School Committees

Yesterday Felipe and I met with members of the school committees from the five closest villages to Cancuén. With the help of the archeologists at the site, we organized this meeting primarily to introduce me and allow me to meet some of the pro-active members of each aldea. I hope these members of the education boards will support our efforts in the communities. I hope they understand the importance of education and can do much of the footwork in convincing their peers and neighbors that education can be a long-term solution to short-term problems. Making the 16-hour round-trip haul from Guatemala City to Cancuén nearly weekly, we will get to know each other well and with hard work and trust, develop a positive working relationship.

Their questions were few, but as the meeting concluded, a representative from each community stood. Each expressed their gratification for not only our future efforts in providing education, but moreover for including their thoughts, opinions and feelings by holding a meeting as such. Still, there behind each of their words was a feeling of skepticism. Having spent some time working in development, I could guess from where this spurred.

Later, I decided anyway to talk with Felipe about his impressions regarding the meeting and the ‘thank you’ speeches from each village. He straddles an interesting border having studied at Ak’Tenamit for a few years. But while my perspective only allows me to understand how and why the organization works to empower local people, his goes beyond. He comes from these communities. He is these communities. Their struggles are his struggles. They are his neighbors and family. And so with this experience, before drifting off to bed in our tent, I decided to get to know each village through Felipe. He said that many people and organizations alike recognize that this as one of the poorest places in Guatemala. Since the time he can remember, individuals and groups have come in and made promises. Some have started to work. Others have continued it. But as we lay in an all-encompassing darkness, Felipe went on to explain that there is little follow through. He told me about project funds from outside agencies running dry and all those promises made to the communities following suit.

“Yes,” he told me. “The people will thank you for coming; especially for taking time out to speak with them and ask their opinion. But that skepticism is a defense mechanism from years of big promises and little results, and it will be some time before that goes away.

These were the last words shared that night. Shortly after, Felipe drifted off to sleep, but his words would keep me up. I left the tent and went to walk around this foreign place, my new home. I thought about the insight of my 23-year old partner. Practically the same age, our life experiences are so different, and together, we are helping each other to understand the world. He helps me to understand the words coming out of their mouths, but equally he helps me to understand the messages coming from their souls.

We will return to Cancuén next week.