Hacienda tour

Believe it or not, there is actually a method to my field trip madness. Most are designed to follow the syllabus of the one course that is required of all students: Mexican and Yucatecan Civilization. The semester started with the pre-Hispanic era of the archaeological sites. We then moved into the Spanish conquest with specific emphasis on the role of the Catholic church.

Last Friday, we visited three haciendas as a part of the study of the colonial period in Yucatán. Once the Spaniards had gained control of indigenous people and land, they found there was little, if any, gold, silver or other precious metal or gems to send to Spain or to reward faithful soldiers. The only available reward was land. As a result, the peninsula was divided into estates of various sizes and given to soldiers depending upon their rank, family importance, time of service, etc. The new owners were not only given the land but also the people who lived on and worked the land. Many haciendas had their own monetary systems. The early haciendas produced cattle and corn, but beginning in the mid-1700s, a new crop was discovered in a plant that is native to the area: hennequen or what we know thanks to Pottery Barn as sisal. The plant was used mainly to make rope for export to Europe; the industry flourished until the mid-1900s when synthetics made the natural fibers obsolete. Sound familiar? Substitute "plantation" for hacienda, "cotton" for sisal, and "slaves from Africa" for indigenous people and you could be talking about the South. Fortunately for this area, there is some renewed interest in sisal because of the market for natural fiber rugs. Shown below is one of the few remaining rope making operations.

The photo below is one that always makes me happy....students taking notes. They usually have to submit a written assignment following a field trip for the civilization trip. The trips are also topics for conversation and composition in their Spanish classes.

For some reason, I cannot post more than 3 photos at a time. I will post more photos on another entry.

More photos, no text

A Welsh Field Trip

Meet Tecwyn Vaughan Jones (isn't that a fabulous Welsh name?), director of the Wales program. He was our fearless leader today for a trip that took us into a couple of North Wales's valleys. The scenery was beautiful as you will see for yourself. The most interesting for me, however, was the history of slate mining in this part of Wales. It turns out coal mining takes place in South Wales, but the process is very similar. There are enormous heaps and piles of waste material sitting on the sides of the mountains. The slate industry is nearly dead. Small towns are looking for ways to re-build their economies. It is the same story everywhere....

We hiked past this stream on our way to lake where supposedly King Arthur threw Excalibur. I have more photos from our hike to post, but for some reason I am only able to post 3-4 at one time.

Here are are pictured with Mount Snowden in the background. Mount Snowden is the highest peak in England, Wales and Ireland but not in Scotland as our two Scottish companions were quick to point out. In the first row (from left to right) is Ruth from Vienna, Lyn Isaccson from the Pella campus, Veronica from Granada, Spain, Shelley from Paris. The men from left to right are Tecwyn whom you have already met, Eric who is actually our boss, Mark from the London program and Stef from Leiden, Holland. In spite of all that you have seen and read, we have been holding meetings!

Barbra Ann, this is for you!

I was hoping to find something fabulous, but as the store sits in the middle of the student area of the city, the stock reflected its clientele. I will, however, keep looking for other thrift stores in the "civilian" sections of the city.

OK...that is the end of today's photos and postings. Tomorrow is another day!

My morning stroll continues

The Management Centre of the University's Business School where we are staying and meeting....any time now.

Student housing. The university has an enrollment of about 10,000. There are approximately 1000 international students. Central students live in student housing and take regular university classes. They also have an incredible outdoor experience course that enables them to do everything from surfing to rapeling to skiing.

This is the library. The university opened in 1884.

The School of Education

I am getting a taste of fall!

Lessons from a Welsh grocery store

My morning walk took me by the local grocery store in search of tea and lemons. My first surprise was that one has to "rent" the use of a cart for 1 pound which is the equivalent to about $1.60 USD at today's exchange rate. The pound is returned when the cart is returned to the proper place. There were no stray carts at the end of the check-out lines or in the parking lot. For those who are just buying a few things, hand carts are available at no charge.

The next surprise was at the check out line when I learned there is a 3 pence charge of the ubiquitous plastic grocery bag. According to my calculations, that would be about a nickel per bag. I purposely stood in a line of about 7 people to see how many people paid for the bag or brought their own. Gosh, it should come as no surprise that all seven people had their own bags.

This is the store that has a lot to teach us about being environmentally savy.

The next blog will have other photos taken as I walked along.

Yes, I really am here for a meeting that is due to start soon.

From the other side of the pond

After a long but uneventful trip, I am here in Bangor, Wales, located in the Menai Straights in North Wales. The weather is cold, clear and sunny. Meetings do not begin until Tuesday. In the meantime, I a free woman! This was my hotel for the first night, but I will soon be moving to the University of Wales' Business Management Centre where we will be lodged and where our meetings will take place.

The Bangor pier is over a kilometer. It was once a working pier for the local fishing industry, but it is now a tourist attraction.

View from the end of the pier

My itinerary was Merida to Houston to Newark to Manchester, England (approximately 10,000 air miles round trip...need I say more?) The final leg was by train from Manchester to Bangor. Such a civilized way to travel...