Un Fin de Semana Perezosa

This is my first weekend here and I have the house all to myself. So, feeling more adventurous, I went down into Bucerias central, where the plaza is painted bright purple and yellow and the vendors trying to sell their wares to the fewer than usual tourists hang out by the beach. It was nice to wander around and even nicer to get out and about and gaze at the ocean. I stumbled onto an English language bookstore, where oddly enough, James Michener's "Mexico" sat in the window. While mentions of Michener's name remind me of high school history class, I couldn't resist getting the book. I mean, if I don't appreciate it in Mexico, where else can I read it? Then it was off to the cafe for an iced latte and a bagel with cream cheese and tomato that tasted better than usual since it was unexpected. Finally, I ended up at the sweet shop, where I swear the owner had me taste every variety of sweet treat in the store. By 12:30 it was hot out and I desperately wanted to jump into the ocean though I realized I was lacking the right clothes for it. So, I rushed as fast as I could back to the house for a dip in the pool. Now that I'm in relaxation mode, it's actually getting harder for me to sit down and focus on microcredit like I should.

With that in mind, perhaps I should get to the gist of my microcredit learning. Yesterday, I jumped on the bus, nervous and not quite sure if I'd find the offices of the organization. With the help of a friendly bus driver and his sister-in-law from town, I managed to wander inside the cool, dim offices mid-morning. Immediately, I got to talk to the staff and learn about the stages of the microcredit program and how it was going. Although a group of Columbia U students and professors are helping the NGO with the project, I'm hoping to be able to work on a social impact survey that will eventually be given out to loan recipients to track how effective the program really is. Of course, this will take some time and as I'm typing this now, I happen to be somewhat procrastinating on the reading I should be doing. But hey, when in paradise, I guess I should give myself a bit of a break. Hasta pronto!

En Casa

Well so I've been here for 48 hours now and I definitely am digging the house. It's big and beautiful with a pool and indoor/ outdoor kitchen and living room and my pool house is nice and private, especially when the only two inhabitants of the house live upstairs. That being said, this whole volunteering thing is going a bit differently than expected. I've spent the last two days working with the spay and neuter program of the organization. Now, I know what you're thinking-- shouldn't this be microcredit work? Well that will start soon enough but for now I am just getting a feel for the organization and doing something useful since they are a bit shorthanded. Plus it's comforting to help out with something I am used to working on since my high school days at the veterinarian clinic.

So, what is Bucerias like? Well let's just say it's quite the lesson in contrasts. For example, I walk outside of my gated compound house to a dusty street with cars parked wherever they can fit and trucks driving up and down selling everything from water to gas to fruit to political slogans. Then, to get into town, I continue down a street, sometimes paved, sometimes not to cross the busy highway (did I mention that to turn left, cars must get all the way in the right hand lane and wait for the light?). Finally, it's down some dirt streets to the main street in town where there are a fair share of tourist restaurants that this time of year are rather dead since it's the low season, and if I chose the right street, to the beach which is peppered with a mix of Mexican locals, tourists, and gringos.

Now what about the people? All of the Mexicans I have met are quick to smile, especially when you use a bit of Spanish, and just want to help you out. Of course, I still do feel a bit out of place at times, being the only gringa walking around, but I feel safe nevertheless.

I'll let you know how the actual volunteering goes, especially once I get going on the microcredit stuff. In the meantime, I do miss all of you, especially since I feel a bit more on my own then usual. But what am I complaining about? Time to go and get some tacos!

The Beginning

Well, this blog will be quite different from my recent escapades in Europe. I've received, quite luckily, a grant from my university to study microcredit in Mexico for 6 weeks this summer, and let me just say, I am looking forward to it. I leave for Punta de Mita, Mexico (coincidentally located on some of the most beautiful coastline in all of the Pacific) in about a week and honestly, I have no idea what will be in store for me. Quite different from study abroad, I will be left pretty much completely to my own devices and for better and worse, I hope to learn something, be it about microcredit lending, myself or just Mexico in general. That being said, I promise to have some adventures worth writing about as well. So, here's to travel, learning and more importantly, doing something with the summer that doesn't just involve sitting around Roseburg. Cheers!