Jensi´s note from Guatemala

Received the following email from my dear college friend, Jensi Albright. We studied Spanish together at USM in the 90´s. She is from Edgecomb, Maine. She is now living in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy. Bruce

A Quetzaltenango,Guatemala note from Jensi on aholiday day off from 2 intensive weeks of languageschool:
I´m dizzy and overwhelmed by the last 3 hours of themost crazy parade of marching bands I never could haveeven dreamed of- Happy Independence Day Guatemala!Given this country´s painful history, I´m everinspired by the ways of celebration here. The fourthof july parades in the US can´t hold a candle to thespectacular musical feast put on by every singleschool (hundreds) in the city. Not that I´ve magicallylearned to salsa but in a frenzied crowd ofenthusiastic thousands, there´s nothing elseappropriate left to do but surrender to the music anddance in the multitude. But wait, all this today isafter the all-night event of the Independence Day Evein the Central Park of this city last night. Big Bandcompetition for hours then salsa concerts untilmidnight when everyone lets loose the Grita de LaIndependencia (Shout of Independence)and the fireworksbegin. Beer, rum, and food in copious amountsthroughout. Community event beyond compare - babieswrapped up on backs, siblings arm-in-arm, mothersinviting me over to share the family umbrella or foodor drink, and at midnight it´s only me that´s tiredout. How can it be that noone looks hungover today?I´m so absolutely grateful to be here and also be ableto communicate pretty well (!!!!) albeit slowly inSpanish with people around me everywhere here; I´mvery privileged and I owe this country a lot for whatI´ve gotten from it. In 1992 when I was here doing this same languageschool thing, I experienced the warped security ofbeing a gringa in a country where Mayan peoples werebeing summarily exterminated in the thousands daily -as civilians, guerillas, and drafted soldiers. The warwas being fought in the mountains while I was livingin the cities. But the army was everywhere then andbuses (many that I was on) were constantly beingstopped to gather up all young men aboard to bewhisked away to serve in the army. For me, those werethe only obvious signs of war. A couple of times I wasclose enough to hear the war sounds but far enoughaway and white enough not to personally experience theviolence. Fast forward to today, 8 years after Peace Accordswere signed and several years after the US Congressacknowledged the dirty hands of our CIA everywherehere in supporting the last 40 years of genocides andmilitary dictators; many amazing changes. In 1991, I was told by intelligent caring and scaredpeople not to ask about or discuss the war or theinjustices done ('en boca cerrada no entran moscas',flies don`t enter into closed mouths). One year later,Rigoberta Menchu blew the roof off the house bywinning the Nobel Prize and then established afoundation here to work on some serious change to thestatus quo. And now, damn! I spent yesterdayafternoon at a human rights conference and afterwordswent to a bookstore where the window displayed the 4volumes published by the UN Special Commission and 10volumes published by the Catholic Church documentingthe violence and openly condemning those responsiblehere. People talk about it some now and there isacknowledgement of the existence of enormous racism.Terrible things are still happening in parts of thecountry but the outright war has ended. And the USpresence -Internet and cell phones everywhere. One thing I appreciated in 1991 and it`s still truetoday is that it has been an important part of thisschool (ICA) to educate Americans and otherInternationals about the political and socioeconomiclife of the country- the war, the violence, theinequities, human rights, etc. The directors are somemore of those just plain decent people I get to knowdoing good things in the world and helping others todo more too. Speaking of the abundance of good people in my life,once again I get a good laugh at my small worldexperience of everywhere; another former Carpenter´sBoatshop apprentice arrived to this little Guatemalanlanguage school this week. (`Jensi? I´ve only heard ofone person with that name. She was an apprentice atthe boatshop I worked at but she´s from Maine notOregon...´)
Sorry, typical of my rambling thoughts - this email isall over the place. Sorry if it all comes across astoo much, I´m just everyday so swamped withinformation and experience that blows my mind but I´mtrying to process it somewhat as well as figure outwhat makes sense to share with friends and family.Also, I´m awoken every morning at 4 or 5 am by arooster from hell and so my head is addled byincomplete sleep and shocked daily by cold showers.It´s all very good for my character I think. I plan oncoming back as soon as possible to further some of theconnections I´ve made thus far and do something withmy Spanish in return for what I´ve gotten (also tocome when mangos are actually in season for godssakes!By this time next week I´ll be surfing couches and scrambling for housing while starting back to schoolin Portland, Oregon. How can that be?Egads, it´s time for lunch and starting yet anothertorrential downpour - crud. Time to race across townin the death defying traffic dodge which is my wayhome. I´m hoping you´re all warm and well. Takecare. Que les vaya bien. Jensi