Thirteen Threads

jueves, 2 de junio de 2011- Panajachel, Guatemala Day 5

I was woken up this morning around 4:30 by loud canon like sounds.  Dr. Cook told us they do that when something is about to happen, like a ceremony.  At first there were single spaced out bangs, then all of a sudden there were five fast bangs.  This went on until 5, I was so put out.  I finally went to sleep and woke back up around 8.  After grabbing breakfast, Kristina and I went shopping because today was market day.  We bought so much stuff, but didn't spend too much money.  Everybody else stayed in a group but we went our own way which proved easier for bargaining, getting through the crowd, and looking less foreign.  I bought Ashy a cute little dress and turtle backpack  tshirts and more backpacks, beautiful pillow cases, and a hammock for $20!  Hopefully I wont die on it.  At 12 we met up and set out for Panajachel, which was about an hour drive.  We got there and checked into Larry's Place and we were free until 6.  Of course Kristina and I went shopping! I finally found a magnet for my mom and bought postcards.

We found a fair trade store, which made my day.  It is Called Oxlajuj B'atz' or Thirteen Threads.

Little Moments You Never Forget

THEY HAVE WIFI!!!

miercoles 1 de junio de 2011- Chichicastenengo, Guatemala Day 4

This morning we woke up at 6 o'clock to go to Chichicastenango; a four hour drive.  When we arrived, we ate brunch and checked into Hotel Giron and THEY HAVE WIFI!!!  

First, we went to visit an archaeological site.  The trees were so beautiful there.  The ground we were walking on was about 6-8 feet higher than it originally was, so the excavation happens deep underground

They also had ball courts that were being recreated.  Near them, some Mayan people were performing a religious ceremony.  They were making a sacrifice in front of a mound that used to be a pyramid with an idol on top.  It is much smaller now because it has eroded. 

We climbed to the top of another mound directly across from it, then went into one of the caves that runs underneath the pyramid.  In front of the cave opening, people leave offerings as the go in or come out.  There were two chicken heads, one on the ground in front of the cave, and the other in a hole on the side of the cave.  Inside, the cave was narrow and had black ash on the walls and ceilings from all of the candles burning. 

Dr. Cook took us up to an alter he wanted us to see, but first, we stopped through the Mask Museum.  Masks covered the walls, and there were postcards and key chains.  We finally made the trek up the mountain (even though it felt like I was going to pass out because it was so steep)  and found an altar not far up that was used to sacrifice before going up to the top.  The older people who can no longer go up the mountain stop there instead.  (At that point I was wishing we were the older people.)  A the top of the mountain, there was a priest having a ceremony.  From where we were we could see everything.  It was so amazing.  

There was a cemetery with bright multicolored graves above ground that looked like little houses.  This is were we went next.  The more expensive ones were so extravagantly built, while the poorer graves were made out of dirt.  People were burning incense in front of the graves.

After our adventurous day, I am pooped.  I got back to the hotel, took a shower, now, I'm writing in my journal, watching tv, and I am chatting on Facebook because THEY HAVE WIFI!!!

Tz'ikin. I am the Eagle.

martes, 31 de mayo de 2011- Momostenango, Guatemala Day 3

I woke up around 9 and went to the internet cafe at 10 were I was met by Kristina.  We went to eat panqueques around 11 at the Cafe Codoban.  afterwards, we went to talk with Maria about food.  We took pictures of the ingredients for cevada (the best tea ever!), she told us where to buy the ingredients, and we set up an appointment with her for Monday at 11.

Then we went to Alexandra's house around 3 to speak with her about traditional food.  We stayed there for 3 hours chatting and laughing.  We talked about relationships and boys; they said we need to focus on our school work.  Then Alexandra read my birthday on the Mayan Calender and told me what it means:

Later is Antigua, I picked up a Mayan Calender Users Guide and this is what it had to say

Tz'ikin

"Key meanins for the Eagle are flying high, vision, and ambition.  The spirit of the high- flying eagle makes this a day of good fortune, a time to soar and rise above the troubles of daily life and communicate with the Heart of the Sky, the center of our galaxy. . . Among the most powerful of all nahuales, the ambitious eagle aggressively pursues its prey or goal and ultimately gets it.  Freedom is another meaning.  Spiritually and materially balanced, Eagles are good, friendly and kind individuals who can create their own reality.  They are independent, ambitious, smart, outgoing, intutive, lucky, spiritual and sociable.  From high above, the Eagle can see the big picture better than most people." (Addams 66)

I love that it tells me important people who are Eagles too:

• George Patton
• Muhammed Ali
• Ringo Starr
• John F. Kennedy
• Antonio Banderas and of course
• Lady Gaga

Addams, Shay.  Mayan Calender Users Guide.  Casa Caos, 2011. Print.

After the reading, Alexandra took us up to the altar and her husband passed us saying he was playing a soccer game, so we should go watch.  They are so much fun to hang around with.  Seeing Alexandra with her mother and her daughters reminds me of the closeness I have with my family and how far I am away from them.  When I get home and call my parents at the end of the day it's the hardest.  I call my mom and my dad and then I go to call Grabby, but I can't.  I feel like the more things I do and accomplish only make me miss her more, because she is not here to share it with.  I have my good moments and I have my bad moments.  Grief is hard.  You can feel just as alone a hundred miles away as you would feel surrounded by your family at home.

Video of Haiti

Since I am planning to return to Haiti in June, I wanted to share a video I made a year ago to present for one of my classes.  Its a little rough around the edges, but the message is clear.

Why my Neck Hurts Today...

So remember when I said I was super excited about going to SMU to see Emmanuel Jal?  Well I went, and it was GREAT!  My mom came with me (mother daughter bonding time!) and we finally got there in spite of all the construction.  We waited for Emmanuel Jal to perform, but it felt like 4:30 would never come.  Around 4 o'clock, while my mom was asking me questions about his memoir, I saw him!  He was walking to the stage to get ready for sound check and everybody was just going about their everyday lives like he hadn't even arrived.  He came in so subtly that my mom didn't even know he was there, after I pointed that out to her, she kept saying, "Now's your chance go talk to him he is all by himself."  It wasn't that easy.  I was nervous, this is the person whose music I have listened to for the last few years, and whose memoir and work have inspired me to pursue my dreams of spreading the awareness of global issues and working to fight poverty, injustice, and the inequality of access to education.  But I eventually worked up the courage to go speak to him.  I walked up to him where he was sitting by himself and apologized for disturbing him.  As soon as I walked up, he stood and gave me a hug! Instantly I felt comfortable and more nervous at the same time! Yes, that's possible.  He signed his book for me (I came prepared) and asked me if I was African, which, surprisingly, I get a lot.  I sat down next to him (in retrospect that was really forward of me, but I only had one chance!) and just chilled out.  He asked me about myself, we discussed the We Want Peace movement, and he told me about the opportunities they have available at Gua Africa.  If I would have known I was going to be able to chat with him like that I would have brought my recorder, notebook, and all that good stuff so I could have made a photostory.  I have learned my lesson though, I will be overprepared for everything from now on.

He is very down to earth, but I only expected that.  Just sitting there joking about YouTube and discussing school was like chilling out with an old friend.  His performance was amazing, especially since there were only a few of us.  Everything was so relaxed.  He did some spoken work and then we jammed.  I got to go onstage with a couple of other people and swing my hair to Cush.  Since he cut off most of his hair for his upcoming movie The Good Lie, I demonstrated a hair flip.

These pictures are evidence of why my neck hurts today.  I think I need to practice my hair flips.  I can barely bend my head now, but was it worth it?  UUUHH.... YES!! I enjoyed every minute of it and I would do it again!  It was such an incredible experience.

We Want Peace

Today marks the kick off the Engineering and Humanity Week at SMU.  This week focuses on "the positive ripple effects people can inspire when confronted with our current challenges."  There are a couple of people in particular I am excited to see- Emmanuel Jal and David de Rothschild.  Unfortunately I am not as familiar with David de Rothschild as I would like to be.  After seeing that he would be speaking at the E&H Week dinner, I did some research and BOY HAVE I BEEN MISSING OUT!!  I can't even verbalize, so I will just show you:

ReDUCE, ReUSE, ReCYCLE, ReTHINK

This is the news that I like to be aware of!  Not what happened on Honey Boo Boo last week.  This is how we pave the way for future generations and ensure that we are not damaging the planet to the point where they cannot thrive.

Emmanuel Jal  is someone I found out about my second year of college while teaching my high school students about child soldiers.  Emmanuel Jal, now a well known rapper, was a child soldier in the Sudan.  Listening to his album Warchild and reading his memoir War Child: A Child Soldiers Story was so inspirational and eye opening. Emmanuel Jal has formed many organizations as well as started the We Want Peace movement that uses music to raise awareness for justice, equality, and conflict prevention.

I cannot wait to see all the inspirational people who will be speaking and the student exhibits that will be on display.  So excited!  I'm on my way there now!

Prezidan Michel Martelly

Last week I found a couple of CNN videos that somehow I have not seen!  They are both interviews with President Michel Martelly, one in which he is joined by Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

Last week I was privileged to have Prezidan Martelly follow me on twitter.  Maybe when I return to Haiti I will be able to see him in person.

The Mayan Cookbook

lunes, 30 de mayo de 2011- Momostenango, Guatemala Day 2

I slept until 10 today... There was music playing and people talking on speakers which woke me up.  It was kind of cold last night but not too bad.  I went to the internet cafe with Kristina...  I miss home, even though it is nice here.  I wish circumstances were different.  After I left the cafe I called my parents and then Kristina and I went to eat.  I had rice an beans (really good, but not like in Haiti) with beef ( kinda tasted like beef jerky.)  Afterwards we had a meeting with Dr. Cook about our projects.  So Kristina and I went back to the lady who served us food.  Her name is Rosa.   We talked with her about the food her daughter cooks and food that she and her mother cook.  As she talked we wrote down some quick ingredients and the words she taught us in K'iche'.


Traditional

Caldillo/broth               Carne Asada/roast beef                   pollo rotisado/roast chicken                    
1. clavo/clove                1. salsa de tomate/tomato sauce      1. harina/flour                        
2. pimiento/pepper        2. cebolla/ onion                               2. sal de ajo/garlic salt
3. cominos/cumin          3. Carne/beef                                   4. pollo/chicken
4. achiote                      4. arroz/rice                                                     
5. cilantro/coriander     5. frijoles/beans
6. cebolla/onion

Tamales                                                 carne de cerdo/pork                Spanish --- K'iche'
1. miltomate/green tomato                    1. tomate/tomato                        tamale------ lik tamal
2. puches de arroz/rice pudding            2. cebolla/onion                        frijoles------ kinäq’
3. chile pimiento/chili pepper                3. chile picante/hot chile             pan--------- semet
4. hojasleaves                                       4. carne de cerdo/pork             pollo--------- ek'
5. canela/cinnamon                                                                                senora------- nan
                                                                                                               senor--------- tata'
                                                                                                              


The foods that she and her mother cooked were simpler than the ones her daughter cooks.  There are different meats and vegetables used now and their ways of cooking require more work, more seasoning, and more complexity.  While they are still using traditional foods and recipes as a basis or their meals, Rosa believes these new dishes will become now become the tradition.

At 3 p.m. we had a meeting with Marc and Celeste.  Marvin is a teacher and Celeste sells clothing in the market on Sunday and Wednesday.  They told us that sometimes, teachers don't get paid.  The money is used for campaigns and the ministry of education does not give the teachers their full salary.  Teachers have led protests in the capitol in which Celeste has been a part of.  But they only pay them enough money to pacify them, not all of it.  They get paid maybe every few months even though they are supposed to get paid every month.  There are about 40 students per teacher.  Celeste teaches little children, two classes in one room.  She is patient with her students and doesn't like to pull them by their ears.  Sometimes it is hard for the little children to go to school so their parents hold their hands while they cry, but she likes to make it fun for them.  She has songs and games so they can learn by not just writing in a book, because students don't learn that way.  Marc showed us how they use teaching implements.  He has a dog puzzle that has vowel pieces where the students can put in the right place.  

He also tells his students the letter and has them draw the letter and a picture of something that starts with that letter, like "A" for "arbol."  In order to graduate, the students are given individuals, and if they don't pass them, they receive tutoring.  Marc says there are some really good teachers, but schools are closing because they are not paying them and the teachers have a hard time handling large classes.  While we talked with them, they served us pandulce and coffee.  The bread was so good! And it had sugar on top!  Kristina and I asked about how they make the bread  and if we could come back later and watch them make it.  Marc and Celeste taught us some more words in K'iche' as the others chatted.  Marc has a journal of words he has translated from Spanish to English.  He has it broken down into three columns:

         Spanish                              English                       Pronunciation

It was really interesting  I went through it and corrected some of it.  Marc also showed us around.  They have rabbits outside ("inul" in K'iche')  and an oven which is just amazing,  It fills up the entire room, but they noted it is hard to clean because it is so deep.  They clean it by wetting a cloth and wrapping in around a large stick.  The oven was made by their uncle out of sand and limestone.  

Marc showed us some of the bread he was making for the fiesta in July.  We have an appointment to go cook with them Sunday.  After we left their house, we went to buy blankets.  Guatemala is known for their large, wool, hand dyed blankets.  I am getting a blanket that is white, blue, and gray.  We are picking them up next week.  They are 150 quetzales, which is like $20.

How my First Ethnographic Research Began

domingo, 29 de mayo de 2011- Momostenango, Guatemala Day 1

It wasn't until that Saturday at 4 when I called Dr. Cook to tell him I was not going, did reality sink in.  My Grabby was going to die.  It hurt so bad I couldn't breathe.

In May of 2011 I went to field school in Momostenango, Guatemala for three weeks.  This was the hardest trip I have ever been on, not because of culture shock, but because I left the day of my Grabby's funeral.  I called Dr. Cook to tell him I was not going a few hours before she died and he allowed me to fly down and meet them there the next week.  My grandmother was my best friend and her death hit me hard.  It would be impossible for me to share the fun and excitement of doing field research without mentioning the hardships that go along with it, which in my case began even before I left.  My flight was the morning after the funeral but I had to leave that evening and drive to Houston.  Thankfully my mom's college roommates bought all of the things I needed for my trip because I hadn't bought anything.  When I finally got to Houston around midnight and into the hotel, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance because my blood pressure was high and blood was rushing out of my nose while I threw up blood at the same time (I know! TMI.  But that's what stress does for you.)  So I spent the night in the E.R. and took a restless nap and boarded the plane.  Surprisingly this was my first time flying alone, despite having traveled so much.  I was picked up by Eduardo, our Guatemalan contact who stayed with us, and two other anthropology students.  We stopped at Pollo Campero which immediately became my favorite place to eat there.  I was trying to get my mind together and not focus on the funeral.  I didn't want the stress to get to me again because I didn't want to end up at a emergency room in Guatemala.  We were staying in Momostenango which was a two hour drive up the mountain from Guatemala City where my plane flew in.  When I arrived at our house, which was above a shoe store, I set up my bed and got to know my research partner Kristina who showed me around the town. We decided to focus on traditional Guatemalan dishes and how they are becoming more modern.  Over the next couple of weeks we interviewed women and they taught us how to prepare different dishes.  With our research we made a video cookbook, which included a video and recipe for each dish.  Later, I wrote a paper "The Growing Impact of Globalization on Guatemalan Health: How Processed Foods are Replacing Traditional Meals," where I identified and examined the nutritional value of the Mayan diet.

To Do List

Yes, I know it has been forever and a day.  But that just means that I have SO MUCH to blog about! So i'm just going to get too it.

First.  I am planning to go back to Haiti in June and to Uganda and Kenya in August to take pictures for an amazing non profit organization founded by my friend Mistee and her husband Bob (Mistee is in some of the pictures from my second Haiti trip.  I also had an interview with her but it was lost when my journal was lost)  Lifeworks Initiative empowers impoverished communities by training people in water pump repair, sewing techniques, and entrepreneurship, such as vision care and eyeglass production.  More information about how to donate to Lifeworks Initiative or to my trip will be given a little later, but you can check out their Facebook page or their website:

http://lifeworksi.org.

Second.  My journal is LOST!  I am so upset about this and don't even like to think about it.  All of my memories from my second trip to Haiti are in it and I will not be able to share the rest of my trip because of that.  If you have seen a brown journal with a string to tie it shut filled with all the amazing things that have happened to me in Haiti please please please tell me!

Third.  I have been taking lots of pictures for people and will be sharing all of the crazy things that took place while getting some of the shots.  I have a Facebook page where you can see and share my images:

www.facebook.com/beyondmeasurephotos

I think that is all for now.  Where to start? OH I KNOW! GUATEMALA!!  ... That wasnt even on my list.

Thrifting in the Rain, Just Thrifting in the Rain

The rain didn't keep me from thrifting today! I found some great stuff!

Treasure from Goodwill

$8 Yellow 

Rain boots

$1 thick brown suspenders

$1 thin black suspenders

Now all I need is a yellow umbrella and a yellow raincoat!!

Photography Website

This is my photography website check it out!


http://www.wix.com/briana_payne/portfolio

Its for my photography class.. I will add more pictures and fix it up later

My #1 Fan

On May 26th I lost my number one fan.  She read my blog posts constantly and was the one who inspired me to start writing in the first place.  My grandmother "Grabby" was an amazing person.  Even though a few months have past it seems like it was just yesterday we were planning a train trip around the country.  I have never been at a lost for words, but when I think about her I have nothing to say.  Only for her funeral was I able to think of something, even though it did no justice to how I felt or the relationship we had with each other.  Since then I have not been able to put into words anything about her or how I feel.  I have never experienced a loss so close or a grief so great.

Until We Meet

Briana Payne

You can rest now for you have done enough,

But I still have much to do until we meet again

Until we meet, I must study up on my Jeopardy trivia,

Because you would never answer my phone calls when your show was on.

I must practice my acting skills,

Because you are not going to beat me out-acting Ms. Scarlett.

I must continue to suffer through Clint Eastwood film’s,

Because I know how you love your “shoot ‘em up” movies.

And I must keep reading until I can’t keep my eyes open,

Because you introduced me to almost every book I have read.

Until we meet, I will grow mentally and spiritually,

Because you taught me something new every time we talked.

I will pass your stories and wisdom to my own children,

Because you passed them to my mommy and me.

I will travel to all the places we dreamed of,

Because in heaven we will have new adventures to plan.

And I will practice my sprints,

Because when we meet your legs will have “grown back”

And I know you will be ready to race.

Until we meet “parting is such sweet sorrow,”

But “in my father’s house are many mansions,”

And mine is right next to you.

Sorry peeps

So.. I cannot find my Haiti journal so... I decided to come back to it once I do and just start with my trip to Guatemala!  I really hope I find that journal though because it has a part of my life in it

No I Have Not Gone Missing

I know that it has been forever since I have blogged.  Just in case you were freakin out, no I am not missing or anything so don't go searching for my picture on milk cartons.  A lot has happened, so much to blog about. Which I will not be doing until I finish my project for school, so maybe I will blog in the next couple of weeks.. I promise to finish my trip to Haiti.. once I clean my room and find my journal.  And I will be filling you in on things that have happened in my life, as well as my trip to Guatemala. More to come peeps. Talk to you soon!!