Currently I am doing half day confirmations retreats during this first term and then will do a full day retreat between January and March with Confirmations for 21 schools sometime in March when the Bishop comes down. I am leading the retreats with a young Belizean man who has been a teacher and will have a Jesuit Novice in January to assist us.
The teacher retreats I am leading this term are on Personal Values and Beliefs for the 30 Catholic Primary schools (230 teachers). I’m using mainly activities I’ve done in the past like the Boatman morals activity of ranking who is most at fault to least at fault and a values ranking survey with 16 values they have to prioritize. The Boatman activity has gone over well because both the river crossing situation and infidelity issues hit home for many of the teachers. We have a variety of songs, activities, and discussions (small group and large group). I am planning a weekend retreat for teachers because I find that the teachers desire more than just one day and it would be a bonding weekend for at least 20 of the 230 teachers.
On this pleasant Friday afternoon in November I am regrouping from leading five retreats this week. At the beginning of the week I was in the most remote villages, a completely different group of children (quiet and shy) than the schools I work with in and close to town (wild and loud). The furthest villages survive off traditional slash and burn agriculture, have access to town only three days per week and send just a handful of students to high school, although the numbers grow each year. One of the activities we have them do is called “Dream your future”: what kind of occupation they'd like to have, where to live, what to own, what would make this dream come true and what would make it difficult, etc. It took be aback when one of the girls wrote, in the section of what occupation you'd want, "back water" (to collect water from the pump or river and carry it home to her house). I was about to say, ‘no, no think about a paid job you would like to have’, but then realized she must have such a limited concept of women working other than household duties. The only paid jobs they see are teachers, who are only men in these villages. It’s made me question our retreat activities for children you will mostly be spending the rest of their lives doing subsistence farming and working just to eat and survive. I surely don’t want our retreats to convince them that this is wrong.
On Monday night, I stayed the night in Crique Sarco, the Maya village where I did my home stay during my first few days here, and led a teacher retreat Monday and confirmation retreat Tuesday. This village is recently accessible by walking across a bridge, constructed just months ago. Before, you had to cross the river by wooden canoe and walk in. I really enjoy running around with the youngsters, exploring creeks and rivers and playing games (soccer, UNO cards), and watching the ladies cook tortillas and yell at the pigs, chickens and dogs that wander into their homes. The main hobby and adventure for the boys in the village is slinging birds with their sling shots. The one boy walked up to me with a huge smile, so proud of the little bird with had just slung. I followed him back to his house where he immediately plucked all the feathers, chopped the head and feet, pushed out the gizzards, stuck a stick through it and placed it by the traditional wood burning stove, like a miniature rotisserie chicken. I had to put aside my compassion for birds and marvel at the fun and excitement these children were have with just a piece of wood, rubber and rocks.
I have about five weeks of retreats left and then my family will be arriving for a visit from the 22nd to 31st of December. I look forward to showing them my life here; being the first time having a visitor in 16 months.
Despite not wanting to count the days down, I am getting anxious to consider options for next year and onward. I would like to do retreat work in a high school or university context for a couple years. I also plan to prepare for and decide on graduate school options. It is a goal of mine to continue with my studies in Anthropology. I found my undergraduate studies in Anthropology to me very enriching and stimulating and in these years in Belize I have met and been in contact with a few Anthropologists whose work with and Anthropological approach to land rights and resource issues have been very inspiring to me. I am going to have to work hard before though both preparing for the GRE’s and improving my reading and writing skills before grad school. The competition and cut throat pressure of grad school really turn me off, but if it’s something I really want, I will hopefully find it inside myself to do what I have to do. So I have hopes and ambitions for the future but know that there are many possibilities and roads that my future could take. For now, I am just trying to take advantage of my time here and grow as much, both by being in Belize and being a Jesuit Volunteer.
Now I have to finish some office work and get out of here to start the weekend. Tonight there is a Battle of the Drums, a Garifuna drum competition.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Reflections of the Medical Mission in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Reflections of the Medical Mission in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
On Wednesday September 17th , my Dad and I joined a medical mission group from Michigan, which included three doctors, two dentists, other volunteers and Brother Jim Boynton, a Jesuit brother who was my high school World History teacher and who invited me to join the trip. The trip was coordinated by Central American Ministries (www.camon-line.org/), an organization which focuses on development of schools, health clinics, and micro-finance loans in trash dump communities throughout Central America. We conducted a three-day medical clinic in the school of Ocotillo, a community of about 5,000 people, who survive by collecting materials from the trash dump and selling them, and is located on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, one of the largest industrial centers in Central America.
Without much idea of what I was getting myself into, besides "translating to Spanish for a medical mission trip," I had immediate hesitations about joining a group of middle-aged white Americans for a "mission" trip. However, this short-sighted concern and assumption of mine was soon to change after a couple of days working alongside people in a very challenging, yet rewarding project. Being placed in such an environment allows one's humanity to come out and can break through some of the thickest of barriers. My life in the Jesuit International Volunteer Corps in rural Belize is drastically different from the doctors, nurses and volunteers from the States. Furthermore, a North American background in general makes it difficult to truly understand the reality that the people of Ocotillo face on a daily basis. Regardless, the three days we spent together united us and impacted each person in very different yet mutually rewarding ways.
At 7:30 in the morning our group of about twenty stood on the San Pedro Sula street in front of Hotel Ejecutivo, along with two police officers (our body guards), and loaded the medical supplies and donations into the back of a pickup truck and headed towards the part of San Pedro Sula that most people don't even know exists as a human dwelling. After a twenty-minute ride, we turned onto a dirt road, passed through police barricades, and stared in awe at the homes, constructed mainly of recycled materials, that lined the roads on the outskirts of the dump. As we approached the gate of the trash dump, the thick stench that billowed into the van and the hundreds of turkey vultures flying overhead made my stomach begin to churn. Not because of the smell or the vultures, but because I knew what we were about to enter was going to open my eyes like never before to the struggles people face when their human dignity is so stripped away and survival is so fragile.
After about fifteen minutes of conversation between the police and trash dump guards, we passed through the gates and entered the dump. In one of two oversized vans filled with Americans, I felt like we were on a ride in Disneyland as our group stared in awe and snapped pictures of the men, women and children as if they were dressed up characters. Unfortunately, they were human beings, just like us, but whose day's work is raking through old trash and desperately ripping through newly dumped trash bags as if the bags contained gold. Instead their treasure was plastic bottles and aluminum cans that they would hopefully sell to recycling services. I was told the average person lives off of two lempiras a day. Twenty lempiras equals one dollar. You can do the math. Even though I was grateful for this eye opening experience, it was very uncomfortable being with a group gawking at and photographing these people and with nearly a dozen digital cameras. The term "poverty tourism" kept repeating through my mind. Tears came to my eyes as we drove through. Why must people be forced to compete with the turkey vultures and starving cattle in order to survive? Hasn't humanity advanced beyond the hunter and gatherer stage that I learned about in high school World History from Brother Jim?
For three days, hundreds of people lined up outside the classrooms with amazing patience, in hopes of being seen by a doctor, something very rare for the people Ocotillo. Scabies, parasites, flu like symptoms and body aches were the common issues found in nearly every child who came in. Infections, headaches, skin fungus, pelvic pains and discomforts, and all other sorts of unknown complications were common in nearly all the women who came in. The most difficult moments were trying to calm and restrain the patients as the doctor attempted to clear the wax, dirt and bugs from their ears. Doctor Phil, from University of Michigan Medical Center, said he has never had to remove a bug from a patient's ear. By the second day, he was routinely debugging ears.
Much of what people came in for was untreatable due to our limited resources and brevity of time. The doctors often advised and sometimes demanded people go to the clinic, but most refused, like the one elderly man with multiple fractures on his dangling arm but refused to go despite the transportation we were going to provide him to get to the hospital. It's difficult even to imagine the humiliation many of these people must have felt in their attempts to see a doctor and get help at a hospital or clinic after being sent from place to place or told to come back and never getting the much needed help they deserve. Despite my frustration and times of doubt as to what three days of this would mean a month from now, I do believe that the time we spent was very helpful for many and reduced the suffering of many, even if just for a short time. Since the projects that Central American Ministries (CAM) has developed are ongoing, this is only a small piece of the puzzle. The goal of CAM is to help empower individuals and increase opportunity for the youth that will hopefully change the cycle of generation after generation picking through garbage. Maybe Antonio, the lanky boy who helped us with logistics around the school, will never become a doctor like he hopes. Nevertheless, I have faith that through the continued work of CAM, it may one day be within the realm of possibility for his children to pursue higher education and the job of their interest. Otherwise these people will continue to be ignored and forgotten as they have been and as are many in similar situations around the world.
This trip was another reminder of how rewarding it is to step outside our reality and experience the lives of people who don't have everything at their fingertips like us privileged upper middle/ upper class Americans who came down. It is easy to get so caught up with our own busy lives that we forget how extremely privileged we are in contrast to the misery so many people live in. I believe that trips like these, despite their discomforts and "poverty tourism"-like dilemmas, can change the way we live our lives and light the way towards social justice and greater equality throughout the world.
On Wednesday September 17th , my Dad and I joined a medical mission group from Michigan, which included three doctors, two dentists, other volunteers and Brother Jim Boynton, a Jesuit brother who was my high school World History teacher and who invited me to join the trip. The trip was coordinated by Central American Ministries (www.camon-line.org/), an organization which focuses on development of schools, health clinics, and micro-finance loans in trash dump communities throughout Central America. We conducted a three-day medical clinic in the school of Ocotillo, a community of about 5,000 people, who survive by collecting materials from the trash dump and selling them, and is located on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, one of the largest industrial centers in Central America.
Without much idea of what I was getting myself into, besides "translating to Spanish for a medical mission trip," I had immediate hesitations about joining a group of middle-aged white Americans for a "mission" trip. However, this short-sighted concern and assumption of mine was soon to change after a couple of days working alongside people in a very challenging, yet rewarding project. Being placed in such an environment allows one's humanity to come out and can break through some of the thickest of barriers. My life in the Jesuit International Volunteer Corps in rural Belize is drastically different from the doctors, nurses and volunteers from the States. Furthermore, a North American background in general makes it difficult to truly understand the reality that the people of Ocotillo face on a daily basis. Regardless, the three days we spent together united us and impacted each person in very different yet mutually rewarding ways.
At 7:30 in the morning our group of about twenty stood on the San Pedro Sula street in front of Hotel Ejecutivo, along with two police officers (our body guards), and loaded the medical supplies and donations into the back of a pickup truck and headed towards the part of San Pedro Sula that most people don't even know exists as a human dwelling. After a twenty-minute ride, we turned onto a dirt road, passed through police barricades, and stared in awe at the homes, constructed mainly of recycled materials, that lined the roads on the outskirts of the dump. As we approached the gate of the trash dump, the thick stench that billowed into the van and the hundreds of turkey vultures flying overhead made my stomach begin to churn. Not because of the smell or the vultures, but because I knew what we were about to enter was going to open my eyes like never before to the struggles people face when their human dignity is so stripped away and survival is so fragile.
After about fifteen minutes of conversation between the police and trash dump guards, we passed through the gates and entered the dump. In one of two oversized vans filled with Americans, I felt like we were on a ride in Disneyland as our group stared in awe and snapped pictures of the men, women and children as if they were dressed up characters. Unfortunately, they were human beings, just like us, but whose day's work is raking through old trash and desperately ripping through newly dumped trash bags as if the bags contained gold. Instead their treasure was plastic bottles and aluminum cans that they would hopefully sell to recycling services. I was told the average person lives off of two lempiras a day. Twenty lempiras equals one dollar. You can do the math. Even though I was grateful for this eye opening experience, it was very uncomfortable being with a group gawking at and photographing these people and with nearly a dozen digital cameras. The term "poverty tourism" kept repeating through my mind. Tears came to my eyes as we drove through. Why must people be forced to compete with the turkey vultures and starving cattle in order to survive? Hasn't humanity advanced beyond the hunter and gatherer stage that I learned about in high school World History from Brother Jim?
For three days, hundreds of people lined up outside the classrooms with amazing patience, in hopes of being seen by a doctor, something very rare for the people Ocotillo. Scabies, parasites, flu like symptoms and body aches were the common issues found in nearly every child who came in. Infections, headaches, skin fungus, pelvic pains and discomforts, and all other sorts of unknown complications were common in nearly all the women who came in. The most difficult moments were trying to calm and restrain the patients as the doctor attempted to clear the wax, dirt and bugs from their ears. Doctor Phil, from University of Michigan Medical Center, said he has never had to remove a bug from a patient's ear. By the second day, he was routinely debugging ears.
Much of what people came in for was untreatable due to our limited resources and brevity of time. The doctors often advised and sometimes demanded people go to the clinic, but most refused, like the one elderly man with multiple fractures on his dangling arm but refused to go despite the transportation we were going to provide him to get to the hospital. It's difficult even to imagine the humiliation many of these people must have felt in their attempts to see a doctor and get help at a hospital or clinic after being sent from place to place or told to come back and never getting the much needed help they deserve. Despite my frustration and times of doubt as to what three days of this would mean a month from now, I do believe that the time we spent was very helpful for many and reduced the suffering of many, even if just for a short time. Since the projects that Central American Ministries (CAM) has developed are ongoing, this is only a small piece of the puzzle. The goal of CAM is to help empower individuals and increase opportunity for the youth that will hopefully change the cycle of generation after generation picking through garbage. Maybe Antonio, the lanky boy who helped us with logistics around the school, will never become a doctor like he hopes. Nevertheless, I have faith that through the continued work of CAM, it may one day be within the realm of possibility for his children to pursue higher education and the job of their interest. Otherwise these people will continue to be ignored and forgotten as they have been and as are many in similar situations around the world.
This trip was another reminder of how rewarding it is to step outside our reality and experience the lives of people who don't have everything at their fingertips like us privileged upper middle/ upper class Americans who came down. It is easy to get so caught up with our own busy lives that we forget how extremely privileged we are in contrast to the misery so many people live in. I believe that trips like these, despite their discomforts and "poverty tourism"-like dilemmas, can change the way we live our lives and light the way towards social justice and greater equality throughout the world.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
End of the Year Review
A Review of the year
Year one as a Jesuit Volunteer in Punta Gorda, Belize has come to an end. The sixty plus retreats I’ve led for teachers, 7th grade and 8th grade students are complete, my second year roommates have left and I am beginning summer work including: summarizing outcomes of retreats, documenting Church birth records from 1900 and earlier to assist an anthropologist whose research involves tracking migration patterns amongst the Mayan people in the Toledo district, visiting villages and exploring the “back a di bush”. Below is a summary of what I have done this year and a bit of how life has been as a Jesuit Volunteer.
First Term
During the first term I put on retreats with Fr. Dick for the teachers in all 30 schools (12 retreats total, merging the small schools with an average number at about 18 teachers per retreat). During this first term I was also going out to villages in the Toledo district by myself on motorcycle to conduct half day retreats for the 7th grade students who would be making their Confirmation in March. The first few months in Belize were most challenging since I was adjusting to living in “intentional community” (living in a house with three other Jesuit Volunteers with certain responsibilities and objectives in mind), trying to accept my role and learning to work closely with priests in a developing country, and searching to carve my own path instead of trying to live up to my predecessors.
Despite my challenges and questions about my presence I was able to keep going and find meaning and inspiration by trying to put to use my anthropology degree and by becoming involved in current issues in the communities I was in contact with. With the mix and cultures and especially the strong presence of traditional and indigenous culture, to would no doubt be a fruitful place for me to live and exercise some of the academic theory and personal interests that formed over the past few years. I became aware of and interested some of the socio-political issues in the Toledo district (most southern district encompassing the 30 schools I work with), especially land disputes and cultural preservation projects amidst the exponential increase of Belizeans in the global economy.
One day that really sparked my interest and concern in preservation vs. modernization issues, and whether or not these disputes are either/or, was at the opening a computer lab in one of the Mayan villages sponsored by a US Oil Company. I gave the ”Vote of Thanks” on behalf of the Catholic Schools directed towards the oil company, who sat in a panel form, and to the villagers who stood around in the school court yard. I was surprised that a school that doesn’t even have flush toilets or sinks would receive a state of the art internet computer lab first. The computers were donated to the school in order to persuade village leaders in five different villages, who are sitting on oil, to get on board with the oil companies and allow for drilling in the their villages and the neighboring Sarstoon Temash National Park. Walking away from this day I wondered what the impacts of the computers would be in the village and how long they’d be around.
After almost one year with these computers, the teachers have credited their increased high school entrance scores to the programs that the computers offer and especially towards students with learning disabilities in the classroom. This village also has a gang presence (red and blue representing blood and crypts) and recently had its first armed robbery and shooting in one of its stores. I don’t necessarily blame the shooting on the computers but during this shift from traditional practices to increased participation in the mainstream global economy I’ve found it important to think about factors influencing changes and how changes are being implemented.
(Below I have included more of my thoughts on these issues)
Second Term
After a long Holiday break and traveling up to Merida, Mexico, where I studied in 2006, it felt very comforting to get back into life in Punta Gorda. For the first time in about six months I really felt at home and content with where I was and what I was doing. Although I thought the culture shock chart that we were given at orientation was a bunch of crap and didn’t apply to me, there was something on the chart about six months being a major turning point. Maybe it just took some time for me to realize that the grass is not that much greener in the neighboring Latin America countries and that there’s a lot here for me to experience and learn.
From January to the end to February I was leading day retreats for the Standard Five (7th grade) students. Most of the retreats I did on my own and was able to strap my items to the back to the motorcycle and cruise out to the village, spending the night many of the weeks. My most memorable night was when I was sleeping in my tent in one of the most remote villages and I received night time visits from dogs barking, pigs snorting and a mule sniffing me out all right around my tent. I enjoyed spending the days with small groups of students where I could get to know them. Beginning with high hopes, trying to follow closely the planned agenda and encourage complete participation, my focus shifted to just trying to make the day fun and enjoyable for the students. About 15 of theses retreat days led up to Confirmation week, March 2nd-7th. Eighteen confirmations in six days with the Bishop of Belize and a handful of priests we spent traveling from village to village. It was the longest week in my life, but I was able to find entertainment in little things like watching people fall asleep, listening to Mayan hymns and the questions the children would ask the Bishop. It was really exciting to be a part of these days and to see how special it was for the villagers to have the Bishop come to their village.
The day after Confirmation week I traveled to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Reserve to climb to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest climbable mountain in Belize. During the four, physically exhausting, days I saw some beautiful and rare wildlife, connected with nature and was able rid myself of some of the built up anxiousness I had accumulated from the 36 hours I spent in Church the week prior and managed to stumble my way out with no serious injuries.
Third Term
The third term began in April and it was time again to start up a new round of retreats. The first two weeks of April I planned the second round of teacher retreats and Standard Six (8th grade) retreats. My goal for these retreats was to incorporate real situations and issues that are found in life in the Toledo district amongst teachers and Standard VI students respectively. Violence is on a rapid increase in Belize and a variety of social issues connected that have swept across the, up till recently, peaceful and safe Belize. Influence from the United States, namely Belizeans connected with gangs in the States who came back and most recently the prevalence television are changing society and behavior of youth. One striking image that stands out in my head is seeing a mother and teenage son standing next to each other in one of the Mayan villages. The mother was wearing a traditional Mayan skirt and blouse with no shoes and the son is wearing a bandana with US $100 bills as the design, a Michael Jordan shirt with actual nose, eyebrow and earrings pierced into the image of the shirt, ankle length jean shorts and white basketball shoes. Changes in styles from one generation to another are found everywhere in the world, but the schism in behavior and outlooks on life, especially in remote Mayan villages without electricity or water systems, is something that has stood out to me and thus inspired me to design retreats around these shifts in society.
The topic of the teacher retreats was about violence in the Toledo district and how to implement nonviolent solutions to the violence that exists on the street, in classrooms and in the homes. The skits were the highlight of the days where the teachers acted out scenarios in a violent way first and then had to act out a nonviolent response to the situations. The three scenarios were: disciplining a student in class who seems to only react to corporal punishment, confronting and responding to a family member/ friend whose drinking has become out of control, and responding to speculations that someone close to you has not been faithful to his/her partner. All three of these were acted out with violent and nonviolent ways and then were discussed amongst the group. I was impressed with the way the teachers laughed and joked about these situations and then discussed them in such an open, yet serious way.
The Standard Six retreats had many similarities with the teacher retreats since we discussed many of the same situations, just more specific to the lives on young teenagers. It was really interesting to go from school to school and observe how different the students are from one village and school to the next, not in clothing or music like you would in one suburb of the states to the next, but in levels of confidence and social skills. For the smaller schools (sometimes only 4 or 5 students) we would combine the students in order to put them in contact with others their age. One of these days I picked up six students from the Garifuna village and transported them along with a few others from Mayan villages to the furthest Mayan village on this route. The Garifuna children were much more confident and outgoing in discussion. It was neat to watch them form friendships and have the host students take the visiting ones home with them for lunch. Racial difference really seems to be a minor issue, if any at all. There are cultural differences effecting behavior, but discrimination and racism are not so common, at least not obvious like you find in the States. Another retreat I picked up five students from Blue Creek village, a village that has a cave which attracts many tourists. We traveled to a village called Aguacate, ten minutes further along the road which ends there. The students from Blue Creek had no problem getting up and acting out the skits and sharing their thoughts. However, the ones from Aguacate, especially the girls, where very shy and uncomfortable to speak up. Maybe it has to do with their teachers and whatever or not they practice speaking in front of the class, but I think a major factor is the degree of exposure the students have. I hope that by confronting and bringing light to the social issues that others their age deal with (drugs, sex, and robbery) will help them begin to think about these and try to form their own opinions on why something is right or wrong.
After about 11 months being in Belize I have come to regard this place the same I did as when I lived in Grosse Pointe or Chicago, as my new home. Sure each one is drastically different and they all provide me with a different ways of life, but the reality is, wherever I am I experience the same challenges and joys in life.
Note about Land Disputes
Issues concerning indigenous land rights and oil exploration in protected areas are ones that we’ve all learned about in school and seen on the news. It’s the same story that has occurred time and time again, just with different names and faces. The resource may be different, the group of people affected may vary and the location changes but it’s the same chain of events. There’s land and/or resources that are discovered with the potential to produce dollars with the right equipment and transportation methods. It’s usually not accessible by the local people so some powerful person, usually disconnected with the region, comes in and puts to use the resource or land that was otherwise not being used, or at least not be used as efficiently by locals. Through this extraction, dollars and jobs are being generated, therefore boosting the economy, somewhere. What happens in between this process and in the aftermath is commonly not accounted for or paid attention to. Everyone involved is trying to do the best and allow for livelihood of their family in whichever place they are, but too often it becomes us against them instead of everyone working together trying to come up with a solution where everyone can benefit. When it’s viewed as a dispute between multinational corporations against indigenous peasants, it’s easy to identify one as the oppressor and the other as the oppressed, although usually both sides are trying to do good for whomever they are representing. But what happens when you look at disputes between Mayan subsistence farmers, who grow corn and beans just for their family, and Environmental Organizations attempting to establish protected areas in order to preserve the ecosystem and wildlife from destruction. Both in effect seem to be fighting for just causes, but either side becomes hostile if you the other wins out. Any thoughts?
Year one as a Jesuit Volunteer in Punta Gorda, Belize has come to an end. The sixty plus retreats I’ve led for teachers, 7th grade and 8th grade students are complete, my second year roommates have left and I am beginning summer work including: summarizing outcomes of retreats, documenting Church birth records from 1900 and earlier to assist an anthropologist whose research involves tracking migration patterns amongst the Mayan people in the Toledo district, visiting villages and exploring the “back a di bush”. Below is a summary of what I have done this year and a bit of how life has been as a Jesuit Volunteer.
First Term
During the first term I put on retreats with Fr. Dick for the teachers in all 30 schools (12 retreats total, merging the small schools with an average number at about 18 teachers per retreat). During this first term I was also going out to villages in the Toledo district by myself on motorcycle to conduct half day retreats for the 7th grade students who would be making their Confirmation in March. The first few months in Belize were most challenging since I was adjusting to living in “intentional community” (living in a house with three other Jesuit Volunteers with certain responsibilities and objectives in mind), trying to accept my role and learning to work closely with priests in a developing country, and searching to carve my own path instead of trying to live up to my predecessors.
Despite my challenges and questions about my presence I was able to keep going and find meaning and inspiration by trying to put to use my anthropology degree and by becoming involved in current issues in the communities I was in contact with. With the mix and cultures and especially the strong presence of traditional and indigenous culture, to would no doubt be a fruitful place for me to live and exercise some of the academic theory and personal interests that formed over the past few years. I became aware of and interested some of the socio-political issues in the Toledo district (most southern district encompassing the 30 schools I work with), especially land disputes and cultural preservation projects amidst the exponential increase of Belizeans in the global economy.
One day that really sparked my interest and concern in preservation vs. modernization issues, and whether or not these disputes are either/or, was at the opening a computer lab in one of the Mayan villages sponsored by a US Oil Company. I gave the ”Vote of Thanks” on behalf of the Catholic Schools directed towards the oil company, who sat in a panel form, and to the villagers who stood around in the school court yard. I was surprised that a school that doesn’t even have flush toilets or sinks would receive a state of the art internet computer lab first. The computers were donated to the school in order to persuade village leaders in five different villages, who are sitting on oil, to get on board with the oil companies and allow for drilling in the their villages and the neighboring Sarstoon Temash National Park. Walking away from this day I wondered what the impacts of the computers would be in the village and how long they’d be around.
After almost one year with these computers, the teachers have credited their increased high school entrance scores to the programs that the computers offer and especially towards students with learning disabilities in the classroom. This village also has a gang presence (red and blue representing blood and crypts) and recently had its first armed robbery and shooting in one of its stores. I don’t necessarily blame the shooting on the computers but during this shift from traditional practices to increased participation in the mainstream global economy I’ve found it important to think about factors influencing changes and how changes are being implemented.
(Below I have included more of my thoughts on these issues)
Second Term
After a long Holiday break and traveling up to Merida, Mexico, where I studied in 2006, it felt very comforting to get back into life in Punta Gorda. For the first time in about six months I really felt at home and content with where I was and what I was doing. Although I thought the culture shock chart that we were given at orientation was a bunch of crap and didn’t apply to me, there was something on the chart about six months being a major turning point. Maybe it just took some time for me to realize that the grass is not that much greener in the neighboring Latin America countries and that there’s a lot here for me to experience and learn.
From January to the end to February I was leading day retreats for the Standard Five (7th grade) students. Most of the retreats I did on my own and was able to strap my items to the back to the motorcycle and cruise out to the village, spending the night many of the weeks. My most memorable night was when I was sleeping in my tent in one of the most remote villages and I received night time visits from dogs barking, pigs snorting and a mule sniffing me out all right around my tent. I enjoyed spending the days with small groups of students where I could get to know them. Beginning with high hopes, trying to follow closely the planned agenda and encourage complete participation, my focus shifted to just trying to make the day fun and enjoyable for the students. About 15 of theses retreat days led up to Confirmation week, March 2nd-7th. Eighteen confirmations in six days with the Bishop of Belize and a handful of priests we spent traveling from village to village. It was the longest week in my life, but I was able to find entertainment in little things like watching people fall asleep, listening to Mayan hymns and the questions the children would ask the Bishop. It was really exciting to be a part of these days and to see how special it was for the villagers to have the Bishop come to their village.
The day after Confirmation week I traveled to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Reserve to climb to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest climbable mountain in Belize. During the four, physically exhausting, days I saw some beautiful and rare wildlife, connected with nature and was able rid myself of some of the built up anxiousness I had accumulated from the 36 hours I spent in Church the week prior and managed to stumble my way out with no serious injuries.
Third Term
The third term began in April and it was time again to start up a new round of retreats. The first two weeks of April I planned the second round of teacher retreats and Standard Six (8th grade) retreats. My goal for these retreats was to incorporate real situations and issues that are found in life in the Toledo district amongst teachers and Standard VI students respectively. Violence is on a rapid increase in Belize and a variety of social issues connected that have swept across the, up till recently, peaceful and safe Belize. Influence from the United States, namely Belizeans connected with gangs in the States who came back and most recently the prevalence television are changing society and behavior of youth. One striking image that stands out in my head is seeing a mother and teenage son standing next to each other in one of the Mayan villages. The mother was wearing a traditional Mayan skirt and blouse with no shoes and the son is wearing a bandana with US $100 bills as the design, a Michael Jordan shirt with actual nose, eyebrow and earrings pierced into the image of the shirt, ankle length jean shorts and white basketball shoes. Changes in styles from one generation to another are found everywhere in the world, but the schism in behavior and outlooks on life, especially in remote Mayan villages without electricity or water systems, is something that has stood out to me and thus inspired me to design retreats around these shifts in society.
The topic of the teacher retreats was about violence in the Toledo district and how to implement nonviolent solutions to the violence that exists on the street, in classrooms and in the homes. The skits were the highlight of the days where the teachers acted out scenarios in a violent way first and then had to act out a nonviolent response to the situations. The three scenarios were: disciplining a student in class who seems to only react to corporal punishment, confronting and responding to a family member/ friend whose drinking has become out of control, and responding to speculations that someone close to you has not been faithful to his/her partner. All three of these were acted out with violent and nonviolent ways and then were discussed amongst the group. I was impressed with the way the teachers laughed and joked about these situations and then discussed them in such an open, yet serious way.
The Standard Six retreats had many similarities with the teacher retreats since we discussed many of the same situations, just more specific to the lives on young teenagers. It was really interesting to go from school to school and observe how different the students are from one village and school to the next, not in clothing or music like you would in one suburb of the states to the next, but in levels of confidence and social skills. For the smaller schools (sometimes only 4 or 5 students) we would combine the students in order to put them in contact with others their age. One of these days I picked up six students from the Garifuna village and transported them along with a few others from Mayan villages to the furthest Mayan village on this route. The Garifuna children were much more confident and outgoing in discussion. It was neat to watch them form friendships and have the host students take the visiting ones home with them for lunch. Racial difference really seems to be a minor issue, if any at all. There are cultural differences effecting behavior, but discrimination and racism are not so common, at least not obvious like you find in the States. Another retreat I picked up five students from Blue Creek village, a village that has a cave which attracts many tourists. We traveled to a village called Aguacate, ten minutes further along the road which ends there. The students from Blue Creek had no problem getting up and acting out the skits and sharing their thoughts. However, the ones from Aguacate, especially the girls, where very shy and uncomfortable to speak up. Maybe it has to do with their teachers and whatever or not they practice speaking in front of the class, but I think a major factor is the degree of exposure the students have. I hope that by confronting and bringing light to the social issues that others their age deal with (drugs, sex, and robbery) will help them begin to think about these and try to form their own opinions on why something is right or wrong.
After about 11 months being in Belize I have come to regard this place the same I did as when I lived in Grosse Pointe or Chicago, as my new home. Sure each one is drastically different and they all provide me with a different ways of life, but the reality is, wherever I am I experience the same challenges and joys in life.
Note about Land Disputes
Issues concerning indigenous land rights and oil exploration in protected areas are ones that we’ve all learned about in school and seen on the news. It’s the same story that has occurred time and time again, just with different names and faces. The resource may be different, the group of people affected may vary and the location changes but it’s the same chain of events. There’s land and/or resources that are discovered with the potential to produce dollars with the right equipment and transportation methods. It’s usually not accessible by the local people so some powerful person, usually disconnected with the region, comes in and puts to use the resource or land that was otherwise not being used, or at least not be used as efficiently by locals. Through this extraction, dollars and jobs are being generated, therefore boosting the economy, somewhere. What happens in between this process and in the aftermath is commonly not accounted for or paid attention to. Everyone involved is trying to do the best and allow for livelihood of their family in whichever place they are, but too often it becomes us against them instead of everyone working together trying to come up with a solution where everyone can benefit. When it’s viewed as a dispute between multinational corporations against indigenous peasants, it’s easy to identify one as the oppressor and the other as the oppressed, although usually both sides are trying to do good for whomever they are representing. But what happens when you look at disputes between Mayan subsistence farmers, who grow corn and beans just for their family, and Environmental Organizations attempting to establish protected areas in order to preserve the ecosystem and wildlife from destruction. Both in effect seem to be fighting for just causes, but either side becomes hostile if you the other wins out. Any thoughts?
Results of Teacher Retreat
Toledo RC Schools Staff Retreat
April-June, 2008
Purpose of Retreats:
The teacher’s retreats are days of recollection for the teachers to take a break from teaching, grow as persons in their faith and think about their lives. The retreats are conducted by a priest (Fr. Dick) and the JVI (Bobby Karle). They conduct 12 retreats for the 30 RC schools, combining small schools, with an average of 20 teachers per retreat. There is one set of retreats during the first term and one during the third term.
Third Term retreat theme:
Transforming Violence to Peace and Nonviolence
Summary of Retreat on Nonviolence:
The third term teacher retreat was inspired by the Ghandi Institute for Nonviolence pamphlet (included in this packet). The day retreat was spent discussing the types of violence in the Toledo district, the causes and influences, and the ways one can respond to the violence and other social issues. The day began with an activity on peace activists (included in packet) in which each teacher was given a name and picture or description and then had to pair up with the correct match. In the later morning teachers read an article titled “Jesus and Alinsky” which discussed three responses to violence: 1. violent opposition, 2. passivity or doing nothing 3. and the third way of militant nonviolence. The article suggests that Jesus advocates using the third way of nonviolence. The article was intended to have teachers think about if and how the third way applies to violence in Toledo they discussed.
During the afternoon teachers acted out role play skits with two outcomes: violent outcome first and then the same scenario with a nonviolent response. The three skits were: disciplining a student who is always causing trouble and seems to only respond to lashing, confronting someone in your family whose drinking has become abusive and out of control, and responding to suspicions that a friend has been unfaithful to his or her partner.
Summary of responses from small group discussions
1. What are the types of Violence/ Crime in the Toledo District?
Abuse
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Rape
Harassment
Emotional/ Verbal abuse
Domestic violence
Husband to wife
Wife to husband
Father to children
Mother to children
Robbery
Murder
Drugs related crimes/ trafficking
2. What are some changes in the Toledo district?
Positive changes:
Increase in educational opportunities
More recreational activities for youth (Youth Group, Scouts, Cadets)
Increase women’s role in society
Increase in organizations:
Julian Cho Society
SATTIM
Garifuna Council
Women’s Group
Tolca
Youth for the Future
TIDE
Negative changes:
o Destruction of land and natural resources
o Increase in crime
o Increases in cost of living
o More and more people leaving to work in other districts
o Decrease in values
Changes with positives and negatives (up for debate):
More denominations of Churches
More technology
Population growth
More protected lands (less farmable land)
More roads (easier to travel)
Causes and Influences of Violence, Crime and Problems
Family problems/ breakdown of the family
Single parents families
Community issues
Gangs
Lack of jobs
Laziness
School dropout
Political/ Religious divisions
Blue vs. Red division
Increase in Churches causing division
Other influences
Peer Influence
Lack of positive role models
Breakdown of the family and loss of family values
Lack of parental guidance
Movies
Advertisement
Drugs
Fast money
Poverty
Unemployment
Influence from city
Ways of Responding to social issues
o Teach Christian values at early age and challenges they will face in society
o Go to Church and encourage friends and family to go along
o Get involved with organizations
o Promote peace and nonviolent solutions
o Set an examples for others/ be a role model for youth
o Be an advocate for change
o Stand up for what you believe in
o Reach out and give advice to those facing challenges
o Help arrange youth activities, Sunday schools, youth groups
o Provide info on consequences and effects of violence, drugs, and sex
o Consult resource personnel and professional help
o Increase participation in community involvement
As Parents:
o Mother and Father need to have stable relationship
o They need to communicate more with their children
o Positive encouragement and reward for success and good behavior
o Discuss dangers of drugs with children
o Give more loving attention instead of money and presents as attention
o Practice their faith and live out what they want their children to
o Discipline children and give an explanation of their discipline
o Explain to children about the responsibilities of the leaders of the community
As Teachers:
o Teach manners
o Involve children in projects (craft making, sports, community service)
o Involve young people in leadership exercises
o Be role models
o Give special attention to those with behavioral issues
General changes needed in Toledo:
More jobs
More opportunities to go to high school and university
Rehab clinics and counseling centers in the Toledo district
April-June, 2008
Purpose of Retreats:
The teacher’s retreats are days of recollection for the teachers to take a break from teaching, grow as persons in their faith and think about their lives. The retreats are conducted by a priest (Fr. Dick) and the JVI (Bobby Karle). They conduct 12 retreats for the 30 RC schools, combining small schools, with an average of 20 teachers per retreat. There is one set of retreats during the first term and one during the third term.
Third Term retreat theme:
Transforming Violence to Peace and Nonviolence
Summary of Retreat on Nonviolence:
The third term teacher retreat was inspired by the Ghandi Institute for Nonviolence pamphlet (included in this packet). The day retreat was spent discussing the types of violence in the Toledo district, the causes and influences, and the ways one can respond to the violence and other social issues. The day began with an activity on peace activists (included in packet) in which each teacher was given a name and picture or description and then had to pair up with the correct match. In the later morning teachers read an article titled “Jesus and Alinsky” which discussed three responses to violence: 1. violent opposition, 2. passivity or doing nothing 3. and the third way of militant nonviolence. The article suggests that Jesus advocates using the third way of nonviolence. The article was intended to have teachers think about if and how the third way applies to violence in Toledo they discussed.
During the afternoon teachers acted out role play skits with two outcomes: violent outcome first and then the same scenario with a nonviolent response. The three skits were: disciplining a student who is always causing trouble and seems to only respond to lashing, confronting someone in your family whose drinking has become abusive and out of control, and responding to suspicions that a friend has been unfaithful to his or her partner.
Summary of responses from small group discussions
1. What are the types of Violence/ Crime in the Toledo District?
Abuse
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Rape
Harassment
Emotional/ Verbal abuse
Domestic violence
Husband to wife
Wife to husband
Father to children
Mother to children
Robbery
Murder
Drugs related crimes/ trafficking
2. What are some changes in the Toledo district?
Positive changes:
Increase in educational opportunities
More recreational activities for youth (Youth Group, Scouts, Cadets)
Increase women’s role in society
Increase in organizations:
Julian Cho Society
SATTIM
Garifuna Council
Women’s Group
Tolca
Youth for the Future
TIDE
Negative changes:
o Destruction of land and natural resources
o Increase in crime
o Increases in cost of living
o More and more people leaving to work in other districts
o Decrease in values
Changes with positives and negatives (up for debate):
More denominations of Churches
More technology
Population growth
More protected lands (less farmable land)
More roads (easier to travel)
Causes and Influences of Violence, Crime and Problems
Family problems/ breakdown of the family
Single parents families
Community issues
Gangs
Lack of jobs
Laziness
School dropout
Political/ Religious divisions
Blue vs. Red division
Increase in Churches causing division
Other influences
Peer Influence
Lack of positive role models
Breakdown of the family and loss of family values
Lack of parental guidance
Movies
Advertisement
Drugs
Fast money
Poverty
Unemployment
Influence from city
Ways of Responding to social issues
o Teach Christian values at early age and challenges they will face in society
o Go to Church and encourage friends and family to go along
o Get involved with organizations
o Promote peace and nonviolent solutions
o Set an examples for others/ be a role model for youth
o Be an advocate for change
o Stand up for what you believe in
o Reach out and give advice to those facing challenges
o Help arrange youth activities, Sunday schools, youth groups
o Provide info on consequences and effects of violence, drugs, and sex
o Consult resource personnel and professional help
o Increase participation in community involvement
As Parents:
o Mother and Father need to have stable relationship
o They need to communicate more with their children
o Positive encouragement and reward for success and good behavior
o Discuss dangers of drugs with children
o Give more loving attention instead of money and presents as attention
o Practice their faith and live out what they want their children to
o Discipline children and give an explanation of their discipline
o Explain to children about the responsibilities of the leaders of the community
As Teachers:
o Teach manners
o Involve children in projects (craft making, sports, community service)
o Involve young people in leadership exercises
o Be role models
o Give special attention to those with behavioral issues
General changes needed in Toledo:
More jobs
More opportunities to go to high school and university
Rehab clinics and counseling centers in the Toledo district
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Victoria Peak Hike (click for photos)
Victoria Peak is the the tallest peak in Belize! (Actually, there is a
taller peak but only by a few feet and it doesn't have an accessible trail,
so we won't count that) It was about 33 miles round trip and it's about
4,000 feet.
It was such an adventure. We hiked about 7 hours a day crossing streams,
climbing up riverbeds, hiking up hills, hacking down bush with machetes (Ok
that was our guide, Marcelo with the machete), drinking water out of
streams, checking out nature and wildlife and just tromping around in the
jungle in general.
I saw tons of wildlife...toucans, coatis, paca, (small rodent-y type
animals, about as big as a dog) a white hawk, a tarantula, we smelled a pack of peccary (like boar) and
came across jaguar tracks, jaguar poop, and even jaguar vomit. Apparently
after jaguars eat animals they vomit up the fur. Twice we saw the fur of
some unlucky paca on the trail. We heard countless different kinds of birds
and at night I saw the most amazing stars!
The first day we began our trek from Cockscomb Wildlife Basin, a protected
area and the world's only Jaguar Preserve. It's a wonderful park with great
trails and managed by the Belize Audubon Society. One of the guys on my
trip, Scott is a Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to Audubon. So, along the
hike he took pictures and GPS coordinates for the Audubon. Not a bad
assignment in my opinion! Our first day we started from Cockscomb and hiked
to the 19K camp, reached there in the afternoon. There is a palapa and
benches at the camp, so it makes it really great in case of rain...you have
a place to stay dry and make a fire. Lucky for us there was no rain! At the
camp there is a small waterfall too, which was our outdoor shower! We made
up our tent and cooked dinner and then went to sleep about 8.... I know I
was feeling a little anxious about the next day, but as soon as I laid down
I was out!
I woke up the next day feeling a little stiff from carrying the pack all
that way yet very excited and hopeful to reach the summit. The second day
we hiked from the
19K camp to the summit at 27K and back. The first part until 25K was
challenging but still cool, you are still in the jungle and on the trail.
However once you reach the base of the peak, you are mainly hiking up rocks,
and the foliage clears out, so you can really see how high up you are! You
can also see how far of a drop it was! This was the most exhilarating part of
the hike and what made it Victoria Peak. Climbing with all fours over rocks and
up ropes with break taking (and lifetaking if a single slippage occurred) was
something I've dreamed of for years.
On the summit the landscape was amazing!
It looks like a different planet, thick clouds, moss everywhere. The red orchid
in the picture is a flower that only blooms on Victoria Peak and one other
of the trails in Cockscomb. When we reached the top it was pretty cloudy,
and we were in them, so not too much of a view but I still was very happy!
When you reach the
summit, there is a little time capsule made out of pvc pipe with a notebook
in it, and you sign your name in it! In the book there was quite a lot of
people who had reached the summit, I would say over 200. Funny, a lot of
people wrote "Thank God I made it to the top, never going to do it again! "
We hung out for about half an hour, then began the trek down again. We got
back to camp about 3. That night we all had a little brandy toast and
congratulated each other around the fire while our guide told Belizean style
ghost stories of la Llorona and Tataduende. Tataduende is a small man who
has no thumbs, and he comes in the night to shake your hammock and play
trick on you!
Next day we began the trek back to Cockscomb. We left about 7 and got there
around 2, pretty good time. It was sad to go back and my feel were also
wrecked... soggy shoes for three days doesn't feel so good. The entire trip
was awesome and went by way too fast. But now I am happy to check another
box on my list of Belize adventures and say I did Victoria Peak!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Retreats, motorcycles, Andy Palacio
I have been in
Jumping back into the routine after the holidays felt just right. I knew what I was doing, I knew all the principals and teachers and I had a new confidence in what I was doing and especially saying “no” or “I don’t know” and not feeling bad about it. I am not trying to live up to past volunteers in my position who I’ve heard so many impressive stories about nor worried about burning out and quitting like my latest predecessor.
Currently I am working strictly with the confirmation candidates helping them in preparation for the Confirmation ceremony, the first week of March in which I will have to escort and assist the Bishop with the 18 confirmations in six days. I have scheduled around three retreats per week and have tried to spend the night in one of the villages each week. Two weeks ago I slept in a tent and was visited at night my pigs, dogs and a horse. They just came to check out the green domed thing in the field so I said hello and told them to move along. They listened alright!
The retreats have been going really well. Most of all, I have attempted to make them relaxing and fun days for the Standard 5 (6th or 7th grade) students composed of music, drawing, games and skits. I am learning how to make them more structured, makes for a more enjoyable day and less stress on my part. They are such happy and beautiful children who find joy and entertainment in the simplest things. However they are being exposed to more and more influences that are changing the culture here.
My motorcycle has had different problems every month or so. Not surprising since its six years old and seeing the roads I ride. I just replaced the chain, rachet, sprocket and rear tire so hopefully that keeps it running alright for the next couple months. I love it though, especially when I have all my survival gear strapped down to the back of it – tent, sleeping bag, machete, food, first aid book, bug spray, candles and head lamp. I sometimes want to travel back in time and meet up with Fuser (Che) and Alberto along the road. But then again I don’t trust my motorcycle any more than La Poderosa (The Mighty One) and don’t want to be chased by a bunch of drunken Venezuelans. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then I suggest checking out the movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”.
Andy Palacio, the most internationally acclaimed musician from
Elections are coming up in two weeks in
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