Yup, if Avenue Q hasn’t given you the news yet, well, now you know. Before my service, I imagined myself living in a rural village. My Dad joked about how my new address would be the third hut on the left. During the time when I announced that I had accepted my Peace Corps invitation and leaving for service, I felt as though I was constantly justifying my rationale for serving, constantly defending people and a culture that I’d never even experienced. The “us and them” mentality was in full effect: Americans vs. Guatemalans. Why would I trade hamburgers and draft beers for tortillas and eggs? (Actually, to be perfectly fair, that question crosses my mind from time to time). But back to the point, I felt a clear sense of racism among many Americans against Guatemalans before leaving in August 2010.
Fast forward a year and I come to find that the Guatemalans who are oftentimes subject to racism in the United States are in fact racist themselves. I knew that racism existed in all societies and being part Colombian I knew that skin color was definitely a factor in the societal hierarchy in Latin America. But I never thought that I would witness such a high level of discrimination on a daily basis in site. Working side by side with the Mayan Council, I’m constantly hearing people’s commentary. I’m not sure if people think that since I’m from the States then I’d also have the same racist thoughts against indigenous people or what but people seem to be quite open with me about their thoughts towards “the mountain people”. Yesterday, I sold a solar lamp and water filter to my host mom on behalf of the Mayan Council. On the water filter, there’s a space where you write who sold the item, so instead of writing my name I wrote “Alcaldía Maya” (Mayan Council). Immediately, she doubted the Mayan Council’s involvement in selling the products. The conversation went something like this:
Host Mom (HM): “Is the Mayan Council really selling these products!? What do they have to do with this?”
Me: “Yes, they’re working with an institution that provides them with water filters, solar lamps, they even do eye exams and sell reading glasses.”
HM: “What!? Could they be capable of giving eye exams?” (As if indigenous people are completely incompetent or incapable of accomplishing something aside from farming and selling in the market).
Me: “Yes, they went through workshops and have certificates to prove it. They actually do a lot of work that helps the community”
HM: “The indigenous community you mean”
Me: “No, everyone. They help anyone but are especially able to help Mayan communities because they speak the language.”
HM: “But what if they (the new Mayor and his people) get rid of them?”
Me: “That’s illegal, they have a constitutional right to exist.”
HM: “Really!? But why?”
And then I go on explaining the work that the Mayan Council does (for the millionth time). Then her son enters, asks the same questions, and I repeat myself.
I’ve had so many conversations like this. For all the complaints I get from people in my town about how Americans are so racist towards them when they (usually illegally) are in the US; I would think that they’d understand a little bit about how discrimination is unacceptable…but that isn’t the case. Everyone thinks that the Mayan Council is going to be taken away, nobody in the urban center knows about the work they do, it’s like they’re all afraid of admitting that there’s an indigenous presence in Canillá. My sitemate was telling me how a school director was saying that she didn’t think the Mayan Council was going to be able to stay, calling them “creidos” (conceited, stuck up) because they always want things their way. It reminds me of the racial issues various minority groups have had to endure in the US; whites calling minorities’ complainers for bringing injustices to light.
“Just wait,” I tell my co-worker, “in a couple of years they’ll be raving about all the good work you all do and will be asking for help. Then they’ll see.”
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
More on Immigration
Due to an increase in unemployment among the municipal workers who will soon be replaced, it seems that everyone is talking about going to “El Norte” (the north aka the US). They all plan on crossing the border illegally which makes me think, once again, about how immigration plays such a large role in my personal life here.
In Canillá, there aren’t really jobs here because it’s so small You can work for the municipality, the bank, be a teacher, work at the health center, own some sort of a tienda, or work your farm (but this is typically small scale and the only market is selling products once a week in our local market or traveling long distances to sell in the markets of nearby towns). . In fact, the more educated you are, the harder it is to find a job in Canillá. If you’ve studied in school, that leaves you with the municipality, the bank, the school system or the health center. Some towns have NGOs or foreign institutions that will hire Guatemalans, but those are also on a contract basis and are typically located in department capitals. For example, Save the Children used to be in our town but they’ve moved on to other municipalities and they either take their staff with them or hope that the municipality hires the local workers.
I keep going back and forth as to whether people who say they’re crossing the border are doing it because of necessity or because they want to keep up with a high-level of living. In Canillá, you definitely see both cases. The people in the municipality are used to a certain amount of pay and some of them have even entrenched themselves in massive debt, thus, taking a low-level Guatemalan job just isn’t going to cut it for them. For others, it’s a matter of survival. It’s far better for them to find a low level US job that no American really wants to do in order to send that money back home (see NYT article about hiring locally for farming jobs). But then there are the risks associated with all of this:
• It’s expensive to cross the border, last I heard it ran for about $8,000 USD plus 10% interest and obviously if you don’t have money to live in Guatemala, you don’t have the money to pay that fee upfront
• It has become increasingly dangerous. Justin was telling me that a coyote from his town mentioned how the narcos are pretty much running shop in the border towns; you can play by their rules, get killed, or wait around indefinitely by the border to cross (and that isn’t guaranteed). This is on top of the other risks associated with illegally crossing the border: border patrol, injuries from harsh weather and walking conditions, illness, gangs along the way, etc.
• You leave your family. I cannot count how many family problems I’ve encountered because a child’s parents have left for the United States. In some cases, the children stay with the mother but then the father gets a new US wife and forgets his family back home. In other cases, both parents head for the US and leave the children with the grandparents who may not be able to dedicate the time and effort to raise another set of children. And in worse scenarios, the children become abandoned, forced to live on the streets or figure out how to fend for themselves.
Despite these risks, in their opinion, it’s still worth it to cross.
Never in my life have I thought about immigration so much. Honestly, immigration and the drug war are the two issues that have been completely eye opening for me. My mom is from another country, so of course I was familiar with immigration, understood the complexities of preserving an old culture while trying to fit in with a new one; but never had I experienced these sort of immigration issues on such a wide scale. I had never been on the other side of the fence.
Whenever I see news coverage about immigration, I immediately download the article or podcast. The New York Times posted an interesting article with photos and a documentary that I read a couple days ago. A couple salient points “Deportation is expensive, costing the government at least $12,500 per person”, “‘repeat crossers are singled out for removal alongside ‘serious felons,’ ‘known gang members’ and ‘individuals who pose a clear risk to national security.’” (I know repeat crossers…they are definitely not anywhere near the status of a gang member or big risks to national security), but what struck me most was the quote by David Shirk, director of the Transborder Institute at the University of San Diego “"If you think drug dealers and terrorists are much more dangerous than maids and gardeners, then we should get as many visas as possible to those people, so we can focus on the real threat…Widening the gates would strengthen the walls." Now before dismissing this comment, really think about it. Who should we really be targeting? The people in my town looking for work? Or the gang members and narcos that make a profit because they can manage increasingly intricate obstacles that the US creates to “stop” immigration? Immigration is incredibly complex and as I continue to meet people in my town who were born in the US, have crossed illegally, just want to visit, want to start fresh, I find myself wondering how can people in Washington, who probably have never seen the other side, make blanket solutions to immigration?
In Canillá, there aren’t really jobs here because it’s so small You can work for the municipality, the bank, be a teacher, work at the health center, own some sort of a tienda, or work your farm (but this is typically small scale and the only market is selling products once a week in our local market or traveling long distances to sell in the markets of nearby towns). . In fact, the more educated you are, the harder it is to find a job in Canillá. If you’ve studied in school, that leaves you with the municipality, the bank, the school system or the health center. Some towns have NGOs or foreign institutions that will hire Guatemalans, but those are also on a contract basis and are typically located in department capitals. For example, Save the Children used to be in our town but they’ve moved on to other municipalities and they either take their staff with them or hope that the municipality hires the local workers.
I keep going back and forth as to whether people who say they’re crossing the border are doing it because of necessity or because they want to keep up with a high-level of living. In Canillá, you definitely see both cases. The people in the municipality are used to a certain amount of pay and some of them have even entrenched themselves in massive debt, thus, taking a low-level Guatemalan job just isn’t going to cut it for them. For others, it’s a matter of survival. It’s far better for them to find a low level US job that no American really wants to do in order to send that money back home (see NYT article about hiring locally for farming jobs). But then there are the risks associated with all of this:
• It’s expensive to cross the border, last I heard it ran for about $8,000 USD plus 10% interest and obviously if you don’t have money to live in Guatemala, you don’t have the money to pay that fee upfront
• It has become increasingly dangerous. Justin was telling me that a coyote from his town mentioned how the narcos are pretty much running shop in the border towns; you can play by their rules, get killed, or wait around indefinitely by the border to cross (and that isn’t guaranteed). This is on top of the other risks associated with illegally crossing the border: border patrol, injuries from harsh weather and walking conditions, illness, gangs along the way, etc.
• You leave your family. I cannot count how many family problems I’ve encountered because a child’s parents have left for the United States. In some cases, the children stay with the mother but then the father gets a new US wife and forgets his family back home. In other cases, both parents head for the US and leave the children with the grandparents who may not be able to dedicate the time and effort to raise another set of children. And in worse scenarios, the children become abandoned, forced to live on the streets or figure out how to fend for themselves.
Despite these risks, in their opinion, it’s still worth it to cross.
Never in my life have I thought about immigration so much. Honestly, immigration and the drug war are the two issues that have been completely eye opening for me. My mom is from another country, so of course I was familiar with immigration, understood the complexities of preserving an old culture while trying to fit in with a new one; but never had I experienced these sort of immigration issues on such a wide scale. I had never been on the other side of the fence.
Whenever I see news coverage about immigration, I immediately download the article or podcast. The New York Times posted an interesting article with photos and a documentary that I read a couple days ago. A couple salient points “Deportation is expensive, costing the government at least $12,500 per person”, “‘repeat crossers are singled out for removal alongside ‘serious felons,’ ‘known gang members’ and ‘individuals who pose a clear risk to national security.’” (I know repeat crossers…they are definitely not anywhere near the status of a gang member or big risks to national security), but what struck me most was the quote by David Shirk, director of the Transborder Institute at the University of San Diego “"If you think drug dealers and terrorists are much more dangerous than maids and gardeners, then we should get as many visas as possible to those people, so we can focus on the real threat…Widening the gates would strengthen the walls." Now before dismissing this comment, really think about it. Who should we really be targeting? The people in my town looking for work? Or the gang members and narcos that make a profit because they can manage increasingly intricate obstacles that the US creates to “stop” immigration? Immigration is incredibly complex and as I continue to meet people in my town who were born in the US, have crossed illegally, just want to visit, want to start fresh, I find myself wondering how can people in Washington, who probably have never seen the other side, make blanket solutions to immigration?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tangible project or relationship building?
Sometimes I wonder if I started on the wrong foot. I’m about a year into my service and, as such, I’ve really tried to reflect upon what I’ve done thus far and where I would like to go. The other day I was talking to the person I replaced in site to gain a better understanding of what she missed the most about her service and Canillá. She told me that the people, the play dates with children, the strength of the women who fought for their families while having so little; those were much more impactful than the “work” aspect of her service. It made me think, “What am I doing with my service?” Have I just been imposing my American work values and definitions of “success” on this incredible experience and opportunity to appreciate life in a new and exciting way?
In my defense, this past year has been quite interesting due to the election period. Women in communities stopped showing up for meetings due to fear of giving the impression that they were in support of the mayor when in fact they supported someone else. I also believe strongly in working with my co-workers. I could go out to communities by myself and start from scratch but, at least for now, my co-workers are very knowledgeable and workshops go much better when they are present with me. I continuously go back and forth between telling myself that I’m just making excuses and telling myself that I should stick true to the capacity building aspect of Peace Corps. Anyway, in lieu of community outings and workshops, my co-worker and I have been going full steam with the construction of a Cultural Center. Right now we’re about a month into the construction but we have had several delays due to transportation delays, weather, elections, etc. So currently the workers are putting up the metal rebar skeleton for the cement columns that serve as the support of the entire structure.
But once again, after having that conversation about how the people truly make a service, I’m beginning to wonder if I went about all of this incorrectly. Have I sacrificed relationship-building opportunities for a tangible project? Perhaps I’m being too critical, but I think it’s important to analyze the past year in order to make a stronger effort to explore new realms in the next coming year. When I think of new projects, I tell myself, once the Center is done, I’m too busy now. I don’t want to go home thinking that I didn’t take full advantage of this opportunity. I guess sometimes it just gets so exhausting to be an outsider; I’d prefer to spend my free time holed up in my room working on “personal growth” or, let’s be honest, crossing off must-see tv episodes. As with everything in life, it’s about balance. (On that note, here’s a funny video clip about PC that I got from a fellow PCV’s facebook )
Hopefully I can balance the tangible and intangible successfully enough to finish my two years feeling satisfied and being able to tell new volunteers about what I miss the most after I have COS’d.
In my defense, this past year has been quite interesting due to the election period. Women in communities stopped showing up for meetings due to fear of giving the impression that they were in support of the mayor when in fact they supported someone else. I also believe strongly in working with my co-workers. I could go out to communities by myself and start from scratch but, at least for now, my co-workers are very knowledgeable and workshops go much better when they are present with me. I continuously go back and forth between telling myself that I’m just making excuses and telling myself that I should stick true to the capacity building aspect of Peace Corps. Anyway, in lieu of community outings and workshops, my co-worker and I have been going full steam with the construction of a Cultural Center. Right now we’re about a month into the construction but we have had several delays due to transportation delays, weather, elections, etc. So currently the workers are putting up the metal rebar skeleton for the cement columns that serve as the support of the entire structure.
But once again, after having that conversation about how the people truly make a service, I’m beginning to wonder if I went about all of this incorrectly. Have I sacrificed relationship-building opportunities for a tangible project? Perhaps I’m being too critical, but I think it’s important to analyze the past year in order to make a stronger effort to explore new realms in the next coming year. When I think of new projects, I tell myself, once the Center is done, I’m too busy now. I don’t want to go home thinking that I didn’t take full advantage of this opportunity. I guess sometimes it just gets so exhausting to be an outsider; I’d prefer to spend my free time holed up in my room working on “personal growth” or, let’s be honest, crossing off must-see tv episodes. As with everything in life, it’s about balance. (On that note, here’s a funny video clip about PC that I got from a fellow PCV’s facebook )Hopefully I can balance the tangible and intangible successfully enough to finish my two years feeling satisfied and being able to tell new volunteers about what I miss the most after I have COS’d.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Election time
This past Sunday, on September 11th, Guatemala had its first round of elections. I say first round, because if a presidential party doesn’t reach over 50% of the popular vote, there is a second round of voting in November between the top two candidates. This is the first election of my life, where I was more concerned about the outcome of the local election than of the national election. (Just an aside, this whole experience is teaching me the importance of local politics and it will be a personal goal of mine to become more involved in and informed about local government when I return to the US). Because I work in the municipality, my second year of service is dramatically contingent upon the results of the local election.
The morning of the election I received word that a car carrying 16 people crashed coming down from a community in order to transport people to the urban center to vote. One woman died and fifteen were injured. A woman died because she wanted to exercise her right to vote. Apparently the breaks went out, but there are tons of rumors as to the “truth”. An opposing political party immediately took advantage of the situation and started telling people that the event was the perfect illustration of how the current mayor doesn’t take care of his people. I was immediately revolted by the ability people have to take something as serious as death and manipulate the situation into a political attack. I decided to spend the day in my room catching up on reading, tv shows and laundry. What I thought could have been a potentially dangerous day turned out to be fairly monotonous. Around eight at night, I decided to join my host family and watch the news as well as catch up on the gossip concerning the local election. According to my host mom, we would know the results by eight thirty. We watched as people went from one political party center to the next in order to enjoy free food. At around ten thirty, one political party center immediately began throwing fire crackers and yelling (that’s the way people typically figure out who wins – the winner throws a big party). It turned out to be a false alarm. What was strange about this election night was that it took incredibly longer than usual to know the results of the election. After some midnight munchies and chit chat, I finally decided to go to bed a little past one am. At around two am I received a phone call from one of my co-workers. The current mayor lost. Her tone of voice was a mixture of shock, sadness and fear. Not only did my co-workers candidate lose, she also essentially lost her job that night. When a new mayor is elected, the entire municipal staff is wiped out. During campaign season, candidates promise all sorts of jobs to family members and supporters. Therefore, my hardworking co-workers could easily be swopped out for a candidate’s sister’s friend who has no particular interest in women’s rights.
The next morning I awoke and my host family was ecstatic. Apparently, they were huge supporters of the new guy. “I’m going to have a job!” my host mom exclaimed. Since moving in, my host mom has expressed an interest in returning to work with women’s health. The fact that my host family was so happy made me think that perhaps things would turn out for the best with this new guy around. I expressed my concern for my project. Rumors and gossip are huge here, so I was particularly concerned of a rumor that people were trying to convince the new mayor to get rid of the Mayan Council (the community group I’ve worked closely with over the past months). My host family assured me that there was no need to worry and that anything I needed they would be sure to let this new guy know to give his support. In a land of false promises, I took their optimism with a grain of salt. Either way, my host mom has been suffering through a lot lately and it made me happy to see them full of hope and promise. Later in the evening, I had a two hour conversation with one of my co-workers to try and figure out a way she can continue her job at the municipality. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes but essentially she’s setting up a meeting with the new mayor and the Mayan Council in order to discuss the work that they’ve done for the community and how they’d like to continue to receive municipal support. That meeting is tomorrow, so I’ll keep you all posted. As for the construction of the Mayan Center, the current mayor informed us that he will continue to support us with the labor cost. Unfortunately, there are some loose ends with funding that I was hoping he’d pay for if he won but obviously I’ll have to go through with the SPA funding process in order to make sure we have enough funding to finish the construction.
I’m extremely curious about what my job will be like after January 14th when everything gets formally passed over to the new mayor. I continue to repeat the same mantra I’ve inculcated into my brain over this past year “everything happens for a reason”.
The morning of the election I received word that a car carrying 16 people crashed coming down from a community in order to transport people to the urban center to vote. One woman died and fifteen were injured. A woman died because she wanted to exercise her right to vote. Apparently the breaks went out, but there are tons of rumors as to the “truth”. An opposing political party immediately took advantage of the situation and started telling people that the event was the perfect illustration of how the current mayor doesn’t take care of his people. I was immediately revolted by the ability people have to take something as serious as death and manipulate the situation into a political attack. I decided to spend the day in my room catching up on reading, tv shows and laundry. What I thought could have been a potentially dangerous day turned out to be fairly monotonous. Around eight at night, I decided to join my host family and watch the news as well as catch up on the gossip concerning the local election. According to my host mom, we would know the results by eight thirty. We watched as people went from one political party center to the next in order to enjoy free food. At around ten thirty, one political party center immediately began throwing fire crackers and yelling (that’s the way people typically figure out who wins – the winner throws a big party). It turned out to be a false alarm. What was strange about this election night was that it took incredibly longer than usual to know the results of the election. After some midnight munchies and chit chat, I finally decided to go to bed a little past one am. At around two am I received a phone call from one of my co-workers. The current mayor lost. Her tone of voice was a mixture of shock, sadness and fear. Not only did my co-workers candidate lose, she also essentially lost her job that night. When a new mayor is elected, the entire municipal staff is wiped out. During campaign season, candidates promise all sorts of jobs to family members and supporters. Therefore, my hardworking co-workers could easily be swopped out for a candidate’s sister’s friend who has no particular interest in women’s rights.
The next morning I awoke and my host family was ecstatic. Apparently, they were huge supporters of the new guy. “I’m going to have a job!” my host mom exclaimed. Since moving in, my host mom has expressed an interest in returning to work with women’s health. The fact that my host family was so happy made me think that perhaps things would turn out for the best with this new guy around. I expressed my concern for my project. Rumors and gossip are huge here, so I was particularly concerned of a rumor that people were trying to convince the new mayor to get rid of the Mayan Council (the community group I’ve worked closely with over the past months). My host family assured me that there was no need to worry and that anything I needed they would be sure to let this new guy know to give his support. In a land of false promises, I took their optimism with a grain of salt. Either way, my host mom has been suffering through a lot lately and it made me happy to see them full of hope and promise. Later in the evening, I had a two hour conversation with one of my co-workers to try and figure out a way she can continue her job at the municipality. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes but essentially she’s setting up a meeting with the new mayor and the Mayan Council in order to discuss the work that they’ve done for the community and how they’d like to continue to receive municipal support. That meeting is tomorrow, so I’ll keep you all posted. As for the construction of the Mayan Center, the current mayor informed us that he will continue to support us with the labor cost. Unfortunately, there are some loose ends with funding that I was hoping he’d pay for if he won but obviously I’ll have to go through with the SPA funding process in order to make sure we have enough funding to finish the construction.
I’m extremely curious about what my job will be like after January 14th when everything gets formally passed over to the new mayor. I continue to repeat the same mantra I’ve inculcated into my brain over this past year “everything happens for a reason”.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sometimes you forget
Sometimes you forget:
The importance of the work that you’re doing
That you’re in an amazing country full of beautiful landscapes and people
The importance of celebrating small successes
The happiness that is brought by living a simple life
The talent and wisdom of others
The incredible feeling of accomplishing a goal
How to appreciate the present
That you don't know what you've got until it's gone
Let’s help one another remember.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Asking permission from the earth to start our project!
So we’ve officially initiated our project, I’m a little hesitant because so much of our materials are still in the process of being delivered. But the construction workers are out there doing what they can. It’s incredible to think that we’ve started, I still feel in some sort of denial, like it’s not really happening. On the 12th of August we had a Mayan Ceremony to ask permission from the sacred earth to build. According to the spiritual guide, the sacred flame was weak which means that many people in the community do not see the value of the Mayan culture and that with this project it will be able to grow. That's definitely one of the goals of building this project and hopefully we can keep this rich culture alive through the activities that we plan on conducting within the Center. After the flame went out, the spiritual guide blessed the head mason and then asked the mason to walk the perimeter of the soon-to-be-built Mayan Center, he blessed the ground in a way similar to a priest blessing the congregation with holy water. Afterwards, it was incredibly wonderful that the Mayan Council collected the little money they have to prepare a snack for everyone, black bean tamales called Siete Camisas (7 shirts)and coffee.
Perhaps when the columns get put up it will start to hit me. Either way, it’s been quite the challenge arranging all of the moving parts – coordinating with various private companies to get donations. I’m doing the fundraising in an atypical manner. Those of you who know me personally, know that I’m not one for waiting to solve the maze of bureaucratic red-tape that surrounds all government processes (a little odd seeing that I now work for the government) but I know that there are tons of private companies that have plenty of left over materials, profits and willingness to give a little in order to fund community projects. I’m a big believer that companies should incorporate social giving into their strategic plans and company culture, so why not put that belief into practice?
Thus far we’ve raised money or materials from:
Cementos Progresso (Guate) – donated all cement and cal (lime in English) for the project ~ $2,500 USD
Megamart Supermarkets (US) - $2,000 USD (Gerson Lopez, who authorized the donation, is from Guatemala and currently lives in the US)
BIC Corp (as in BIC pens, lighters, etc) - $1,000 USD
PROMUDEL (an institution that works on municipal development and strengthening citizen participation, they’ve committed to give the equivalent of $1,000 USD, but because it’s not a private company it’s been a bit of a pain to coordinate…but we’re grateful nonetheless!)
We’re in talks with Grupo Macro Guatemala to see if they can donate the lamina and costaneras (roof materials) ~ $1,200 USD
And of course wonderful individuals who have given what they can to help support the project through a non-profit I founded in 2008 called Global Connections for Change.
So for all those PCVs or future PCVs out there that want to fund projects but there isn’t a blanket NGO or organization that can fund it all…hustle and don’t forget the importance of private companies! Also be patient, personally, this process has been incredibly stressful with lots of ups and downs but slowly it all come together (shout out to all those people who have supported me when I’ve sent out emails of frustrations, worry and doubt). Peace Corps could have also helped with donations but due to timing, I have not utilized them as a funding source but certainly hope to do so with future projects. Of course, anyone is free to contact me if they’d like to know more or brainstorm how to raise funds for your own projects!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Politics and Projects – A Never Ending Rollercoaster
As I’ve expressed many times in this blog, it’s election season and things in my municipality are getting extremely hectic as election day is only six weeks away. As most of you know as well, the Mayan Council and I have been working since February to start the construction of the Mayan Educational Center. Perhaps this blog post is for my own personal benefit to vent, but I’d just like to explain a little bit about how taxing the process has been thus far.
First challenge: collecting bottles. When I first presented the idea of using bottles filled with trash, nobody believed that it was a good idea; they thought the Center would fall over and it would stink of trash. After convincing them that it was possible through videos and pictures, we set forth asking all schools and directors for their support. As posted in my last blog post, we are just now reaching our goal of 7,000 bottles…this process alone took 7 months.
Next challenge: getting the land. Of course you can’t build anything if there’s nowhere to put it! We knew we wanted to build the Center in the urban center because this is where most people convene from all the communities and it’s also important that the Center be built where there is a large ladino presence because we want them to utilize it as well. After speaking with the mayor, we finally decided where it could be built. The land itself isn’t owned by the municipality, it’s owned by a community association that gives land to projects that benefit the community. Where we “finally” decided to construct the building, was not where the community association wanted the Center to be built. Then, for real this time, we decided on a location. You’d think in a couple weeks you could get the document that certifies that the land has been transferred to the Mayan Council. False. Before the association agreed to make up the documentation we had to tear down an existing building and some shack looking things. That takes what, a week right? Wrong. Three months later it got done. When we asked the Mayor what was taking so long he said he was waiting for us to bring the building materials. We then had to explain that we can’t bring any building materials until we know 100% that the land will be in the name of the Mayan Council. So, naïve me, thinking that this was all that was necessary to get the land title asks for the document the next day. Turns out that in order to receive the document, the Mayan Council has to get 100 signatures from people in the community to show that people support the decision of transferring the land. Today, five months after initially asking for the land document, I have a copy of the land title.
Fourth challenge: fundraising. Fundraising is always a challenge; it’s rarely easy to have $10,000 USD fall on your lap. In certain cases, you find an NGO that does exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and they fund the majority of the project but this is an exception. My family, friends, fellow PCVs, RPCVs, etc have been incredibly supportive and helpful in this process. I originally thought one company was going to fund 80% of the project through their social branch, but this fell through and for the past month I’ve been scrambling to find $8,000 USD. I’m happy to say that with the support of everyone, we’ve been able to raise $6,000 USD. Thank you to those amazing people who have helped along the way!! We’re almost there.
Fifth Challenge: Construction date and elections. Since we’re so close to our goal, we were all discussing the possibility of starting in August. We’re all eager to get the project started and know that if we lose motivation then we’re screwed. Right now it’s the height of the political season. The mayor wants to start building asap because it will look like this project is his project and perhaps he can win some votes off of the building. But, if the mayor loses then he could decide to stop paying the laborers because he doesn’t have money or because he lost interest or who knows what could happen. Everyone here thinks the mayor will win and that we should take him for his promise that he’ll complete the project. I know damn well that political promises are usually empty and he’ll say anything to get this thing started. At the same time, the municipality is providing labor, transport, has supported us with the transport of the bottles, and can provide for any other little thing that happens along the way; so we can’t do this project without their support. Also, depending on who wins, the new candidate could have no interest in promoting the Mayan culture and decide that he doesn’t want to help out.
So what do we do? All options have their consequences and I’m trying to do my best to weigh the options and figure out the best and safest plan of action. It’s an incredible learning experience and this is probably the first time where I really have to be stern with people instead of doing my best so that everyone likes me. When people wonder, why is Peace Corps two years, that’s way too long…it’s because these things take an incredible amount of time. The building process will only take a couple months, but everything leading up to it…takes forever! Imagine if PC were just a year, I would be forced to start construction now because I’d be leaving in October. And I was worried that PC wouldn’t have opportunities to cultivate leadership experience, silly me!
First challenge: collecting bottles. When I first presented the idea of using bottles filled with trash, nobody believed that it was a good idea; they thought the Center would fall over and it would stink of trash. After convincing them that it was possible through videos and pictures, we set forth asking all schools and directors for their support. As posted in my last blog post, we are just now reaching our goal of 7,000 bottles…this process alone took 7 months.
Next challenge: getting the land. Of course you can’t build anything if there’s nowhere to put it! We knew we wanted to build the Center in the urban center because this is where most people convene from all the communities and it’s also important that the Center be built where there is a large ladino presence because we want them to utilize it as well. After speaking with the mayor, we finally decided where it could be built. The land itself isn’t owned by the municipality, it’s owned by a community association that gives land to projects that benefit the community. Where we “finally” decided to construct the building, was not where the community association wanted the Center to be built. Then, for real this time, we decided on a location. You’d think in a couple weeks you could get the document that certifies that the land has been transferred to the Mayan Council. False. Before the association agreed to make up the documentation we had to tear down an existing building and some shack looking things. That takes what, a week right? Wrong. Three months later it got done. When we asked the Mayor what was taking so long he said he was waiting for us to bring the building materials. We then had to explain that we can’t bring any building materials until we know 100% that the land will be in the name of the Mayan Council. So, naïve me, thinking that this was all that was necessary to get the land title asks for the document the next day. Turns out that in order to receive the document, the Mayan Council has to get 100 signatures from people in the community to show that people support the decision of transferring the land. Today, five months after initially asking for the land document, I have a copy of the land title.
Fourth challenge: fundraising. Fundraising is always a challenge; it’s rarely easy to have $10,000 USD fall on your lap. In certain cases, you find an NGO that does exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and they fund the majority of the project but this is an exception. My family, friends, fellow PCVs, RPCVs, etc have been incredibly supportive and helpful in this process. I originally thought one company was going to fund 80% of the project through their social branch, but this fell through and for the past month I’ve been scrambling to find $8,000 USD. I’m happy to say that with the support of everyone, we’ve been able to raise $6,000 USD. Thank you to those amazing people who have helped along the way!! We’re almost there.
Fifth Challenge: Construction date and elections. Since we’re so close to our goal, we were all discussing the possibility of starting in August. We’re all eager to get the project started and know that if we lose motivation then we’re screwed. Right now it’s the height of the political season. The mayor wants to start building asap because it will look like this project is his project and perhaps he can win some votes off of the building. But, if the mayor loses then he could decide to stop paying the laborers because he doesn’t have money or because he lost interest or who knows what could happen. Everyone here thinks the mayor will win and that we should take him for his promise that he’ll complete the project. I know damn well that political promises are usually empty and he’ll say anything to get this thing started. At the same time, the municipality is providing labor, transport, has supported us with the transport of the bottles, and can provide for any other little thing that happens along the way; so we can’t do this project without their support. Also, depending on who wins, the new candidate could have no interest in promoting the Mayan culture and decide that he doesn’t want to help out.
So what do we do? All options have their consequences and I’m trying to do my best to weigh the options and figure out the best and safest plan of action. It’s an incredible learning experience and this is probably the first time where I really have to be stern with people instead of doing my best so that everyone likes me. When people wonder, why is Peace Corps two years, that’s way too long…it’s because these things take an incredible amount of time. The building process will only take a couple months, but everything leading up to it…takes forever! Imagine if PC were just a year, I would be forced to start construction now because I’d be leaving in October. And I was worried that PC wouldn’t have opportunities to cultivate leadership experience, silly me!
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