Greetings! My name is Anna Lavender and I am a junior at Luther studying Sociology with minors in Spanish and Women and Gender Studies. I chose this trip to Oaxaca not only to fulfill my spanish minor, but also to better understand a country that is so close to ours.

The two weeks have been jam packed full of classes, food, Spanish speaking and exploring. This trip continues to bring us new opportunities, including salsa classes. When I told my host father about my dance classes he responded “Ahh, salsa sin tomates,” and boisterously laughed. We began our salsa (sin tomates) classes last Monday with a very experienced instructor, Roberto. Personally, I could only participate for part of the class because of a bad stomach bug over the weekend, but it was a blast! I loved learning the basics and to appreciate experts when I see them salsa.

We have also had the opportunity to go out to eat each night as a group. Usually we go to “el centro” or the center of the city to have dinner and we often have really great views such as that of Santo Domingo. The Santo Domingo is a cathedral that was built from 1572-1731 and has gorgeous architecture inside and out. It’s always a pretty phenomenal experience.

This week we began our volunteer work with EnVía, a microfinancing organization and I couldn’t be more excited! We will visit several small business owners and have the chance to purchase their products as well as converse with them about their lives and experiences. I can’t wait to see what this opportunity has in store for us!

Saludos,
Anna