I got the chance to visit a number of little places outside of Xalapa with people from the university or with the group of undergrads that I was with. They were very different from Xalapa but charming and educational for me. This top one is in Coyopolan.
These 2 are in El Paisano. In both of these areas the Universidad is doing major outreach to work with and support their people. It's a fabulous model that our universities could really learn from.
This is a mountain called "El Cofre" so the whole region around it, including El Conejo, another place we visited, is referred to as the region of El Cofre.
This one is in Tlaltatela (it took me forever to be able to say that one) where I went to talk to community leaders about the effects of emigration out of their community. The main thing they expressed to me was the need for jobs, for some more industry, for someone who could invest a little money so they could create new markets and projects so that their people WOULDN'T leave. They weren't real thrilled about showing me all the people who had left their families behind and talking about the effects on families, on communities, on children... and now I guess I understand why. It's not something to be proud of- it's something they wish they could change and feel powerless to do so. Immigration is a lot more complex than a lot of us think, but I can guarantee you it's no walk in the park- it's a lot of hard decisions, tears, conflicts, and courage of people who want to try and make a better life for themselves and their families and can't find a better way to do it.
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