A remarkable young man, Willy, gave a lecture on immigration today at my school. Willy was part of the resistance movement in the 1990's where he fought and worked for human rights. In 1996, just before the signing of the peace accords, Willy had to leave his home in Guatemala for political and economic reasons and immigrated to the U.S. He went from being a beacon for social change in his own country to being a janitor in Wisconsin. This period, far from everything he knew and stood for, was the hardest and saddest time of his life.
After a few years, Willy moved to New Mexico to be warmer and closer to his culture. In Santa Fe, he began to fight for immigrant rights and was able to accomplish some amazing feats, including raising the minimum wage to $9.50 and supplying all immigrant workers with drivers licenses. It was there that he founded MIGUA (Movimiento Immigrante Guatemalteco); a group that started as 4 and is now 4,000 strong.
After 12 years in the States, Willy decided to move back home last year. His choice was the result of the massive deportations of Guatemalans in the last few years from the U.S. Last year alone, 23,000 Guatemalans were deported. This Thursday, he is releasing a documentary of his and others experiences; of people being deported in the most inhumane manner, "of grown men crying". The documentary is called, Voice of the Mountain. He will be traveling to several U.S. cities this winter for screening.
I don't pretend to understand all the complexities of an issue such as immigration. I know there must be some good reasons why we have borders, but I am becoming less and less certain what those reasons are the more I travel. I do know that on the most basic level, every human being wants to live happy and healthy, wants what is best for his family. And from stories today and articles I have read lately, I know that "our" treatment of immigrants in the U.S. is embarrassing and lacking common decency. I know the U.S. has lost the trust and respect of countless people in the world, but I also know that most of those people make a distinction between the people of the U.S. and the current government. So it is no surprise that every single person I have met here, Guatemaltecos y Estadounidenses alike, are hoping Obama wins. I am feeling hopeful...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Bitter Fruit
The past three weeks I have attended some extremely informative (and at times extremely heart-wrenching) lectures at my school, PLQ. The Guatemalan people have a complex history, much of which has been laced with severe injustice, violence and oppression.
In 1543, the Conquistadors, led by Cortez, arrived in Guatemala. Among all the atrocities that occurred during this period, one of the most disturbing in my opinion was the burning of sacred Mayan books. In 1562, Diego de Landa, acting bishop of the Yucatan, orchestrated the destruction of 10,000 Mayan books of astronomy, calculus, etc.; subjects deemed Satanic by the Inquisition. Ten thousand hand-written books, the history of a people all but erased at the hands of an ignorant few. My teacher, Estuardo, shared a poignant Mayan quote from this era (pardon the translation):
Arrancon nuestros frutas. (They tore off our fruit).
Cortaron nuestras ramas. (They cut our branches).
Pero no pudieron matar nuestras raices. (But they could not kill our roots).
What has been very difficult is learning of the direct, if not primary, role the U.S. government had in igniting the 36 years (1960-1994) of armed conflict in Guatemala. The events leading up to this conflict are extensive and complex, but here is my attempt at a very quick summary:
In 1954, the democratically-elected president of Guatemala, Jacobo Arbenz attempted to enact a land reform to stop the monopoly of the United Fruit Company (UFC) who controlled 75% of the land in Guatemala. This reform did not coalesce with the economic interests of the United States so under the guise of a communist threat, the CIA and U.S. government planned, funded, and executed a coupe d'etat, overthrowing Arbenz and replacing him with an American supported military junta. So began the "darkening of the democratic spring", the first of a series of brutal leaders, and a civil war in which 150,000 died and 50,000 more disappeared.
I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to pick up the book, Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala by Stephen E. Schlesinger.
In 1543, the Conquistadors, led by Cortez, arrived in Guatemala. Among all the atrocities that occurred during this period, one of the most disturbing in my opinion was the burning of sacred Mayan books. In 1562, Diego de Landa, acting bishop of the Yucatan, orchestrated the destruction of 10,000 Mayan books of astronomy, calculus, etc.; subjects deemed Satanic by the Inquisition. Ten thousand hand-written books, the history of a people all but erased at the hands of an ignorant few. My teacher, Estuardo, shared a poignant Mayan quote from this era (pardon the translation):
Arrancon nuestros frutas. (They tore off our fruit).
Cortaron nuestras ramas. (They cut our branches).
Pero no pudieron matar nuestras raices. (But they could not kill our roots).
What has been very difficult is learning of the direct, if not primary, role the U.S. government had in igniting the 36 years (1960-1994) of armed conflict in Guatemala. The events leading up to this conflict are extensive and complex, but here is my attempt at a very quick summary:
In 1954, the democratically-elected president of Guatemala, Jacobo Arbenz attempted to enact a land reform to stop the monopoly of the United Fruit Company (UFC) who controlled 75% of the land in Guatemala. This reform did not coalesce with the economic interests of the United States so under the guise of a communist threat, the CIA and U.S. government planned, funded, and executed a coupe d'etat, overthrowing Arbenz and replacing him with an American supported military junta. So began the "darkening of the democratic spring", the first of a series of brutal leaders, and a civil war in which 150,000 died and 50,000 more disappeared.
I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to pick up the book, Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala by Stephen E. Schlesinger.
La Muela
This Sunday I hiked a mountain, La Muela, with my friends Vince and Elena. La Muela ("The Molar) is one of the many mountains that surround Xela. We walked from the city, through farms and beautiful fields, to the base of the mountain. There is no distinct trail initially, so the first hour we bushwhacked through thick foliage, hoping none of the plants were too poisonous.
We finally came upon the trail (rather luckily) and continued the steep ascent to the top. I was feeling tired, hungry and ready to be at the top when we stumbled upon one of the coolest things I've ever seen. One whole side of the mountain was spewing steam from various pockets and vents. There is a great deal of tectonic activity in this area of the world (one local told me Xela has "earthquake seasons") and therefore an adundance of natural hot springs, or in this case, natural steam baths made of boulders. It was a surreal and magical sight. And I have to get the photos of this from Vince...
We descended in the daily afternoon rain which quickly turned into a thick fog. Luckily, we had the trail to follow the whole way down. Well, kind of. Somehow we ended up trekking through a corn field, then a cabbage field, then a beet field, then another corn field and finally to the road. We ended the day at Los Vahos, one-hundred-year-old steam baths.
We finally came upon the trail (rather luckily) and continued the steep ascent to the top. I was feeling tired, hungry and ready to be at the top when we stumbled upon one of the coolest things I've ever seen. One whole side of the mountain was spewing steam from various pockets and vents. There is a great deal of tectonic activity in this area of the world (one local told me Xela has "earthquake seasons") and therefore an adundance of natural hot springs, or in this case, natural steam baths made of boulders. It was a surreal and magical sight. And I have to get the photos of this from Vince...
We descended in the daily afternoon rain which quickly turned into a thick fog. Luckily, we had the trail to follow the whole way down. Well, kind of. Somehow we ended up trekking through a corn field, then a cabbage field, then a beet field, then another corn field and finally to the road. We ended the day at Los Vahos, one-hundred-year-old steam baths.
Paca Party
Ojala, one of my favorite restaurants in Xela, hosted a Paca Party last Saturday. Pacas are second-hand stores with an abundant variety of used clothing. The idea of the party was to find the best (AKA most ridiculous) paca outfit.
Saturday morning Sharena and I took a microbus to the biggest paca of all, the Minerva market. You can't imagine the amount of stuff (AKA crap) there. It is a bargain hunters paradise! Anyway, we found some wonderfully hideous outfits and attended the party as "Muffy" and "Buffy".
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
La Feria
My friends and I finally made it to the grand Independence Day fair and rode, "the ferris wheel of death". Here is a great excerpt from a local magazine Xela Who:
Dust off your cowboy boots people-it's Fair time again in Quetzaltenango. If you want to get technical about it, we're talking about La Feria Internacional de Independencia. First held back in 1884 in the Canton San Nicolas, the fair has had various homes over the years...and the general tone has changed too. Way back when, there were traditional games like chasing greased pigs (los coches encebados), balancing on ropes (la tamba del Diablo) and climbing greased poles (el palo encebado), along with parades through the city, social dances, horse races and beauty pageants.
You can expect the same sort of shooting gallery, sideshow games that are found all over the world, alongside food stalls (traditional and junk), rides, random concerts and the scariest Ferris Wheel you're ever likely to ride.
Dust off your cowboy boots people-it's Fair time again in Quetzaltenango. If you want to get technical about it, we're talking about La Feria Internacional de Independencia. First held back in 1884 in the Canton San Nicolas, the fair has had various homes over the years...and the general tone has changed too. Way back when, there were traditional games like chasing greased pigs (los coches encebados), balancing on ropes (la tamba del Diablo) and climbing greased poles (el palo encebado), along with parades through the city, social dances, horse races and beauty pageants.
You can expect the same sort of shooting gallery, sideshow games that are found all over the world, alongside food stalls (traditional and junk), rides, random concerts and the scariest Ferris Wheel you're ever likely to ride.
El Circo Moderno
Two wonderful young women, Dee and Kim, organized a modern circus, "El Circo Moderno", in an effort to raise money for a local school. The night was a huge success, equipped with facepainting, arm-wrestling, juggling, fire-spinning, theatre, a contourtionist duo (aka Sharena and I) and much, much more.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Mi Familia
The past week I have stayed with a very kind, very patient family. Here's what I understood in my cavewoman-like ability to comprehend and speak Spanish:
-Benicio, the father, is very friendly, has six brothers and sisters in Xela and is some sort of computer programmer (something I wouldn't have understood in English either).
-Lilian is very warm and works at a shelter for abused and neglected children waiting to be adopted.
-Marco Benicio is 8 years old and loves karate, soccer and playing his recorder. His favorite song--which I heard frequently throughout the week--is the theme to Titanic. Naturally.
-Wendy is the sweetest girl who was so kind and patient with me. She loves drawing; especially bears and unicorns. I showed her some of my paintings; the farm was her favorite. She also loves wrestling with her older brother and egging him on (sound familiar Kev?).
-Florenzia, la abuela, loves God. She is about half my size and speaks to me like I am fluent in Spanish.
-El abuelo, whose name I never did catch, is also about half my size. He loves God too, and chiles picantes.
-Benicio, the father, is very friendly, has six brothers and sisters in Xela and is some sort of computer programmer (something I wouldn't have understood in English either).
-Lilian is very warm and works at a shelter for abused and neglected children waiting to be adopted.
-Marco Benicio is 8 years old and loves karate, soccer and playing his recorder. His favorite song--which I heard frequently throughout the week--is the theme to Titanic. Naturally.
-Wendy is the sweetest girl who was so kind and patient with me. She loves drawing; especially bears and unicorns. I showed her some of my paintings; the farm was her favorite. She also loves wrestling with her older brother and egging him on (sound familiar Kev?).
-Florenzia, la abuela, loves God. She is about half my size and speaks to me like I am fluent in Spanish.
-El abuelo, whose name I never did catch, is also about half my size. He loves God too, and chiles picantes.
PLQ
I am taking Spanish lessons at PLQ (Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Espanol). It is a well-known, politically-charged school here is Xela. They have a good website that explains their history and motivation:
http://www.plqe.org/
My classes are five hours everyday. Let's just say my brain hasn't worked this hard since statistics in college.
Below are a couple photos from PLQ-a view of Xela from the roof and inside the courtyard.
http://www.plqe.org/
My classes are five hours everyday. Let's just say my brain hasn't worked this hard since statistics in college.
Below are a couple photos from PLQ-a view of Xela from the roof and inside the courtyard.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Suite Sweet Love
So far the only photos I have taken are below, at the Xela Art Museum. The museum is in a beautiful Spanish Colonial building facing Parque Central. We saw a great contemporary exhibit entitled Suite Sweet Love; a title which turned out to be quite sarcastic considering the first thing one sees upon entering the gallery is a continuous film of the artist hitting herself over the head with a plastic sword while licking a sucker that says TE QUIERO. Contemporary. Very contemporary.
The installations included a wedding cake made of tapes and photo albums, a bed draped in film reels resembling chains, and a variety of wedding dresses with tags stating how long the bride has been married or when she was divorced. I thought the exhibit was quite creative, if bitter.
More photos of a happier Guatemala to follow...
The installations included a wedding cake made of tapes and photo albums, a bed draped in film reels resembling chains, and a variety of wedding dresses with tags stating how long the bride has been married or when she was divorced. I thought the exhibit was quite creative, if bitter.
More photos of a happier Guatemala to follow...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Greetings from Guatemala
Well I have officially made it to Xela (pronounced shay-lah), Guatemala where I begin my next adventure. Xela-formally called Quetzaltenango which means the "place of the Quetzals"-is situated in the highlands at 8000 feet. Like most places I have been in this country, it is absolutely beautiful. The city of 200,000 is buzzing with energy and celebration. Independence Day festivities started last night and continue through next week. What a way to begin my stay here!
My favorite things about Xela after 18 hours:
-I am about to take an Ashtanga class downstairs
-An hour-long Thai massage is $14
-Friends of Sharena's run up a small mountain every morning (for those of you who know my exercise addiction)
-The locals have been warm and receptive--talking slowly and listening patiently
The title of my blog (Lost in Transition) is a reference to 'lost in translation' which will surely be a theme during my time here. It also refers to the last year of my life which has been a whirlwind. For those of you who couldn't keep up, it went something like this:
-I was going to move to Seattle and ended up in Bakersfield CA for a short time then Portland Oregon
-I thought about moving to Ecuador to live and learn Spanish
-I moved to Denver
-I thought about going to India to study yoga
-I moved back to Fort Collins briefly
-I thought about doing a trek with my cousin Sarah* to the base camp of Everest.
*Sarah may be the only person reading this who thinks this list is totally normal
I was actually going to name my address lostintransition.blogspot.com but the name was already taken. This is comforting(: Honestly though, I don't feel too lost. I feel good, content even.
My favorite things about Xela after 18 hours:
-I am about to take an Ashtanga class downstairs
-An hour-long Thai massage is $14
-Friends of Sharena's run up a small mountain every morning (for those of you who know my exercise addiction)
-The locals have been warm and receptive--talking slowly and listening patiently
The title of my blog (Lost in Transition) is a reference to 'lost in translation' which will surely be a theme during my time here. It also refers to the last year of my life which has been a whirlwind. For those of you who couldn't keep up, it went something like this:
-I was going to move to Seattle and ended up in Bakersfield CA for a short time then Portland Oregon
-I thought about moving to Ecuador to live and learn Spanish
-I moved to Denver
-I thought about going to India to study yoga
-I moved back to Fort Collins briefly
-I thought about doing a trek with my cousin Sarah* to the base camp of Everest.
*Sarah may be the only person reading this who thinks this list is totally normal
I was actually going to name my address lostintransition.blogspot.com but the name was already taken. This is comforting(: Honestly though, I don't feel too lost. I feel good, content even.
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