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.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
End of an Era
:: Juris Doctor ::
I missed a lot of blog posting since I left Guatemala. THANK YOU to everyone who followed me on that journey. It was an incredible experience and I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity. I met a lot of great people along the way. I'm horrible at good-byes, and also horrible at keeping in touch... but I'll always cherish them and appreciate all the support the team at MTM provided. I met a lot of people who made me feel at home, and who I hope to call friends for a long time. But for now, it has to be good-bye, and a hope to see them again some day.
After a few days in California (enough time to attend a family wedding, celebrate mother's day, play soccer, and see a lot of good friends), I'm back in Boston.
BC Law Graduation was May 27, 2011.
The Commencement Ceremony was exactly what you'd expect. At least I think it was - I was feeling pretty sick the days surrounding Graduation (perfect timing of course) so I kept zoning in and out during some of the speeches.
It was also great to have the family finally visit Boston!
It is unreal that this phase of my life is over. Well, almost over - there is still one little (horrible) thing that I still have to do... the California Bar Exam. But I won't complain. There is no time for that. I've made some great friends along the way - and right now... I'd be going crazy without them!
I hope that I can continue this blog eventually... perhaps after the Bar, or when I start working. Right now I've got to keep my eyes on the prize. I've got some great things lined up for me - starting with my EJW fellowship at KIND.
Monday, May 2, 2011
La Semana del Migrante - Zacualpa
:: Day 100 in Guatemala ::
ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN GUATEMALA. That was worth repeating. That is a long time to be in a foreign country by yourself. I’m trying to think back at what this experience has been… but I’m not ready for that blog entry just yet. First I have to get through what this week has been.
:: Lonely Convent ::
Last Monday night I went back to the convent. I thought this week would be horrible because upon my arrival I realized everyone was gone! Only Sor Toribia, who is about 60 years old, and Sor Ana Maria, the mother superior, were in the convent this week. Everyone else wouldn’t be back until Friday.
To be honest, this week with them was actually quite nice. Without the younger nuns around she doesn’t seem as strict – maybe because no one is peering around the corner to make sure she’s not coming before starting a really silly conversation.
:: Workshops, Workshops, Workshops ::
I was scheduled to do a ton of workshops this week with the local teens. I made some minimal changes to my powerpoint from last time when Ana Maria sprung a surprise workshop on me and finished picking out the scenes from video I was going to show – Which Way Home – cutting it down to just Kevin’s story.
When I left last time I left a number of tasks for Jose Daniel and Victor, the two who work in the office, to prepare for the workshops and the Expo we had planned for Sunday May 1st. Let’s just say… I just deleted about seven paragraphs of me complaining about them. I mean, I’m pretty patient, but they really pushed it this week - Jose Daniel more than Victor. Unfortunately I spent a lot of time trying really hard not to roll my eyes or slap him across the face and scream “What were you thinking!?!?” But, let’s focus on the positive parts of this week:
The workshops went well, although each day had its challenge. (1) The first day was exhausting because I did three workshops back to back at one school (it was a space issue). The first workshop happened to be at the same time as the Barcelona v. Real Madrid semi-final game. So the front half of the room was paying attention and asking questions, and the boys in the back had headphones on listening to the game. When the game ended there were fireworks outside and suddenly the back two rows of boys jumped in their seats! I just rolled with it – what are you gonna do? (2) The second day it was a really small group, which was great because I could respond directly to all of them. But, the three girls in the room were really shy about sharing. (3) The third day was a HUGE group (110+), and we were on the basketball court, and the audiovisual set up was not ideal (Yes, I blame Jose Daniel and Victor – if I get into it I’ll just get mad – so I’ll leave it at that). However, this was probably the workshop I enjoyed the most. I was forced to be more interactive with them because they couldn’t really see the screen (plus I had made changes to the workshop because I knew it was a bigger group). At the end their responses were really good. One of the questions I had them answer in groups was: If someone told you that they were thinking of migrating to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, what advice would you give them? There were basically three types of answers (I collected their written answers after we shared as a big group): (1) I would tell them not to go because it is dangerous and they could get seriously hurt or die. (2) I would tell them that there are lots of risks, and that they should find out more information so that they can make informed decisions and be safe. (3) I would tell them that they should focus on school and getting a good career here because we have more opportunities as professionals in our own country.
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| I promise I only talked about this chart for 2 seconds. |
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| At least they are all paying attention! |
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| You can't even see the other half of the kids!!! |
Saturday I also did a presentation with more teens from the church and their teachers. Totally different vibe with adults in the room because they dominate the conversation.
:: May Day Expo para la Oficina del Migrante ::
Sunday we had planned the Expo for the Oficinia del Migrante. Unfortunately, Victor had a conflict with a mandatory event from his university. (I’m not mad at him for going to the school event – I just think the date of the Expo could have been changed so that he could be there as one of the two people who actually work in the office.) So that left me and Jose Daniel to finish up all the planning and set up. While his organizational skills are a disaster – we managed to pull it off thanks to great team work on the part of the Franciscan Sisters from the convent.
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| The nuns helped distribute information, I love them. |
We put out art work the local teens had done to represent the migrant’s experience; information on the risks of migrating through Mexico and the desert, human trafficking, Boston College’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice and the PDHRP, the Oficinia del Migrante, and other materials I had gotten from PCS mapping out organizations and shelters that provide services to migrants in Mesoamerica. We also showed Which Way Home – the whole hour-and-a-half of it. I was really surprised and happy to see that even though we didn’t have chairs, and we had some issues with lighting because it was outdoors (included in the things I argued with scolded Jose Daniel about) people were willing to stand and watch the whole hour and a half of the documentary! At the end I got several requests for copies of the movie. I promised to leave a copy with Hermana Ana Maria. People also came up and looked at everything we had put up, and took copies of the brochures.
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| Men, Women, Children - decent audience, and all standing! |
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| Here they're looking at the comp screen instead of projector. |
It was very clearly a very valuable experience for the community, and it was also well timed. May 1st is El Dia del Trabajador (Day of the Laborer) in Guatemala, and since about 2006, May Day has been a day of demonstrations to show solidarity with immigrants in the fight for just immigration reform in the U.S.
Of course, since Jose Daniel is not comfortable with public speaking, it was up to me and Ana Maria (mostly Ana Maria) to take the mic and talk to the community about our event. Of course, she and I have different approaches. I had put Spanish subtitles for the few parts of the documentary that were subtitled in English. At the end of the documentary when it is giving a recap of the different people interviewed and where they are now – Ana Maria just started making things up. She’d start to read it and then add her own spin on the end to make it sound like they had been so traumatized from their experience that they decided to never migrate again and instead try to build a better life in their own country. The truth is, most of them did reattempt the trip again. I think she even said that one of them tried again and died or was lost along the way and was never heard from again. Clearly, her message is – don’t migrate because it can get you killed. While my message is – migration to the US has many risks, so if you choose to migrate, make sure you inform yourself about the risks and the resources available along the way to ensure that you protect yourself as much as possible. So while I’m trying to stay balanced – she’s taking the “scare them out of migrating” approach.
So this was my last week in Zacualpa. It was also Giulia’s last week. So there were a lot of good-byes. This morning Ana Maria brought us all to the city. I’ve got one more full day in Guatemala. I’m almost home.
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Date: Monday May 2, 2011
Days in Guatemala: 100
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
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Holy Semana Santa
So I had promised an update after spending Holy Week in Antigua. It is a bit late [insert excuses about how I'm really busy here] - but here it is.
After Chris spent a few days with her family in Guatemala we met up and on Thursday morning we took an early bus to Monterrico via Antigua. Yes, I've already been to Monterrico - but it was beautiful! And it's the beach! Who passes up a day at the beach! However, I will admit that we didn't come fully prepared for a beach-day. Chris had a little hand-towel and I had.... a box of fruit bars. I'm not kidding. I took out the bars and unfolded the box. Somewhere on Chris's camera there is a picture of me sitting in the sand on my little piece of cardboard.
Anyway... at the end of the day we headed back to Antigua - sunburned and sweaty. After a shower and a nap the holy week festivities began!
:: Non-Stop Alfombras, Cucuruchos & Processions ::
The Alfombras were gorgeous! And some were extremely creative - my favorite featured Barbie with a watermelon dress and traditional Mayan outfits.
On Good Friday we even got up and waited outside of a church at 3am until they opened the doors. This procession featured Roman soldiers on horseback who are announcing the condemnation of Christ by Pontious Pilot. Even though it was 3am there were tons of people out! And food vendors! So much food! You would think it was only 9pm. They were opening the doors at 4am and there was a mad rush into the church (La Merced). People were trying to push their way through, they were getting mad at the Roman soldiers who were blocking some parts out - letting only people in the middle into the church. We actually got really lucky because they drew their line right in between us and then Chris moved over to my side - which was the side that got into the church.
On Easter Sunday we actually went to mass inside the Cathedral. Afterwards there was a small procession - which was actually much "happier" than the ones from previous days. Which of course makes sense since they were celebrating the resurrection. What made it very cute was that the Anda was carried by children! Eventually the adults had to relieve them of their carrying duties, but nonetheless it was adorable. In general, the kids were adorable:
So, I wanted to make a compilation video of all the processions I managed to record. I have to admit - it is not nearly as exciting on video. There is a lot of waiting around and just watching people walk by. Plus, apparently it is impossible to upload :( The one from last time gives you a pretty good idea.
:: Who Said Climbing a Volcano is Supposed to be Fun? ::
So when Chris said she wanted to go to Antigua for Semana Santa - I immediately said that I really wanted to get in one of those volcano hikes before I leave Guatemala. Everyone had told me how beautiful it is and that is is one of those Guatemala experiences that you just can't miss! So we decided that Saturday we'd take the 6am bus to Pacaya for a hiking tour.
We packed sunscreen, water, and the three fruit bars I still had left over from Thursday. Our group was pretty big - maybe about 25 people. Most of them were European and seemed to be in hiking boots - whereas Chris and I were in our running shoes. When you get to the starting point there are a bunch of little kids trying to sell you walking sticks. No one really bought into it except for two of the older women in our group. The kids kept insisting Es necesario! Es necesario! Yeah right, how necessary can a walking stick be? Right? Then come the "taxis". We had the option of hiking the whole way - or paying for a horse taxi which would get you most of the way up. Only two people opted for a horse.
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| 30 minutes in... and THAT is where we're going. |
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| Oh how I wish it wasn't cloudy. |
At one point it almost started to rain. That would have been miserable! When we got to the end of our tour everyone sat down and pulled out their lunches. I guess we missed the memo - you are supposed to bring a lunch when you go on a 4-hour hike. Oops. Well anyways. We didn't actually get to the opening in the volcano. I looked up at the top - which might have been like 200 meters up - straight up - and decided that I didn't care enough to climb up there. Pacaya has been an active volcano for the past few years. So I was excited to see lava - however, I didn't do my homework. The guide told us that since Pacaya erupted in 2010 the lava flow has been dormant. So I pretty much decided that I wasn't going to kill myself climbing the last 200 meters (on my own because the guide stopped there) if I wasn't even going to see lava. (That's crazy right? I would have climbed to the rim of an active volcano but not a dormant one!)
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| That is our group.... and that is the peak. |
Anyway, it was a good experience. [Note: Chris did end up enjoying it once we got to the top and as we slid/skied/ran our way down the volcano.] And a great workout! Even the way down was exhausting. I mean, that says something about how steep of a climb this was - my thighs and calves burned on the way down and my knees were starting to hurt. I think I lost 5 lbs during that hike. Of course, I gained it all back with everything we ate in Antigua.
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| Mole con Platanos |
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| Dulces Tipicos |
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| Churrasco |
Anyway, so thats the gist of the experience. Now I'm in Zacualpa finishing my last week of work! I don't think I've ever been so excited to go home. Just FOUR more days!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Vacations in Guatemala are Great Workouts!
:: Day 87 in Guatemala ::
So for the past month or so I have been looking forward to Chris (my sorority sister / line sister / captain) coming to Guatemala. Travelling by yourself in Guatemala is just not really an option - so this week we are taking advantage of having each other as travelling buddies!
:: Cobán ::
Friday morning we caught a 6am bus from Guatemala City to Cobán. No we didn't go on a chicken bus - that would have been awful and dangerous! We paid the extra Q100 to upgrade to Monja Blanca which is more like a Greyhound bus. We both managed to sleep through the first hour or so of the ride, so before we knew it we were stopping for breakfast. It took about 5 hours to get to Cobán. Then it took us about another half hour to figure out where our hotel was.
We stayed at Casa D´Acuña (a.k.a. Hostal de Acuña). The restaurant at the Hotel was great, and the central courtyard was very pretty (Spanish style of course)! The accommodations were exactly what you can expect at $13 a night for a double room: a bunk bed and small table in a room with one overhead light, a window facing the kitchen sink and washroom, two big creepy spiders, and a shared bathroom in the hallway with motion-sensor lights that turn off if you don't make a big move every 15 seconds. Sounds like I'm complaining - but I'm just telling you what it was.
The trip to Cobán was really just a way to avoid wasting ALL DAY riding a bus to Tikal. So we got there around mid-day. We didn't really anticipate how difficult it would be to get around. We thought we might be able to take a few hours to do some touristy stuff around Cobán. But apparently it takes 45 minutes to get to a place that is five miles away because the roads are small and unpaved. So we opted for the closest option: el Balneario Cecilinda y las Grutas de Rey Marcos. The Balneario is like a park with a bunch of little ponds, rivers, waterfalls, and hiking trails. They have picnic tables and hammocks set up all over the place. It looks like a great place to come on a hot summer day - either with the family, or with a group of friends and an ice chest full of beer.
From there they have guided tours of las Grutas de Rey Marcos - a set of caves with some beautiful stalagmite and stalactite formations. The caves were just discovered in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch. The opening is a small hole that seems to have a constant wind of cool air coming out. From that small entrance we climbed through a tunnel that sometimes was big enough to stand in, but most of the time required us to crouch down and/or slip through side-ways. At first I was trying to not use my hands because the rocks were kind of slimy - like watery clay. I quickly gave up on that idea when the climb became steeper. As usual I pulled out my camera and took pictures of everyone as they climbed up behind me. I also liked the fact that the flash of my camera would give me a quick glimpse of the cave we were in. There was running water along the bottom of the cave and a constant mist. When we got to a big opening at the top of the cave the guide stopped us there. The cave continued onward but the guide said that the climb was more dangerous and there was a place where we'd have to swim for awhile (I want to say 600 meters - but that sounds exaggeratedly long). People have come here to spend a few minutes praying or meditating and some have reported having visions in that cave. So when we stopped he asked us to turn off our lights and take a few minutes to enjoy the silence of the cave. It was really nice and peaceful. Lately when I pray I don't know what to pray for so I just reflect upon the blessings I've had - in this case it includes the incredible experiences I've had in Guatemala. Suddenly I realized how DARK it was in the cave. It was absolutely pitch black. I had thought that I could still see the walls of the cave but when I thought about it I realized that was an optical illusion. I started to look around and freak out a little bit. You couldn't see anything! Not even your hand in front of your face. I tried not to think about it because I immediately started to think about how this has been the setting for plenty of horror movies. Soon enough he asked us to turn our lights back on.
You would think that the trek back would be easier - but you'd be wrong. Now we were climbing down wet and slippery rocks, instead of up. There was a point when I thought maybe it'd be easier to slide down on my butt, but all that did was make things more difficult and get my butt full of clay and water.We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing - had dinner, a couple beers, and went to bed relatively early because at 5am we were off to Flores, Petén so we could see Tikal.
:: Flores, Santa Elena, Petén::
The bus ride to Petén was awful. We thought that we'd be better off taking the earliest bus (microbus) possible to get to Flores so that we could at least spend the afternoon in Tikal and hopefully get 2 days of Tikal out of the trip. So we were up at 4:30 waiting for our cab, which was inevitably late. Then waited for the bus which they told us came at 5am and then left as soon as it was full. It came at like 5:30 and was full by 6am. At the first stop there were three girls - two tall blonde Swedish(?) girls and their translator who looked Latina and spoke English with a British accent. The bus driver said that we were full but that they were welcome to get in if they wanted to stand. They of course opted to get in - but rather than standing they insisted on squeezing in with everyone making us go 5 to a seat. I blame them for this horrible ride. I don't think they realized it was a 5-6 hr bus ride. I'll be honest - I did scoot over a little bit - just enough for one of them to squeeze their skinny butts into our seat - not enough for them to get comfortable. We were all uncomfortable now that they were in - so when she asked if I had more room to scoot over - I told her the truth: "No, we are already hip-to-hip." I didn't need to make the last 3 hours of the ride worse than the first 3. We were squished, hungry, sleepy, and hot!
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| Our Bus - and you can't even see the back two rows here. |
There was a point where we were stuck in traffic in a Saturday morning market. That was probably the worst part of the ride because now there was no air flowing in the van. Also... our van had to cross a river where there was no bridge. Quite interesting watching your van and a big-rig drive onto a little platform/boat and float across to the other side of the river.
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| I suppose we should be grateful it wasn't 6 hrs in one of these! |
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| Lago Petén Itzá |
That night we took a walk to the central park for dinner, had a few drinks at the local bar and called it a night because (again) we had an early morning the next day.
:: Tikal ::
Tikal is probably the most famous of the ancient Mayan ruins - although not the largest. The name Tikal means "place of voices". One explanation might be that there is a certain area of the ruins where there is an echo. If you clap - you hear it bounce back off one of the temples. I imagine that if it was quiet out there (you know - without all us noisy tourists) then you'd hear voices echo as well. However, the hieroglyphics indicate that Tikal was originally called Mutal.
Of course, Chris and I agreed that this is not the kind of place where you just take a self-guided walking tour. So we paid for a guide to show us the highlights of Tikal national park. We had the option of taking the English guided tour - or the Spanish guided tour. Considering that (1) the English group consisted of about 30 people, where as the Spanish group had just over 10, and (2) those Swedish girls that I'm still annoyed with were in that English group, I think we made the right choice by opting for the Spanish tour.
It was a 4-hr walking tour. There is no way to describe it accurately... so this is where I turn to picture blogging:
Not the first stop, but definitely the first big climb on the tour: Templo IV: Templo de la Serpiente Bicéfala [Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent]. Built in 470 A.D., this temple stands at 65 meters [over 213 feet] making it the tallest in Tikal.
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| Me & Chris at the Top of el Templo de la Serpiente Bicéfala |
The interesting thing about the typical Mayan temples is that they are solid - not hollow like Egyptian pyramids. The are built in layers. Archaeologists have found that as you go deeper and deeper into the temple you find smaller versions of the temple inside. Here at the corner of el Complejo de Conmemoración Astronómica you can see the inside layers of temples.
The temple behind me is one of the temples of the Gran Plaza or maybe El Templo de la Serpiente Bicéfala. Of course I was too busy running around taking pictures and didn't listen when he told us which one it was.
Below is Templo V, the second tallest at Tikal measuring 59 meters [over 193 feet]. Unlike the other temples that were built in layers - this one solid all the way through - built in one piece. Our guide says that this indicates that there were other influences in the building of this temple. It was probably built at a time when the leaders of Tikal had been overthrown by other Mayan groups.
So, you see that very tall steep ladder on the left side? The guide told us that we were free to climb to the top - if we thought we'd be able to get back down. You probably can't see me in the picture - but here I'm standing at the top of the temple on the left side of the opening. Everyone I had watched coming down was really freaked out and moving really slowly. I put them all to shame when I climbed back down without any problems.
Behind me is a view of the Acropolis Central.
Here is a panoramic of la Gran Plaza. I'm standing on one of the buildings of the Acropolis Central. To the Right you see the Temple of the Great Jaguar - the most famous of the temples at Tikal. In the Center is the Acropolis del Norte, to the left there is el Templo de las Mascaras [Temple of the Masks].
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| Templo I: Templo del Gran Jaguar; 700 A.D., 45 meters [over 147 feet] tall. |
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| Huge Mayan head carving at the Acropolis del Norte. It is probably as tall as I am. |
So, that's all folks. Sunday night we took the overnight bus. We were exhausted enough to sleep the whole way. Next up: Antigua for Semana Santa.
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Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Days in Guatemala: 87
Date of Return to Los Angeles: May 4, 2011 [15 Days!!]
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
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