El Migrante Spanish School opens in San Marcos

For those of you who have been thinking about returning to Guatemala (or coming for the first time!) and are interested in studying Spanish, there is now a new and exciting option in San Marcos where many of you have visited. We encourage you to take some time and look at what El Migrante Spanish School has to offer.

"Many of you may know that Guatemala is a popular place to study Spanish. The cities of Quetzaltenango (Xela) and Antigua are the two principal locations for schools. We are very excited to announce the opening of “El Migrante Spanish School”, the first and only Spanish school in San Marcos. For those of you familiar with the city of San Marocs, “El Migrante” is located close to the Central Park, a few streets from the Cathedral. Our teaching staff is comprised entirely of local teachers from San Marcos who have experience teaching in the Spanish schools in Xela. The mission of El Migrante Spanish School is not only to provide the one-on-one, interactive Spanish classes that have been developed here in Guatemala, but also to create meaningful, empowering employment for the people of San Marcos. El Migrante Spanish School is also an important space for cultural exchange for the teachers, host families, staff, and population in general. We would like to invite those folks who have come through San Marcos with MCC to come and study Spanish here. If you have been looking to come back to Guatemala and/or San Marcos, this is great opportunity to do so. Learning Spanish with us will most certainly deepen and enrich your travels in Guatemala and beyond. Visit our website at www.elmigrantespanishschool.com and connect with us via www.facebook.com/elmigrantespanish and www.twitter.com/elmigranteguate

Tribute to San Marcos: CFGB visit

San Marcos is a beautiful and rugged part of Guatemala with many interesting and complex issues, amazing landscape, and even more amazing and generous people. Many of you have had the pleasure of exploring this area, as did a group of young adults with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank a few weeks ago. Ellen Paulley, the leader of the group, has put together a great story and slideshow about their time here; please visit here to see the pictures (the images are fantastic!) and read the story.

Also, many of you have asked for suggestions on books, articles, etc., that touch on the issues you learned about while you were here. One of those issues is the mining situation that continues to greatly impact San Marcos and other parts of Guatemala. Below you will find a short list of suggested books and articles if you are interested in continuing to learn about this complex issue.

• Bowing to the Gold Calf; Prisim Magazine - Introduction to the Marlin Mine and development from a Christian perspective http://www.resistance-mining.org/english/?q=node/208
• Gold on Hold; Cultural Survivial Quarterly - Current issues concerning the Marlin Mine http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/guatemala/gold-hold
• MCC Ottawa Mining Justice Campaign http://ottawa.mcc.org/miningjustice
• Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for our Planet, Jonathan Merritt http://www.amazon.com/Green-Like-God-Unlocking-Divine/dp/0446557250
  
• Christianity, Wilderness, and Wildlife, Susan Bratton http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo6166745.html
  

We hope you enjoy these images and reflections from the CFGB group! Thank you to Anne Barkett and other past participants for the pictures.

what trip experiences have been the most meaningful for you?

the mine was mentally and emotionally challenging, but highly important
empanadas and basketball in La Vega; loved seeing two cultures coming together
the home stays; they were the hardest, but most meaningful
the hike! proving to myself that i could do it

what did you hear/see/experience that impacted you in a powerful way?

the issue of land ownership
learning about and seeing the mine
seeing all the barbed wire and gates around the houses
the visual of the dump reminds me of issues that transcend countries; how are we caring for the earth?
everything

were any assumptions challenged by what you experienced?

the assumption that indigenous people have a terrible, hard life
home stays had a high level of cleanliness; not what is stereotypically depicted
view of Roman Catholic church is shifting
experienced a great amount of hospitality and joy visiting and staying with Guatemalan people

what do you feel compelled to do or share with others?

the mine!
i want to share the mine story
the issue of mining justice, both in Guatemala and elsewhere; as Canadians, we have a responsibility to be engaged in this issue

For one more look at what there is to see and learn in San Marocs, watch this great video: Sibinal, un destino de montaña por descubrir
www.youtube.com
You may be surprised to see yourself or other familiar faces in the video!

Learning Together

“Who is my Neighbor?”

Service and Learning Together in Guatemala 2011 - Jim Epp Rosthern Junior College

It began with a robbery. A traveler, in a foreign country, was accosted by bandits who took all he had and left him alone on the side of the road. This is how Jesus begins his well-known parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 in answer to the question “who is my neighbor?”

The parallels are unavoidable. RJC has traveled to Guatemala for the past number of years to enjoy a cross-cultural experience, partner in service with MCC and local communities, learn and discover who our neighbors are. This year, the RJC group of 13 students and adults left March 20 with the same expectations. Two days later we were robbed at gunpoint by two men who demanded “dollars” and “cameras”. We were all in the MCC Microbus at an Esso gas station in Guatemala City fueling up for our first out trip to El Salvador. We had only traveled for 10 minutes when “the incident” occurred.

The robbery took less than two minutes. While it occurred the group remained calm and composed. Immediately afterward we sat in our van and wondered “what now”? as we waited for the police. Their investigation was brief, to say the least, and soon we were on our way to the MCC Guatemala offices. This is where our real learning began. We were met at the gate by Antony Sanchez Solano, who with his wife Irma directs MCC in Guatemala and El Salvador. All of the other MCC staff available had been called in. A space was all ready for us to gather. We were surrounded by concern, warmth and friendship. We were all given time to share thoughts and feelings with each other. MCC made phones available to all so calls could be made home to explain, find support and plan next steps. Adrianna Koehn, our MCC contact and traveling companion was a constant support. We were surrounded by the “good Samaritans” Jesus spoke of.

The whole RJC group felt strongly they wanted to continue their trip. All the parents at home supported this decision. As a result, new plans were made to move forward. The next day was to be spent at the Canadian Embassy replacing the lone passport that had been taken. While eating breakfast Mario, our driver, joined us, fully expecting that we would be leaving. We were shocked! Mario is a 66 year old retired church member who occasionally serves as an MCC driver. He was the one in our group who had been threatened with the gun. Yet, here he was ready to drive us again the next day! We asked him why he had returned and he replied, “I am a man of peace and faith. I choose not to let the violence of this world decide my life for me. I am here to be with my new Canadian friends.” Jesus spoke of Mario when he told of the Good Samaritan!

For the remainder of our trip we continued to encounter many who embodied God’s love to us through their hospitality, generosity and friendship. We were hosted in Carranza by Meme and Julietta where we were invited into many homes to see first hand the lives of Guatemalan people.

We were welcomed in La Linea, El Salvador, by Bernada, the matriarch of the community and church who proudly showed us the “promised land”, a large tract of land her community was hoping to buy so they could move from the slum they were forced to live in as refugees since the 1980’s. We were joined by Sylvia and Israel, two youth from La Linea, who became our traveling companions and friends for the remainder of our trip.

We were welcomed into the homes of the people of Tonina who hosted us as we worked together on a community project led by Juan Pablo and the farmer’s cooperative. Time and time again we encountered “good Samaritans” as we were gifted with friendship, acceptance and love.

We were fed wonderful food and saw spectacular sights. We enjoyed many new and unique experiences such as bartering in the Antigua market, swimming in the Fuentes Georginas hot springs and standing above the clouds in the Guatemalan mountains. Most significant of all for us was the Parable of the Good Samaritan alive in our trip. What could have been a demoralizing and devastating experience was turned into one of richness because of the wonderful people who became neighbors to us.

it's been too long

I was a bit shocked to realize that the last time we updated the blog was in January....and now it's MAY, and almost the end of May at that. Since that time, we have had the pleasure of hosting 4 groups: Westgate Mennonite Collegiate, Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Rosthern Junior College, and a learning tour from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (Go Canada!!) I hope to be able to share some reflections from each of these groups in upcoming posts, but for now, enjoy the collection of photos from a few of the visits. And thank you to those of you who shared these pictures with us; there are some really great ones here!

people and places from:
panabaj, santiago atitlan
la linea, tonina, san marcos
acul, nebaj
la linea, san martin