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Ixil Trip

February - March 2022
During my stay in Guatemala, I am joining Martin from the NGO APEI on his yearly journey through the Ixil Region. I'm translating for him and a Swiss couple who supports APEI, while getting to know their work and their partners in the area. Read more
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  • TravelerIxil Trip

    Meeting the crew

    February 22, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Back in 2018, when I was living in Cologne, I met Martin Müller, a German bookshop owner from Wuppertal, at a gathering of Guatemalans in Northrhine Westfalia.

    What was he doing there?

    It turns out, Martin knows our own country probably better than most of us do.

    At the end of the 80s and early 90s, Martin and his wife Anna started collaborating with a project that supported communities in the Ixil Region in the department of Quiché, in the western highlands of Guatemala. The Ixil Region was one of the most affected by the 36-year long civil war that happened in Guatemala until 1996.

    At some point, the project was about to be stopped due to some difficulties. Yet then, Martin and Anna, got together with Aroldo, their partner in the Ixil region, and María Elena, a women who had been engaged in the project for long. And they decided to continue with the educational part of the project in the region.

    And so, APEI was born. Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles is today an association, funded mostly by private donations from Europe, that supports education in several communities in the Ixil Region by building up schools and providing scholarships.

    Martin visits Guatemala every year to see the projects. And this time, I have the privilege of joining him in his tour through the communities to get to know their work and, especially, the people they work with.

    Today, I met Martin in Antigua, where he usually stays before his tour through Quiché. We had dinner with his colleague Maria Elena, who directs the association in Guatemala, and Rolf and Claudia, an adventurous swiss couple who started supporting APEI some years ago.

    Tomorrow we depart to Quiché. I'm very excited!    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    1
    Day 1

    Ixil Trip (1): Across the Cuchumatanes

    February 23, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today, Martin, Claudia, Rolf and I departed from Antigua to the Ixil Region.

    Our first destination is Acul, a small village about 30 minutes from Nebaj, in the northern half of Quiché.

    The Swiss and I were amazed by the views on the road, as we crossed the hills and valleys through Chichicastenango (where Anna and I were together in 2019 - see our trip "Chapinizando"), Santa Cruz del Quiché (Quiché's provincial capital) and Sacapulas. Meanwhile, Martin was telling us some of the stories he experienced during his first trips to the Ixil Region, and explaining how much Quiché has changed in the last 30 years - for the good, in my opinion.

    In Sacapulas, we stop at a local dinning hall for a very tasty lunch: Caldo de Gallina Criolla - basically a chicken soup with vegetables, maize and avocado.

    After Sacapulas it's time to ride across the Cuchumatanes, a huge mountain range that crosses Guatemala from East to West and belongs to the larger chain of Sierra Madre.

    After the quite arid road to Sacapulas, the landscape around the Cuchumatanes starts getting greener and greener. This was one of my favorite parts of the road, as the view down the valley of Sacapulas was stunning.

    We reached about 2500 meters above sea level, where we could see Nebaj from above.

    Tonight we're sleeping in a farm/pension in Acul, at around 1900 m. The Hacienda San Antonio is famous for its "queso chancol", which I am still to try.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    Day 2

    Ixil Trip (2): El Quetzalito Village

    February 24, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Remoteness is a central feature of many rural villages in the Guatemalan Western Highlands. Here, geography is certainly not an ally in terms of accessibility. Valleys and plains are separated by large hills, often with several hundreds of meters difference in altitude. And when roads are missing, your feet is all you have.

    This is the case as well for Aldea el Quetzalito, a small village belonging to the Municipality of Chajul. Fortunately, a (gravel) road exists today from Nebaj until the village of Santa Cecilia La Pimienta. Yet from there, the only way is to walk for 2 hours in a very uneven, rocky and muddy pathway. Before, it was a 6 hour walk.

    Villagers have been demanding the Municipality, their closest level of government, to finish the road from Santa Cecilia to Quetzalito. But in absence of any action whatsoever by the authority, they started doing it themselves. Part of the work has been started but funds are largely missing. People live from their everyday work as farm laborers. There's no money here to finance a road, especially not one of this magnitude, where space needs to be gained first from the mountain.

    Three years ago, APEI finished building a primary school in el Quetzalito. The regular procedure after building a school is for APEI to take over the administration, including material and teacher's salaries. After some time, administration is transferred to the Ministry of Education for it to fulfill its Constitutional duty. This is the last year that the school in el Quetzalito will be managed by APEI. And with this school, APEI's mission in facilitating primary education in the Ixil Triangle will be concluded, according to Martin. People in el Quetzalito are sad about this step. Understandably, as the central Government, which is in charge of Education policy, is not as effective and efficient as APEI. Yet APEI makes it very clear: they have done the "big push", now it's time for the State to meet its mandate.

    To get to el Quetzalito we departed in the morning from Nebaj, where I finally get to meet Aroldo, one of APEI's founders. After a snack and a lunch stop, we do the walking and arrive at the village. The children played with a "piñata" and the parents of Benjamin, the director at el Quetzalito's school, invite us for dinner in their little wooden house. We then get to the house of Benjamin, who very kindly offer us a place to rest for the night.

    ***Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are based on my personal experience during this trip and are only mine. They do not represent the opinion of Asociación Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles (APEI) or that of any my fellow travelers.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    Day 3

    Ixil Trip (3): El Quetzalito Second Part

    February 25, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today it's a special day at El Quetzalito's primary school. The teachers prepared a special event to celebrate the visit of Martin, Claudia and Rolf and thank them for the support that they've given to the community in the past years.

    The celebration started with a "civic act" , where the national anthem of Guatemala was sung and the "ode to the national flag" was recited. This is a very old and common tradition in Guatemalan schools, all across the country and throughout different types of schools. Patriotism, honor and respect to the national symbols is taught in schools as a central value of Guatemalan citizenship.

    After the civic act, the school pupils sang a couple of songs and presented traditional dances. Afterwards, the community's leaders, the school director and the teacher held speeches to thank APEI for its support. Their thankfulness was authentic. El Quetzalito is a small and relatively young community. As they are growing, their leaders are trying to increase quality of life for their community step by step. They've been pushing and making large efforts for their road. They've taken serious care of their primary school. And they want to achieve more.

    Indeed, after the celebration, the Community's council of leaders and the representatives of the Community Development Council (COCODE) invite us into a classroom for a brief meeting in private. They want to present to APEI, Rolf and Claudia, a "letter of requests". They have identified as council the further needs of the community and prioritized them. They wrote these down in a formal document, the "letter of request", which has been signed by all council and committee members.

    Martin explains us later that this is a usual procedure among communities. When the community identifies needs and wants to ask the government or private donors for (financial) support, that's the way to go. Thereby, the projects in search of funding are made concrete and the request is legitimized.

    In these circumstances, APEI never gives an immediate answer to the requests. The letter is always officially received by APEI with the remark that it will be discussed and decided, whether and if, which projects to support, during the next General Assembly.

    The requests that APEI receives from El Quetzalito's leaders are for water capture and purification and road maintenance. These are not directly related to education, and, thus, do not fall within APEI's regular scope of support. Yet this does not mean an immediate denial of the request and APEI's members will consider the individual situation of the community.

    After this meeting and a short lunch break, we head back to Santa Cecilia, were we left our car. Our walk takes a taste of the "magic realism" that characterizes Miguel Ángel Asturias' novels (a prominent Guatemalan writer and Literature Nobel Prize). We are walking the muddy path up the mountain. This path that creates villagers in El Quetzalito so many headaches. The same path they are trying so hard to improve. Yet in the background there's music. A mix of "Banda-" and "Mariachi-style" melancholic balades. It feels surreal. But it's very real. Evey chord, every verse and every muddy step.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    12
    Day 4

    Ixil Trip (4): Touching Tzibanay

    February 26, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    In 2020, storms Eta and Iota hit Guatemala. The extreme precipitation flooded rivers and caused landslides all around the country. In the Ixil Region, the small village of Tzibanay was very affected. One of the hills around the village landslided and destroyed the house and plantations of some of the families. The main water pipe that serves the village was also damaged.

    APEI supported the school of Tzibanay in the past. Unsually, they didn't construct the school as the building was financed by the EU. Yet APEI overtook then the school's management to transfer it later to the Government. Today, a student from this village is studying in the Middle School of Sumalito Village, which is run by APEI.

    Because of this close connection to the community in Tzibanay, APEI decided to exceptionally support non-educational measures and financed the material to build houses for the two families that lost it all. Water filters were also donated for people to have access to water after the break of the main pipe. Additionally, laundry sinks were given to some families to prevent them from washing their laundry directly into the river.

    When we arrived, one of the community leaders recognized Martin and greeted him very warmly. The man almost broke in tears when saying thank you to Martin for all the help that APEI has given to Tzibanay in the last years. This was a very touching moment.

    After the children got to break the piñatas, the community's leaders organized a small event with some speeches and a pray by the local priest. The prayer was also a very emotional moment for the people gathered. The replacement houses were also officially delivered and the laundry sinks and some bags with staple food were distributed at the event as well.

    On our way back to Acul, one of the conversations ended up with Martin reflecting with us about the role of APEI in his life. He finished saying :
    "From working with APEI, I have received more than I have ever given."

    Another touching moment concluded our day in Tzibanay.

    ***Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are based on my personal experience during this trip and are only mine. They do not represent the opinion of Asociación Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles (APEI) or that of any my fellow travelers.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    1
    Day 5

    Ixil Trip (5): Lights,Camera...Amakchel!

    February 27, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    In 2018, a group of cinematographers contacted Martin. They wanted to tell a story about a Guatemalan child, from the rural area. The idea was part of a larger project for a series of documentaries about the life of individual children across the world and their everyday path to school; a portrait of 199 "little heroes" (The project's German name is "199 Kleine Helden". For more info see: https://www.199kleinehelden.org/helden.html).

    Martin took the team to the Ixil Region. And so, the village of La Esperanza Amakchel became the setting of the Guatemalan chapter of "199 Kleine Helden". They portrayed the life of Diego, a 12 year old boy who attended the primary school that APEI built and kept managing back then.

    Today, we visited this village. And as it turns out, La Esperanza Amakchel is a very special village for many more reasons.

    First, La Esperanza Amakchel is the first village we have visited so far (it's only been 3), where people only speak limited Spanish. Thus, Aroldo interpreted the meeting with the community leaders. Which meant we were doing a double translation from Ixil to Spanish and from Spanish to German.

    Second, the school built by APEI has a very special place in Martin's heart. The funding for the construction was fully donated by the late nunn Käthe Müller, Martin's favorite aunt. And for this reason, when the school was finished, it was baptized as "Escuela Hermana Käthe". A picture of Sister Käthe is also hanging in the school's office.

    Third, and very sadly, the current conditions of the primary school in La Esperanza Amakchel are a perfect example of the dysfunctional public system of education in Guatemala. According to current Covid guidelines, classes should take place every day in this village, but the teacher only appears once a week. Parents are quite frustrated and took the chance today to ask Aroldo for support in solving the issue.

    Fourth, La Esperanza Amakchel is home to the family of Doña Jacinta, the wife of one of the village's leaders, who Martin met in one of his former visits to La Esperanza Amakchel. Her family has always been very welcoming and Martin photographed some very nice portraits of the family's beautiful ladies and her children on one of his last visits. Today, Martin brought the prints of the photographs to Doña Jacinta, who received them with a smile on her face.

    And fifth, the story of Diego, the heroe of the documentary which was filmed in La Esperanza Amakchel, naturally didn't stop when the filming team left the Ixil Region. Indeed, while Diego's portrait in "199 Kleine Helden" is representative of the life of most children in rural areas of Guatemala, the plot of his current story is the plot of many stories across Central America.

    In 2020, Diego took on the expensive and risky journey of migrating illegally to the United States. He's chasing the dream of a better life for him and his family, which his unequal, unjust and failed country couldn't give him.

    Today, we visited Diego's mom María. According to her, Diego lives now in Phoenix, Arizona, where he found work at a restaurant. He frequently calls his mom and brothers and already started sending money to the family to repay the credit they had to take to afford his journey. That's the only way, as the people traffickers ("coyotes") that organize the trip demand amounts of money which are unpayable for these people.

    While Diego is following the example of many others before him (neighbors, friends, his own uncle...) and his fate is a reflection of deeper social issues in Central America, his story suffered some plot twists which probably only few people around him have experienced.

    After finishing primary school, Diego moved in 2019 to APEI-managed boarding school in the village of El Sumalito to attend middle school, fully funded by the joint scholarships program of APEI and La Sonrisa de los Niños, another NGO. According to his teachers, he was a good-performing student. Between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, however, Diego left to the north, leaving his studies behind.

    It is frustrating to know he didn't continue his studies. It is a shame. Yet one cannot blame him.  One cannot blame him for hoping for a better, different life, which he would unlikely ever get in Guatemala. Time will tell what this step really meant for him.

    ***Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are based on my personal experience during this trip and are only mine. They do not represent the opinion of Asociación Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles (APEI) or that of any of my fellow travelers.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    11
    Day 6

    Ixil Trip (6): Back through Chajul

    February 28, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today we had no compromises in the agenda. So, after breakfast we drive back to Acul.

    On our way, we stopped at the town of Chajul to see if Ana Méndez was at home. Ana started her training as a professional nurse a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, the pandemic and the move into virtual classes made it very hard for her to continue her studies. With a very unstable and limited internet connection, it became almost impossible to follow the courses. Her screen would be frozen and the slides didn't load. Not to mention the limited possibility to ask questions and get help. Under such circumstances, it'd completely hard for anyone to keep up.

    Hopefully, Ana will be able to restart her training soon. And if she does, APEI will continue supporting her with a scholarship. One of the sponsors of Ana's scholarship, who lives in Germany, asked me to connect them via video call during our visit. This was a very special opportunity for them to meet beyond emails.

    In the afternoon we take time to go for a walk around Acul and Xexuxcab. This gives us the chance to take a breath from the intense days we had before, reflect and chat about the future.

    ***Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are based on my personal experience during this trip and are only mine. They do not represent the opinion of Asociación Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles (APEI) or that of any of my fellow travelers.    Read more

  • TravelerIxil Trip
    Day 7

    Ixil Trip (7): Sumalito and surroundings

    March 1, 2022 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Community. Cooperating, organizing, exchanging, sharing. Our capacity to form communities is a great bulk of what makes us human beings.

    Communities take various forms across time and space. Yet everywhere and any time, the people we live together remain a central part of our lifes.

    >>Community and collective action:
    For the Ixil people, the community is the embodiment and most fundamental element of the social contract. Authority is delegated to an elected council of principals, who coordinate and execute public choice at the village level, mediate conflicts and represent the community to the outside.

    Traditionally, principals are older and well respected men of the village. Social organization is evidently patriarchich in Ixil culture, as in other Mayan traditions. Yet women are slowly taking more spaces and leadership in the community. Some villages even have a Comittee for Women's Promotion within their council.

    Whenever we arrived to a village, we were always received by the council of authorities. They spoke for the community and officially delivered to us the letters signed by all council members, where they communicated requests of support for different issues.

    Today, we visited two villages belonging to the Municipality of Nebaj, Ixtupil and Trapichitos. These are villages that have had a relationship with APEI but also, and more closely, with the German Foundation "La Sonrisa de los Niños" (aka "La Sonrisa") . In both villages, we attended meetings of the council of authorities, where Martin delivered special greetings from and represented Peter Wochinger, the president of "La Sonrisa".

    In both villages, we attended a meeting with the council of authorities. There, I saw for the first time that the village mayor carries a wooden baton with silver endings, which represents his authority. In Trapichito, three different villages were represented at the meeting, making it a very special constellation. It was a large meeting and every village representative had the turn to speak.

    >>Community and growth:
    After our visits in Ixtupil and Trapichito, we head to the village of Sumal Chiquito (aka "Sumalito"). In 2010, "La Sonrisa de Los Niños" built there a boarding school for 7th, 8th and 9th grades.

    In rural villages, many children drop out of school after finishing primary school (6th grade). One of the reasons is costs. Often, the next middle school is located a few kilometers away, which under the road and transportation infrastructure of these areas can take a lot of time. Thus, driving every day to school is not an option and attending middle school comes with additional costs for accommodation and alimentation. This is a great disincentive.

    The boarding school in Sumalito aims at closing this gap by providing talented learners from remote villages with the opportunity to continue with middle school without having to worry about their living and studying expenses. A few years ago, APEI overtook the management of the boarding school and has since then cooperated with "La Sonrisa" on this matter with great success.

    Beyond studying and sharing the same roof, students here have a community in which they can grow and develop themselves. We could all feel the energy, enthusiasm and sense of community in these students from the moment we arrived.

    A special feature of this community, and a strong contrast to the village councils is their gender composition. The large majority of students in the boarding school are female. This partly reflects the fact that girls tend to perform better than boys in school, yet it also has the positive effect of being an example for their home communities.

    After dinner, we had a round of exchange with them. Everyone in the round -students, teachers and us, visitors- had the chance to present him and herself. And so, we developed a big conversation in which we got to know each other better.

    Later, we sung "Las Mañanitas" (a famous mariachi birthday song) for Petrona, a 7th grade learner who was having a bit of home sick. For most of these students, the boarding school is their first time out of home. Yet while we were singing, all her mates at the boarding school came to hug her and wish her a happy birthday.

    After all the birthday singing, the atmosphere was playful and we ended up dancing marimba songs all together. Students and teachers and all the visiting crew were warming up the dining hall with our dancing steps. It was a wonderful ending for an evening that made clear, how much creativity, curiosity and cleverness these teenagers have. And the boarding school is giving them a great platform take advantage of these talents.

    ***Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are based on my personal experience during this trip and are only mine. They do not represent the opinion of Asociación Amigos Para las Escuelas Ixiles (APEI) or that of any of my fellow travelers.    Read more

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