Hi Everyone,
Back again this weekend. We thought we were going to stay in San Cristobal for the weekend but its turns out we weren't invited to the party! That's ok, it is nice to be back and have some internet and a hot shower. We are invited to International Women's Day which is in March and should be really exciting.
This past week was a lot better than the week before. We had about two days of sun during which I got a small sunburn. It was very cool, this past week we had a class on the roof of one of the houses of the school. The roof was covered with coffee beans drying in the sun and we discussed moments that had given us courage (in Spanish of course!). our teacher told us about how when the school was being constructed and he was very young, helicopters from the Mexican military would try to land there. He and other kids would run outside and put sticks with points on them into the ground so the helicopter couldn't land. He said it was a moment that gave him a lot of courage. It was very moving. Our promotor said how that kind of courage gives you rage, a rage of dignity. There is actually a holiday every year called, "La Digna Rabia". The first demand that Zapatistas made after the uprising was not for services, but for DIGNITY in terms of the Mexican governemnt stopping thier violence and paternalism.
I keep learning more and more about Zapatismo, and the more I learn, the more I like it. We had a discussion about religion with our promotores (our language teachers) and they said that in terms of religion, most Zapatistas identify as Catholic becuase thier parents are Catholic and that is who they are. However, they also acknowledged that the Catholic Church has played a big part in keeping women down ( I noticed many prochoice Zapatista t-shirts in thier store). They also said that with new generations many young people are no as involved with the Church and that most Zapatistas mix elements of thier Maya culture and traditions with Catholicism. I know from reading some books on Zapatismo and discussions with others than many within the Zapatista movement even consider liberation theology parternalistic and unhelpful.
We went to a Zapatista autonomous community this week which was very interesting as well. We saw a lot of artesan, weaving, and metal work cooperatives. At many of the cooperatives the people working thier explained that many of the patterns and symbol they use are important in Maya history and religion and that they continue to use them in thier design. We also talked with a representative from the local EZLN government. He talked about how the people of the community are mostly not trying to vivir (live) but subreviver (survive). He showed us the local EZLN elementary school. As he showed us the small building, with it's dirt floor, simple wood benches for desks, and limited supplies, tears came to his eyes. He described how the teachers at the school, also Zapatistas and mostly young people, get no pay for thier work (only food) and live very very hard lives so they can work to educate thier community. The kids were copying down the phrase, "Zapatistas are fighting for life" (translation).
He also showed us the government school that is in the same community. The school was obviously much better in terms of money, but the playground was also govered in a fence and barbed wire. He said that the Mexican government only has begun projects to help indigenous people since the Zapatista movement and in that case, only try to provide these programs for Zapatista or tentative Zapatista communities instead for all indigenous communities as a whole. In this was it becomes obvious that the governmen's policies are made to buy off people from the EZLN movement instead of trying to actuall help or work with communities. The representative admitted that many people have been bought off by the government because of thier extreme poverty, but at the same time most people in that community have remained strong and support the EZLN school.
He also said, again with tears in his eyes, that the government education taught students to look back to the past, to revert to a way of thinking where people think they can only ask the government for the help they need instead of making it themselves. He said the Zapatista education was an education born from struggle and born from pain. That the students are taught to look at thier community and thier world and see the truth, see the truth of the poverty and thier struggle, to teach the students to be independent and think for themselves. He said that the government education only teaches students to respect thier superiours, wheres Zapatista education teaches kids to respect thier superiors and thier inferiors. Again, the teachers of the EZLN are called "promotores" or promotors, not teachers. The experience was extremely moving.
As for me, I am very happy now. I am still practicing my Spanish and trying to improve. It was much better this week because we had sun and weren't wet and cold the whole time. I also have been doing exercise with a group of women everyday (we climb up and down this big hill/driveway into the community five times, which is very hard since it is very steep. This entertains the people to no end, making many older women giggle at us as we doing this strange gringo exercise thing). I also organized two other women on the trip to make everyone on our program and our promotores valentines day cards. It went over really well and everyone loved thier cards, incuding the director of the trip who said it was one of the nicest things any of the groups he has led has ever done for eachother.
I am finding myself really loving Mexico. While I am still a huge outsider, I love the land which is so green and cool and lush. The food is very fresh, with plenty of lime, avocado, chile, and papaya. Many of the houses are such beautiful bright colors and chickens, gentle stray dogs, and tired mules wander everywhere. We hiked to the top of the mountain the other day to see a happy cow grazing by herself on the edge of the a cliff. It was very beautiful.
The people here have also been teaching me so much about thier struggle and myself. The are nice and kind, but not overly gracious or rude. The young children are very independent and hang out together and look after each other in little groups. The little babies are kept very close to thier mother, father, or siblings. They are carried in a shawl that is tied like a sling to the back or front of the person. There are also a lot of wonderful fathers, some who seem to do the majority of childcare. There is one father who is always caring for his little baby (Isla Flor) and is incredibly sweet with her.
The other day I was going to the bathroom when I noticed a huge group of kids gathered around a big concrete tub of water (we fill our buckets in it to flush the toilet). Because the bathroom was so close to the tub and the door hardly closes and the kids are prone to laughing at us when we pee (or diarreah loudly!) I felt really nervous. I guess it showed on my face because this little boy laughed at me and made a roaring sound and a motion with his hand like he was a lion or something. He laughed so I laughed and then looked at what all the kids were studying. They were raising some fish in the tub and one of them had died. They were trying to get it out.
I feel like I am learning so much and am very grateful to be getting this opportunity.
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