What AM I doing here?
Ok, right, so you've probably guessed I'm in Guatemala. It only takes reading the first two posts to guess that. This is the first time in 4 years to be out of the country, excepting Canada in March. Canada is just not culturally different enough, you know?
But here is the full story: Friday June 30 was my last day at work, at a job I did for over 7 years. In that time I often talked about returning to school, getting a masters of PhD even. As the plan to leave the job progressed so too did applying to graduate school and planning a break. Guatemala is the break.
Guatemala is also thinking, learning and planning time. Two weeks of language school in San Jose doubles for learning about Bio-Itza (accent on the 'a'), a community initiative for economic development, cultural and environmental preservation through eco-tourism. Check out Bio-Itza.
Bio-Itza is a great example of a local initiative attempting to preserve land and culture and use it to support the community. Well, I hope they are. I won't know until living with them and studying their programs. But they have a 36 square kilometer forest preserve, the result of a land distribution exercise through the goverment. Don't confuse this with distributing land to the poor, activities sometimes threatened or enacted by those crazy populist goverments. I really don't know the program that gave them the land. Right now they are lobbying to make their preserve an indigenous preserve, the first such thing in the country.
The Itza are Maya from Peten, the northern part of Guatemala. The town of Flores, where I'm staying for the night and the capital of Peten, is the ancient original city of the Itza. Lest this evoke images of bedding down and dining in old stone structures know that their city was destroyed by the Spanish. The Itza relocated across Lake Peten Itza. The small towns on the north shore are the current homes of the Itza.
Flores itself is an island connected to the mainland by a constructed causeway. This place is absolutely gorgeous! The island rises in the center with narrow spoke roads rising steeply from a ring road. The church, main park, ball courts, and theatre are all on top. This is a central gathering place at night for locals anyway. I was the only tourist when I walked through Saturday evening. Many more people wander the streets taking in the air and generally socializing. This is a place to spend many days just relaxing. It is also a launching point to visit Tikal, an incredible Mayan city. One of many in the area but the easiest to reach.
But here is the full story: Friday June 30 was my last day at work, at a job I did for over 7 years. In that time I often talked about returning to school, getting a masters of PhD even. As the plan to leave the job progressed so too did applying to graduate school and planning a break. Guatemala is the break.
Guatemala is also thinking, learning and planning time. Two weeks of language school in San Jose doubles for learning about Bio-Itza (accent on the 'a'), a community initiative for economic development, cultural and environmental preservation through eco-tourism. Check out Bio-Itza.
Bio-Itza is a great example of a local initiative attempting to preserve land and culture and use it to support the community. Well, I hope they are. I won't know until living with them and studying their programs. But they have a 36 square kilometer forest preserve, the result of a land distribution exercise through the goverment. Don't confuse this with distributing land to the poor, activities sometimes threatened or enacted by those crazy populist goverments. I really don't know the program that gave them the land. Right now they are lobbying to make their preserve an indigenous preserve, the first such thing in the country.
The Itza are Maya from Peten, the northern part of Guatemala. The town of Flores, where I'm staying for the night and the capital of Peten, is the ancient original city of the Itza. Lest this evoke images of bedding down and dining in old stone structures know that their city was destroyed by the Spanish. The Itza relocated across Lake Peten Itza. The small towns on the north shore are the current homes of the Itza.
Flores itself is an island connected to the mainland by a constructed causeway. This place is absolutely gorgeous! The island rises in the center with narrow spoke roads rising steeply from a ring road. The church, main park, ball courts, and theatre are all on top. This is a central gathering place at night for locals anyway. I was the only tourist when I walked through Saturday evening. Many more people wander the streets taking in the air and generally socializing. This is a place to spend many days just relaxing. It is also a launching point to visit Tikal, an incredible Mayan city. One of many in the area but the easiest to reach.
posted by Michael at 7:07 PM
1 Comments:
sounds like a nice way to clear your head before starting school. I'm envious.
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