BC Law Magazine

Hey everyone, just a quick update as I'm in the middle of cramming for the bar exam.

BC Law Magazine published an article about the Human Rights Semester in Practice. The articles features three of my friends who went to South Africa, the Azores, and China, as well as my experience in Guatemala. If you kept up with my blog - you know that it is only a small piece of my experience. But, nonetheless I wanted to share with you the magazine article so you could see what some of my classmates were up to as well.

Anyway, I must return to the studying. Today is Friday. The California Bar Exam is next Tuesday! I feel like I'm not ready. Even if they gave me the rest of my life to prepare I doubt I'd ever really feel "ready". Nonetheless, the truth is that my confidence is constantly fluctuating, and most of the time I'm convinced that all of this hard work has to pay off.

Is this Justice?

:: Day 82 in Guatemala ::


Keeping count of my time in Guatemala through my blog has been really useful. It reminds me that my visa expires after 90 days and that the deadline is quickly approaching. How ironic would it be if I ended up being "undocumented" in Guatemala. Anyway, I'm not bold enough to take that risk. Or maybe I'm just too cheap to pay the fine at the airport - I'd rather pay for the visa extension. So anyway, Monday I went to "Migracion" to pay for and request my extension. They took my passport for processing and said to come back in 8 days.

:: Is this Justice? ::


This week we were finally going to San Marcos for sentencing in the case of the dad who sexually abused his two daughters. (I know, I know - my topics are sooo uplifting.) At first it was just going to be me and Jenny going - so I was going to drive us to San Marcos (that is a 5 hour drive). But as time passed more people decided that they could go after-all. In the end it was me, Jenny (MTM Attorney), Ana Lucia (MTM Director), Brenda (MTM Psychologist), and David (MTM Board Member).  I still drove. Mostly because if Ana Lucia drove she would try to make it all the way without stopping - good luck if you are hungry or have to pee. Driving was fun. I kept feeling like I was really speeding because sometimes the speedometer was reading at 80 to 100 km/hr, but I had to keep reminding myself that is only 50-62 mph. Anyway, I mentioned previously that in some parts this road is full of curves. I kept getting self-conscious about my driving because the people in the back seat are swerving back and forth with every curve. Again, I had to remind myself that I've been the one in the back seat getting flung from side-to-side all the other times we went to San Marcos - it wasn't my crazy driving, that's just the road!!! That is my story and I'm sticking to it!

MTM: Jenny, David, Ana Lucia, me, Brenda

So Tuesday morning was the "hearing" as usual. There weren't any legal arguments left to be made - all the debate concluded at the previous hearing. There was just one last opportunity for the querellante (the mom of the two girls who is pressing charges) and the defendant (abusive dad) to each address the court before sentencing. Mom was great! She had kept it together before the hearing but once she started speaking she got emotional. She was very clear and concise - demanding that the court do justice to her daughters, reminding them of her daughter's cries before this same court only a few weeks prior. She told them that while she was blinded and didn't know her rights for so many years, that every step of the way he - a former police man - knew that what he was doing was wrong. She said that now that she knows her rights and her daughter's rights to be free from abuse and to receive reparation ($), that the court simply protect and uphold those rights.

When the dad/defendant took the stand (for the first time throughout this process) it made my stomach curl. He has shown up to every hearing bible-in-hand. His whole speech (and yes, it was a speech - it actually sounded much like a sermon) was about how he has found God and that he is right in the eyes of God. That only God can judge us and calls us to forgive each other. He had the audacity to say that he loves his daughters. That he loves his wife more now than ever before. He talked about how he has paid his dues because it is not easy being a former cop in jail. He talked about how he has received a calling to spread the word of God and help others. He was extremely eloquent - it made me sick to listen to him. After having heard his daughters tell the scream and cry through the story of how he sexually abused and raped them, I don't think anyone in that courtroom was buying anything he had to say.

So the court adjourned and requested that we return at 19:00 for sentencing. Yes, 7pm - 10 hours later. We drove back to Xela and ran errands and killed time. Had a very interesting debate about horses, donkeys and mules. I later had to pull up wikipedia to prove that I was right. I went through my animal obsession phase as a kid and still remember some random animal facts. We found a Texas BBQ restaurant in Xela and had lunch there. They all ordered chicken soup. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. Who orders soup at a Texas BBQ restaurant!?!? We finally made our way back to the courthouse around 6:30pm.

At around 6:45pm they come out and tell us that it is going to take a bit longer - probably until 8:30pm. We decided to wait in the lobby area rather than go out and come back. At 7:10 the Fiscal (prosecutor) runs up in her gym clothes semi-apologizing for being late. Jenny informs her that it has been pushed back until 8:30. Her response? "Oh good, I'm starving I can go get food. Oh, but my novela starts at 8:30!" Really? They are releasing the sentence and you are worried about your novela instead of your client who is having an emotional crisis? She then goes on to say she hopes it comes out okay because things have really gone wrong for her in the past - and she starts listing mistakes she has made that had unfortunate results in her cases. Needless to say - she left to have dinner and watch TV at home.

While we were waiting Jenny got a surprise gift from the Court Secretary!

About an hour later la Jueza Presidente (presiding judge) comes out. She comes up to where we are sitting and starts complaining about how poorly written the complaint/charges are. "The laziness of these prosecutors amazes me! When she turned in the first complaint I gave it back to her and told her she should revise it to make it coincide with the girls' testimony. She gave it back in a worse condition than the original! We are really struggling to get the sentencing out from this complaint, I'm just warning you so that you are prepared for what you are going to hear." Jenny started telling her how much trouble MTM has had with her. Since MTM can only act as co-counsel to the prosecutor there have been times where they offered her advice or changes to the complaint but couldn't do anything once she had made her decision. The best they could do is try to do some damage-control in court during debates. Even then the Fiscal yelled at Jenny for admitting (on the record) that the Fiscal had made a mistake. While it was good to hear that what MTM has been saying about the Fiscal all along has been right - it was also incredibly depressing. She has been doing this work for about 10 to 15 years and it looks like she's making a life-long career out of this. She is not a rookie prosecutor - there is no excuse for her mistakes and no one keeping her accountable.

When the sentencing finally started (at 9:30pm) the Public Defender and the Fiscal were not present. The court gave the dad/defendant 15 years for sexual aggression against both girls, and 24 years for the rape of his youngest daughter. The rape of the older daughter couldn't be proved because of that doctor's horrible expert testimony. The court also offered Q40,000 in reparations for each of the girls. In the end he has to serve 39 years in prison (minimum 20 if he gets out on good behavior) and pay Q80,000 ($10,500). While this is a victory for MTM, and a tremendous step forward in the healing process for the girls and their mom, it doesn't make up for all the damage he has caused. Even if he is punished, and even if they go through years of therapy - how does anyone recover from years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father?

Top: Panel of 3 Judges; Left: Defendant & Attorney;
Right: Fiscal, Querellante & Querellante's Attorny (MTM); Bottom: Witness Stand

Soy Feminista... ¿Y qué?

:: Day 57 in Guatemala ::


I have been in Guatemala almost two full months now. I think it is time for another serious entry, especially after this very serious week. I am really enjoying working at Mujeres Transformando El Mundo. As a learning experience it has been absolutely incredible...

Last week I attended the workshop that is hosted by MTM, CONAPREVI, Fundacion Debora, and Moloj. Turns out that our discussion regarding Femenism, Patriarchy, Androcentrism, etc. served as a wonderful lead in to this week. The funny thing was, that it became really clear that the word feminism has a lot of negative connotations and is very taboo for women in Guatemala. Hence my title, I'm a Feminist... And What?

Before you read on, let me warn you - this is a long entry. And parts of it may be really depressing. Feel free to skip forward if you must. If you have ever asked me "how is work" and my answer was really vague its because I've been working with these kinds of cases for a few years now and they are difficult to talk about sometimes.

Also, there are no pictures. Sorry.


:: The Never-Ending Trial ::


Monday we traveled to San Marcos again for the continuation of the trial, which as usual was scheduled for Tuesday at 9am. We really expected that this would be the last time, even the judges wanted to wrap up the case this day. However, the defense attorney had other plans. He requested an extra five days to work on his defense (shouldn't that be done by now?) and objected to every charge on the record. Unfortunately, in some instances he had a point. I have been reluctant to say it, but the Fiscal (Prosecutor) in this case seems really incompetent. Key elements from the girls' declaration were taken out when she filed the original declarations and charges, and then added back in during the process. Clearly, this was something the Defense objected to having on the record. The trial will be continued on March 29th, and hopefully we'll finally have a verdict.

I'm sharing this small update with you because I have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of efficiency  in the court systems, which inevitably correlates with a lack of justice for victims.


:: New Place, New Client, Same Sad Story ::


As soon as we were done in San Marcos we headed for Huehuetenango which is a department that is on the Guatemala/Mexico border. We went to meet with a potential new client and her mother. This was the first interview. Of course, I can't tell you their real names. So let's say that the girl is 15 years old and her name is Nadia, and her mother's name is Maribel. All the other names I'm using are definitely fictional as well. This is  her story:            (Yes, you should have imagined the voice of the narrator from Law & Order: SVU)

Maribel has six children, three sons and three daughters. Nadia is the second to youngest of all her children. When Nadia was 2 years old Maribel separated from her abusive husband. The decision to become a single mother is difficult for anyone, but it is particularly difficult for women in Guatemala. However, Maribel was fortunate because the director of her children's school, Edgar (although she usually referred to him as el Licenciado), stepped in to help her family in their time of need. He became like a godfather to her children. Sometimes he even gave the family money out of his own pocket. As her children got older he asked Maribel to submit scholarship applications for her children because he also worked with a program that gives scholarships to indigenous children. However Maribel's family is not indigenous, so he told her that the only one the program could accept was Nadia because she is the only one that seemed to have indigenous features.

Maribel would pay for Nadia's school expenses (books, supplies, uniforms, fees, etc.) and have the factura (like a receipt but used for tax reporting purposes) written out in Edgar's name since he was her sponsor for the scholarship. When Nadia turned 11 or 12 years old, Edgar told the family that she was required to do horas sociales (community service hours) as part of her scholarship. Edgar no longer worked at the school, but instead was teaching at a the University. In fact, he spent his time split between the local campus and the one in Guatemala City - five hours away. In order to fulfill her community service hours, Edgar would take Nadia with him to his office at the local University where she would help him around the office, mostly by cleaning, filing paperwork, or arranging his bookshelves. Once in a while he'd drop her off at his house so that she could babysit his infant grandson.

When Nadia was 13 years old, Edgar invited her to attend a three-day workshop for the scholarship recipients. The workshop would be taking place at the University in Guatemala City. Although he had an apartment in the City, he arranged for Nadia to stay with his secretary at her apartment. On the way there Edgar asked Nadia what she planned to wear for Friday evening since there was going to be a Gala. Nadia of course said that she was going to wear her normal clothes since her family didn't have the money to buy her anything fancy. Of course that won't do, so Edgar said that he'd buy her nicer clothes since most of what she was wearing was old and barely fit her, otherwise the others would not accept her. In fact, he sent his secretary with her to buy a nice black dress for Friday. The workshops were about several topics including earthquake and fire-safety, but were only a few hours each day and were led by two instructors. There were about 10 other students present, girls and boys, most of whom were a little bit older than Nadia. During their free time Nadia would go with Edgar and he showed her around the campus explaining what each building was and taking pictures of her so that she could show her family later. Edgar told her that if she studied hard maybe she could attend this university and become an attorney some day - just like him.

So hopefully you've been reading this lovely story with a grain of salt. During this time, behind the scenes things went very wrong. (WARNING: The story gets ugly here, you might want to skip down a few paragraphs.) Edgar started telling Nadia stories about how when she was little she used to tell him that she wanted to be his girlfriend, and that she would hug him and kiss him on the lips. He used this story to start taking advantage of her. He told her that since she had wanted to be his girlfriend, that now that she was older she had to be his girlfriend. He said that girlfriends and boyfriends are supposed to keep secrets for each other. He started touching her, rubbing her legs, kissing her, and telling her that this is what boyfriends and girlfriends do - just ask anybody.

A few months later there was another three-day workshop at the University in the City. Again, Edgar invited Nadia to attend. This time, however, she would be staying at his apartment because his secretary could not host her. Knowing that this arrangement looked inappropriate, Edgar assured her that they would not be alone - the apartment has three bedrooms and someone else would also be coming to stay in the third bedroom, although no one ever did. That night he asked her to help him record the grades for one of his classes. He started drinking a little bit as they were working. When Nadia became tired she excused herself and went to bed. Edgar continued drinking by himself in the other room. In the middle of the night Edgar burst into her room and climbed into her bed. He told her that these were things that boyfriends and girlfriends have to do. He raped her and told her that boyfriends and girlfriends aren't supposed to tell anyone about the things that they do together. Afterwards she was bleeding. He gave her some pills to take. She didn't know what they were for so she didn't take them. She showered and eventually fell asleep crying. In the morning he was gone. He called her and told her that he had arranged for her to go home (a day early) on a shuttle. He warned her that she shouldn't tell her mother about what they had done because she wouldn't believe her anyway. When Nadia arrived home early and her mother asked her what had happened, Nadia just said that she had felt uncomfortable because Edgar had been drinking and that she wanted to come home because she had started her period early (almost a full month early).

The holiday season began and Nadia didn't have to go do her community service hours as much. During this time she avoided being alone with him. But when her 14th birthday came around, Edgar and his wife invited Nadia out for dinner and he told her that they wanted to give her a birthday present. The three of them went to dinner together, and then his wife said she had some errands to run and left separately. Afterwards Edgar took Nadia to buy her a cell phone for her birthday - saying that it was from both he and his wife. Then he told her that he had to run an errand before dropping her off at home. He drove to an area she didn't recognize and pulled into an auto-hotel, when they pulled in someone pulled the gate down behind them. He took her into a room that had a bed on it, where he raped her again, covering her head with a pillow so she couldn't scream. He told her that this was payment for the new cell phone. Afterwards he warned her again that she shouldn't tell anyone. Besides, who would believe you? I am a powerful man and you are just a little girl.


After this she avoided him at all costs. If he came to her house she pretended to be asleep in her room. She made excuses not to do her community service hours. She told her mother the workshops were boring so that she wouldn't have to go to City with him again. She was scared to tell her mother what had happened. She didn't think anyone would believe her. But after a few weeks, Nadia didn't have a choice because she was pregnant.

Now Nadia is 15 years old and has a 6 month old baby. Her mother and her sisters are supporting her, helping her with the baby, and supporting her decision to file charges against Edgar. But everyone else seems to have turned against Nadia and her family.

• Some of her family thinks that she is a disgrace to the family because she is an unwed mother.
• Her father said that they should find the man and make him marry her and take responsibility for his child.
• When they filed the complaint and the charges with the police and the prosecutor's office - someone in that office warned him so that he was able to run away before they arrested him.
• A judge arranged for his family to meet with her mother, Maribel, to negotiate. Even though negotiation is not an option in rape cases involving minors. 
• His wife and adult children have offered her money in exchange for dropping the charges.
• Several people have "volunteered" to adopt the baby. The baby which is the only proof that a rape occurred. This includes his own family and some of his colleagues.
• Even an attorney who was supposed to be helping them with their case suggested a monetary settlement even though there is an option to request monetary compensation within the criminal and civil processes. 
• Maribel believes that Edgar is hiding out in his mother's home within the city - but even though there is a warrant for his arrest the police refuse to go look for him unless she is absolutely certain he is there. 
• Nadia is afraid that someone will kidnap her baby, or do something to harm her and/or her family.

This case is heartbreaking and disheartening. In it we see all the battles faced by victims of sexual violence in Guatemala. How do you work from within a patriarchal and machista culture that blames the victim and sees no fault in the man's action, especially with a corrupt criminal justice system that encourages impunity?

But the worst part about this story... is that there is more to it. She isn't the only girl he has sexually molested or raped. He molested Nadia's older sister. He raped another young girl who ended up moving to another city with her mother and living in an apartment that Edgar pays for. Turns out that he was removed as the director of that school because someone had complained about sexual abuse, even though at the time they said it was because of problems with the staff.

I strongly suspect that he is part of a child trafficking and sexual exploitation ring, and maybe a lot of the other "well respected" people in town are in on it as well. Why? Well, granted, not all the details are in this story. But here goes:

• This is a border region where there is an especially high risk of human trafficking. 
• What kind of scholarship program has sponsors pay their student's expenses directly? And if the University and the scholarship program put together these three-day workshops why were there only 10 students? 
• Why did he take almost 25 pictures of her after buying her the new clothes?
• And that "Gala" that he bought her the dress for - apparently the students were just kind of paraded in front of a group men - it was not really a party.
• Edgar told Nadia not to say anything to anyone at the workshop, unless they directly asked her a question she knew an answer to. And Edgar kept the notebook in which she had taken notes during the workshop, supposedly because those notes could not leave the University.  

Truth is... there are several other elements that have led me, and the attorneys at MTM, to believe that there is a ring of sexual exploitation in this town. And since this guy is an attorney and is well connected - it is going to be impossible to get a fair trial locally.

:: We Hate Men ::

So after meeting with that client in Huehue you can imagine that we were all emotionally exhausted. As we sat for dinner and mulled over the details suddenly the three women from MTM start ranting about how much they hate men. Can you blame them? They see cases like this all the time. They face judges who think that filing charges for "violence against women" is a joke. The news talks about cases like that of Mindy Rojas whose husband cut off her face and left her for dead. She survived and filed charges against him, a few months later she was assassinated. They live in a country where femicide (or feminicide) and sexual violence are everyday realities. They, and probably every woman they know, have been victims of inter-familial violence. 

Mid-rant one of them turns to me and says, "I know you have a boyfriend, and maybe he's the exception. But I'm sorry. I just hate men."

And just so you know, because I know some of you are asking yourself this - No. All three of them are not Lesbians. One is Lesbian, one is Bi-Sexual, and one is Heterosexual.

But I must say, being in Guatemala really makes me appreciate the U.S. and men in the U.S. Walking down the street and being called mamacita, cachetona, linda, gordita, preciosa, etc. by men of all ages, and I mean ALL AGES, gets old really fast. As I walk down the street I size up every man I see before I determine how close I'm willing to walk when I go past him. This all makes me feel really fortunate that I've got some good men in my life. Men who are not going to take advantage of me, abuse me, or treat me as inferior or insignificant. And that I can walk down the street in Los Angeles, or Boston, without fearing that I might be targeted just because I am a woman. I have not lost faith in the opposite sex just yet.

:: You Are Missing Out America ::

This is the last part of this blog entry, I promise!

Friday I attended a workshop hosted by Project Consulting Services (PCS) about the Rights of Migrant Women. There were people, mostly women, representing organizations that work with migrant women in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It was a small group, so everyone talked about their work as well as the conditions facing migrants, or specifically migrant women, in their countries. 

I mention this partly because it follows this week's theme. Mostly, this small group of women, and men, really impacted me. Every part of this semester in Guatemala has been a learning experience. Things like this workshop are broadening my perspective on migration as an international issue. I absolutely loved that these women from different countries were coming together to discuss how their work compliments each other's work and how they could coordinate to provide better services to this migrant population. The issues they talked about are things that inevitably have come up in the U.S. The effects of deportation on families. The causes of female migration and how it is invisible when the male migrant's experience is considered the norm. The dangers of migration for women, especially in regard to sexual violence, and sexual and reproductive health. The vulnerability of women and children to human trafficking. 

The truth is that I feel like we are missing out. Human Rights organizations in Latin American countries are reaching out to each other to build a bigger network, and the U.S. is not included. Why? Maybe its as simple as the language barrier - our information is in English and theirs is in Spanish. Or because in the U.S. the Spanish language and anything Latin American is not appreciated, and is in fact looked down upon. They are doing incredible research in the area of human rights, research that is interesting and useful because it is directly related to processes that are occurring in the U.S., but we can't access that information. The U.S. is literally building walls along its southern border, shutting its doors to Latin American immigrants. And through its increasingly nativist attitude - shutting down the opportunity for information sharing and collaboration at an international level.

Latin America is indivisible from the United States. What happens in the U.S. effects what happens in Latin America and vice versa. It is time to stop closing our eyes and pretending that if we can't see it, it is not there, or if you just ignore them, they'll go away. Grow up America. 

-------------------------

Date: Sunday, Mar. 20, 2011

Days in Guatemala: 57

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

El Lago y La Mujer

:: Day 49 in Guatemala ::

Keeping up with a blog can be hard work. Kudos to those of you that do this every day. I’m not sure how you constantly come up with new things to write about. Meanwhile, I am out trying to do new and exciting things to write about… and that of course gets in the way of actually writing. So much happens so quickly… now its Saturday and its time to play catch-up.

:: Lago de Atitlan ::

As I mentioned previously, this was Rachel’s last week in Guatemala. So we had scheduled some travelling last weekend. We didn’t get to go to Rio Dulce like we had wanted, but instead opted for Lago de Atitlan which is much closer. Saturday morning I took a tourist shuttle (more expensive but more comfortable and less risky than chicken buses) from Guatemala City to Antigua to Panajachel. Sounds boring to take a bus by yourself for 2-3 hrs, but of course I ended up sitting next to and talking to a guy who lives in Solola, which is the town right before Panajachel, the whole way there. Turns out that he runs repatriation programs for Guatemalan refugees who are just now returning to Guatemala after the armed conflict, and he used to sell toys so he as travelled to the US and China quite a bit (same line of work Hannover is in now).


So, like last time, we left the hotel booking until the last minute. So much so, that I went door to door to some of the hotels until finding one with an available room. The first two were BOOKED SOLID. The third one, El Chaparral, was also full. As I inisisted, “are you sure you don’t have any rooms left?” the manager kind of hesitated and said, “well, we are setting up one room on the third floor as we speak”. After determining that the room would fit five people, I asked if I could see it. It was a meeting room – like the type they use for conferences because the 3^rd floor of this little hotel is their “conference center”. There were two queen sized beds and two guys who were starting to put blankets on those beds. No other furniture whatsoever. The manager assured me they could put one more bed in since there were 5 of us. Q&A: Is there a bathroom? Yes. Hot water? Yes. Can I see it? Sure, wait, we don’t know where the key is. But we’ll find it. Good enough. I called to double check that everyone would be okay with this set up although I suspected that at Q375 a night ($49) split by five, there would be no complaints... I'm not sure why all the hotels were booked this weekend. There were no special events. Even the hotel staff said that they were surprised that everywhere was booked. But apparently, we came on the weekend that all the tourists decided to visit Panajachel. 

Giulia, Rachel, Juan, Me, Irene

Saturday night was predictable: dinner, drinks, live music. Fun, but nothing crazy. Sunday morning we all just kind of rolled out of bed at whatever time we naturally woke up, or in Juan's case - whatever time everyone else naturally woke up. Just as we were leaving the hotel a guy approached us offering a tour of the lake. After a little back and forth on our part, we went for it. We started with a trip across the lake and breakfast in the little pueblo of Santa Catarina Palopó. It was very cute. There was a basketball court and a soccer field right on the edge of the lake. There were women weaving scarves and table runners, and of course selling other typical art and clothes on the side of the road. Of course the fact that they were weaving right there immediately convinced me to buy something. At least I feel like my money is going to the person who actually did the work, rather than a middle man. 


After breakfast we continued on our boat tour. Lago de Atitlan has some hot springs in the lake. So our tour guide basically took us out to another part of the lake and asked us if we'd like to swim. Although we all came prepared with bathing suits, only Rachel and Juan actually jumped in. I'm still glad I didn't go in the water because judging by Rachel's scream - that water was not warm. They later told us that it shifted between hot and cold water, which I guess doesn't seem that bad. I imagine it was like sitting in a hot bath tub and running the cold water - you get those sudden waves of hot and cold. 

Lago de Atitlan - San Antonio

The lake itself is gorgeous! It is huge and it is surrounded by three volcanoes. All around the edges of the lake there are either little pueblos like the ones we visited, Santa Catarina, San Antonio, and San Pedro, or gorgeous houses that are mostly owned by foreigners - apparently many of them are writers. I can see how living on this lake can be a source of inspiration. Our tour came to an end around 2pm. By this time the lake was pretty choppy and there were a lot of waves. As I stepped off the boat and nearly lost my balance I said, "Whoa, estoy mareada" and suddenly the meaning and origin of the word "mareada" made sense to me. Mar = sea, marear = to get dizzy, or in this case - seasick. Its funny how you don't really think about those things sometimes.

Lago de Atitlan - Panajachel

By 2pm last night's shenanigans were catching up with me. I was ready for a nap! But.... naps aren't really an option when you are traveling in a group, right? So after changing our clothes and having ice cream for lunch - this is typically what Irene and Giulia want to have for lunch, we headed for Panajachel's Nature Reserve. For $25 we could take a tour of the nature reserve, which requires climbing quite a bit, and then ride down on the Zip-Lines. We were all kind of split on this one - because you could also take the tour without the Zip-Line for about $7. Now, if you know me - its obvious that I was pushing for the Zip-Line tour. After a bit of convincing Rachel, Juan and I did the Zip-Line, and Irene and Giulia did the walking tour. We actually all started together on the tour. The only wildlife we really saw were birds and spider monkeys. But it was a great hike - complete with scary rope bridges and a waterfall!

At the end of the hiking tour the zipline began. There are eight ziplines ranging from 90 meters (295 ft.)  to 320 meters (1050 ft.) along waterfalls, canyons, the valley and the coffee grove forest. And of course with a beautiful view of Lago de Atitlan. I would have taken pictures - but they recommended that we hold on with both hands. 

In the end our trip to Lago de Atitlan was well worth it. The lake is beautiful, the Nature Reserve was so much fun! The only thing missing was a hike up one of the volcanoes - but that will have to wait for next time.


:: Dia de La Mujer ::

Tuesday, March 8th, was International Women's Day. So Rachel and I joined MTM at the demonstration for el Dia de la Mujer in Guatemala City. It started at the Municipal building and ended at the Palacio Nacional. It was hard to tell how many people participated - but my guess would be that it was in the hundreds. It was really awesome to see so many groups on the streets for this event. Women, men, and children. In some ways it was more like a parade than a march. In front of us there was a big truck with music blasting. Behind us there were some kids on stilts dressed like clowns and a guy who was fire swinging. The march lasted about 3  hours or so. Perhaps the thing I enjoyed the most, was the fact that we were stopping traffic in the middle of downtown. I probably would have been pissed if I was driving anywhere at that time.

      

:: El Aquario ::

Since this was Rachel's last day in Guatemala, Tuesday afternoon we followed up the march with some shopping at the Mercado Central. Then we joined Juan, his dad, his sister Deisy, and his adorable four year old niece, Yulisa, for dinner at Pizza Hut. I know, I know, sounds lame, right? This was the best Pizza Hut I've ever been to. The pizza was really good. It was a two-story sit-down restaurant with a huge playplace (like in McDonalds). And for drinks they served pitchers of Horchata! I had been avoiding the American restaurants whenever possible - but I might just have to order from Pizza Hut more often while I'm in Guatemala.

As we were eating our pizza, somehow we started talking about Aquariums. Rachel immediately became excited to find out there was an Aquarium in Guatemala City. Since Juan and his family didn't seem to be in a rush - we all took a trip to the Aquarium.

Just so we are clear, this is not your typical aquarium. This aquarium is located inside the Oakland Mall in Zone 10 of the City. It is not only inside the mall, it is inside of some restaurants! On one side there is a family-friendly restaurant, on another side there is a bar (adult-friendly restaurant), and on the other side there is a couple-friendly restaurant. We just wanted coffee - so we opted for Nais Aquarium - the romantic couple-friendly restaurant. Every table has a view of the aquarium. Inside there are blacktip sharks, eels, mantarays, and all sorts of fish. Perhaps the best part is... the little tube in the middle where you are literally surrounded by fish. I think that if anyone is looking for a cool restaurant idea... this is one to steal!

So that just about wraps up my week. Wednesday and Thursday I attended a workshop hosted by MTM and three other women's rights organization. The topic: feminism and discrimination. Very interesting to hear the Guatemalan perspective on these issues. But that may just have to wait for another blog post.

Eat, Sleep, Work...

:: Getting Around On My Own ::

I've always thought of myself as one of those people who can't do anything alone. There has always been someone around to go with me to the store, to a movie, for a walk, to dinner, basically for just about everything. Think about it, I'm one of four kids and I've been with Hannover for almost 8 years now. Of course, living in Boston changed that a little bit. I had to get comfortable with doing things by myself. I suppose that I could have called someone up to say, "Hey, I'm going to Target. Do you want to come?" The truth is, that I assume everyone else is busy living their own life, so I rarely ask someone to come with me - unless they live under the same roof as I do. Also, that is a relatively easy thing to do when you have a car. Of course, picking up and going somewhere by yourself is also pretty easy to do when you have a car.

So living in Guatemala City has been an adjustment. Partially because I still have trouble asking people to accompany me. More-so because I don't have a car, and because everyone keeps warning me that I shouldn't ride the local buses. Apparently they are frequent targets for robberies. So, if its not safe to walk alone, and its not safe to ride the bus, what is left? I either call a cab (my cab driver Mario has started to say we're BFFs) or catch a ride. I haven't felt this dependent since high school. The plan is to buy a bicycle. I think I can make it the 1.8 miles to work, right?

:: The Routine ::

So this week was much calmer than the previous ones. I thought I'd be going with the team from the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project (PDHRP) in Zacualpa for a tour that included visiting parts of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. Plans changed. It took a while to get things figured out, but it looks like that tour will have to wait until maybe next month. So, this week was much more about settling into a routine here at "home" in the city. It became - up early, maybe workout, shower and get ready, wait for my ride, go to work, get lunch at the little home/restaurant around the corner, home around 6pm, walk to the grocery store or convenience mart to buy something to cook, or walk to another local home/restaurant or street vendor for dinner, go online to catch up on TV shows that I'm missing (mostly: Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Community, How I Met Your Mother), gchat/facebook/email/kill-time, go online to talk to Hannover via google voice or skype, go to sleep. Somewhere in there I'll work in some reading - maybe I'll read as I wait for my shows to download. In other words... nothing very exciting happened this week. So let's talk about work:

:: Medical Monday :: 

Monday we went to the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguro Social (commonly called "IGSS" but they pronounce it like a word - sounds like "eeks"). It sounds like it should be the department of social services, but it is actually the community medical clinics. We were accompanying a client who has a horrible medical history. She had a constant pain in her stomach for years and the doctors kept telling her its gas, or a hernia, or that its just in her head and she should seek counseling (seriously, they said that). She is actually a nurse for IGSS, so after consulting with her co-workers she asked for a colonoscopy - but her doctors refused to give it to her because she's not over 40. At some point she was in the hospital for "observation" for two weeks - but all they did was give her antibiotics and painkillers.

It took at least another year before they finally ran the test that revealed that she had a tumor growing on her intestine. When she went in for surgery, they told her that none of the other organs seemed to be effected - and that they would probably just take out a piece of her large and small intestine. Well, when she woke up she found out that not only did they take out part of her intestine - but also her uterus and ovaries! Let's not even talk about all the health issues involved with that.

Later, someone finally runs a colonoscopy and finds that she also has colon cancer. So that's the reason we were there today. She was about a month past-due on her chemotherapy treatments. The first time they gave her the treatment, the second time they refused, the third time she came back with an attorney from MTM and they gave her the treatment, the fourth time she came alone and they refused, and now she was showing up again with an attorney from MTM in hopes that she would get her chemotheraphy treatment. Long story short - Jenny from MTM fought with every doctor in the clinic and worked her way to the top guy until they finally requested the medication she needed from another clinic. They had said it would take at least two hours to get there - it was there in 20 minutes. We stayed there almost all day just to make sure that she was getting her treatment. We had also called attorneys from PDH: Procuraduria de los Derechos Humanos (which is like the national department of human rights) who came to accompany her, and had arranged for a meeting with a representative from Congress to discuss the issues she had been facing in getting treatment.

Lessons learned: (1) being poor and needing medical attention is a nightmare, especially in Guatemala. (2) doctors in Guatemala are not scared of lawyers. At least, they are not as scared of lawyers and lawsuits as people in the U.S. In the U.S. we have a legally-oriented culture. Not only do we watch legal TV shows - like Law and Order, Boston Legal,  or even The People's Court - but we also are very accustomed to taking people to court whenever anything goes wrong. So doctors have malpractice insurance - just in case they get sued. Here, that legal culture just does not exist. And even if it did, the common perception is that the guy with the fattest wallet who can pay off the judges wins.

:: Other Work-Time Highlights ::

Child Prostitution:  Yes, this is one of the many fun topics I've been exposed to this week. It's not something people really want to talk about, but it happens. On Thursday morning we attended a presentation by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Abuses and Trafficking) revealing the results of their study of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of male children and teens in Guatemala. It is not really something I had heard much about before. When really young girls are involved in prostitution they are generally being held somewhere discreet, probably against their will, and someone else is running the business. With boys, there is a totally different story. They tend to be living on the street, or children of adult women sex workers, victims of child abuse and neglect, and they are simply poor and prostitution is a way to put food on the table. There is more autonomy, but the truth is that behind the scenes there are a number of power dynamics and groups that are recruiting boys into prostitution or trafficking them to cities where there is higher demand. Unlike the girls, the boys are rarely regarded as victims or at risk children in need of services. Instead, they are seen as sexual deviants. Furthermore, even in cases where there is sexual abuse and rape of young boys - those cases are rarely prosecuted since the laws are mostly directed towards protecting girls and women, and since there is such a great stigma associated with being a male victim of sexual abuse. 


What happens when you break-up with your boyfriend who is growing marijuana on your land: Yes, this is one of the cases that came to MTM. Granted, it was much more complicated than that. It involved two break-ups. The first was between a woman and her husband and resulted in the husband's parents kidnapping their little girl. When the woman showed up with the police to get her daughter - the in-laws threw rocks at them! The second break-up was between the woman's mother and her boyfriend. Since the boyfriend, plus the daughter's husband, and her three sons were growing marijuana on the mother's land - it was not a pretty break up. Now the mother and daughter are being threatened by all the men in their family because the men think they are trying to report them for illegally growing marijuana. So the question is... how do you protect these women from the men's threats of violence, and get the baby daughter back from the in-laws, all without calling attention to the growing of marijuana because the women would also get in trouble for having it on their land?




:: A Taste of Guatemala ::


Finally, I'll end this entry with something a little more light-hearted, food. These are pictures from the few times I've actually remembered to bring out a camera before or during a meal. Of course, pictures of food are never as good as the real thing. 


These are called "Cuchines" (possibly spelled "Cuxines" with the x = sh sound ) This one of course was broken in half and I split one half open so you could see what the seeds look like. The seeds are a shiny black, but are covered in this white, fluffy, cotton-y stuff that you can eat. I assume most of you have either read Charlotte's Web or have seen the movie. These seeds feel and taste exactly what I imagined Charlotte's egg sac to taste and feel like. I know, that sounds ridiculous but there is no better way to describe it, besides they carry it in their mouth so its totally appropriate to think of that. Soft, fluffy and sweet... These we bought on roadside as we were heading down "the coast" from Coatepeque last week.

These are "Rellenitos". It is fried banana with sweet black bean filling. The black beans are cooked with cinnamon and sugar and then made into a sort of paste. The rellenitos are generally sprinkled with sugar - much like those sugar covered donuts. They are a type of dessert and they are really good. The second picture is there mostly to show what my meal was that day - a chicken sandwich and a rellenito - all for 15 Quetzales ~ approximately $1.93

Typically this is what my lunch looks like. This particular day it was breaded pork chops with rice and potato salad. There is always rice, but the meat and the vegetable side vary. When I'm at work I generally buy lunch from a lady who lives down the street. Everyday she makes 3 meals to choose from, a meat, a chicken, and usually a soup. It costs 12 Q ~ $1.54. It tastes much better than this picture looks. PLUS, we alway get a stack of about 15 fresh handmade tortillas for 4 Q ~ $0.51

These apparently are called "Patches". They are wrapped in a banana leaf. They look and sort of taste like tamales - not Mexican tamales but more like the Salvadoran tamales I've tried. Only instead of being made with maiz, they are made with potatoes. Also, very very good. (The first one is what it looks like wrapped, the second one is unwrapped - this one has a pork filling.)  6Q ~ $0.77

-------------------------------------

Days in Guatemala: 21

Date of Return to U.S.: TBD - First Week of May

Graduation Date: May 27, 2011

California Bar Exam: July 26-28, 2011

Primer Acompañamiento

:: Day 14 in Guatemala ::

Today I am doing absolutely nothing! Why? Because this week was exhausting. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying…

I started the week in the office, doing the usual reading and sitting in on a meeting or two. The work some of the organizations here are doing is actually quite impressive. The director of Fundación Progresar came to talk to MTM about building an alliance. I won’t get into the details, but I will say that what her program does was rather unexpected. They work with a few rural Mayan communities to help them develop agricultural skills and programs, and have a piece of their program dedicated to the empowerment of Mayan women. Knowing how small MTM is, and how much work they are already doing, I half expected them to say “Sounds like you are doing great work, we’ll be in touch about how we see our programs working together.” Instead they jumped right on board! They committed to running at least two women’s workshops during the next year, and to looking into how they could develop a men’s program based on the principles of gender equity (let’s just say I’m skeptical about that last part).

But for the rest of the week… the work I did this week was really more of an acompañamiento than anything else.

:: Acompañamiento ::

So let’s backtrack a bit to where I told you that I don’t really understand what it is that my housemates do for work. Well, everyone kept throwing this term out: acompañamiento. It means exactly what it sounds like “accompaniment”. Rather vague right? As it turns out, there is a collaborative called La Coordinación del Acompañamiento Internacional en Guatemala (CAIG) which unites organizations from nine countries, offers an international physical presence and impartial observation for defenders of human rights in Guatemala. The participating organizations are mostly from Europe, my housemate is with the program from Austria. I suppose the program can be compared to the Peace Corps, as it attracts and recruits recent college graduates, only they come to Guatemala as volunteers for at least 4 to 6 months – I’m actually not sure if they get a stipend. Their job is literally to accompany human rights workers. Guatemala’s justice system does very little to protect victims of crimes or witnesses who speak out. Victims’ families and witnesses are often threatened with death, physical or sexual violence if they continue to push their cases though the criminal justice system. So when someone provides acompañamiento, all they do is travel with the victims or witnesses to their court hearings (and probably other things as well). The best analogy is that they act as “legal observers”. They do not interfere if something happens, they are not private security. If there is an incident they immediately disseminate that information to an international audience. It is a way to keep track of the human rights violations occurring in Guatemala as they are actually happening. Also, part of the idea is that there is safety in numbers. Someone is unlikely to be attacked if they are with a large group of people. At least, that is my understanding of the purposes of “acompañamiento”, I am sure it is much more complex than that. And, of course, how I spent my week was not really in line with what CAIG is doing either:

:: San Marcos ::

Wednesday afternoon we hit the road. Three of the women from MTM picked me up and we drove for about 5 hours (including a late lunch break), through Quetzaltenango (aka Xela), to San Marcos. The route was absolutely beautiful! We drove right by the gorgeous Lago de Atitlan which is surrounded by three volcanoes. I tried to take a picture, I tried to take several pictures actually, but when you are on a winding mountainous road the camera is just not quick enough. And since we were trying to get to our destination before nightfall so that we wouldn't be driving in the mountains after dark – it was out of the question for me to ask them to stop so I could be a tourist every 15 miles or so. So, my apologies but pictures of the beautiful Guatemalan landscape will have to wait until I get to be a tourist – and not just a volunteer.

We stayed at a really nice hotel, nicer than some of the hotels I’ve stayed at in the U.S.  I’m not sure where MTM gets its funding but everything was paid for all weekend! The hotels, the food, even the random ice cream breaks.

Fountain outside S.M. Courthouse

We had to be at the San Marcos courthouse by 8am the next morning. Not surprisingly, the hearing did not start on time. But without divulging too much information, let me tell you what this hearing was about.  This was a criminal case regarding two young girls, now ages 13 and 11, who had been sexually molested and raped by their father over the course of several years. A full criminal trial was scheduled – testimony and examination of accusers and witnesses, including expert witnesses, and oral arguments by the attorneys. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned – the forensic specialists and the psychologists who had examined the two girls did not arrive. The expert witnesses and oral arguments were rescheduled for February 15^th, but the rest of the case continued. Clearly, this is a very sensitive case, so it was a closed courtroom. However, MTM did get permission to allow one member from the team to sit-in as a member of the public. So, after the recess I switched with the other attorney from MTM and watched the second half of the hearing.

Just reading the brief MTM had filed was heartbreaking. I tried my best not to look horrified when the dad walked in. Three security guards brought him in handcuffs and sat him down in the waiting area with us. Less than 15 feet away from the girls!?!? I could not believe it. As soon as she saw him coming, their mom stood in front of them and tried to block them from seeing him, but it was too late. The older girl started crying almost immediately. As soon as the dad had settled into a chair, the family took the girls downstairs so they wouldn’t have to see him.

Despite the fact that the expert witnesses did not show up, I think it was a great hearing. Both girls testified and talked about what had happened to them. The older daughter let it all out that day, she had everyone in the courtroom crying – including the panel of THREE judges! Even as we were recounting it afterwards I kept getting teared up (thank God for sunglasses – I don’t think anyone noticed).

Essentially: Criminal Court for Drug Trafficking and Crimes against the Community. 

:: Coatepeque ::

After having a late lunch with the family we picked up our things and drove to Coatepeque [pronounced Co-ah-teh-peck-eh] because the next trial was Friday morning. It was another drive through the mountains. As we were driving I kept looking all around us thinking “This is a tropical forest – there shouldn’t even be a road here! Heck, there probably should even be people living here!” Again, I would have tried to take pictures but the winding road made it impossible to get a good shot. Even our hotel had a tropical feel to it – complete with bright flowers, bright colored birds waking you up at dawn, humidity and mosquitoes (I keep finding more and more bites – and yes, I did use insect repellent!)

When we arrived at the courthouse, they told us that the hearing was not on the Calendar. Somehow the women at MTM convinced them to have it anyway since everyone was present (the judge did not look happy about this).

This is another heartbreaking case - a 13 year old girl was raped by three different men, has a newborn daughter as a result, and contracted HPV from one of the rapists who is an HPV & HIV positive drug trafficker. I had been forewarned that in this case the drug trafficker/defendant had threatened both the family, and the government attorney. So I was absolutely shocked to see that the men were walked in very casually by security guards. They were handcuffed in pairs, but weren’t supervised very closely during the two hours that they sat in a waiting room with several other people including the victim’s parents and attorneys!

The three men were represented by one attorney. As the hearing progressed I realized that because they had chosen to be prosecuted together, no charges could be placed against one without also being placed against the other two. This was particularly significant because today MTM’s goal was to request for the judge to add charges in addition to rape: (1) acts falling within the penal definition of “violence against women”, and (2) transmission of a sexually transmitted disease. In the end, only the charge for violence against women was added, but considering how reluctant this particular judge had been to recognize the legitimacy of violence against women theories, it was a victory on the part of the government attorney and MTM.

:: Winding Down ::

The BLUE is a rough draw of where I went this week.

So after three very long days, we made our way back down “the coast” to Guatemala City. Let me just say, when someone says we’re driving along “the coast”  – I immediately picture Pacific Coast Highway, you know – the one they always show in movies with a view of Malibu Beach and Santa Monica. If you can’t see the ocean for at least part of the ride – you aren’t riding along “the coast”. Regardless, it was a nice and comfortable straight shot without the endless winding roads we had traveled on the previous days, but with less of a view. We stopped along the roadside and bought some Cuchines and fresh Coconuts (with straws of course). And I finally walked in my front door at about 7pm.

2.5 L Coke / 1 L Gallo Beer

After showering and napping a bit, I walked down stairs to hang out with the housemates. Romina’s mother and brother are in town from Austria. Romina had gone to her boyfriend’s house and Ceci had just arrived when I came downstairs. So she and I went out and bought four liters of beer so we could sit and hang out with her brother, Nikolaus (that’s the German spelling – right?). Yes, that’s right – four LITERS. The Guatemalan brand “Gallo” is sold in one liter bottles for Q. 20 – which comes out to about $2.55. Now let me tell you – this was probably the most hilarious conversation I’ve ever been in. Nikolaus speaks German and some English. Ceci speaks Spanish and even less English than Nikolaus. I of course am bilingual – but clearly English is my stronger language. Somehow I managed to do some translation for them between Spanish and English. We kept getting stuck on “little things” like how to say “pigeons”, “vomit” or “oligarchy”, or how to explain some kind of chemical engineering that Nikolaus is studying at the university. And the conversation became a US/Austria/Guatemala comparative study of the hour of “last call”, drinking and driving habits and enforcement, the attractiveness people in each country (i.e. Ceci complained there are no good looking men in Guate), not to mention a discussion of the rise and fall of some shared celebrities (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Next thing we knew it was almost 2am and we called it a night. 


Now, after going non-stop for a couple of days, I'm finally getting some "me" time. 

Mariposas - Butterflies

Day 4 in Guatemala City.

This week I started work at MTM. Everyone there is really nice. It is a team of four women, they’ve got one guy who does administrative work, and if they ever need anything else - they seem to have built partnerships with several psychologists, doctors, lawyers, and other human rights activists. On Monday I was given the grand tour of the office, which isn’t big. Its basically a home that has been converted into office space. It was abandoned, so the owner agreed to let them lease it for a reduced price if they fixed it up. But like most of the homes around here, it is only partially indoors. Its a good thing Guatemala City has really mild weather - except of course for the three months a year where it rains nonstop.

Table set for traditional Mayan invocation prayer.

My experience at nonprofits in the US should have prepared me for the chaos of working for a small NGO. They are always running around with a million things on their To Do lists. The good thing is that whole MTM team is just that - a team. They each have their area of responsibility, but in reality they are all working together on all of their projects.

The last two days have been really educational for me. In the office I was doing a lot of reading on the Guatemalan judicial system and responses to violence against women, or more accurately their lack of response. But I also had the opportunity to attend two events that really helped put the human side into the story of the Armed Conflict, i.e. the Guatemalan Civil War.

(1) On Tuesday afternoon we attended an event commemorating the Burning of the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala on January 31, 1980 and promoting women‘s rights. The panelists discussed the cultural and institutional obstacles faced by women, particularly indigenous (Mayan) women, as they attempt to exercise their political rights and pass legislation in favor of women and their indigenous communities. It became strikingly clear just how patriarchal and machista Guatemalan society is.

Women at the workshop.

(2) Today I attended a workshop that was hosted by MTM and three other women’s rights organizations. The women taking part in the workshop were mostly Mayan women, a group of probably about 35, all of whom were working towards a certificate issued by the University for 200 hours of training in women’s human rights. Today’s topic was Violence Against Women (surprise surprise). Remember, I was once a domestic violence advocate, so much of this was very familiar. Among their many scheduled activities we watched a documentary titled “Mariposas” or “Butterflies”. It was about the Mirabal sisters who were assassinated by Dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. There was a movie about them a few years back called “In the Time of the Butterflies” starring Salma Hayek. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I recommend finding the movie or another documentary about it - there are a few. But, as much as I enjoyed the video, the thing that had the greatest impact on me, lo mas impresionante, was the stories of the women who had lived through the Armed Conflict and had lost loved ones. Even the younger women who were too young to remember still carry their community’s pain and relate the current problems in Guatemala, including the violence against women, to the history of war and violence in their country.

So, needless to say, every day I learn something new. And it is only going to continue, especially because I came away with THREE BOOKS! One of them includes the stories of the women who suffered sexual and physical violence during the Armed Conflict.

Next week I will be traveling with the MTM team to some court hearings that are out in other departments (think: states). I believe that on Thursday we have to be in Quiche, and Friday in San Marcos. After two days of rest I will be joining the Zacualpa PDHRP team as they tour some of the NGO’s in northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. At least, that’s what I think we are doing. So, up until this point I have not yet done anything “touristy” (perhaps this weekend?). I will definitely be getting a much different view of Guatemala than I would have if I had come here on vacation.

But so far so good. Especially the prices of the food!!! Each of my meals has cost between $0.75 - $2.75, that gives me absolutely no incentive to cook for myself while I’m here. One of these days I will remember to whip out a camera at the dinner table / food stands and dedicate a posting to the joys of Guatemalan food.

Esta foto está dedicada a Tomás para que él vea que la gente puede tener una imagen de Jesús que coincide con su propio tono de piel  ;)