This past week has been pretty crazy. Most of my friends have left this weekend, which involved lots of dinners and going away parties, but Im almost looking foward to some alone time to think, study Spanish and workd on all the school stuff that I have been neglecting. I have been having a truly amazing summer working with Primeros Pasos and through that, learning of the coexistance of the rewarding and very difficult aspects surrounding Public Health.
Two weekends ago I hiked Tajumulco, the highest pount in Central America at 4,220 meters. The hike was an incredible adventure, in spite of initial concerns. I had heard horror stories before I left: severe altiude sickness, insufferable rain and too much fog to even see the view from the top. However, we really lucked out with no rain, no one getting sick and the view with pretty great! In addition, I can now say that I was the tallest person in Central America for about 30 seconds, when I was standing on the highest rock on the top of the volcano. I went with a group of friends, which really made the four hour hike fly by. The walk was gorgeous - much more like a New England forest than a volcano and the food was amazing. This weekend I relaxed and stayed in Xela, did lots of shopping at the local market, and caught up on some reading. With only two more weeks left in Xela, I have accumulated a list of last-minute things I have to do such as: going to the local Zoo, the cementary, the local Indian restaurant and a Super Chivos (Xela team) futbol game. I am sarting to feel weird about leaving, now that I feel so at home here, but at the same time, I am so excited to come home to my family and start school (more so to see my friends than to do work).
This coming weekend I am planning my final day trip to Huehuetenango, a Mayan ruins site. I am also planning to spend my last couple of days in Guatemala jumping from Lago Atitlan to Antigua and then off to the airport. If everything works out, it should be the perfect end to a fantastic Guatemalan summer. =)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I haven´t posted in forever!
Hola! I have had a very relaxed week, so I really have no excuse for not posting. Normally I have work at the clinic in the morning, go home for a quick lunch, and then go to class until 6:30pm. I never really have time to do anything because once I´ve eaten dinner and done my Spanish homework (or watch Guate television with my family, which is kind of like Spanish homework), I just want to relax and go to bed. But this week I´m not taking class, so I have the afternoons free. It has been great to be able to explore Xela more - which I never feel comfortable doing at night - and study, read and see Harry Potter, which was a tad confusing in Spanish, but I think I understood it for the most part. And I have had an extra relaxing week because I also haven´t had work, due to a protest/strike blockading the road for the last few days - what about I have no idea. Last weekend I went to Lago Atitlan, which is a gorgeous lake surrounded by little towns and three large (dormant) volcanoes. I traveled with my work friend Jessica, and her two friends from school, Joelle and Lisa. We had an amazing time and didnt want to leave! After a three hour chicken bus ride, we found a cheap hotel (Q25 = $3) for Friday night in San Pedro. The hotel was basic but lovely, and had a great view of the lake. We went to dinner at an Israeli restaurant that was all floor seating, meaning you sat in a semicircle floor space with a million pillows and a small coffee table to eat on. It was beautiful and perfect for a quick nap while we waited for our food, which probably took about an hour. It was so pretty (of course we all forgot our cameras), with paper machete globe lamps over every table and a lush jungle-looking area in the back. It was definitely the most relaxing meal of my life! The next day we wandered around town a bit and took kayaks out on the lake, which was gorgeous! We then took a boat to San Marcos, which was very crunchy - lots of meditation retreats and massage places etc. Our friends who were there before us told us to look for the ¨Chocolate Shaman¨who is a gringo named Keith that makes and sells chocolate. After a lot of wrong turns, we finally stumbled upon a small wooden door with a laminated sign reading ¨Cacao Ceremony & Intensives.¨ After a few knocks, Keith the Chocolate Shaman comes rushing to the door, apologizing for leaving it locked, and ushers us onto his porch. Once we tell him that we were advised to visit him by friends, but know nothing about him except that he sells chocolate, he launches into a long winded story which includes his journey of shamanism, his encounter with the chocolate shaman goddess, who tells him how to make and where to find cacao beans (used to make chocolate), his opinion on the lack of antioxidants in conventional chocolate, a brief rant on American society, a meditation exercise and step by step instructions on how to harvest and make chocolate. Of course, at the end of all this, we bought some chocolate, which I am excited to experiment with. One thing I loved about this excursion, besides that it makes a good story, is that I got to see every step it takes to make a bar of chocolate, something that is nearly impossible to do with any food item in the states.
This coming weekend I would like to go to Fuentes Georginas, which are natural hot springs outside of Xela which is apparently crawling with tourists but very fun and relaxing. I also want to hike Volcan Santa Maria on Sunday, which is supposed to be very difficult, so Im a little nervous. All hiking here is very difficult because of the altitude, and Santa Maria is very steep, but I want to do it eventually so I might as well do it now! Wish me luck!!
I am planning to post again very soon about my experience with the clinic and how it has effected my outlook on Public Health, and the accounts of the Civil War and genocide that I have gathered from my host family and teachers.
This coming weekend I would like to go to Fuentes Georginas, which are natural hot springs outside of Xela which is apparently crawling with tourists but very fun and relaxing. I also want to hike Volcan Santa Maria on Sunday, which is supposed to be very difficult, so Im a little nervous. All hiking here is very difficult because of the altitude, and Santa Maria is very steep, but I want to do it eventually so I might as well do it now! Wish me luck!!
I am planning to post again very soon about my experience with the clinic and how it has effected my outlook on Public Health, and the accounts of the Civil War and genocide that I have gathered from my host family and teachers.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
First bump in the road
I had a pretty rough day at work today. Normally we have children come to the clinic for health classes, but when we teach more advanced topics to the 5th and 6th graders, we go into the schools. Today I was teaching sexual education to a class of 6th graders. Beforehand, our director told us that the school had restrictions for us on what we could and could not teach. The school requested that we only discuss sexual relationships in the context of marriage and that we were not allowed to discuss contraceptives and preventative pregnancy measures in detail. Guatemala has a very strong Roman Catholic culture, which clearly has a presence at the schools. This was very frusrating and difficult, especially considering teenage pregnancy is a very large problem in Guatemala. Often girls become pregrant at the age of 12 and 13, which alters their lives at a very early age, and is also phsyically very dangerous and potentially life threatening. Teenage pregnancy also results in an early end to education, which can be economically stunting for a young woman, who no longer has the opportunity to continue her education, work or become independent. It is heartbreaking for me because we have so much information that we could teach and that could truly improve or save their lives, and we were not able to fully explain or exphasize it because of cultural boundaries. It is very hard because im here to try to improve their quality of life and give them health education and I am unable to fully teach them the most important thing for them to know. However, at the same time, I don´t want to cast judgement based on my experience, upbringing and culturally subjective ideas of what is a good education. We did push the boundaries and wrote the forms of contraceptives on the board, which I hope allowed them to write them down and research them on their own. We also had them anononmously write questions, which we read aloud: we had about 10 questions asking what a condom was, after which we couldn´t not explain in more detail.
Another twist: 5 minutes into begining our class, the teacher asked if we could pause to go watch a theater group that was performing for the students. This theater group was an American church organization performing a dramatic reenactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am in no way against Christian missionaries - faith based groups are and have been for centuries the leading advocate for the poor. However, I didn´t understand what the point was of preaching one´s religion to a group of children and teachers, but not conributing anything else. Also, their tactic was very partionizing and demeaning, in that they utilized flashy effects such as a clown and dramatic music to draw in the children´s attention.
The contrast between the attention and acceptance the church group received and the hushed manner in which we needed to conduct our class was upsetting. However, I was able to provide some form of sexual education to a group of young people that may never receive structured sexual education again. For that I am very grateful.
Another twist: 5 minutes into begining our class, the teacher asked if we could pause to go watch a theater group that was performing for the students. This theater group was an American church organization performing a dramatic reenactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am in no way against Christian missionaries - faith based groups are and have been for centuries the leading advocate for the poor. However, I didn´t understand what the point was of preaching one´s religion to a group of children and teachers, but not conributing anything else. Also, their tactic was very partionizing and demeaning, in that they utilized flashy effects such as a clown and dramatic music to draw in the children´s attention.
The contrast between the attention and acceptance the church group received and the hushed manner in which we needed to conduct our class was upsetting. However, I was able to provide some form of sexual education to a group of young people that may never receive structured sexual education again. For that I am very grateful.
Friday, July 1, 2011
¿Como te fue?
This past weekend I got a chance to explore Xela, learn a lot about the history and social environment of Guatemala, and of course learn some Español. It is hard to describe Xela, but in very few words, everything is brightly colored, relaxed, kind of broken and very very cheap. Everywhere sinks and toilets don´t work, chairs are missing a leg, paint is peeling and sidewalks are trash ridden. But it doesn´t feel inconvenient, it´s just how things are everywhere, and I´ve started to understand it. Why would you fix it if it´s still useable, even if it looks bad. I hiked Laguna Chicabal last weekend, which was beautiful but torturous. It was very very steep and the air is very thin (Xela is already almost 3,000 feet up, with Chicabal at almost 9,000 ft.) Regardless of feeling out of shape, it was great to check Chicabal off my list of places I want to go.
Working at Primeros Pasos has been a very rewarding experience thus far. I´m working with the Children´s Health Program, in which I teach health classes in the clinic and at local schools.The classes address healthy eating habits, safe drinking water (bottled water or boiled for 20 minutes), preventing parasites and general hygiene such as washing your hands and brushing your teeth. When the students come into the clinic - they often range from Kindergarden to 6th grade - they are weighed, have their height taken and give us a feces sample. A huge health problem in the area is parasites, which they can get from eating food without washing it, not washing their hands before eating or after touching animals or playing outside. They can also get parasites or bacterial infections if their drink sink or river water, which is very common. Most of the students that come to the clinic already have parasites, which they would not have treated if they had not come in with their class. I have acquired some doubts and concerns as I learn about the issue addressed and the approach used by Primeros Pasos. My thoughts are in no way critiques of Primeros Pasos, but obstacles for any organization trying to solve a large poverty-related problem. Although it seems that the kids are absorbing the information we are giving them in the health class, I fear that they are just very good at regurgitating information and saying what the teacher wants to hear, considering the public education system is very basic and non-participatory. Also, parents are often uneducated, and give their children unhealthy foods because it is cheaper and readily available. Understanding this, I find it very hard to believe that children are rejecting cookies offered by their parents and begging for broccoli just because we tell them its good for them. In regards to water, having safe drinking water - which is pretty much just bottled water - is expensive, so even if parents know the sink water is unsafe for their children, they don´t have much of a choice. One thing I think Primeros Pasos does a great job of is providing quality health care. Any person that comes to the clinic receives complete quality care and free medicine if their are unable to pay. Also, unlike most hospitals and clinics in the area, we have our own pharmacy, which means patients don´t need to make a trip into Xela or have to pay for expensive medicine. This small convenience is the difference between treatment and helplessly knowing your child has parasites (lice, bacterial infection etc.) and not being able to do anything about it. As is commonly known in the development field, approaches to public health need to comprehensive, accessible and simple. I am starting to see the truth in that first-hand.
This weekend I am traveling to Tilapita, a charming little beach a few hours outside of Xela and I am so excited to lay out in the sun! Above are some pictures of Xela and Chicabal - more to come!
Working at Primeros Pasos has been a very rewarding experience thus far. I´m working with the Children´s Health Program, in which I teach health classes in the clinic and at local schools.The classes address healthy eating habits, safe drinking water (bottled water or boiled for 20 minutes), preventing parasites and general hygiene such as washing your hands and brushing your teeth. When the students come into the clinic - they often range from Kindergarden to 6th grade - they are weighed, have their height taken and give us a feces sample. A huge health problem in the area is parasites, which they can get from eating food without washing it, not washing their hands before eating or after touching animals or playing outside. They can also get parasites or bacterial infections if their drink sink or river water, which is very common. Most of the students that come to the clinic already have parasites, which they would not have treated if they had not come in with their class. I have acquired some doubts and concerns as I learn about the issue addressed and the approach used by Primeros Pasos. My thoughts are in no way critiques of Primeros Pasos, but obstacles for any organization trying to solve a large poverty-related problem. Although it seems that the kids are absorbing the information we are giving them in the health class, I fear that they are just very good at regurgitating information and saying what the teacher wants to hear, considering the public education system is very basic and non-participatory. Also, parents are often uneducated, and give their children unhealthy foods because it is cheaper and readily available. Understanding this, I find it very hard to believe that children are rejecting cookies offered by their parents and begging for broccoli just because we tell them its good for them. In regards to water, having safe drinking water - which is pretty much just bottled water - is expensive, so even if parents know the sink water is unsafe for their children, they don´t have much of a choice. One thing I think Primeros Pasos does a great job of is providing quality health care. Any person that comes to the clinic receives complete quality care and free medicine if their are unable to pay. Also, unlike most hospitals and clinics in the area, we have our own pharmacy, which means patients don´t need to make a trip into Xela or have to pay for expensive medicine. This small convenience is the difference between treatment and helplessly knowing your child has parasites (lice, bacterial infection etc.) and not being able to do anything about it. As is commonly known in the development field, approaches to public health need to comprehensive, accessible and simple. I am starting to see the truth in that first-hand.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
¡Estoy aquí!
I can´t believe it´s only Wednesday - I feel like I´ve been here forever. I have to be honest, the first couple of days were pretty tough. Saturday night I stayed in a hotel by myself (my school is closed on Saturdays) and I was petrified to go anywhere, considering my sense of direction is close to nonexistant. To make matters worse, when I went to leave Sunday morning to meet my host family, I found that I was locked inside the hotel. I don´t know where the owner was but I had to wait an hour for them to come back. However, that was the last of the mishaps (so far), and everyday I feel more and more at home. I am living with a host family and I love them so much! I am living with a host mom, grandma and two little sisters who are about 6 and 12. They are so sweet and made me feel like a part of their family after 10 minutes. One thing I´ve loved about Guatemala is that everything is so cheap compared to the states. To buy a cellphone with minutes was equivalent to $15 (100 quetzales) and my daily bus to work is 2 Q each way, which is about $0.50 in total. Despite the laid-back attitude of Guatemala, I have a fairly hectic routine. It consists of walking to El Calvario, where my bus is at 7:45am, from which I take the ¨chicken bus¨ (an old, dilapidated school bus that´s painted and decorated) to work, taking it back to town around 1pm for lunch a mi casa before I head to class at 2pm. The classes are 4 or 5 hours long so I get home just in time for dinner, and then I relax with my host family or do my homework, go to bed and repeat. It´s pretty exhausting but it hasn´t been that bad this week because there is not much to do at work. My job is in the Children´s Health Program, but the local schools are on vacation this week so there are no children for us to teach. Today, we took a machette to the overgrown weeds and grass on the side of the building (photos to come) and I made an advertising poster for the clinic. I´m excited for next week when I get to go into the schools and teach. Although I have a busy schedule, I am definitely making time for travel. On Sunday I am going to hike a dormant volcano about an hour outside of Xela with a friend from work, and there are a million other organized trips that the schools plan for students that I want to take advantage of. The only things I´m having trouble adjusting to are the food and no hot showers (they´re luke warm at best). The food is a lot of refried beans, plantains and tamalitas (a kind of dense bread made of corn) and some processed meat. I like that the food is for the most part local and fresh, but I just need to get used to the new tastes. Guatemala is an interesting juxstaposition of awe-inspiring landscape and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Both are beautiful in their own way, and I am eager to explore what the natural environment and the local community have to offer. ¡Hasta luego!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Almost there!
I just got home from an amazing and exhausting week at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee. It was so much fun, but left me only 2 1/2 days to do last minute arrands, see my family and friends, and of course, pack! Thankfully, my excitement is starting to win the battle against my nerves and anxiety. Here's hoping it will last and I can fully enjoy these last few days at home.
I recently had the scary thought that I will be working and interacting with individuals that lived through the genocide and war that I have been reading about for the past couple of weeks. In school and in personal research I have learned and advocated for victims of countless genocides and other human rights injustices. However, this is the first time that I will be able to speak to the people and experience the physical space in which these atrocities took place. That, to me, is both frightening and exhilarating. The ability to have a direct hand in healing the wounds of human rights abuses is at the root of my desires as an activist and a development major (at Clark they call it the International Development & Social Change major) and I hope that I will be able to fully appreciate this opportunity. I also hope that I will be tolerant and open to different perspective and ideas of development than those that have been taught to me or that I have formulated on my own.
On an entirely different and lighter note, I am so so so excited for good Guatemalan coffee! I am bringing my host family some Vermont maple syrup - I hope they like it and don't just think its weird!
More to come once I land
P.S. Here is a preview of a documentary that addresses the recovery experience of those affected by the genocide in Guatemala, which I found very informative and moving (Thanks Morgan!) http://vimeo.com/16498850.
I recently had the scary thought that I will be working and interacting with individuals that lived through the genocide and war that I have been reading about for the past couple of weeks. In school and in personal research I have learned and advocated for victims of countless genocides and other human rights injustices. However, this is the first time that I will be able to speak to the people and experience the physical space in which these atrocities took place. That, to me, is both frightening and exhilarating. The ability to have a direct hand in healing the wounds of human rights abuses is at the root of my desires as an activist and a development major (at Clark they call it the International Development & Social Change major) and I hope that I will be able to fully appreciate this opportunity. I also hope that I will be tolerant and open to different perspective and ideas of development than those that have been taught to me or that I have formulated on my own.
On an entirely different and lighter note, I am so so so excited for good Guatemalan coffee! I am bringing my host family some Vermont maple syrup - I hope they like it and don't just think its weird!
More to come once I land
P.S. Here is a preview of a documentary that addresses the recovery experience of those affected by the genocide in Guatemala, which I found very informative and moving (Thanks Morgan!) http://vimeo.com/16498850.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Why I am going to Guatemala . . .
Hola!
I am still two weeks away from going to Guatemala, but I would like to explain more on why I am going. Firstly, I would not have this opportunity were it not for Shelly Tenenbaum, and her introducing me to the Holocaust & Genocide Studies Summer Internship Stipend. With this stipend, I am able to cover my expenses, such as air fare, home stay and Spanish school, and without which I would not be going on this adventure*. The stipend is intended to compensate students for unpaid internships (mine is technically a volunteer position) in a non-profit that works on genocide prevention and/or awareness. Primeros Pasos, the clinic I will be working at, addresses the detrimental effects of the genocidal Civil War of Guatemala on the Mayan population. It does this by providing the indigenous Mayan people with affordable health care, medical access and health education programs. My dad sent me a great NY Times Op-Ed about the Civil War that was just published today: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/opinion/04schlesinger.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
This article, in my opinion, does a great job summarizing the US involvement in the genocide that occurred during the Civil War.
*Fun Fact - the other two students to receive the summer stipend are two of my best friends and roommates at Clark, which is amazing and kinda a crazy coincidence!
Countdown - 12 Days!!
I am still two weeks away from going to Guatemala, but I would like to explain more on why I am going. Firstly, I would not have this opportunity were it not for Shelly Tenenbaum, and her introducing me to the Holocaust & Genocide Studies Summer Internship Stipend. With this stipend, I am able to cover my expenses, such as air fare, home stay and Spanish school, and without which I would not be going on this adventure*. The stipend is intended to compensate students for unpaid internships (mine is technically a volunteer position) in a non-profit that works on genocide prevention and/or awareness. Primeros Pasos, the clinic I will be working at, addresses the detrimental effects of the genocidal Civil War of Guatemala on the Mayan population. It does this by providing the indigenous Mayan people with affordable health care, medical access and health education programs. My dad sent me a great NY Times Op-Ed about the Civil War that was just published today: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/opinion/04schlesinger.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
This article, in my opinion, does a great job summarizing the US involvement in the genocide that occurred during the Civil War.
*Fun Fact - the other two students to receive the summer stipend are two of my best friends and roommates at Clark, which is amazing and kinda a crazy coincidence!
Countdown - 12 Days!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Hi!
I've never blogged before, so I apologize if I ramble or am boring. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to write about or what is interesting to other people that are reading, but I'll do my best!
Right now I am still home in Sudbury, Massachusetts. I have been working at Mahoney's Gardening Store - which is silly since I know nothing about gardening and killed my house plant after a month. I have been working everyday, which is great since I need the extra cash for my trip, but stressful and tiring at the moment. I took a few days off this weekend for a mini-road trip to Amherst with the lovely gnomies (Morgan, Rachel and Nika). It was so much fun and beautiful out and a great weekend with my girls before we all venture out to different corners of the world. It's so crazy that so many of my friends are having such amazing adventures this summer, and I cannot wait to follow along with their travels!
I am starting to realize that there are a lot of preparations I need to work on that I have neglected, and it's making me a little nervous. However, I'm sure it will all get done, as these things always do. I am volunteering at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee next week, and will only have a few days home before I leave - one of which is my birthday! I am for the most part nervous, with bursts of overwhelming excitement and giggles. I'm not sure why this is, perhaps because I cannot comprehend the experience I am going to have, so I'm generally anxious about getting everything squared away before I leave. I also worry that I won't have enough time to spend with my family and friends before I go.
A little background on my trip: I will be living in a home-stay in Xela (pronounced shay-la). I have an internship with Primeros Pasos, a health clinic in the rural village of Palajunoj Valley, outside of Xela. I am working in the Children's Program, which I interpret as me playing with little kids and teaching them to wash their hands all day. Probably not accurate, but that is my fantasy. I will also be taking classes everyday in the afternoon with Pop Wuj, who set up my homestay.
5 things I know about Guatemala and Xela:
1. Xela is less touristy than Antigua or Guatemala City, and teeming with internationals and Americans that came for study abroad or volunteering and never left.
2. I will get robbed or pick-pocketed everywhere all the time, day or night, especially because I am a little white girl.
3. I can look forward to amazing volcanoes and Mayan ruins in the Highlands, along with markets and zip-lining =)
4. I can take Salsa classes and Facebook at Internet Cafes
5. All I will eat is rice and beans. I'm hoping there will be some yummy fruits and veggies too.
Countdown 17 days until Guatemala!! More to come.
Right now I am still home in Sudbury, Massachusetts. I have been working at Mahoney's Gardening Store - which is silly since I know nothing about gardening and killed my house plant after a month. I have been working everyday, which is great since I need the extra cash for my trip, but stressful and tiring at the moment. I took a few days off this weekend for a mini-road trip to Amherst with the lovely gnomies (Morgan, Rachel and Nika). It was so much fun and beautiful out and a great weekend with my girls before we all venture out to different corners of the world. It's so crazy that so many of my friends are having such amazing adventures this summer, and I cannot wait to follow along with their travels!
I am starting to realize that there are a lot of preparations I need to work on that I have neglected, and it's making me a little nervous. However, I'm sure it will all get done, as these things always do. I am volunteering at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee next week, and will only have a few days home before I leave - one of which is my birthday! I am for the most part nervous, with bursts of overwhelming excitement and giggles. I'm not sure why this is, perhaps because I cannot comprehend the experience I am going to have, so I'm generally anxious about getting everything squared away before I leave. I also worry that I won't have enough time to spend with my family and friends before I go.
A little background on my trip: I will be living in a home-stay in Xela (pronounced shay-la). I have an internship with Primeros Pasos, a health clinic in the rural village of Palajunoj Valley, outside of Xela. I am working in the Children's Program, which I interpret as me playing with little kids and teaching them to wash their hands all day. Probably not accurate, but that is my fantasy. I will also be taking classes everyday in the afternoon with Pop Wuj, who set up my homestay.
5 things I know about Guatemala and Xela:
1. Xela is less touristy than Antigua or Guatemala City, and teeming with internationals and Americans that came for study abroad or volunteering and never left.
2. I will get robbed or pick-pocketed everywhere all the time, day or night, especially because I am a little white girl.
3. I can look forward to amazing volcanoes and Mayan ruins in the Highlands, along with markets and zip-lining =)
4. I can take Salsa classes and Facebook at Internet Cafes
5. All I will eat is rice and beans. I'm hoping there will be some yummy fruits and veggies too.
Countdown 17 days until Guatemala!! More to come.
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