Hi all!
Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico!
Might as well start with Fran's new situation with her English Class. The dentist Fran works for has informed her that after this month, he can no longer pay for her English classes at Berlitz. This is a blow because she is now beginning to speak and write in English due to the quality of the class. It is a 700 pesos per month (or about $35 dollars). Other language options here are truly dismal, taught by Mexicans who can't speak, much less teach English effectively. Most of her classmates are taking these substandard classes and "graduate" without speaking, a total waste of time. I hope we can find someone to contribute $35 a month for the next 2 years, or even just for a year. Please let me know if you might be able to help.
Please mail donations to:
OCCU
PO Box 77002
Springfield, OR 97475-1046
Make checks out to: Francisca Education Fund
Or if you can send via PayPal, to lcassady@gmail.com
Now for other news:
My family recently visited Oaxaca and met Fran for the first time. Well, my granddaughter met her three years ago when she visited Oaxaca with her mother. In this photo, Hana (the tall one) and Fran are making a big batch of tamales for dinner. We had a great time together and now the house seems awfully quiet!
Shortly my family left, Fran's younger brother arrived in Oaxaca from their home village in Cuicatlan and is trying to make his way here. It happened just as Fran was entering the end of her semester and exams, so it was a bit crazy for a few days. Thanks to Leeann and Steve, he hopefully has enough to get him stabilized with a job and a place to live. He has already filled out applications and applied for jobs. We are waiting to hear. Philemon does not live with us -- Fran found him a tiny room not far away, and after he finds a job, hopefully this month, he will be looking for a better place. He will have to live with more than one person. First step for Philemon is to learn Spanish. He must do that before he can go to school here in Oaxaca. So he will hopefully find a morning work shift which will allow him to take Spanish and math classes in the evening.
Other than that, we are hoping the situation here in Mexico doesn't go any farther downhill. The peso is falling, and people here seem to be very uncertain about their lives. The election of Donald Trump really upset everyone. Trump is the subject of most conversations here at the moment.
I still feel every bit as privileged as I always have to watch Fran grow and develop her skills, interests, and knowledge about the wider world. She has never wavered in her dedication to her classwork and still stands out to her teachers. Her work is held up as an example to others. Fran also recognizes how lucky she is to come home to a quiet apartment where she can sit and study undisturbed for as long as she needs to. Other students go home to relative chaos, many people and children living together, no privacy, no peace and quiet. I don't think I have ever seen anyone as focused, able to stay in the chair for 6 or 8 hours if she needs to, to complete a task. She has many obstacles to overcome as a poor indigenous young female in a culture that heavily discriminates against both, but if anyone can do it, she can. I hope she can maintain connections with you individually, especially as she learns enough English to eventually take over this blog!
Along with all the other things we are tracking, we are trying to get specific information about what it will take to get her into graduate school in Mexico City about 2 or 2.5 years from now. Stay tuned!
The weather has cooled off, the rains have gone, and the snowbirds are arriving. They will arrive in force after Christmas. Over the Christmas holidays Fran plans to go back to taking violin and swimming. She had to put those two activities on hold to cope with her school work, and work with the Dentist.
This might be a tense year, with the economy falling apart and the new governor taking over January 1. He is not a popular person here. Many believe the election was rigged. And so we expect more social upheaval. Fran and I are focused on getting that degree in her hands in a couple of years. One step at a time, no matter what it takes!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Fran and I ate at Quinque, a restaurant that always serves an American-style turkey dinner every year. I hadn't had turkey for several years. It was SO GOOD! Big hugs from us in Oaxaca. Visit soon!
--Lorena and Fran
