Eugene Families Ndostayi Adventure, Oaxaca, Mexico

The trip had finally arrived, and we were all to meet at the airport at 4am in Portland Oregon, so that we could fly to Oaxaca City, Mexico. Our group was made up of a handful of families and children who attend Saint Paul Catholic School in Eugene, Oregon along with a few close family friends. The group’s ages ranged from 7 years old up into age 50 plus. There were so many different feelings ranging from pure excitement to nervousness and anxiety.

The checking in and boarding process went smoothly, thanks to Courts for Kids Director, Derek Nesland, who covered all the details that morning. Later that night we flew into Oaxaca City, Mexico and were greeted by our trip coordinator Juan Carlos. Juan had three large shuttle vans at the airport, waiting to shuttle us to the hostel in Oaxaca City. The hostel was nice and had all the amenities we needed. The woman who ran the hostel was very kind and welcoming. After we all checked into our rooms, and were quickly settled in, we had a group meeting that covered what the next day was going to look like including a long day of travel ahead before we would arrive at the community. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early, had breakfast at the hostel and loaded up the shuttle vans for a long ride to the city of Ndostayi. The drive took us several more hours than we were anticipating. We quickly learned to be flexible with time, and realized a good rule of thumb was to add a few hours onto most timelines. Ndostayi is a rural mountain community more than 9000 feet in elevation. The roads were a bit dicey as we got closer to the actual community, which made it difficult for the shuttle vans to make it. The drivers came to the conclusion that the vans were not going to make it any farther. Once the community members of Ndostayi heard about our situation, they drove their vehicles to pick up our luggage and most of our group. The remainder of the group hiked into the community, led by a friendly and quite talkative community member named Alfonzo. 

By the time we arrived at the community it was dark, and much later than the community members were anticipating. The community members were all waiting for us and had prepared an amazing welcoming ceremony. They had prepared signs, made flower necklaces, and delivered several speeches to our group. It was very clear how excited they were to have us there to be a part of their community. After the ceremony ended everyone was shown where they would be staying for the week. The community had purchased sleeping pads for us to sleep on, so that we were not laying on the ground. The community structures and houses that we stayed in were well prepared for us. Although each spot had its pluses and minuses, all of them had a place to use the bathroom and clean ourselves daily. 

The next morning, we all woke up and met near the construction site at the school where the basketball court was to be built. Directly next to the site, they had built an outdoor kitchen and eating area where we would have all our meals together as a group. The meals were prepared over an open fire and made from scratch. It was amazing to see meals made fresh with no preservatives. There were large picnic tables and plastic chairs for us to sit in. There was a group of women that would prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for us every day. They worked incredibly hard to feed upwards of thirty people each meal. I often walked back toward the kitchen to watch them cook and prepare the meals. They worked together, and all of them had a part in making each meal. 

After breakfast we were ready to start the project. The preparation done on the court was fantastic. The court was framed in, level and was ready for cement. The community had done so much work prior to our arrival, which helped make constructing the court a success. The first day of work was very long, fast paced, and extremely tough. Our group worked together very efficiently, we communicated well and helped one another out. The community members worked right alongside us, displaying a fantastic commitment and work ethic. We could all tell how important this court was to their community. As far as equipment goes, we were fortunate enough to have two cement mixers, good shovels for the gravel and sand, and an assortment of big and small buckets. The small buckets were so important for our group, because we had so many younger kids doing the work. After a very long, hard day of work we were halfway done with the court. I was very impressed with our progress. We finished up the night with a large meal, followed by a debrief where we talked about our day.

The next morning, we were up nice and early so that we could eat breakfast around 8 am. The mornings were beautiful and cool in Ndostayi. We had another full day of work ahead of us, and the community really wanted to finish the court as quickly as possible. Day two was a little different around the work site. We had split up in two different groups. The community members were working with one cement mixer on one side of the court, and our group was doing the same on the other side of the court. It started out a bit chaotic, but eventually worked its way out. Our group really stepped up again, putting in a full day of work and finishing off the court. The court itself was the largest type of court that Courts for Kids will pour. I think we were all very surprised that we were able to finish the court that fast. Leaving only a half day of work left for the following day.

I observed during our first two days of work, the adults in our group and the adults from the community did not interact as much as I was anticipating. Obviously, there was a large language barrier that made things difficult initially to interact. When we would take breaks during the day, we would gather on one side of the court, and they would do the same on the other. The kids, on the other hand, were extremely social with one another. It was very fun to watch our kids interact with the kids from the community. They were always smiling and joking around with each other. They were all getting along so well. 

On the third day, I think there was a lot of curiosity about what we were going to do since the court was already poured. We met as a group to go over the plan after breakfast. Our group leader, Juan Carlos, let us know that they could still use our help consolidating the piles of rock and gravel. We then made a barrier around the perimeter of the court using a rock and sand mix. This took until lunch time to complete. After lunch we were able to use the court. The hoops that were constructed by a local welder had not arrived yet, but there was one hoop in the community that we were able to put on the court and use. The kids from our group love basketball and many of the dads do a lot of coaching. It was a lot of fun to see all the kids playing on the court that everyone just built together. All the kids continued to play basketball with the kids from the community the entire afternoon and evening. There was no pulling them away from the court. They were all having the time of their lives, making new friends, and playing a game that was bringing everyone together. 

Once the court was finished our group had four days to hang out with the community, and partake in several different activities. Juan Carlos did an amazing job organizing some fantastic outings. One of the first activities was a Pulque tour in the community. Ndostayi is one of largest producers of Pulque in the entire country. Pulque is a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage produced from the fermentation of the fresh sap known as aguamiel (mead) extracted from several species of Agave plants that grow in the Central Mexico. The tour was led by two of the women in the community that farm and produce pulque. 

The following day there was a hike planned for whoever wanted to participate. We were to hike up an additional 1000 feet in elevation, putting us above 10,000 feet in elevation. The hike was led by a female community leader, Catalina, who had spent her entire life in the area and at one time used to hike a herd of goats through the area where we were exploring. She led the way with a machete in hand, bushwacking the trail for our group. Going into the hike we were told we would be hiking up to a cave. When we arrived, it was more of a boulder. We all got a good laugh when we reached the top.

The next day was one of the most enjoyable days of the entire trip. We hung out with the entire community at the court. There was a group of adult men from the community that wanted to play a large game of basketball. The men in our group split up teams, so that we had an equal number of locals and men from our group evenly dispersed on each team. We played for over an hour, having an absolute blast using the game of basketball to break down the communication barriers. We had so much fun trying to communicate how to cut, screen and move without the ball. It was an experience I will never forget, and one that showed the true love for the game of basketball. During the game my wife came over to tell me that the women from the community wanted to play a game with the women from our group after we were finished. We ended our game and watched the women play. This was so fun and entertaining. I truly enjoyed watching everyone competing, playing hard and sharing lots of laughs. 

Later that day we had our ribbon cutting ceremony with all the leaders from the community, and the leaders from the nearby larger city. The ceremony was to celebrate the court, but also showed the importance that Ndostayi was being recognized as a growing community. The children from the community put on a performance with several dances. The community asked our group if we would have a dance prepared for the celebration. Our group put a large performance together dancing to Shout and then Cotton Eye Joe. After all the dancing and performing we gathered for a community feast that was prepared for us. We had a large barbeque with a goat that was butchered the day prior in the shade of the nearby pine trees. It was delicious and fantastic. The feast was followed by a live band and more dancing. It was an AWESOME night!

Our final day was very special being that it was Easter Sunday. Not only did we get to see how the community of Ndostayi celebrated Easter, but we were going to show them how we celebrated Easter back in the United States. What was even more special was the fact that the community had just built a Catholic church in the community. It was a very beautiful simple wood structure. A priest from a nearby community conducted the service. It was a spiritual experience that further connected our group with the community. After church we had prepared an easter egg hunt for all of the children in the community. One of the females in our group who speaks Spanish spoke to the community about our tradition and how it works. The parents in the community were tasked with hiding the eggs, while the children hung out behind the walls of the kitchen area so they couldn’t see the eggs being hidden. This led to one of the most hilarious episodes I have ever been a part of. The parents in the community took the message so literally that all of them were burying the eggs deep into the ground, the gravel and the sand. We all had a good laugh, and then explained to them the purpose was for the kids to actually find the eggs so it was helpful if they could see at least part of the egg. After all was said and done, the children had a blast hunting for the eggs, with the help from the kids from our group. After the hunt we all spent the day as one community hanging out at the court, playing games and listening to music. It was fantastic!

The following morning, we were to depart from the community very early in the morning. The traveling logistics were once again a journey. The vans could not make it to the community, so members of the community gathered all of their vehicles and shuttled our group down the mountains to the point the vans were waiting for us. It was nothing short of remarkable, and a true testament to the type of people we were lucky enough to be a part of from Ndostayi. They were truly loving, kind, and generous people who taught us so much about what life is really about. After several hours of traveling, we made it back to Oaxaca City, where we ate and toured the city. We stayed the night at the same hostel as the first night. The next morning we were shuttled to the airport, and Juan Carlos saw that we got there safely. We were absolutely blessed to have a leader like Juan Carlos with us. Juan Carlos is an incredible human being, and I think of him as family. Thank you, Juan Carlos, and Courts for Kids for taking such good care of our group and for providing our families with such a life-changing opportunity. It was an experience we will never forget. ~ W.C. Harbert

“ What I learned from the community is that the power of a community is something special. The individuals we met would not survive without the power of the community. They watch out for each other and support each other in all things. Another key thing I learned is that they produce little waste and make use of all available resources to the fullest extent possible… clothes, food, the land, etc.” ~ Chris Whittaker

“This community reinforced for me the value of working together as a community for the good of the community as a whole. They also took a chance by trusting Courts for Kids. And I am so grateful they did, which reminds me of the importance of taking risks for potentially great rewards. They also reminded me that kindness and positivity go a long way.” ~ Alicia Harrison

“I was questioning myself and the decision to go on this trip. After reflecting, I've learned that I am able to adapt to difficult environments and push my body to extremes I never experienced before.” ~ Blake Backlund

“ Each day was filled with memories with these special group of people. Connections with my family, In particular, will be lasting memories. My memory of my son, Max, proved how hard of a worker he is. On our work days. I was so proud of his consistent work ethic. A memory with my daughter, will always be hiking up to the caves, proving that she can do whatever she puts in her mind. Watching her push herself step-by-step was amazing to see. Memories of Blake, my husband, will always be the way he connects with everybody and is so easy going, he has no qualms about. Jumping into the middle of a dance circle or join a basketball game with the locals of Ndostayi.” ~ Ashley Backlund 

“This trip changed me in the way of looking at people who ask for help. I always thought people who asked were not strong enough to do things by themselves. I learned that even if you ask for help, you are just as strong as anyone else.” ~ Emerson Whittaker

“I am so happy that my kids are having this experience at such a young age so they will really develop a world view and a love to serve, explore and be curious about culture always. I think, as my kids grow up, they will continue to reflect back on this experience, and it will only continue to help them understand the world that they really are all one and that they can navigate the world confidently.” ~ Katie Harbert

Community Quotes:

“Very good afternoon to the group from Oregon and Juan Carlos Herrera for supporting this rural Ndostayi community on the project of the sports court where the neighbors, men and women, young people and children were working on the job that was done from the 25th to the 31st of March. The people are very grateful for the work and for living together in this week on behalf of the authority of the community.” ~ Jose Santiago León

“Thank you for the invaluable support given for the benefit of the vulnerable population, we feel infinitely grateful for your donation, it has brought joy and hope to the lives of all the people of this Núcleo Rural Ndostayi. Thank you for being a force of Kindness and Compassion in the World 🙌.” ~ Rufino Hernandez

“The project of the court seemed to me to be super excellent and left us with a wonderful memory in this school and the community of Ndostayi.” ~ Norberta Barrios

“I feel very proud to work with other people and to live together with them and I am very happy that this project has been completed and that we had already planned it. My neighbors are very surprised with the results. We thank Mr. Herrera and the accountant who works in the municipality of our head of the municipality.” ~ Alejandro Victoria Hernandez

“Excellent work. I am very grateful to the group and all my people are grateful and say thank you very much and for my part a big hello to all of you.” ~ Catalina Fausta Barrios