Limitless Horizons Ixil's Educator Service Trip

We decided to collaborate with Limitless Horizons Ixil, whose mission is to "create opportunities for the indigenous youth, women, and families of Chajul, Guatemala to develop the academic and professional skills needed to effect change in their lives and community. Their local and international staff support sustainable community advancement and individual empowerment through three integrated programs which have a strong research base: a youth development program serving sixty students each year, a community library (the first and only in the county of 50,000) with over 1400 members, and an artisan program serving thirty women each year." As educators we found that this particular organization shares a vision of promoting and supporting educational opportunities surrounding literacy and achievement for many students, which is also a shared vision of the Boston Public Schools.

(We ask that you visit the organization's website at  http://www.limitlesshorizonsixil.org/ and sign up for their emails for more details about the program and its mission as well as its growth.)

Day One: Arrival in Antigua, Guatemala

We were greeted with a glimpse of the capital of Guatemala through the winding cobblestone streets and the surrounding views of distant volcanoes in the backdrop of the city. In this picture, you can also see the width of the streets as well as the architectural design of many of the surrounding buildings. 

 Upon arriving in Antigua, we were able to walk around the main plaza "El Parque Central" (The Central Park), which is one of Antigua's focal points. While here, we came across a religious ceremony and celebration of some sort for one of the Mayan saints who appeared to be a woman.

Even in this quick glimpse into Mayan culture and tradition with people bustling about the cobblestone streets and going about their daily lives, we noticed that weaving played an integral role in Mayan cultural and tradition and everywhere we looked we were surrounded by handmade items that women had created to uphold this tradition. In a local market, close to the Central Park we were introduced to the woman above who was actually spinning cotton and creating thread to weave.

Day Two: Traveling From Antigua to Chajul (With Stops Along the Way!)

In a 15 passenger van, we set out heading north on a narrow winding road along the countryside and mountains toward Chichicastenango which is known for its huge street markets on Sundays and Thursdays. (This picture was borrowed from http://www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow/chichicastenango&page=all.) 

Along the way to Chajul, we stopped in the town of Chichicastenango, which is located in the Quiche Highlands and is famous for the markets. We went to the market here and had lunch at the famous La Villa de Don Tomas where we had a chance to meet the owner and finally observe a man wearing traditional clothing. 

 Located outside of the plaza where the market is held and to the west was the El Calvario church. Many people were sprawled out across the steps of the church who came to bring fresh flowers to sell at the market as well as for people to buy as offerings to God.

This is a very famous market in Chichicastenango where people from all over Guatemala travel to sell their crafts and textiles to mostly tourists. Although this picture does not fully capture the experience, the streets were packed with throngs of people both trying to buy and sell things and there was barely any space to walk without bumping into one another.

Day Three: Our First Day in Chajul Part One

To begin the morning after having a brief lesson on the history of Guatemala, we began a tour of the community of Chajul, which is part of the lxil region, with Edilma who is a local teacher and program leader with Limitless Horizons. Together we walked the streets of Chajul and were able to take in the sights of the small isolated village in the Highland Mountains. Chajul is one of the areas that continues to maintain the lxil Mayan traditions and language. 

Our tour led us through a local cemetery where many of the people whose bodies were recovered after the Civil War, which lasted 36 years, were buried. We learned that all of the graves were facing toward the local church so that the spirits of the dead are able to go to the church and back peacefully to worship.  

The Civil War of Guatemala had a major impact on the lives and the slow financial progress of Chajul like many of other places in Guatemala. We were able to speak to several individuals that shared the negative physical, emotional and financial impacts of the war on their families and villages. 

To learn more about the Civil War, here are a few links to explore. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/world/americas/trial-on-guatemalan-civil-war-carnage-leaves-out-us-role.html?_r=0

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/jan-june11/timeline_03-07.html

http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=939

Day Three: Traditional Lunch and Tortilla-making Lesson in Family Homes (Part Two)

After having a traditional breakfast of black beans, eggs and homemade tortillas, we were giving a tortilla-making lesson by an expert mother of one of the students in the Limitless Horizons Ixil program. The skill of making tortillas is definitely not an easy one. We were not able to master the rounding and the soft edible texture of the tortilla, but we tried. It was rewarding to have this skillful and patient mother teach us to make tortillas even through the language barrier. She was amazing and the experience was very humbling because this was the first time we were welcomed into one of the homes of a Chajul family.

(BPS Teachers Enjoying Tortillas) After making our own tortillas, we were encouraged to try our creation, which were not as tasty as the homemade ones by our host mother/teacher. :( However, we tried and it was an extremely rewarding experience.

Day Three: Spanish Lesson and Local Teacher Panel (Part Three)

Edlima lead a language class that focused on frequently used Spanish and Ixil phrases. She taught use these phrases to better equip us with the language skills to communicate with the children and families. These phrases allowed us to show our respect for the language and community while interacting with the local people of Chajul. 

Our group participated in a Q & A with local teachers who provided us with an introduction to the educational system in Chajul and the rest of Guatemala. This experience was powerful because it was a genuine exchange of ideas and educational philosophies on pedagogy between BPS teachers, non-teaching participants and local teachers.

Day Four: Community Service Project at San Gaspar School (Local School)

Teachers and students receiving work instructions from teacher leader, Edlima. While at the school we mixed cement and covered the classroom dirt floors with the new cement. During the course of the project, teachers, students and other program participants collaborated to make the project possible. San Gasper is one of the schools that many of the scholars attend and Limitless Horizons works closely with  and the partnership has proven to be invaluable for the community as well as the scholars.

Day Five: Learning to Make Boxbol (Ixil Region's Traditional Food) with Local Families (Part One)

Making boxbol is not as easy as it looks, but we had a great teacher who was extremely patient and allowed us to make many mistakes. What was most refreshing and humbling about this experience was that she provided us with many opportunities to correct our mistakes and improve our practice of making the traditional dish. Boxbol is made by filling a large squash leaf with a maize or corn mixture.. Once rolled, it is then boiled. Also pictured above, are the two sauces that accompany the dish, one is made of chile and tomatoes and the other is a pumpkin seed sauce which provides a contrast to the boxbol taste. This was the first time we were introduced to a new combination of spices.

Day Five: Story Hour In Limitless Horizons Ixil's Community Library (Interacting with Local Children Through Games and Literacy)

We visited Chajul's first and only community library which was established by Limitless Horizons Ixil. The library is called, Saber Sin Limites ("Limitless Knowledge"). According to Limitless Horizons, "educational professionals in Chajul expressed the desperate need for a library, as students have no access to resources for completing homework assignments or reading." While participating in story hour, which was attended by over 100 children from a wide range of ages, many of us were moved nearly to tears to witness the passion and desire for literacy and achievement. It was evident from the actions and behaviors of the children that education was highly valued and desired. Many of the children were eager to engage with us and both read to us and be read to (seen in the picture with Jasmine in the orange shirt who is assisted with her reading in Spanish to a younger student by an older student). During story hour, students read, played games and were provided with homework help by the librarians and the participants.

Sights and Scenes of the Chajul Community

We wanted our own BPS students to be able to make connections to Chajul, the lives of students in Chajul and their community. The following photographs are of local establishments that can also be seen in Boston.

Mother and son walking through the village. 

Local bakery. 

Religious graffiti of a Biblical scripture. Matthew 19:19

Local church. 

After school all the kids head to the corner store when possible. 

The local pharmacy. 

Day Six: Artisan's Program and Weaving Lesson From Mother of a Family

According to Limitless Horizons Ixil, "the LHI Artisan Program offers Youth Development Program students and their mothers the opportunity to create woven and embroidered artisan products such as scarves, headbands, bookmarks, and bracelets in exchange for fair wages and professional training." We had the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the mothers who are involved in the LHI Artisan Program and hear about the positive impact of the program on their families and how the women are given a sense of empowerment by providing another source of income for their families. It was extremely important for us to interact with the mothers and observe that the women were willing to work hard to support their families and their children, this is a phenomenon that is also witnessed in Boston. Many of the mothers spoke about how important it was that they support their children in getting a quality education.

While in Chajul, we had the privilege of working closely with a mother who provided weaving lessons and instructions to us in her own home. This was very powerful because we realized just how integral weaving is in the culture where most of the beautiful traditional clothing is produced by the women of the community.