Thursday, September 22, 2016

Mis Primeras Semanas

Hola a todxs,

I can hardly believe that I am writing this update almost a month into my time in Mexico! This month has felt like one of the most condensed months I have ever experienced, and sometimes I feel as though I am on the steepest learning curve of my entire life. I could write pages about everything I have experienced so far, but for brevity´s sake, I will provide a more general update on my life so far in Mexico City.

My Work

As some of you may have read in my first blog post, I will be serving this year with el Centro de Estudios Ecumenicos (CEE), which is an ecumenical group in the center of CDMX that combines faith, activism, and social justice in a variety of areas, including arms trade reform, community feminism, environmental stewardship, and land rights protections. It is a relatively small staff that manages to juggle numerous projects, and that travels throughout several states in Mexico to work with their accompanying communities. I specifically work on the land rights team, through two main projects: el Consejo Tiyat Tlali and la Escuela de Formacion Integral. El Consejo Tiyat Tlali works with several predominately rural communities in the state of Puebla who are being threatened by mega projects in the area, including mining, fracking, and hydro-electric dams. These mega-projects have serious environmental impacts in these communities, often resulting in polluted resources, health concerns, and depressed economies. La Escuela de Formacion Integral (EFI) is an educational platform that invites local communities and churches in the costal region of the state of Oaxaca to view environmental issues through a spiritual/ecumenical/faith-based lens and respond to environmental threats in their communities.

Within these projects, I primarily work in the communications department, maintaining blogs, compiling news sources, creating materials to send to supporters, and maintaining social media platforms. I will also have the opportunity to create other communication tools (videos, interviews, blog posts, etc...) to reflect what CEE is doing. I am starting to familiarize myself with video/photo editing tools, as well as some basic blog/web design, which is exciting, but easier said than done when all the software is set in Spanish. Day by day, I´m settling more into my role, and am excited to continue learning and developing new skills.

Home

I am beyond fortunate to be living with mis papas mexicanos, Nef and Dani. Nef and Dani are a young, newly-wed couple who are long-time residents of the city. Nef works as a dentist, and is also studying full-time to be a nurse, while Dani works at a pawn shop. They are both extremely involved in our church, Buen Pastor, which is a bilingual church with an extremely diverse congregation hailing from multiple countries. Both Nef and Dani love music, movies, art, museums, discussing theology, and learning new languages (and they are very good at the latter). Although we all have extremely different work schedules, we still find time to go to church together, be out and about in the city, or even just relax at home and shoot the breeze. They are extremely kind, nurturing, and welcoming people, who tolerate my broken, heavily-accented Spanish with the patience of saints. So far, we have been able to go to museums, meet members of my extended host family, attend performances, and explore the city together. As someone who enjoys staying busy and being out and about, I am extremely happy to be living with people who are always up to try something new. Nef and Dani have immediately welcomed me into their family as their own, and have redefined radical hospitality for me.
The City

I had heard from past volunteers that Mexico City was enorme-however, I had no idea how big it was until I arrived. The city is a swarming, huge, overwhelming place, with all extremes of life in one place. The public transportation system is best described as organized chaos, and is an adventure within itself-with a rough population of 20 million, over 4 million people ride the metro every day.  (For comparison´s sake, Charlotte, NC is the biggest city between D.C. and Atlanta and has a population of 0.8 million). During the rush hours, all of those 4 million passengers seem to be crowded into the same car, as I and thousands of other people leave work from the city center and head home. In addition to the metro system, there is also the metrobus, microbuses, which are similar to 15-passenger vans, and combis, which are similar to mini-vans. Anyone who knows me knows that I do not possess great directional prowess. However, between maps, my host dads, and the kindness of strangers, I have yet to get *completely* lost.

Despite it´s overwhelming size, I am becoming more and more enamored with CDMX. There are numerous world class museums, tons of live music and performances, parks, theaters, markets, and a world-class emerging culinary scene. The city is the cultural, economic, and political center of Mexico, and always has something new to offer. It is a place where you can encounter the ruins of the Aztec capital, the murals of Diego Rivera, and the oldest and largest cathedral in Latin America, all within the same square. For these reasons, and many more, Mexico City was voted the #1 travel destination for 2016 by the New York Times.

Overall, I am happy to say that I am safe, healthy, happy, and well-cared for amidst all the hustle and bustle of a thrumming metropolis. It is a humbling experience to be the person who looks different, who can't speak the local language correctly, and who has a thick accent that can be difficult for other people to understand. I stick out like a tall, blonde, white sore thumb, whether I'm towering over the people in the metro, or making laughably bad grammatical errors. However, I believe the person who learns to laugh at his/herself will never ceased to be amused, and although each day brings it's own challenges and it's own slice of humble pie, I try to take it all in stride. I am constantly blown away by the kindness and warmth I receive from people, whether it's a stranger on the microbus assuring me that yes, I am getting off at the right stop, my host grandmother gifting me her shirt after me mentioning that I liked it once, or my co-workers asking if my family is ok during all the chaos in Charlotte. I often feel extremely underserving, and find myself wishing I could give something in return, despite the linguistic/cultural barriers. However, I am reminded that this year is less about giving than learning to receive, less about doing and more about being present, and less about having all the answers and a "plan" and more about embracing all the wild, beautiful unknowns.

Thank you for all your messages, love, and support. Thanks to the generosity of my family, friends, home congregation, and many other donors, I am fully funded (!), but if you are interested in contributing to the growth and availability of the YAGM program for future volunteers, please feel free to donate on my personal page at http://support.elca.org/goto/MadisonBurke. As always, please feel free to contact me via Facebook or email, and please keep my hometown, Charlotte, NC, in your prayers.

Love,

Maddie


YAGM-Mexico fam, on our last day of orientation, as we headed off to our sites.


Mis papas mexicanos-Dani (center), and Nef (right).

What I'm Reading

The absence of papers, exams, and homework in my life has opened up a lot more time for reading, and I have received a number of wonderful book suggestions for this year. Therefore, I thought I would share some books I am enjoying and that have impacted me so far:

"Enrique's Journey", Sonia Nazario. Written by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, this book describes the harrowing journey of a young boy as he journey atop the train system known as La Bestia from Central America to the US in search of his mother.

"The Devil's Highway" , Luis Alberto Urrea. In May of 2001, 26 men entered the a section of southern Arizona known as "the Devil's Highway". Only 12 survived. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the border.

Economix, Michael Goodwin. I had never formally studied economics, but this excellent graphic novel made even the most difficult economic concepts understandable.

"Nickel and Dimed", Barbara Ehrenreich. In the late '90's, the author spent several months working minimum-wage jobs to see if it was possible to survive or thrive with at such low wages.




Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Getting Oriented

Greetings from Ciudad de Mexico! (Also known as D.F., CDMX, or for people who live outside the city, simply Mexico!)

Thank you for all your kind texts, Whatsapp messages, Facebook messages, and calls of support. It really means a lot! These past few weeks have been incredibly full, but have enriched, educated, and helped prepare us for our journeys ahead. Just a few updates from these past few weeks...

On August 16th, after several extremely difficult goodbyes, I departed from Charlotte-Douglas to join 84 other YAGM volunteers,YAGM program staff, and YAGM alum at U-Chicago for 8 days or orientation. During this time we had several intentional conversations around intercultural competencies, race, gender, the historical context of mission work, what it means to live with the privilege of being a US citizen in another country, safety and security, and how to prepare ourselves spiritually for the challenges ahead. Although the days were long, hot, and humid-as a born and bred southerner, I definitely didn't think it could be humid in the Midwest-they were filled with worship, stories from past YAGM participants, support from our small groups, and lots of fun too! As the end of the week drew near, so began the difficult goodbyes with friends who were heading to years of service in other countries. However, I am so humbled and amazed to be participating in this program, and to be in community with 84 other young adults serving all over the world in Argentina/Uruguay, the UK, Jerusalem/West Bank, Rwanda, South Africa/Swaziland, Senegal, Australia, Cambodia, Hungary/Central Europe, Madagascar, and of course, Mexico.


            Tar Heels born, Tar Heels bred...my fellow UNC-YAGM volunteers, Alyssa Buchanan                 (center) who will be serving in Swaziland, and Hilda Santiago (right) who will be serving in Argentina. You best believe I'll still be cheering on the Tar Heels this year from Mexico!  


Lutheridge/Lutherock YAGM volunteers! I know many YAGM program alum from camp, and hearing their stories first sparked my interest in the program. Working at camp was hugely influential in my faith journey, and I can't wait to journey with this cloud of witnesses this year. 


On August 24th, the YAGM-Mexico crew departed from Chicago to Mexico City, where we were joined by our fearless leaders, Omar Mixco and Lindsay Mack. Omar and Lindsay have served as the program country coordinators for the past three years and are incredible people. We began our orientation at the Centro Guadalupano, a retreat center for a benedictine order of nuns. We were nourished by the food and care of the wonderful sisters, many of whom have their PhDs, and all of whom are very progressive and actively work in social justice issues. Amidst our conversations about security and safety, the history and culture of Mexico, the details and logistics of our site placements, and expectations for the year, we had the opportunity to visit the historic center of Mexico City and the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe. We've had a lot of time to bond as a group, which includes people from 5 states, 7 different schools, and a variety of backgrounds. I'm so grateful to be a part of a fun, adventurous, warm group of people, who will be serving in a variety of places in south-central Mexico.


The whole crew-Tim, Emily, Justin, Anneka, myself, Jeanette, and Stephanie (left to right), in front of Palacio de Bellas Artes in the historic center of Mexico City. 


Sister, sister...hanging out with the awesome hermanas at the Centor Guadalupano. 


We like selfies...the crew in front of Plaza de la Constitucion, in the heart of CDMX. 


On August 28th, after meeting the congregation of Buen Pastor, a bilingual Lutheran church in Mexico City, and having a discussion with Pastor Miguel about the theology of liberation (more to come on that in future posts), we departed for a week of language school in Tepotzlan, a small town outside of CDMX. We complete 30 hours of intensive language training, with our fearless leaders/teachers from a local language school. While my Spanish has definitely gotten rusty since my semester in Sevilla, Spain, it was comforting to review grammar, learn more about different vocab/terms in Mexican Spanish, and fall back into the rhythm of speaking more. One of my goals this year is to learn as much Spanish as possible, so I am excited to be back in an immersive settings. We stayed in host families, and Emily, Jeanette, and I were hosted by the lovely Dona Socorro and her family. Among being a warm and wonderful host, Dona Socorro and her family are also amazing cooks, which leads me to another one of my goals for this year: eat as much as possible. The food here is amazing-piping hot tamales, quesadillas, tacos al pastor, enchiladas, and of course, lots of tortillas and beans. I am currently trying to build my spice tolerance, which as of now, is sadly lacking-upon trying Dona Socorro's salsa, which she promised was "no muy picante" (not very spicy), my mouth promptly felt as though it was on fire. After our language classes, we had lots of time to explore the town of Tepotzlan, which is a pueblo magico situated among the gorgeous verdant mountains. One of the highlights was the strenuous hike up the mountain to the pre-Hispanic Tepozteco pyramids, followed by an immediate descent in the pouring rain, on a rocky trail that more resembled a waterfall than a trail. Another highlight of the week was being invited by our lovely host sister to hear a local salsa/cumbia/reggae band, which leads me to third goal-to hear as much live music as possible. After 14 years of classical piano training, I am excited to explore the rich, diverse musical landscape of Mexican music-but hopefully, I can also find a piano to keep my skills sharp.


Being commissioned by the congregation of Buen Pastor Lutheran Church in CDMX. 


Our very soggy hike to the Tepozteco pyramids in Tepotzlan. 


Our fearless leader/language instructor Irma! 



Dona Socorro and our lovely host fam in Tepotzlan. 


After sad goodbyes to our host families, we returned back to CDMX, for our final  few days or orientation. On Thursday, we will move in with our host families, and the following Monday, we will officially being our work! As hectic and sometimes overwhelming as these weeks have been, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, hospitality, and warmth of the people I have met here. Opportunities like these are a rare privilege, and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to participate in such an amazing year. Although I know that this year will contain challenges that I cannot yet begin to imagine, I am excited to explore and learn from the people and communities of our southern neighbor. In our Chicago orientation, YAGM staff talked about how if we keep our eyes open, we will see God transforming "the mundane into the magnificent" this year. My fourth goal this year is to write down my high, low, and God-moment every day this year (I have long realized that setting the goal of writing a long journal entry every day is a little too lofty). As I flip through my entries these past few weeks, I find that my God moments are not giant, "significant" moments, but the little moments that make up everyday life-shooting the breeze after dinner with our host family, seeing the clouds clear after a torrential thunderstorm in Tepotzlan, holding a happy baby, or laughing at a silly YouTube with the group. I will not be changing the world or dismantling any systems of oppression this year-but I hope that by keeping my eyes open to the every day holy moments found in the everyday minutiae, I can better see how God is working in this beautiful, complex, diverse, warm, and evolving country.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement-please send me any comments, questions, or concerns you have! Thanks to the generosity of my family, friends, home congregation, and many other donors, I am fully funded (!), but if you are interested in contributing to the growth and availability of the YAGM program for future volunteers, please feel free to donate on my personal page at http://support.elca.org/goto/MadisonBurke.

Abrazos fuertes,

Maddie