I was very interested to see what La Cienega is like since most of the children who attend Tres Mariposas Montessori live there. La Cienega is an area where many people are unemployed. While walking towards La Cienega I was shocked to see that the surrounding houses had large cement walls with pieces of sharp crushed glass on top of the walls to prevent anyone getting into their yard. The roads were also very tough to navigate since they are uneven small dirt roads. You also have to watch out for the motos that come zipping down the street. When we finally got into La Cienega I experienced what poverty looks like first hand. The houses were smaller than my bedroom and they were so close together. There were abandoned houses as well. My tour guide told us that since the homes are built on swamp land that they sink into the ground. He pointed out different houses that used to be two stories but are now are only one story high due to sinking. In fact, at a certain area no more houses could be built because under the thin layer of land there is 2 meters of water. It has rained pretty much everyday that I have been here at some point in the day. This just makes me wonder what the roads and the inside of the houses look like after the rainstorm. It also makes me wonder what they do to prevent flooding.
After touring the area I am very interested to see my host family's house. I want to see what the inside looks like and how many people stay in one house. I think that being in a home with a family will broaden my knowledge of La Cienega. I am looking forward to my first lunch with them on Monday.