la via...new and improved

Yesterday I spent the majority of my day, along with the other maestras, cutting designs out of colored sheets of plastic. Moms came in the afternoon to help with project. We stayed later than normal at school to staple all the sheets onto cords that ran the width of La Via (the street/community the school is in/on) between the primaria and the kinder. This morning, as parents arrived to drop their kids off, they stayed awhile to help hang the colorful banners across the street, just as everyone else the whole way down La Via was doing in front of their own homes. Everyone was preparing for the grand fiesta. For it was finally the day of the inauguration of the road.

April 15. Inauguration Day. When I arrived in Cuernavaca and settled into my (what turned out to be temporary) home in La Via, I was quite amazed at the state of the "street." I arrived during rainy season, which made matters even worse. Rain turned the dirt road into a muddy river. It was literally a disaster. About two weeks after my arrival, construction began on the street. I was told that they would be done by the end of December. DECEMBER....yApril 15. Inauguration Day. Welcome to the world where things just don't get done on time, or in a logical order. (check out my blog from september from when the construction began...)

It's been quite an experience spending the last 7 months watching the process of this street being put in. I watched as they dug through rocks down about 15 feet below the ground in order to put drainage tubing in. (That's a lot of noise, for the record. Not quite conducive to carrying on school about 20 feet away....) I watched as the workers spent a lot of their time just sitting around, drinking coke, and I wondered if the project would ever get finished. I watched as the community had junta (meeting) after junta, organizing payments, who would go to what organization to get what paper that was needed for the next step, etc. etc. I watched as they forced a large number of families to tear down part of their houses so that the street would be at the regulated width. (Dona Juana's house, where I lived my first month, was essentially cut in half. The government cut it and left it literally in rubbles, but the family had to pay to fix it back up.) I watched as they laid the pavement and the sidewalks, and as they dug up parts of it to fix something underneath that they forgot to do before. I watched as they did not put the sidewalk in front of the one house of the one person who refused to participate and pay her dues. It has been quite a process.

It has been a process that has included lots of incredible stories, the main one being the ability of the community to organize themselves in order to bring about the creation of the street. It is harder to capture the essence of this community in words, and where they have come from, and how far they have come, but suffice it to say that their ability to organize for this project is a serious demonstration of the great strides that have been taken over the past few years here. But mind you, only half of what is La Via now has a paved street with drainage and water. The other half, unable to organize themselves, remains a dirt street. Now standing at La Buena Tierra (my school) when I look to the left I see what appears to be a dignified community, with a paved street, closed homes, and a sense of safety and pride. When I look right, to "el otro lado" ("the other side"), I see an urban slum, with a dirt road, dilapidated housing, and a lack of dignity for the people who live there. It saddens me that there is such a concept of "the two sides" in La Via. Despite all the different people I have asked, no one can actually give me an answer to why there is such a division among the people. It is something that started so long ago, that has been passed down from generation to generation, to the point that the people who hate each other today can't even explain why it is the way it is. El otro lado wasn't even invited to the fiesta today for the inauguration of la calle.

I have gotten off track.
April 15. Inauguration Day.
After school let out, all of us maestras from La Buena Tierra headed out of school, and followed our ears to the booming music. The entire walk down the street was a colorful one, as everyone had hung the colorful banners from one side of the street to the other in front of their homes. As we arrived on the scene of the grand fiesta, I was utterly surprised by the white linen table clothes and the vases filled with roses that sat on the middle of the tables. We took our seats, and were then served coca-cola (of course), and a plate of puerco, frijoles, y arroz. With huge speakers and Latin music blasting in our ears, it was difficult to carry on conversation, but we had a good time enjoying the scene in general. It truly was a joyous occasion and I sensed it in every face I saw. They are so incredibly proud of what they have accomplished for themselves.

After spending about two hours hanging out, eating, and enjoying each others' company, we headed towards the beginning of the street, where there was a big red ribbon waiting to be cut underneath a giant banner that said "Bienvenidos a la inaguracion de nuestra calle" (Welcome to the inauguration of our street). Kids were running around with balloons, and everyone was giddy with anticipation of the big moment. Some important people from the city (don't ask me who...) showed up to do the honors of cutting the ribbon. Cuetes (firecrackers) were fired, and Chinelos danced. We all then paraded down the street, dancing the Chinelo dance, and watching the joy in each others' faces. It rocked.

This day marks the end (and beginning) of such an incredible success story in La Via. Granted, I have only been here 8 months, and I really don't know what it was like "before." But I do know that huge advances have been made, and this street, although a success in and of itself, is more of a tangible testament to the internal advances the people have made as a community. And the street itself stands a success. I can not explain the feelings of pride I saw in these people today. They are so proud of what they have accomplished, and so glad to be living in a community that gives them a sense of dignity. It has been a blessing to witness.

...the Via a few weeks ago in the midst of construction...

...Fabiola, Luisa, and Vicky heading to the fiesta after school...

...Fabiola and the pretty roses on the table...

...The eating part of the fiesta...

...serving up the delicious food.
Dona Juana is the one in the middle...

...Adela, el Chinelo, Salma, and I waiting for the festivities to start...

...the entrance of the street...
"Welcome to the Inauguration of Our Street"...

...the important people and the chinelos ready to cut the big red ribbon...

...following the chinelos and the parade down the street...

...dancing it up with the chinelos...

...parading down the street!...

...festivities...(those things in the sky are like the ones we made yesterday)...

The following is a video of one of the most shy students in my class. Look at him go!