Ayotzinapa, El paso de la Tortuga

Since ever, the Rural Normal school (rural teachers' colleges) is a hope for the low-income families. They do not pay with money for studying, sleeping and eating. Their scholar-fee is paid by sowing grains and harvesting crops, and belonging to the school band, the folkloric ballet, as musicians of the rondalla and to the foot-ball team; also, it is paid reading and debating. Each student that enters, will know different ways of seeing life. Once way that teaches to unlearn and relearn. They do not hide their literature, nor the ideology that shelter them as they grow. Most of the parents of students do not know how the Rural Normal works. They let their children go because there is no other possibility to study. Also, because they believe that their son will live different from them: they will not depend on the caprice of nature, due to scarce, normal or excessive rains. Perhaps, the parents agree and are calm because, someday, the promise to fix the house and the land will be materialized by them, the youngers who decide to go to study. The Rural Normal of Ayotzinapa, is the only chance, and really, there is no other option. The future students may not know each other or maybe yes and they travel in groups to Ayotzinapa to: Submit the admission exam, live a rough week of traying out that some overcome, and others do not, those who leave. During those days of traying, they know each other and recognize; it does not matter if you're from Costa Chica or from the Mountain, they always recognize themselves in the "other" because they have experienced similar family situations. They share experiences, share common wishes, dreams, purposes and goals, and together work the land as in they do in their villages; sharing water, food and soda, because here, in the Normal, is a time of scarcity, as it has been in their home. This fact identifies them, makes them accomplices during the fight to start the journey, to be a teacher, be someone in life. Thus, they become brothers so quickly; as simple as with your best friends, your brothers, your family. The successes of September 26 and 27 of 2014 were born because of preparing the commemoration of October 2nd of 1968. As part of their political and social formation, they must attend such commemoration in Mexico City. Thus, they need "to take" many busses in a few days. In this year, 2014, other Rural Normal school was assigned, but it declined and the Ayotzinapa normal "raised its hand" to committed himself for that labor. However, when the students returned, they were attacked by the police. There are those who affirm that there were the Federal Police; others encountered the Army. Officially, nobody knew what happened during the three occasions in which the students were shot. The authorities did not see, did not listen. Fathers and mothers went to the places to look for their children; they were notifying about what happened by their children's phone calls. Some parents gathered some money to get their children out of jail. Some students were found hurt or scared; others were found dead, and 43 students are still missing. The living students have an experience of what happened; they tell it, they cry. During the consecutive filming, doors that had remained closed were opened. They do not want "fame", do not want "money", they want to find their children, and bit by bit they have planted in us the hope of telling their lives, to ask us to tell a story in which they can support themselves to find their children, the truth about them. The pain, the lack of justice and hope made them visible all over the world. Now, they let us know that we are the ones who are not alone.