know so that we can plug up the dike as quickly as possible!  :)  I worry.  I am a worry wart.  Ask my children!

One more detail.  Fran is teaching three young women once a week for three hours, and that is going well too.  I see her concentrating in her room, planning her time with them.  She really cares about their future.  It's a beautiful thing to see.

More soon!  Smiles and hugs.

Big News x 2

First, I want to say that even though Fran and I talk all the time about how she is surrounded by a circle of people who care and support her, and how lucky we both are to have you all, I have probably been guilty of not thanking you enough.  I feel that is true, because it is such a huge thing you are doing, and in this economy with so many people struggling, including perhaps some of you, it is truly miraculous to me that this is real!  Know that we talk about you often, and that you are never taken for granted!  Deep bows!  Big hugs!  And I will keep you posted about Fran's graduation here in 5 years!  Or maybe we can have a get together before that.

Along those lines, one of you donated a month's rent to keep us going through October when we will find it much easier to find a renter.  I was up at 2 a.m. last night worrying about it, and just before I went to bed I got an email from Helen.  I hope she doesn't mind that I reveal her first name!  Thank you, Helen!  You know that feeling of your stomach relaxing after you get some good news?  I've had that feeling all day!

And while I'm at it, Fran and and wanted to thank Steven and Leanne for keeping the money straight and flowing, by opening the bank account in Oregon, showing Fran how to open and use her Paypal account, and monitoring the account.  They are the ones that make it possible for your donations to reach Fran, plus donating money of their own.

Thanks also to Sheela, Linda, Kathleen, Cindy, Dean and Mary, Kathleen, Lynn, John and Jo Anne, Lorna & Theo, Ann and Hal, Cara and Eugenio, Coral and I am going to feel so bad if I forgot anyone!  Thank you for helping to provide the foundation for changing this young life.  I feel so privileged that I am the one that gets to witness the transformation, joy, and education of this strong and spirited young woman.  Let me know if there is anything more I can do to inform you of matters relevant to her progress and care.

AND NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS!

Big change and sobering lesson for Fran today…I mean she didn't learn anything new, but she experienced it up close and personal. For a week now we have been discussing with each other and with close friends here in Oaxaca, Fran's desire to change her major from Computer Engineering to Agronomy. I think she started discussing the idea with friends her own age first, before she tried it out on the older generation! We talked to Eugenio and to Cara, who works professionally in the field for a couple of hours.

She had already paid her fees for the Computer Engineering semester, but went by herself to the office the other day to say she wanted to make a change. She was met by a bureaucratic wall, a woman in charge of all the programs who just kept repeating "it's impossible" to her with no explanation. Fran came home discouraged and said she was told that her only avenue was to take one more semester's worth of classes in computer engineering (which would be useless to her degree in agronomy) and start her new field in the middle of the school year -- which would put her at a disadvantage. You know the type, I'm sure. But multiply that x10 to imagine a certain breed of middle-aged Mexicana's who really just want to say NO, especially if you have no visible status or support.

So after I insisted she try again, today she took our friend Luis Rene, our dentist, along with her. She arrived first and stood in front of Mrs. Belligerent repeating what she wanted to do, while Mrs. Belligerent rolled her eyes and treated her like an idiot. Then the dentist walked in in his white shirt and pressed pants, said he was Fran's "Responsable" and without blinking her eyes the woman immediately complied. Then he walked with Fran over to the Agronomy dept. and talked with the head of the program about Fran. So, after all day getting millions of papers signed all over the campus, Fran is now in the Agronomy program! And she understands that alone in Mexico, a young indigenous woman has no say about anything without back up. Of course we intend to back her up….all the way!

Fran was a little worried I think about how her donors would take to this news, but I made it clear to her that we want to make sure she gets an education, not control her life!  I'm sure some of us have both fingers crossed that her course of study will include sustainable agriculture and organics.  The fields apparently wide open and flourishing in Oaxaca.  Fran decided to opt for Agronomy because she decided she didn't like programming or the prospect of being trapped in an office, in front of a computer, for the rest of her life.  I have a feeling that where she came from had something to do with that…the wide open spaces of her home village, where they grow everything they eat (there are no stores).  More will be revealed.  Meanwhile, we send you our best wishes, our thanks, and our love.
Lorena and Fran

Eye of the Needle, Fingers Crossed!

Hi all!
Marisol, my paying roommate is moving out on September 9 and I have already received the last months rent from her.  We need to find another short, or longer term roommate very soon!  Luckily, the tourist season will start to ramp up in mid-October, and I don't think we will have any problems filling the room after that.  It's just getting from here to there!

I've advertised everywhere I can think of, including airbnb, so now it is a matter of spreading the word by mouth and crossing our fingers.

The crunch time could be September 6, when Marisol normally pays her rent (about $218).  So if any of you, or perhaps someone you know, can

donate a little extra to help hold us over that one month, it would be a great relief.  I wish I could just give Fran the room, but we need the rent money to keep our little boat afloat!

Meanwhile, Fran is signing up for classes today and buying materials.  She is still attending free English classes at the Oaxaca Lending Library and studying on her own, with me.  As I may have mentioned, she is now saying things in English and responding in English to some of my questions, so that is a big break through!

She just returned from a week with her family in Cuicatlan and I hope to be posting photos soon

Fran's Summer

Fran usually has no time to cook for anyone but herself, but this was a rare treat for dinner one night last week:  Chili rellenos!

Our friend Sharon at a restaurant in Huayapan.

Fran and her younger brother, P

Fran is about halfway through her summer break, and already there is so much she has learned and accomplished – while managing to relax a little from her rigorous academic schedule.  She has been working pretty regularly in the evenings as a dental assistant for the dentist who put in a full set of braces for her.  It is a way of paying him, and she is learning a lot.  She was working for him when I had some cavities filled about a month ago, and it was exciting to see her in her uniform and responding to his requests very skillfully and quickly.  She has become indispensible to him and she is enjoying the experience very much.  When she comes home about 10 p.m. she is very animated and happy.

She focusing on learning English this summer, including a free class at the Oaxaca Lending Library, a class with me, and serving as an intercambio for an American student at the ICO – Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, where I first learned Spanish in 2005.  To supplement this we have been watching movies every night in English, some with subtitles.  We are about to start watching “Six Feet Under” and will finish the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series which she loves.  We also watched a hilarious British series “Miranda” and I got to listen to Fran laugh a lot!

This is a big break through for her.  She is finally confident enough to start speaking English with me, and of course she understands far more than she can say.

She has also had some time to reflect about how she can make improvements in her study arrangements.  Last semester she got a little off course, but we had a long conversation about it and she is back on track.  The problem was only with some friends who were pushing her to spend time with them, more time than she should have spent.  Not much, but enough so that she felt she didn’t perform at her absolute best like she did the first semester, when she came in 1^st in her class!!

She is visiting with her brother, Philomen today and this evening.  She has been such a great help to me lately that I gave her some money to take him out to dinner at a nice restaurant downtown.  Philomen is 17 and is attending his last year of high school in a village that is a several-hour walk from his parents.  There is no school in his own village, where most of the people have no more than a second grade education.  There are boys his age that are already married and have two children, have already turned into alcoholics.

Fran and Philomen are unique in their village – a product of kind and wise parents no doubt, but they also have something special inside – ambition, curiosity, and determination.

I am not going to ask Fran’s supporters to also support Philomen when he is ready, but I want to plant a seed.  Perhaps you know someone who would be willing to form a small group for Philomen the way some of us formed a group for Fran.  It really isn’t that much money:  about $1800 pesos per month ($138).  Though it would be more for Philomen unless we can find him free lodging, so possibly more like $250/month.

I have been giving thought to seeking support to Philomen, not only for him, but as a support for Fran.  She is the vanguard of her family, and their well-being and survival weighs heavily on her.  I think it would be fantastic if she had her brother to share her new life, and to share the responsibility they will both feel for their parents and younger brother.  It gives Fran roots here and now, and an important ally in the future.  Philomen is a serious student.  Fran says he is smarter than she is, which is hard to believe. 

Imagine if we could help build such a solid foundation for these two worthy young people and change the life of their family forever!

Peace.

Completion of her first year!

Fran at Hierve de Agua yesterday with a friend

Last Friday Fran finished her first year at school!  As you may know (if you are a Facebook friend) the year was complicated by problems the whole class experienced with not one, but two professors, which lowered everyone's GPA.  One professor simply stopped showing up less than half way into the class.  They made the students make up the hours, but everyone was given the grade that they had at the time he disappeared ... no exams.  The other professor, well, it's an extreme version of a common story.  He was ready to retire and simply didn't care -- never explained anything.  So everyone in the class flunked his final exam.  When he gave it again, only half passed.  The highest grade was 80, Fran and her study mates got 78/79.  This professor (just for a little comic relief) also had some serious gastro-intestinal problems which caused him to release great amounts of gas into the classroom, which the students did their best to ignore.

Nevertheless, it was a good year, because lessons are not just learned in the classroom.  Fran learned a few important ones, and will be making adjustments this next year.

She has a little more than a month off.  We thought long and hard about whether she should look for employment during this short period, but decided that it was more important for her to triple up on English lessons.  So she is studying a couple of hours with me every day, and an hour in the gringo library with Jae.  She is also going to apply to be an intercambio at the ICO (Instituto Cultural Oaxaca) an hour per day, and has put up announcements that she is available as an intercambio for the Northamericanos who are beginning to arrive for Guelaguetza and beyond.  Her enthusiasm is strong, so I think she will make good progress in this short period of time.  She seems to be overcoming her shyness about speaking her 3rd language (Spanish, Cuicateco, English).

At some point in the next couple of years she will have to take an official course in English and pass a test in order to get her degree, but it is great that she is building up her skills to make that process more worthwhile.  If we can get it together (at that point) to pay a little extra and let her take a quality course, I think it would be "vale la pena" -- well worth it.  English classes in Oaxaca tend to be pretty bad, and there are only a few good places.

Fran and I are enjoying having more time together, and it is so good to see her around more.  She helps me a lot, and we have been talking more about life and its demands.  I do look forward to the breakthrough moment when she actually starts communicating with me spontaneously in English.  Meanwhile, I continue babbling my mediocre but adequate Spanish at her, and she seems to understand!

We both thank you for your continuing support and hold you close to our hearts.  She keeps blooming and learning!  Thanks to you!

Fran's needs for the next 6 months

Fran and her father on a long hike to a neighboring village (5 miles away) in Cuicatlan

Fran and her niece and nephew in front of her family home in Cuicatlan

Fran will follow that trail 5 miles to a neighboring village, returning after dark.  She has often walked long distances at night, alone or with her family, by the light of the moon.

Hello friends,
As many of you know I am providing housing and coordinating efforts to send Fran, an indigenous young woman from the region of Cuicatlan, to 4 years of rigorous college education to get her degree in Computer Engineering. Fran is so many things -- brilliant, focused, a symbol of what is possible for indigenous women from impoverished villages in Mexico, and soon to me a major factor in improving the lives of her family.

Today we sat down to review her budget as we do every 6 months. While I was visiting the States. she ran out of money for food, which alarmed me. It turns out she does need a bit more of a monthly stipend to stretch to the end of the month, and this is an appeal for that extra food money. She needs an extra $25 per month to cover that.

If you can commit to a monthly contribution for the duration of a year or more (4 years would be ideal!) that would be great. It can be $5, $10, $20 or $25 per month. You can make a donation by clicking the link below.

And that's not all. Fran needs one-time donations for the following during the next 6 months:

$1,000 pesos/$78.00 dollars for clothes
$700 pesos/$55.00 dollars as of June 1 for a linear calculus class over the summer
$1,800 pesos/$140.00 dollars tuition on August 1 for September semester
$500 pesos/$39.00 dollars for materials

Please, please give what you can, and perhaps approach a friend or member of your church to help a little too.  We don't need much, but every penny is important.  You can donate easily by going to this site set up for Fran -- THANK YOU!

http://franciscaeducationfund.weebly.com/donate.html

Fran's Easter Vacation, Part I

Here is a rare treat, LOTS of photos!  Fran went on several long hikes while she was visiting her family and friends in Cuicatlan.  Last Thursday, May 17, she and a group of 5 from her village decided to take a long, circular hike to a waterfall.  On the way they met another 10 people from her village who by amazing coincidence were taking the same hike, so they all went on together.  After they reached the waterfall, they walked home a different way, passing through gorgeous open country near where her parents were born.  They left at 6 a.m. and got back at 8 p.m., and Fran said that the route was not easy or flat.  Enjoy the photos! (They are a little out of order...the last 11)

A pause for some snacks w/Fran's little brother

Fran and her father on a dark section of trail

Part of the larger group taking a rest stop in a clearing

Fran in a carrizo clearing must have been taken by her little bro