Holy Week

Not many people get the opportunity to spend Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala. My boss, Judy, compared Holy Week in Antigua to having tickets to the Super Bowl in the United States. I'm not sure it is the closest comparison, but fairly accurate. Basically, everyone from around the world and in Guatemala make their reservations to spend Holy Week in Antigua. It is funny, because this is the first time I have been in Antigua where there are more Guatemalans than gringos. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but not completely far off.

Wednesday I put my parents in a taxi for the airport and met another YAV, Emily, and her friend Laurel from college. Later that day another YAV, Bettina, and her friend from college, Shannon joined us. We have spent the last few days exploring Antigua and watching the countless processions that pass by.

Processions generally start on Thursday, with the biggest processions on Friday. The Thursday and Friday morning processions begin with people dressed as Romans carrying different banners and some are on horseback. They are followed by hundreds and hundreds of men dressed in purple robes, signifying the Jewish people. Then more men dressed in purple robes come out sprinkling incense, making the way for Jesus. They are followed by these huge wooden platforms that 50 to 100 people will carry, which is similar to a float in the States. On top of the platforms will be icons of Jesus, generally carry the cross, and might have Peter or another icon included. They are decorated with flowers and are intricately carved
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Well, these platforms weigh a ton, but it is considered an honor to be able to carry the platform, it serves as a type of penance. These processions go on for 11+ hours, but the people change out throughout the procession. After Jesus (although sometimes before) is generally the Virgin Mary, or Santa Maria, and disciples, I even saw one Pope. The processions are followed by crowds of people who follow them all day long. Then there are vendors selling balloons and all types of goodies, feeling a little like the 4th of July. The are followed by the Cleaning Trains, which clean up the debris and trampled carpets.

The carpets, or alfombras, are these intricately and loving made carpets that grace the processions. Store owners or home owners that know a procession is going to pass by their house make these beautiful alfombras and the middle of the street. Some are made out of pine needles, flowers, fruits, or whatever people choose to include. My favorites are made out of sawdust and ground flower petals which provide the colors to the sawdust.

People have stencils that they use the create beautiful and elborate designs in these brightly colored carpets. People spend hours creating these works of arts, which are then trampled by the processions. At least the beginning people stay off the carpets until the platform with Jesus passes by.
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Friday morning, at 4 o'clock in the morning, the first Good Friday procession began, and passed by our hostel around 4:30 in the morning. I got myself out of bed to go and watch this procession, and it was by far my favorite. It was still dark outside, chilly, and slighly eerie. Generally the processions are really nosiy, but most people were still quiet, just watching the procession. Everything felt more solemn, and holy. With all the excitement of everything it is easy to forget that these are very religious ceremonies. Often I don't know what to do with Holy Week, I don't like the blood and guts of it, and I also don't believe in a literal resurrection of Jesus. I have trouble knowing how I feel about the death, and how to reconcile some of my conflicting beliefs. I don't like that Christians often focus on Jesus' death more than his life, when I believe his life was infinatly more important. But this procession, early in the morning, felt powerful and special to me. I am not sure what part of it struck me, but it was a feeling I will remember forever.

The rest of Good Friday was a chaotic mess. There were so many processions happening it was impossible to walk around without running into some procession or roadblock. Emily, Laurel, and I decided to leave the city for a minute to go to a musem in Jocotenago, a smaller town 15 minutes outside of Antigua. Well we get there just to realize it is closed for Good Friday, which we never even though about. So we ate peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches in the park, ate some mangos, and got back on the bus to go back to Antigua. Even though we could not see the museum, it was a nice field trip away from the craziness of Antigua for a little while.

Is it really April?

I can't believe the month of March is over already. The past 6 weeks or so have gone by so quickly, and I only have 4 months left of my placement and 3 more weeks of language school after that.

The last week of Februrary all the YAVs had to leave the country due to visa issues. Basically, we are allowed to be in the country for 6 months before we have to leave for 3 days, or pay a fine for every day we stay over. So we had to go to Belize. Bummer, right? First, after 14 hours in a bus, we stopped in Tikal and visited the ruins there. I love ancient ruins, but I like to do them my way. I like to walk around and see them all, but mostly I like to find a quiet spot to park it. I like to watch the other people visiting, but mostly I like to just be. There is something about being in a place so old and magnificent, just imagining life then, and appreciating the sophistication of the Mayan culture. It was actually in a Mayan ruin where I decided I wanted to do my YAV year in Guatemala. Belize was a nice vacation where we saw manatees! One of the other YAVs believes she will be a manatee in her second life, so that was very exciting for her, but a slight disappointment that we were not allowed to swim with them.

About week after that trip I got to spend 10 days traveling with the Queens University group that came for Spring Break. That was very special for me, since I was first introduced to Guatemala through that exact trip. It was wonderful to see old friends, and make new ones. It was wonderful to see the country through their eyes, people who had never experienced these things before, where everything was new and fresh. It was funny to realize the things that have become so natural to me, but where big changes at first. I also got to try translating for the first time, which was really hard! Just listening is so much easier, but when i have to think about translating it makes everything much more difficult. But it was a good experience and I learned a lot. I was also sad to say good-bye to everyone, but I knew the month would continue to be full.

Then my parents arrived the last week of March and we spent a week traveling around. First we went to the coast because my dad had to check out the fishing in Guatemala, of course. No trip is complete without some type of fishing excursion. Usually I get out of the deep sea fishing, so that was my first experience. I actually got pretty motion sick, and I was surprised. My motion sickness has been better since I came to Guatemala, or really I have just learned to deal with it. I think the combination of being in the hot sun and out on the water was too much for me. I live in the cold mountains and am not accustomed to extreme heat anymore! Then I took my parents up into the mountains, where my Dad kept commenting on how extreme the change in weather is. I guess he never believed me when I told him it is COLD where I live, although right now it is the warmest part of the year. My mom and dad met Elvia, and all of her family that lives in San Marcos. I was really nervous about this part, I was not sure how it would pan out, but Guatemalan hospitality won out. My parents had a wonderful, and I think my Guatemalan family enjoyed meeting my parents. Then we went to Antigua for the last few days and beginning of Holy Week. Generally Holy Week activities don't start until Thursday, and my parents were leaving Wednesday morning. But we lucked out because Monday night when we arrived at our hotel they were making their traditional Holy Week carpets right outside for a procession that was going to pass by in a half hour. So my parents got a small taste of what Holy Week is like, so that was nice.

Right now I am in Antigua, where I spent Holy Week with two other YAVs and their two friends. I will make another post just on my Holy Week experiences.

Pastoral de la Mujer

I realized that I have not blogged about Pastoral de la Mujer and what exactly we do. Pastoral de la Mujer translates as Ministry of the Women, which is a program of the Catholic Church. The objective of Pastoral de la Mujer is to instill self-confidence and values into women. To help them recognize their own worth, and to realize that men and women are all equal. There are 3 women, plus myself who work in the main office in San Marcos. There is Elvia, Eluvia, the coordinator, Judy or Judith, who is a Maryknoll nun from the States, an intern called Veronica, and me. Then we have two members of our team that work solely with our scholarship program in Tajumulco. There is Sister Carmen, and Guatemalan nun who is also a teacher in the high school, and Willhem. Then there is another team who works with all the communities on the Pacific Coast.

We work within each parochial in San Marcos, and within each parochial there are multiple communities. Every month, or every other month, we visit each parochial to give a workshop, and the women travel to the central parochial house or central church. Many of these women walk for up to 5 hours to come to the workshops. I think they like them, but they have also mentioned the workshop is their ¨vacation¨ for the month. The workshops vary depending on the community and their needs and wants. When we enter new communities, or groups we have not worked with much, we give very basic workshops that also allow us to learn about the lives of the women. We talk a lot about domestic violence and the distribution of chores and work around the house. We also give workshops on the rights of women and try to improve the women´s self images and boost their confidence. In reality, many women do not have self-confidence and have never been told that they have value. In the beginning we work on really basic things, and as the community grows and develops we develop our workshops. Often the parochial or the women ask us to give certain workshops, like herbal medicines, environmental issues, and health in general. We also talk a lot about education and the importance of educating ourselves and our children. We also try to tell the women that changes begin with them, and they must pass confidence and feelings of value on to their daughters.

Then we have our Tajumulco scholarship program, which is funded by a single family in the United States through Catholic Relief Services. We have about 120 scholarship recipients in 4 communities in Tajumulco, and are about to add 2 additional communities. Families can only have one scholarship recipient, but there are a few families with two. I am not sure why they were allowed. Then the parents of the recipients have to study too, completing 6 primeria, which is essentially 5th grade or elementary school. If the parent has already graduated from 6 primeria, they have to bring us a copy of their graduation certificate. The way the parents study is slightly complicated. Some study through a radio program called IGER (which I am still confused about how IGER works) but each grade decides on a weekly meeting time and another nun, Sister Doma, works with the IGER students. Then there is a scholarship recipient assigned to each grade, and they also teach the classes.

Pastoral de la Mujer, here in San Marcos, tends to be more progressive than many organizations working for women´s rights, especially in the religious sector. I personally attribute this to two reasons. One, or coordinator and founder is an American who was raised in a more progressive culture and was educated in the States. I don´t mean to say that Americans are more able to be progressive, but there is something to be said for being raised in a culture where you are told you are valuable, and the educational system is just better in the States. Then the second, and more important reason, is the Bishop of San Marcos, Alvaro Ramizzini. Monteseñor is the most progressive Bishop in all of Guatemala, the most radical and outspoken, and fights the hardest for justice. Having his full support is a tremendous asset to our work throughout the diocese.

Thoughts on Accompaniment

First, I want to apologize to everyone for not staying in better contact. It is easy to get caught up in my life here and forget about the importance of informing everyone back home what I am doing. I do try to update my blog more often than I send out emails, but I am not always successful at that either. I have also tried sending postcards home, but I only know of one that found its destination (although I always receive my mail). I want to thank everyone for all your support this year, despite my lack of communication.

The past six months have been a whirlwind of activity. When I think back to September, when I arrived, it feels like ages ago, but when I think I have already been here for six months, I realize how quickly the time has passed. As most of you know, I have been working with Pastoral de la Mujer in the Catholic diocese here in San Marcos. Our main objective is simply to empower women and help them realize their value and potential as women, and as human beings. We stress the equality of men and women, in all aspects of life and work. We do this by working in every parish in the department of San Marcos (which is like a state) through workshops with the women. We also have an education program in order to instill values and self-confidence into young women, and men.

Sometimes, it is hard not to get frustrated and discouraged while doing a longer term mission. I often get overwhelmed with the needs I see everyday. The needs are so large, and Pastoral de la Mujer hardly makes a dent in fixing the problems facing women everyday. Then my impact in that chip is even smaller. I see countless other problems in the country, that I don´t even begin to touch. And I feel confused about my purpose, about my role here in Guatemala. Sometimes I fear I am becoming immune to the injustice and pain that surrounds me everyday. I no longer recognize that there is trash on the ground around me, I don´t think twice about stepping over someone passed out on the sidewalk. I am used to hearing stories of people with no jobs, no money, and little prospects. I came here because I wanted to understand the situation of Guatemalans better, I wanted to walk in solidarity with the marginalized, because that is what God calls us to do. Yet some days I can´t help but think I could be doing this better.

But doing this better is not the point of my year in accompaniment. The point is to allow myself to be here. I should allow myself to live completely in the moment everyday, enjoying the presence of others and the presence of God. In reality, all I can do is receive, which Henry Nouwen taught me in his book, Gracias. When I receive with an open heart, I can allow others to becomes aware of their gifts. The role of missionaries is not to ¨save¨ someone else, or build churches and schools, but to allow others to recognize the gifts that God has given them, and allow them to claim the good news of the gospel for themselves. A missionary must work with gratitude in order to receive the gifts of those we are serving, and allow them to feel apart of a community, not as an object of someone else´s generosity.

I also find I am more dependent here on others than I ever have been in my life. Even when I was little I was very independent, and that independence grown drastically over the years. Here I rely on people to to explain cultural and language differences to me in detail. I rely on people to be patient with my as I slowly speak Spanish, probably full of grammatical mistakes. I rely on the woman I live with to buy my food and pay my bills. I rely on people to take care of me, which is difficult and humbling at the same time.

While I sometimes feel that I am just hanging out here in Guatemala, I remember God sent each of us to live in this world, and God sent us here to live and work together in community. Sometimes I feel isolated and alone, but other times I feel surrounded by the love and generosity of both Guatemalans and those of you in the States.

So when I feel overwhelmed by my inability to make change, I have to remember that true giving is not in the giving of gifts, but the giving of self, which is immensely more difficult. As a very wise man told me a few days ago, I can not change Guatemala in a week, month, or even a year, but I can allow Guatemala to change me.

Paz y Amor,
Whitney

Our World

This week I spent three days in Tajumulco, and incredibly poor municipal of San Marcos. Tajumulco is one of the poorest municipals in San Marcos, but is an incredibly interesting place.

Pastoral de la Mujer recently started a new scholorship program in Tajumulco. We give scholorships to certain young students, male and female, to continue studying until they finish their version of high school. At the same time we work with older women who have either never studied, or never finished their básico studies. I would básico is the equivalent of our middle school. The women of each community meet every 15 days for a class, but also work with an educational radio program in Guatemala called, IGER.

The Guatemlan school year runs from January until November, so we were in Tajumulco signing new contracts with all the scholarship recipients. Tajumulco is an incredibly underdeveloped municipal, there is not a single paved road in the entire municipal, and many of the communities are unreachable by either car or motorcycle. On Tuesday I went with one of the padres of Tajumulco to a tiny community. We had walk for one and a half hours to the community where the padre would give a special mass in honor of Isquipulas, the namesake of the community. The walk was incredibly beautiful, down the side of a mountain, to cross a ravine, to walk up the other side of ravine. Tajumulco is as green as can be, and one of the few places in Guatemala with an abundant water supply.

While right now Tajumulco looks like a paradise, I also know it is being affected by climate change, and the people of Tajumulco are being affected, and will continue to be affected in the future. Already the people see changes in the weather patters, in the rainy and dry seasons, in the dying vegetation due to pollution, and the affect this has on their crops. The people of Tajumulco are subsistence farmers, who try to supplement their incomes by picking coffee. Tradionally they have grown enough to survive for a year, but with changing weather patterns their crops are not growing appropriately. Then there is the water supply. Tradionally people have been able to drink from the rivers, without any problems. With our contaminated air, and the contamination of the soil, the water is not longer safe to drink, but people don´t have the infrastructure, or resources to change how they get their water. So they are left with unsafe water that they can boil and hope will not make them sick. With failing crops they are forced to pick more coffee, in incredibly dangerous situations. Tajumulco is a mountainous region, on the side of the largest volcano in Central America. So the coffee is grown on the sides of mountains, contributing to environmental degregation. The people tie themselves up to a tree and use ropes to climb down the sides of the moutains to pick hundreds of pounds of coffee they have strapped to their waists. So many people die every year trying to survive because they are no longer able to grow enough to survive. While the poverty of Tajumulco is not soley due to environmental degregation, the situation is much more complicated, it is a huge contributuing factor.

Here, I am seeing first hand the devestating effects of climate change or global warming. I don´t care what you want to call it, but we are responsible for our world, and the effects it has on everybody. In developed nations we don´t see the everyday effects, and it is easy to ignore. Sometimes we don´t recycle our plastic bottle because the trash can is right there, and we don´t want to carry the bottle around until we find a place to recycle it. We don´t buy recycled products. We waste gallons and gallons of water everyday. We buy prepackaged products because they are easier. When we have a party we use paper and plastic products because we don´t want to deal with the clean up. We want our lives to be simpler, but by making our lives simpler we are complicating the lives of others.

We can close our eyes and tell ourselves it is not as bad as everyone is saying. We can tell ourselves there is still more time. In reality we are out of time. The changes have come, and people are dying. People are dying because of our irresponsiblity. I am not trying to offend anyone, I am guilty of not being environmentally responsible also. But I also recognize the dire need to change our habits, and I am seeing the effects climate change is having on the most vulunerable population of the world. I also know there are other communities around the world that are more affected than Tajumulco. And no longer can I close my eyes to what we are doing to our world, and no longer can I be silent.

And so, for my friends in Tajumulco, for everyone in the world, I am begging everyone who reads this blog to make an effort to change too. Maybe you do try to be environmentally responsbile, but I am also sure there is more you can do. And you can also encourage others to change

Christmas and New Years

Luckily, I did not find myself as homesick as I would have expected for Christmas. The build up and craze of Christmas is much less here, so when Christmas arrived I was a little surprised. While talking with my host sister in law, I realized while the traditions are different and everything feels very different, the basis of Christmas is exactly the same. We get togther with family and loved ones, eat special foods, and some families exchange gifts, although it is more common to only give presents to small children.

Here Christmas Eve is a much bigger deal than Christmas. I spent the afternoon with Elvia´s parents in Santa Teresea. We ate the traditional tamales, which tasted good at first, but now I am so sick of them, and I think one literally made me sick on New Year´s Day. Then we all sunbathed ontop of the corn that was drying on the patio and I wish I had rememebered my camera. I apologize that I am really bad about taking pictures here, and find myself unable to post them on my blog anyway. The corn was suprisingly comfortable for corn. Then we went into the living room where they had there tree and all the children got really excited showing me each plastic animal they had displayed under the tree. There were 5 children, and each one showed me each animal, I think I got some of my animal names down now. Elvia came in and was concerned that her parents had covered over half a window with concrete blocks. Her mom said it was too big, which I found strange. I don´t think the blocks make the room any warmer, but maybe they do. Then Elvia said next year she would bring them her fake tree, because they had this pine bush they had cut down. Then her mom said she thinks real is better, and I agree. Then we all danced a bit and ate marshmallows. I have never liked marshmallows before, not alone at least. But here we eat them all the time, and sometimes I almost find myself craving them. It is weird.

Then we went back home and spent the evening with Gloria, the aunt who lives across the street. There were a ton of people coming in and out all evening but it was a fun night. They kept making me drink tequila becuase I had a cold and they told me it would quit my cold. It does not work, just so you know. Karla, who is married to Elvia´s cousin Victor, told me I had to wear a dress, so I wore a long skirt and I was the only person not in pants, besides Elvira who wears corte.

The children opened their presents around 11, and then at 12 everyone exchanges hugs and Elvia said a little prayer and talked about Christmas Eve and the birth of Jesus. Then they pulled out three dolls, signifying the three children in the house that night and we all kissed the dolls heads to bless the children. I don´t know why we could not kiss the real kids heads and bless them directly, but it was a new tradition I got to experience. Then we ate tamales and drank more tequila. Then Leonardo, another cousin, asked me if I wanted to go climb Tacana Volcano with him and his friend Pollo (Chicken) at 2 in the morning. I said no, but we made plans to go the 26, which endede up not happening, but hopefully we will do it another time.

Christmas Day I went to the coast with Judy, the American Marynoll nun who is the director of Pastoral, and spent the day with all the Catholic nuns and priests from the department of San Marcos. It was fun because it was a mix of English and Spanish, with everyone going in and out of both languages. At first I felt like I should spend the day with Elvia, even though she just sleeps mostly, but then I realized that Judy and nuns and priests are a big part of my family here too. I hang out with them a lot and love them too. So I was glad I went and met some new people too. Then we went home around 5 and I spent the evening with Elvia, her sister, Terry, nephew, Josedavit, and her parents, Witcha and Enrique, who al stayed the night in our tiny apartment.

Emily, another YAV, and I went to the beach for three days after Christmas. We get to this tiny island called Tilapa, and there is only one hotel, and it is bare bones. There is a bathroom, but there is no door, two beds, but one was a real mattress and the other a straw mattress, so Emily and I shared a bed. There were no towels provided, so we had to air dry after showers. Luckily it was really warm there! At first we though we would leave after one day, but then we really liked the tranquility of the place. There are beautiful mangrove forests around the island and we took a boat tour around with our new Italian friend. We did not see as many animals as I would have liked, but the mangrove forest was beautiful enough and our ¨guide¨ was very friendly and I think excited we all spoke enough Spanish to converse with him and ask questions. Our Italian friend was very interesting. He has traveled all over the world and lived in Tanzania for 7 years and studied in India. He has had a very interesting life and we spent a lot of time talking with him. We also met a couple from Poland, who left right away, two sisters from France who drink and smoke a lot, and a hippie family from Canada. I don´t usually talk to other travelers in hotels, but it was the type of place where it would be weird not to talk to the other people, and I really enjoyed myself. then we went home on the 31 and I spent New Years with emily´s family, which is a fairly traditional Quiche family.

Emily´s family oftne asks her to wear corte on special occasions, so both Emily and I were dressed in corte to go to Betty´s (Emily´s host mother)mother in law´s house for New Years eve. We set off fireworks and then ate at 1 in the morning. I don´t really like eating late, but it is a common theme in Guatemala. We spent the night there and the next morning we served tamales for breakfast, which is the one I think made me sick. I ended up being stuck in Cantel, a pueblo outside of Xela were Emily lives, because there were no buses running to take me home. We spent the 1st day at Betty´s mom´s house, Carmelina. Carmelina works with La Fraternidad, Emily´s placement, and I stayed with Carmelina last March for one night while visiting with my University for a week. It was fun because they remembered me and pulled out the polaroid picutre of us and I could actually communicate with them this time and we talked about my work with Pastoral de la Mujer.

I finally made it back to San Marcos on the second because Judy was in Xela for a meeting, so I was able to catch a ride back with her, although the buses were running too, but all of them were incredibly full. I am glad to be back and home and plan to rest for a few days before we head back to work.

Merry Chrismas and a Happy New Year!

A Day in my LIfe...for now.

People often ask me what a typical day is like for me here, and the answer really is, I don´t have typical days. Every day ends up being quite different, and office days are different from community days. But I will try to give you an idea of an idea of each.

Office Day:
An office day starts around 5:13 am when I wake up to go to the bathroom. Seriously, I feel like an old woman with my bladder here. Every single morning I wake up really early because I have to pee. I try to stop drinking any liquids earlier in the evening, but I still have to pee. After that I wake up at 7 am and then there are a variety of factors that decide if I will shower.
First, and most importnatly, how cold it is. I have hot water, but sometimes I can´t face getting into the shower and getting out.
Second, how dirty I feel. If I don´t feel dirty and I can throw my hair up in a scarf, I´m not showering.
Third, if there is water. Often, we just don´t have water.

Then I wander into the kitchen and find something to eat for breakfast. Sometimes Elvia is making something, sometimes not. Sometimes I make something for both of us and sometimes I just eat some fruit and a bowl of ceral. Then around 8 Elvia and I head for the office. Well leaving at 8 is an ideal time, but really our time flucates from day to day. On my birthday we did not leave until 11 and often we are closer to 9 leaving. We go to the office and sometimes they give me something to do, and sometimes I just sit around. I like running errands, but they don´t send me very often because I get lost a lot and take a while getting back. Around 11 is snack time were we drink tea and eat a snack. Snack time lasts for a long time because various people come in and out and we drink more tea and have another snack with them. Around 1 we go home for lunch. Usually Elvia and I eat with her sister Terri and Terri´s little boy, Josedavit, and sometimes Terri´s husband when he is not working. Really lunch is from 1 to 2, but usually we don´t go back to office until closer to 3.

Back at the office I usually have less to do, and if Elvia is gone or Eluvia, I have internet time, like right now. Then between 5 and 6, usually closer to 6, we leave the office. Once home I generally read some, or sometimes watch TV. Depending on how big lunch was, we might or might not have dinner. Dinner might be left over lunch, or eggs, or some bread and tea. That is usually around 8 pm. Then between 9 and 10, I go to bed.

Most days there os something else that is happening, a birthday party, graduation, market, or I go somewhere with some nun. I often find myself going to random places with nuns, and I don´t always know where I am going, or why exactly. Usually I am taken along so I can meet new people or see a new place.

Community Vist Day:

Community days are more difficult to give an average idea because they vary so much. The first varying factor is if we are traveling in caminotea, or car. Generally we travel in caminotea, which means we wake up at 5 to catch a 5:30 or 6 am bus to wherever we are going. We generally travel for 2 to 4 hours. In the communities we give workshops, which vary. Every month we try to hold a workshop with each parish. Many of these women walk for 1 to 6 hours to come to our workshop. Many of them say the workshops are their ¨vacations¨. We do a lot on the different types of violence, physical, pyschological, sexual, paternal. We also talk a lot about rights, and everything we do has an emphasis on education. The workshops last 2 to 3 hours, and then we eat a snack after and talk with the women. A lot of the old women like to talk to me a lot, which I like too, but generally they are missing most of their teeth and I have trouble understanding them. They also like to touch my hair because it is soft and my hands, which are not calloused like theirs. They think their hands are ugly compared to mine, but I try to explain I don´t work with my hands and their hands tell their life story, which mine do not. Many of the older women don´t speak much spanish, their primary language is Mam, but the middle generations speak both, and the younger only understand Mam, but don´t speak it. The next generation won´t even understand the indiginous languages, which is sad.

I often find myself thinking about development here, and how is always comes with a loss of culture, which as I am here, seems inevitable at times. Most modern women stop wearing the corte, which is the indiginous dress. I have worn corte, and it is uncomfortable and inhibiting at times. The corte is also different based on wear you live, and when you get married, you have to adopt the corte of your husbands pueblo. While the corte is beautiful, there are very inhibiting factors to it, and at times it keeps women supressed in indiscreet ways. Elvia, who I live with, comes from a very traditional background, but was given the opportunity to go to school, although she had to work to support herself since she was 12 years old. But she is a highly independent, and almost scandalous woman because she lives by herself. While she appreciates Mayan customs, she would not go back to that way of life because it is so masculine, and she can´t be as indpendent as she would like in that culture. I am still learning and my thoughts are constantly changing, and I will probably write more on culture and development later as I have more discussions and my understaning growns.