Maritriny Serrano Cuatlayol

November 2008 Update

I am finishing my first semester, just three more weeks of classes and it will be done. I will be writing my next report in Thailand, just before the volunteer.

Next semester I will study my degree at University, with the subjecs that I like. It will be a big change, but a good one; we have been preparing for the University since we started at the ELC. Now we are saying good bye to many friends, they are returning to their own countries, so we will have to start meeting new people next year.

The things keep going without many changes but each time I feel more a part of the city. I still go bush walkings with friends, I went to Freycinet and Tasman Peninsula. The experience of camping in the middle of the forest has been great and I will still go for it. I have also gone to museums and art galleries and I have spend some time growing some vegetables. Other activity that I have been enjoying a lot is playing frisbee, I play each Wednesday with friends, and also Sambath has come with me.

But there is a topic that I’m interested in. It has to do with the environment and with the rights of everybody towards the enjoyment of the lifestyle. I have been participated in many activities promoted by Critical Mass Hobart. As I said before, it is a group which promove healthy and sustainable transportation for example riding a bicycle.

During the time that I have lived here, I have been watching how the city is managed and I have compared it with my city. I am interested in the topic about how cities are being spread out and how it can be good or bad for the people, and other implications as well. That is how this two topics are related between each other, I think the cities need space for all kind of people, that is why it is important to open places for bikes and also facilities for pedestrians within the city especially for elderly people. However, even though that I have learned a lot joing this group, the difference between Puebla (my city) and Hobart is big. The law in Hobart is having a bigger emphasis for everyone, and the public spaces are more inclusive. There are opportunities for almost everybody to enjoy the streets: young and old people, disavantaged groups such as wheelchair people.

As I find this topic very important since I was in Mexico, I have looked how to learn more about cities planification and environmental design. I have attendance some forums about the spread out and outlay of the cities and their planification in order to make them more sustainable.

The fact of an inclusive city give me the idea of a world where everybody is able to live and enjoy.

That is how my life is going, the time still running fast.

October 2008 Update

October… I cannot believe the time is going too fast; I have been here for almost four months...

If I had to define this month in only one word, the word would be traveling...

One month ago was our week off, so as I knew the beauty of Tasmania, I decided to travel a little bit more around it. The first day Beto (other Peace Scholarship’s recipient) came with two friends, so we hired a car and started to go around Tassie. We went to Strahan in the west, Cradle Mountain in the center, Launceston in the center-east and Biocheno, Freycinet and Tasman Peninsula in the east. The tour was great, Tasmania is full of wonderful landscapes and wild life; we cleaned our lungs and camp a lot. In the middle of the travel another Peace Scholarship’s recipient, Artemio, reached us, so we could share part of the trip, and we had the opportunity to talk about our different experiences in Australia. We found many similar feelings and switched advices and recommendations. They leave on Thursday and I still having 4 days off, fortunately more friends came! Pablo, Diego and Daniel came with one friend, so we hired a car and started traveling and camping again, for this trip I knew a little bit more around Tasmania, so I could explain them and we made good decisions. We camp two days in the beach and another in the bush. It was really good, and we saw trees of 91 m high *picture. In my opinion is a very good idea the people to come and know Tasmania, not only because it is an amazing place, but I thing that here everybody learn how to take care of the environment and how to appreciate the nature. To me this experience about traveling around Tasmania with other Peace Scholarship’s recipients has been really good and very useful in many ways.

After that I returned to classes with new power and more friends each time!. But as I said at the beginning, this month has been about traveling. Next weekend I went to a bush walking with friends that I met riding bicycle, it was amazing and it was in the most south spot that I have been ever, big waves and wonderful views. I also went to an excursion with science students in one beach, the class was about geography, so the lector explained us a little bit about the history of Tasmania, and how we can see it through the rocks and the fossils encrusted into them. It was really interesting and now I am more convinced about my degree. The weekend after that one, I went with some friends to Outlands, a little town between Hobart and Launceston. Some people think there is nothing to see there, but I liked to see how the people live in the country side and to listen how they thing about people living in the city, it was interesting. Next week we had a day off because of the Hobart Show, so I took advantage and I went with two friends to a National Park which is in the north of Tasmania. It is not big, but is full of animals, so we saw from babies’ wombat in the path to sea anemones eating sea starts. I really learned a lot because my two friends are biologists, so they explained to me a lot about animals and plants; we also saw a shark egg and made some walking.

So yes, this month has been pretty good for me. I strongly thing it is important to know the place where you are living. It will help you to understand more about thoughts and lifestyle in that area. It is funny, each month I think it is the best one that I have had.

September 2008 Update

¡Hola otra vez!

This last month have been pretty interesting to me, because I have been able to get involve in some activities related with my mayor, which is (in Mexico) Environmental Engineering. There have been a series of conferences and forums about Global Warming and Environmental issues which I have attended. These activities have opened my mind because the focus is different to the one that we have in Mexico. In one of the fourums, a representative person from UTAS said something which was very important for me. She mentioned that, comparing with Asian countries, Australia is the one who spend more electricity per capita. She remarked that in that way, Australia has a double obligation. The first one is to change internally, and the second is that as a developed country it has to compromise to help other developing countries. That reflection has made me think about the doble acction that each one should take. Attending those kinds of activities, I have met many people with the same intereses than me, so I will be able to participate in activities like that ones.

As the next semester I will study Environmental Science and I will have to choose some subjects, I have been attended some classes for helping myself to make the choice. I have had a really good experience and also I’m surprised because I understood almost everything, and before I couldn’t. I have also met people here, and I have gone with them to identfy animals and plants.

By the other hand, as I said in the las report and in order to know more about the Aboriginal people, I helped in the ‘Indigenous Literacy Day’ with a gropu of childrens and I participated in some spots selling books. The objective of this day was to collect money and books for taking them into the indigenous communities and decrease the illiteracy. Unfortunatle, I haven’t had another involvement because there are not many activities there, so may be I’ll have to talk with the Aboriginal center of Tasmania. Jaime, the coordinator, will make contact with them for me.

I brought some documentaries from my country, so I have showed them in two places and I will still showing them, because I think the cultural interchange is very important, and also because I want many people to know about my country. I also met some people from Latinamerica and we are thinking about making a ‘Latinamerican day’ with information, food and music.

Another good oportunity that I had was to attendance to the United Nacions Association of Australia’s (Tasmania Division) (UNAATasmania) anual report. They talk about peace building, disarmament, human rights and Aboriginal referendum. Inside the UNAATasmania, it is UNYA, for youth people. They have a radio program and I will be able to participate with them in a program talking about Mexico in one or two months. I think that will be very important for learning how to speak to the public and also because they are working with ‘MakePovertyHistory’ and I am interested about it.

That has been my last month. Next week is our week of and some other scholarship recipients will come to Tasmania, so we are planning ‘The Tassie roll’. I’m really exited about it, because I want to show them how good is Tasmania.

August 2008 Update

Hola!

I have been having a wonderful time and I am meeting many good friends. Now I don´t have problems with the cold any more, I bought thermals! So I´m enjoying been here more every day and my English classes are going very well.

In Mexico, I am part of a group which is promoting sustainable transport, and there is also one here. It is called “Critical Mass” which holds a bicycle ride around Hobart on the last Friday of each month. I attended the first ride that occured since I’ve been here and I’m planning to attend the next one also. Now I am a friend of one of them because we have some similar ideas. I have been attempting to find a bicycle of my own however it has not been easy to get a hold of one for a cheap price.

I am really interested in working with Aboriginal people, so I went to Riawunna which is the Centre for Aboriginal Education in the University and spoke to Jaimee. She told me that she needs help with Indigenous Literacy Day on September. Indigenous Literacy Day is organised to help raise funds for remote Aboriginal communities selling books and collecting donations, so on September 3^rd I will help her with that and I will also be doing different activities.

During more of my free time I have been viewing art galleries and I went to the St. Kilda Film Festival at the State Cinema in North Hobart. Lately there has been a writer’s festival around many art galleries and I have been to many art openings (with free wine and cheese!). I think the art is very important and you can undestand a lot about one place through it because the artists show their feelings and emotions about their way of life and about their place in their masterpieces.

I also have gone to visit many places, one week ago I went camping to the Tasmanian forest with a few friends of Leobardo (last years scholarship recipient.) Gabbee was one of the people who came with me and she is studying environmental science. She was able to show me many different types of the vegetation and teach me their names. It was very interesting for me as I am also studying environmental science. That travel taught me a lot of Tasmania and reinforced my interested about taking care of the environment.

I also went to Bruny Island with one of my housemates called Sama. We arrived there by ferry and it was very beautiful. There is one place where you can see the ocean split up into two parts by a thin, but tall sand bank.

I have a very good relationship with my housemates and clase mates, and I also have new friends. They three are from different countries but now they are living here. We have spend good time toghether.

July 2008 Update