Reaction, Reflection, Response -- on leaving Guatemala

February 2nd, 2013: The plane smells like old people and manufactured air. I'm sitting next to two other TTS girls – I forget their names – Eliza and Simone, maybe? Everything is going by too fast. I'm still tired from yesterday, and it seems unreal that I'm on this trip. I'm flying to a new country. I'm about to embark on a crazy adventure. The plane tilts for a moment, and my gaze falls out the window. My heart flutters and I suck my breath in: Guatemala. The city is crowded – cars, people, buses. The mountains are expansive – lush, inviting, and peaceful. The plane touches the runway. I'm here.

April 13th, 2013: I take a deep breath, and I let the cold (yes, cold!) air conditioning wash over my body. I feel lighter, without Shannie Pants (group gear bag), my big pack, AND my day pack somehow attached to my body. I'm sitting by myself (I couldn't deal with smelling Eliza´s sweat), but I keep peaking my head over the seats to see what everyone is doing. It doesn't feel right being separated from them (even as much as 2 seats). I hear Carol laughing, Kat farting … yes; everyone is going what they normally do. I can´t contemplate the fact that we´re leaving Guatemala, the country where I have dug my roots in deep and can´t stop myself from growing in. The tip of the plane lifts up, and we´re flying. I see faces hidden in the mountains below, smiles of all the people I've met, and a history I now know better than my own. We´re gone; we´re up. On to the next place, as usual.

I worried for a while I wouldn't change. I wouldn't grow from this trip. I realize every step I have taken has been ingrained in my head, in my memory, has solidified the woman I AM. Yes, I can´t wait to go back to a pantry full of food, parents to take care of me, but now I have learned of places and history I will never forget. Everything that has been added to my big blue pack isn't just souvenirs – it´s guerrillas, it´s guns, it´s tortillas, it´s dirt soccer fields, it´s trajes, it´s everything. I honestly can´t believe 2 ½ months have passed us by, and the last 30 days are in the stretch. Thirty days? I contemplate what life will be like when I return home – normal, yes, but so different. I am different. I have learned of injustices known to not even my own parents, learned the cruel ways of my own country, and have learned of the happiness that exists despite all of it. Another plane ride soon approaches – even 30 days will give me time to learn more.

I said I will be different when I go home – it´s true. I asked Carol tonight how old you have to be to start a non-profit. She said it didn't matter. At the same time, a chorus of other hostel-stayers behind me added their knowledge – yes, age doesn't matter. Just get a sponsor-- I have a friend who did that – Answers which give me hope for when I touch back down in Boston. No, I don´t have to start a non-profit, but I am PASSIONATE enough to do so. It is this passion which I have gained on the trip – a desire to be a global citizen. My plane rides do not stop here – change doesn't stop here. And it doesn't have to me who changes – it will be me who brings the change.

--Maggie April 14th, 2013

Mountain School Update

Our week at La Escuela de la Montaña (The Mountain School) was a transformative language and cultural immersion experience for the girls. Some girls worried that their brains might explode with four hours of intensive language instruction each day, but they thrived with the one-on-one individualized attention and learned more than seemed possible in one week. Ruth and Simone were ecstatic to finally learn the past tense. Abby loved her teacher Tito’s fast-paced instruction and covered an impressive amount of new grammar. Maggie practiced her conversational skills in long discussions with her teacher, Lorena, about Guatemalan history and politics.

Throughout the week, the girls ate all their meals with local families, allowing them a personal experience in the daily life of a typical Guatemalan family. Annalise connected with her host brother during several pick-up soccer games. Emelia and Kat were often the last to return from dinner, having been absorbed in discussions about Guatemalan people and culture with their host mother, Adelaida. The other girls had the chance to also meet Adelaida later in the week when she came to give us an empanada cooking lesson.

In between classes and meals, the Mountain School arranged to have locals come to speak to the girls about their personal experiences in the Guatemalan Civil War and the history and founding of Fatima, the town nearest the school. The themes and issues that the girls have been reading about in their classes all semester were brought alive by these intense first-hand accounts. Ruben spoke about the forming of the local community of Fatima by a group of families that left a nearby coffee finca after being exploited as workers for many years. Pedro gave a heart-wrenching account of his kidnapping and torture by the Guatemalan military. The girls were especially affected by Gloria’s story of serving as a guerrilla for eight years during the war. Mikaela in particular found this account to be one of the most powerful experiences from the week and drew connections to the reading the girls have done from Bridge of Courage as part of history class. On Saturday, the group visited Santa Anita, a nearby cooperative town that Gloria and some of her fellow guerillas formed after the peace accords were signed.

Midway through the week, the girls helped host “Noche Cultural,” an evening of crafts and games that was very well attended by local youth. Eliza worked with a local little boy to use recycled bottles and paper to make a little pig they named Señor Flamenco. Other girls played cards and chatted in Spanish. Anna enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Guatemalans close to her own age and spent most of the night deep in conversation with local girls.

At the end of the school week, the girls helped prepare and serve lunch to the host families that had feed us all week. They showcased their Spanish skills with a performance of the song “Rayando el Sol”  and thanked their Mountain School teachers with an adaption of a TTS awards ceremony, for which they hand-made personalized awards for each teacher. At the end of the week, we were sad to leave the host families and teachers, but excitedly anticipating the beach. ¡Vamos a la playa!

-- Heather 

Surfing in Guatemala

 This week the TTS21 girls traveled to the small town of El Paredon on the western coast of Guatemala. There they stayed in small thatch roof huts right on the volcanic sand beach. During the week at El Paredon, the girls took a week's worth of surfing lessons from the staff, which included several top Guatemalan surfers. They started out learning how to stand up and balance on  a surf board and, by the end of the week, they were paddling and catching waves making it look easy. The girls also spent plenty of time swimming in the ocean waves and basking in the sun. During the week they were able to witness the surfing of Henry who is ranked the fourth best  surfer in all of Guatemala. All the young surfers at El Paredon have started a program called the Guatemalan Surf Project, which is a project that allows local children of El Paredon to rent a surf board for Q1 (the equivalent of 13 cents). The surfers at El Paredon teach the kids how to surf so they have an activity to do when they get out of school during the day. 

 All of the TTS21 crew was sad to leave the beach and say fairwell to their surfing friends but also very excited to embark on the next portion of the journey to Nicaragua

 

Annalise, Senior, WY

Favorite Things We've Done Since the Parent's Campus Visit

• Emelia: "I bought a traje at the women's weaving co-op in San Juan!"
• Simone: "I was so excited when I stood up on my board and caught my own wave."
• Ruth: "I decided that I'm moving to the surf camp in El Paredon so I can surf for the rest of my life."
• Mikaela: I liked being taught to surf by the 2nd best surfer in Nicaragua."
• Eliza: "We went to a candle lighting ceremony at the Mountain School that gave us good luck in our travels."
• Ava: "My favorite thing since the parent trip has been kayaking around Lake Atitlan."
• Anna: "I loved making Alfombras."
• Annalise: "The homestays at the Mountain School were my favorite since I got to practice my Spanish and play with lots of kids!"
• Maggie: "My favorite part of the surf camp was reading in a hammock looking over the Pacific Ocean."
• Kathryn: "I got sand stuck to my toenails on the beach."
• Abby: "I was overjoyed when Jen´s husband brought me a new camera!"

--Kathryn, Senior, VA

Updates and Phone Calls Coming Your Way

TTS21 Parents,

I know it's been a bit of a lull since you've had phone calls from your girls. They have been out of reliable contact since they went to the Mountain School -- no news to you. Well, after a week at the beach, the girls will have lots of surfing stories to share with you -- hopefully tomorrow. They're also promising a few updates about their Spanish immersion classes, and what they've been up to since then. And, the TJ girls are promising some surfing photos too!


So, when the group arrives in Antigua tomorrow, if all goes as planned, they will have some time to try to connect with you at home. The teachers hope to get the girls to the Internet around 2pm MST, but if you don't hear from your daughter tomorrow, she will have access in the coming days when the group arrives in Nicaragua.

Keeping my fingers crossed,
Jennifer

More Class Updates from Caroline

Literature and Composition:

In addition to reading short stories by local authors, the girls have just completed the arduous task of writing "This I Believe" essays. This essay asks students to write about a personal belief and to explain and defend their belief with anecdotes and examples from their lives. The students took on the challenge whole heartedly and wrote about, to name a few, their belief in the beauty of language, in playing games as a way to connect with others, and in the appreciation of small natural wonders. The girls did an admirable job understanding and discussing Rosario Castellenos's short story "The Cooking Lesson", a dense but rich story about a young woman's dissatisfaction with her role as a wife. Through a feminist lens, the story takes on various themes including the difficulty women have in maintaining a personal identity while fulfilling society's expectations of "wife" and "mother". As we prepare to leave Guatemala and head into Nicaragua in the coming weeks, we will begin reading Tortilla Curtain, a beautifully written work of fiction exploring Mexican immigration in the United States, and begin writing a persuasive essay. 

History:

During their time at the Mountain School, the girls read and responded to Bridge of Courage, Jennifer Harbury's collection of testimonies from guerrillas fighting injustice in Guatemala's 36 year civil war. To prepare them for this reading, we explored the history leading up to the civil war including a close examination of the role of the United Fruit Company and the role of the US Government in Guatemala. Additionally, we read several excerpts from Rigaberta Menchu's memoir, I, Rigaberta Menchu. An activist for indigenous rights, Rigaberta grew up extremely poor in rural Guatemala and won the Nobel Prize for her book. Next week, our last in Guatemala, will involve discussing Bridge of Courage as well as ending our unit on Guatemalan history by looking closely at current events and politics. Anna gave the history class a thorough oral presentation introducing Jennifer Harbury. Mikaela will talk to the class this coming week about the controversy surrounding Menchu's book and her Nobel prize. As we enter Nicaragua, our studies will shift to the modern history and politics of that country, namely the Iran-Contra affair.

Travel Journalism:

The photojournalists of Travel Journalism continue to capture our journey through their camera lenses. They took a photographic series of our experience building alfombres during Semana Santa and are currently working on a portrait assignment at the Mountain School. For most pictures they take, the students are asked to practice specific photography techniques and to write photographer's statements explaining their work. The girls recently completed their second article, a 500-word opinion piece on a current issue in Guatemala. They will begin their third article in the coming week and will continue to hone their picture taking skills as they plan their final photography portfolios. 

PE & iLife:
Since our last update, the girls have hiked over 30 miles with significant elevation gain and loss through the Guatemalan countryside. They too have paddled into significant headwinds along the shores of Lake Atitlan in addition to their regular PE classes in town plazas doing circuit workouts and yoga. They are excited to test their skills in the ocean in the coming week, where they will have surfing lessons. In iLife workshops, students and parents participated in a Finding Your Passion workshop and will move on to discussions of the college application process including applications, acceptance and rejection, financial aid and more. Students will also begin to work with partners on developing their own leadership skills. In PE, they'll be creating lesson plans and then teaching Student-led workouts. They will also begin to participate in leadership activities as they become chieflets working alongside the teacher who is Chief for the day-- planning daily schedules and seeking out activities to share with their classmates.  

Class Updates from the Teachers

Hello from the Mountain School,

There has been so much excitement in the last few weeks for the TTS21 family.  We left San Cristobal de las Casas during the second week of March following an epic week full of guest speakers and midterm exams.  The students were all wide eyed and sitting on the edge of their seats as we visited with supporters of the Zapatista Movement of Chiapas, Mexico.  The girls were all motivated by the camaraderie and strength they witnessed amongst indigenous people of Mexico.  The group grew stronger as they returned to Guatemala to embark on a 3 day backpacking trip through the steep volcanic mountains surrounding Quetzeltenango.  Each day welcomed the girls to a grueling 12-mile hike up intense slopes with overfull daypacks on their backs. Upon completing each couple hour summit, the girls all high fived each other and laughed at their dirt covered faces.  The mirador overlooking Lake Atitlan was the perfect end to the hike, or at least it was a moment to remember before greeting the parents two days later. The 2013 TTS Campus visit was an incredible success.  Parents each shared their strategy to keeping interests a part of their life during an iLife class, and there was not a dry eye in the room at the First Annual Campus Visit Poetry Slam.  The TTS21 journey continued via kayak, as the girls waved goodbye to their parents and paddled toward San Juan la Laguna and Semana Santa.  Full class days were back in full swing, with several breaks taking place to admire the many colorful and spiritual processionals that passed our hotel.  The girls became quick friends with the women at the cooperative in San Juan, returning to create an alfombra on Good Friday.  The girls were incredibly humbled and proud to be the only woman assisting a well-developed team of husbands and sons in the street full of alfombras from one end to the other.  It was truly an Easter experience the group will never forget.  Easter arrived and the TTS21 family headed to the hills outside of Xela to attend The Mountain School.  The girls have had 4 hours of intense one on one Spanish instruction each day this week, leading to an impressive development of Spanish speaking skills amongst the entire group.  The week was also full of guest speakers, including a former finca campesino (farm worker) who described life on a coffee plantation as well as a surviving Guatemala’s Civil War.  This week has been full of learning, and the girls are both exhausted and motivated as they continually start more conversations with the villagers using their newly polished Spanish skills.  The week will continue with more classes and meals at local homes, where the girls again use their Spanish to join families and enjoy three home cooked meals every day.  Classes will continue as our group heads to the coast for surfing lessons and to celebrate our final few days in Guatemala. 

Our best,

Jen

For a closer look at what each class has been working on throughout the past couple of weeks, each class has a brief summary of their activities below:

Science Update:

Following midterms, the science curriculum concluded the unit of study on tectonic plates.  Students interpreted and completed a comprehensive data analysis of the world's plates, discussing what type of plate movements created mountain ranges, islands, earthquakes and inland lakes.  Before heading out on the backpacking trip, the students studied astronomy and created their own constellations, incorporating regionally specific cultural components into their myths.  The students enjoyed admiring the Milky Way and watching satellites pass overhead during our super early morning hike to the mirador above Lake Atitlan by headlamp.  They waved goodbye to the stars, watched the sunrise, and then completed a field journal entry on the volcanic chain surrounding the lake.  Most recently, the students have begun the soil and agriculture unit.  Students collected soil samples alongside the waters of Santiago, and then used several identification methods to identify the soil components.  The unit will continue with a look at the regional agricultural practices, culminating with the semester's Food Day In Nicaragua. – Jen

Global Studies:

The Global Studies curriculum came to life in Chiapas, Mexico as students saw firsthand the human rights movement of the Zapatistas.  Several guest speakers shared their experiences living within the conflicted political reality of southern Mexico.  Students visited a cooperative, as well as an educational project where all of the students were vocational teachers and vice versa, and everyone from the local indigenous villages was welcome to study and help one another free of charge.  While observing the spiritual rituals practiced in Guatemala during Semana Santa (Holy Week), students discussed Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, dissecting their own pyramid of needs, and reflecting upon how their past choices may be influenced by various sections of the triangle.  Students spent time writing a reflection on the changes they see within themselves, and how they will incorporate those changes upon their return home next month.  Students discussed how making a change is difficult, compounded by any number of obstacles that can dissuade a person for sticking to their goals.  Central American gangs were analyzed, again with the lens of Maslow, which began a longer discussion about passing judgments on others.  Students will continue to work with the Hierarchy of Needs as they begin reading their novel, Enrique's Journey, next week. –Jen

Algebra 2:

The midterm exam concluded the class study of logarithmic and exponential functions.  Chapter 8 began with an analysis and application of direct and indirect variation equations.  Students applied the variation principles to problems in chemistry and other real life word problems centered on our travels in Central America.  The course continued with an intensive look at rational functions.  Students used factoring and least common denominators to eliminate and simplify complex functions, solving for a variable and then checking their answers using substitution.  Students analyzed function transformations and practiced graphing several parent and altered functions on the same graph.  While completing problems on inequalities and rational equations, students applied several strategies to determine any extraneous solutions.  Students are now completing chapter 9, involving the study and application of step and piecewise functions.  Students created tables for complex data sets then analyzed the data to determine any linear, exponential, or quadratic patterns.  Following a unit exam this week, students will begin their study of conic sections as we head into Nicaragua. – Jen

Math Concepts:

For the midterm project in math concepts, students summarized their learning for the first half of the course by creating a personal financial survival guide.  Students explained the important aspects of budgeting, managing ATM cards and bank accounts, credit cards, and how to maintain a strong credit history.  They also addressed loans, debt, identity theft, and lease and rental agreements.  Each student identified personal financial goals and strategies to use to achieve her goals.  Following midterms, the math concepts class began their unit of study on careers and employment.  Students discussed and analyzed the various job markets of personal interest, then chose a specific job they would each realistically like to apply to in the near future.   Students each created a resume and cover letter for their chosen job opportunity, implementing confident writing styles into their letters.  Students discussed and analyzed strategies to prepare for an interview, how to best represent themselves in an interview, and how to follow up with a potential employer.  In preparation for upcoming mock interviews, students interviewed each other and provided feedback, specifically focusing on body language and other nonverbal behaviors that could impact and interview.  Following the unit on employment, students will begin reading and critiquing different types of investment opportunities.  – Jen

Pre-calculus:

Emelia and Ruth are enjoying finally being able to work together in Pre-calculus now that they have completed the independent study section of the class. After midterms, they spent two weeks working with trigonometric identities and equations. Verifying trigonometric identities can often be tricky because there is not a set procedure to follow, and students must instead try various strategies to progress through these problems. Ruth and Emelia had fun creatively solving these trigonometric puzzles and were able to find more than one solution path for many of the problems. Additionally, through work on verifying identities, we were able to practice writing more formal mathematical proofs.  In the last section of chapter 5, the girls combined their previous knowledge of trigonometric functions with their experience using trigonometric identities in order to find solutions to trigonometric equations. Previously, the girls have solved many problems involving right triangles. With the addition of the law of sines and law of cosines in chapter 6, they are now able to solve problems involving non-right triangles as well. – Heather

Beginning Spanish:

The beginning Spanish students can hardly be called beginners anymore! Following midterms, the girls read what was for many of them their first book in Spanish, Patricia va a California. Without having to directly translate every word, the girls were successful in understanding plot and participating in discussions about the book in Spanish. They enjoyed following the story of Patricia, a girl from Panajachel, Guatemala who goes to study and live in California. We started the book while we were visiting Panajachel, just before meeting up with the parent group, so the story came more alive thanks to the students' personal familiarity with places mentioned in the book.  Students practiced new vocabulary and verb conjugation patterns as they appeared in the text and wrote a letter to the main character to tell her about the United States and ask her questions about Guatemala.

This week, the girls are achieving enormous personal growth during their language immersion experience here at the Mountain School. Each student receives four hours of daily one-on-one instruction in Spanish tailored to her specific needs.  The students' language progress was evident on a recent visit the home of a Mayan priest in a nearby village. On the hike to the village, they engaged our guide in a discussion about the history of the surrounding town. The girls were able to understand most of the description of the ceremony without the help of an interpreter, only needing a few hints about key new vocabulary related to the ceremony. – Heather

Advanced Spanish:

The girls are in the heart of the Mountain School where they are receiving one-on-one Spanish instruction for 4 hours a day.  They've been speaking, reading out loud, writing, and working on mastering grammar concepts.  They've also had the opportunity to practice what they're learning at meal times with their local host families.  After this week, I'm sure that their confidence will soar!  As we go into the final weeks of the trip, the girls will be finishing up El Principito (The Little Prince), reading current event articles from local periodicals and newspapers, conversing with people we meet, and aiding with local logistics in Nicaragua! --Liz