Week 16: Saying Goodbye and Taking the Next Step Forward

The social work students and the intern pose together

during one of their final lab group sessions.

Time has flown by and I can’t believe that it is already the end of the semester. It seems like these past four months have been a whirlwind of activity, through the students’ arrival, to rural and urban homestays, internships and classes, and all of the general chaos of life in between. I can truly say that I have enjoyed seeing the journeys of all of the students this semester. They have moved through cycles of discovery, struggle, reflection, and finally transformation. I have enjoyed listening and laughing with all of the students, and I have appreciated what life experiences and points of view each and every one of them has had to offer.

This week we saw the students present their final projects, which were a culmination of all they have learned throughout the semester. Each student was required to integrate what they had learned and experienced in a creative project that they could share with those back home in the U.S. Students shared their new-found knowledge in a variety of mediums, including power point presentations, poetry/spoken word, and visual art. Seeing the final projects really inspired me. I am hopeful because I know that all of these students will bring their new-found knowledge and cultural sensitivity into the social work profession in the U.S. I have confidence that all of them will help to make this world a better place for all of us in their own unique ways.

On the final day of the program, Julie (the other intern) and I led a re-entry session with the students in the morning, where we taught the students about the process of re-entry culture shock. After the morning session, we had a closing ceremony with all of the students and program staff members. Julie and I used the metaphor of a candle to symbolize spreading the light of our community here at CEMAL to our friends, family, schools, and communities back home. As each person took the flame from the middle of the circle to light their own candle, they shared with the group a pledge to action that they had written that day. For me, this was a powerful reminder of not just the need for learning, but also for action.

Julie leads some of the students in the
re-entry lab group session.

The final closing ceremony.

I would like to end with some words from Buddhist peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. In his book Peace is Every Step, he says:

Many people are aware of the world’s suffering; their hearts are filed with compassion. They know what needs to be done, and they engage in political, social, and environmental work to try to change things. But after a period of intense involvement, they may become discouraged if they lack the strength needed to sustain a life of action. Real strength is not in power, money, or weapons, but in deep, inner peace. Practicing mindfulness in each moment of our daily lives, we can cultivate our own peace. With clarity, determination, and patience…we can sustain a life of action and be real instruments of peace.[1]

I would like to leave the students with a challenge to keep in mind as they step out into the world and move forward in their lives. I would like to challenge them to keep asking questions, looking deeper, challenging themselves, reflecting, sharing, and growing. We should all strive to practice mindfulness in our own lives, both in the small actions we take every day, and in the larger sense as well. As we each move forward on our journeys through life, let’s truly “wage peace”!

En Paz,

Lisa
CGE Social Work Intern, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Spring 2008

[1] Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step. “Waging Peace.” Bantam Books, NY: 1992. pp. 99.

Week 15: A Challenging Visit to the U.S. Embassy

Week 15 signals the semester coming to a close. Students have said goodbye to the families they stayed with in Cuernavaca and moved back into Casa Verde and Casa Cemal. They are focused on finishing papers and presentations and the travel and visits still on the to-do list. I too am thinking about last classes, packing for travel to Minnesota, and grading those assignments, papers, and presentations.

A highlight of the week was an excursion to Mexico City for some sightseeing time and a visit to the United States Embassy.

My view is from the back of the van for most excursions. Several in the group suffer from motion sickness and the seats in the front and middle of the van go to them.

Many in the group visited the National Museum of Anthropology, the zoo, and the Modern Art Museum. I met friends for a paddleboat ride on the lake in Chapultepec Park. Paco took this photo of me enjoying the sunny, relaxing afternoon.

Naurine enjoying the lake in Chapultepec Park; Boats on the lake.

The visit with Embassy personnel was both satisfying and disturbing. We learned the term “Diplomatic Mission:”

“Countries establish diplomatic missions in other countries in order to further foreign policy objectives. They will choose to maintain a mission in another country depending on the size and maturity of the bilateral relationship, the political climate, and resource constraints.” From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Diplomatic_missions_by_country

and that the U.S. diplomatic mission in Mexico is one of the largest and busiest in the world. It is a complex mix of embassy activities and educational, commercial, political, and cultural contacts between the two countries. Officers from four areas – public affairs, economic section, consular affairs, and political affairs – spent nearly two hours with us describing their responsibilities and then answered many questions posed by the students. The Consular Section provides assistance to American citizens and issues U.S. visas to Mexican citizens, so most of the questions were directed to the very experienced representative of that section.

“Section 214(b) is part of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It states: Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for admission, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status..”. http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/denials/denials_1361.html

Mexicans, who want to visit the U.S. complete an application on line and pay a $131 USD fee in order to receive an appointment for an in-person interview. At the interview they will have 2-3 minutes to show the documents they have brought and convince the consular officer that they have solid reasons for returning to their home, job and family in Mexico. Planning to visit a relative who is living in the U.S. illegally will almost certainly bring a denial. Officers can interview as many as 150 persons per day, and they believe that this extensive experience interviewing applicants makes it possible for them to decide quickly and confidently who are the best “risks” for a short term visit to the U.S. If an applicant is turned down, s/he may apply again – and pay the fees again – but there is no appeal of a decision by a consular officer. We were reassured that the denial rate is much smaller than is commonly thought and that all should try to obtain a visa legally before taking the chances of crossing the border illegally.
Students have heard personal stories of those who have been denied visas so they expressed concern about ways in which the complex process, including internet application and a significant non-refundable fee, and the Section 214.b, favor Mexicans who own property and have sizeable bank accounts. We found it challenging to listen to the attempts of the officers to present a balanced view and were left wanting to know more. Several resolved to influence congressmen to create a more fair law, one that doesn’t discriminate against the poor and landless who want to visit with relatives in the U.S.
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/offices.htm

-by Naurine Lennox, Social Work Professor, St. Olaf College, Minnesota

Week 14: Immigration and Social Movements

As we near the end of our semester in Mexico, we are all thinking about how we will use what we’ve learned here in Mexico to make us better social workers in the United States.

This week we were asked to read articles written by people who are opposed to immigration. Up to this point in the semester we have mostly heard the voices of immigrants who are forced to migrate north in order to survive or other people who support immigration to the U.S. from Mexico. In class we discussed some of the more valid points that were made by those in opposition to immigration. However, most of us found it hard to get past the anger and hatred toward Mexican immigrants within the readings. We found ourselves distracted by statements directed at immigrants such as “stop taking our jobs and getting our orders wrong at McDonalds.” [1] The racism and profound ignorance that we saw in the articles made it difficult to recognize the valid points that they were making. As we prepare for our return to the U.S., where we are sure to engage in discussions over immigration, it will be helpful to look back on our discussion of these articles. By moving past our initial emotions, we may be able to open a dialogue where we acknowledge opposing arguments while effectively explaining our own points of view and insights. This style of listening with respect will help us in working with all clients.

On Friday, we were visited by Jose Martinez, a representative of La Comisión Independiente de Derechos Humanos de Morelos (the Independent Commission of Human Rights of the State of Morelos), who spoke with us about democracy in Mexico and other Latin American countries. A significant amount of his discussion revolved around the grassroots movements in various countries that have been pressing for democracy to replace their oppressive governments. Later in class we discussed the role of social movements in building democracy. I think that these discussions about the importance of social movements in creating change are useful for us to think about since most of us grew up in an environment where the focus is on the individual, rather than on the group or community. Because we grew up with this focus, many of us tend to forget the power of many voices demanding change in unison. As social workers, we can take these discussions back with us to the U.S., where we will be better prepared to look beyond the individual to see broader social problems that present an opportunity for change by many. While it is clear that social movements take patience and strength, it is also clear that they give a voice to the masses that have not yet been heard.

While the thought of returning to the U.S. is slightly overwhelming at the moment, we are all very excited to return with greater knowledge of not only Mexico, but of ourselves as well.


-by Anna Thomas


In between classes, excursions, and presentations we said goodbye to our homestay families after four weeks together. Here, students present through song the things that they enjoyed most about their experiences with families.








We also visited a site where a group of people is building a house out of recycled materials. This building was constructed using wood from a tree that died on the property. Materials used elsewhere include glass bottles, tires, plastic piping, and horse manure. We can't wait to look for new ways to recycle in the U.S.!

[1] Stop illegal immigration petition (2005). Retrieved April 23, 2007, from www. petitionspot.com/petitions/stopillegals

Week 13: New Perspectives and New Experiences

This week we had shorter days of classes which were beneficial because we had to write our final paper for [our] Mexican Context [class]. It was also our third week living with our [homestay] families. We had a trip to a prison here for the policy class, and some members of SEJELA and other social work students came along.

Our prison visit was Thursday; it was really interesting to see because it was nothing like I had anticipated. The facility itself was very clean and modern. It was built in 1998. Before going to the prison we were told we needed to wear jeans, and either a red or navy blue shirt, to not be confused with staff or inmates. There are three stages of inmates that we saw. People dressed in tan were in process, people in yellow had been sentenced, and people dressed in green shirts were getting close to their release. What I thought was really interesting was the focus in this prison on rehabilitation. Inmates could work—some as gardeners, some as artisans, and others worked in the kitchens or in the maquiladoras (factories). We toured the facility which was very spacious. There were flowers and trees lining the sidewalks between buildings too. We also had the opportunity to see the classrooms, and we saw two English classes as well as a classroom where inmates were working towards their law degrees. There we met the first man to ever graduate from college [in a Mexican prison] with a law degree. The focus on education here was inspiring, because the inmates chose to attend classes and work for their education. They were trying to better themselves for their future after they were released. It was a wonderful experience, and the staff at the prison were really inviting. Hospitality still exists inside the prison.

A sign hanging up at the entrance to the prision we visited.

Saturday, Anna [another student] and I attended a quinciñera with my host family. Quinciñeras are a community event to celebrate not only the 15th birthday of a young girl, but also to signify her transition from child to young adult. It’s a way of having the community support around her at a time where she will start to experience many changes in her world. It was really fun to get dressed up and see another Mexican tradition, and to be allowed to take part in such an important day for a 15 year old. We saw her entrance, and the dancing that she and her court had spent months learning. We got this picture with her, sadly after she had changed out of her amazing green dress, and into normal clothes to continue dancing more comfortably. It was really great to think about how important this day was, and the focus on the community being there for her transition from childhood to adulthood. I really enjoyed this time with my family as well to see them interact with their friends and have an evening of conversation at such a happy location. All of the experiences this week were new to me, and eye opening to different aspects of life here, and I cannot wait to see what the last three weeks bring!

-by Kylie Otte

Week 12: Gender and Liberation Theology in Social Change

In a conversation I had with a friend, he said that atheists are the best theologians. This struck me as profound and it became my way of thinking, as well: who could be better to study religion than someone with very little stake in it. However, in my time spent in Central America and Mexico I have seen religion and theology take completely different forms.

Graffiti that says: "Women to Power, Happy Women´s Day."

In response to military/governmental oppression in the forms of torture, disappearances, and overwhelming economic disparity in Latin America, certain sects within the Catholic Church began to question what their role was in the process of social change, and re-read the bible in a different perspective—one that took a preferential stance on the side of the poor. Priests and Bishops took off their gold jewelry and priestly robes, to walk in solidarity with the poor.
Dr. R Aida Hernandez Castillo, a cultural anthropologist who lived in Guatemalan refugee camps in Chiapas Mexico, talked to us about her research on women and religion in the context of social movements such as the Zapatistas in Chiapas. The Zapatista movement, which is an ongoing struggle of indigenous people demanding that their voices be heard by their country, is a continued struggle against contemporary conquest in the form of Neoliberalism. The initial armed struggle was a result of three main issues: economic structural reforms that negatively affected the rural economy, racism and exclusion against indigenous peoples and state violence against peasant and indigenous organizations. The Zapatistas took control of certain areas within the state of Chiapas using guerilla warfare tactics, but what made the movement different from others was their inclusion of women, their anti-racist approach, and the fact that they were the 1st guerilla movement to have a gender agenda as a part of their political demands[1]. Liberation theology played a large role in organizing the people, and manifested itself in Chiapas in nuanced ways compared to the role it played in Central America. It saw a transformation from a strictly Marxist analysis of class and economic oppression, to include racial, sexual and gender oppression in its analysis.

"To take communion is to become dangerous
We come to cause trouble
With faith and commitment your kingdom will come"[2]

Similar to the use of religion as a tool for social change, we visited a women’s education center that used feminist theory in a Latina American context to empower women. They talked about the politics of the body, and for a feminist movement to take hold the body needs to be the first thing that is recovered. This means that women need to have access to nutrition, health, protection from domestic violence and safe and legal abortions. They talked about the difficulties they face working in a conservative and patriarchal system, and offered that feminism needs to be incorporated into our daily lives, because theory is theory, but it has to be lived[3]. This I how my perspective of theologians and theorists has changed, because it doesn’t matter who is doing the theorizing as long as it is used to strip the power from systems of oppression and bring it back to the people.

A mural depicting a woman and her child.

-by Walter Gies

[1] Talk with Dra. R. Aida Hernandez Castillo 4-15-2008 titled: Social Movements in Chiapas- Women and Religion
[2] Hymn from the diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. Translated by Ann Lutterman- Aguilar.
[3] Talk at CIDAL, 4-18-2008