Is it cheating
if I use a Spanish verb? Divertirse = to have fun, or enjoy oneself. This is
something that I have definitely been doing in Honduras, whether with CASM, the
communities, or with my host family during weekend adventures.
A smaller turnout |
I have
mostly been working with CASM´s women´s project in the past few weeks; we have
had three more organizational meetings with the women since I last wrote,
successfully involving approximately 100 more women in the movement! My
counterpart, Delmis, says that she would love to see the face of the
municipality when all of these women we are helping to organize come in mass to
Trascerros to elect a women´s coordinator! The coordinator will be both
nominated and elected by the women in a democratic proceeding. Right now, in
addition to organizing the women, we are requesting nominations from the
communities. The coordinator must not only have the professional skills to work
in the municipality, but, more importantly, a passion for the campesino women
and an empathetic understanding of the challenges they face. In these meetings
the women have emphasized that the coordinator elected must visit the
communities and continue training women, not just simply sit in the
municipality office. I hope that whoever is elected will be able to truly
fulfill all of these qualifications!
"If we don´t defend our rights, no one will!" |
During one
of these meetings, one of the community women mentioned that she was grateful
that CASM was helping to organize them, but more importantly she wanted to
continue receiving training in women´s rights, because “if we don´t defend our
rights, no one will!” Honestly, sometimes working with the women feels like
I´ve gone back in time to the suffrage movement. Not that the women here don´t
have the right to vote (they do) but as I´ve written before, their social
status lacks the autonomy and liberties that many women, including myself, may take
for granted. Poverty also plays a large role in this situation, as lack of
resources and education make it difficult for someone to even be aware of their
rights or potential for political participation. History also plays a part.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the colonial town of Gracias,
Lempira (more on this later!) and while in a cultural museum I came across this
informative plaque that read,
The role of women has
hardly evolved in Coloscua. In colonial society, the center of the family and
the person who exercised authority was the man. Women were supposedly inferior
and remained under the command of a man for their entire life. Much later, in
the fourteenth century, women of upper class were considered decorative items,
and learned different arts in order to make their environment more delightful.
You may not notice, but the situation of rural women is practically unchanged:
they are in charge of the care of the family, of the small animals, and the
land closest to their home. They won their right to vote in 1954, thanks to
Laura Vigil, wife of President Julio Lozano Diaz.
In short,
despite having suffrage since the 1950´s, the situation of women has hardly
changed!
Okay, so
maybe the status of women in Honduras isn´t such a fun or uplifting subject, but it doesn´t
stop the women from enjoying themselves! I think humor is one of the Honduran
people´s best qualities. Delmis is especially good at cracking jokes with the
community women, and I´ve shared many laughs in our meetings as a result. It´s
hard to capture smiles with a camera here (most people prefer to appear
serious, especially the men) but I was able to catch a few from our meeting in
the Terreritos community….
In other news...I´ve been
thinking a lot recently about the DWYL concept that has been trending lately (for
you hipsters who are too cool for trendy lingo, DWYL = Do What You Love). To
preface, my thoughts have been influenced a lot by this fabulous article about
why DWYL is problematic… https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/01/in-the-name-of-love/
DWYL
expresses the idea that what you do for work should be what you love, and that
you´ll find happiness and satisfaction in that. It´s something that every
recent college graduate sets out to do as they try to find work in their dream
job. And it´s something I partially set out to do when I came to Honduras, to
find out if community development work would be something I would love and want
to pursue as a future career. And since my arrival I have had so many thoughts
about what I would do when I get back to the States.
I´m not
sure exactly when I had the realization, but now a month into my Honduras
experience, I eventually came to the conclusion that my work, be it DWYL or
otherwise, is not what is going to bring me ultimate happiness. Maybe it was
from being around the people in the communities, whose work is certainly not
something that they necessarily love but
more a means to survive and provide for themselves. And yet, even despite
poverty and insecurity, they seem happy! I think a lot of that happiness comes
from their faith…they can rejoice even when they are struggling.
I
think the whole idea of "finding happiness" "pursuing
happiness" etc. is a myth. You don´t go on the search for happiness and
find it somewhere waiting for you. You don´t find it in the perfect job. You INVITE it into your life, be it through
your faith, your daily attitude, through the people that you choose to spend
time with, in the appreciation for the small daily things that make you smile. Maybe
if we'd stop trying so hard to find happiness we'd see that it was actually there
all the time but we were blind to it!
All that
being said, here are some snapshots of the fun I´ve managed to have in Honduras
so far...
My little host brother and I dancing in the rain |
Weeding in a coffee nursery |
Checking out a colonial fortress. Gracias, Lempira |
Horse riding in the Barranco community |
A visit to the botanical gardens. Gracias, Lempira |
Admiring living statues. Gracias, Lempira |
Getting to love on community babies like Dalila |
Learning how to grind corn for tortillas |
"Bridging" the divide between cultures |