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Fotografía de los intercambios de idiomas LudiTalk en Oaxaca
The story of Daryberto Canseco Cortés (Mish Dary): from boarding schools and seminaries to mechatronics engineer, language exchange organizer, and founder of Oaxaca's most community-driven cultural events platform.
By
Mish Dary
Director de Qué Onda Oaxaca
📖 English translation is provided below each paragraph in italics.
Hey everyone — I'm Daryberto Canseco Cortés, known as Dary, founder of Qué Onda Oaxaca. This is the story and the vision behind this project. I sign as Mish Dary — "Mish" in Ayuuk (Mixe) roughly means "the Dary," a familiar way of identifying someone in my native language. Born in Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, raised in San Juan Juquila Mixes in the Sierra Mixe, I went through religious boarding schools and even nearly became a priest before landing on mechatronics engineering. Engineer by trade — passionate about film, video, and a good party.
A while back, I took over organizing the LudiTalk language exchanges (also known as Oaxaca Language Exchange — OLE). The project wasn’t originally mine; it was started by friends after the pandemic.
At that time, I was just another attendee — a mechatronics engineer trying to improve my English to find better job opportunities.
When they moved on, the project was left hanging.
So I had to decide: let it disappear, or keep it going.
I chose to continue because I understood something clearly: learning English in Oaxaca isn’t a luxury — it’s a tool that can open real opportunities. And access to formal education isn’t always there.
That’s why I also made a distinction: this is not a classroom. I don’t teach.
I just facilitate a space.
A space to practice, connect, make mistakes without pressure, and actually enjoy the process.
Oaxaca has a lot of talent. I know engineers, artists, and highly capable people… but many end up leaving because opportunities here are limited.
For a long time, I tried to build something meaningful by knocking on doors.
Most of them didn’t open.
At some point, you realize you don’t always need permission.
So I stopped waiting — and started building.
Not from ego, but from necessity.
Because yes, Oaxaca is in the global spotlight. But daily life here is different. There are priorities, costs, and time constraints. And when someone wants to do something different — like going out or exploring culture — it’s not always easy to find clear options.
That’s how Qué Onda Oaxaca was born.
I built this platform from scratch — not just because of limited resources, but because existing tools are expensive and inflexible.
I also believe in open-source thinking and having control over what you build.
This site is modular. I can adapt it, change it, improve it.
There’s no marketing team. No UX designer. No project manager.
It’s just me.
And yes, it can be overwhelming.
But it also reminds me why I became an engineer in the first place: to build things that actually help people.
There’s something that defines this project completely:
I don’t believe in cultural filters.
I don’t believe in gatekeeping what is “valuable” or not.
Because that often pushes people away.
Culture shouldn’t intimidate — it should invite.
And it doesn’t only exist in formal spaces.
It also lives in everyday life.
I’ve avoided Google Ads because they’re often invasive and irrelevant to Oaxaca.
I’m exploring native advertising, but with a different approach:
supporting local projects, real businesses, and community spaces.
Qué Onda Oaxaca is primarily sustained by donations.
It has real costs: servers, development, time.
If you can't donate, using the platform and sharing it helps a lot.
👉 Support us on Buy Me a Coffee
My native language is Ayuuk (Mixe).
I've always wanted to integrate indigenous languages into these kinds of spaces, but not knowing how to write it held me back.
Now I understand that you don't have to start perfectly.
If you speak or want to learn an indigenous language, this space is also for that.
After dealing with inappropriate content, I decided not just to block — but to improve.
I developed tools based on computer vision:
If you like what we do or want to join one of our communities or sister projects, here they are:
Sister Communities and Projects (Instagram):In the end, all of this is simpler than it seems.
Culture, learning, and enjoyment shouldn't feel like a luxury.
They should feel natural. — Mish Dary
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This is an independent community project. If you found value here, consider buying me a coffee — it keeps this going.
📷 Photography used for informational/curatorial purposes only. Images are not the property of the author or Qué Onda Oaxaca.
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— Mish Dary :)
Director de Qué Onda Oaxaca