To the field, Part 1
At the beginning of December I went to visit some field sites in the state of Puebla to scope out the area for my study, which will take place in January. They are already semi-permanent field workers in these communities administering nutritional supplements to participant families, so it was the perfect opportunity to tag along and get to know the communities. I stayed in a hotel in Acatzingo, a town about 45 min from the city of Puebla. Perla, the field worker there, is great and we really hit it off. I visited a total of 6 communities in a week and saw some very interesting things. Here are some highlights:
1. Every morning there are women on nearly every street corner selling tamales (corn-based mass flavored with everything from chile to pineapple and wrapped in a corn husk) and atole (flavored milk/water drink thickened with corn starch). Absolutely delicious. Note: a glass of atole will keep you full for 8 hours.
2. The bells in the church ring every hour, all night long. Every little town in the state of Puebla has a beautiful church. It's really impressive.
3. Tuesday is market day in Acatzingo, known as "tianguis." All the streets are filled with people who've set up stalls to sell everything from fresh produce and dairy products to clothing and kitchen supplies. People come from all neighboring areas to do their weekly shopping. There is only bus transportation to come outlying areas on Tuesdays. The other days they just don't come into town or have to walk (it's really far, I wouldn't walk). In neighboring Tepeaca, the tianguis on Fridays is the largest in Mesoamerica. I didn't see it while I was there, but I definitely want to have a look in January when I go back.
4. Puebla is cold.
5. To get to some of the houses to deliver the supplements, we took buses to outlying neighborhoods, then started walking. Where it looks like the road ends, we keep going straight. Sliding down a dirt hill, we have to cross a stream with a bunch of trash in it and a putrid smell. Luckily there were rocks to step on. Then it's back up the other side of the bank and walking through a dry, cracked field to get to the woman's house. I can't believe that's the way she has to walk every time she goes anywhere. And I can't imagine carrying things through there!
6. In neighboring Amozoc, the current public health clinic used to be a mental health clinic. But they closed it down and converted it into a general health clinic, kicking the mental patients out onto the street instead of sending them to another institution. Well, these (former) mental patients are still around, and they still think it's their clinic. Judith, another field worker, said that once she was there talking to the staff when she felt something hitting her. The mental patients were throwing rocks at her! Apparently the health center staff don't do anything about it, which I find hard to believe. How can they just ignore these poor people? But anyway, it's still kind of funny that they throw rocks at random people in the street.
Honestly, a week was enough. I'm still working out the details for my trip in January, but hopefully it will be another in-and-out deal. Cuernavaca has never felt so much like home, so I have to thank Acatzingo for that. Now I'm just hanging out and waiting for Christmas, my birthday, and New Year's!
1. Every morning there are women on nearly every street corner selling tamales (corn-based mass flavored with everything from chile to pineapple and wrapped in a corn husk) and atole (flavored milk/water drink thickened with corn starch). Absolutely delicious. Note: a glass of atole will keep you full for 8 hours.
2. The bells in the church ring every hour, all night long. Every little town in the state of Puebla has a beautiful church. It's really impressive.
3. Tuesday is market day in Acatzingo, known as "tianguis." All the streets are filled with people who've set up stalls to sell everything from fresh produce and dairy products to clothing and kitchen supplies. People come from all neighboring areas to do their weekly shopping. There is only bus transportation to come outlying areas on Tuesdays. The other days they just don't come into town or have to walk (it's really far, I wouldn't walk). In neighboring Tepeaca, the tianguis on Fridays is the largest in Mesoamerica. I didn't see it while I was there, but I definitely want to have a look in January when I go back.
4. Puebla is cold.
5. To get to some of the houses to deliver the supplements, we took buses to outlying neighborhoods, then started walking. Where it looks like the road ends, we keep going straight. Sliding down a dirt hill, we have to cross a stream with a bunch of trash in it and a putrid smell. Luckily there were rocks to step on. Then it's back up the other side of the bank and walking through a dry, cracked field to get to the woman's house. I can't believe that's the way she has to walk every time she goes anywhere. And I can't imagine carrying things through there!
6. In neighboring Amozoc, the current public health clinic used to be a mental health clinic. But they closed it down and converted it into a general health clinic, kicking the mental patients out onto the street instead of sending them to another institution. Well, these (former) mental patients are still around, and they still think it's their clinic. Judith, another field worker, said that once she was there talking to the staff when she felt something hitting her. The mental patients were throwing rocks at her! Apparently the health center staff don't do anything about it, which I find hard to believe. How can they just ignore these poor people? But anyway, it's still kind of funny that they throw rocks at random people in the street.
Honestly, a week was enough. I'm still working out the details for my trip in January, but hopefully it will be another in-and-out deal. Cuernavaca has never felt so much like home, so I have to thank Acatzingo for that. Now I'm just hanging out and waiting for Christmas, my birthday, and New Year's!
posted by Jen at 9:32 PM
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