Day of the Dead

Dear friends,
     Feliz (belated) dia de muertos! These past few days have been a whirlwind of activity celebrating the Day of the Dead, marking the culmination of over a month of preparation. As October progressed, Mexico City seemed to thrum with more and more energy, as people prepared their ofrnedas, the city organized for the first desfle de muertos, and everything seemed to erupt in color. Day of the Dead, or Dia de Muertos, is a holiday celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November, with roots in both indigenous and Catholic traditions, and dating back hundreds of years. The traditional belief is that on these days, the spirits of deceased are able to come back to earth, with the first day traditionally recognizing the spirits of children who have passed, and the second day recognizing adults. Many families erect ofrendas in their homes to welcome spirits, which often feature fruits, pan de muerto, sweets, candles, photos of loved ones, flowers, and brightly colored papel picado.  Although Day of the Dead traditions are mixing more and more with Halloween influences, many families dress up with the traditional catrina/catrin makeup, inspired by the images of a finely dressed calavera, or skeleton, made famous by cartoonist Jose Guadalupe Posada, which that has now come to serve as a symbol of Day of the Dead. Many families clean and decorate the graves of loved ones, and the holiday is seen as a time to honor the life and memories of your queridxs. For more about the history of Day of the Dead, (and especially the food!) check this out.
     This perspective on death is very different from the traditional US perspective-death is seen more as the next step or another stage of life, rather than a finality, a perspective I find a little more healthy. As my host dads told me, ¨Day of the Dead is more about life than death.¨People were often surprised to hear that in the US context, death is often a taboo topic and after someone´s funeral, we generally don´t have specific occasions where we honor their life or memory.  I was welcomed into the Day of the Dead celebrations by my host community, and I could write for pages about my experience. However, at the risk of sounding trite, I also believe a picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought I would make this particular blog post a little more visual and share some of my favorite pictures from my experience with Day of the Dead.

My first experience with catrina makeup, thanks to Nef´s artistic talents. 

The festivities began with a trip to Plaza Santo Domingo, where various groups had created ofrendas with the theme of Rufino Tamayo, a famous Mexican artist. 

A display of  trajineras, or boats, that cruise through the canals of Xochimilco. 

One of the most moving ofrendas I saw was at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance, which created an ofrenda in memory of migrants who have perished on their journey to the United States. 

The weekend continued with a trip to the capital of the state of Tlaxcala, where fellow YAGM volunteer Anneka (right) lives and works. Her family welcomed us in with open arms, and it was a wonderful opportunity to see another part of the country, meet her host family, and reunite with fellow volunteers Steph, Tim, and Jeanette. Here we are pictured making homemade pan de muerto, one of the most famous foods of Day of the Dead- 

In Tlaxcala, we also had the opportunity to visit  a festival of traditional dances from all regions of Mexico. 

 

This year, Mexico City had it´s first official desfile de muertos, inspired by the opening scene from the recent Bond movie Spectre. Above are some of my host dads´ pictures from the event. 

At the CEE, we created an ofrenda honoring the founders of the CEE, one of which was a Lutheran pastor!

My coworkers Anabel (left) and Mariana (right) helping to prepare the ofrenda. 

Leaving a trail of flower petals, which is traditionally thought to help the spirits find their way to the ofrenda. 

My coworker Anabel and I were able to attend the festival of chocolate and pan de muerto in the Coyoacan neighborhood, which is known as a bohemian center for artists and thinkers, and the former home of famous artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. 

 

An ofrenda for the famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. 

One of the most beautiful moments for me was when we created our family ofrenda in our house, combining pictures of Nef and Dani´s grandparents and my great-grandparents and grandfather. My paternal grandfather passed away a year ago this October, and it was a bittersweet moment to place his picture on the ofrenda. One of the joys about my experience here has been sharing stories of my family and learning about my host family, and this ofrenda represents the joining of my US family and my host family here in Mexico. 

With Nef (left) and Dani (right) in full catrin/catrina makeup. On Nov. 1st, we went to Mixquic, which  is a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City famous for its Day of the Dead ofrendas, and the throngs of people who come do adorn graves in the cemetery. 

We were also joined by my fellow YAGM volunteer Justin (second from left). 

Nef´s mom was extremely kind, and lent me her gorgeous dress and accessories. 

Some of the ofrendas at Mixquic. 

We were able to hear a famous singer from the state of Oaxaca, who sang many of her songs in the indigenous language. 

Dani wrote me an extremely sweet calaverita literaria, which a traditional comic poem written for someone for Day of the Dead. 

This is one of my favorite pictures, as I believe it represents how traditional Day of the Dead customs are incorporating new traditions. My host community welcomed me into their celebrations, and made Day of the Dead an experience I will never forget. 

Mi Primer Viaje a la EFI

Como parte de mi trabajo este año, tengo suerte de viajar con el Centro de Estudios Ecuménicos (CEE). El CEE acompaña procesos comunitarios, redes territoriales y redes temáticas  en los estados de Guerrero, Coahuila, Oaxaca, Puebla y Ciudad de México.

Yo colaboro en los procesos de redes territoriales de Oaxaca y redes temáticas en Puebla. El fin de semana pasado, viajé con Ana Paula, Daniel y Abraham compañeros del CEE para participar en una reunión de la Escuela de Formación Integral (la EFI). La EFI, como es llamada, es un espacio para hombres, mujeres y jóvenes de 5 parroquias de la costa mixteca de Oaxaca. El CEE colabora en conjunto con el Grupo de Estudios Ambientales (GEA) y las parroquia católicas para fortalecer la acción comunitaria.

La ofrenda de la EFI, que es un simbolo de lo que nos une.

Lxs lideres y miembrxs de la EFI.  

La EFI es un espacio donde  lxs participantes tienen la oportunidad de combinar la teología, liturgia católica con un conocimiento de temas medioambientales y humanitarias, como la reducción de la polución, el peligro de los megaproyectos, fortalecer sus prácticas agrícolas, los derechos  indígenas , y la sostenibilidad.

La escuela tiene una reunión cada mes, y fue fundada en 2015, con este año marcando la segunda generación. La nueva generación toma clases en tres temas, y cada clase dura tres meses. La clase ¨Liturgia¨ está enseñada por sacerdotes de la parroquia, la clase ¨Alimentando la Tierra¨ es compartida por GEA, y ¨Lecturas Populares de la Biblia¨ es facilitada por el equipo CEE. La segunda generación toma tres clases nuevas.: ¨Liturgia II¨, ¨Plagas y Enfermedades¨, y ¨Justicia Social¨, que está enseñada por lxs compañerxs del CEE.

El viaje empezó cuando nos subimos al carro que es pequeño y nos fuimos de la ciudad.Cuando nos fuimos de la ciudad, empezamos a ver montañas bellísimas y cañones enormes.  Después de estar en la ciudad por un mes, yo estaba muy emocionada estar afuera de la ciudad, respirar aire fresco, y ver más árboles. Aunque me gusta la vida  en la ciudad y la variedad de cosas hay que hacer, prefiero estar en la naturaleza. Después de 9 horas y 500 kilómetros, descansamos por la noche, antes de salir muy temprano por la madrugada al pueblo pequeñito donde esta la EFI. Llegamos al lugar, que fue un patio grande y abierto con un techo muy alto que me parecía más a un hangar de aviones.

La temperatura había subido mucho desde cuando nos fuimos de CDMX, y con 32 grados y mucha humedad, me sentía en Carolina del Norte, mi hogar, otra vez. La diferencia entre mi altura y la altura de la mayoría de personas allí fue muy grande. Ana Paula me dijo que cuando yo entré, muchas abuelitas le dijeron a ella ¨Pero, la norteamericana es muy alta!¨. Después de empezar con una oración, lxs 60 participantes fueron a sus propias clases, con 9 personas en la clase de Justicia Social.

Escuchando a Daniel. 

La clase de Justicia Social. 

Fue una experiencia inolvidable estar en una parte más rural de México, donde vimos muchas personas montando caballos al lado de la carretera, patos, gallos, y pollos enfrente de las casas, y donde tuvimos que parar por un rebaño de vacas.

Ayudé con la clase de Justicia Social, que fue enseñado por mi compañero de trabajo Daniel. En el taller,escuché a Daniel que habló con el grupo sobre las intersecciones de la justicia social y el ambientalismo, con ejemplos sobre la contaminación y la polución del agua. Discutimos la intercesión del cuidado al medioambiente y la fe, y como estamos llamadxs a cuidar a la creación de Dios. También, hay una oportunidad nueva para miembrxs de la segunda generación, para que puedan entrenar para ser facilitadores.

Lxs nuevxs facilitadores. 

La discusión continuó con una examinación de los Derechos Humanos Internacionales, y como las comunidades pueden trabajar juntas a proteger esos derechos y llamar la atención del gobierno cuando el gobierno no protege los derechos humanos de los pueblos. Miembrxs del grupo hablaron de instancias de violaciones de los derechos humanos de mujeres, miembrxs de la comunidad LGBTQI, grupos indígenas, y comunidades pobres.

Tuve la oportunidad en el taller de compartir mi experiencia personal en relación a las temas medioambientales en los EEUU. Cuando Ana Paula me pidió dar una descripción breve de los problemas medioambientales en los EEUU, estaba muy abrumada y no sabía cómo describir un problema tan complejo y de un país tan grande en poco tiempo. Ofrecí unas estadísticas para dar un contexto del impacto medioambiental de los EEUU, por ejemplo, que  EEUU es el segundo del mundo en usar grandes cantidades de la electricidad y contribuir a los gases de invernadero del mundo. Fue un momento muy impactante de compartir información y comprensión. Representar a mi país es una responsabilidad enorme, y creo que necesitamos discutir más los temas medioambientales, porque todxs nosotrxs habitamos este planeta, independientemente de nuestra nacionalidad.

Hablando sobre mis experiencias en los EEUU. 

Al final del taller, disfrutamos la comida, hicimos nuestras despedidas, y regresamos a CDMX (pero después de disfrutar la playa por un ratito el domingo por la mañana). Con 20 horas en tres días en un coche muy pequeño, fue un viaje muy largo. Pero, fue un viaje lleno con conversación, risa, y compañerismo con el equipo CEE y lxs miembrxs de la EFI. Me parecía muy poderoso tener el espacio para discutir los derechos humanos, el cuidado del medioambiente, y para fomentar el empoderamiento de las comunidades. Es un privilegio ver otra parte y otro contexto del país, y tengo muchas ganas de continuar trabajando y aprendiendo con la EFI.

El grupo creando el Arbol de Esperanza, una actividad en nuestro taller.

¨Pero, que bonita eres!¨

It was during my first couple of days in the city, when Nef and I went to meet Dani after he finished up at work. We walked into his pawn shop, and I was greeted exuberantly by many of his coworkers, who asked me who I was, why I was here, etc...One coworker was particularly excited, and also asked me where I was from. When I told her I was from los Estados Unidos, she then asked me if I spoke English, which was met with raucous laughter. As we left the shop with Dani, I mentioned how friendly and excited all of his co-workers had been to meet me. ¨Yes¨, he responded, ¨but people here are generally excited to meet foreigners, especially if they are tall, white, blonde, blue-eyed women. They probably would not have been excited if you had had darker hair or eyes, or had been shorter or rounder¨. There is even a word for this phenomenon-malinchista, which describes someone who prefers blonde, blue-eyed people. This word originated with the arrival of the Spanish, and comes from the name of an indigenous woman who translated for Cortes. Hernán Cortes was reported to be blonde and blue eyed, and some indigenous populations saw him and his men as gods. Thus, it was extremely early on in my time here in CDMX that I started to take note of the immense privilege I carry here in Mexico, for a variety of reasons, but specifically because of my appearance.

   Because the truth is, I stand out in Mexico. A lot. Whereas most women here tend to be shorter, rounder, darker skinned, and have dark hair and eyes, I am 5-7 inches taller than the average person, have hair that is considered extremely blonde by Mexican standards, blue eyes, and a leaner frame. This difference is apparent in public, crowded places, such as public transportation. It has resulted in me getting strange looks, questions from small children about why I have blue eyes, and more attention from men than I have ever received. ¨Oye, guapa, que bonita eres¨. ¨Cuidate mucho, bonita¨. ¨Hola señorita, eres muy bonita, no?¨ ¨Oye, guapa, ven aca, porque no te sonrie?¨ (My personal favorite was ¨Oye, bonita, que guapa eres, eres bailarina?¨. If he ever saw me attempt to dance ballet, he would quickly realize the answer to that question.) This not to say that all men in Mexico City are like this-I work, live, and worship with fantastic men who are some of my biggest supporters and advocates. But it is to recognize that there is definitely a strong presence of machismo in Mexico, and piropos, or catcalls, are all too common.

Some advertisements I see around my workplace. 

 

  I receive these piropos with a mix of emotions. I mostly feel uncomfortable being noticed and commented on by a complete stranger (although the piropos I have received are mostly harmless, and I have never felt physically unsafe). If I'm being honest, sometimes part of me feels flattered. But that same part then wants to challenge the cultural belief that the primary function of women is to appease men, and question why I feel I should find my affirmation through the approval of men. Mexico City is a place that values appearance, and women are expected to be extremely put together. My Spanish teacher during our orientation spoke at length about this. She said that in her experience, women often receive negative comments if they go out with hair undone and no makeup, and that if a woman's husband wants her to wear her hair long, then the expectation is that she wear it long. I do not possess great talent in the areas of fashion and makeup. On the metro, surrounded by gorgeous women with dark, immaculately done hairstyles and flaming red lipsticks, I sometimes feel inferior, that I am not living up to the expectations of how I am to present myself. However, because of the color of my skin, hair, and eyes, I can walk through the metro sweaty, disheveled, and without makeup, and receive far more attention from men than the most beautifully dressed Mexican woman.   

    The part that makes me most uncomfortable is the knowledge that this attention is primarily the result of racist, sexist systems that privilege whiteness, thinness, ableism, cisgenderism, heterosexuality, Aryan features, and traditional expressions of femininity. Super-model Cameron Russell speaks eloquently about the privileges she is afforded solely by ¨having won a genetic lottery¨ in a world that equivalates beauty with being white, tall, thin, and blonde. And in an increasingly globalized world, these Western beauty standards are spreading across the globe, with sometime devastating effects. In the Viti Levu island of Fiji, for example, rates of eating disorders rose after the arrival of television and US TV shows.This Western influence is extremely prevalent in Mexico City, particularly in the media. Although most people here do not look like me, most of the women in the magazines, billboards, and metro ads look like me. The most popular movies are dubbed American movies, starring actresses who look like me, some of the most popular songs are sung by singers who look like me, and the most popular TV shows star actresses who-you guessed it-look like me. This whitewashed media is so ubiquitous that a México City professor, who gave us a lecture on the history of México during our orientation, commented that if you only saw the media, you would think that Mexico is a country of only white people. 

    This is not to say that I dislike or am ashamed of my appearance. I inherited my father´s eyes and my grandmother´s long, skinny feet. My hair bears blonde streaks that are remnants of happy hours passed in the summer sun. I love it with I show people pictures of my family and they comment about how much we resemble each other. I am grateful to have a healthy body that allows me to salsa dance, hug, reach tall things for my host dads, sprint to catch the metro, and enjoy life. As someone who struggled with disordered eating, weight, body image, and my relationship to food throughout middle school, I am extremely happy to now have a much healthier relationship with my body. I am now able to eat delicious enchiladas smothered in cream and cheese without thinking about calories, carbs, or anything else. As I have gotten older, I have become more critical of the media. I recognize that the beauty industry cares about profit, not self esteem, and that beauty standards are extremely subjective and fluid. The beauty and fashion industries would tell women that being beautiful means having purple horns growing out of our heads, if they knew they could sell us expensive surgery to give us purple horns.

    However, it is to say that these ridiculous, unattainable Western beauty standards, (such as the fact that ¨The average American woman is 5’4″ tall, and weighs 166 lbs...the average model is 5’10” tall and weighs only 107 lbs.¨), are results of deeply rooted systems of oppression, and are affecting how women and girls around the world see themselves. And it is to say that I receive many privileges from these systems, particularly through my whiteness, both in the United States, and especially here in Mexico. These are systems of privilege and oppression that result in me receiving better service in restaurants and stores, being greeted with more excitement and enthusiasm, and, most likely, having a much easier time in customs upon our border retreat, long before I take out my passport. It is important that we, particularly as estadounidenses, are critical of the representations of beauty in our media that is so widely seen around the world, and that we work to include a greater variety of experiences and voices.

    

And I think what saddens me most, is how this Western, imported, narrow ideal of beauty misses out on so much of the diverse beauty in this country. Although I have only been here for a few months, I have been lucky enough to travel to different parts of the country, where I have met beautiful, loving people of every shape, size, and color. Here in CDMX, I am surrounded by incredible people in my host community, who exude joy and energy, and who have embraced me with open arms. They come in all shades, backgrounds, and body types, and they are the light of my experience here. They welcome me into their homes, their worship spaces, their work, and their lives, with no judgement of my thick accent or grammatical errors. Through them, I see how God is working, both in this country and in my life.

And that, I think, is the most beautiful thing of all.

Mi Primer Viaje: My First Work Trip to la EFI

     As part my work this year, I am fortunate enough to be able to travel with el Centro de Estudios Ecuménicos (CEE). CEE works with a variety of states throughout Mexico, including Guerrero and Chihuahua, but I travel to their projects in the states of Oaxaca (on the southwestern coast of Mexico) and Puebla (southeast of CDMX). This past weekend, I traveled with Ana Paula (my direct supervisor), and two other coworkers to the coast of the state of Oaxaca, to participate in a meeting of la Escuela de Formación Integral (la EFI). La EFI, as the people at the CEE call it, is collaboration between the CEE, an environmental activist group called GEA, and local catholic churches to give parishioners the opportunity to combine Catholic theology and liturgy with an understanding of environmental and humanitarian issues, such as reduction of pollution, the danger of mega-projects such as fracking and hydraulic dams, safer farming practices, indigenous rights, and sustainability. The school meets once a month, and began in 2015, with this year marking the second class. The new class rotates through three topics, with each topic lasting three months: ¨Liturgy¨, which is taught by priests from the local church, ¨Nourishing the Earth¨, which is taught by GEA, and ¨Popular Bible Readings¨, which is taught by Ana Paula. The second-year class rotates through three new classes: ¨Liturgy II¨, ¨Pests and Illnesses¨, and ¨¨Social Justice¨, which is also taught by the CEE. There is also a unique opportunity for members of the second-year class to train to be facilitators, in order to lead future sessions on their own. This past weekend, I assisted with the Social Justice class, which was led by my coworker Daniel. 

The leader and members of la EFI. 

The centerpiece at la EFI, representing the natural resources 

that we are called to protect, 

and the inter-connectedness of life. 

    Our trip began as the four of us crammed into a tight little Jeta and made surprisingly good time leaving the city. After more than a month of being in the city, I was excited to get out of the hustle and bustle, get some fresh air, and see some more trees. Although I enjoy the pace of city life and the variety of things to do, I am not a city-slicker at heart, and prefer to be in nature. As we hit the highways, we sped past gorgeous mountains and gaping canyons, before the landscape began to flatten as we neared the coast. It was quite the experience to be in a more rural part of Mexico, where we saw several people riding on horseback alongside the two-land highway, a variety of ducks, roosters, and chickens roaming people´s yards, and even had to stop to wait for an unaccompanied herd of cows to cross the road.

      After 9 hours and 300 miles, we rested for the night, before blasting off at dawn the next morning to the teeny tiny pueblo that hosts la EFI. We arrive at the venue, which was a large, open air patio with a high, vaulted ceiling that looked similar to an aircraft hangar. The temperature had quickly risen as we had descended from high-altitude CDMX, and at a temperature of 90 degrees with humidity to spare, part of me felt that I was back in NC. As we met the pastors and attendees, I was struck by the height difference, which, already great in CDMX, was even greater in Oaxaca. (Ana Paula told me that when I walked in, several abuelitas exclaimed ¨She´s so tall!) After opening in prayer, the 60 or so participants went to their respective classes, with about 9 people in the social justice class. 

    I listened as Daniel led the group members through discussions of the intersections of social justice and environmentalism, specifically citing instances of contamination and water pollution. We discussed the intersection of environmental stewardship and faith, and how we are called to take good care of God´s creation. The discussion continued with a intensive look at the International Declaration of Human Rights, and how communities can work to protect those rights, and call out the government when it fails to do so. Group members cited specific instances of human rights violations in Mexico against women, members of the LGBTQI community, indigenous groups, and impoverished communities.

Daniel leading the workshop on social justice. 

The group in discussion of environmental stewardship and human rights. 

  

     I had the unique opportunity during the workshop to share my personal experience in relation to environmental issues in the US. When Ana Paula asked me to give a brief description of environmental issues in the US, I was overwhelmed as how to describe such a complex issue in an enormous country in such little time. I focused on a few statistics that offered some context for the US´s environmental impact in the world, such as the fact that the US is the second largest consumer of electricity in the world and the second greatest contributor of greenhouse gases. I have encountered a stereotype in Mexico that US citizens are wasteful people, who do not think about how they spend their money or consume natural resources. While that is certainly not true for every person from the US, it was sobering to describe the disproportionate amount of resources that the United States uses in proportion to it´s population. However, it was impactful moment for me of greater international understanding and sharing of information. To be able to represent my country is a great privilege and responsibility, and I believe that environmental issues are in desperate need of greater international dialogue, as we all inhabit this one planet, regardless of our nationality. 

Facilitators-in-traning leading an activity. 

Sharing some of my experience with US environmental issues. 

     As the workshop wrapped up for the day, we enjoyed a late lunch, said our goodbyes, and hit the road back to Mexico City (although not before enjoying the beach for a few hours on Sunday morning). With a total of 20 hours of driving in a cramped car in three days, it was a long and tiring trip. However, it was also a trip filled with conversation, laughter, and fellowship with my fellow coworkers, and the members of la EFI. I was struck by the power of having a space to openly discuss issues of human rights and environmental stewardship, and to foster the empowerment of people and their communities. The opportunity to see another part of the country and a context very different from my life in CDMX is a privilege, and I look forward to continuing to get to know and work with the people of la EFI.

The group participating in an activity called ¨The Tree of Hope¨. 

Group members were invited to list the challenges facing their 

community, as well as the strengths and resources, 

before adding their handprint as a sign of solidarity. 

To learn more about the CEE and it´s various projects, check out this page! http://estudiosecumenicos.org.mx/our-intervention/