Hispanic Heritage Month

On the Road Again 

As if the invitation to present our work at the Smithsonain National Museum of the American Indian didn’t keep us busy enough!  We barely caught our breath from an exhilarating two weeks  in NYC and D.C. before we were on to our next commitments. USH continued its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2016 with friends and colleagues in  North Carolina and Massachusetts.

North Carolina:

UNC Pembroke’s Native American Speaker Series

On September 19, 2016 Carlos, Chema, Carmen and our four Maya Traditions partners piled into a large van and took to the highway.  Some 7 hours later, we arrived at our hotel in Pembroke, NC.  We were greeted by three of our Founder’s doctoral students Terry, Tiffany, and Denise.  Their presence was a warm southern welcome after what seemed like being on the road for days!  The next day, Dr. Jane Haladay led us to UNC Pembroke (originally the Croatan Normal School – built by and for American Indian higher education).  Our group visited two university classes, showing USH films and engaging in discussion about Maya culture and education.

In the evening, Carlos, Carmen and Chema spoke at UNCP’s Native American Speaker Series.  We were just about to being, when the entire town of Pembroke lost electricity!  These leaders handled it beautifully, engaging the audience by talking about USH’s pedagogy and evolution.  Shortly, we regained power and were able to show a Level 1 & Level 2 Film.

Following the films and discussions, the audience gathered in the rear of the auditorium, watching weaving practices and engaging in further dialogue with our leaders.

…In the meantime, the UNCP student media team was present.  This team interviewed both Carmen and Chema, a story which would air on local UNCP television broadcasts.

UNC Chapel Hill

On a very last minute whim, we our team made a very brief stop at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  A dear friend and colleague, who is also Maya K’iche’, convinced us to stop in his class.  Emilio del Valle Escalante  is a professor and researcher in Latin American and indigenous literatures and cultures.  The most exciting part for the Program Leaders was that the discussion was fully in Spanish!  No need for translations; just direct and deep conversation! Yet another wonderful gift, closing their 2016 U.S. experience.   

Massachusetts:

Bunker Hill Community College

Not long after getting our Guatemalan travelers to the airport, our Founder and Director was preparing for her Bunker Hill Community College  invitation.  The presentation called ¡Inspirate! was part of BHCC’s 2016 Hispanic Heritage month events.  The day began with An informal lunch and discussion was held at the Chelsea campus.   Later that evening, the extending community gathered for dinner and presentation.   Amidst the audience, Cedric Woods, a Lumbee Tribe member, who stopped to see what is coming to his community!

More to come!!

Announcing USH’s First U.S. Chapter!

USH: Lumbee Chapter

It is with EXTREME enthusiasm that we announce our expansion to the United States! We will begin the USH: Lumee Chapter in Pembroke, North Carolina, a collaboration with the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club.  Funded by The First Nation’s Development Institute of Longmont, CO, the Lumbee Tribe adoption and implementation of USH began in September 2016 and is funded through July 2017.  We are simply ecstatic!

Lumbee Youth, Lumbee Tribe Members, and USH Team meet at UNC Pembroke

In keeping with the USH vision of youth-led expansions of USH, our Guatemalan Program Leaders Carlos, Chema, and Carmen initiated the chapter.  These three leaders sat with the group of Lumbee youth who will participate in the USH program.  Carlos, Chema, and Carmen introduced how USH has been evolving in Guatemala, asked them about their visions for USH in their community, and answered questions.  This introduction was part of USH’s participation in the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Native American Speaker Series.

Lumbee Leadership

We would also like to announce two outstanding Lumbee Tribe youth who will facilitate and manage the USH: Lumbee Chapter.  Please help us in welcoming Reagan and Bryan.

Reagan is a Native American student at UNC-Pembroke majoring in biology with a Biomedical Emphasis with aspirations to become an orthodontist. Reagan serves as an ambassador for SHPEP and is an American Indian Association Scholar. She is passionate about social issues surrounding Indigenous people and is excited to be working with USH and the Lumbee tribe.

Bryan is 20 years old and is from a small town called Fairmont, North Carolina which is located in Robeson County. He is currently seeking his Criminal Justice Degree at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. His willingness to give back to the community and help give his Lumbee people a voice, inspired him to pursue Unlocking Silent Histories: Lumbee Chapter.

Additional Support

 

Denise Hunt, Rose Marie Lowry-Townsend, Tiffany Locklear

Rose Marie Lowry-Townsend:  Dr. Lowry-Townsend is the Lumbee tribe’sYouth Services Manager at the Lumbee Boys & Girls Clubs.

Tiffany Locklear and Denise Hunt: Tiffany and Denise are doctoral students at UNCW. Locklear and Hunt, also Lumbee Tribe members, will volunteer their services at the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club as independent studies students and their participation will assist with the project’s sustainability.  Hunt and Locklear are thrilled about bringing the cultural resources of the project to the Lumbee community to make education relevant to our students.  

DC: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: Stop #2

National Musuem of the American Indian: DC

In Washington D.C., we were greeted by Korah English Morez, the NMAI Cultural Arts Program Specialist, who organized a breathtaking, and beautifully curated exhibit of “Maya Creativity and Cultural Milieu”.

Unlocking Silent Histories Filmmakers and the Maya Traditions Foundation guests were joined by Maya weavers from Weaving for the Future, a Washington, D.C.-based cooperative. An array of colors and crafts permeated the space.   Indigenous Design Collective, a Washington-based Maya graphic arts initiative dedicated to educating people about Maya symbolism, facilitated hands on activities; The musuem displayed interactive websites; and the Smithsonian Latino Center organized opportunities to learn about Maya migration and Bak’tun 13.  This was all set to energizing, authentic Guatemalan marimba music.

The USH Film Screenings took place in the NMAI Rasmuson Theater.  Here audience viewed the thoughtfully threaded programs crafted by Melissa Bisagni, NMAI Program Manager Media Initiatives.  Featured were 16 youth-produced films from our 9 partner communities in Guatemala.  Discussions with the filmmakers and program leaders Carmen, Chema and Carlos followed.  In both the  morning and afternoon conversations, you will hear how these leaders describe their roles in co-creating USH, how the organization belongs to all of them, and why this work is important for their indigenous communities.

A very special than you also, for the private guided tour of control room.  It was a very special opportunity for these burgeoning professions to get a behind the scenes insight to high quality production and documentation!

Visiting the Film Archives

Melissa Bisagni was obviously thinking about our guests having the experience of their lifetime.  She prearranged a very special trip for Carmen, Carlos, and Chema.  We visited the Human Studies Film Archive, at the Museum Support Center (MSC) in Suitland, MD.  What an amazing morning!  We handled legacy equipment and imagined what it might have been like filming and editing with equipment like this!   Next, they viewed various archival ethnographic films of the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala, dating between 1920 and 1960.  These three inquisitive youth greatly appreciated of the opporutnity to see historical films of their region – noting what stayed the same, what changed, and how others outsiders were choosing to document their communities and describe them – at times the descriptions were inaccurate.  An experience that inspired conversations and visions of doing more films from within.

Melissa told the youth, your work is important because we often have films about indigenous communities, but not many from within them. Words taken to heart with great appreciation from this very seasoned expert.

Special Guest Duane Howard

As if the program that Korah and Melissa had prepared was not enough, we also welcomed a very special guest, Duane Howard.  Duane played the role of ‘Elk Dog’, the lead native warrior in 20th Century, in movie “The Revenant”.

Duane enjoyed DC with our USH team, sharing his wisdom – both about film and about First Nations communities.  After watching both sets of films, he comments that he was taken by the ways in which the youth were capturing their cultures and traditions, and spirituality of the communities.  His first visit to DC, we organized a special tour of the museum and entertained him at a traditional U.S. diner and a “hip” neighborhood bar!  It was an honor to have him, and most of all, we appreciated his humorous, generous spirit, and support of our work at USH.

Visiting Sites

DC was incredibly busy, yet we found some time to visit DC’s Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and a distant glimpse of the Capital Building.  Our Program Leaders will need to come back for a visit to enjoy more of the city!

Thank you DC. What an amazing time we had!!

NYC: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: Stop #1

 

National Musuem of the American Indian: NYC

 

Our first stop in the U.S., The New York City National Musuem of the American Indian.  This, the first of a very jam packed Hispanic Heritage month, set the pace of or rapid adventure.  

It was here that the USH presenters took to the stage and got their first look at their USH films on a professional screen!  Lively conversations followed, as audiences asked profound questions.  The well articulated responses of these three leaders illustrate how they have embraced USH , and have each developed their unique voice.  

The team celebrating on the stairs are USH and MTF participants:  Carmen, Elena, Cecelia, Chema, Marisol , Donna, Carlos and Matea as well as Korah (NMAI), and Temis (USH volunteer)!

When not on stage, Chema, Carlos, and Carmen talked manned our USH information table, positioned in this austere building, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, a monument to commerce that was built between 1900 and 1907.  Sitting at the entry way to the rotunda of the custom house, USH greeted musuem visitors, sharing literature, movies, and their stories.  NMAI in NYC?  Simply perfect.

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Visiting Pamela Yates

As fate would have it, the very busy Pamela Yates just happened to be in NYC the weekend of our NYC visit.  She graciously invited Carlos, Carmen and Chema to her studio space, where she and her editor, Peter, were working on their film 500 Years.  These USH filmmakers engaged in conversations about storyboarding, shots, and editing decisions.  A truly special gift!

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NYC Site Seeing

We certainly could not have enjoyed NY, without visiting some tourist sites.  Our nonstop – what felt like a sleepless time – included a ferry ride to Staten Island, a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, several subway rides, a night stroll on Time Square, and finally, a walk through and around Ground Zero.  What was the over all favorite?  Time Square.  

Thank you NEW YORK CITY!!!

From Guatemala to New York

An Unexpected Adventure!

Fingers crossed!  7 novice travels board their flight in Guatemala.  The connection is tight, but we think positively that they will be just fine!  They land early, perfect!  Not so perfect.  Facebook and Whatsapp messages began to pour in.  “We are still in immigration,” writes Marisol.   “Call us, it’s urgent,” reads the message from Chema.  As our hopes for a smooth journey from Guatemala to the U.S. faded, problem solving quickly took its place.

Chema, now through immigration, tells me over FB video chat, “Donna, I think we are going to miss our flight.  We are all here waiting, but Marisol still hasn’t arrived.” Marisol, the only English-speaking member of our Unlocking Silent Histories and Maya Traditions group traveling to the States was detained in customs.  Chema continues, “And we haven’t recovered our suitcases!”  I tell Chema that everything will be ok, and “hey, this is just part of the adventure!”  Chema isn’t so sure, but we laugh and continue to talk.  I “walk” him through the airport, searching for someone to speak with.  Chema’s phone scanning the airport, we find a security guard.  I speak to her, and she tells us that there is nothing to do but wait.  Chema, Carlos, Carmen, and our Maya Traditions partners do just that.   One and a half hours later, Marisol emerges…  By this time, the flight is definitely gone.  Again, using FB video chat, I guide them to the ticket counter so that they can rebook their flights.

Knowing that they are tired,  stranded and nervous worries me.  All  I can think about is that they have no U.S. money and they need to eat and sleep.  Team USH kicks into gear.  Temis, a USH volunteer traveling with us, navigates two computers and a phone to scan websites and talk to customer service centers.  He finally secures a hotel, a shuttle to get them there, and orders breakfast for the next morning. At the same time, I worked through re-booking their flights. I also contacted a super amazing friend in Houston, who graciously fed them and got them off to the airport the next morning.  They board safely and we wait.  Together, Temis, Korah (SINMAI Cultural Arts Program Specialist), and I leave to greet the group at La Guardia.  Harried but happy to be in NYC, our USH and MTF guests arrive safely!

Welcome to the U.S.!

Our Big Present!

Dear Friends:

We bring you very joyful news this Holiday Season!

Unlocking Silent Histories will be featured at a Maya Cultural event at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. September 2016!!

We are happy to share this incredible opportunity with our partner,
The Maya Traditions Foundation!

This incredible opportunity and recognition from such an important cultural institution comes just 3 short years after beginning our work. Through the generous support of the Smithsonian, our Program Leaders – Carmen, Carlos, and Chema – will travel to the U.S. to present and discuss new youth-produced films that illuminate Maya cultural heritages and languages from their worldviews. Three Maya artisans from our partner organization, the Maya Traditions Foundation, will also accompany us to demonstrate the ancient art of traditional backstrap weaving.

The collaborative event is an opportunity for the youth and weavers to celebrate and share their Maya identities, and be recognized for their resilience, knowledge, and traditions. This experience also becomes a learning event that our Program Leaders will carry back to their communities. The new perspectives and knowledge that our Maya staff gain during their U.S. stay will ultimately translate to their continued work with new filmmakers in their communities. Additionally, the global visibility Unlocking Silent Histories and Maya Traditions Foundation will enjoy through this important event will deepen the positive impact we have on our Maya communities in Guatemala, and that they have on us.

Our journey to the Smithsonian is about to begin, and we need your support to help ensure that this once in a lifetime opportunity is the best experience for the youth and artisans!

This Holiday Season…  Join us in supporting this once in a lifetime opportunity! In lieu of a gift this year your can Give the Gift of Creative Voice by: 

• Donating in honor or memory of family or friends
• Becoming a monthly donor Providing equipment
• Electing to be a Premium Donor (Contribute $500 or more and we will include you on our Sponsor Wall & Website at the Smithsonian!)

Click here to Support Our Journey!!

Your generous contributions will fund updated computers, cameras, and editing software, as well as educational workshops, to support the creation of additional films that reveal the unique perspective of what it means to be Maya, historically and presently. We will update you every step of the way!

With Sincere and Heartfelt Appreciation,
Happy Holiday from all of us at USH!

Newsletter Launch! A little about Our History…

This past week, we launched our Monthly Newsletter.  Join us on the 15th of each month to get the snapshots of our journey!  We’ll connect you here for more details!  Here is the contents of our first issue:

Unlocking Silent Histories Monthly Newsletter!

Welcome!!! Thank you for joining us.  Each month as we share our stories and progress.  We are excited to keep you informed of our ongoing journey with indigenous youth. For our inaugural newsletter edition, we want to start out with a little history about how Unlocking Silent Histories (USH) began.

Our Story: In 2012, our founder and director Donna DeGennaro took a a leave of absence from her tenure-track University position with the vision of reinvigorating her passion for her work.  Since her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, she had been working toward a pedagogical design that was youth-driven and focused on digital media technologies.  She was primarily concerned with the deficit ways that culturally diverse youth were educated and the negative media representations that seemed to help reinforce this assumption.  Donna’s approach to her work is “constructivist”, which means that she always includes the voices of youth, whose ideas contributed to the unfolding concept or learning design.

Donna’s hiatus from the university took her to Guatemala where she was expecting to expand her research in a small private school.  When obstacles thwarted that that possibility, she was initially dismayed.  Yet, as fate would have it, she found herself serendipitously in the right place at the right time!  When all seemed doomed, Donna met with then Director of the Maya Traditions Foundation, Marcelle.  Marcelle was eager for Donna to do work with the youth Maya Traditions supported and invited Donna to begin visiting their communities and meetings. It was a match!  Shortly after, Donna got to work not only on her concept, but also on solidifying her idea as a non-profit.  It was with this seed that Unlocking Silent Histories (USH) was born.

USH started as a pilot program in 2012 in collaboration with the Maya Traditions Foundation (MTF). With the generous support of MTF, Donna began implementing the pedagogy that she had been developing for many years with youth in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.  The MTF Director and Donna collaboratively decided to start the program with a small group of youth in the rural community of Chirijox. For five months, Marisol (MTF Programs Coordinator) and Donna met the youth once a week in a small home in the mountains.  The trek from Panajachel to Chirijox was anything but easy, requiring crowded buses that moved rapidly up steep and windy hills and two transfers, once in the town of Sololá and then in Los Encuentros.   Donna carried two backpacks filled with cameras, computers, chargers, and other materials, determined to initiate this program.The youth engaged in what Donna calls an emergent learning environment.  This means that there is not a written script or set curriculum, instead, learning is a grassroots endeavor that starts with youths’ ideas, traditions and cultures. Specifically, the youth identify personally meaningful and community-connected topics, generate questions, and move through their learning as they define what they

need to know.  After gathering data, they analyze it and decide what they need to learn next.  It is an organic engagement that is flexible so that they can have the agency to draw upon their cultural knowledge and languages to have a personally meaningful experience.  Youth then were in charge of their research, their stories, and ultimately the short documentaries they create to share their learning.

Everything seemed to fall into place: enthusiastic youth, a supportive partner organization, and the resources to begin our journey through a successful Kickstarter Campaign.  This inspired Donna to apply for non-profit status under the name of Unlocking Silent Histories.  Unlike Donna’s previous work with the broader focus on the underserved youth population, USH would center its efforts on working with indigenous youth in impoverished communities.  USH officially become a 501(c)(3) in October of 2013.Since USH’s inception, and through a solidified partnership with the Maya Traditions Foundation, we have expanded from 1 – 6 of their communities.  Between our start in December of 2012 and 2013, 18 students have completed individual films and in early 2014 nine youth formed two production teams to create original documentary shorts.

Finally, we identified four of our first year students to become part of our staff. These Youth Leaders take on teaching new students, administering the organization, and contributing their ideas to the ongoing development of USH.  After a recommendation by a youth program leader from Cultural Survival, our Youth Leaders helped us to secure a second partnership with ADECCAP in Santiago, Atitlán.  This May these same leaders began our third year of USH, with new students in our present communities as well as in our new ones.

Click on the image below to see our video\

Next Month Preview:

Youth Leaders: We will introduce each of our youth leaders, tell you where they are from and what they are doing.  You’ll hear the philosophy from their perspective and what they envision for the future of USH. For a quick peak, visit the About Us section of our website.

Upcoming Show:

Save the Date!! On June 20th at 6PM, USH will be presenting two films at Casa Herrera in Antigua, Guatemala.Casa Herrera is a research, conference and teaching facility operated by the University of Texas, Austin.  We will provide more details in our June New letter.

USH: MTF Leaders Begin Work with New Communities

A heavy rain begins to fall on Saturday afternoon as we wrap up our first Unlocking Silent Histories meeting with two new groups of program participants in Santiago Atitlan. The indigenous youth gathered around the table where we sit in a second floor office don’t seem to mind, using the rain as a welcome excuse to stay longer and engage in a lively discussion about their opinions on gender roles across communities.

Carlos, our Youth Educator from San Juan La Laguna, shares his perspectives as a member of a different Tzu’tujil community, while Domingo, a Santiago Atitlan native, takes a different stance. I smile as he concedes that his compañera across the table, Rosa, might have more right to share her opinion on the matter, and Rosa confidently vocalizes a feminist viewpoint, stating that the traditional roles of men and women have been influenced by patriarchal systems, and while they are changing now, there is still a long way to go.

It is incredible to me that most of these youth met for the first time just a few hours ago – through the course of our first USH meeting, they each introduced themselves, shared their passion for bringing to light the stories of their communities and their passion for their cultural heritage, and now feel comfortable with one another, debating deep issues, listening and respecting one another’s points of view, joking and laughing with one another, and sharing and exchanging cultural elements across communities.

As the rain slowly lets up, Carlos closes the meeting, thanking everyone for their time, and telling these eager new participants that he appreciates all that they shared today, has learned a great deal from them already, and knows he will continue to learn from them throughout their progress in the program. He is happy to be able to share with them the little that he knows, he adds modestly.

Meanwhile, across the lake in the small community of Patanatic above Panajachel, Youth Educator Chema is engaging students gathered in the home of 17-year old Tony. Huddled together over a notebook, our Patanatic participants begin planning the film they will make about the founding of their community – a broad topic that they will eventually narrow down as the story begins to emerge from interviews with community members.

Earlier in the meeting, Chema discussed with the students the importance of community film-making, posing insightful questions to them, such as what is the value of local voices in the media? What role can filmmaking play in inciting community change? How might filmmaking assist in cultural preservation? As the critical thinking wheels began turning in their heads, program participants were inspired to discover, document, and share the story of their community and its cultural uniqueness. Light bulbs went off as ideas emerged – “There’s an anciana that lives above the church who was one of the founding community members. We should interview her!” And the planning process for these students’ first film thus had begun.

The next day, Youth Educator Carmen takes a camioneta, followed by a microbus, followed by a pick-up truck on the 2 hours journey from her home to the community of Quiejel, acanton of Chichicastenango. Carmen began working with a group of young students here earlier in the month, marking our first expansion into a new departamento of Guatemala, and she now confidently follows the winding dirt path to Mariela’s home.

Carmen reviews with the students the various types of shots she went over with them last week: plano general (wide shot), plano mediano (medium shot), plano corto (close-up), andplano detalle (macro or detail shot). Once the students understand the definition of each, Carmen heads outside with them and a camera to put what they’ve learned into practice!

The fertile land and temperate climate in Quiejel make for an abundance of fruit trees. The students begin practicing shot types while capturing all of the different fruit-bearing trees and plants that grow on Mariela’s family’s land – avocado, gauayaba, peach, pear, plum, yellow peppers, cactus, coffee, and more.  The students take wide, medium, close-up, and detail shots of each, and we sample the delicious fruits as we go. With a great variety of photos of each type of fruit, the group heads back inside to start their first editing process. Guided by Carmen, they put together a short video of their photos so that they can see first-hand the importance of capturing a variety of shot types to make their videos more visually interesting.

Later in the day at Carmen’s house in La Antigua Ixtahucan, students begin to arrive shortly after lunch. This group of program participants has already begun their pre-production stage. Last week, Carmen worked with them on identifying a subject for a practice video, and they unanimously agreed they’d like to focus on the cultural significance of their traditional dress. Notebooks and pencils in hand, students begin research and planning, talking through their ideas with Carmen and listing the various shots and interviews they’ll need. “White signifies pureness and red signifies blood, but I don’t remember the rest of the colors,” one student states. “Well, who could you interview that will have that information?” Carmen answers, and the students identify a few community members who are sure to know.

Later in the week, Chema will meet with another group of students in San Juan la Laguna, and will be accompanied by our Creative Consultant, Franklin. Because of busy work and school schedules, these students meet late at night, but their motivation and enthusiasm for the program really shows as they work long after nightfall. Last week, Chema led this group through a creative visualization exercise, having them lie down with their eyes closed as he guided them through a meditation to “transport them to another world,” as Chema stated, opening their minds to the imaginative visions they’ll need to create their films.

With Franklin’s assistance for their next meeting, Chema will guide themin applying their creativity to the framing of shots, teaching them to focus on visual elements such as lighting and color, line and shape, angle and perspective, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of their videos. The students have been anxious to get their hands on the equipment and start putting what they’ve learned into practice, so this next meeting is sure to be exciting for all of them.

And so we have officially kicked off our third year of the Unlocking Silent Histories program, expanding our number of student groups to 6, and our number of communities to 5, including 3 new communities! Our Youth Educators are now seasoned professionals, adeptly putting into practice our popular-education pedagogical model as they guide program participants through a transformative filmmaking discovery process, learning from students and community members as much as they share their own knowledge and skills, in inspiring cross-cultural and cross-generational exchanges.

We are all thrilled to continue in this work through our partnership with Maya Traditions Foundation, who have helped us to grow, reaching new communities where the Foundation has established artisan groups and bringing them new opportunities to learn, share, and seguir adelante.

– Written by Jenn Miller, USH Guatemala Field Director

Adaptability and Flexibility

When I left the US as an educational technology professor, moving to 21st century skills was a hot topic. I found myself most connected to the “Life and Career Skills” section (http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/266). This is because the words “flexible and adaptable” stand out for me. These words were prominent in my dissertation as I watched suburban upper class students struggle at first to adapt to the inner city culture and ways of knowing.  Moreover, it took some work on their part to be cognitively flexible about the nature of how teaching and learning happens. Their ability to step back and adjust their norms of thinking about the world, becoming conscious of their everyday practices and how they influenced their participation was emerged as critical to creating a successful learning experience in contexts that brought together people from different cultures and perspectives. This critical skill of being adaptable and flexible extends also to the ability to live in this world.

I forget the importance of these characteristics because for the most part I have embraced it and apply it in the learning environments that I design (I say help, because it is important to me that the youth with whom I work are part of that design). Despite trying to live this philosophy, there are times that I recognize my own struggles with adjusting and it sometimes takes a little work to be adaptable and flexible.

The majority of my students in Guatemala however, seem to have this skill of effortlessly crossing boundaries and adapting gracefully to new situations. Though the social distance across indigenous communities here is not drastic, there is an inherent and visible difference. Adaptability is necessary for our youth to work together and for our youth leaders to continue facilitating learning with USH.  Again, it is something that I see them do with poise. I have particular assumptions as to why this might be, which hopefully come through in the book that I am in the process of writing.

For now, my reflection is on how quickly I forget the importance of these after living here for nearly two years. I forget how different it is living and working here in Guatemala, how different this world is than the one from which I come. This reminder came to me after a recent visitor traveled to Guatemala to see me and help with the project. With this visit, I’m reminded that the ability to come to a third world country and do this work takes a certain character and disposition. And I mean the work, not the travel – although that has the potential to create an immense disequilibrium as well!

I’m reminded that living and working here requires:
– Fitness: I jump into on boats, climb on the back of trucks, and on an whisked away by buses…. I hike up steep inclines with three computers and other equipment on the front and back of my body and trek through the rural paths to the distant community homes. Thus, being in shape and/or having an adventurous spirit are one thing you definitely need to bring!

– Simplicity: Know that the comforts of life here are different. You won’t always have every food you crave, a hot shower, a car to come and go as you please, and other things that we take for granted!

– Laugh: You have to be able to be laughed at and to be able to laugh. Our ways of talking, dressing, and acting are new to my students. They often laugh at attempts at Spanish or Indigenous languages. They look at my funny sometimes when I do certain things.

– Patience: Time is different here. Expectations are different. Responsibilities are different.

– Persistence: just keeping after things here can be exhausting, until you let it go and realize that you have to just keep going!

As in my dissertation, I see that flexibility and adaptability might be hard to out rightly put into a curriculum. We hope that the innovative engagements in USH help to bring them out or in this case enhance them. These characteristics are critical to cross-cultural experiences and participation in the past, now, and in our ongoing future.

Santa Clara

 June 15:

Santa Clara is a mountain town above San Juan.  For me, it takes the most stops and most forms of transport to get there.  From Pana, I first get on the boat.  The first one of the morning leaves at 6:30 AM.   I need to be on that one in order to make it to the 8:00AM meeting time.  This boat is a local boat and can take some time to get from Pana to San Marcos (where I get off).  In the mornings, there are many people on the boat going to different pueblos on the lake to work.  The boat usually stops in Santa Cruz, then Jabolito, Tzununa, and then San Marcos.  However, in the mornings, there are often additional stops to small hotels or other businesses along the water.

 About 45 minutes later, I arrive in San Marcos.  I pay the local price as I step up from the boat onto the dock and then walk up to the town center to grab a tuk tuk to San Pablo.  On the way to San Pablo, I usually have a conversation with the drive and usually it comes back to how much he and his family struggle financially.  Yet, like in other towns here, it doesn’t change the upbeat and positive spirit of the people that I have met along the way.

The driver stops at a córner about a block away from where I catch a pick up to Santa Clara.  We say “mucho gusto” as I pay him, we smile and each go on our way. I step over fruits and textiles to cross the street and get to the pick up stop.  The local market on Sundays in San Pablo brings many people to the street.  They look at me as I walk, carrying one backpack on my back and one in front.  There aren’t many tourists that spend time here in San Pablo.  So I stand out each week that I pass through.

At this stop, both camionetas and pick pus pass by.  I prefer the pick ups because you stand outside in the fresh mountain air and enjoy the amazing views as we wind up the steep curves that come into Santa Clara.  But Sunday transportation is limited so I will take what I get.   Today I’m lucky.  I see a pick up and off we go.

Some how it always works out and we make it close to the 8:00 meeting time.  This morning, before I walk to the house, I visit my favorite chuchito and tamal lady.  She’s very happy to see me.  You’ve returned?  When did you arrive?  I tell her I’ve been here for about a week and I wouldn’t dream of missing my favorite breakfast spot while I’m here in Santa Clara.  I get one of each item, including atol – arroz con chocolate – para llevar.  Those of you who know my distain will say, chocolate?  What?  Yes, the chocolate here is real cocoa – it is not sweet at all.

I start my walk up to the house where we meet.  Benjamin, one of our students, opened his house to us, when Maria’s family could not longer allow us to meet at her home – there were going to be a women’s group meeting at the same time that we meet.

I’m about half way up the road and I feel a tap on my shoulder.  It startles me a little because I’m not going thinking that it could possibly be anyone I know.  It is Chema.  He tells me that there were no buses and he got a ride from the shuttle.  It was me and all gringos he tells me.  We laugh.  You have the best luck Chema.  You always seem to find the best ride.  Just about a month ago, we were standing and waiting for what seemed like forever, for transportation back down to San Juan.  There was nothing and all of the sudden Chema spotted a police truck.  His eye widened and he said, I wonder if they are going to San Pablo.  They were.  He asked them if they could take us and they said yes.  We jumped in the back seat of the truck and off we went.  Apparently, Chema tells me, police are required to take citizens with them if they ask and they are not allowed to take money for this service.  That day we had a free and comfortable ride back home.

We arrive at the house and find the TV on.  The world cup is this week and Benjamin is watching.  He is the only one there.  We wait for a little more time, but no one else shows.  Chema and I go off to visit the houses of the missing students.  We get to Jesika’s but no one answers.  We walk back and there is Marvin, walking toward the house.  Will your brother be coming too?, I ask.  He didn’t have time to come.

I ask Chema to go ahead and work with Marvin and I’ll go see the others.  Edwin 1’s store is closed so I’m not able to find him.  Edwin 2, I have no idea where he lives but I know he often goes to church on Sundays.  I go to Maria’s house, she is cleaning.  I can’t come today because I need to help my family she tells me, and then she assures me that she’ll come next week.  She tries to reassure me more telling me that her interviews are translated and she is ready to edit.  I give her a hug and tell her I will see her next week.  I remind her to please call when she can’t make it.  It is kind of a waste to take all of us – Chema, Carmen, and me up to the community when there is only one student.

By the time that I get back, Carmen is coming in.  It seems to be getting harder for her to get here on time.  It is because of the lack of buses, not because she is late.  It is becoming the same problem on her end as it is on mine.

I tell Carmen and Chema to go work with Benjamin.  He doesn’t want to continue in the project, they tell me.  I take a deep breath.  He is in his room talking to Jesika – the two of them seem to be great friends.  I ask her to go work with Carmen and tell her I would like to talk to Benjamin. He and I go outside and sit in the street.  He starts…. the problems that he sites include: school is far away and he’s back and forth between San Pedro and Santa Clara during the week.  He had a place to stay there, but it is not always good so he comes home a lot.  (It is a far way).  Then he tells me that he has lots of projects and he has to go to church and he really just wants one day free.

I tell him that I can empathize.  I work everyday and meet you all here on Sundays because that is the day that works for the group.  It’s ok for me, I tell him, because I want to be here working with you.  We talk a little more and come to a compromise.  I always see a spirit in Benjamin and the wheels are turning when we have discussions and show examples.  It was surprising to hear that he wanted to drop it.  But I think that I helped him feel more at ease knowing that we could find another time that is more flexible for him and for his schedule.  I’m secretly hoping to encourage them to meet in smaller groups during the week so that I too can have a Sunday off – like “normal” people! 🙂

Oh, one thing to remember is that Jesika was doing homework between moments.  She had to write the same word on six pages – to improve her handwriting.  I remember these kinds of assignments, but so long ago and now more than ever, I question the time used – for what purpose I keep asking.  I know what they tell me, but at the same time, I think that there are so many more useful and challenging things that they could be doing!  breath.  recognize your ibas… for me though, it is yet just another example of the focus of education here and in other communities with similar socio-economic challenges.

The rest of the day is dedicated to working with Marvin and Jeskia.  Marvin works through his edits as if he were a pro.  Occassionally he would ask a question, but for the most part, he remains focused.  Jekia needed a little more attention.  She seemed a bit scared to work with the program.  I reassrued her that it gets easier and it isn’t has bad as it seems.  She enjoys herself after some time, and by the end has a nice introduction going.

By 12:30, Chema, Carmen, and I start packing up.  While we do this, Carmen asks the youth to talk about what they learned today and what their goals are for the next weekend.  We say our goodbyes and plan a time for the next week.  Chema goes waites for his pick up to get him back to San Juan.  Carmen and I get on a minibus for 148.  She and I split, Carmen returns to Chirijox, and I head to Antigua for the night.

 

 

Photo Credits: http://www.fluidr.com/places/Guatemala/Solola/Santa+Clara+la+Laguna/interesting