Just got back from the States...

Last night, after traveling or waiting around to travel from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.  I'm still in a semi-coma but wanted to share some exciting news that I haven't even had time to consider very deeply, so more will follow.

As you know, we are looking ahead, planning for Fran's next steps after graduation in June 2018. I met with several people in California and have received correspondence with suggestions and offers of help, all of which are exciting. I also have news about the length of my projected stay in here Oaxaca, which is now longer than expected. I thought I was going to qualify for housing in California in about 2 years, but was informed that it will now be between 3 and 4 years.  I am 700th on the list! 

That means I can be here to support Fran in various small ways a bit longer. In the following weeks, she and I will be looking at the possibilities and organizing priorities.

The basics:

Fran will study English for 1 solid year, possibly 18 months, in order to pass the TOEFL test at the level expected by colleges in the U.S. and abroad. That means weekly classes (at least) at Berlitz, and 3 times per week with me, plus an English-only environment here at the house.

Fran will then attend graduate school near Mexico City to get her Masters in Agronomy. That should take 2 years.

But other opportunities have been offered and are possible:
1. An offer to go to school and work in New England.
2. Possibly attending Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz for a year.
3. Possibly working on an organic/sustainable farm near Barcelona and studying there, possibly a doctorate.

For now:

One step at a time. Investigating the details. Applying for a passport and visas, etc.  It's a little overwhelming, but we have time to do it all at a measured pace.  Thank you so much to you all, and especially those who are now becoming involved in helping with the next stages. 

Our goals:

That Fran receive a deeper and broader education than that available to her here in Mexico. That at the end of the process she will be able to support herself and love what she is doing, including contributing positively to her community and beyond. We are determined that she at least receive her Master's degree, become fluent and qualified in English, and have the benefit of at least one year abroad in Canada, the U.S., or Europe.

Onward!

Fran's future after graduation: 2 questions

Greetings from Oaxaca!
Thought you'd enjoy these two images -- Fran in her PJ's laboring over a school project and me celebrating, a bit early, my birthday, thanks to a surprise delivery from my neighbor, Susanna. Yep. It's the big 70.

I am taking off for 3 weeks in the States from March 18 to April 10, and Fran will be holding down the fort. During that time I'll be having a meeting about Fran's future after getting her undergraduate degree, as of June 2018.

Getting her school to commit to anything, including graduation dates is a slippery and frustrating endeavor, but as soon as we have narrowed it down, we will send you all a heartfelt invitation via this blog. So stay tuned! We hope you can come to help Fran celebrate.  More on that as we get closer to the occasion.

Meanwhile, Fran and I and a few others have put some thought into her trajectory after graduation, and have made a plan, based on what we know about the requirements she will face once graduate school begins.

First and foremost is the requirement that she must be completely fluent in English, enough to read principle texts, write papers, and take examinations in the language. She will, by our estimation, need at least 18 months of additional English classes, focused and intense, to reach the needed level. There is no sense in her rushing into graduate school without enough English proficiency.

Here are the main points of the plan that are known at this time.

Fran needs to continue with her Berlitz classes, seamlessly after graduation, for 12 to 18 months, between June 2018 and June or December 2019.

She will, for all or part of that time, be living on her own, paying rent, and working full time.

She will need her tuition and books to Berlitz paid for.

In approximately September or January 2019, she will start graduate school at a well-respected institution near Mexico City, in agronomy. That program will last 3 years, until 2022, and we are looking for funding for that -- details to be provided later.

Bottom line, I am asking for two pieces of information from each of her supporters:

1) I am asking those of you who have been sending Fran you support, to confirm if you are willing to continue your present level of support, from now until her graduation in June 2018.

THEN,

2. Do you anticipate that you would be willing to continue your support for her transition into living independently in Oaxaca, finding a job, and attending English classes at Berlitz through June 2019 or as long as through December 2019.

Please let me hear from you so we can work to prepare Fran for this transitional level of her education and beyond. You can send me an email at lcassady@gmail.com. Any and all questions are welcome, and I will be sure to get back to you.

I also wanted you to know that Fran is so aware of how you have changed her life...and for the first time, yesterday, she expressed interest in ultimately pursuing her Ph.D. That would not only change her life, it would change the aspirations of indigenous women throughout Mexico. It's that rare.

Besos and abrazos from Oaxaca!
Lorena and Fran