:: assortment of sketches from Oaxaca

:: musings, relative wealth, and Oaxaca

            

Walking to school today with my laptop bag, DSLR camera over my shoulder, day pack of general things, Oaxaqueñas jewelry, and mocha doble in hand, I was struck by feeling my own arrogant status of wealth.  Being a poor college student, the relative wealth that I do have is not often in the forefront of my mind.  But today for whatever reason, perhaps because of my excessive baggage and trinkets around my neck, I felt not guilt but just awareness of wealth I do have. 

            

During my walk, I went past a young woman and her infant child who was holding out a small plastic bowl for coins.  I do not often give money to beggars—it doesn’t feel like I’m enabling them to achieve something better by giving them my spare change diurnally—but today I felt compelled by her.  And then money I gave her was still less than what my Mocha Doble cost.  There is something terribly off-balance in that. 

            This is not to say that I’m at the point of wanting to stop buying jewelry or Mochas occasionally when I want a treat or a delicious pick-me-up.  I do wish there was a way to pro-actively approach the issue of poverty, though.  What can design do in regards to poverty?  Can architecture provoke a better balance in our society?  Or is “how can we eradicate poverty” even the right question to be asking? 

All that said, Oaxaca remains simply beautiful in my eyes.  I love the vibrancy and how dynamic the city feels.  Yesterday, being International Woman’s Day, a main pedestrian street was adorned with these gorgeous cutout paintings of various women.  Beautifully painted and colorful, it was just a wonderful surprise to walk into.  A huge butterfly was also stretched out over the entrance to the street.  The city seems to celebrate every holiday in existence in full force.  I love this attitude of welcoming the opportunity to celebrate.   

:: wandering and journies

:: toes

My feet have been getting dirty and calloused from walking around in sandals in the dirty Oaxacan streets.  I took the liberty/was severely procrastinating by doing a little self-grooming, attempting to clean up my feet.  However, now my heels are quite raw, and I find myself walking on my toes.

:: dreaming

:: trivial internal discussion

I've been having a trivial discussion with myself over the past few days.  I tend to have this internal dialogue every few years, never quite landing on a decision that settles long term.  

There is no serious way to state it.  The question is simply, should a woman bother shaving her armpits, legs, etc?  Are these necessary steps in order to achieve beauty?  

Being that whether or not to shave is a culturally determined thing, I think I can say confidently that my desire to conform to being hairless everywhere but my head is quite culturally conditioned.  Is that value enough to conform?  Are the reasons for this cultural condition valid and reasonable? 

Likewise, I don't find it sufficient to decide to not shave simply to be counter-cultural.  Rebellion doesn't feel like a valid pursuit.  

Recently I heard: It is the embarrassed who shave.

Now, though that is provocative, does that sit as true?  Perhaps true in some regards, but in all?  Does there need to be an absolute truth?

So today, I shaved my lower legs but nothing else.  For now, that is my internal compromise: keeping beauty as culturally understood for my legs, but allowing my arm pits and other places to reign free.  

Tomorrow I may act differently.

:: travel dreams

I've got the travel bug.  I've been day dreaming about using the primary part of my summer to do a Round-the-World travel ticket--visit 4 or 5 continents, notably cities where friends and family of mine are living.  I did a google search about it, saw a figure for ~$3000 for such a ticket.  Encouraged, did more legitimate research through the United Alliance website, only to find out that to go my desired cities/countries (Leeds, Berlin, Thailand, perhaps China, and Sydney at the very least), I could be looking at $5500 just for airfare.  ...that would essentially be my savings account.  How am I supposed to become worldly and cultured if I'm poor and on a student's budget?  Really, I'm at a loss for how people my age travel.  It's beginning to feel out of reach to do much significant travel before I have a real job.
Still searching and dreaming about such a summer.

:: weeks one and two highlights

:: golden sun

 

 

  

 

:: facades

 

:: La Casa de la Ciudad

 

:: sketchbook

:: details from january 19

:: [Oaxaca] dias uno, dos, y tres

A note:
I'm still trying to figure out how to treat facebook and the blog as far as study abroad updates go, being that my blog has previously been primarily visual (not written).  At least until I figure out how to organize and categorize thoughts separately, there may be some repeats and holes between the two mediums.  


day one

day two and three