Read Part 1 of this post here.
In my last post, I wrote a bit about the overall experience of living with seven different Central American families. In order to truly give my friends and family a glimpse into the diversity and richness of my experience here, I'd now like to give a brief portrait of each family I stayed with.
In my last post, I wrote a bit about the overall experience of living with seven different Central American families. In order to truly give my friends and family a glimpse into the diversity and richness of my experience here, I'd now like to give a brief portrait of each family I stayed with.
#1: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Length of Stay: 3 weeks
Setting: Urban
Location: Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala, the second-largest city in Guatemala, located in the Western highlands of the country. My house was located in the 1st zone of the city, a two-minute walk from the Spanish school and a 10-minute walk from the Central Park.
House: Large, 1-story house with an attached small factory where the family produces sports uniforms for the local schools. The family has a dog and two birds.
Family makeup: 5 people - grandmother, father, mother, two daughters (15 and 20)
Religion: Evangelical Christians
Biggest challenge: Because of their deep faith, my host family had a way of seeing the world and understanding things that at times felt very foreign to me. In our conversations, though, I learned a lot, and I think they learned a lot from me as well!
Best memory: I became very close with my host sister - her sass and intelligence reminded me a lot of my own sister - and I got to celebrate her 15th birthday with her!
Setting: Urban
Location: Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala, the second-largest city in Guatemala, located in the Western highlands of the country. My house was located in the 1st zone of the city, a two-minute walk from the Spanish school and a 10-minute walk from the Central Park.
House: Large, 1-story house with an attached small factory where the family produces sports uniforms for the local schools. The family has a dog and two birds.
Family makeup: 5 people - grandmother, father, mother, two daughters (15 and 20)
Religion: Evangelical Christians
Biggest challenge: Because of their deep faith, my host family had a way of seeing the world and understanding things that at times felt very foreign to me. In our conversations, though, I learned a lot, and I think they learned a lot from me as well!
Best memory: I became very close with my host sister - her sass and intelligence reminded me a lot of my own sister - and I got to celebrate her 15th birthday with her!
#2: Cajolá, Guatemala
Length of Stay: 4 nights
Setting: Rural
Location: Cajolá, Guatemala, a rural town northwest of Quetzaltenango. Most residents belong to the indigenous Mam ethnic group and speak Mam - a large segment of the population does not speak Spanish. My host mom was a member of Grupo Cajolá, a women's weaving cooperative.
House: Compound with multiple families (mostly cousins of my host family), horses, cows, chickens, a cornfield, a bathing hut, and an outhouse. All four members of the immediate family sleep in one room (as did we, for two nights), and they have a kitchen in the next building over.
Family makeup: 4 people - mother, daughter (18), son (11), and granddaughter (1), as well as the extended family in the compound
Religion: Nonreligious
Biggest challenge: Communication was a little bit of a challenge, since the community members who spoke Spanish spoke it as a second language, and the students were still learning Spanish as well. But I learned to say "Thank you!" in Mam, which is pretty cool.
Best memory: Having Spanish classes in the middle of a corn field
Setting: Rural
Location: Cajolá, Guatemala, a rural town northwest of Quetzaltenango. Most residents belong to the indigenous Mam ethnic group and speak Mam - a large segment of the population does not speak Spanish. My host mom was a member of Grupo Cajolá, a women's weaving cooperative.
House: Compound with multiple families (mostly cousins of my host family), horses, cows, chickens, a cornfield, a bathing hut, and an outhouse. All four members of the immediate family sleep in one room (as did we, for two nights), and they have a kitchen in the next building over.
Family makeup: 4 people - mother, daughter (18), son (11), and granddaughter (1), as well as the extended family in the compound
Religion: Nonreligious
Biggest challenge: Communication was a little bit of a challenge, since the community members who spoke Spanish spoke it as a second language, and the students were still learning Spanish as well. But I learned to say "Thank you!" in Mam, which is pretty cool.
Best memory: Having Spanish classes in the middle of a corn field
#3: San Pedro, Costa Rica
Length of Stay: 2 weeks
Setting: Urban
Location: San Pedro is a wealthy suburb of San José, the capital of Costa Rica located in the very center of the country. It is also the region of San José where many of the nation's universities are based.
House: Very large, two-story guesthouse run by my host mom.
Family makeup: 1 person - host mom (she has adult children in Costa Rica and the US)
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Especially in the beginning, I felt much more isolated in San Pedro than I did in Xela. Because we were traveling around so much and spending so much time with just our group, it was hard to feel as connected to San Pedro and greater San José as to the other places we visited.
Best memory: Watching movies with my host mom after dinner.
Setting: Urban
Location: San Pedro is a wealthy suburb of San José, the capital of Costa Rica located in the very center of the country. It is also the region of San José where many of the nation's universities are based.
House: Very large, two-story guesthouse run by my host mom.
Family makeup: 1 person - host mom (she has adult children in Costa Rica and the US)
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Especially in the beginning, I felt much more isolated in San Pedro than I did in Xela. Because we were traveling around so much and spending so much time with just our group, it was hard to feel as connected to San Pedro and greater San José as to the other places we visited.
Best memory: Watching movies with my host mom after dinner.
#4: Longo Mai, Costa Rica
Length of Stay: 2 nights
Setting: Rural
Location: Located in Southern Costa Rica, Longo Mai Costa Rica is a cooperative community made up of refugees from El Salvador and Nicaragua, as well as previously landless Costa Rican peasants. They practice agroforestry, in addition to coffee and chocolate cultivation. Longo Mai is cooperative-focuesd movement that came out of France in the sixties.
House: Large, one-story house with multiple buildings, a garden, and lots of trees with mamones chinos (aka "Rambutons," the fruit I'm holding in the picture to the left).
Family makeup: Because the community was so interconnected, we ate meals with a different family from the one we lived it. That makes it a bit hard to describe the family makeup, but there were people of all generations, including some people from Europe who had immigrated to stand in solidarity with the Longo Mai movement.
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Bugs...bugs everywhere.
Best memory: Attending mass to celebrate the patron saint of the community. To be honest, the homily was virtually nonsensical (even the Spanish-speakers said so), but the lizards crawling on the wall and the kids horsing around made it a fun experience!
Setting: Rural
Location: Located in Southern Costa Rica, Longo Mai Costa Rica is a cooperative community made up of refugees from El Salvador and Nicaragua, as well as previously landless Costa Rican peasants. They practice agroforestry, in addition to coffee and chocolate cultivation. Longo Mai is cooperative-focuesd movement that came out of France in the sixties.
House: Large, one-story house with multiple buildings, a garden, and lots of trees with mamones chinos (aka "Rambutons," the fruit I'm holding in the picture to the left).
Family makeup: Because the community was so interconnected, we ate meals with a different family from the one we lived it. That makes it a bit hard to describe the family makeup, but there were people of all generations, including some people from Europe who had immigrated to stand in solidarity with the Longo Mai movement.
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Bugs...bugs everywhere.
Best memory: Attending mass to celebrate the patron saint of the community. To be honest, the homily was virtually nonsensical (even the Spanish-speakers said so), but the lizards crawling on the wall and the kids horsing around made it a fun experience!
#5: La Carpio, Costa Rica
Length of Stay: 2 nights
Setting: Urban
Location: La Carpio is a community on the periphery of San José, located between a garbage dump and a water treatment plant. The community is primarily made up of Nicaraguan immigrants, with some Costa Ricans and Salvadorean immigrants.
House: Medium-sized two-story house. The family lives on the lower level, and six tenants live in the apartments above.
Family makeup: Mother, father, two sons (12 and 15), and six tenants in the small apartments on the upper level of the house - all members of the family had immigrated from Nicaragua for work
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Both of our host brothers were super shy, so Amber (the other student I stayed with) and I initially had trouble connecting with them. We did bond while playing the video game Mortal Kombat, so I'd consider that a win.
Best memory: Having a wild water balloon fight with the neighborhood children to try to escape the heat.
Setting: Urban
Location: La Carpio is a community on the periphery of San José, located between a garbage dump and a water treatment plant. The community is primarily made up of Nicaraguan immigrants, with some Costa Ricans and Salvadorean immigrants.
House: Medium-sized two-story house. The family lives on the lower level, and six tenants live in the apartments above.
Family makeup: Mother, father, two sons (12 and 15), and six tenants in the small apartments on the upper level of the house - all members of the family had immigrated from Nicaragua for work
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: Both of our host brothers were super shy, so Amber (the other student I stayed with) and I initially had trouble connecting with them. We did bond while playing the video game Mortal Kombat, so I'd consider that a win.
Best memory: Having a wild water balloon fight with the neighborhood children to try to escape the heat.
#6: Managua, Nicaragua
Length of Stay: 5 weeks
Setting: Urban
Location: We are living in Batahola Norte, a neighborhood in Managua that was the first neighborhood created for the Sandinistas following the 1979 triumph of the revolution. Managua, the capital city of the country, was greatly destroyed in the 1972 earthquake, the revolution and the Contra war, and Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and hasn't fully been rebuilt. Fun fact: Managua is filled with giant, yellow light-up trees that the first lady Rosario Murillo believes bring good vibes to the city, but that cost the impoverished country $20k per tree (there are over 130 tress total) plus electricity costs.
House: A mid-sized one-story house. The front of the house operates as a pulperia (miscellaneous store) where the family sells homemade juice and hand-made piñatas and dolls.
Family makeup: Great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and three daughters (11, 3, and 1)
Religion: Pentecostal Christians
Biggest challenge: Managua is hot, hot, HOT. Living with no AC has been definitely a challenge, and it made me quite lethargic at first. But I've found that taking cold showers (there's no hot water) and curling up next to the fan at night can keep me pretty cool. I've also struggled with having no wifi at home; if I've learned anything about myself on this trip, it's that I have serious trouble functioning without access to the internet.
Best memory: Spending time with my host sisters. In the short time I've been here, I've been able to see the one year-old (who calls me "ta-ta") pretty much learn to walk. I also love watching "My Little Pony" and "Jorge El Curioso" (Curious George) with my host sisters before school in the morning.
Setting: Urban
Location: We are living in Batahola Norte, a neighborhood in Managua that was the first neighborhood created for the Sandinistas following the 1979 triumph of the revolution. Managua, the capital city of the country, was greatly destroyed in the 1972 earthquake, the revolution and the Contra war, and Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and hasn't fully been rebuilt. Fun fact: Managua is filled with giant, yellow light-up trees that the first lady Rosario Murillo believes bring good vibes to the city, but that cost the impoverished country $20k per tree (there are over 130 tress total) plus electricity costs.
House: A mid-sized one-story house. The front of the house operates as a pulperia (miscellaneous store) where the family sells homemade juice and hand-made piñatas and dolls.
Family makeup: Great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and three daughters (11, 3, and 1)
Religion: Pentecostal Christians
Biggest challenge: Managua is hot, hot, HOT. Living with no AC has been definitely a challenge, and it made me quite lethargic at first. But I've found that taking cold showers (there's no hot water) and curling up next to the fan at night can keep me pretty cool. I've also struggled with having no wifi at home; if I've learned anything about myself on this trip, it's that I have serious trouble functioning without access to the internet.
Best memory: Spending time with my host sisters. In the short time I've been here, I've been able to see the one year-old (who calls me "ta-ta") pretty much learn to walk. I also love watching "My Little Pony" and "Jorge El Curioso" (Curious George) with my host sisters before school in the morning.
#7: Miraflor, Nicaragua
Length of Stay: 2 nights
Setting: Rural
Location: Miraflor is a rural area in the North of the country that was repeatedly ransacked during the Contra war in the 1980s. We lived with members of a women's cooperative that produces coffee and hosts tourists.
House: I lived in a large one-story house with dogs, a cat, a horse, pigs, chickens, and a sprawling vegetable garden.
Family makeup: Father, mother, and two friends from the community. They have several grown children who live in the community and the neighboring city of Estelí.
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: This was a community that, due to its geographical proximity to Honduras and its emphasis on community organizing, really suffered at the hands of the contras during the war. Hearing resident's memories of running from the Contras in the middle of the night, of having family kidnapped, and of watching children die of starvation while hiding in the fields was powerful and so, so heartbreaking.
Best memory: We hiked to a lookout point near the house where all you could see for miles and miles were rolling hills, trees, and horses. We were able to watch the sunset from here. It was utterly breathtaking.
Setting: Rural
Location: Miraflor is a rural area in the North of the country that was repeatedly ransacked during the Contra war in the 1980s. We lived with members of a women's cooperative that produces coffee and hosts tourists.
House: I lived in a large one-story house with dogs, a cat, a horse, pigs, chickens, and a sprawling vegetable garden.
Family makeup: Father, mother, and two friends from the community. They have several grown children who live in the community and the neighboring city of Estelí.
Religion: Catholic
Biggest challenge: This was a community that, due to its geographical proximity to Honduras and its emphasis on community organizing, really suffered at the hands of the contras during the war. Hearing resident's memories of running from the Contras in the middle of the night, of having family kidnapped, and of watching children die of starvation while hiding in the fields was powerful and so, so heartbreaking.
Best memory: We hiked to a lookout point near the house where all you could see for miles and miles were rolling hills, trees, and horses. We were able to watch the sunset from here. It was utterly breathtaking.