:: Day 31 in Guatemala ::
After spending 6 years at Ramona Convent... I never really thought I'd ever find myself in a convent again. Okay, so I didn't live in the convent at Ramona - but I did spend at least 40 hours a week on that campus for 6 years. And this week I found myself staying in a dorm-style room in the Convent of the Iglesia del Espiritu Santo in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala.
:: Why??? How??? ::
So the past several days I've been all over the place. Last weekend I was in the City. I took the whole Transmetro tour and spent a little time at el Mercado Central.
Monday I went to San Marcos with the women from MTM again. Tuesday afternoon Rachel arrived. Rachel is a PhD student at BC, she is studying the psychology of children of transnational families (the effects of migration on children and families). She has been working with the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project for about 4 years now, so we met when I started working with the project during Fall 2009. Since Rachel was going to be in Zacualpa for the next 3 weeks, we figured it would be a good time for me to go to Zacualpa and get acquainted with the town and the Guatemala side of the project - which is hosted at the Convent. (That explains why the convent.)
On Wednesday afternoon Rachel's friend (and my new friend?), Juan, picked us up from my apartment in the City and brought us to Zacualpa. Most of the route is the same as the route toward San Marcos, but where it splits you really feel the difference. The road to Zacualpa has some killer curves on really steep inclines. I was amazed to see some of the vehicles actually make it up the hills. And when it got dark it was almost scary. The good thing is that Juan is a really careful driver and so I felt safe the whole time. Nonetheless, there were turns where it feels like you are in the Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, or the Roger Rabbit ride where your little car is headed straight toward a dead-end, or in this case a huge cliff, and when you are certain you are about to plummet to your death, suddenly there is a head-jerking side-ways 180 degree turn that sets you back on track.
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| El Convento de la Iglesia del Espiritu Santo |
:: Life in the Convent ::
The convent itself is very pretty. There is a lot of open space, memorials for the martyrs killed during the Armed Conflict, murals, garden areas and the expected shrines with images of the Virgin Mary, chickens and turkeys and their babies, the convent's adopted stray dog... There are five Franciscan Sisters living in this convent. They are relatively young: three are in their late 20's, and the other two are between 40 and 65 years old. After being at Ramona where most of the nuns had white hair - they are really young! And of course they are really nice. Hermana Ana Maria is clearly in control here - she must be the "Mother Superior" in this convent - she is firm but loving. And she kind of dominates the dinner conversation. Everyone else is really sweet and pretty soft spoken. They seem to have a routine that includes prayer, chores around the convent, family style meals at 7:15am, 12:30pm, and 7:00pm - all interspersed with some responsibilities in the community. The Convent has a pastoral outreach program that works with lots of people in the community - beyond just the Catholics. This is where the Centro del Migrante (the PDHRP's partner program in Zacualpa) fits in. There are also two Italian girls who seem to be doing a semester of service here at the convent. (I can't imagine living here for 4 months.)
This week has really been more about getting settled here. I met Jose Daniel who runs the office. Took some walking tours of the town. Accompanied Rachel as she set up and conducted some of her interviews. Also accompanied Hermana Ana Maria as she tried to do some damage control at one of the communities - El Tablon. We've visited a few people who have family members that are in deportation proceedings or who were recently deported - it is really hard to talk to people who you can do pretty much nothing for. But the truth is that they are grateful to have any kind of information and sometimes just someone to listen to their story. The plans for my work here are kind of up in the air, but in the meantime I'm putting together some materials that can be used to have some community workshops about immigration to the US.
So life in the convent is slow. And it is definitely bringing back some of that Catholic guilt I've been repressing for all these years. At least I haven't been pressured to go to mass.
:: Thoughts and Highlights ::
Kochoban? (I actually am only 50% sure this name is right.) So one day at dinner Hermana Ana Maria is telling us that in Q'eqchi' (or Kekchi) communities women who are visiting have to be careful. When a man has decided that he wants a certain woman he will use a form of brujeria (witchcraft) called kochoban to make her fall in love with him and stay in the pueblo. They do this by putting the kochoban in a food that they then offer to the woman. So you have to be very careful who you accept any kind of food or drink from. Now remember, these are NUNS who are telling this story. Generally not the type of women you expect to believe in some superstitious witchcraft type stuff. Right? Hermana Ana Maria proceeded to tell us about three women who came from the U.S., Spain, and Puerto Rico, who had a kochoban cast on them. (1) The Spanish woman came as a volunteer and one of the indigenous men cast a kochoban on her. With her help he eventually became mayor of the pueblo. However, since she was unable to give him any children, he found himself another Q'eqchi' woman. The Spanish woman is still head over heels for him (el es el sol y la luna para ella) and is basically his housewife while every night he goes and sleeps in the house of the other woman with whom he has children. (2) The Puerto Rican is still wasting her life away in the little pueblo with her man. (3) The American fell head over heels in love with another man from the pueblo who cast the kochoban on her. When she refused to leave her parents came to get her. They said she was furious as a like a caged lion and was taken home kicking and screaming. When she got back to the U.S. she fell into a deep depression. After taking her to some psychologists her parents gave up and finally came back with her to Guatemala so she could marry the man. Ultimately her parents took them both back to the U.S. so they could live together. Wow. Lets be honest - for every story like this - there are dozens of others in which the kochoban didn't work. Which means - sure, they probably really do try to cast spells on people - but who is to say that the spell is the reason someone fell in love? Its a self-fulfilling prophecy: If they fall in love - it worked. If they don't - you must have cast the spell incorrectly. Either way, people really believe this stuff and its scary. I don't think I'll be with Q'eqchi' people at any point, so its not really something I need to worry about... but I will think twice before accepting any offerings of food.
Rural Poverty. So as we are driving through El Tablon I'm looking around at all the houses. There are some that are recently built from remittances from relatives in the US. Others that are made of adobe. All around there are cornfields. Dry, dead cornfields because the harvest time has passed and rainy season is still 3 months away. So how do these rural families in tiny adobe homes survive after the harvest season has ended? Barely. They barely survive. (1) Sometimes whole families travel to the coast or to Mexico to harvest coffee. They board up their windows and doors and take everything with them - kids, chickens, pigs. The whole families work - little kids can carry rocks or dirt. Older ones can clean the coffee or help with the harvesting. And someone has to take care of their chickens and pigs. They get paid about $2.50 for a full day's work and they live off tortillas. When that harvest season ends, they pack up and head home to work their land again. (2) Other times, dad goes to work on the coast and mom stays behind with the kids. They are left with little or nothing. One mom we saw had a fever, hadn't had anything to drink all day because they can't afford to buy purified water, and was breastfeeding her 3 month old baby. Did I mention there were 3 other little kids all under 6 years old? These women do what they can cleaning people's houses or washing dishes in town. Once in a while they'll get an order for a tejido and they'll make a little bit of money off of that. Otherwise, they and their children barely eat. Its no wonder these kids suffer from malnutrition.
Chicken Buses. The drivers are crazy - they take those crazy steep curves really fast, and have no problem passing up cars in front of them. I mean, seeing a small car speed up and pass up a slow truck or bus is normal, but seeing a big brightly colored bus do it and barely get back into their lane before they have a head-on collision with on coming traffic is just scary. But I have to admit that being on the bus is much less scary than I expected. (You can't even tell that the driver is crazy - or maybe I just lucked out and mine actually weren't crazy? Yeah right.) On Sunday we took a bus from Zacualpa to Chichicastenango. In Chichi there is a huge mercado on Thursdays and Sundays where you can find typical Guatemalan art, tejidos, jewelry, food, and just about anything a tourist on a shopping spree can dream of. The guy sitting behind me literally had a bag full of baby chicks (hence why they are often called "chicken buses"). The seats are packed. Its essentially an old school bus that has been painted all kinds of crazy colors. Now imagine that school bus being packed full of adults - three to a seat!!! I swear the only reason I didn't fall into the aisle was because me and the woman on the opposite side both had one butt-cheek on the seat and the rest of our body weight was being propped up against each other. But anyway, lets just say it was an interesting experience. On the way back we apparently got a discounted rate. Afterwards I realized why. Half way through our trip when the bus got emptier, the bus driver's assistant (who collects the money and is in charge of looking out and telling the driver when its safe to take the 180 degree curves) decides to come sit on the seat next to me. (Only three of us had gone, me and the Italian girls, so since the bus was empty I was sitting in the seat across from them). Long story short - he later kicked someone out of that seat so that he could sit and talk to me more. Turns out he lived in the US for 8 years - 6 of them in Providence. Men in Guatemala are apparently very straight forward. He almost immediately asked me if I was married or had a boyfriend. When I said I was engaged he said that was too bad. When he asked how long we'd been together and I said almost 8 years he laughed and said that I "might as well be married". LOL. Then he slipped in that if it was him - he wouldn't have let me come to Guatemala alone. HA! In the end he was actually very nice and I was very glad to see that he didn't ask me for my phone number and didn't suggest that we hang out or anything. Thank God. Although he did slip in that if I needed a ride back to Guatemala City - their bus passes through Zacualpa on the way to the City every day at 5am. (Good thing I'm too lazy to get up that early to catch a bus.) The whole experience was very embarrassing, flattering, but embarrassing. I can't imagine what the Italian girls were thinking - if I were them, I'd be judging me right about now.
Anyway, now I'm back in the city. Juan was nice enough to give me a ride back this morning (Tuesday). I don't feel so bad since his sister came with us. They both had errands to run in the City - they buy all of their supplies here and sell it back in their store in Zacualpa. Besides, I did give him gas money.
Anyway... I took quite a few pictures this time around. Also, since Rachel is in town we've got big plans for doing the touristy stuff. So stay tuned!
This week has really been more about getting settled here. I met Jose Daniel who runs the office. Took some walking tours of the town. Accompanied Rachel as she set up and conducted some of her interviews. Also accompanied Hermana Ana Maria as she tried to do some damage control at one of the communities - El Tablon. We've visited a few people who have family members that are in deportation proceedings or who were recently deported - it is really hard to talk to people who you can do pretty much nothing for. But the truth is that they are grateful to have any kind of information and sometimes just someone to listen to their story. The plans for my work here are kind of up in the air, but in the meantime I'm putting together some materials that can be used to have some community workshops about immigration to the US.
So life in the convent is slow. And it is definitely bringing back some of that Catholic guilt I've been repressing for all these years. At least I haven't been pressured to go to mass.
 |
| Momma Turkey and her adopted Baby Chick <3 |
:: Thoughts and Highlights ::
Kochoban? (I actually am only 50% sure this name is right.) So one day at dinner Hermana Ana Maria is telling us that in Q'eqchi' (or Kekchi) communities women who are visiting have to be careful. When a man has decided that he wants a certain woman he will use a form of brujeria (witchcraft) called kochoban to make her fall in love with him and stay in the pueblo. They do this by putting the kochoban in a food that they then offer to the woman. So you have to be very careful who you accept any kind of food or drink from. Now remember, these are NUNS who are telling this story. Generally not the type of women you expect to believe in some superstitious witchcraft type stuff. Right? Hermana Ana Maria proceeded to tell us about three women who came from the U.S., Spain, and Puerto Rico, who had a kochoban cast on them. (1) The Spanish woman came as a volunteer and one of the indigenous men cast a kochoban on her. With her help he eventually became mayor of the pueblo. However, since she was unable to give him any children, he found himself another Q'eqchi' woman. The Spanish woman is still head over heels for him (el es el sol y la luna para ella) and is basically his housewife while every night he goes and sleeps in the house of the other woman with whom he has children. (2) The Puerto Rican is still wasting her life away in the little pueblo with her man. (3) The American fell head over heels in love with another man from the pueblo who cast the kochoban on her. When she refused to leave her parents came to get her. They said she was furious as a like a caged lion and was taken home kicking and screaming. When she got back to the U.S. she fell into a deep depression. After taking her to some psychologists her parents gave up and finally came back with her to Guatemala so she could marry the man. Ultimately her parents took them both back to the U.S. so they could live together. Wow. Lets be honest - for every story like this - there are dozens of others in which the kochoban didn't work. Which means - sure, they probably really do try to cast spells on people - but who is to say that the spell is the reason someone fell in love? Its a self-fulfilling prophecy: If they fall in love - it worked. If they don't - you must have cast the spell incorrectly. Either way, people really believe this stuff and its scary. I don't think I'll be with Q'eqchi' people at any point, so its not really something I need to worry about... but I will think twice before accepting any offerings of food.
 |
| Zacualpa: a few blocks in either direction from the Church and you can see the mountainside. |
Chicken Buses. The drivers are crazy - they take those crazy steep curves really fast, and have no problem passing up cars in front of them. I mean, seeing a small car speed up and pass up a slow truck or bus is normal, but seeing a big brightly colored bus do it and barely get back into their lane before they have a head-on collision with on coming traffic is just scary. But I have to admit that being on the bus is much less scary than I expected. (You can't even tell that the driver is crazy - or maybe I just lucked out and mine actually weren't crazy? Yeah right.) On Sunday we took a bus from Zacualpa to Chichicastenango. In Chichi there is a huge mercado on Thursdays and Sundays where you can find typical Guatemalan art, tejidos, jewelry, food, and just about anything a tourist on a shopping spree can dream of. The guy sitting behind me literally had a bag full of baby chicks (hence why they are often called "chicken buses"). The seats are packed. Its essentially an old school bus that has been painted all kinds of crazy colors. Now imagine that school bus being packed full of adults - three to a seat!!! I swear the only reason I didn't fall into the aisle was because me and the woman on the opposite side both had one butt-cheek on the seat and the rest of our body weight was being propped up against each other. But anyway, lets just say it was an interesting experience. On the way back we apparently got a discounted rate. Afterwards I realized why. Half way through our trip when the bus got emptier, the bus driver's assistant (who collects the money and is in charge of looking out and telling the driver when its safe to take the 180 degree curves) decides to come sit on the seat next to me. (Only three of us had gone, me and the Italian girls, so since the bus was empty I was sitting in the seat across from them). Long story short - he later kicked someone out of that seat so that he could sit and talk to me more. Turns out he lived in the US for 8 years - 6 of them in Providence. Men in Guatemala are apparently very straight forward. He almost immediately asked me if I was married or had a boyfriend. When I said I was engaged he said that was too bad. When he asked how long we'd been together and I said almost 8 years he laughed and said that I "might as well be married". LOL. Then he slipped in that if it was him - he wouldn't have let me come to Guatemala alone. HA! In the end he was actually very nice and I was very glad to see that he didn't ask me for my phone number and didn't suggest that we hang out or anything. Thank God. Although he did slip in that if I needed a ride back to Guatemala City - their bus passes through Zacualpa on the way to the City every day at 5am. (Good thing I'm too lazy to get up that early to catch a bus.) The whole experience was very embarrassing, flattering, but embarrassing. I can't imagine what the Italian girls were thinking - if I were them, I'd be judging me right about now.
Anyway, now I'm back in the city. Juan was nice enough to give me a ride back this morning (Tuesday). I don't feel so bad since his sister came with us. They both had errands to run in the City - they buy all of their supplies here and sell it back in their store in Zacualpa. Besides, I did give him gas money.
Anyway... I took quite a few pictures this time around. Also, since Rachel is in town we've got big plans for doing the touristy stuff. So stay tuned!
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