Im staying in a small community right now in the state of Tlaxcala. we are staying with families, which is an incredible experience. Extended families live together here, so along with my host mom, we live and eat with her brothers and sisters, sister in law, her kids, and her parents. the grandparents also have a ranch outside of town, which is the coolest little spot. they have a lake for fishing and a brick fireplace where we are going to learn how to bake pan de los muertos tomorrow for the day of the dead.
perhaps the most spectacular part about this state is the food. we are fed an incredible abundance of foods- from mole enchiladas, fresh figs from our tree outside, stacks of fresh corn tortillas, arroz con leche, fresh sugar cane, stews with vegetable from our garden, grasshoppers (yeah, we had them for dinner last night), jello (not so traditional) and all of the amazing traditional foods you could ever want. we are preparing for the day of the dead, which is a huge holiday here to remember loved ones who have died. we will have celebrations and go to the cemetary to make offerings. its a really interesting holiday because it pre-exists the colonization of indigenous peoples, but has been heavily influenced by catholocism since the conquistadores came.

this community that i am in in particular is heavily, heavily affected by immigration into the United States. Everyone either knows someone close to them or they themselves have been in the US to work. The husbands of two of the women i live with are currently in the us working. most people go to either jackson, WY, Utah, Virginia, or Altanta. Its crazy how these relations form between small communities in mexico and places in the US are built based on personal relationships. its been really interesting to be here, and to learn about the origins of immigration and the economic desperation that leads people to immigrate, not to mention how dangerous it is to cross the border, and how it devestates families here to have principally men leave their families for extended amounts of time.
there are a ton of vacant houses here, more houses than people because of all of the immigratoin. there are groups organizing around trying to institute economic alternatives to immigration so that people can live and work in their communities, and no longer be predisposed to having so few options. but it is difficult to do, because the local economies are severely intertwined with the international. Since NAFTA and the implementation of free trade, many farmers are pushed off of their land, can no longer grow subsistance agricultural, and therefore, many people either move to urban areas in mexico, or to the US. and there are not enough jobs. even if there were enough jobs, the way that people need jobs in the first place outside of their own communities is problematic. im doing my final project on this transformation, from subsistance lifestyles to entering the wage economy and where this breaking point is for people here.

there is a ton to write and say but i cant even begin to transmit all of the things i am experiencing here. generally speaking, i am enjoying it tremendously and learning so much. maybe ill end up writing a book or something about my experiences here. i hope you all are well and love you mucho....

Bringing the financial crisis home:

I've been having a great time and have a lot to share. here's a piece of what i've been thinking and learning about. It’s interesting, the connection between huge, overwhelming political realities and our own lives. How do we define our role in a larger system outside of ourselves, that we still have the power and agency to impact?

At home, I know I can live a dangerous lifestyle of running myself into ruts, where I live off of to-do list and if I get a, b, and c done, I will be able to achieve something and see that impact at some point of its implementation. This linear mentality of working towards something greater helps set out goals and a vision to follow but is dangerous in that it distorts the importance of building a movement from its fundamental base points- like in forming relationships and alternative social structures that no longer feed off of capitalist dependency. Our life options shouldn’t be reduced to buying organic vegetables, or doing any set of individual actions, as alone being enough to make the sort of change that needs to happen. The kind of change that is needed is more fundamental and requires that we build alternative communities against hegemonic systems that don’t work for the majority of the people.

Take the financial crisis. The crisis is a symptom of a political context of smaller, yet significant, crises that exist throughout time. And now that the leading country of the global capitalist system claims crisis, the rest of the world will feel it even more. But it is not the beginning of anything new. Hundreds of millions of people will be forced into poverty because of financial decisions made at the top, in this case about housing loans, but in any case, could be applied to any political decisions made from the top.

This has led me to become really interested in exactly what makes people interact, or dependent on the global financial system. In Mexico, for example, there are many indigenous communities that are becomingly integrated into the global economic system, but not because they want to be. Many are forced- literally- off of their land, where their people have lived for hundreds or thousands of years, and go from living subsistence lifestyles, without the need for buying and selling everything they own, to a situation where people are forced to work for nothing, or can’t find work, beg on the streets of cities, or migrate to major urban centers, up northward to the United States. This is not a process that is done with the consent of the people, and thus economic forces are a major point of indigenous resistance. When it comes down to being able to keep your land, a matter of nothing less than survival, social movements and organizing become more about organic demands for survival of land- tierra, ejido, patria--- not a matter of optional social action. Otherwise, their lands will be sold to large corporations that will use the land to build on, such as an airport in the case of the Atenco struggle in the state of Mexico- a really inspiring story of a community that fought and won against an effort by the Mexican government to sell their land to build an airport on it.

Organizing and resistance are thus integrated into identity and historical memory. It’s really amazing to see this in action and to learn first hand from people who do not separate political projects from any aspect of their lives. It’s a bread and butter issue built on the historicity of hundreds of years of struggle against imposition. These ways of building organizations is really inspiring and makes me realize how short-sided things can be in the US, where we often lack historical context and community basis to visualize a comprehensive political system and the raw ways that power structures play out.

I know thats a lot of thinking.... know that I am also having a lot of fun here and enjoying some relaxation, such as at the beach this past weekend. We went to a little spot called Boca del Cielo- it was beautiful, sunny and a good place to unwind. We have vacation next week. I'm headed to Michoacan and the surrounding areas with some friends before we go to Tlaxcala and Mexico City for a month. really excited. I'll check in before long. Miss you all (unless people I don't know are reading this too!)

on indigenous people and history

hey everyone,
im writing with a ton of thoughts and exciting new formations to add to all that I have been learning here. I have been learning in a different way than a strict, memorization-and- regurgitation, text book sort of education and have been really benefiting from learning based on my personal experiences, perceived social constructions, and critical analysis that integrates useful knowledge with emotional engagement. Academically, we have been reading some challenging pieces based on historical social movements, history, and social constructions like that of race, class and gender. The most amazing part is learning about theory in the context of beautiful chiapas. talking about capitalism around a table outside, down the hill from roosters, horses, stray dogs, roasting corn, herded sheep, people carrying hundreds of pounds of supplies on their heads, and women weaving their own--- is something else. it really puts things into context. over-theorizing things is precautioned when we are in the midst of a place so alive with such a practical political alternative.

We visited a local example of a government center that is of, for, and by the people, filled with histories of amazing resistance against oppressive government systems. indigenous communities here have amazing histories- that are inter-locked with their present realities. their historical memory is not locked in books or with their grandparents. people live knowing that they are inextricably part of a long-term history and are therefore responsible to the survival of the following generations as well. every generation has struggled for their right to exist with dignity and seeing that in people is different than a lot of what i am used to. i feel largely estranged from where i come from and thus where we need to go from here. no words really can describe it all. more below.

the movement is where we take it

Hey- checking in here. We are leaving today from San Cristobal to a rural area in Chiapas for 5 weeks. We'll be learning directly about the indigenous struggle and experiencing some amazing things- like communal ways of life in practice and efforts to restore political autonomy and peace... sorry for a lack of details- just hard to explain in a general and open blog.

Anyway, I've been here a week and continue to have a great time. We're engaging in class discussion over things like US Cultural attitudes and reading cool things like: historical origins of radical political economy. By contrast, I'm realizing things about ways of life in the U.S. that are so ingrained in us and therefore I have become blind to- and that are severely problematic. Like individualism- a big one- that entails a serious lack of community that is endemic to indigenous lifestyles. With community comes a common understanding of decision-making, school, and everything from there. Kids know how to take responsibility for things and people know how to take care of themselves and those around them unlike I’ve ever seen before. And instead of trying to figure out the world’s largest questions alone, there are solutions grounded in collectivity. I’ve been writing a lot about it and am happy to discuss more with anyone interested.

I've been tasting all the local treats- from a drink of corn and cocoa called Pozol, Chayote soup, and a whole lot of fresh corn tortillas. still a lot of my favorites are available at the outdoor market- avacado, mango, nuts, berries-- everything imaginable. I love taking it all in- standing in the square and looking around to find myself out of my usual element but around a beautiful convergence of where I have been and where I am going- to be exactly where I need to be.

At the university we stayed at, I got to know some of the youth who come from indigenous communities in the area. Most of the time, their second language is Spanish just as it is mine (first being an indigenous language) , so we have a nice basis for communication. What a humble culture… friendly, although somewhat shy towards a group of white Americans. We broke through barriers and had a lot of fun.

I'm about to head out to explore San Cristobal a bit more before we leave. The Zocalo (main plaza) is full of activity right now, I think because of the imminent Mexican independence day next week. Take care everyone and write me emails or comments or something. I won’t have much internet if any during the next 5 weeks but will check it when I can.

Amor- Claudia

SWAP philosophy

greetings,

Academics and people here in Mexico have inspired me to re-think SWAP philosophy, moreso to be able to better articulate important issues concerning what SWAP is and could be. I invite everyone interested in the direction of the organization and how we message ourselves to be a part of this conversation, which I view as extremely important.

SWAP was born out of a desire for students to build relationships with workers and a consciousness that this relationship building is necessary in order to restore the human relations that bring justice between socio-economic groups- specifically on CU campus. Questions have come up internally in SWAP about the philosophical underpinnings and actions of the groups. Here are a couple of points that I think are crucial to how we will develop and strengthen what we do with workers on campus. (inspired mainly by readings from Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire)

-The importance of dialogue, communication between workers and students to develop the fight against oppression. The value is in this process, not a policy or something external to these relationships that can be instituted.

-We need to balance out theory and practice. I think we have been heavily action-based- given our profusion of English classes which has been great. However, I really do believe we are imbalanced on the end of building a theoretical framework of our group that defines what we do. I think we need to present English classes in the context of building working class power- beyond the acquirement of English skills for workers. I don't think there is any way around defining the context in which racism and anti-immigration sentiment exists. We have to be exlicit about the purpose of the exchange and relationships building between workers and students- as part of a larger vision.

Please go off of this or write your own ideas for exchange- love Claudia

First couple days in Chiapas

Rain on the tin roof is one of the most frequent sounds here in Chiapas. We’re staying in a local university for indigenous youth just outside of San Cristobal, where it rains most every day and we wake in the mornings around green mountains covered in fog. They have a great set-up here, housing about 100 students and providing classes for music, sewing, computers, mechanics, etc. It’s an amazing program, based on principals of collectivity and the indigenous struggle. They also have a farm and garden where our food comes from. There are conejos (bunnies- baby ones too), sheep, geese, dogs, kittens, and several vegetable gardens around. Yesterday, a sheep starting running at me, straight down a dirt road toward us- baaahing and all, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do because it was pretty solid, until he/she stopped right in front of us, looked at us seeming confused and then turned around and ran away. I had never been charged by a sheep before, but then again, I have never been in the way of one I suppose. It was cute in a scary barnyard-animal sort of way. Campus is simple yet elaborate- with homemade everything, plants everywhere, an amazing library of Spanish language books (where I am sitting right now), sports, a kitchen, and forested mountains to explore- everything we need.

There is a group of 13 from the U.S. that are being hosted her with our program. We have classes both in Spanish and English where we have been discussing the history and culture of Chiapas within its political context, as well as learn from theoretical analyses, such as Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We have plenty of free to time to read our assignments, play soccer with the kids, and practice our Spanish with local indigenous people who live here. I love it here and am already learning a lot about myself and what’s around me. This program is intellectually and socially challenging in a way that is radically different from public education that I have gone to all my life. It’s more informal yet more productive in a lot of ways. Group decisions are made collectively, effort given to the class depends on individual motive, and the purpose of the classes is to be as relevant and applicable to our lives as possible. If it is not, we don’t study it. If it doesn’t push our comfort zones, it’s not worth our time. We also have a house in San Cristobal that we can stay at.

On Sunday, we are going to a Zapatista cultural center for the particular autonomous region we are in to stay for 5 weeks. Will be pretty sweet.

Other than that, I miss you all but am so happy to be here. The other students and I connect really well and are going to have an amazing 3 months. Being here is opening so many doors and is allowing me the space and time I need to re-examine where I at back in Colorado and where I am headed. This is a perfect opportunity to be challenged and comforted at the same time, to critically engage with difficult issues, to be inspired by Mexican ways of life, and to help straighten out my mind for the work I do in the U.S. I think the tension in my shoulders is finally dissipating… mucha suerte---- Claudia