STUDENT TESTIMONIOS

Ryan Anderson

On my last day in Oaxaca I was standing on the 2,500 year old archaeological site at the Cerro de Atzompa in the morning, and by 10 p.m. that night I was pushing my way through the Los Angeles International Airport. It was a disjointed and spectacular last day of travel. I spent about 5 weeks down in Oaxaca as part of the Ethnographic Field Methods course run by Dr. Ramona Perez. I can't even begin to explain all of the experiences that I had down there, but I can tell you that they have had a powerful effect upon my life. The whole reason I started studying anthropology was for such an experience—and this is just the beginning. While all of the background readings and books were helpful, they were no match for the people and places that I encountered in and around Oaxaca. Travel isn't as safe and comfortable as flipping through the pages of a book, and it isn't as orderly, but it's immensely rewarding. Traveling throws everything out the window—comforts, assumptions, generalizations—and it forced me to find ways to locate who I am in new, often difficult, settings. The result, for me, was an amazing learning experience.

Monika Loewy

Scrawled across the window in red graffiti next to my apartment in Oaxaca were written the words “Abre los Ojos.” Although I noticed this immediately, I was unaware of the relevance this statement would have upon my journey into the field. I was also unaware of the affect that the lives of the individuals in the community would have upon my own life. The various children, parents, teachers and women I met in the community helped me learn about my studies, but more importantly, about myself. Working with the children suffering from lead poisoning awakened me to the difficulties and the beauty of working with people in the field. The process was much more laborious than what I had initially planned; however, I also had not planned for the attachment I grew to the community and the children. I first heard about the project in Santa Maria Atzompa in the winter of 2007. I was unsure as to whether I wanted to study anthropology, but knew that I wanted to make changes in the world. Upon first arriving in Oaxaca, I was looking forward to the prospect of making changes and learning about applied anthropology. Walking into a small town of dirt roads, donkeys, and bamboo fences was less than comforting. Prior to this experience, it seemed easy to walk into a community and ask them questions. However, after my experience in Atzompa, I began to understand the complexity of being from a different culture and trying to adapt in an unobtrusive way. I also realized that working in the field takes practice, knowledge, understanding, persistence, and flexibility. Thanks to the individuals in Atzompa and the help of Dr. Perez, I walked away with a stronger foothold on the reality of making changes, an appreciation for a different lifestyle, and a desire to return to the field.

Carlos Medina

My initial intention for enrolling in the ethnographic field methods course was to put theories I was learning about in my anthropology classes to practice; to make these abstract notions a part of my reality. I came in expecting that what I would learn on this trip would accrue to my arsenal of anthropological knowledge and that I would have immense intellectual growth. What I had not anticipated was the amount of personal growth that I experienced and the profound effect the community of Santa Maria Atzompa would have on me. Applied anthropology refers to the application of method and theory in anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems, and this is the direction that I knew I wanted to take my academic career. Once I arrived in Oaxaca and began to work with the community it hardly seemed fair to refer to my field experience as work: it was an enlightening experience that permanently altered the way I view my life. I learned to reevaluate what it is that I deem important; to separate the wants from the needs and to acknowledge that the most important things in life are my health, family, and happiness. The most rewarding part of the project was my work with a group of the community’s children, children that were experiencing cognitive learning disabilities as a result of lead exposure. My field experience has had an insurmountable influence on my future as an anthropologist and the way that I view life. It has been an event that I look back on with fond memories and an experience that has inspired me to return next summer.

Evan Rubin

Taking that first step outside our comfort zone is a huge step, especially when it is in a whole new place. It tests your character, your determination, and your dedication to be a better person; a person that when finished with their short time on earth has somehow improved it. My life, world outlook, and passions have drastically shifted since that first step in becoming that person. As a graduate student in Latin American Studies I was able to work with a variety of departments, staff, and projects that have all influenced my educational and research goals. My work with LARC (Language Acquisition Resource Center) showed me how technology can be used in new and innovative ways; participating in the San Quintin, Mexico project under Professor Perez (Anthropology) gave me the opportunity to interact with a rural, agricultural population that had to relocate for better opportunities. These experiences and more led me to my thesis fieldwork this summer. For almost two months I went to the middle school in Santa Maria Atzompa, Oaxaca everyday. In exchange for interviews with the teachers and administrators on the use of technology in education, I gave English classes and helped coordinate 180 students’ final computer class project. My research depended on listening to their stories, engaging in conversation, and reserving my own views and opinions to allow them to teach me. In the end, we all benefited from our friendship and our common goal of improving the school system through technology.

Jennifer Smith

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave this world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

~Ralph Waldo Emersom

If I were to measure the Oaxaca trip in terms of Emerson’s definition, I would have to say it was a raving success. I laughed, a lot, sometimes under the influence of mescal drunk out of a plastic jug. I’d like to think I gained the respect of my intelligent peers, who I hold in the same esteem. I was accepted into the humble life of my host family and was admired, trusted and loved by my little host-sisters: Fidelia, Viviana, Francisca and Lizbeth. I appreciated the academic critiques from Dr. Perez, and imagine I learned and grew from them. Luckily, I didn’t have to endure any betrayal on the trip, nor did I make any false friends. I was awed by varied landscapes, ancient ruins, gigantic waves, milpas, an elusive orchid, a natural pool on the edge of the world. I was impressed by the talents of creative hands that so effortlessly brought beauty to the world in the form of a green vase, or a rug, or a colorful parade with fireworks. And I never ceased to be amazed by the generous hospitality, the intelligence, the creativity and the helpfulness of the Oaxacan people who I met. With our work in the field, it was our intention to leave Oaxaca just a tiny bit better than it was when we came, and however small our impacts, I believe we did. As far as one life breathing easier because I have lived… That one, I will never fully know, but have to hope that in some way this is true. What I can say is that because of my host family in Oaxaca and because of the amazing friends I made on the trip, my life has become richer and fuller and that much more beautiful. So I guess, they are the ones who succeeded.