Carin's Guatemalan Adventures

Lost in Thought, Lost in Translation

I touched down on Guatemalan soil May 3, 2006. Wild huh? It’s been a whole year, yet sometimes it feels like I just got here. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to capture everything that I have encountered or learned from my experiences in this crazy country. To boot, I also find myself venting through my words, sometimes creating stories that paint an unpleasant picture of Guatemala. Almost like a personal diary, I tend to let my frustrations out on the keyboard. However, I wasn’t really aware that I was doing this until a Guatemalan friend of mine started reading my blog back in March. No offense Victor, but I never thought that a Guatemalan would be in my audience…Yes, I have to call you out:)

So after perusing my blog, Victor surprised me with some of his thoughts and opinions surrounding my prose: 1. He was impressed with my writing (I know, I know, you’re lookin’ at a future journalist for the NY Times here) 2. My perception of his country is dead-center, dead-on. 3. I know more about Guatemala than he does (which he was extremely grateful for opening his eyes to). This really isn’t surprising because of the country’s gaping social class structure. More often than not, the educated (and predictably wealthy) are closed off from the realities of their own society. And lastly, 4. Every story that I write starts off as a celebration of Guatemala, and then ends in a big huge BUT…

After hearing these words from a native, I feel that I need to redeem myself by sharing with you all the things that I truly LOVE about Guatemala. Some of these are things that I don’t see or feel in the U.S. (or even miss for that matter). And I promise not to use any BUTs this time…This is for you Victor!

Why I HEART Guatemala:

First and foremost, I love the people of Guatemala. They are some of the strongest human beings that I have encountered – in the last ten years, they have managed to live through a brutal dictatorship, violent civil war, abandonment of home and family, hopelessness associated with poverty, a widening social gap, and a corrupt government (yes, more corrupt than the U.S.) Yet even though their lives are way harder than the lives of both you and me, they continue to exude optimism in every facet of life and face their struggles head-on. They are appreciative of what they do have; they are neither greedy nor materialistic. Their kids are well-mannered and polite – not spoiled and lazy. They have a steadfast desire to improve their lot, better their lives – so be it, if that includes trying to learn English and move to the U.S. for the ‘American Dream’. They are the hardest-working people you will ever meet – the man of the house wakes up at 3:30 am to start chopping wood, walks more than a mile with it on his back, then is out in the field all day long, sometimes not returning until after dark. Mothers are up at the crack of dawn, washing clothes and dishes by hand, taking care of 5 or 6 children at a time, cleaning the house, making tortillas, weaving (so that they can bring in extra family income). At times, I feel like they do more in one day than I could hope to do in a whole week!
I love the distinct Mayan cultures that still reside here and the fact that, even with westernization and change, the people are still fighting to keep their unique identity intact and very much alive.

I love how cohesive and close-knit the families are in Guatemala. Family is the focal point of each individual’s life. It is the source for strength and support.

I love being able to walk 20 minutes down the road and find myself in the middle of nowhere, deep in the woods, no cars or houses or people in sight, untouched and undeveloped, bountiful fresh air, Carolina blue skies, with only the thoughts in my head to keep me company.

I love the simple life – people take time to visit one another and chat with their neighbors, socializing or just ‘shooting the shit’ is not considered a waste of precious time, nobody is ever in a hurry, life is slow and deliberate, everyone knows everyone…it’s what I grew up on, it’s Mayberry at its best.

I love the hustle and bustle of the market, and being able to buy everything fresh, straight from the earth (ok, or straight from a carcass). I love picking up a strange-looking fruit and having no clue what it is - but trying it out anyways. I mean, just imagine, pineapple, mango, watermelon, bananas, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, corn – all dug up or picked and transported straight to your doorstep. No artificial flavors added!

I love the public transportation system in Guatemala. Even though I bitch about them, I love the crazy chicken buses, they are always a hoot! (And I can’t help but sing along to the popular songs that they play over and over...It’s so addictive.) I love having to get pickup rides everywhere, sitting in the back with the wind blowing and the sun shining down, taking in the countryside and fresh air around me. I even love the lack of public transportation, when I have to walk for miles to get to a certain town…it’s great exercise, I’m enjoying the outdoors, and the surroundings are always so picturesque and serene that you just want to soak it all up.

I love that every day of mine is different and I never have a routine. No structure whatsoever! Who knows what I will get myself into tomorrow…?

I love that I have time on my hands to do things that I never had time for in the U.S…like reading and studying, writing, knitting a scarf, putting together puzzles, sewing a new skirt out of old clothes, hiking for hours, painting, and of course, decorating my house with glossy pics of Matthew McConahey straight from US Weekly.

I love not having to dress up for work! Jeans are considered formal attire, and I can honestly say that I have worn flip flops everyday for the past year. I definitely don’t miss high heel shoes and stuffy suits…

I love having a base tan all year long! The climate here is pretty much the same year-round – not too cold, not too hot. There is plenty of sunshine to make up for the rainy season. No need for a tanning bed here:)

I love how cheap things are…Even though I have gotten used to being on the same budget as a local, I am still amazed by the prices here. I mean, a room at one of the nicest hotels in Guatemala is less than 30 bucks a night, a meal in a typical restaurant is less than 2 bucks, and my rent is only about 35 a month. Anyone up for a cheap vacation?

And lastly, more for comic repose, what do I not miss about the U.S. you ask?
v Stress
v Schedules/Calendars
v Sitting in front of a computer all day
v Parking tickets (even though Tim always got me out of them)
v Being glued to the TV at night (reality shows are addictive)
v To-Do Lists
v Lack of sleep
v Always being in a rush
v News (I kind of enjoy being cut off from the world; it’s less depressing)
v Praying for the Weekend
v Money

So to wrap this up, this first year in Guatemala has been a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs – BUT I love this country, I love experiencing new cultures, I love learning new languages, and I love forming new relationships. I will have gained more after the next two years here than these people could ever gain from me…

Love (Just to continue with the overall theme!)
Carin

P.S. Victor, I only used BUT once!

posted by Carin Robinson @ 8:06 AM

Bathroom Poetry

I found this on the back of a stall the other day and thought it was comical because my recent visitors had a little trouble remembering this one...

Toilet paper, floating whole
In the Guatemalan bowl
Foreign tourists do assume
In the pipes there should be room.
Down it goes, the squishy log
Until we find there is a clog
Yes, the route is too narrow
And so the bowl does overflow.
This situation we abhor
To hear the splashing on the floor.
Experience has made us wise
That tomorrow come the flies.
And yes this room, of soap and sink
Does indeed begin to stink,
So while your back in your hotel,
We´re still here, left with your smell.
So look down at that basket. See?
It´s there to thwart catastrophe.
Oh use it please, so that we may
Tomorrow have a stench-free day.
-CDP

posted by Carin Robinson @ 1:58 PM

First Year in Guatemala Celebration

posted by Carin Robinson @ 7:34 AM

For those who are not familiar with Chicken Buses..

http://www.chickenbus.net

posted by Carin Robinson @ 8:04 AM

Misunderstandings in Microcredit

I recently read a short article in Newsweek entitled “Lining up the Loan Angels” (April 9, 2007 – written by Mac Margolis) and I felt compelled in writing up a rebuttal to the negative remarks on microcredit and its effectiveness in the developing world. Conservatives seem to have even attached the word ‘charity’ to this endeavor.

Thomas Dichter (an International Trade guy) says:
“Poverty lending is bad social policy, a bad development strategy and bad business. While some borrowers never get off the debt treadmill, others squander their credit on consumer goods. There’s a good feel-good factor for lenders, but no solid evidence that microcredit makes a difference, either in developing the economy or reducing poverty.”

Well, I wish this guy could have sat right next to me last week during a national workshop on microcredit and its merits in Guatemala. About 200 women showed up from all over the country to talk about the pros and cons of microcredit and what they were currently doing to improve their economic status with the help of microloans. These women are not wasting credit on consumer goods….Every woman that got up to speak was using the extra income for expanding a current business or starting up a new one. Granted, I use the word ‘business’ lightly, for this could mean buying new products to offer in their tienda, buying thread to make more weavings to sell, growing chickens to get into a new market, etc. But these women are using the extra money to improve their lot, to improve the quality or quantity of their particular service or product in order to increase their average weekly income. As for social policy, these women could not sing enough praise for microcredit and the gains they have made, both financially and emotionally. Microcredit brings women together and puts a support system in place. It also teaches them how to manage their own money and learn how to save. Dichter also claims that micro-lending is a bad business model…yet I believe Grameen Bank is making a profit these days, thrown in with the fact that there is only a 98 percent default rate on current loans. Thus, women are indeed bankable income.

Another guy, Loic Sadoulet, who actually worked in micro-lending here in Guatemala:
“estimates that only about 300 of nearly 25,000 micro-lenders have reached financial sustainability”

Give me a break! Microcredit hasn’t had a presence in Guatemala for very long…does he expect poor people to just rise right up through the pyramid within months? In general, this framework takes time – there is no short-term return. For the poor, borrowing is risky business – and so any organization has to build trust and help people understand the risks they are taking. I have seen first-hand that some communities don’t even pay back the first time…they are testing us to see if we really are a bank or just an NGO giving out free money. But, what do you do, you say you will wait…and eventually they pay the money back because they began to acknowledge the process. You are working to change behaviors and long-entrenched patterns. With Grameen, we are entering communities as outsiders and asking them to take a risk, when the advantages are not always apparent. I once read this quote which pretty much sums it up, ¨Suffering comes from what we lose, and the prospect of loss is especially frightening when you have everything to lose.¨

Another so-called expert (Richard Posner) claims: “The idea of borrowing one’s way out of poverty is passing strange. I am unaware of any historical examples of nations that climbed out of poverty on the backs of small entrepreneurs financed by credit.”

I don’t even know how to address this one. We are comparing ‘nations’ here to indigenous women in Guatemala that make less than $10 a week. I’m not even gonna go there…

As a global economy, I think we have figured out that just selling goods to the poor is not gonna change too much on the overall scale. You gotta throw savings, investment, and income in the mix, along with consumption, in order to make any kind of dent in world poverty. Grameen Bank, along with other micro-financiers, is at least making the effort to understand the poor and their needs and concerns, and then building a solution that caters directly to them – not to their own preconceived ideas or beliefs.

So if you hadn’t figured it out already, I am a huge proponent of microcredit:) If you yourself would like to get involved with some of the great projects that are going on worldwide, check out http://www.kiva.org/. A friend introduced me to this organization, and you can actually lend directly to a person in a third-world country to help support their individual venture. You can even give gift certificates…a great Mother’s Day idea!

“One day our grandchildren will go to museums to see what poverty was like”-- Muhammad Yunus

posted by Carin Robinson @ 8:28 AM