The week started off with an opportunity to volunteer with an after school tutoring program for low income families. Because of the lower quality in the public school system, these kids can’t receive the attention and education received in higher funded private schools. This program works with the families and kids to bring them up to a level of understanding and development where they will become more successful. How many times do we as Americans take advantage of our excellent education system and the opportunity to go to college? [1]
In Tuesday’s Spanish class, we watched an emotional video about the effect of 
Maquiladoras on Mexico especially in the lives of women. Maquiladoras were brought into Mexico as assembly plants because of lower labor cost, but in the end created problems because of low standards in safety, security, and allow for few changes because of unrealistic rules and regulations set by US multi-billion dollar industries. Can we even understand these workers’ frustration of feeling alienated from the product, your boss, and the company? How many times are we an unheard voice in an unsafe, dirty, physically and mentally demanding job with no benefits and an extreme violence and death rate?
Maquiladoras on Mexico especially in the lives of women. Maquiladoras were brought into Mexico as assembly plants because of lower labor cost, but in the end created problems because of low standards in safety, security, and allow for few changes because of unrealistic rules and regulations set by US multi-billion dollar industries. Can we even understand these workers’ frustration of feeling alienated from the product, your boss, and the company? How many times are we an unheard voice in an unsafe, dirty, physically and mentally demanding job with no benefits and an extreme violence and death rate? On Wednesday we h
ad the privilege of visiting one of the better Maquiladoras. In this particular swimming suit assembly factory, the workers enjoyed the equivalent of about US$40 a week to work a 7-4 hour day in air conditioning with a 15 minute breakfast break, a 30 minute break for lunch and a 6 minute break for exercise. They work on swimming suits they could never afford, each one taking 9 minutes 37 seconds, resulting in a product made for skinny Americans to lay and relax. [2] To simply feed their families is a struggle for these workers, not to mention dreaming about a vacation someday. Is there a thought for the work behind the products we buy mindlessly?
ad the privilege of visiting one of the better Maquiladoras. In this particular swimming suit assembly factory, the workers enjoyed the equivalent of about US$40 a week to work a 7-4 hour day in air conditioning with a 15 minute breakfast break, a 30 minute break for lunch and a 6 minute break for exercise. They work on swimming suits they could never afford, each one taking 9 minutes 37 seconds, resulting in a product made for skinny Americans to lay and relax. [2] To simply feed their families is a struggle for these workers, not to mention dreaming about a vacation someday. Is there a thought for the work behind the products we buy mindlessly? The week ended with two lectures for and against the affects of NAFTA and globalization that we had already heard and seen with our own eyes. Discussing these things left us with questions about how we handle our own privilege and what it really means to give up parts of our privilege to increase equality all around the world. How many times in a day do we take advantage of things that we can do only because we are American? Do we have a right to do them simply because of our blue passport? Is it right to continue to do them after being educated about these discriminating issues?
-by Sarah De Vries
[1] Information received from conversations with organization volunteers and staff
[2] Lecture given by AVI manager at the maquiladora, February 13, 2008
[2] Lecture given by AVI manager at the maquiladora, February 13, 2008
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