This was my second trip to Oaxaca, being joined this time by friend Rebecca Love. My objectives were to 1) do volunteer work at Centro Oaxaqueno de Rehabilitacion de Audicion y Lenguaje (CORAL), an NGO program serving low income hearing impaired people; 2) to make a return visit to Teotitlàn del Valle to buy from the women’s weaving co-operative Vida Nueva; and 3) make a pilgrimage visit to the Virgen de Julquila on behalf of a friend.
At CORAL we prepared for the Christmas pageant, helped with the screening and outreach program, observed in the clinic, did office work, and participated in group therapy, individual therapy, and signing classes. Rebecca did a lot of photography for their outreach and documentation needs. CORAL is unique in Mexico for its concentration on a needy population in the second poorest state and its social services to---and required participation of--- the families of the children, thus insuring the best chance for a more normal life for both. As an early childhood special education teacher, I plan to return this fall to continue working with staff and children.
We enjoyed a home stay with a family (including house- and dog-sitting for a staff member during vacation). There were many trips outside the city, including a three-day stay in a small town with a weaving family.
The pilgrimage trip was a moving experience for me. I tried to fulfill the requisite rituals, while acutely aware of the hundreds of people on foot or bicycle who were also doing so, but at much greater cost. When I returned to my friend in Mount Vernon with reports, pictures, and sacred objects, I apologized for bringing holy water from a tap at the church instead of the natural spring. He told me it isn’t the water that makes a miracle, it’s the faith.
Amen.
Ginny Darvill
