This past Sunday I was invited by my site-mate’s counterpart to help interview students and their parents for scholarships. My site-mate works with Amigos de Patzún, an organization started by ex-Peace Corps Volunteers who served in my site, and a local teacher. This foundation provides scholarships for children from families with limited resources, and gives them the opportunity to continue their studies when otherwise it would not be possible for them to do so.
I was assigned to interview parents of the students applying for scholarships, asking them questions about their family, sources of income, and ideas about education. The majority of parents I talked to had 4 to 7 children and claimed to earn around Q.30 a day (about $4) working as day laborers in the fields. None of them had studied past elementary school, but they all had the same dream for their children: that they could continue their studies in order to have a better life then their parents. The jobs that these parents are able to find with a 5th or 6th grade education are proof that if these kids can’t continue to study they will be trapped in the same cycle of poverty. These parents work as maids, in packaging factories, in the fields, and sewing guipils. None of these jobs is secure over the long run or pays sufficiently.
The most impactful interview I had was with a single mother who had left her husband 5 years earlier because of his infidelity and abuse. I admired the courage of this woman get out of a damaging relationship even though she relied financially on her husband. Many women here are not able to escape such situations because they don’t have the means to earn a living. This mother astutely told me that she doesn’t want her daughter to end up in the same position as she did, relying on a spouse who turned out unreliable and disrespectful; she wanted her daughter to be self-sufficient and not get trapped by lack of economic opportunities. “Education,” she told me, “is the best heritage that you can leave your children. A piece of land they sell once and that’s that, but a good education continues to bear fruit over the long run.”
Talking with these parents about their struggles and their dreams for their children was difficult because the organization only has sufficient funding to give 6 out of the 12 students who made it to the interview round scholarships. Because of costs of inscription, materials and transportation even in public schools, I know that some of their children won’t be able to keep studying if they don’t get the scholarship.
Amigos de Patzún sends students to 3 schools, depending on where they live. It costs $1000 to send a student to high school and $900 to send a student to the best private middle school in town. But for the more rural students it only costs $275 to send them to school for a year. This is a very well run scholarship program with a rigorous application and monitoring process for students. I am not sure how many people actually read my blog or if my few followers have lost interest after my long absence, but if you read this and are interested in supporting the education and future of the youth of Guatemala, please visit this web site. Here you can find out more about the organization and consider donating this year so that all of the deserving students can keep studying, because education is the best heritage we can leave the next generation.
http://amigosdepatzun.org/
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Party in the G.U.A.
We are invited to a birthday party for a two year old. It starts at 10:00 am with a mass. 10:30 finds me scouring the market for a gift that is not a toy car, by 11:30 I am back at home socializing with my site-mate and playing with the new puppy. At 12:00 we make it to the party, imagining ourselves very Guatemalan for showing up 2 hours late. We are the first non-family guests there. Good job. So we settle in to normal party activity. Sitting and staring. About an hour later we eat lunch and are told that there is a piñata and a clown coming at 2:30. By now I no longer imagine myself Guatemala and begin to panic thinking of all of the other things I could be doing at home in the hour that I will spend staring at a wall and futily trying to start up conversations. Napping is at the top of my list along with taking my clothes down from the roof before it starts raining at 2 o’clock. At 2 pm we shamefully make our excuses and leave, so sorry to be missing the clown, but defeated by yet another Guatemalan social event . Bag of candy in hand I arrive home and am greeted by my landlady who says she is thinking about heading over at 3 for the piñata. When will I learn?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Since I wrote the last post...
The bus companies have paid the appropriate parties and begun to run again, two courts have rejected the president's ex-wife's candidacy for president, and i have realized that I can hear everything going on in the apartment next to mine, which at the moment is a lot of baby talk and the occasional baby crying. All this to say that everything is normal. The woman who I buy bananas from in Kachiquel still insists on trying to have full conversations with me when its obvious that in the year she has been speaking to me in Kachiquel I have not gained any new vocabulary beyond "how much are the bananas," and either - "I am going to the market" or "I am going home," depending on the direction of my trajectory. Today she tried to add a new word to my repertoire by asking me if I was going far. Judging by how quickly I forgot the word for far, I am not a very receptive student. Never-the-less, her patience and persistence remind me that maybe I should have the same patience with schools that just don't seem to learn to wash their hands. Or maybe she just gets a kick out of the gringa trying to speak Kaqchikel. I have a feeling that that will never change. On the other hand, maybe I am finally starting to blend in. I gave a 4th grader quite a start the other day when he found out that I was from the US and not in fact, from Patzún. The idea blew his mind, and when I asked him if he had ever seen a Patzunera as tall and white as me he said yes, there is one other. It was probably Maggie.
Maybe skip this one mom...
Today there are no buses leaving or coming into my town. Yesterday a driver of a Patzún bus was shot and killed on his route- the work of unpaid extortionists. So today is either a day of mourning or a day of fear. On the way to school I heard a teacher comment:
”It was better during the military rule. We all kept our heads down and if you weren’t involved, nothing happened to you. Now something bad could happen to anybody.”
As misguided as this concept may be, it is one that is becoming more and more reasonable to more and more people as violence seems to increase across the country. This may not be the news my mom wants to hear, but leading up to the elections, it is the news that we are all hearing here.
For a while now I have wanted to write a blog about the up-coming elections here in Guatemala, but I have been unsure how to present the information without my personal political bias (which is something that us PCVs are not allowed to have). But as the election draws nearer things keep happening that I consider blog worthy, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Just a disclaimer- my views are not the views of the Peace Corps or the US Government… or whatever it says at the top of my blog.
With elections on the horizon and the perception of rising violence, security is a popular theme- hence the over-heard comment quoted above. This idea that the country was safer with military rule is something I heard often in Argentina, another Latin American country that recently experienced a period of state violence, and that I’ve now heard various times here in Guatemala. I imagine it would be easier for one to think that only the guilty were affected by the violence of the war, but to me this pervasive idea displays a lack of social and cultural memory of what actually occurred and a conviction that one’s personal experience was shared by all. This way of thinking can help explain the popularity of a party with the slogan “A hard hand” which is running a campaign based on security and a candidate who is ex-military special forces. The same special forces group, mind you, that was infamous during “la violencia,” or the civil war for their brutality and inhumane practices.
Another hot button issue in Guatemala is, of course, poverty, and another popular party has made it’s platform the continuation of social programs that give away money, food, cows, etc. Although these programs are popular in many areas, some Guatemalans make fun of them as ineffective by changing the name from “my family progresses” to “my cantina progresses.” This party’s candidate happens to be the current president’s ex-wife who conveniently divorced her spouse to be legally able to mount her campaign. The courts are still out on whether or not this move was constitutionally viable, but she pushes ahead with her propaganda and programs that some say are still funded with government money- an advantage to being the party in power.
Among other candidates are Indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu, an ex- mega-church pastor, the wife of another ex-president, a member of the family that owns Pollo Campero (Guatemala’s McDondalds)- the list goes on. It has been interesting to watch the debates and the appearances of the various candidates on TV. Guatemala is facing many difficulties and it is interesting, although occasionally frustrating, to hear the candidates’ ideas for solutions. Coming from a system that is functionally two-party, it can be overwhelming, but it is also exiting to have so many candidates participating. After living here for only a year and a half I have begun to feel invested in the country, and I, like most Guatemalans, wish for the country a future government that is able to find solutions to problems of corruption, violence, underdevelopment and poverty.
”It was better during the military rule. We all kept our heads down and if you weren’t involved, nothing happened to you. Now something bad could happen to anybody.”
As misguided as this concept may be, it is one that is becoming more and more reasonable to more and more people as violence seems to increase across the country. This may not be the news my mom wants to hear, but leading up to the elections, it is the news that we are all hearing here.
For a while now I have wanted to write a blog about the up-coming elections here in Guatemala, but I have been unsure how to present the information without my personal political bias (which is something that us PCVs are not allowed to have). But as the election draws nearer things keep happening that I consider blog worthy, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Just a disclaimer- my views are not the views of the Peace Corps or the US Government… or whatever it says at the top of my blog.
With elections on the horizon and the perception of rising violence, security is a popular theme- hence the over-heard comment quoted above. This idea that the country was safer with military rule is something I heard often in Argentina, another Latin American country that recently experienced a period of state violence, and that I’ve now heard various times here in Guatemala. I imagine it would be easier for one to think that only the guilty were affected by the violence of the war, but to me this pervasive idea displays a lack of social and cultural memory of what actually occurred and a conviction that one’s personal experience was shared by all. This way of thinking can help explain the popularity of a party with the slogan “A hard hand” which is running a campaign based on security and a candidate who is ex-military special forces. The same special forces group, mind you, that was infamous during “la violencia,” or the civil war for their brutality and inhumane practices.
Another hot button issue in Guatemala is, of course, poverty, and another popular party has made it’s platform the continuation of social programs that give away money, food, cows, etc. Although these programs are popular in many areas, some Guatemalans make fun of them as ineffective by changing the name from “my family progresses” to “my cantina progresses.” This party’s candidate happens to be the current president’s ex-wife who conveniently divorced her spouse to be legally able to mount her campaign. The courts are still out on whether or not this move was constitutionally viable, but she pushes ahead with her propaganda and programs that some say are still funded with government money- an advantage to being the party in power.
Among other candidates are Indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu, an ex- mega-church pastor, the wife of another ex-president, a member of the family that owns Pollo Campero (Guatemala’s McDondalds)- the list goes on. It has been interesting to watch the debates and the appearances of the various candidates on TV. Guatemala is facing many difficulties and it is interesting, although occasionally frustrating, to hear the candidates’ ideas for solutions. Coming from a system that is functionally two-party, it can be overwhelming, but it is also exiting to have so many candidates participating. After living here for only a year and a half I have begun to feel invested in the country, and I, like most Guatemalans, wish for the country a future government that is able to find solutions to problems of corruption, violence, underdevelopment and poverty.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
How many elotes locos are too many elotes locos?
This thought provoking question has arisen many times over the course of Feria in Patzún this year. Last year it wasn't an issue because I had yet to try an elote loco. I looked down upon them as a gross guatemalan combination of condiments. I ordered my elotes (corn on the cob) with lime and salt like a civilized person. But I don't know what came over me this year. Maybe I have become more open, less sensitive to varied culinary strategies, lost taste buds to sugar beverages, or gone off my rocker so to speak. But I decided that to criticize the elote I first should try it. I turned up my nose as the woman slather mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce on my corn. "Just a little mayo...light on the hot sauce... parmesean cheese please," and I had my elote. I am a bit ashamed to say that it was delicious. I hope to one day take this secret recipe back to the states and make a killing. Now I am just fighting to limit myself to just one elote loco a day. This is not a breakfast food.
The elote saga opened my eyes to the flow of creative ideas that Feria sets loose. Once a year we celebrate the patron saint of Patzún, St. Bernard (not the dog) with a week or so of candy, fair food, rides, parades, dances, rodeos, etc. I have found myself commenting repeatedly with Eric (who is visiting from the US... look out for his guest blog) on all of the great ideas people have had during Feria. I dedicate this blog to these people and the creative spirit.
Great idea #1: Neon yellow suits with ankle length coats and ... wait for it... neon orange shirts
Great idea #2: How to power a mobile Ferris Wheel? Got it! TRACTOR. It even has the advantage that it can go in reverse. Really fast.
Great Idea #3: As if the idea of having all of the kindergarden, first, and second grade students from all of the villages surrounding patzún come into town parade under the midday sun wasn't already a pretty good idea... the theme was "Traditions of Patzún," pretty legit. Kudos to the really great idea of bringing goats and handing out fresh milk along the parade route. The town authorities especially like it when the goats paraded onto the brand new soccer field that was being inaugurated.
Great Idea #4: Gringa in Traje. This actually was a pretty good idea. I think it is winning me votes toward my 2016 mayoral campaign.
Great Idea #5: FIRE. and crowds. and traditional mayan sports. See if you can spot the flaming ball and hockey sticks.
You'd think a popsicle on a hot day would be a winning idea...
Oh yea... and #7... ELOTE LOCO!!
The elote saga opened my eyes to the flow of creative ideas that Feria sets loose. Once a year we celebrate the patron saint of Patzún, St. Bernard (not the dog) with a week or so of candy, fair food, rides, parades, dances, rodeos, etc. I have found myself commenting repeatedly with Eric (who is visiting from the US... look out for his guest blog) on all of the great ideas people have had during Feria. I dedicate this blog to these people and the creative spirit.
Great idea #1: Neon yellow suits with ankle length coats and ... wait for it... neon orange shirts
Great idea #2: How to power a mobile Ferris Wheel? Got it! TRACTOR. It even has the advantage that it can go in reverse. Really fast.
Great Idea #3: As if the idea of having all of the kindergarden, first, and second grade students from all of the villages surrounding patzún come into town parade under the midday sun wasn't already a pretty good idea... the theme was "Traditions of Patzún," pretty legit. Kudos to the really great idea of bringing goats and handing out fresh milk along the parade route. The town authorities especially like it when the goats paraded onto the brand new soccer field that was being inaugurated.
Great Idea #4: Gringa in Traje. This actually was a pretty good idea. I think it is winning me votes toward my 2016 mayoral campaign.
Great Idea #5: FIRE. and crowds. and traditional mayan sports. See if you can spot the flaming ball and hockey sticks.
You'd think a popsicle on a hot day would be a winning idea...
Oh yea... and #7... ELOTE LOCO!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
La Locura de Marzo
La Locura de Marzo, March Madness, in Spanish it sounds like some kind of illness, a time of year where everyone goes temporarily crazy- like Mal de Mayo, a time of year where more people have diarrhea. In some ways, it is an epidemic of sorts. People who never care about basketball fill out brackets and all of the sudden depend upon the final scores of games between teams they know nothing about, and chose to win because they like the mascot, or the geographical location of the university, or maybe the sound of the school’s name. Or maybe that’s just me.
Every year I participate in my family’s brackets for March Madness, and I have tried all of these tricks to pick my winning team, without much luck. Some years I even tired learning a bit about the teams or at least asking someone who professed know, but to be honest I haven’t had much success with any of these methods.
This year is going to be different. “Why?” you ask, “Surely in Guatemala you haven’t been keeping up with college basketball,” you think. And this is true. I didn’t even know college basketball was happening until March came and the catchy title “March Madness” reminded me just what mayhem was around the corner. But I still think this year will be different. It will be different because I am now a basketball player, which gives me the extra intuitive push that comes from being on the inside. Sure I may have randomly filled out my brackets, organizing them just so, so that my two favorite teams (UF/UNC) face off in the finals. But random choice and intuition may go far with my newfound love of the game.
If some of you remember, this is not my first attempt to break into the highly competitive Patzún women’s basketball league. The combustive combination of my height and lack of skill and/or knowledge of the game, which seemed to cause me to foul a lot in practice, intimidated the first team I attempted to join. I gave up on the dream for a while, but it was reborn as I watched my average height site-mate dominate the tiny Guatemalans on the court. When a kindergartener told me with wide eyes, “Seño, you’re a GIANT,” I thought of the quote, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and knew I had to use my power for good.
After mentioning my interest to enough random people, I finally hit upon someone who actually played on a basketball team and invited me to play with them (example #1 of the effectiveness of randomness and intuition). That is how I ended up playing on the Magisterio team. This is an elite, handpicked team of primary school teachers, most of whom I work with. Their patience, encouragement, and willingness to teach me EVERYTHING has been amazing. I guess it’s good that I found a team of teachers because they have had to teach me everything from defensive positioning, to how long I can stay in the paint, to how to dribble.
I have played in 3 games so far and I would say I am making great strides. In my first game I got called for traveling at least 4 times, and I don’t even hold the ball that often, but my coach said I was doing great because the other team got distracted by staring at me when I got the ball.
My second game was a Patzún classic, gringa vs. gringa- my team versus my site-mate’s. We lost by a narrow margin and I almost fouled out (according to Maggie, I still don’t know how to tell when I have been called for a foul). But I was improving; after the game I was compared to Larry Bird (by my site-mate) and Shaquille O’Neil (by me, ‘cuz I’m huge). In my 3rd game I only traveled once, and I made my first two baskets of my basketball career! When I made my first basket my team went CRAZY. They are amazing. They make baskets all the time and no one cheers, but they encourage me continuously and never tire of getting excited over the small steps of progress I show. I never really liked basketball before, but they have made me love it. And that is why I have high hopes for my brackets this year, and for another Gringa vs. Gringa face off in the city championships. I’ll keep you posted.
Every year I participate in my family’s brackets for March Madness, and I have tried all of these tricks to pick my winning team, without much luck. Some years I even tired learning a bit about the teams or at least asking someone who professed know, but to be honest I haven’t had much success with any of these methods.
This year is going to be different. “Why?” you ask, “Surely in Guatemala you haven’t been keeping up with college basketball,” you think. And this is true. I didn’t even know college basketball was happening until March came and the catchy title “March Madness” reminded me just what mayhem was around the corner. But I still think this year will be different. It will be different because I am now a basketball player, which gives me the extra intuitive push that comes from being on the inside. Sure I may have randomly filled out my brackets, organizing them just so, so that my two favorite teams (UF/UNC) face off in the finals. But random choice and intuition may go far with my newfound love of the game.
If some of you remember, this is not my first attempt to break into the highly competitive Patzún women’s basketball league. The combustive combination of my height and lack of skill and/or knowledge of the game, which seemed to cause me to foul a lot in practice, intimidated the first team I attempted to join. I gave up on the dream for a while, but it was reborn as I watched my average height site-mate dominate the tiny Guatemalans on the court. When a kindergartener told me with wide eyes, “Seño, you’re a GIANT,” I thought of the quote, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and knew I had to use my power for good.
After mentioning my interest to enough random people, I finally hit upon someone who actually played on a basketball team and invited me to play with them (example #1 of the effectiveness of randomness and intuition). That is how I ended up playing on the Magisterio team. This is an elite, handpicked team of primary school teachers, most of whom I work with. Their patience, encouragement, and willingness to teach me EVERYTHING has been amazing. I guess it’s good that I found a team of teachers because they have had to teach me everything from defensive positioning, to how long I can stay in the paint, to how to dribble.
I have played in 3 games so far and I would say I am making great strides. In my first game I got called for traveling at least 4 times, and I don’t even hold the ball that often, but my coach said I was doing great because the other team got distracted by staring at me when I got the ball.
My second game was a Patzún classic, gringa vs. gringa- my team versus my site-mate’s. We lost by a narrow margin and I almost fouled out (according to Maggie, I still don’t know how to tell when I have been called for a foul). But I was improving; after the game I was compared to Larry Bird (by my site-mate) and Shaquille O’Neil (by me, ‘cuz I’m huge). In my 3rd game I only traveled once, and I made my first two baskets of my basketball career! When I made my first basket my team went CRAZY. They are amazing. They make baskets all the time and no one cheers, but they encourage me continuously and never tire of getting excited over the small steps of progress I show. I never really liked basketball before, but they have made me love it. And that is why I have high hopes for my brackets this year, and for another Gringa vs. Gringa face off in the city championships. I’ll keep you posted.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Today's random thought.
While eating my requisite avocado of the day it dawned on me that at today's Sunday market $1 US bought me 2 avocados, 2 mangos, and a pound of blackberries. Life is good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
