Up until now this semester abroad has felt more like a vacation that anything school related but it got real today. Up until now I been able to kind of hide behind my other friends in the program who's spanish is far better than mine but we are all on our own now in our home stays with local families and my family does not speak any english.....at all. My host mother is named Josephina and she is a very sweet woman of indigenous decent. She lives about two block away from my school in a very quaint and simple home that I excited to share with her and her family. I'm not 100% sure who else lives there. I have figured out that she takes care of two of her grandsons though and I spent the morning playing various house games with them including hide and seek, freeze tag and small sided soccer in the living room and watching that spanish version of Dora the explorer. Javier is 1 and Jeremy is 6 but his birthday is on Tuesday. I can understand most of what Josephina is saying to me but speaking to her is quite another story. The language barrier is pretty exhausting but Javi and Jeremy make things much easier. I came on this tip already possessing a love for latin american food and I wasn't particularly worried about liking Josephina's cooking but lunch confirmed that I will not have a problem eating her food:) a simple meal of black beans, guacamole, salsa black corn tortillas and sausage (all home made except the black beans) made me very happy.
I start spanish class tomorrow bright and early. 3 weeks of one on one tutoring for 5 hours :/ wish me luck!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Santa Maria Volcano
Today was one of the most physically challenging days of my life. A couple of us in the group along with about 20 other students from the language school I'll start attending on monday hiked up to the top of Santa Maria volcano. 3800 m above see level which is about 10,000 ft. A van picked us up from school about 5am and we road the 20min drive to the base and began hiking about 5:30 still under cover of darkness. We were lead by two guides who work at the school and are former guerrilla soldiers from the time of the armed conflict. We were told many times that this was going to be an extremely demanding trek both physically and mentally because of the rapid change in altitude as we climbed and i have to say i was worried from the very beginning. I could feel myself short of break as we walked in silence, holding flash light or using head lamps for the first hour and 1/2-2 hours, and this was only taking us to the base of the volcano. The ground was uneven and pretty steep. The trail was basically a washed out gully, probably a product of the annual rainy season. at about a quarter to 7 we arrived a a flat plane set at the base of the volcano were we stopped for a while to have a little snack. I had already consumed almost two bottles of water and was really feeling the burn in my legs as i looked up at this giant peak in front of me and i almost wanted to cry because i realized that after two hours of hard hiking...we had only just begun. The trek up the volcano itself was an outrageous, have no mercy, practically vertical at points, climb that took me and my friend Eva almost 3 hours to complete. It was probably the 3 most physically demanding hours of my life to date...and at the same time on of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and was worth every single exhausting, painful second. As we climbed through the jungle of Guatemala, at times trying hoisting ourselves up and over huge black boulders (if anyone has seen the shawshank redemption they looked like that rock used to cover the box Tim Robins left for morgan freeman) and at other trying to get tracking in black volcanic soil. But as we climbed higher and higher the view of the valley below and the mountains all around brought a deep sense of meaning to our struggle. Every time we stopped ( which was very often) we would have a completely different view then before. As we rose above the clouds and mountains in our immediate sight line, new mountain ranges appeared behind and our panoramic view extended. As we neared the top we began to run into indigenous mayans (by this time the whole group had separated into small pairs or single hikers) making the same trek. as we were feeling the burn and sucking wind,thinking we were the masters of the universe for almost conquering this giant, we suddenly found ourselves sharing the trail with large families with small children and elderly men and women. they were dressed not in expert hiking gear and loaded up with water and power bars, but in traditional indigenous dress and most of the women were wearing little flat slip on shoes or flip flops!! we even saw quite a few women carrying infants on their backs. they were taking their time, and had obviously gotten up far before we did to tackle this climb and i was suddenly humbled like i have never been before. When we finally reached the top the summit was covered with people. there were many foreigners, but the majority of the people were indigenous mayans clearly there for religious purposes. many were chanting in a native language and literally crying out their prayers. There was also a large group that seemed to be holding a more modern religious service using the bible but still incorporating more traditional practices. We ate lunch and made some friends with small children that really enjoyed that fact that we were sharing our food with them. (although i understand that craze and appeal of adopting children from africa i am not jumping on that bandwagon because indigenous mayan children are the cutest little faces on the face of this planet:) one of them came up to each and every one of us before we left making sure he said his little "muchas gracias" to us all) some families were also camping up there and one woman told me that she had been up there for 3 days. The view from the summit was unlike anything my eyes have every seen before. At times we were above the clouds and at others we were literally inside the clouds. Mountains all around, the city of Xela far far below to the north east, another volcano to the west and we could even see the pacific ocean far in the distance when the clouds parted. The Santa maria volcano hasn't been active in over 100 years but the volcano directly the the west of us is continuously active and we could see down into the gray crater below. Our guide talked to us about how, during the time of the civil war, he and his fellow guerrillas lived in these mountains and would carry up to 100lbs on their backs as they climbed their way through the jungle. He spoke of villages in on the mountain side which are still predominately female in population to this day as a result of the armies tactics of slaughtering all the men in order to prevent rebellion. He is truly a remarkable man for who i have the utmost respect.
All in all this was a testing yet completely rewarding experience. I was able to see a part of nature which i have never before experienced. As we climb, my friend Eva and I discussed (when we had the breath to talk) our own experiences of hiking out west in the states. ( she is from oregon and spends a lot of time on Mt. Hood) But this terrain and vegetation was unlike anything i've climbed through before. Even as we rose through the disappearing tree line beautiful plants with flowers colored bright purple, red and magenta gave me strength to continue. Multiple times i found myself stopping to catch my breath, drink some water, or give my muscles a change to recover a bit and i would see these beautiful plants that seems to encourage me and keep me going. Seeing the indigenous families making this hike,not because they wanted some exercise or for a killer view,but because it was part of their spiritual beliefs brought a whole new meaning to the idea of religious or spiritual dedication. To ascend this volcano to express their faith shows personal resolve and strength that i don't know if i could ever understand. watching this produced a feeling in me that i have still not been able to fully understand.
As we descended the volcano and then below the finale trek down its base i notice in the day light that mountain side is filled with small farms. A man carrying wood on his back and leading a horse with the same load passed us and we finished our decent. i realized that we were hiking through people's lives. this was not a designated national park, preserved by the government. much as the summit was not a place for the daring tourist to capture the best landscape picture. this was simply a mountain in guatemala were people lived and worked the land and a volcano that held deep religious meaning to its natives. again and again on this trip i am humbled in ways i didn't know were possible and this experience continues this trend.
pictures to come i promise!!
A special shout out to my grandmother. Clay my new hiking boots are the best christmas present ever and i would most certainly never have been able to complete this journey with out them. THANK YOU!!!:)
All in all this was a testing yet completely rewarding experience. I was able to see a part of nature which i have never before experienced. As we climb, my friend Eva and I discussed (when we had the breath to talk) our own experiences of hiking out west in the states. ( she is from oregon and spends a lot of time on Mt. Hood) But this terrain and vegetation was unlike anything i've climbed through before. Even as we rose through the disappearing tree line beautiful plants with flowers colored bright purple, red and magenta gave me strength to continue. Multiple times i found myself stopping to catch my breath, drink some water, or give my muscles a change to recover a bit and i would see these beautiful plants that seems to encourage me and keep me going. Seeing the indigenous families making this hike,not because they wanted some exercise or for a killer view,but because it was part of their spiritual beliefs brought a whole new meaning to the idea of religious or spiritual dedication. To ascend this volcano to express their faith shows personal resolve and strength that i don't know if i could ever understand. watching this produced a feeling in me that i have still not been able to fully understand.
As we descended the volcano and then below the finale trek down its base i notice in the day light that mountain side is filled with small farms. A man carrying wood on his back and leading a horse with the same load passed us and we finished our decent. i realized that we were hiking through people's lives. this was not a designated national park, preserved by the government. much as the summit was not a place for the daring tourist to capture the best landscape picture. this was simply a mountain in guatemala were people lived and worked the land and a volcano that held deep religious meaning to its natives. again and again on this trip i am humbled in ways i didn't know were possible and this experience continues this trend.
pictures to come i promise!!
A special shout out to my grandmother. Clay my new hiking boots are the best christmas present ever and i would most certainly never have been able to complete this journey with out them. THANK YOU!!!:)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Social-Economic Survey of Xela and a night time pick up soccer game
There are three, I guess you could call them "team leaders" or guides for our program. They are with us through out the entire program and facilitate all our traveling (besides that which we will do on our own during our free weekends and spring break) and coordinate certain learning activities or service projects. Joe (or chepe ) is an American. He participated in this program himself when he was in college and then came back to central America after he graduated and has never left. He no lives in Managua, Nicaragua when he is not on the road with a student group and recently married a native Nicaraguan. Ruth is a ligado, or none indigenous Guatemalan. She was born in Guatemala City but went to high school in the states which is where she learned English but moved back to Guatemala and has been working with this program for about 5 years. Fidel is an indigenous Guatemalan (of Mayan decent) and has had an amazing life experience ( is spoke of his village during the time of war in Guatemala in an earlier post). He later traveled to Guatemala city for college and then was invited by a priest from the University of St. Thomas (in st. paul, MN) where he learned english and studied theology before moving back to Guatemala. They are truly amazing people and I'm sure I will tell yall more about them later.
Yesterday afternoon Fidel took us up to one of the central markets of Xela (another word for Quetzaltenango) where we did a learning project which he called a Social-Economic Survey of Quetzaltenango. The 10 of us split up into 4 groups and each group had a specific topic to gather information on, school supplies, food, clothing and medicine. Fidel then gave each group Q50 (50 Quetzales). Quetzales is the national currency of Guatemala and the exchange is about Q8 to 1 dollar. So Q50 is about 7 dollars and some change. This is the minimum wage in Xela per day. Thats right the minimum wage is $7 something per day. However the majority of the population does not make the minimum wage in Xela. So our project was to go around the market and shops talking to vendors and people on the street (a good application for our spanish!) and research how far our Q50 would go towards our respective topics. My group had school supplies. So we compared prices of various vendors and stores regarding your average school supplies (pens, pencils, backpacks, notebooks....etc). We also talked to a shop owner who sold school uniforms (children in central america wear school uniforms to both public and private school) about the difference in prices of uniforms for public and private schools as well as the difference in tuition costs for these respective schools. Thats right public schools have tuition here too. We were all to see how much we could actually purchase with our Q50 and then we'll give our supplies and other things to a rural community we're going to visit next weekend. It was a truly eye opening experience to see how going without for a lot of families here is very normal. For example the average cost of one backpack was Q35-Q75 depending on were you looked. Almost a days wages just for a child's backpack. Tuition for public schools is Q80 and up per month and this is to get your child into a class room of about 80 kids with one teacher. Private schools are Q800-Q1500 a month and this gets your kid into a class of only 40 students with one teacher. Education is one of the most prevalent problems in Guatemala and this project really showed my how this affects the average family. After a while we all met back up together and each group shared their findings. My group was able to purchase and couple pens, pencils, two notebooks, a ruler and a small pencil case with our Q50. However school supplies are obviously not the only thing families need (i.e. the topics of the other 3 groups). In the spirit of a never ending cycle, the fact that an average family of 5 in this city can not live on Q50 or even Q100 if the mother works as well, forces the children to work and not go to school........and leave their education behind. It was an awesome and disheartening experience to put yourself in the shoes of the majority of this country even for just a moment but wonderful to get out a speak to these local who, for the most part, were extremely friendly and willing to share their experiences with us.
Last night a couple of us went with Fidel to a pick up soccer game of students and teachers from the language school we will be starting at next week. We play small sided 7v7 in a turf field enclosed in fencing and covered in aluminum roof. There were a ton of people who came to play so we split up into 4 different teams and just rotated every 5 minutes or so. Winner stayed on the field and let me tell you that winning was not always good:) Its been a while since I dusted off the leg muscles, my chucks don't provide the best touch or ankle support and i still haven't quite acclimated to the elevation yet. But it was just an outrageous amount of fun. There is a wide variety of foreigners who attend this language school from europe to australia to canada and it was just and it was a light hearted affair full of jokes and jabs at each other (some of which i understood :)
Yesterday afternoon Fidel took us up to one of the central markets of Xela (another word for Quetzaltenango) where we did a learning project which he called a Social-Economic Survey of Quetzaltenango. The 10 of us split up into 4 groups and each group had a specific topic to gather information on, school supplies, food, clothing and medicine. Fidel then gave each group Q50 (50 Quetzales). Quetzales is the national currency of Guatemala and the exchange is about Q8 to 1 dollar. So Q50 is about 7 dollars and some change. This is the minimum wage in Xela per day. Thats right the minimum wage is $7 something per day. However the majority of the population does not make the minimum wage in Xela. So our project was to go around the market and shops talking to vendors and people on the street (a good application for our spanish!) and research how far our Q50 would go towards our respective topics. My group had school supplies. So we compared prices of various vendors and stores regarding your average school supplies (pens, pencils, backpacks, notebooks....etc). We also talked to a shop owner who sold school uniforms (children in central america wear school uniforms to both public and private school) about the difference in prices of uniforms for public and private schools as well as the difference in tuition costs for these respective schools. Thats right public schools have tuition here too. We were all to see how much we could actually purchase with our Q50 and then we'll give our supplies and other things to a rural community we're going to visit next weekend. It was a truly eye opening experience to see how going without for a lot of families here is very normal. For example the average cost of one backpack was Q35-Q75 depending on were you looked. Almost a days wages just for a child's backpack. Tuition for public schools is Q80 and up per month and this is to get your child into a class room of about 80 kids with one teacher. Private schools are Q800-Q1500 a month and this gets your kid into a class of only 40 students with one teacher. Education is one of the most prevalent problems in Guatemala and this project really showed my how this affects the average family. After a while we all met back up together and each group shared their findings. My group was able to purchase and couple pens, pencils, two notebooks, a ruler and a small pencil case with our Q50. However school supplies are obviously not the only thing families need (i.e. the topics of the other 3 groups). In the spirit of a never ending cycle, the fact that an average family of 5 in this city can not live on Q50 or even Q100 if the mother works as well, forces the children to work and not go to school........and leave their education behind. It was an awesome and disheartening experience to put yourself in the shoes of the majority of this country even for just a moment but wonderful to get out a speak to these local who, for the most part, were extremely friendly and willing to share their experiences with us.
Last night a couple of us went with Fidel to a pick up soccer game of students and teachers from the language school we will be starting at next week. We play small sided 7v7 in a turf field enclosed in fencing and covered in aluminum roof. There were a ton of people who came to play so we split up into 4 different teams and just rotated every 5 minutes or so. Winner stayed on the field and let me tell you that winning was not always good:) Its been a while since I dusted off the leg muscles, my chucks don't provide the best touch or ankle support and i still haven't quite acclimated to the elevation yet. But it was just an outrageous amount of fun. There is a wide variety of foreigners who attend this language school from europe to australia to canada and it was just and it was a light hearted affair full of jokes and jabs at each other (some of which i understood :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Antigua traveling to Quetzaltenango
We spent one day in Antigua and got our first bit of free time to explore on our own. In the morning we walked around looking at different cathedrals and cathedral ruins. I then walked around a bit on my own and explore by myself. I fell in love again with the colors on central american culture. or maybe more specifically the importance of color in everything. From the street beautifully colored plants peak at you from over the walls of houses and businesses. The cobble stones seem to slow life down an a way that is not limited to walking or driving. Life appears much simpler here. Although there are obviously still people walking around on their cell phones it is not the same as the US. First of all there are FAR fewer people doing this because the uneven surfaces everywhere force you to be more aware of your immediate surroundings but also the narrow streets and the fact that everything seems to be connected in one never ending wall, it brings people together. Tinenda owners stand outside their doors and talk with their neighbors and passers by. I sat for a while in the central plaza which is filled with trees and beautiful garden plots and recognized that i was actually a minority as a tourist just sitting and enjoying the day. Most of the people around me seemed to just be on their lunch break or chatting with an acquaintance. It surprised me that there were not more foreigners (because this city is FILLED with tourists) enjoying this beautiful setting but that the locals see this as maybe a necessary part of their day, to be still and around people. The simplicity of this life style is very appealing to me.
After our free morning we traveled in vans, about 4 hours, to Quetzaltenango which is the second largest city in Guatemala. this is where we will be spending the next month. We're in a hotel near the center of the city for the next four days and then we will move in with our host families on sunday and begin spanish classes on monday!! Now we're just using this time to get to know each other a little better, learn more about the the program and what we can expect in the next four months. The internet is pretty slow here so i that is why i havent been able to upload any pictures yet, but i plan to go to an internet cafe soon to do this.
A couple side notes in getting to know this culture. #1 getting use to security measure taken by the locals has been eye opening and made me very appreciative of where i come from and the fact that i have never experience war on my home soil. It has not been fun getting use to seeing military or police men on prominent street corners with machine guns or going in to restaurants with men at the door holding shot guns. it is a fact of live and a norm for the people of this country and most likely this region. i dont like guns and it has been uncomfortable but humbling to get use to them.
#2 on a better note almost every place we have stayed so far has had a roof top patio and because there are not sky scrapers (except a few off in the distance in the more developed modern parts of Guatemala city) these views have been spectacular and literally breath taking (Quetzaltenango is in the highland of guatemala, siting at 7500 feet above sea level) we had class this morning on the roof of our hotel:)
now im going to try to grab a nap before lunch, later some of us are going to go thrift store shopping in town for some warmer clothes and tonight some of us are going to go over to the school we'll be studying at for a pic up soccer game with some of the local students!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! two of my most favorite things in the world:)
pictures to come soon!!
After our free morning we traveled in vans, about 4 hours, to Quetzaltenango which is the second largest city in Guatemala. this is where we will be spending the next month. We're in a hotel near the center of the city for the next four days and then we will move in with our host families on sunday and begin spanish classes on monday!! Now we're just using this time to get to know each other a little better, learn more about the the program and what we can expect in the next four months. The internet is pretty slow here so i that is why i havent been able to upload any pictures yet, but i plan to go to an internet cafe soon to do this.
A couple side notes in getting to know this culture. #1 getting use to security measure taken by the locals has been eye opening and made me very appreciative of where i come from and the fact that i have never experience war on my home soil. It has not been fun getting use to seeing military or police men on prominent street corners with machine guns or going in to restaurants with men at the door holding shot guns. it is a fact of live and a norm for the people of this country and most likely this region. i dont like guns and it has been uncomfortable but humbling to get use to them.
#2 on a better note almost every place we have stayed so far has had a roof top patio and because there are not sky scrapers (except a few off in the distance in the more developed modern parts of Guatemala city) these views have been spectacular and literally breath taking (Quetzaltenango is in the highland of guatemala, siting at 7500 feet above sea level) we had class this morning on the roof of our hotel:)
now im going to try to grab a nap before lunch, later some of us are going to go thrift store shopping in town for some warmer clothes and tonight some of us are going to go over to the school we'll be studying at for a pic up soccer game with some of the local students!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! two of my most favorite things in the world:)
pictures to come soon!!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fist full day in Guatemala City
My first full day in Guatemala and boy has it been full!! In the morning we were given a brief lecture on Guatemalan history by and indigenous Guatemalan. Its crazy to think that I'm in a country that is not even 20 full years removed from a 36 year long civil war. This man told incredibly humbling accounts of how a time when the government was run by the army. He talked about how he experienced first hand village mascaras and torturing of village and religious leads by the army. He told one story in particular in which the army came to his village, dug a huge hole in the center of his village, poured oil in the hole and set it on fire. Then they lined everyone in the village up around this whole and told them to identify their organizing leaders and religious leaders. when no one spoke up and officer grabbed the man nearest to him and threw him in the fire. They continued to do this one by one until finally people started naming their leaders who were also thrown into the burning oil. The exploitation of the general population by those in power is sadly a common trend in Guatemalan history.
We then traveled into down town Guatemala City. We visited the main congress building and the central square where the historical presidential palace and first catholic cathedral is. Down town Guatemala city is a maze of winding narrow streets completely lined with building fronts. When we pulled up to the house of Congress it looks just like any other slightly worn building in down town (aside from the extra 5 or six guards with machine guns outside) and then when you walk in there are beautiful tile floors the change as you turn every corner. Our guide took us in the a meeting room where all four walls are lined with a mural that describes Guatemala's turbulent history. One thing that i love here is how much color there is everywhere. From the intricate tiled floors of the congress building, beautiful manicured gardens that surround the national palace and even the ordinary buildings, homes and shops. the streets are lined completely with infrastructure and the only way i could tell where one establishment ended and another began was by a change in color or detail to the walls. The color, especially around the government buildings is something i think the US is lacking in.
We then traveled to the city dump. Now that sounds weird right? why did we visit a dump? there is actually a whole community of people who make their living on pick garbage. there is no system of recycling for homes her so people look for recyclable materials and other metals and reusable materials to sell. As you could probably imagine this way of life is not one to be desired and the community where these people live are comparable to refugee ghettos almost. Violence and crime of every type is very prevalent and drug trafficking is the second most established way of making a living here. the reason we visited this place was because there is a small school there that focuses on the children of this community. Often their parents are drug addicts or unfit parents for other reasons. The teachers we met with were some of the most amazing and strong willed people I have ever come in contact with. they struggle to give these children (and also young adults) a chance at achieving their dreams when no one else has cared to. the principle of this school talked about the struggle she goes through trying to teach these children, in very subtle ways, that their parents are not role models and the their parents way of life is not the way the world is everywhere.
After this visit we traveled to Antigua. this is the original capital city and an old colonial town from the time of the conquest. it is strait out of a fairy tale. the streets are all cobble stone and there are surrounding mountains everywhere you look. We will stay the night here and travel to Quetzaltenengo tomorrow where we will stay for just about a month.
now i must pass out for a bit so i can stay awake at dinner. but first two things that have made me laugh today. #1 Guatemala City public transport appears to have a contract with US public school system because their buses are all old yellow US school buses. its pretty funny to see a bunch of people at a bus stop and then a yellow school bus with a blank blank (fill in county of your choice here) public schools written on the side.
#2 i don't know if im going to be able to take a nap because there is a parrot in the court yard of our hotel that says "hola" to every person that walks by:)
We then traveled into down town Guatemala City. We visited the main congress building and the central square where the historical presidential palace and first catholic cathedral is. Down town Guatemala city is a maze of winding narrow streets completely lined with building fronts. When we pulled up to the house of Congress it looks just like any other slightly worn building in down town (aside from the extra 5 or six guards with machine guns outside) and then when you walk in there are beautiful tile floors the change as you turn every corner. Our guide took us in the a meeting room where all four walls are lined with a mural that describes Guatemala's turbulent history. One thing that i love here is how much color there is everywhere. From the intricate tiled floors of the congress building, beautiful manicured gardens that surround the national palace and even the ordinary buildings, homes and shops. the streets are lined completely with infrastructure and the only way i could tell where one establishment ended and another began was by a change in color or detail to the walls. The color, especially around the government buildings is something i think the US is lacking in.
We then traveled to the city dump. Now that sounds weird right? why did we visit a dump? there is actually a whole community of people who make their living on pick garbage. there is no system of recycling for homes her so people look for recyclable materials and other metals and reusable materials to sell. As you could probably imagine this way of life is not one to be desired and the community where these people live are comparable to refugee ghettos almost. Violence and crime of every type is very prevalent and drug trafficking is the second most established way of making a living here. the reason we visited this place was because there is a small school there that focuses on the children of this community. Often their parents are drug addicts or unfit parents for other reasons. The teachers we met with were some of the most amazing and strong willed people I have ever come in contact with. they struggle to give these children (and also young adults) a chance at achieving their dreams when no one else has cared to. the principle of this school talked about the struggle she goes through trying to teach these children, in very subtle ways, that their parents are not role models and the their parents way of life is not the way the world is everywhere.
After this visit we traveled to Antigua. this is the original capital city and an old colonial town from the time of the conquest. it is strait out of a fairy tale. the streets are all cobble stone and there are surrounding mountains everywhere you look. We will stay the night here and travel to Quetzaltenengo tomorrow where we will stay for just about a month.
now i must pass out for a bit so i can stay awake at dinner. but first two things that have made me laugh today. #1 Guatemala City public transport appears to have a contract with US public school system because their buses are all old yellow US school buses. its pretty funny to see a bunch of people at a bus stop and then a yellow school bus with a blank blank (fill in county of your choice here) public schools written on the side.
#2 i don't know if im going to be able to take a nap because there is a parrot in the court yard of our hotel that says "hola" to every person that walks by:)
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