Here is the video from the Oaxaca AcuProject 2012! 

Plans are currently being made for 2013. This year the emphasis will be on acupressure. This will be a simple, sustainable practice for the promotores and others to learn. There will also be opportunities for continued support of the existing acupuncture practitioners and their clinics. 

Please follow this link to Youtube. At this time I was not able to upload the video directly onto this page. 

http://youtu.be/hkHEHOl7bcI

Oaxaca AcuProject 2012 Video

Blog Design

A reminder for new readers that this blog is arranged from the last to the first entry. To read from the beginning, go to February and the title Arrival.

Thanks for reading this, I look forward to hearing from you!

info@jeyaaerenson.com

Kid Updates

As I am reading the blog today I thought that I would give a couple of updates on two of the kids who have been treated.

On the Blog about the second community clinic I wrote about the 10 year old boy who asked for needles on his second visit. We have such beautiful photos of him and his younger sister sleeping on the sofa during an earlier clinic. To me, he is a sweet, polite, kind boy. To his classmates, he is an underdog and subjected to bullying. Since receiving the weekly acupuncture treatments he is feeling better about himself. He is not as stressed and he is able to focus on his schoolwork.

The one person who probably affected me most in this project, and for me made it all worthwhile, is Luz from the coast who is now beginning to read and write at 9 years old. (See the post about Palma Sola in March) We learned more of her story. Luz's biological mother was raped. She did not want to have the child. Lucia took her in during the pregnancy and offered to help raise the child. Lucia does not have any children of her own. Luz was born prematurely at 7 months. The biological mother left soon after.
One of the ear points that is used is for the sympathetic nervous system - the "fight-flight" response to trauma. This work is especially good for post traumatic stress and Luz's development was infused with trauma and stress. Since she is young and still developing in many ways it seems to me that the treatments, especially the first one, was like pushing a re-set button in her.

The next time that Lauro goes to the coast and sees Lucia he has promised that he will give us an update as to how she is doing emotionally and in school.

Reverse Culture Shock

I have been meaning to write another entry for weeks and here I am back in Oregon, well, at least my body is back, the rest of me has not completely arrived. 


I left off the blog at Charco Redondo. From there, Rico and I spent a few days at the coast relaxing. I spent a couple of those days continuing to deal with the altitude sickness which got re-ignited by the flame of heat and humidity. I was dizzy and nauseas for a couple of days. Although I felt awful I reminded myself that it was better to feel awful in paradise than other places. The coast of Oaxaca is paradise - blue waters, pristine beaches, surfers, not crowded. It was a perfect place to do some self healing. 


Oaxaca Acu Project


I learned a lot through this project. It began with the name The Oaxaca Acupuncture Project and is now shortened to just Acu. This is partially due to the shift in the longer-term ideas for this project and it's expansion beyond acupuncture to include more acupressure. 


In Charco Redondo my thoughts around teaching acupressure were confirmed. My biggest concern around this project has been the needles. I have promised to continue to supply needles to the Promotores for one year and then evaluate. I will be able to see who has been using them, how many treatments have been given, and where they want to go with this. One of the best uses of this is for Post Traumatic Stress. There was an earthquake in Mexico the day we returned to Oaxaca City. The pueblos in the Siera Norte have experienced flooding and landslides. If they are cut off for extended times the way they were last year, they will only have a limited number of needles to use to support their pueblos. At least the pueblos on the coast are much easier to access. 


2013 Project


My plan for next winter is to return and teach workshops in acupressure. This is something that the promotores can teach to their pueblos. Everyone can learn how to do first aid acupressure, pain relief, basic self care. It won't be limited to the promotores treating others, the promotores can learn and teach others. It can be easily integrated into what they already do.

I spoke with Lauro about this and he likes the idea. 


This may or may not be integrated into the tour that I will most likely lead next February. It will be similar to the tour last year and will be open to anyone, not just "healers". The way that I am currently envisioning it is that we will have a healing exchange - we will learn from the indigenous healers of Oaxaca. Traditions such as limpias, herbs including hiking and identifying herbs and making products. We will have a temazcal, a traditional sweatlodge. And we will visit some of the communities and do servicework. This will depend on who is in our traveling community - the healers can do healing work - acupuncture, massage, tuning forks, etc. musicians could play music. Others could help in the community gardens. Sharing our knowledge and skills with each other everyone can benefit, grow and make new relationships. 


The plan is evolving and I hope to have it in place by June. If anyone who is reading this is interested, please email me and I will put you on a list to keep you informed. 


I will post on here when Rico puts videos on youtube and I will also give other follow up information so check back on here occasionally. 


Thank you for your support of this project! It has already changed and improved many people's lives!

Charco Redondo

CHARCO REDONDO

The last of the visits to the promotores. It was perfect that it was in Charco Redondo where a year before, after a community clinic with a group I had made the internal promise to come back and teach. Charco Redondo is home to a group of people who are descendants from Africans. Their community has been extremely marginalized. We learned this time that the community had been across the road but the government decided to put in a reservoir and move the community. Everyone was given plots of land but the money promised to rebuild never came through. They have had very limited access to health care. They have received lots of broken promises so when CECIPROC came to work with them there was a lot of mistrust. CECIPROC followed through with projects of the eco-toilets, gardens and teaching about nutrition and gained their trust. It was why we were able to go there last year and why I felt it so important to follow up and give them what they asked us for last year, the opportunity to have more auricular acupuncture clinics.

We arrived by collectivo. The very old truck had a tarp over it and we sat on wood sideboards. It felt very adventurous.

We arrived to Lucy's home – an open air kitchen with a thatched roof and adobe stove. A clinic where I watched a baby chick walk through the legs of someone receiving a treatment. In the shade of the building next to us a woman played with the children of those receiving sessions. They were using the crayons that I gave to Lucy for just this reason. People relaxed and enjoyed the session.

For me, the best part was what came after. The group stayed and talked for a long time. One outspoken woman complained about her gastritis and how she went to a doctor and he gave her medications without even giving her an exam. She had side effects from the medications and things are the same or worse. It brought up the conversation of how bad the doctors are (although they keep going and there are no longer midwives in the pueblo because everyone goes to the hospital). Someone gave the example of a home remedy for very swollen knees – fill a pot with 2 liters of water and potatoes. When it boils down to 1 liter, drink the water. It might take a few days to work and it will bring down the swelling. They shared with each other more remedies of local herbs. For the gastritis she had been given some bottles of aloe vera juice that was very expensive. We talked about making it herself since aloe grows there, all she needs is a blender which she has.

One woman asked me about her migraines. I have a favorite point on the top of the foot that is very effective for headaches. I showed it to her and how to use pressure. Another young woman asked about the point so I had the first woman become “la doctura” and show her where it is. Then they switched. It increased my desire to return and teach self-help acupressure that everyone can use for basic issues. I showed everyone a method of pain relief with acupressure. This is all information that I share annually at Culture Jam, the teen summer camp that I volunteer at. It is so easy to learn and annually I have had reports back of success stories from the teens using it. In one day with the promotores we could cover a lot of information.

Rico and I stayed for a simple lunch of beans and tortillas. It was so serene there that it was hard to leave.

Monte Oscuro y Cacalote

Backtracking to Sunday, one of the best days of this journey. We had stayed in Rio Grande, which is a tiny truckstop of a town. People get around by moto-taxi's, or for those who have traveled in the east, tuk-tuks. They are three wheeled taxis, cute and loud. I look at them and wonder why they aren't electric. We took one to breakfast and watched the world or Rio Grande go by on a Sunday morning with very loud recorded announcements competing with each other over microphones.

Our first pueblo was Monte Oscuro. Located about 40 minutes down dirt roads it is absolutely beautiful. We asked people when we entered about where Sara lives and they kept responding “el otro lado”, the other side, The other side meant crossing a creek and our taxi barely made it. There is a beautiful walking bridge for the majority of the year when there is too much water to cross it in a vehicle.

Sara's place had kids running around, teenage girls doing laundry by hand on a rock, and mounds of corn husks ready to be filled with masa and tamale makings.

She had not practiced much nor had she set up a clinic for the day. This was not surprising to me, she is a little shy. She also informed us that being Sunday, many people were at the big river or ocean. She left us for a while and we heard a conch shell call. Two different calls. The kids told us that meant a meeting was being called...so now there was going to be a clinic.

It went well and people asked for more. I will be curious to see what happens with her. Some of the other promotores I had already given extra needles to since it would be difficult for them to reach Lauro and re-stock. I know that she will have access to him so I didn't want to leave her with a lot of supplies that wouldn't get used. And...now that people know about it and had good responses, they will be asking her so maybe she will continue to practice. Vamos a ver...we will see.

CACALOTE & ROCA BLANCA

We had a few hours until we were to meet the next promotore, Judith, so we went to the beach for lunch. Wow – it is a paradise there! Thatched palapas serving fresh seafood, small beach with gentle waves and bright blue water, a few surfers and not many others in the small cove. Lunch and a hammock for siesta.

Meeting with Judith was great. There was a general meeting for the parents in the pueblo so not many people came to her clinic but I was not concerned. She already had practice clinics with 6 and 11 people and she was confident. She is a strong woman, she has volunteered with community health since she was a teen, she has an internet computer business, is the first female secretary for the pueblo and is one of the volunteers for the turtle project. All this and not yet thirty years old.

After checking her acupuncture points and treating some of the people who came, she included me in the group treatment. I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is to receive one! I had been exhausted from not sleeping well for many nights and that night I slept 9 hours.

One of the women spoke about her experience with receiving acupuncture from Judith. We have it on video. She is menopausal and was experiencing extreme emotional issues due to hormone imbalance. Sadness, depression, anxiety, feelings of overwhelm. After the two sessions with Judith she feels in control of her life and emotions again. She cried as she shared this with us, she is so grateful to be able to function in the world again. 

After the clinic Judith took us to where they have their turtle project. Dogs, racoons and humans eat the turtle eggs that are laid on the beach. Out of 20,000 eggs laid only about 100 survive in good conditions. For the past year the pueblo goes out at night to gather the eggs and bring them to a protected area. When the turtles are about a month old they are released back into the ocean. We got to release 6 of these baby turtles, putting them into the sand about 30 feet from the ocean. They make their way into the ocean and have the experience of moving from the beach to the ocean so they will know where to come back to later to lay their eggs. It was exciting to watch them make their way to the water...finally make it in then get pushed back onto the beach by the wave. Eventually all 6 disappeared to the new lives off of land.

We went to dinner with Judith and learned more about her story, how it is to be a strong, independent woman in a traditional coastal culture. She is already making an impact in her community. If (and likely when) there is a disaster on the coast I am confident that she will be helping many people and the community acupuncture clinics will be one of the tools that will help them.

We gave Mario, Judith's cousin who was our taxi driver back to Rio Grande, much of the fruit that we were given in Palma Sola - the bananas, plantains, green mangos and tostadas.The next morning we would be moving to the next place and couldn't carry everything with us.

Catching Up - Sierra Norte and Palma Sola

THE COAST

We arrived to the coast today – north of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. We were immediately hit by the heat – hot and humid here. And beautiful to see the blue ocean and tropical foliage. Green and lush close to the coast and dry in the mountains next to it. Our base for a few days is Rio Grande which is a small town on the road up and down the coast...Oaxaca's version of Hwy 101 in California.

This afternoon we went to the pueblo of Palma Sola, the pueblo where the promotora Lucia lives. We took a collectivo van north and then a taxi down a dirt/sand road to the pueblo crossing a dry riverbed. It was beautiful and tranquil there. Luz, Lucia's daughter was waiting for us when we arrived and took us to her home where there was a group outside waiting for us sitting in plastic chairs in a circle. It is rustic there, animals in the yard, chickens running loose and pigs tethered nearby. Stick fences encircle green areas of garden, or a tree that needs to be protected from the grazing animals.

We were welcomed and asked if we wanted some aqua. Thinking that she meant water we accepted and then remembered that agua is also the word for a fruit drink so we waited while she prepared one with hibiscus. A few more people arrived and we began.

During the introduction Lucia talked about her daughter Luz. Luz is 9 years old and is very small for her age. She was born two months early and weighed 3+ pounds. She had struggled a lot in school and could not learn how to read. She would get very angry about it and had a lot of resistance to learning and to school. She has been held back twice and is still in the second grade. She wants to be a doctor and Lucia would ask her how she will become a Dr if she can't read or write. Lucia is 50 years old and is going to school full time for basic literacy skills.

After Lucia came back from the workshop she gave Luz a treatment with needles. After the treatment Luz could understand the letters and was inspired and started learning. Two and a half weeks later Luz can do her ABC's and is beginning to read. He teacher says that if she continues like this they will not have to hold her back again. She showed us by sounding out the words on her mother's certificate:
"Aaa-cuuu-punnn-tuuurre"

Luz has a special energy about her. She feels like a healer already. She is very bright, kind and was helpful during the clinic. She received a session during the group treatments – she loves the acupuncture since she got such a profound result. She has made this whole project worth it for me.

The rest of the clinic went very well, 12 or 14 received acupuncture and others, adults and children received pressure seeds. We shared that this was a free clinic today but in the future they can give a donation to Lucia to help cover her costs. I'll continue to supply the needles but she will pay for the other supplies. A few people dropped of 10 pesos (about 75 cents) and are interested in coming back and bringing others. While the treatment was happening it reached that beautiful space of tranquility. There were outside sounds from the chickens, birds, pigs, children playing, the occasional truck going by, the cowboys on horses, while the energy in the circle remained peaceful.

SIERRA NORTE

It was so different from the last clinic in the Sierra Norte in the Mixe region last week. I didn't write about that for various reasons. One was that I so ill from the drive. It could have been from the windy roads. It could have been from taking dramamine for those roads. It could also have been from the altitude of the pueblo. The dizziness and nausea lasted through much of the week. I also didn't write because I had to process internally how I felt about that clinic. Two young women from the pueblo, 16 & 17 years old, had been sent by the head of the women's group to take the workshop. They were shy during the workshop, one more than the other. They had practiced a little since the workshop but this was their first time doing a group. There was a large group of women there. Many of the women did not want to receive a treatment due to their christian religious beliefs (I don't recall which branch of christianity, one of the one's that refuses any sort of medicine). They seemed to resent being asked to be quiet while others were receiving treatments and left with what I perceived as an attitude. The communication was all in their indigenous language Mixe so I missed a lot of details. The young women did a good job but it did not seem to be a comfortable setting for them. I doubt that they will do many clinics like this. What I hope is that they continue to practice with family and friends and that they will keep up these skills and use them when needed. It made me question bringing this style of healing into this culture. It is an Asian value to be quiet and inward. In these pueblos they tend to be talkative and loud. Do people really need to go inward or quiet? Ultimately in the session there it was mostly the elders of the community who received the treatments and they seemed to relax into it. I am curious to hear later how it goes there and what the response actually will be.

This Sierra Norte pueblo was in a beautiful setting – it was like Oregon. It was up in the clouds with trees and ferns. Next to the basketball court where we treated the women, men picked coffee and avocados. There was a small market of 3 people selling vegetables and kitchen goods from folding tables. While the treatments were finishing up, a delivery truck arrived and many people came out to unload it and carry the 50 pound bags of something. It was interesting seeing how people there work together and I am curious about life in a remote Mixe pueblo.

I left the pueblo with lots of questions. Today at the coast was a different story. We were given presents before we left today – a bag of mangoes, of two types of bananas, and tostadas made with chervil, a green herb. We were give the present of an amazing testimonial. Of a community that made us feel welcome. And, for me, the present of feeling that what we are doing can help a small village become healthier in ways that we can't even imagine.

Sierra Norte

I have heard it said that God took a piece of paper, crumpled it up and made that the blueprint for the mountains in the state of Oaxaca. After driving for hours today through the Sierra Norte to visit two pueblos of new auricular acupuncture practitioners, I agree.


Bonifacio and Margarita organized a clinic for our visit. They made a meeting of a women's group. Attendance was called and when all answered "present", the clinic began. We were in a small building that is used for healthcare. They had no idea what this would be. Laurencio and Boni did a great job of explaining it to them and no one left. There were a number of women who were there with babies on their backs or very young children with them. We explained that they would need to get seeds, not needles. The babies could reach to the shiny things in their ears and swipe them away or worst case, take one and put it in their mouth. The young children could be a distraction, to the mother or to other's around. When I left and returned, Boni was giving needles to one woman with a baby on her lap even though we had told the group and I had already spoken with this woman individually about it. He said that she really wanted the session and told him it would be o-k. I had to tell him absolutely not - then the others would want it too. Same thing happened with another woman afterwards, I came back and he was putting needles in her ears. We went through it all again and it was decided that they would have another clinic tomorrow so these mothers could make arrangements and come back. She was upset but all of the other mothers seemed to accept it and were happy to receive pressure seeds.

Once this was settled and the treatment really got going the magic came in. I had some doubts at the beginning, wondering what I was doing introducing this very foreign concept to them. During the session the sense of calm peacefulness filled the rooms and I was so glad and honored to be there. After the treatments almost all of them signed up to come back to the next one.

25 received acupuncture treatments and 5 received ear seeds.
------

It was similar at Rosario's pueblo. 16 people were there. The energy was a little different at this clinic, there was more talking and they didn't settle into it as much. Many still received benefit and there were some details that Rosario got to learn for her next time. Lauro practiced at both clinics which was heplful in so many ways. The issue of setting time boundaries came up here when a couple of people arrived an hour and half late. Rosario checked in with us and it was decided that they could receive pressure seeds but the acupuncture treatments are done in groups.

Due to time I didn't get a limpia, energy work with her since we wanted to do most of the drive before it got dark. The roads are very narrow on cliffs. It was an intense ride there and back. Tuesday's trip to another part of the Sierra Norte will be even longer.

The issue of keeping them supplied is a big one. These were their first big clinics today and word will spread about the benefits. They could go through these needles very quickly. I have some more needles coming down and I need to find a good regular system for getting them to Oaxaca for Laurencio to distribute.

Tomorrow is a school day for me and a day to get my stomach back after those roads. We will go to another pueblo in the Sierra Norte on Tuesday to support the two young women. This pueblo is further away. Today was so special to be in these pueblos. I thought a lot about the many Oaxaqueños who now live in Oregon and different places in the States. What it might be like for them to leave these very remote places, cross the border with all of it's challenges, and then live in the US culture. At the end of Rosario's clinic I met a woman who lived in the states for a couple of years. She asked to write letters online so she can practice her english. I didn't have a lot of time with her so I am looking forward to hearing more of her story, how it was to go and also how it is to be back in the small pueblo as a single mother.

What affected me the most today was how much laughter there was. These women, while talking a blend of Zapoteco and Spanish, were constantly laughing and giggling. Isn't that the best medicine?!

This morning was the second Oaxaca Community Clinic. I almost forgot how beautiful it is when the treatments are in process and the serenity permeates the space. I was there for the first clinic then Laurencio did the next one on his own. One of the kids from last week came back and this time he wanted needles instead of the seeds he had before. He is 10 years old.

Tomorrow at 7am we will leave to go to the mountains of the Sierra Norte on a long day trip. Clinics are set up for me to observe and assist at in two pueblos. I am really looking forward to getting out of the city for the day and excited about this follow up visit. How are they doing? Have they had any challenging issues come up? How are people responding to the treatments? Are the people in the pueblo talking about it and has word been spreading "de boca en boca" By word of mouth?

After the clinic I will receive a limpia,ma cleansing from Rosario. I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights and am not feeling in balance. If I need follow-up her daughter lives in Oaxaca and I can work with her. This is also a great opportunity for me to to experience the traditional healing here and blend elements into my practice in Oregon. One of my goals for next week will be to load photos onto this blog. There are some beautiful shots of Rosario.

Practice Time

This is a time of practice, for the promotores and myself. For me, I am in language school 3-4 hours/ day and practicing in the street and at home. I don't feel like I am making much progress but I know something must be sinking in.

For the promotores, this is a time that they are in their pueblos and begining to practice their new skills. The plan is to visit the pueblos in the Sierra Norte on Sunday and Tuesday. Instead of renting a car we helped pay for the significant repairs to Lauro's car. It was a much more sustainable use of funds. He will especially need his car after June when the main CECIPROC office in Mexico City will close Lauro's office here in Oaxaca and he will need to commute over the mountains for 6 hours to the coast to do his work. He will spend a week at a time there as will his wife who also works for the organization. They have teen daughters here so they need to stay in the city as well.

Oaxaca City clinic

The first clinic at CECIPROC was held today. 12 people received sessions including two children. It was the perfect number of people for Laurencio's first time holding the clinic after the workshop. It was a great learning experience. Rico and I arrived just as sessions were about to get going. I had thought that I would supervise and maybe even receive a treatment. With this many people for his first time I worked on people instead. While we were still treating the group, one of the people who already had her needles in began to feel flush and sick to her stomach. She tried to stay with it for a few minutes, but it wasn't going away so I took out the needles, laid her down and did some energy work to help her rebalance. She was fine and when Lauro spoke with her later he learned that she had a coffee on her way to the clinic and it was too much energy for her. He got to see how I handled the situation and it was a good learning experience. It was also good that I was there, for his first time it would have been a lot to handle with 11 others to be aware of. In my 18+ years of practice and tens of thousands of treatments I have only seen this type of reaction 3 times.

I am waiting to hear from someone about giving us transportation to the pueblos next week. This really showed the importance of follow up support. I will spend this week in spanish school every day. Today, aside from a small conversation in the mercado organico, this is my english outlet. Learning another language is a slow process for me and I have faith that it is improving. Daily frustrations and daily excitement at understanding something.

Our social life is getting busier. Mostly with foreigners, from the US and France. It has been great to see some friends who I met here 3 years ago. Rico has joined the Hub. The Hub is a place where social activists can meet and use office facilities. They have internet, printing, social get-togethers, networking, meeting rooms, etc. There are Hubs all over the world now and growing. This project allows him to be a part of it. There are fantastic projects going on here - ecological and social. It is very inspiring.

Workshop and graduation

It's been a busy couple of days...and exhasting as we recovered from the weekend and workshop. Or maybe for me it was the mezcal at our celebration dinner on Monday night...

Monday flew by with the final clinics. We didn't have the numbers of people show up for the clinics as we had hoped for but it was enough that everyone got to practice on a few people. We really encouraged them to begin to practice immediately as soon as the return home to keep it fresh. They were so enthusiastic during these practice sessions. They showed confidence and that was the goal of the workshop - that they would be confident with the 5-needle auricular acupuncture technique.

We held graduation after lunch before the younger women left. We had certificates for everyone. That is a big deal for them. They shared that this will give them credibility that they might ot otherwise have. It shows that they studied in the workshop, that it is aligned with CECIPROC, it is signed by the two teachers, one with an obviously foreign name, and it looks very official. The graduation was beautiful. Everyone will also have photos holding the certificates with the two teachers. Some had very strong emotional reactions. Life is difficult where they live and this is a way they can help their communities.

Rico did individual video interviews with everyone. He asked how/why they came to the workshop, what did they think of the workshop, what is their life in the pueblo - what do they do, how are they going to use what they learned in their communities? This will be part of the videos that he will make for this project - short and long. The director of Ceciproc's parent organization in Mexico City had doubts about this program, the video will be great for showing him what happened. This video will be made in English and Spanish and will hopefully help Ceciproc as well with their fundraising. Laurancio's dream right now is to build a teaching center on the coast where many of the promotores live. He wants to have a building, dorms, kitchens, everything that they will need. As it is now, they have a palapa where they teach sometimes and then people go home to their families and are often very distracted. He needs about $75,000 to build everything, they already have the land. He dreams of it being a place where many workshops can be offered. It is what I believe in and why I did this workshop - Teaching has the biggest impact, the numbers of people who benefit are exponential and they are not reliant on outsiders to help.

The agreement that we made is that for one year I will continue to provide supplies for them to practice and then we will re-evaluate. I think that there will be different levels of practice, some will have ongoing busy clinics. Others may integrate it into what they already do. There might be some who are excited now but will put the needles on the shelf and occasionally think about it. Everyone has 1000 needles plus pressure seeds that they took home. They will keep a record of their treatments and when they use up their supplies they will give the record to Laurencio who will give them more needles. I will keep him supplied with the needles.

Follow-up support is crucial in this project! It was the one thing that the parent organization wanted to be sure happened. In a couple of weeks Rico and I will travel to the different pueblos. I will observe their practice and give them whatever support that they need. I'll also have needles with me to replenish their supplies. Only a couple of them have internet access to ask me questions about issues that come up once they're practicing. Again, Laurencio will be the middle-man for that when I return to the states, they can call him (those who have phones) and he will email me.

The next 10 days to two weeks for me is about immersing in Spanish. I will stay in the city, go to school and study. We will meet soon with Laurencio and plan how we can get around to the different pueblos. We might rent a car or find someone who has a car and can drive so we can go to a couple of pueblos at a time and be efficient about it. The pueblos in the Sierra Norte are in mountainous areas and long distances from each other. I would like to get to everyone if possible. Then will be the trip to the coast. It is much easier to get around there, we can get to the coast in a collectivo van and take buses anywhere we want to go.

I'll write later about the ideas about the longer term support for them.

Clinic final day

The clinic was supposed to go from about 12 - 1 but naturally more people showed up after 1:30. The students are eager to practice and gaining more confidence each time. At this point Im able to just hang out and be available, they arent needing me or Julia.
This morning we practiced on each other again to refine locations and technique. I am very, very sensitive and I allowed two students to needle me. They both did a great job. Two other students, the young women ages 16 & 17 asked about leaving early to catch a 5:00 bus to a sister's pueblo 1 1/2 hours from here, then stay the night, then take another bus for hours the next day. They also asked about staying in the hostel another night. I was concerned about one of them needing a lot more practice. She was timid in her needling technnique and I didn't have confidence in her locations. So we told them that they could stay at the office of Ceciproc where there is a bed and a couch and they could leave the next day. It wasn't the answer that they seemed to want but they agreed to it. This morning, they stepped up. The more timid one needled me and I felt good with her. I could feel that she had the right locations and Julia checked everything. In the clinic they did great so we said that they could leave early.

We ordered sandwiches, a bottle of water and piece of fruit for everyone traveling plus I gave everyone some money for the road. Some will travel for more than 8 hours to get home.

(It's now Wednesday...I thought that I could get back to this sooner but it will wait until later today. I've already been asked about updates so this is the beginning of it. Thank you for reading and being here with me!)

Workshop - day 3. Clinic

Two days of learning and today they jumped into community clinics.

We started the day early to have time to go over details before the clinic. Julia and I arrived a few minutes late and the group was scrubbing the Ceciproc offic/workshop space/clinic. I felt so much respect of the process that they would do that. Laurencio began the day a prayer of intention and gratitude.

We had about 30 people come to the practice clinic including some children. Everyone got to practice on a few people and everyone learned a lot. There were two sessions, they were mostly nervous during the first one. Most of the participants gained confidence and felt much better during the second practice session. It was beautiful to see them work. I was supervising two rooms with three "patients" in each room, the practitioners were working in pairs. Many of the patients said that they would like to come back again to the Monday practice. Vamos a ver - we'll see. I think that tomorrow will be at another, higher level.

Twonpeople had to leave today, one directly after lunch, the other at the end of the day. We gave them their certificates. The first person broke into tears receiving it. I cried too.

Day 2

I can not believe how much they learned today and how well they did! Yesterday morning most of this group did not know what acupuncture is, today they were needling each other and tomorrow they will have two public community clinics.

Most of them have the point locations down. Some need to work more on technique which will come with practice...this was the first day. Confidence will help a lot and they will likely gain a lot of that tomorrow.

We heard some more stories today about their pueblos and the needs of the people. We discussed if they can charge for the treatments and the response was yes, they will have some overhead of things like cottonballs, alcohol, and other incidentals. We/I will continue to provide needles and I have different ideas of how they can get here. The arrangement is that they will fill out a very basic form listing the numbers of people who they treat on a given day. The form is separated into needles or seeds for pressure points (mostly used for children). Initially everyone is given 1,000 needles which is 100 treatments. When they fill out the form they will get it to Laurencio who will hold the extra needles and he will give them more. Some are planning on doing larger community clinics and will quickly run through needles. Others will use this technique more as an adjunct to what they already do and will not use them as much.

One of the participants shared about her situation. She is a curandera, a healer. She does massage, herbs, energy cleanings, etc. Her "clients" pay her in beans, vegetables, whatever they can offer to her. I asked if young people are interested in learning from her and she said no, they're just interested in making money. 1 1/2 years ago hundreds in her pueblo lost their homes to landslides after a season of excessive rain (and deforestation). Her son and grandchildren were one of the families. The government will help them build, but they will relocate them. Relocating these families will have an impact on the structure of the pueblos.
Another participant is going to a 3 year school for literacy. She works hard and pays a lot, 40 pesos each day, for transportation ($3.25). She would like to offer clinics to her community when she is not in school on the weekends. They used to grow limes in her area but the trees became diseased and they are no longer able to. People are struggling to eat.

Rico will interview and film more of them tomorrow. I will upload photos soon. They are working so hard in the class! One of the women was brought to tears tonight as she thanked us.

Some already want to learn more than the 5 point protocol, they want to do all they can. We have explained how acupuncture school is 4 years, they are getting great information and a technique that will go far in helping their people. We are not able to teach them diagnostic skills in a 4 day workshop. This technique is very powerful and simple, a great combination. And...it looks like I will be back not only for follow-up support but also to teach some more. I don't know now how it will look. What I do see is how far our support goes. How these donations that people have sent go far in helping (and I will ask for more eventually to keep them supplied - www.tinyurl.com/oaxaca2012 if anyone is interested in continuing to support this project).

In Gratitude

Workshop - Day One

I am in awe. Today flowed so well. Everyone arrived after long journeys traveling. Some took overnight buses, others took multiple buses and taxis to arrive from their pueblos. Most of the participants have not experienced acupuncture before so after breakfast and introductions Julia and I gave everyone a treatment.

Overall, we kept the day at a relaxed pace. Some of the participants were obviously tired. Many of them were going to stay at the office of Ceciproc. There is one long couch and one bed and some thin mats for the floor. When Lauro had told me that some of them would stay there I had assumed that it meant that there would be space for them. We want them to be well rested in order to learn well. Two blocks away is a youth hostel so we booked rooms for them. This way they can have comfortable beds, showers, and be ready to go each day. In the hotels I had stayed at in Mexico City I had been collecting shampoo, soap and body lotions (thanks Lucy for helping with this!). I hd asked Rico to also bring some samples from the states. Sundance, a Eugene natural food store, donated a bag of samples of all of the above. It turned out great to have these "goodie bags" to give to them while they stay at the hostel. They are in this workshop to do servicework and were willing to travel long distances and sleep on a floor in order to be here. I am humbled.

They learned the locations of the 5 points today. They are learning a protocol of 5 points used to balance the body, thereby treating physical and emotional issues. These 5 points used together are profound - they were originally combined to use for addiction treatments and in the last 10+ years they have been used for post traumatic stress. There are many benefits to this style of treatment - many people can be treated at the same time, it is very economical, treatments can be done anywhere, it is very effective and it is simple to learn. Today I explained that plus the basics of chinese medicine and acupuncture...in spanish. It inspires me to continue to study spanish to do it better.

Once we got into the hands-on of point location the enthuhsiasm and energy picked up. People used golf tees to locate the points. Julia is an excellent teacher, she explains things in a simple, understandable way. I loved watching how she recognizes the needs of the group and is able to flow with it. Last night we had a plan for the day and that plan evolved during the day. The most important thing is the final outcome - that everyone leaves this workshop confident in practicing in their home pueblos. I feel that life is about adapting the process to what is needed and we'll reach the goal. I went to Antioch College where the attitude was that life is an open book test.

By the end of the day everyone could find all of the points. Since most of them are staying together I think that it is likely that there will be more practice tonight. I feel that today was very successful.

Workshop Eve

It's here!
Almost a year since I made the promise to come back and with the support of so many, the workshop begins tomorrow.
There are some of the promotores who are taking an 8 hour overnight bus to arrive tomorrow in time for the workshop! We have a great 4 days planned - I hope to have the energy to share all about it each day. For now, the space is set up and ready for their arrival, the manuals/guides are printed and beautiful, their bags are packed with supplies that they will receive on Saturday and we are ready to teach and have fun. We will start tomorrow with a tradional ceremony that Laurencio will conduct, have introductions, then give everyone an auricular acupuncture session so they can experience a community session. By the end of the day they will be using needles on one point.

How many times can I thank Rico, Julia, Laurencio and the many friends and other supporters who made this happen?

To see the history of this, please check out last years blog
www.awboaxaca.blog.com

Scroll to the bottom and then go to Older Posts, and there will be one more that explains how this happened.

Radio

Rico was amazing on the radio interview! I have never done anything like that or seen the inside of a studio. We - Rico, Laurencio, Roberto and myself, sat around a table with microphones. Roberto had the info about the clinics in front of him so he was able to announce numerous times the times/location/and phone number for the clinics. He conducted a great interview, kept it focused with enough digressions that it was natural. 6 months ago Rico knew about this project that I am doing and thought it is a good thing. Now, he is the spokesperson. From multiple sources, he put together the teaching manual that we will be using and he now knows as much (and maybe more)about auricular acupuncture than the promotores we will be teaching. The fact that he has done radio before and loves doing media helped too. I didn't speak much in spanish during the interview, I didn't speak much at all which had been what I had desired. They referred to me and used me as a resource. It is all so exciting!!

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Wednesday night @ airport waiting for Julia.

Another day of shopping and preparing. Rico is finishing the manual. I shopped for snacks for the weekend as well as more supplies after seeing what is really needed. Everything takes a long time to do, especially since I am on foot. Ceciproc is located 1 1/2 blocks from the house, it is down a steep hill. The mercado is 1/2 a block or so from Ceciproc on the other side of the street, so up a hill. I went up the hill 8 times today then did a Zumba class this afternoon after my spanish class. The last trip up the hiill was very, very slow. Eventually my legs will be rock solid. Not yet.

One of the things that I love about Oaxaca is the faith that people have in each other. I got dinner to go tonight. I went to a new place, just followed my intuition in deciding where to go. The place was empty. The walls had great art on them and the artist happened to be there visiting so I go a guided tour while I was waiting. I had ordered 2 orders of green enchiladas, I thought that they would be simple to carry. The owner/chef gave them to me in a tupperware style container and told me to bring it back tomorrow. Although that seems like a small thing it has happened with more valuble things too. When I had thought about ordering mole verde she offered that I could take the clay pot that she prepares it in.

On the other hand, a young boy, maybe 9 years old, stopped me on the street and asked if he could interview me. He asked what I think the future of México will be. I gave some superficial answers then asked what he thought. He had a pessimistic view, he expressed (from what I could understand) that things are going to get worse with the violence and economy and people's lives were going to get more difficult. Wow. I then asked what he thought that he could do to make things better. He did have ideas and spoke enthusiasticly about them...but I couldn't understand most of what he said. I also thought it was interesting that he asked my name and age. I offered to tell him where I am from but he wasn't interested that I am a foreigner.

Looks like the flight is here.

Day 2 OAP

Yesterday started with a trip to the mercado Abastos. It is huge, we only covered a small area. The biggest part of the mission had been to find bags for the promotores to put all of their supplies in - the needles/seeds, alcohol, cotton, paperwork, disposal containers, etc. We had half of the original bags donated in the states and had bought others. We want everyone to have matching bags and supplies. There had been some glitches with the donation and they weren't going to arrive until the day after Rico departed. I learned that the day before he departed. So after remembering how magical everything with this project had been I chose not to stress about it. We went shopping and found better bags at half of the price of the ones we had bought! ¡Que Chido! How cool!

Rico is an avid photographer. One of the things he took a lot of photos of yesterday was the accesiblity ramps at one of the churches - La Iglesia de la Soledad. His term was "Colonial Accesibility". They work with the original stonework and it fits right in.

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Tuesday

We had a fantastic meeting with Laurencio today, the director of CECIPROC, the NGO, or in USA terms, the non-profit organization that is taking care of all of the logistics. He is a wonderful man - he works so hard for this organization and has such a large heart. He is a biologist by training, and a Curandero, a healer, as well. He is a temazcalero which means that he leads temazcals, similar to ceremonial sweatlodges. CECIPROC does health, nutrition and ecological projects in pueblos in the mountains and near the coast. Last year people from the pueblos gave testimonials of how their lives have been changes thanks to Ceciproc - they build composting toilets in these dry areas which has significantly cut down onnintestinal parasites. They do garden projects - teach families how to grow their own food and workshops on preparing healthy food. In one pueblo ther is now a woman's baking co-op. People step forward as leaders in their communities. It is very inspiring and I am thrilled to be part of their work.

We set the schedule for the 4 day workshop, made plans for the clinics, went to where we are going to eat all our meals and discussed options and pricing for the three meals/ day that we are providing to the promotores. Rico and I went back to the mercado to eat there after the meeting and the food was delicious - lots of fresh vegetables in the soup. The price came in lower than I had anticipated which is great.

The surprize of the day is that we will do a radio interview this evening to talk about the project and the 4 practice clinics that will be held on Sunday and Monday. This is very exciting and gives the potential for the clinics to have many people which is what we want - lots of practice while Julia and I supervise so they can return to their pueblos feeling confident about holding their own clinics.

Again, I am so grateful that Rico is here. He will be the spokesperson tonight. I am not fond of doing interviews in English in the states - I can't imagine trying to explain everything in Spanish! I don't know the radio station (oops) but I will see if Rico can record it.

So everything continues to go smoothly. Tomorrow will be more shopping and Julia arrives in the night.

Arrival

Welcome to this year's blog! I've been in Mexico for three weeks already and it has just flown by. The first part was in language school in Cuernavaca. The short story of that is that the school was not very good and I didn't learn much there but the woman and her daughters who I lived with became family and they made the time in Cuernavaca worthwhile.
Part two was 10 days with Sergio Magaña studying and practicing Aztec/Nahual traditions/ceremonies, etc. It was a full immersion and I will be processing all of it for a long time. He is an astounding teacher, I learned so much and deepened my understanding and love for this country.

Now - I am back "home" in Oaxaca. It felt like coming home yesterday and I was greeted as such by the family I have been staying with for the past 4 years. There was a fiesta at the language school. When I arrived there were traditional dancers, lots of food and friends who, like me, return here annually.

If you are reading this then you are familiar with the Oaxaca Acupuncture Project that I have been working on for almost a year, since the acupuncture healing exchange tour last year. All of this work, the fundraising, the logistics, the manual, the supply gathering, the many details are coming to fruition this week. If you are reading this you have helped support this project, by your financial or silent auction donations, by your support of me, Rico, and Julia in many other forms. Thank you! I have been moved to tears numerous times by the support and generosity of my community. You are changing people's lives!

If you are reading this you should also know that I am writing on an ipad and might make a lot of errors on this touchscreen. This ipad has been having issues and occasionally shutting down the internet in the middle of writing. I will not be spell-checking or dealing with grammatical issues. I'm working hard enough on my Spanish grammer right now!

Today I did the first local shopping and already discovered things that I will have to return for to the super-mercado. Tomorrow Rico and I will go to the Mercado Abastos and look for messenger bags for each of the promotores to carry their supplies. This mercado is incredibly large, city blocks of chaos and opportunity to be lost. I'll write about it tomorrow.

Rico arrives tonight. I am excited to share Oaxaca with him. This blog might be my only outlet for English for a while as he has assured me that we will only speak Spanish for the next month. I know enough now to know that I can converse yet my grammer is horrific. I have faith that it will all improve in another month.

I will try to figure out how to upload photos onto this blog. If that doesn't happen I will create an album when I get bck to my regular computer. Better than that, Rico will make a short documentary of the project and my current plan is to have a party and show it and/ or post it on youtube. Somehow you'll get the visuals.