heading out to the Yucatan

I'll be departing this week for Merida, and getting immediately on a bus to Chiapas with the students the next morning. I'm looking forward to the excursion and working with the students, they seem to be having a great time. In fact I would describe them to be pretty enthusiastic about the whole experience so far. I'll be at the program at the end this summer, rather than the middle, which is new.

Just to conclude the riveting political drama, neither my Georgia candidate Cathy Cox nor my Mexican candidate, Obrador, prevailed. Although the fat lady hasn't fully sung yet in Mexico (they certify September 1), I think it's all over.

They are having civil unrest right now in Oaxaca--which is on my immediate short list for travel interests. Apparently tourism has dropped 75% since they started protesting here a month ago.

"There is rising social conflict in Mexico, and the government appears impotent and unable to confront it," historian Lorenzo Meyer said. "If the government doesn't learn how to control these conflicts, they will only get worse as time goes on." Here is an article where you can learn more.