Spanish lecturer Libertad Aranza returned to her roots with a Mercer team this summer to address a need expressed by the community. During the first Mercer On Mission trip to Mexico students and faculty provided English language lessons to nearly 200 children in Izúcar de Matamoros and hosted workshops for 33 college students studying to be English teachers associate professor of Spanish and chair of Mercer’s Foreign Languages and Literatures Department led 15 Mercer students of a variety of majors on the three-week trip. impact and touch lives in those communities they also are impacted and changed in many ways,” Dr “Some of them discovered their true vocation During a visit to Izúcar de Matamoros earlier this year residents told Aranza they were lacking English teachers in their schools as well as specialized English instruction techniques. “Most of their teaching is more grammar based and they don’t concentrate on the listening pronunciation and understanding to have a conversation It’s more book-related instruction,” Aranza said. which prepared lesson plans in advance of the trip spent its mornings at two middle schools teaching English to students who had been selected for the summer camp. The children were excited to learn and participate but they needed a lot of encouragement and reassurance a rising senior double-majoring in Spanish and mechanical engineering they felt less confident and a little embarrassed to speak in front of their classmates,” said Samantha Vaquero-Covarrubias “Our lesson plan was enforcing everything they knew plus giving them time to practice with us and with the class.” the Mercer group trained college students at Universidad Tecnológica de Izúcar de Matamoros (UTIM) in second language acquisition techniques UTIM students paired up with Mercer students to work with the middle-school campers These immersive experiences allowed them to improve their teaching language skills and cultural competence and showed them how to provide more efficient and appropriate lessons The Mercer students were able to expand upon their Spanish skills as well. The hope is that these English language skills will open doors for Izúcar de Matamoros as well as its residents Speaking English can change the lives of children there by offering them more opportunities for their future fluent speakers can help pave the way for future business transactions that benefit the community. we motivate them to strive for more and … maybe pursue higher education within Mexico or outside Mexico English language skills are also an important component of immigration As people immigrate from Mexico to the United States or vice versa knowing both English and Spanish aids in communication among community members and family members and can help make the cultural transition easier Community members also expressed interest in learning how to apply for scholarships to colleges and universities in the United States Pino led a seminar on the topic that was attended by UTIM students staff and administrators as well as members of the general public Vaquero-Covarrubias and Lopez said a closing ceremony hosted by UTIM students staff and administrators and the local government to recognize the Mercer team’s work was especially meaningful Lopez said the event put into perspective what they had achieved. “It takes a while for them to open up to you but once you establish that relationship with them more Mercer trips continue and that the students know they also had an impact on us as well.” an orchestra played and local students performed dances representing different regions of Mexico Vaquero-Covarrubias said she saw signs of her mother’s Mexican heritage in one of the dances. while we were showing them our culture through the teaching workshops,” she said. In addition to their English instruction work the Mercer students explored the country — from larger cities to rural areas — and various historic sites to get a better understanding of Mexico’s diverse culture “It’s not just learning about one city but learning the whole picture,” she said “One of the goals was to see the different perspectives of Mexico and learn the different communities.” They saw the Great Pyramid of Cholula; learned about the Nahua people (descendants of the Aztecs) in Mexico City; connected with nature while camping in the mountain town of Cuetzalan; and got a lesson in bread-making from the locals Lopez said the bread-making was one of her favorite parts of the trip “To be able to experience that with my fellow Mercer students and the locals there it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Lopez said “For them to give us the opportunity to do something like that and it showed me they were excited to have us there They were excited to share a part of their culture with us.” The Mercer group also toured government offices and agencies including a senior center and a family resource center to see other ways the Mercer On Mission program could be expanded in the future Pino and Aranza hope to recruit more students for the 2023 trip so they can provide additional English instructors and the community has mentioned needs related to health care. The work with UTIM will continue this fall during Aranza’s Spanish conversation classes during which Mercer and UTIM students will hone their language skills during online meetings Feature photo: Mercer students are pictured in the arts district in Puebla CBRE Hotels is soliciting offers to acquire the fee-simple interest in the Ibis Tijuana Zona Rio offering easy access to key attractions such as Plaza Río Tijuana Its prime location near Avenida Revolución and Hospital Ángeles Tijuana ensures the hotel attracts a diverse mix of business and leisure travelers For inquiries visit CBRE Click here to join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest hotel news and trends. Copyright © Hotel News Resource & Nevistas | All rights reserved. Print 1 Victor Delgado and Jorge Alvarez-Tostado took Lucas Kwan Peterson on a taco crawl in their hometown of Tijuana for an episode of “Off Menu.” says customers and taqueros share a special dynamic in Tijuana the taquero assumes the role of therapist: listening to problems offering advice and recalling orders on instinct “As soon as your taquero and your eyes meet Taconazo taqueria in Tijuana Taconazo is always busy but the quick service makes up for it The restaurant serves traditional Tijuana-style tacos The magnum opus of this joint is the giant rotating spindle of dripping adobada meat which is typical in most Tijuana taquerias You can get an adobada taco for 25 Mexican pesos or about $1.31 The patio-style dining area is the perfect place to enjoy lunch on a sunny day and you can gamble off the calories at the Casino Hipódromo Caliente across the street afterward Friday through SundayPrice: $1.50 to $6What to order: Adobada taco Hipódromo Tacos is one of the oldest taquerias in town Hipódromo serves chilaquiles and hearty bowls of caldo de res garnished with cilantro and thinly sliced red onion the house-made salsas here are relatively mild Alvarez-Tostado said the long-standing history of the restaurant fills locals with nostalgia and connects tourists with Tijuana Friday and SaturdayPrice: $2What to order: Carne asada taco El Tío Pepe’s tacos dorados If you’re in the market for generously filled tacos then El Tío Pepe just south of the border is the place to go; Alvarez-Tostado notes its carnitas tacos are a good first step toward shedding hangovers Carnitas and birria tacos are must orders — you can ask them to crisp up the tortillas in the carnitas fat by ordering tacos dorados and it’s wise to order a torta ahogada — the Guadalajaran salsa-soaked pork sandwich that is a specialty of the house to 8 p.m.Price: $1.50 to $20What to order: Torta ahogada Tacos el Jockey in Tijuana tacos at Tacos el Jockey come wrapped in paper and are finished with house-made guacamole but Alvarez-Tostado says Jockey’s is thicker and more flavorful than its competitors’ versions Jockey is mostly known for its smoky carne asada taco but you can also opt for a campechano and pick a couple complementary meats to go together in a taco (carne asada and chorizo is Alvarez-Tostado’s favorite) to 1 a.m.Price: $1 to $6What to order: Carne asada taco Tortas Wash Mobile has been serving its tortas since 1964 The unassuming stand started in front of a car wash The sandwiches are filled with chopped juicy which is marinated and cooked over mesquite chips and charcoal for 12 hours The restaurant uses telera rolls for its tortas the bread — baked specifically for Wash Mobile — makes for “the best torta in the world.” SundayPrice: $3What to order: Carne asada torta Tacos el Franc’s tacos de adobada (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) The trompo in the middle of Tacos el Franc, which has been open since 1996, is a thing of beauty: 200 pounds of marinated meat slowly spinning on a vertical spit. You’ll want some tacos al pastor, cut from that mountain of meat, and you can round out your taco selection with well-seared asada and meltingly soft cabeza. Location: Blvd. Gral Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada, Zonaeste, Tijuana, MexicoHours: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closed SundayPrice: $1.15 to $3What to order: Tacos al pastor, asada, cabeza, lengua Bharbi Hazarika was the 2019 lifestyle intern at the Los Angeles Times. Climate & Environment California Food Subscribe for unlimited access Site Map Dronestagram — the first social network dedicated solely to drone snaps — announced winners of its second annual aerial photography contest earlier this month a National Geographic photographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer editor in chief of National Geographic France and Dronestagram selected nine of the best photographs from more than 5,000 entries We refer to the photographers here by their Dronestagram handles "Above the Mist" won two awards: first place in the category, Places and first place in the category, Popular Prizes (most liked picture). Check out Ricardo Matiello's Dronestagram profile here "La Jolla" won second place in the category, Nature. Check out Kdilliard's Dronestagram profile here "Snorkeling with sharks" won first place in the category, Nature. Check out Tahitiflyshoot's Dronestagram profile here "Mont-Saint-Michel" won second place in the category, Places. Check out Wanaiifilms' Dronestagram profile here "Lost island, Tahaa, French Polynesia" won third place in the category, Nature. Check out Marama Photo Video's Dronestagram profile here "Tulip Fields" won third place in the category, Places. Check out Anders@andersa.com's Dronestagram profile here "Glorieto Rodolfo Sanchez Taboada, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico" snagged third place in the category, Popular Prizes (most liked picture). Check out Wootsor's Dronestagram profile here "Plovdiv by night, Bulgaria" won second place in the category, Popular Prizes (most liked picture). Check out IceFire's Dronestagram profile here "Where's Wally, Limassol Carnival Cyprus" won first prize in the category, Dronies. Check out FlyoverMediaCy's Dronestagram profile here San Felipe has a high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 516 quakes on average per year in or near San Felipe San Felipe has had at least 7 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 15 to 20 years The quake had a very shallow depth of 9.2 km (5.7 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) San Felipe was shaken by 1 quake of magnitude 4.1 There were also 5 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel 2025 at 2.13 am local time (America/Tijuana GMT -7) The depth of the quake is unknown.The quake was felt by many near the epicenter.