Mexico Students Find Hershey Tour; Garden Spot Enticing
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Three teen-agers from
Mexico have some memorable
experiences to take back with
them, eventually, to their home
country.
Part of a cultural exchange
arranged by the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture
through the Honorable Guil
lermo Gonzalez Zamacona, mu
nicipal president (mayor) of
Capulhuac, Mexico, several stu
dents continue as guests of Lan
caster County residents.
In return, three Lancaster
County students, all FFA mem
bers, will experience life in
Mexico for 10 weeks.
All three Mexican students
are from Capulhuac, a small
town west of Mexico City.
Traveling to the states has
proved memorable for one guest,
Gabriela Rodriguez. Gabriela,
15, in the 10th grade, smiles
when she thinks of her favorite
experience so far taking a
tour of the Hershey Chocolate
Factory. With her friends Rosa
Maria Rodriguez and Esthela
Ramirez, some happy memories
will be the sweet smell of cocoa
and sugar and watching Her
shey Kisses arrive on the con
veyor belts.
Gabriela said it was a “neat
experience.” Her parents, fluent
in English, will host Rachel Day,
daughter of Cliff and Anna Day,
New Holland, during the next 70
days.
Amanda Sauder will be
hosted by the parents of Rosa
Maria Rodriguez. Rosa Maria is
being hosted by Kathy and Karl
Zellefrow and their three chil
dren in Narvon.
Esthela Ramirez said the ex
perience has been “good for
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Tubular Skylight
me.” Esthela, 16, is the daughter
of Esthela and Thomas Ramirez
and in the 11th grade at the high
school in Capulhuac. Sabrina
Hoffner, daughter of Roger and
Bonny Hoffner of New Holland,
will be hosted by Esthela’s par
ents in Capulhuac, Mexico.
Rosa Maria found tours of
Pennsylvania Amish country
around Intercourse “interest
ing.” Rosa Maria, 17, is a senior
at Capulhuac and the daughter
of Georgina and Albino Rodri
guez.
Gabriela’s mother is a teacher
and her father is an engineer
with Pemex, on the border of
U.S. and Mexico.
Rosa Maria’s parents are
candy factory workers in
Mexico.
Esthela’s father is a medical
doctor and her mother is a
homemaker. Esthela is staying
with Joan and Pablo Perez Pa
dilla and their two daughters in
New Holland.
The three will visit Penn State
and Philadelphia.
Late last week was the first
time they saw snow in their
lives, according to Sam Hayes
Jr., state secretary of agricul
ture. The students will be also
touring the New Holland plant
in New Holland. Also, the three
students from Lancaster
County, all Garden Spot stu
dents and Grassland FFA mem
bers, will tour New Holland in
Queretaro, northwest of Mexico
City.
Hayes said the students were
invited to the United States be
cause of an ongoing trade mis
sion. Part of the mission, Hayes
noted, was to build relationships
with youth, because we “live in a
global marketplace,” he said.
“These six people will define the
21st Century.”
Teen-agers from Mexico and Lancaster County were at Garden Spot High
School to speak about their experiences recently. From left, Chris Herr, deputy
secretary of ag; Don Reed, Garden Spot High School principal; Sabrina Hoffner;
Esthela Ramirez; Rosa Maria Rodriguez; Amanda Sauder; Gabriela Rodriguez;
Rachel Day; Cliff Day; and Sam Hayes Jr., state secretary of agriculture.
The area where the three stu
dents live in Mexico is a valley
surrounded by a lot of moun
taints, dry most of the year, with
temperatures consistently in the
70s. There are many small farms
with a few goats and sheep, pigs,
and some donkeys in Ca
pulhuac.
There are slaughter plants for
the sheep and lamb industry
nearby.
Gabriela and friends noted
how different the food is. They
eat beans, quesadillas (tortilla
like bread rolled up with
chicken and cheese), mole
(sliced cactus that is fried or
boiled), nopales (cactus, eaten
like tomatoes), tortillas, gordi
tas, barbacoa, and others. They
drink water that is boiled with
fruits, including lemons and
oranges.
Beans are eaten ground up, a
mashed-potato like “chocolate
pudding,” noted Gabriela.
Most visitors to Mexico have
to be aware, though, of the “can-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 29, 2000-65
dies” served. The candies,
known as “Tamarind,” are not
what you think, according to
Kathy Zellefro, one of the host
parents. Tamarind are fruits
made of salt and hot chili
pepper, though they consider
them a candy. To Westerners,
Tamarinds can really “water the
eyes” with their high seasoning.
Barbacoa is sheep or goat
meat.
But Gabriela assures the visi
tors that there are plenty of fast
food places, including McDon
ald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut,
and others, in Mexico.
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The visiting students from
Lancaster County will help
present the ideologies of the
largest rural youth organization
in the world FFA to Mexi
can families.
And they will also tour cul
tural exhibits, the slaughter
plants, Mexico City, and of
course El Toro “the bull”
the traditional bull fights, of
which many rings exist.
Gabriela noted she would be
willing to come back, simply be
cause of the uniqueness of the
area and the families, whom she
considers so friendly.
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