It’s dawning on me that I’ve been exceptionally lame about maintaining this blog since I left Guatemala. There are a few reasons for that: First, I was very busy with program activities in Costa Rica – much more so than in Guatemala. Between speakers, class, and three different homestays, I simply found it hard to find time to sit down and reflect. I guess that’s what this week (fall break) was for.
"No tenemos presidente."
That is how my host mom greeted me the morning of September 3, 2015. "We don't have a president." Now, I hadn't been in Guatemala for that long, but I knew enough to be surprised. And, from the looks on the faces of the members of my host family, it was a shock for them too. After months of protests, escalating in both frequency and impact (all while remaining peaceful), calling for the resignation of the president, no one thought it would actually happen. Even after hearing hundreds of Guatemalans chant Yo no tengo presidente (a viral hashtag meaning "I don't have a president"), I couldn't believe I was hearing No tenemos presidente ("We don't have a president"). The hashtag became a reality. |
AUTHORMy name is Katie. I'm a junior at Duke University, and I'm spending my fall semester traveling throughout Central America studying social change. ARCHIVES
November 2015
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