This article from El Periodico is about a woman named Montserrat Deu who now lives among the indigenous amidst the corn and coffee fields in one of poorest regions of Guatemala: Satiago Atitlan. Montserrat was once a citizen of Catalunya, a region located in Spain. She first came to Guatemala in 1999 while working with an amnesty group. She instantly fell in love with the people, the nature, the Atitlan lake and a man named Xelani whose father had moved to the community from the United States 35 years before.
Este artículo se trata de una mujer que se llama Montserrat Deu que vive con los indígenas en medio de los campos de maíz y cafetales en unos de las regiones lo más pobre en Guatemala: Santiago Atitlan. Montserrat era un ciudadano de Catalunya un región en España. Vino a Guatemala por la primera vez in 1999 porque estaba trabajando con un grupo de Amistad. Cuando estuvo allí se enamoro con la gente, el lago Atitlan y un hombre que se llama Xelani. El papa de Xelani había mudado a la comunidad de los Estados Unidos hace 35 anos.
Montserrat ended up moving to Guatemala and marrying Xelani. They now have two children and have their parents living with them. Montserrat now works as the director of transsexual, bisexual and gay rights, gives music lessons in her spare time and is dedicated to working towards equal rights for the indigenous people of Guatemala. Over time she has gotten to know the region as well as its people and feels as though she belongs in the community despite not being indigenous.
Montserrat decidió de mudarse a Guatemala y se caso con Xelani. Ahora tienen dos hijos y tienen su papas viviendo con ellos. Montserrat trabaja como la directora de proyectos de la oenegé estadounidense, da lecciones de música en su tiempo libre y está dedicada a trabajar con los derechos de la gente indígena de Guatemala. En este tiempo ha empezado a conocer la región y la gente y se siente que es parte de la comunidad aunque no es indígena.
Montserrat remembers her first experience with tragedy which occurred in 2005 when torrential downpours from Hurricane Stan caused several deaths in the community. The community was cut off from the rest of Guatemala and people began to starve. It was this experience amongst many others that caused her to change her view about the world.
Montserrat se recuerde de su primera experiencia con tragedia que ocurrió en 2005 cuando vino una gran tormenta causado por el huracán Stan. Mucha gente se murieron en la comunidad y había mucha gente con hambre. Fue este experiencia con muchas otra que le cambio su moda de ver el mundo.
Montserrat now chooses to live her life in simplicity and wants to stay in tune with the nature around her. Her experiences in Guatemala has changed the way she describes people who are deemed to be “poor.” This does not mean that she does not acknowledge certain ways of life that perpetuate the poverty of many minorities; rather she has learned to appreciate the intrinsic values that these people have.
I really enjoyed this article because it gives a positive spin amidst the negative articles concerning Guatemala and the wide spectrum of issues the country finds itself in. This article demonstrates how one can learn from living with those of lower economic status and the things that one can learn. Montserrat once lived in Spain where the majority of people live quite comfortably. However she found solace in Guatemala and through the indigenous people around her she learned how to become humble. While reading this article I found myself thinking that many people in our Western society could benefit by spending time in a community of lower economic status and getting to know the people who live there. I find that many people are aware that there are areas of extreme poverty but continue to live lives of excess because they are very disconnected from the people they may be affecting in some way or another. In Montserrat’s case it was not until she was immersed in this community that she felt that she should live more simply and more in tune with nature. I believe that there would be many less problems in the world, politically, economically and socially if a few more people made this virtues priorities in their lives.
Most of my friends ask me why I chose Guatemala, firstly not having a clue of what or where it is, and and if they do they dont understand why someone would want to go their instead of say spain.
ReplyDeleteI dont know exactly why myself, but part of the reason i like to think is that yea going to spain would be a great and new experience, but part of this trip isnt just to see a new geography or languange or culture, but to see a different way of life. as corny as it sounds.
frankly Im cuious how the trip will affect us, obviously we will be seeing a different part of the world, but i wonder what we will take out of it.
sean ^^
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to find out what kind of new knowledge she gained from her new way of life. For example, does the community have strategies for the kind of disaster you described? What kinds of agricultural methods do they use? etc. I would also be interested to hear about how her work with transsexual, bisexual and gay rights intersects with beliefs that were already held by the population
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a really cool idea. Individual case studies are always good because of their detail and personality. We feel as though we can connect with the subject of the article.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the mention of Spain, where people live "comfortably", it is also the case that people tend to neglect human connection and are often "stuck up", if you will. I can definitely see how a rural community that lives off of the land would be a more attractive option. I find merit in choosing a simpler life. I also recognize that it would be a lot easier to do this in a place that has not been so fully industrialized and consumerized, where if one opts for a life of simplicity, they face negative criticism from their peers. I'm maybe more surprised that we don't see more examples of this!