a few highlights...

We spent our last week in Guatemala in a very rural area (which you've now seen footage of if you watched 'Voice of a Mountain') at 'the mountain school'. The pace is much more laid back but still I'm not sure how to write about the week without being extraordinarily wordy, so I'll just mention a few highlights:

- Translating a few presentations and getting good feedback
- A cooking class to learn to make pupusas
- Hiking to a nearby waterfall (not really nearby, the hike was intense, but it was worth the walk)
- Wafer Cookies
- Playing teachers vs. students soccer the last day
- My host-siblings (2, 3, 5 and 10) and the chaos that ensues when you eat at a table with kids that age (bless your soul mom).

It was a lovely week really, but I was ready to head into Xela, spend a day in Antigua and then cross the border into El Salvador!

voice of a mountain...

As we drove onto the grounds of the coffee cooperative, the entrance sign said: "together we'll create a true democracy." I was glad to be back and excited for the students to get to hear about this community of Santa Anita. In the 24 hours that we were there we kept busy: a hike down a ravine to a waterfall (and back up it), a talk with a community member about the history and their current business of producing and selling fair trade, organic coffee, a check-in with the students, and meeting with a community member that has lived in the states and worked as a community organizer of immigrants. That was all the first day!

We woke up on Sunday morning and the only thing scheduled was a documentary called "Voice of a Mountain". It was created by a couple of young foreigners and honestly I wasn't sure how much to expect. But it's beautifully filmed and it tells a big part of Guatemala's story in such a succinct, powerful way. I suppose, for me, it was also moving to see a voice given to these powerful people that we've met and these places that we've seen.

I know your are all busy - but the documentary is only 80 minutes long and it does an exponentially better job of explaining Guatemala than I possibly could. Guatemala may not be your passion, but this history is so recent and is so pertinent for us as we think about international policy and look at our role in future post-war/conflict countries. And you'll get to see a little bit of the countryside where I've been hanging out while I've been without communication.
The website for the documentary is: www.voiceofamountain.com. It's worth your time! :)

estas son las mananitas...

Well, our time in Xela has finished up and we head to the country in an hour or so. I don't have much time to write, but wanted to let people know I won't have phone or internet this coming week. I'll admit, I was feeling down that I wouldn't get to talk to loved ones on my birthday, but yesterday I was blown away by the thoughtfulness of my coworkers, fellow students and my host family.

Both in the morning at school, and at home in the afternoon I was surprised with cakes, song, and (as is tradition here) getting my face shoved in the cake (my host mom would want you to know she didn't push me in, she was actually trying to protect me...however the pictures are rather incriminating). It really was lovely of them and although these four weeks in Xela have included some lonely days, it'll be hard to say goodbye to many tomorrow.

I'll be back in week!

hidden in plain sight...

This afternoon the students had the option to view a documentary on the 'School of the Americas'. I've known about the school and its involvement in foreign policy in Latin America for quite some time now, but it does not cease to enrage me. There is a clip of Bush senior fielding questions about the Jesuit priests that were murdered in El Salvador (I wrote about it in Oct last year: Six of Many), and after having been there, and felt the pain that still surrounds the situation, to see his total defiance, his utter lack of respect and reality...I wanted to scream. And instead, I sat and cried. I guess in some ways I'm actually glad that it hasn't stopped making me cry.

I won't rant more about the topic here, it's huge and complex and the documentary does a much better job than I would/could. If you're interested look it up, it's easy to find a player for it online, it's called: Hidden in Plain Sight.

And if you do take the time to watch it, or have already seen it, I'd love to hear your thoughts/feedback/etc...

a civilian in 'la violencia'...

"At five years old I didn't understand well what was happening. But I had the sensation that something bad was going on and as I grew I realized who was paying the price of the war."

The school that the students attend preaches a pretty strong liberal agenda. However, as a program we attempt to give them exposure to as many different perspectives as possible. Earlier this semester they met with a colonel from the Guatmalan army and today they met with a man who gave his perspective as a civilian during the war.

I sat there and listened to his testimony, which begins with him talking about losing his uncle at age 5 and continues with stories of death and absurd violence and loss - typical, i suppose, of someone who grew up in the midst of a 36 year 'civil war'. I put 'civil war' in quotations because while that's the way that texts refer to it, he would say that when you speak with people who were not directly involved with either side they will simply refer to the years of the war as 'la violencia'.

"What is often forgotten is that the civilians, who did not decide to start the war, paid the price for it and still have not reaped the benefits of it."

During the time of violence here in Guatemala there were approximately 45,000 members of the military, 5,000 members of the guerrilla and some 200,000 civilians affected (affected = killed, tortured, disappeared). Those numbers are ridiculous. He spoke of his life reality with calm and a level of emotional health and dare I say even empathy for his audience (recognizing the weight of the subject matter and the way it affects people who haven't yet heard such a testimony) that floored me. He is married and spoke of the importance and necessity to talk through the things both he and his wife have lived. But he asked us, "what happens to the thousands and thousands of Guatemalans that haven't been able to talk through or manage such emotions?"

What does a society look like post conflict? Not just whether or not they have been officially secured as a 'democracy' or whether or not their economy is improving, but emotionally/psychologically, what does conflict do to individuals and families and communities. And is it really worth it? And are we actually weighing all of these factors when we decide to 'assist' other countries in their conflicts.

"Un conflicto no es tan simple como parece...No puedo facilmente aplaudir a los 'heroes' de la guerra. Perdon, no puedo."

reminiscent of home...

It's Sunday night and I'm back from a lovely weekend at Lake Atitlan. I've heard incredible things about this lake for years, and in some ways I feel like my trip didn't really do it justice. Dont' get me wrong, the trip was exactly what I needed, being incredibly restful, but if you want to know much about the lake - I couldn't tell you.

Joe and Eliett ended up heading toward the capital and since I was determined to spend this 'free weekend' at the lake I made plans to travel there with a friend I met here in Xela. I wasn't feeling all that well when I left, but the trip there actually wasn't as bad as expected (I ended up sleeping for much of it - shocking, no?) Still, I was exhausted upon arrival and pretty much went straight to bed. Saturday I slept in, still not feeling 100% but the lake is significantly warmer than Xela, so we spent the afternoon at the beach. The day was lazy and it was wonderful to just sit by the water, eat, rest more, eat, and then head out for an evening of pupusas and gallo.

We started the trip back today relatively early, and I said goodbye to Diego (as he headed to the capital to fly home tomorrow). Goodbyes seem to be a constant at this stage in my life - and as much as I hate that, on days like today - I'm ever amazed by the people I meet coincidentally and how much I end up finding out about myself and them through converstaion. Diego proved to be an excellent travel partner and was more anti-USA than anyone I've met in a while; which led to some interesting debates. I found myself talking up Minnesota often...that land of glory...can you tell I miss home? I'm fairly certain the states is still last on his list of places to visit, so maybe I'm not the best debater. However, it did bring to mind much that I love about home, which seems only natural as I reminisced on the rocky edge of a lake.

This evening I spent some quality time with the family. I'm not sure I've talked about my host family here - but my host-dad is one of the most energetic, loud, caring men I've met and he loves it when everyone's home. We were all back tonight (the Guatemalan college girls who board here usually go to their hometowns for the weekend) and the kitchen was chaotic and brutal (in the best 'family' sense of the word) and loud and felt much like home.

(photo - my host dad was teasing one of the girls about wearing her hood and convinced everyone to join in. the boy is my host-brother, the girls are all fellow boarders...although they seem to have been living here quite a while, it feels like extended family.)

Sometimes, even when I'm far from home, it ceases to feel that way - the lake, long conversations with friends, a big family dinner -the weekend just felt much like home in enough ways that I'm far less homesick than I was a week ago. And all of the sudden, it feels as though the tempo has picked up - one week left in Xela.

gastrointestinal strife....

I'm headed to Lake Atitlan after a night of 'gastrointestinal strife' (as it's referred to in my manual). I watch the students get sick all the time but had been fortunate enough to avoid stomach issues here until yesterday. So much for my stomach of steel. Still, I'm determined to use this 'free weekend' to see the lake - so I drank a little of the concoctions/home remedies/gatorade (check out my nightstand, my host mom was so worried) and I am feeling significantly better. Although if you've ever experienced a chicken bus in Guate, you know I've got a trecherous afternoon ahead of me. Ha! I'll let you know how it went upon return.

a few weeks in...

Wednesday evening and I just got off the phone with my mom. It was wonderful to talk with her - I haven't been taking enough time to keep in touch/reflect/write these past few weeks. The stuff we see and hear here is heavy, and I know better than to go long without some verbal processing and refueling with friends and family...still, I get busy, or tired, or stressed about the subjunctive (the most unfortunate verb tense) and forget what I know. I'm fortunate enough to have friends like Joe and Ruth who are incredibly caring and a support system at home that is ever forgiving of my lapses in communication.

It feels like a lot has happened since I last wrote; I suppose it has. We finished up orientation and have been taking Spanish classes and living with our host families for a week and a half now. I'm living with a family of five that also rents rooms to five additional female students. I don't see them much since I'm not home all that often, but they all eat meals together so when I am here, it's really wonderful to be at a big family table again. The girls all talk to each other ridiculously quickly and I only catch a fraction of what's going on, but it's good for my Spanish and they laugh a lot, which is just good for me. Spanish class itself has been more frustrating than I expected, but I do love this language and it's fun to get some of the grammar rules straight up instead of trying to detect patterns by listening to people.

We've also already gotten to meet with such amazing people: a military general, an ex-guerrilla, business men, professors, and the widow's cooperative in Chichicastenango (weaving photo). I'm continually impressed by the power in these peoples' stories and the ways that hearing them can change a person. We had our first group session last Friday and it was unbelievable to me how encouraging it was to just listen to the students reflect on what two weeks of being in the country has done to their perspectives. Theirs and mine - it's refreshing to see that although it's my second time through, this information doesn't cease to be horrifying and fascinating and of the utmost importance to me.