Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Taking Actions
As you know Janett is doing a great job posting our experiences in Guatemala. I have sort of been processing it all. My father-in-law asked me today about the trip and I really had no words for him It was an indescribable experience. It was heart-wrenching and inspiring all at once. I know that we need to step back and think about what we can do at home to help.
So, I have been in contact with Amanda and am thinking about what we can do here at home. Given my trip to the grocery store yesterday and looking at the banana's I felt a flood of anger. This anger can be productive and I am going to find a way to be effective. Ironic that one of my last papers in grad school was about Cesar Chavez and the UFW.
I am going to get in contact with the banana workers in Guatemala and see what actions and help they would like from us and will need your help. We are not going to boycott because that is not what they need. Please stay tuned as I will most likely send out some sort of action alert.
I want to continue to write about Guatemala and tomorrow will pick up where I left off with Gladys Monterroso and her story of kidnap, rape and what has occurred since then.
So, I have been in contact with Amanda and am thinking about what we can do here at home. Given my trip to the grocery store yesterday and looking at the banana's I felt a flood of anger. This anger can be productive and I am going to find a way to be effective. Ironic that one of my last papers in grad school was about Cesar Chavez and the UFW.
I am going to get in contact with the banana workers in Guatemala and see what actions and help they would like from us and will need your help. We are not going to boycott because that is not what they need. Please stay tuned as I will most likely send out some sort of action alert.
I want to continue to write about Guatemala and tomorrow will pick up where I left off with Gladys Monterroso and her story of kidnap, rape and what has occurred since then.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Please Read VCU-VAW blog
Janett is doing an amazing job updating the blog! I have added a link to it on the left side of my page- the VCU-VAW blog.
I did not do much today besides drink coffee, try to read the NYT - there was actually an article about Mayan Pyramids and the Super Collider in Geneva.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/weekinreview/09glanz.html
Anyhow, we went to Whole Foods- told Matt to be very careful while picking his banana's.
I did however come up with an idea that hopefully will raise some awareness about how Bandegua is treating their female workers in other countries. More on that later.....and yes, I will need your help!
We came home,I laid on the couch and passed out. I am still really tired.
Matt made a great dinner for me including the sacred corn of course and now I am about to sign off before I nod off!
peace and love and to my friends in Guatemala-you know who you are be safe, I am missing you, and will see you all soon! Janett- please take a break! Love you!
I did not do much today besides drink coffee, try to read the NYT - there was actually an article about Mayan Pyramids and the Super Collider in Geneva.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/weekinreview/09glanz.html
Anyhow, we went to Whole Foods- told Matt to be very careful while picking his banana's.
I did however come up with an idea that hopefully will raise some awareness about how Bandegua is treating their female workers in other countries. More on that later.....and yes, I will need your help!
We came home,I laid on the couch and passed out. I am still really tired.
Matt made a great dinner for me including the sacred corn of course and now I am about to sign off before I nod off!
peace and love and to my friends in Guatemala-you know who you are be safe, I am missing you, and will see you all soon! Janett- please take a break! Love you!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
I am home!
Apparently while in Antigua the other night I did not save my post! Which is probably okay as I had drank a little Vino with my friends! I am safely home and a little sad because I tried really hard to get to stay until Wednesday with Debbie, Beth and Janett. However none of the other standby's showed up to the airport so I had to get on the plane. Matt picked me and a stranger I had met on the plane up in DC- and I was very excited to see him!
(side note- he Juan Pablo-was en route home to DC and American Airlines lost his luggage and he missed his flight to DC from MIA originating in Costa Rica- he had a long day and ended up sitting next me on the plane--he is a biologist and works for an environmental non-profit in DC so we had a really interesting convo on the plane...thus ending up in me offering him a ride to Fredricksburg since his wife had originally shown up at the airport and he was not on the plane!)
I realize that I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. This trip was amazing and life changing. I also realize that I need to decompress and think about everything I learned, experienced, and felt. I am emotionally drained but also feel like I have found my purpose in life. I know that may sound cliche. I assure you it is not. Emily Willard and I are very excited about a woman's center in Chimaltenango. We both felt an immediate connection to their mission and are going to collaborate on supporting (apoyando) them in any way we can.
My spanish is back almost 100% and I also learned a few Mayan words! I will post pictures and more information about the delegation soon! I am going to take a few days off and will post more soon!
(side note- he Juan Pablo-was en route home to DC and American Airlines lost his luggage and he missed his flight to DC from MIA originating in Costa Rica- he had a long day and ended up sitting next me on the plane--he is a biologist and works for an environmental non-profit in DC so we had a really interesting convo on the plane...thus ending up in me offering him a ride to Fredricksburg since his wife had originally shown up at the airport and he was not on the plane!)
I realize that I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. This trip was amazing and life changing. I also realize that I need to decompress and think about everything I learned, experienced, and felt. I am emotionally drained but also feel like I have found my purpose in life. I know that may sound cliche. I assure you it is not. Emily Willard and I are very excited about a woman's center in Chimaltenango. We both felt an immediate connection to their mission and are going to collaborate on supporting (apoyando) them in any way we can.
My spanish is back almost 100% and I also learned a few Mayan words! I will post pictures and more information about the delegation soon! I am going to take a few days off and will post more soon!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Hi All!
Hi- we just wanted to give you a quick update! We are currently in Antigua (Old City). We definitely needed to be here today. We had along journey and were in the van for at least 30 hours! Or at least it felt like it! Seriously though we were in the car for at least 4 hours today. We visited a Mayan Community Radio Station (think NPR in the middle of the Guatemalan Mountains). Don Felipe started the radio station eleven years ago. They transmit from the pueblo of Xajaxac. It is a tiny community of Mayans. They rely on the community radio station for all of their information yet the Ministerio Publico (the public defenders office) wants to outlaw them! That seems a little ridiculous considering that out of all the crime in Guatemala only 2% of criminals are convicted YET the Public defenders office wants to spend time and money (60 Million which are U.S. funds----- yeah- your tax dollars) on restricting Community radio stations whose programming includes talking about health issues in the communities, Mayan history, and music. Think about that! Goodnight it is way past my bedtime and we have a meeting with the US Embassy tomorrow! I will continue the rest of my week's story soon!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Heavy stuff...........
So it is only Monday(technically Tuesday as it is 12:15am). It feels like we have been here for such a long time. We had a very busy and emotionally trying day yesterday. We started out with an orientation.
We talked about our Hopes and Expectations for the trip and we wrote them on big posters and there were some good ones most of them were really positive like being able to take our experiences home and make some positive changes for the people of Guatemala. Some of the others included Empowerment, taking action steps and more of the same theme. We also wrote about our Fears...these included the fear of the unknown, kidnapping and torture, transportation-which meant more kidnapping or a situation with guns, Danger, Reprisals, Fear for the people that we are trying to help. Talking about these fears was super stressful because it made the fact that we are on a Human Rights Delegation REAL. Human Rights workers are in extreme danger in this country. On a lighter note we also feared diarrhea. We also talked about the Realities of this trip. The realities that we are here and also that we now have a responsibility to share our knowledge and take action when we return to the comfort of the Unites States.
We then talked about our safety protocol which I don't really feel like describing because I don't want to.
Sunday was really the first day that we had a fully structured schedule with meetings to attend. Because it was Sunday most of the people that we met with came to us because well it was Sunday and it was safer for them to come to us as we are in a secure space.
The first people we met with yesterday was group of women from STITCH. They are labor organizers and were amazing. Our coordinator Amanda said that it was amazing that we got to meet these four women two of which are Ladino and two are Mayan. The short story is that the women that are organizing for the workers rights are focusing on rights for the female workers that work on the banana plantations (the company is called Bandegua in Guatemala however it is an offshoot of what used to be Chiquita and is now Del Monte). The men have rights that the women are not entitled to such as a place to live on the plantation. Most of the women travel 3-4 hours just to get to work. Then they are required to pack at least 45 boxes of bananas an HOUR....have you seen how big those banana boxes are? Oh and if the women want to stay on the plantation in the same houses that are provided for men...well they have to be sexually involved with the men. So basically they need to have sex with the male workers in order to be able to stay there.
So besides working on female laborer rights there are so many other issues that these organizers are fighting against including getting 40,000 workers unionized which is being disputed by multi-national companies including Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte (which I will now be boycotting). How come in the United States these companies are allowed to unionize but not in Guatemala? Do these people not deserve the same working conditions? The same maternity leave? Wages that will allow them to put food on their tables?
Think about that...........................
Next we took a very short coffee break and got the chance to speak with the group that had presented. I had a very interesting conversation with one of the Mayan women that I will not talk about now but will update you with when I get back to the States.
Like I said we had a very full day. I am so tired now that I will continue to tell you all about this week...however we also have a full day tomorrow and are leaving for the highlands in the morning and so I should try to get back to sleep!
If I am not blogging in the next few days please don't worry as I am not sure that we will have internet access. We will be back in Guatemala City on Friday.
We talked about our Hopes and Expectations for the trip and we wrote them on big posters and there were some good ones most of them were really positive like being able to take our experiences home and make some positive changes for the people of Guatemala. Some of the others included Empowerment, taking action steps and more of the same theme. We also wrote about our Fears...these included the fear of the unknown, kidnapping and torture, transportation-which meant more kidnapping or a situation with guns, Danger, Reprisals, Fear for the people that we are trying to help. Talking about these fears was super stressful because it made the fact that we are on a Human Rights Delegation REAL. Human Rights workers are in extreme danger in this country. On a lighter note we also feared diarrhea. We also talked about the Realities of this trip. The realities that we are here and also that we now have a responsibility to share our knowledge and take action when we return to the comfort of the Unites States.
We then talked about our safety protocol which I don't really feel like describing because I don't want to.
Sunday was really the first day that we had a fully structured schedule with meetings to attend. Because it was Sunday most of the people that we met with came to us because well it was Sunday and it was safer for them to come to us as we are in a secure space.
The first people we met with yesterday was group of women from STITCH. They are labor organizers and were amazing. Our coordinator Amanda said that it was amazing that we got to meet these four women two of which are Ladino and two are Mayan. The short story is that the women that are organizing for the workers rights are focusing on rights for the female workers that work on the banana plantations (the company is called Bandegua in Guatemala however it is an offshoot of what used to be Chiquita and is now Del Monte). The men have rights that the women are not entitled to such as a place to live on the plantation. Most of the women travel 3-4 hours just to get to work. Then they are required to pack at least 45 boxes of bananas an HOUR....have you seen how big those banana boxes are? Oh and if the women want to stay on the plantation in the same houses that are provided for men...well they have to be sexually involved with the men. So basically they need to have sex with the male workers in order to be able to stay there.
So besides working on female laborer rights there are so many other issues that these organizers are fighting against including getting 40,000 workers unionized which is being disputed by multi-national companies including Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte (which I will now be boycotting). How come in the United States these companies are allowed to unionize but not in Guatemala? Do these people not deserve the same working conditions? The same maternity leave? Wages that will allow them to put food on their tables?
Think about that...........................
Next we took a very short coffee break and got the chance to speak with the group that had presented. I had a very interesting conversation with one of the Mayan women that I will not talk about now but will update you with when I get back to the States.
Like I said we had a very full day. I am so tired now that I will continue to tell you all about this week...however we also have a full day tomorrow and are leaving for the highlands in the morning and so I should try to get back to sleep!
If I am not blogging in the next few days please don't worry as I am not sure that we will have internet access. We will be back in Guatemala City on Friday.
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