Here is my journal entry from Sep 11, with only a few parenthetical bits to fill you in:
It has been 8 years since the day of the attacks on the Twin Towers. it doesn't seem like that long- I was a freshman in high school, and now, eight years later, I spent this evening celebrating Latin American Independence Day in Antigua, Guatemala. The actual day isn't until Tuesday the 15th, but the schools were out today and won't go back until Wednesday. Tonight I went with my host family to the central park in Antigua to see a fashion show for one of my sisters, who is in design school and had some of her clothes modeled tonight. I think it was really good that I went because I really feel like I bonded with my family. Jessie, who is 12, always laughs at me, but I'm realizing that maybe that's just because she's 12... I think we're friends now.
Willem (another YAV) and his family also came tonight, because our dads are brothers. I think our families think we like each other, because here it's very unusual for a guy and girl our age to be friends... it's actually pretty unusual that we're not married at our age. Anyway, Willem has a host sister who is 17 and flirts with Willem a lot, so tonight when his family asked him if I was his girlfriend he said no, but then thought it might be a good time to say he wasn't interested at all in his host sister, so he said "no, but I wish she was. Pero Emilia tiene un novio y su novio tiene una pistola" (But Emily has a boyfriend and her boyfriend has a gun). I mean, he could have just said he has a girlfriend, which is actually true...
Anyway, we went to and from Antigua in the back of my uncle's truck and it was pretty fun. On the way there it was only me, 2 of my sisters, and my sister Carmen's boyfriend, but on the way back there were at least 12 of us :)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Sharing Each Other's Stories
A major part of my day on Thursday, September 10, was that my wallet was stolen on the bus from San Juan to Antigua. I often close my eyes on the buses because I get nauseated pretty easily on them, and I had my eyes closed on that day. My purse was zipped and in my lap, but when we got to Antigua my wallet was no longer in my purse. Thankfully, Mom and Jimmy helped me cancel my cards and so I was only missing some cash, but since then it's been a little difficult, because my new card hasn't come so I don't have access to my money in my bank account. The other YAVs and Marcia have been very generous and helped me a lot, though.
The camionetas very brightly painted former US school buses that no longer meet safety codes in the US so they are sold to Guatemala for Guatemalans to ride around the country in. Especially at the end of the day, the trip from Antigua to San Juan where we live is really crowded. People sit three adults to a seat and then other people are standing in the aisle, squished between the people hanging of the seats into the aisle (the third person in the seat is lucky to have 1 full butt-cheek on the seat).
Las Camionetas
I think I should take this time to describe the buses here that people use to get around... they're called camionetas. They're also sometimes called "pollo buses," because often there are chickens on the buses that people have bought at the market and are bringing home. I don't think there have ever been chickens on any of the camionetas I've ridden, but they do often put things on top of the bus that don't fit in the bus. The camionetas very brightly painted former US school buses that no longer meet safety codes in the US so they are sold to Guatemala for Guatemalans to ride around the country in. Especially at the end of the day, the trip from Antigua to San Juan where we live is really crowded. People sit three adults to a seat and then other people are standing in the aisle, squished between the people hanging of the seats into the aisle (the third person in the seat is lucky to have 1 full butt-cheek on the seat).
Visit to Guatemala City
The day my wallet was stolen we were going in to Antigua to meet Marcia and take a shuttle bus (much safer and more comfy) to Guatemala City to meet with a man named Dennis Smith. Dennis has been involved with Guatemala through the Presbyterian Church (USA) for about thirty years I think and has lived here for a long time as well (since about 68 I think). He talked to us a lot about current events in Guatemala as well as the "point" of missions in Guatemala.
We had read an article by Ivan Illich that basically said that short term misssions (STM) typically do more damage than good, even if the visitor is changed by the experience. Illich writes that research shows that typically "participation in STM does not increase participants' financial support of missions, does not decrease their materialism, and is as likely to increase participants' ethnocentrism as it is to decrease it." Yikes.
Dennis then asked us why we (the YAVS) were here and for whom. I guess I have to admit that I am here in large part for myself... I have to admit that I was excited about coming and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have signed up for this if I thought I would be miserable for a year and end up a worse person, or at best, the same, at the end of the year. Dennis' response, though, was that it's ok. This year is an "investment in our own salvation, in working out our salvation" to use religious terminology. I guess he means to find or to make a purpose in our own lives. He explained that we are stries, each one of us; "we are an accumulation of all the stories we have ever been a part of" and that these stories transcend time, language, and culture. If we have read the Diary of Anne Frank her story has become a part of our own, of us, of who we are.
This applies to our YAV year because our stories will become a part of the stories of our host families, organizations, etc. and their stories a part of ours. Our "work" as YAVs (or missionaries... but I'm uncomfortable with that word) is simply a way to become connected to others and their stories. I think I can live with that.
We had read an article by Ivan Illich that basically said that short term misssions (STM) typically do more damage than good, even if the visitor is changed by the experience. Illich writes that research shows that typically "participation in STM does not increase participants' financial support of missions, does not decrease their materialism, and is as likely to increase participants' ethnocentrism as it is to decrease it." Yikes.
Dennis then asked us why we (the YAVS) were here and for whom. I guess I have to admit that I am here in large part for myself... I have to admit that I was excited about coming and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have signed up for this if I thought I would be miserable for a year and end up a worse person, or at best, the same, at the end of the year. Dennis' response, though, was that it's ok. This year is an "investment in our own salvation, in working out our salvation" to use religious terminology. I guess he means to find or to make a purpose in our own lives. He explained that we are stries, each one of us; "we are an accumulation of all the stories we have ever been a part of" and that these stories transcend time, language, and culture. If we have read the Diary of Anne Frank her story has become a part of our own, of us, of who we are.
This applies to our YAV year because our stories will become a part of the stories of our host families, organizations, etc. and their stories a part of ours. Our "work" as YAVs (or missionaries... but I'm uncomfortable with that word) is simply a way to become connected to others and their stories. I think I can live with that.
here goes...
Sorry it's been so long since my last update... Since this post is going to be pretty long, I'm going to make it into several subject-divided posts so you can skip around easier if you want :)
I haven't written in a while, because I have been kinda sick this week. I got a stomach thing on Sunday night and was in bed all of Monday and so this week my activities have been dictated by how long I can go between trips to the bathroom and then needing to be really close to a bathroom when at all possible. So the days that I've had time to go to the internet cafe this week I haven't, because there's no bathroom at the one in San Juan. Today has been a turning point, though, so I think all is going to be well. I just need to watch more what I eat, which is kinda difficult since I eat whatever my host family eats. I'm realizing this is just one of the joys of the life of a "Gringa" in Guatemala.
So let me start by picking up where I left off 2 weeks ago. Sundays are our lazy, study days, because our families don't have to feed us on Sundays (just to give them a break), so all the YAVs eat together either in Antigua or San Juan and we have been studying a lot together on Sundays as well. I haven't been to church here yet... I'm a little nervous, because in Guatemala, Protestant is an equivalent word to evangelical...
We tried to go to a Lutheran church in Antigua last Sunday, but we were late so we ended up just hanging out and studying for the day. This past week was also Independence Day on Tuesday, so last weekend there were lots of parades and such to watch on Sunday in the park. There was one family of about six kids who were really cute.The two girls weren't more than about two years old and both had on little trajes (the traditional Maya dress), which kept coming undone and the brothers (the oldest of whom was about seven years old), had to keep trying to tie it back and keep the other brothers from fighting with each other. There were no parents around that we could see, but I think they may have been selling things in the central park. (There are lots of people who try to sell bracelets, necklaces, and other things to tourists).
Then this white lady came up and starting taking pictures of them, which really bothered me. She didn't ask their permission, just started clicking away. The kids didn't seem to mind, but there was something about it that made it seem like she just thought they were cute to look at... cute Guatemalan kids so she could prove to her family back home that she had experienced the real Guatemala. It just seemed to dehumanize the kids a little, to reduce them to something a little less than children who have lives and stories. Maybe I over-reacted, but it bothers me a lot how a lot of tourists take pictures of Guatemalans who do wear the traje.
I haven't written in a while, because I have been kinda sick this week. I got a stomach thing on Sunday night and was in bed all of Monday and so this week my activities have been dictated by how long I can go between trips to the bathroom and then needing to be really close to a bathroom when at all possible. So the days that I've had time to go to the internet cafe this week I haven't, because there's no bathroom at the one in San Juan. Today has been a turning point, though, so I think all is going to be well. I just need to watch more what I eat, which is kinda difficult since I eat whatever my host family eats. I'm realizing this is just one of the joys of the life of a "Gringa" in Guatemala.
So let me start by picking up where I left off 2 weeks ago. Sundays are our lazy, study days, because our families don't have to feed us on Sundays (just to give them a break), so all the YAVs eat together either in Antigua or San Juan and we have been studying a lot together on Sundays as well. I haven't been to church here yet... I'm a little nervous, because in Guatemala, Protestant is an equivalent word to evangelical...
We tried to go to a Lutheran church in Antigua last Sunday, but we were late so we ended up just hanging out and studying for the day. This past week was also Independence Day on Tuesday, so last weekend there were lots of parades and such to watch on Sunday in the park. There was one family of about six kids who were really cute.The two girls weren't more than about two years old and both had on little trajes (the traditional Maya dress), which kept coming undone and the brothers (the oldest of whom was about seven years old), had to keep trying to tie it back and keep the other brothers from fighting with each other. There were no parents around that we could see, but I think they may have been selling things in the central park. (There are lots of people who try to sell bracelets, necklaces, and other things to tourists).
Then this white lady came up and starting taking pictures of them, which really bothered me. She didn't ask their permission, just started clicking away. The kids didn't seem to mind, but there was something about it that made it seem like she just thought they were cute to look at... cute Guatemalan kids so she could prove to her family back home that she had experienced the real Guatemala. It just seemed to dehumanize the kids a little, to reduce them to something a little less than children who have lives and stories. Maybe I over-reacted, but it bothers me a lot how a lot of tourists take pictures of Guatemalans who do wear the traje.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Finally Here!
We finally made it to Guatemala on Monday after what feels like a loooong time of preparation. We flew in to Guatemala City where our site coordinator, Marcia, met us and we took a bus to Antigua. All five YAVs stayed together in what used to be a Catholic Monastary but is now a retreat center for the first 3 nights. We toured Antigua and some of the surrounding towns, got to know each other better, and had some talks with Marcia about logistics and such. It was really weird to be here, because most of the other places I´ve traveled that haven´t been English speaking countries have had many people who do speak English, but here that´s not really the case.
On Thursday afternoon, after lunch with our families we went back into Antigua for another tour by someone who teaches at the school. He showed us some internet cafes, banks, and other practical things in the city as well as the market, which was an experience unlike any other Ive had. There were so many people selling all kinds of stuff from underwear to TV remotes to pillows to dishes. There are also lots of women selling different fruits and vendors with all kinds of food... lots of fried chicken it seems.
So school is one on one instruction and conversation from 8 to 12 everyday and then there is always an optional afternoon activity. The activities that we have gone on have both been tours of cities (all in Spanish) so by the end of the days Ive been pretty Spanished out. But I can already tell Im understanding more of what I hear in my house and out and about.
Language School
Needless to say, language school is a must. We started that on Thursday, so we met our host families Thursday after school. Our school is in a small town outside of Antigua and we can walk everywhere which is really nice. Actually, we could walk everywhere in Antigua as well, because its probably not much bigger than a large state univeristy campus in the States. On Thursday afternoon, after lunch with our families we went back into Antigua for another tour by someone who teaches at the school. He showed us some internet cafes, banks, and other practical things in the city as well as the market, which was an experience unlike any other Ive had. There were so many people selling all kinds of stuff from underwear to TV remotes to pillows to dishes. There are also lots of women selling different fruits and vendors with all kinds of food... lots of fried chicken it seems.
So school is one on one instruction and conversation from 8 to 12 everyday and then there is always an optional afternoon activity. The activities that we have gone on have both been tours of cities (all in Spanish) so by the end of the days Ive been pretty Spanished out. But I can already tell Im understanding more of what I hear in my house and out and about.
Host Family
In between the morning school lessons and the afternoon activities we have about 1.5 hours for lunch with our families. When I go home to eat lunch my host mom is always there, as well as her 20 month old granddaughter. The dad is usually home on his lunch break and some of the other kids show up at some point while Im there on their break from school...or maybe they´re done for the day... I cant really tell. But at night there are so many people we have to eat in shifts because the table isnt big enough. There are either 9 or 10 people living there plus me and either 3 or 4 generations. Im not really sure, because there is an older woman who was there a couple of nights ago who I wasnt introduced to, but I got the impression she was a grandmother.
Then there are my host parents, 5 of their kids, plus the husband and baby of my host sister who is I think a year older than me. The mom and the sister about my age talk to me the most, and they are very patient, but when evreyone is there I can´t keep up with their conversation. I catch bits and pieces of it, but they use a lot of phrases and words I dont know. In general, I understand a lot more than I can express myself, so I can listen but dont usually participate much in the conversation. I pick up on more and more everyday, though, and sometimes when Im at home I speak English to the dog and to Maria, the 20 month old.
The food they serve me has been really good so far... the transition to eating meat has not been too hard. Actually, none of the YAVs have had any major digestive issues thus far. I have only accidentally stuck my toothbrush under the faucet once, which I count as a major acheivement. There has also only been one time when Ive thrown my toilet paper in the toilet instead of teh trashcan and had to fish it back out. I think Im starting to get the hang of this place.
In my next post Ill write about the buses and our trip yesterday to the volcano, but I think this is more than long enough for now! Peace!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Orientation at Stony Point
I'm here at my last day of orientation at Stony Point in New York... I leave in about 12 hours to begin traveling to Guatemala... our flight leaves at 6 a.m. from JFK so the bus has to leave here at 3 a.m. to get us there on time so I have a feeling there won't be any sleeping tonight.... just packing and saying goodbye to new friends who are going to other parts of the world. It has been a really intensive week... lots of sitting and worst-case-scenario talk, but we're all so excited that even the sexual misconduct and safety lecture wasn't too much of a downer :)
We've also formed some really unique bonds with the other YAVs since we're all going through similar things and share a committment to this year of service, as well as our excitement about it, so the frienships have developed quickly. It will be hard to say goodbye to new friends, but I am really really looking forward to not having to say goodbye anymore after tonight, because all the goodbyes provided some good closure and encouragement, but also were emotionally exhausting. After tonight/ early tomorrow morning we'll just be on our way to some intense language school, hopefully only some minor culture shock, and meeting new friends in Guatemala!
We've also formed some really unique bonds with the other YAVs since we're all going through similar things and share a committment to this year of service, as well as our excitement about it, so the frienships have developed quickly. It will be hard to say goodbye to new friends, but I am really really looking forward to not having to say goodbye anymore after tonight, because all the goodbyes provided some good closure and encouragement, but also were emotionally exhausting. After tonight/ early tomorrow morning we'll just be on our way to some intense language school, hopefully only some minor culture shock, and meeting new friends in Guatemala!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
All My Bags are Packed...
And I'm really ready to go... I've been in the Portland area since Tuesday with my family, and I leave early Monday morning from here to our orientation in New York at Stony Point. We moved Ben into his dorm at Pacific yesterday, which was a little weird and brought on some nostalgia for me... it was strange to be moving my little (correction: younger) brother into college when I feel like I'm the one who should be moving back in. The campus at Pacific also really reminded me of Maryville College, which made me miss MC some, but I am really excited about this next adventure in my life.
I still don't know a whole lot about what to expect either at the orientation at Stony Point or in Guatemala, but I guess I'll just figure it out as we go... more later when I do find out what's going on!
I still don't know a whole lot about what to expect either at the orientation at Stony Point or in Guatemala, but I guess I'll just figure it out as we go... more later when I do find out what's going on!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Placement info!
For the past six weeks or so I've been trying to mentally and financially prepare myself to leave for a year... the fund-raising is going really really well (I'm almost at $7000 right now!)... I've been completely overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of people and I really appreciate all the financial and emotional support people have expressed.
Part of mentally preparing myself has been thinking about what to pack, what I'm going to pack my stuff in, reading up some on Guatemala and on international missions in general, etc. It has been difficult, though, to really imagine myself in Guatemala, though, because I didn't know yet what I would be doing, but I found out on Wednesday evening!
I will be working with an organization called "La Fraternidad" (the official name is Fraternidad de Presbiteriales Mayas and it's related to CEDEPCA (Centro Evangelico de Estudios Pastorales en Centro America)). It's located in Quetzeltenango (aka Xela, pronounced Shey-la) which is the second largest city in Guatemala. It's pretty high elevation (over 7000 ft!) so it will be pretty chilly at night and in the mornings.
My responsibilities are mostly working with the "Pastoral del la Mujer" which works with women, helping to build self-esteem. La Fraternidad also does organic agriculture training, health and nutrition training, as well as some other community-building and sustaining ministries. I think I'll have to lead some Bible studies as well, and maybe be a part of some theology courses offered by the organization. I'll mostly be "accompanying" in the beginning, working up to facilitating and perhaps even doing some translating for US groups later in the year when my Spanish is better.
La Fraternidad will select a host family for me to live with, so I don't know about that yet, but I'm really excited about working in Xela and with La Fraternidad- it sounds like there are a lot of different activities going on and plenty to do and learn! Ultimately, though, the emphasis is on being with and living with people--what the PCUSA calls the ministry of being (as opposed to a ministry of doing), accompanying people as we live and grow together.
Sorry this is a long one! I'm just really excited about this new development! Hope you're all doing well! Peace!
Part of mentally preparing myself has been thinking about what to pack, what I'm going to pack my stuff in, reading up some on Guatemala and on international missions in general, etc. It has been difficult, though, to really imagine myself in Guatemala, though, because I didn't know yet what I would be doing, but I found out on Wednesday evening!
I will be working with an organization called "La Fraternidad" (the official name is Fraternidad de Presbiteriales Mayas and it's related to CEDEPCA (Centro Evangelico de Estudios Pastorales en Centro America)). It's located in Quetzeltenango (aka Xela, pronounced Shey-la) which is the second largest city in Guatemala. It's pretty high elevation (over 7000 ft!) so it will be pretty chilly at night and in the mornings.
My responsibilities are mostly working with the "Pastoral del la Mujer" which works with women, helping to build self-esteem. La Fraternidad also does organic agriculture training, health and nutrition training, as well as some other community-building and sustaining ministries. I think I'll have to lead some Bible studies as well, and maybe be a part of some theology courses offered by the organization. I'll mostly be "accompanying" in the beginning, working up to facilitating and perhaps even doing some translating for US groups later in the year when my Spanish is better.
La Fraternidad will select a host family for me to live with, so I don't know about that yet, but I'm really excited about working in Xela and with La Fraternidad- it sounds like there are a lot of different activities going on and plenty to do and learn! Ultimately, though, the emphasis is on being with and living with people--what the PCUSA calls the ministry of being (as opposed to a ministry of doing), accompanying people as we live and grow together.
Sorry this is a long one! I'm just really excited about this new development! Hope you're all doing well! Peace!
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