Teenagers are a Tough Crowd

:: Day 67 in Guatemala ::

Thanks to my lovely friends on Facebook, this weekend I watched a quick clip by spoken-word poet Sarah Kay and had a profound appreciation for professional spoken-word performers. Even when she stopped doing her poems and was just talking to the crowd, she still sounded like every word was planned out and perfectly executed. And suddenly I was insanely jealous.

Last week was another week in Zacualpa (in the convent) for me. I feel like every day I made more and more work for myself. When one plan fell through, I'd come up with an even more elaborate one. Now suddenly I'm planning an Expo for the Centro del Migrante as well as workshops for teenagers on the topic of migration. Its four workshops in four days, and on the fifth day - the Expo. Seriously? Yes, and it gets worse. The three schools I'm visiting don't have a space where I can do a single workshops with all the kids so...

• April 27 - I'm doing 3 one-hour workshops at LICEO
• April 28 - I'm doing 2 one-hour workshops at Alegria y Fe
• April 29 - I'm doing 1 or 2 one-hour workshops (TBD) at INEB, and
• April 30 - I'm doing a workshop with the youth group at the convent.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Perhaps the bright-side is that my workshop planning is already half done! Hermana Ana Maria failed to mention that she had youth group coming on Saturday and that she wanted me to do a workshop with them. I didn't find out until Friday night. Now of course I couldn't say "no". That word is a recent addition to my vocabulary and I haven't quite learned how to use it yet. So I spent all of Saturday morning preparing to give a workshop in the afternoon. And man, let me tell you, teenagers are a tough crowd.

:: Back in the Day When I was Young (I'm not a kid anymore) ::

So I used to think that working with teens was easy, because I'm young and they can still relate to me. Well, I think I'm passed that point. Being just a few months from being an attorney kind of puts a big divide between where I am in my life and teenagers. Not to mention the fact that I'm an American city-girl talking to a group of rural Guatemalan teens.

So naturally, I start thinking of other ways to open the workshop that is going to help them feel more comfortable with me and therefore more comfortable participating. I start with a joke at my own expense, tell them about me, my background, and my experience with migration issues. Then I want to gauge to see how many of them know people who have migrated to the U.S., and what they already know about the subject. So, I thought, let's do this by the least confrontational way possible - a show of hands and questions that start really generally and gradually get more specific. I really forgot about the power of peer pressure and teenage self-consciousness. Statistics from the PDHRP's research in this community tell me that over 50% of families have someone in the U.S. And in a group of perhaps 50 teens, only about 10 raised their hand. Okay, I guess that's as good as it gets.

I would say that I "winged" the rest of the presentation, but that is just not true. I had a power point presentation with over 25 slides, not enough pictures, and two video clips. This is where I am insanely jealous of people like Sarah Kay - I wish I was compelling enough to keep people's attention without visual aids and confident enough to make it through without relying on a power point presentation to remind me of my next point.

At the end of the whole thing I of course opened it up for reactions and/or questions. What was I thinking? Of course they aren't going to ask anything. So we broke them up into small groups and then had one person "present" what their group had talked about and any questions they might still have. It is always easier to speak up and risk looking dumb when you can blame it on your group.

I have to say that I felt like I was walking a fine line with this presentation. I'm not trying to scare the kids out of migrating - that just doesn't work. But I want them to know the risks and the realities of migrating through Mexico, the U.S. Border, the U.S. immigration (deportation) system, and social realities of being undocumented. I also wanted them to know that there are people who care, and organizations that are fighting for migrant's rights and can help them if they face any abuses along the way or end up in deportation proceedings.

For the next seven of these workshops I'm going to have to find a way to keep this presentation balanced and present the good with the bad.


:: Birthdays and Funerals ::


Last week while I was in Zacualpa, two things happened on the same day: (1) it was Hermana Ana Maria's birthday! and (2) the mother of a woman who has been involved with the PDHRP for the past few years passed away. So the week was also filled with birthday celebrations and mourning. The birthday stuff was really cute. They decorated her place at the table, had a big lunch with people from the community, had a piñata, and at night the novice nuns performed a dance for her! So cute.

Hermana Ana Maria's B-day Table Setting

B-day Lady totally missing the piñata 

How cute is she?

The Priest finally just grabbed the piñata with his hands.

Nice! Shirt full of Candy!

The funeral was the next day. The PDHRP team in Boston asked me to get flowers for the family. No big deal, right? Wrong. Zacualpa is a small town. There is no flower shop in Zacualpa. In order to get flowers I'd have to take a bus to Santa Cruz el Quiche or Joyabaj which are the nearest big(ger) towns. I ended up asking Sor Ivonne (one of the nuns) to come with me so that I wouldn't get lost. Thankfully, they do sell flowers in Joyabaj. However, they don't sell flower arrangements. So I got to try my hand at a little creativity. With a dozen roses and four other types of flowers, a vase and some gold ribbon - I think I did a decent job. Right?

:: Accidentally a "Good" Catholic ::

So on Friday at dinner, right after Ana Maria informed me that I would be doing a workshop with the teens the next day, I accidentally agreed to do the Stations of the Cross with the nuns. I didn't understand what they were talking about. This is a problem when all your Catholic vocabulary is in English. Truth be told - I'm not even sure how to say "Easter" in Spanish.

So after dinner, Sor Neisy tells me "vamos ir a ver las cruces" (we are going to go see the crosses). Or at least that is what I heard. I was confused, so I asked "where?" And she said "out in the community". I was even more confused. What crosses? I walked around town all week and I didn't see any crosses. So I asked again, "Adonde van a ir?" ("where are you going?"). And she answered "A las cruces". Fine. Maybe its a display the community put up, or maybe its an area of the town that is called "Las Cruces" that I just don't know about. So I grab a jacket and I join them. Afterall, Rachel went back to Boston and the Italians left for the City that morning - so what else was I supposed to do?


Next thing I know, we are walking into the church and upon Ana Maria's cue a small procession starts. I'm still confused about what is going on. Then we walk down the street and stop in front of a house that has a small altar out front. Then the reading begins "Primera Estación: Jesús es condenado a muerte" and it clicks - I just agreed to do the stations of the cross! And aren't there like THIRTEEN of them!?!?!

Turns out she was saying "Via Crucis" - in Latin. Makes sense. It is a Friday in Lent. Which also explains why we had nothing but eggs, beans, and veggies today.


Anyway, it was too late to turn back now. So I stuck with it - through all thirteen stations! The whole thing was actually very cute. Each station was in a different part of town and the group of about 50 people would walk together, singing, and stop at each home to do the next station. Afterwards in the intentions they'd include a prayer for the family that put up the altar. I had never seen the stations of the cross done this way and it was a million times better than what I remember from elementary school where we just went around to each of the stations inside St. Andrew's Church.

:: Getting "Home" ::

So after being in Zacualpa since Tuesday, and working every day, by Sunday I was ready to go home! Well... "home" as in back to my apartment in Guatemala City. Sunday I still had to meet with Jose Daniel and Victor to do some planning for the workshops and Expo, but my mind was set, after lunch I was leaving!!!

I told Sor Ivonne that I was going to take the chicken bus to Chichicastenango and then a tourist bus from there - because I don't trust the ghetto buses and am afraid to get robbed because I'm taking my laptop. Well... as it turns out, the dangerous part is actually between Zacualpa and Chichicastenango - if I make it that far then I'm golden. But, she reassured me that they don't rob the buses on weekends because they are too crowded. When I got on the bus I remembered why - it is impossible to walk around in there! How are you going to hold up a bus when you can't even walk down the aisle to collect your money?

Anyway, so I took the Chicken Bus from Zacualpa to Guatemala City. That is a FIVE hour bus ride crammed into a seat that was intended for children but is now filled with three adults. Woo hoooo! I was just glad to have a seat! And I was glad that no one talked to me! Having the guy next to me fall asleep and once in a while accidentaly rest his head against my shoulder is waaay better than getting stuck sitting next to a guy who I'm afraid is trying to figure out where I live.

Yes, that bus is moving. Yes, he's waving at ME.

So now I'm back in the apartment. I've got just over a month left in Guatemala. I am at that strange point where (1) I am ready to go home! but also (2) I am finally feeling "at home" in Guatemala. This month is going to fly by! Next weekend I'm going to Livingston and Rio Dulce with the Italians and Juan Leo. In a few weeks my sorority sister Chris is coming so we'll be out doing touristy stuff and visiting Antigua for Holy Week! And in the meantime I have a 20 page research paper to write (that is how I know time is going to fly - deadlines always sneak up on you).

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Date: Sunday, Mar. 30, 2011

Days in Guatemala: 67

Date of Return to Los Angeles: May 4, 2011

Date of Return to Boston: May 18, 2011

Barbri Bar Prep Start Date: May 19, 2011

Graduation Date: May 27, 2011

California Bar Exam: July 26-28, 2011