Mucho que hacer…

Before I begin, here are some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2510753&id=10048141&l=90ffb528c7

It is amazing how much can happen in just a few weeks. After spending some time in Tapachula, I went to Guatemala with the group, but for the most part, I traveled alone. I stayed in Antigua for a couple days, which is a neat colonial town that has lots of foreigners, Spanish schools, and bars. I found a couple hangouts and met some interesting people. Among them were two Argentinean hippies who were traveling from Argentina to Tijuana and back in an old car under the name “Bandera Latino Americana” (Latin American Flag). They were educated, open-minded, understanding guys, and they taught me a lot. After my meeting with them, I started reading a book called Open Veins of Latin America, which tells the stories of conquer and killing and greed that brought about the birth of Latin America as we know it, complete with problems of hunger and poverty and conflict and disparity. Although it is not necessarily warm and fuzzy, the book is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about the history and development of Latin America.

After Antigua, I made my way to a few of the communities around Lake Atitlan, including Panajachel, San Pedro, and San Lucas Toliman. In the few days that I spent on the lake, I met people from all over the world, rode in the back of pickup trucks full of indigenous people, met some volunteers from the U.S. who work on economic development projects, read, wrote, and relaxed to the sound of insects chirping and water crashing on the lakeshore. Though I felt lonely at times, I was happy to meet new people and to appreciate the beauty of the landscape around me.

Since we returned from Guatemala, we have been busy visiting water systems and working to establish more economic development projects here, including a nursery of rambutan trees. The whole time I have been translating, and I have had some pretty hilarious moments (one of which occurred when I misinterpreted someone’s question and gave a completely wrong answer in front of fifty people). ☺

A couple days ago, we visited one of the water systems, which is run by a cooperative of coffee farmers called Procacen. The cooperative has many projects beyond coffee, including growing mushrooms, producing organic compost, harvesting honey from African bees, and now making purified water. The cooperative was started by an organization called ECOSUR to use as a model for other areas, and after four years, it is doing very well and constantly expanding. The coffee farmers of Chiapas (and most other areas) are typically individually minded, as they usually work solely for themselves and for their families. Yet in this cooperative, about 30 families come together to pool resources and augment development in the area. Also, they attempt to sustain the natural environment with the products they produce. Being able to see the cooperative in action was incredible, and seeing amazing results come from the projects was even better. Groups of people banding together to carry out projects like these are truly making a dent in lessening poverty in this extremely poor region of Mexico.

I also finally had the chance to spend some time with the kids at Mision Mexico (www.lovelifehope.com), and I even joined them at the beach last Sunday. It was an incredible day—we played in the waves, jumped around in the sand, found shells and crabs in the rocks, and watched the kids surf! At this point, about 25 kids are surfing, from ages 8 to 18. These kids have come so far, to the point where they not only swim and play in the ocean (which is not very common in Mexican culture), but also surf all day long!

After my own personal surfing lesson (where I actually stood up!), I made it home and passed out for half a day. It turns out that going to the beach with fifty-five kids on one hour of sleep is not the best idea ever…

Well, I guess that is enough for now. Write me at anorgren@asu.edu and let me know how you are doing!

I leave you with the lyrics of a song by Bacilos:

Esto no va a pasar, esto no va a cambiar
Esto no va a dejar de ser una tragedia
La tragedia del que no se quiere
Esto no va a pasar, esto no va a sanar
Porque no hay un disparo que pueda borrar la historia
Que nos corre por las venas

This is not going to pass, this is not going to change
This is not going to stop from being a tragedy
The tragedy that no one wants
This is not going to pass, this is not going to get better
Because there is not a bullet that can erase the history
That runs through our veins

Though we cannot erase history, together we can work to make the future better. I see progress here everyday, and my only hope is that it continues.

Hugs from Tapachula,
Anne Marie