History class opened with a story about the medical anthropologist Paul Farmer, and his idea on 'reading the world'. How can students uncover the layers of social, environmental, and political history in each place they pass? Students are learning the foundations of the semester, tools of analysis such as the root cause tree and the iceberg model of violence. These tools will aid students in processing and understanding the world around them. Students will learn how to make sense and ask a better set of questions on social and political issues. What happened here? Why do people think what they think? What does it mean to be a human? Why is that? Students are not only engaged in articles outlining Spanish colonialism, but walking Antigua through ruins and cobblestone streets, bringing history alive.
Literature & Composition class began with each student writing an "I Am" poem. Students shared their roots aloud, bringing their friends, family and loved ones into the TTS setting. Gathered under the avocado trees, students of Literature then listened to the story of Rigoberta Menchu Tum, one of the most famous Guatemalans due to her testimony called "I, Rigoberta Menchu". Menchu Tum describes her life as a poor indigenous farmer during the time of the Civil War. Students are also reading a children's book called "Tree Girl", an intense introduction to the realities of the Maya only a few decades ago. These pieces leave students with questions such as, 'What is the relationship between Latinos and Mayans today? How has the trauma of the past affected the Guatemalan population? How is the United States implicated in this history?' Students are exploring these questions through poetry, short stories, and novels of the region.
Global Studies is the 'make-sense-of-it-all class', a space for students to process their
experiences, and debrief with each other. Why did that happen? How did it make
them feel? What does that mean? What are the larger themes that can be drawn
out? How can it be connected to what we're learning in class? Global Studies
includes the site-visits to places such as an organic farm on the outskirts of
Antigua, a day trip to Guatemala City to learn about children who pick through
the garbage dump to survive, a visit to an international school, a coffee farm,
an eco-filter project on providing clean drinking water for Guatemala, and even
a chocolate museum to learn about the cultivation and production processes of
cacao! Themes of human rights, trade relations, and immigration are woven
together. The first week included a Central American "meet-and-greet"
in which students took on the role of a famous Central American or U.S. figure
and interviewed each other over appetizers to learn more about the region's
political history. Life at the Mountain School (La Escuela de la Montaña)
When
we arrived to La Escuela de la Montaña last Sunday we were warmly greeted by
Candace and Tomás who currently run a language learning sanctuary in the
mountains of Guatemala. Before the students could comprehend what was about to
take place, they were thrown into immersion. Student pairs were dropped
off at host-families for lunch. The community is composed of two towns, a short walk from one to the other- Fátima and Nuevo San Jose - composed of families who relocated from a nearby coffee finca after
not getting paid by the patron for several years.
After lunch, TTS students arrived back at the school, our base for the week where we sleep and hold classes, already sharing stories of their families, communication successes and
errors, adorable children and great food!
Sharing
three meals a day with host-families has been a highlight this week as
everyone has practiced their Spanish, learning the stories and daily life of
their families while tasting the local cuisine. Favorites have included the typical
frijoles y huevos (beans and eggs), sweet bread and pancakes for breakfast, and
various verduras (vegetables), arroz (rice) or even pasta for lunch and dinner.
And of course always lots of tortillas, which some of the girls have even had a
hand in making!
Classes
fill the day, as each student has an individual Spanish teacher for either a
morning or afternoon four-hour session of conversation and grammar practice. Some
students are engaging in service projects in the library, helping to sort books
and tutor children in their homework. I can already hear the excitement and
improvement in each TTS students’ Spanish. Advanced students are using their
skills to translate guest speakers, and learn more about the history of the
place while beginning students are enjoying getting to know the basics and are
learning to form questions and converse with each other and their
families. Everyone is seeing the importance of language as a lens and
door into understanding another culture.
The
other half of the day is filled with Spanish homework, math class and keeping
up with other work in history, literature TJ and Science. History of this place
is tied together through the stories of the people we’ve met. TTS is learning by experiencing this culture and this place. We are reading excerpts from Bridge of Courage to gain broader stories about life during the war. These readings matched with activities and conversations are enriching our experience here. Each local Spanish
teacher has their own story to tell from the civil war; many hiking
up mountains to supply guerrilla fighters with food and supplies, while others
were just children who have their own tales of running from death squads. We
are all learning how each person is a resource to enrich our own perspectives.
For example, Letty, one of the guest speakers this week humbly shared her story
as the daughter of a refugee and member of the Santa Anita community of
ex-guerrillas, where we will most likely be visiting this weekend – another,
perfect opportunity to continue our exploration and use our budding confidence
in the Spanish language to continue to dig deeper in to the complicated history
and current situation of Guatemala.
