Last volunteer week of the year at Casa HOY!

Last volunteer week of the year at Casa HOY!

House for girls in Tepoztlan

Saving the ravine, Amatlan de Quetzalcoatl

See you all in 2010! Come visit!

2010: HOY ANNOUNCES PARTICIPATORY EXPERIENCES FOR GROUPS!

An interactive/cooperative/educational experience in the state of Morelos, Mexico


Option 1: A week at Casa HOY

• Daily volunteer activities at a foster home for youth, a food bank,
  a community recycling center, and other sites (emphasizing both
  hands-on and human interaction)
• Talks on Mexican culture, social activism, local & global issues
• Optional 1-hour daily Spanish classes/conversation
• Visits to lesser-known local attractions
• Team-building dynamics
  
• Meetings with local activists, artisans, students
  
• Excursions to nearby towns, ruins, natural areas

For groups of 6-8 people
Cost per individual per week: US$250-$350
(depending on number of activities, talks, meals, etc.)
Basic service includes:

• hostel-type lodging
• breakfast
• local transportation
• talks and Spanish hour
• all dynamics and arrangements for volunteer service
• one guided tour
  
• wireless Internet

Option 2: A week living and working in a rural community
For groups of 8-15 people
Cost per individual per week: US$500

• basic lodging
• all meals
  
• local transportation
• all dynamics, activities, and arrangements for volunteer service

*A great life experience abroad for college students, youth clubs & networks,
church groups, socially responsible companies, and other groups
Winter, spring, and summer breaks

Please contact us 3-6 months in advance
to begin the registration process
and schedule a week or two in 2010 at:
hoycommunity@gmail.com
Gracias y saludos!
Team Casa HOY
www.hoycommunity.org

End of Summer at Casa HOY / Fin del verano en Casa HOY

Another Summer has ended at Casa HOY....but not without great memories....
Our last 3 participants from Canada, Australia, and the States enjoyed their respective weeks of volunteer work, specially visiting the girls from Casa Perlas, a foster home for former street kids or minors with parents in prison. There, HOY´s participants gave informal English classes, origami and bracelet-making workshops, swam and played games with the energetic and always smiling girls. Casa HOY will receive more visitors at the end of the year...more news coming in the Fall!


Otro verano terminó en Casa HOY....pero no sin dejar buenos recuerdos...
Nuestros 3 últimos visitantes de Canada, Australia, y los Estados Unidos disfrutaron sus respectivas semanas de trabajo voluntario, especialmente visitando a las niñas de la Casa Perlas, un albergue para antigüos niñas de la calle, o menores con padres en la prisión. Ahí, los participantes de HOY dieron clases de inglés informal, al igual que talleres de origami y como hacer pulseras, también nadaron y jugaron con las siempre energéticas y sonrientes niñas.
Casa HOY recibirá más visitantes al final del año...más noticias pronto!

Summer 2009.1 / Verano 2009.1

Casa HOY has gotten a facelift just in time to start the summer volunteer season! Lindsay and Silas (from the US), and Laura (our first Australian participant!), inaugurated the summer offering a helping hand at a local food bank, at CAM center for teens, at a community recycling center, and at Niñas de Eugenia, where Laura and the litte girls enjoyed each other's company.
Casa HOY fue remodelada justo a tiempo para el comienzo de las vacaciones de verano, y la llegada de nuevos voluntarios: Lindsay y Silas (de Estados Unidos), y Laura (nuestra primera participante de Australia!). Ellos colaboraron con el banco de alimentos, los jovenes del centro Cam, un centro de reciclaje, y la casa hogar Niñas de Eugenia.


In other news, Por un mejor HOY is now featured in the Lonely Planet guide to Mexico! Look for the latest edition with a typical Mexican skeleton on the cover page!
En otras noticias, Por un mejor HOY aparece por segundo año consecutivo en la guia Lonenely Planet de Mexico! Busquen la ultima edicion con una calaca mexicana en la portada!


For more news, pictures, and postings visit us also on Facebook under "Casa HOY."
Para mas noticias, fotos y anuncios, visitanos en Facebook bajo "Casa HOY".
www.facebook.com/hoycommunity

IT'S OK TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO...VISIT CASA HOY THIS SUMMER!

IT'S OK TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO AGAIN!
(link to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention)

COME TO CASA HOY THIS SUMMER!
FOR A ONE- OR TWO-WEEK PARTICIPATORY EXPERIENCE

> SUMMER DATES:
JUNE 21-27 / JUNE 28-JULY4
JULY 12-18 / 19-25
AUGUST 2-8, 9-15

> POST-FLU-SCARE SPECIAL RATE! US$250/week; students w/valid ID, US$200. To see what's included, please click here.

> ESPAÑOL EN PRACTICA! (Innovative Spanish immersion experience with no classroom, books, or grammar! Send inquiries for more info.)
WEEKS: July 5-11 / November 22-28, 2009 (beginners) and July 19-25 / November 29-December 5, 2009 (intermediate/advanced)
*program organized independently by Gerardo Jaime, Spanish Teacher and Casa HOY director. Cost: $350 per week.

> DECEMBER TRADITIONAL HEALING EXPERIENCE: dates and cost TBA soon. (Send inquiry to get on the email list.)

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ABOVE WEEKS, PLEASE RESERVE 3-4 WEEKS IN ADVANCE: hoycommunity@gmail.com

FOR MORE INFO PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR BLOG: www.hoycommunity.org / www.hoycommunity.blogspot.com

> AND FROM OUR FRIENDS OF THE NONPROFIT "DOS TRADICIONES": SUMMER ETHNOMUSICOLOGY PROGRAM (JULY 12-25). Focus on Huasteca and Calentana styles. Ideal for musicians and music lovers alike! More info click here.

HOPE EVERYBODY IS WELL!

Gerardo Jaime
Director Casa HOY

Recapping the Spring / Recuento de la primavera

Two universities kept our spring break month busy. Loyola Marymount University came from California to spend a week in the state of Hidalgo (March 7-14) and Elon University came from North Carolina to spent a week in Cuernavaca (March 22-28). Both groups enjoyed being in Mexico for an alternative spring break filled with volunteering, cultural immersion and fun.

Cultural activities were provided by HOY intern, Nathaniel, from sampling of Mexican cuisine such as chapulines (fried grasshoppers), to salsa dancing at a local cafe.

The mandatory swine flu vacation has provided us with a chance to spruce up around the house. Casa HOY now has a fresh new coat of yellow paint and water-proofed roofs – ready for the rainy season to begin!

Un repaso de la primavera…

Nuestro "spring break" estuvo muy movido con dos universidades de Estados Unidos. Loyola Marymount University vino de California para pasar una semana en el estado de Hidalgo (Marzo 7-14) y Elon University vino de Carolina del Norte por una semana a Cuernavaca (Marzo 22-28). Los dos grupos disfrutaron de una experiencia llena de trabajo voluntario, inmersión cultural, y vivencias significativas.

Las actividades culturales llevadas por Nathaniel, nuestro asistente voluntario, incluyeron desde comer chapulines y churros rellenos, hasta baile de salsa y una excursión al pueblo mágico de Tepoztlán.

En los días de asueto impuestos por la alerta de la influenza, Casa HOY ha tenido una remodelación extensa, desde pintura para las lluvias hasta nuevos alegres colores exteriores e interiores.

Casa HOY Mexico: Update 1 on Flu

Dear friends:

As you may wonder, we are fine health-wise. Amelia is out of school until May 6 or further notice, and we continue to work out of the house, as usual. The only major change really is that we regularly check the news for updates on the flu outbreak.

We are taking certain precautions, such as washing hands even more frequently, forgoing the normally requisite handshakes and kisses as greetings and goodbyes, and avoiding congregations of people (within reason).

We have had last-minute cancellations of traveler-volunteers who were to visit Casa HOY in May. As you probably already guessed, 2009 is turning into a rough year (global economic crisis, headlines outside Mexico about narco violence, and now the new flu) for us in terms of the number of international visitors coming to Mexico to carry out participatory travel, as well as tourism in general. On the other hand, trying times tend to breed creative thinking. HOY will refocus and rethink on ways to keep serving communities in need locally and abroad.

We’ll keep you posted with more news.
Gerardo and Katy

Cinco de Mayo Party Tips

It’s getting to be that time of the year again—time to dust off your sombreros and invest in piñatas to celebrate Mexico’s win over France in 1862 (any excuse to drink Jose Cuervo and indulge on Tex-Mex enchiladas). Here are HOY’s tips for having an awesome Mexican fiesta!

Drinks/Bebidas: Pitchers of margaritas: http://www.expertvillage.com/video/27283_bar-tending-margaritas.htm; Mexican beer

Appetizers/Antojitos: tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctnU44S50Po, http://www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/LuvAnns-Guacamole/Detail.aspx; other delicias

Main dishes/Platos principales: enchiladas: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000055enchiladas.php; tacos, burritos, taco salad: http://www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Taco-Salad-III/Detail.aspx

Desserts/Postres: Kahlua brownies: http://www.cooktobang.com/recipes/sweet-temptations/bang-til-youre-blue-a-kahlua-brownies/; pastel de tres leches, flan, arroz con leche

Movies/Películas: Frida, A Day Without a Mexican, La Ley de Herodes, Y Tu Mamá También, Motorcycle Diaries, Volver, Amores perros, Como Agua Para Chocolate, La Mala Educación, Rudo y Cursi

Music/Música: Café Tacuba, Juanes, Jarabe de Palo, Manu Chao, Putumayo – Latin & Caribbean Collections, Buena Vista Social Club, Ozomatli, Control Machete, Molotov, La Maldita Vecindad

Invitations/Invitaciones: Create your own invite: http://www.evite.com/app/invitations/gallery/templates.do?theme=cinco_de_mayo&pg=1&eventID=&inviteID=&src=

HOY Music

Alternative Spring Break in Zacatempa / Spring Break Alternativo en Zacatempa

This year, HOY's alternative spring break trip took place in the community of Zacatempa, Hidalgo. Thirteen participants from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles came to help out in the tiny community nestled in the Sierra de Hidalgo, three hours from Tianguistengo, the municipal capital.

Members of the group (Loyola Marymount University) spent the week painting the local school, giving a dental hygiene workshop for the kids, painting lines on the basketball court, and making soccer goals out of scrap wood.

Back in Mexico City to catch the plane, the group had time to visit the city's main square (Zocalo) and cathedral (the oldest and largest in the Americas).

Este año, HOY llevó al grupo de Spring Break Alternativo a la comunidad de Zacatempa, Hidalgo. Trece voluntarios de Loyola Marymount University en Los Angeles trabajaron en esta comunidad localizada en las montañas de la Sierra de Hidalgo, a tres horas de la cabezera municipal Tianguistengo.

Se pintaron la escuela primaria y las lineas de la cancha de backet, se hizo un taller de hygiene dental para los ninos, y unas porterias de futbol con desechos de madera. En DF, antes de la partida, el grupo visitó el Zócalo e hizo un recorrido de la Catedral Metropolitana, la mas grande y antigua en las Americas.

Your Safety in Cuernavaca

An Open Letter to the HOY Community:

We are aware that there has been a lot of bad press about Mexico lately. The escalation of the drug war in Mexico has even prompted the U.S. State Department and many universities to issue warnings to those considering travel in Mexico.

If your only impression of Mexico comes from watching the news, the country’s associations have likely changed from sunbathing and margaritas to widespread and random violence.

First, let us make it clear that many areas of Mexico are safe and quiet, a far cry from the headlines you read. Cuernavaca—which boasts more than 20 language schools for foreigners, aside from HOY’s homebase for participatory trips—is among these low-key cities exceedingly safe for foreign travelers.

Although some news reports may paint the entire country as a war zone, the drug war that is fueling the violence reported in the U.S., is concentrated in specific areas. These are mainly border cities where the cartels are fighting over turf and routes and a few cities along the Pacific coast. There have also been sporadic murders of government and police officials in different parts of the country, and some armed assaults on foreigners driving through Baja on solitary stretches of main roads.

Fortunately, Cuernavaca is far removed from the violence in the north and other “hot” spots. Coming here as a traveler-volunteer or a language student (i.e., not as a drug trafficker, cop, or bureaucrat), your greatest threat is the “tourist tax”—being charged $4 by a taxi driver for what should be a $2 ride.

In Mexico City, as in any major city in the U.S. or around the world, urban crime is a concern. There are parts of the city best avoided, pickpocketing on the metro does occur, and taxis should be called for ahead of time or picked up at authorized taxi stands rather than hailed on the street. For traveler-volunteers who wish to spend time in Mexico City, a city we love for its variety and cultural riches, we can share plenty of recommendations for itineraries, as well as safety tips.

We appreciate your concerns and understand how hard it is to judge the true state of a situation from so far away and with little information. Without a context, how can one truly judge something? This is where we come in. HOY is here to answer your questions and allay your fears. After all, what are friends for?

Katy Barnhart & Gerardo Jaime

For more non-alarmist information:
The U.S. State Department’s travel alert is available at www.travel.state.gov > international travel > Mexico.
About.com response to “Is it safe to travel to Mexico?”
http://seniortravel.about.com/od/travelsafety/f/MexicoSafety.htm
http://gomexico.about.com/od/healthandsafety/f/is_mexico_safe.htm
A typical visit to Mexico City
http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/best/mexico/m.c./jim-j/mx-city-safe.html

5 Simple Recommendations While Traveling in Mexico:

1. Don’t use, buy, or sell illegal drugs! (As a foreigner, even peeing in the street could get you in big trouble with Mexican police!)
2. Always carry with you a photocopy of your passport.
3. Avoid using ATMs in solitary places and at night. Avoid carrying large sums of money and bank/credit cards with you on a daily basis. Leave them at the hotel in a safe.
4. In big cities, when possible, use public transportation rather than taxis. Ask locals for “taxis seguros” (safe taxis), nearby taxi stands, and telephone numbers to call them for service.
5. Don’t accept drinks from strangers and don’t drink to excess. You need to be alert if necessary.

Welcome to Casa HOY!

HOY on slides!