New

Whelpsk, I´m a little overwhelmed by everything here.  So much that´s new and different.  Crowded buses and colorful markets.  Visiting the huge presidential palace and then seeing my host mom´s earrings being stolen from her ears as we walked.  My host mom Olga has been very hospitable, but even the simplest of interactions takes so much more effort in Spanish.  When people are talking directly to me, I can usually understand pretty well, but when Olga had her relatives over or when we went out with the neighbors and everyone is talking, I tend to get tired of trying and tune it out. Anyway, I´m trying to learn to laugh at myself and take it all in stride.  More later.

Borderlands

I used to think that I was just going on cross-cultural to Guatemala.  Yes, there were things tacked on the ends of the semester, but I sort of wrote them off and didn't think much about the time I'd spend on the border and in Chiapas.  Silly me.  This week has been a huge experience.  Not to mention that it feels like way more than a week has passed. 

To put it plainly, I might as well have known nothing about immigration before coming here.  We've heard so many different perspectives on why immigration happens and how to respond to it, but it'll be a while before I can sort it all out in my head.  The hardest part is, there isn't anyone besides ourselves to blame: the policies are ours and the border wall is ours!  Throughout this week, I've been able to see the sheer humanity of everyone involved.  The border patrol and the migrants alike are just trying to do their jobs in order to support their families.  Joel shared an e.e. cummings poem during orientation that I thought really spoke to this.

     Me up at does

     out of the floor

     quietly Stare

     a poisoned mouse

     still who alive

     is asking What

     have i done that

     You wouldn't have

In addition to learning about some of the issues, we've been trying to put ourselves in the place of the migrants.  One day we bought groceries for three meals on a maquila (factory) salary.  Another day we hiked through the thorns and brush of the desert and climbed up on the border wall.  Still, it's obvious that we can never know what immigrants really face.  When we climb the fence, it's a joke; when we hike the desert, it's in daylight and in the middle of winter.  We've gone back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico several times now, and it's ridiculous how easily we, as American citizens (and mostly white), can cross.  We spent one afternoon in the very tourist-oriented city of Nogales, and instead of being discriminated against because of our race, we stick out like a sore, rich thumb.  I've been trying to pick up on the culture and trying to use my Spanish, but I can't exactly blend in no matter what I do.  So yeah, it's been eye-opening!  There's so much more we could learn here, but I'm excited to see how this all ties in with what we'll learn and do in Guatemala and Chiapas. 

Anticipation

Only one week left until I leave!

These things scare me:

• Forgetting something I need.  I know there's going to be a store right across the street, but packing light makes me nervous.  
• Not having access to my computer, my music, my phone.  A little pathetic maybe, but it's true. 
• Being awkward with my host family.  Or offending them by accident. 
• Not getting along with my host family for some other reason.  Like, if they're super religious or super loud or super some-other-thing-I-can't-tolerate-all-that-well-for-long-periods-of-time.  
• Not using my Spanish as much as I could for fear of sounding dumb.  And then coming back not fluent. 

P.S.  If anyone wants to mail me something while I'm in Guatemala, go right ahead!  :)  Just be aware it may take a while to get there, so plan ahead.  Here's the address:
       CASAS

         Ruth Maust

         Apdo. 11, Periférico, zona 11

         Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala