first Q´eqchi´sentence- lub´lu li ishk sa ha´ which means She is tired from swimming (we were watching the olympics). Not everything in this sentence is spelled right and it might actually literally mean someting more like she is tired from water, not sure. In Kechi (easier way to spell it) to eat means to eat corn (like in Khmer but with corn instead of rice).
changes-¨teaching english¨the lame pat answer I generally had for asnwering what I was going ot do in Guatemala has rapidly given way to ¨Idon´t know.¨ I will be helping in many ways. Hopefully I can attack one of the core Guatemalan problems and give self confidence and empower many of the younger generation here in Guatemala through my work at the Bezeleel school.
changes-I have actually been enjoying strong Guatemalan coffee regularly. I´m kind of scared, but I still drink at least one cup of water in the morning before having any coffee whatsoever. And I am only drinking a little bit.
random information- In the late nineteenth century, with the encouragment of a liberal Guatemalan government many Germans invested in Coffee in Guatemala. The government declared lands where indigenous persons lived vacant and let foreign investors take the land. For many years the government forced, through various strong-arm tactics, these same indigenous persons to provide cheap labor for coffee growing and harvesting. Bringing the market economy into central Guatemala not only forced many formerly self-sufficient farmers into wage labor through the introduction of cash crops, it also changed the nature of Mayan religion. No one is really sure how it all happend, but the tzuultaq´as (mountian god´s that mayans believed they relied upon for good crops) began to appear in dreams to the Mayan people, looking like Germans. Apparently the Germans ownership of the land was just that much like the tzuultaq´as ownership (to whom Mayans had to pray and sacrifice to in order to receive permission ot plant corn) of land to cause this crazy conflation of ancient religion and current social-political circumstances.
The availability of cheap labor that the Guatemalan government provided also contributed toward kindney stones in the United States.
also- David Janzen can play a mean Canadian folk tune
Jordan
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
In Guatemala
and loving it! We are still in an orientations stage, and have not had the chance to really stretch our legs exploring Guatemala, but I have a very good first impression of Guatemala. The city reminds me of Quito, which is good. Though I am also glad I will not spend the year in the city, but will be going out into more rural areas. September first we will begin a month of language school and then we (myself, David Janzen, and Rachelle Smitz) will go out to our respective posts. We are all in fairly rural areas where seperate indigenous languages are dominant. I´ve already begun an informal study of the Kechi language. Speaking of that, I need to get to reading a book on said cultural group with which I will be living.
The Volcano smokes ominously above the city.
ok that´s all for now,
Jordan
The Volcano smokes ominously above the city.
ok that´s all for now,
Jordan
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
FAN MAIL
Well, I guess it's time we start a fan mail question and answer section.
Kyle from Kansas writes:
Hey, I was just wondering when you’re heading out for whatever the first step is in your MCC journey*
Well, Kyle, first of all, I really want to thank you for your generous support and enthusiasm for my blog. It's fans like you from which I draw my inspiration. I'll try and send you that autographed huipile soon. To answer your question though, I am leaving at 10 pm Friday evening for a week long orientation in Akron Pennsylvania. There I will meet up with former BC studs Peter Miller, Joel Krehbiel, and Caley Ortman. I also expect to see Andrea from Cambodia that some from my family may remember.
Jake from South Dakota writes:
Hey man, UR blog is AWESOME! I'm already super psyched about Guatemala and you are not even there yet! U R flipping amazing dude. I hope you are having an awesome time packing all your stuff in order to get ready for Central America.
Wow, Jake, your enthusiasm is a little bit scary. I am almost done with a pre-pack test. I think I can get all that I want into one large hiking bag, another medium size hiking bag, and my miniature green backpack.I could probably leave in 30 minutes and have everything I needed. SO I'm pretty happy about that. I'm bringing more nice clothes than I ever had in Kansas because, as a teacher, I will need to look semi-sharp. Right now I think I only have four T-shirts packed (3 being Run for Relief shirts), which is probably a record low for me. I literally have a dresser drawer and another medium sized duffel bag full of T-shirts here at home... and that's after giving away many T-Shirts back at school. I will usually pack 4 T-Shirts for a weekend trip. However, they say that there are lots of cheap clothes shops in Guatemala, so I figure I'll buy some shirts there and save space in my bags here. The main concern is really that I have enough underwear that I have 100% confidence in.
Peter the Great (1682-1725) from Russia writes:
Jordan, I see you are going on some travels of your own there, from the so called "United States" to a region of Spanish America which you call "Guatemala." Now as I recall, the captaincy of Guatemala (1609) was (in the Spanish administrative ladder) at the southernmost point of the vast territory designated a part of the viceroyalty New Spain. Beneath that began the viceroyalty of Peru, where I hear you have also spent a fair amount of time in the capital of Quito. Now I can understand Quito, being a center for Spanish administration, but I mean, you've gotta be kidding about Guatemala! That place is a backwater, I hear the Spanish have hardly conquered this area and even just to the North, in the Yucatan, the descendants of the ancient Mayan civilization is resisting religious and political domination (see Ambivalent Conquest)... no matter how many heathen ancient Mayan texts the Spanish burn.
In my own secretive journey through Europe I hit all the major centers learning and technology in order to help my backward Russia westernize. Now from your use of English, I gather your "United States" must be some part of the ever growing English empire. As a side note, in my day, I helped along Russia's dreams for empire by finally gaining a warm water port from which our great ships could begin to take part in the long distance trade that was driving the advance of capitalism throughout Europe. Long distance trade was very important, being a major factor in the advancement of banks, credit, bills of exchange, industry, investment, joint-stock companies, stock-exchanges etc etc. see The Wheels of Commerce v. 2 by Braudel. Anyways, in my journey through Europe I learned many great ways to improve my home country of Russia. I instituted a Table or Ranks to gain absolute control of the stupid aristocracy (kind of like Louis XIV in France) and instituted a tax on beards... all to push us towards Westernization. I may have had to, shall we say, crack a few heads to do it, but seriously, before I took over, you couldn't swing a dead cat in Russia without hitting someone with a beard.
So my question to you is, why go to a backwater of the Spanish empire? I mean Spain is already in decline, we all know about the English defeat of the "Armada Invencible" in 1598... I mean, read the writing on the wall, Spain is out! How are you going to learn to make your "United States" a great and powerful nation from an uncivilized speck within the failing Spanish Empire? I mean coooooome on!
Well Peter, first of all I have to say that I was supremely shocked and excited to get your email. That was really great. The United States is actually already a pretty powerful place, so, unlike you, I'm actually not going on a quest to learn from Guatemala in order to make the United States more powerful. Still, I think that there is a lot that we Westerners can learn from "backwater" and "uncivilized" places like Guatemala. Just because western society has come to dominate the world with a combination of military might and economic control doesn't mean that our ideas and cultural assumptions are somehow right, or truthful. I believe I can learn a lot from these people, descended (at least in part) from the Maya. You might not believe it, but in the year 2008, your enlightenment ideal of progress has been sort of debunked. Most don't believe that all civilizations must advance on one straight and arrow path in order to reach an elusive goal of perfection. Those ideas were built upon a racist ideology (like the one that you obviously hold) that placed western civilization as the pinnacle of development. Today, we'd call you a "racist" and a "ruthless dictator" and nations like the United States might invade you in order to save your people (and take control of your vast oil reserves). "Cracking heads" is not acceptable anymore... wait a second...wellll that's what they say anyways...
well, we can continue this conversation later... I got kind of carried away there. Thank you for your fan mail Peter the Great.
thanks to all the fans,
Jordan
*names, places, and questions in "FAN MAIL" posts may be changed or simply made up for the safety of the fans or to keep up the exciting nature of this blog.
Kyle from Kansas writes:
Hey, I was just wondering when you’re heading out for whatever the first step is in your MCC journey*
Well, Kyle, first of all, I really want to thank you for your generous support and enthusiasm for my blog. It's fans like you from which I draw my inspiration. I'll try and send you that autographed huipile soon. To answer your question though, I am leaving at 10 pm Friday evening for a week long orientation in Akron Pennsylvania. There I will meet up with former BC studs Peter Miller, Joel Krehbiel, and Caley Ortman. I also expect to see Andrea from Cambodia that some from my family may remember.
Jake from South Dakota writes:
Hey man, UR blog is AWESOME! I'm already super psyched about Guatemala and you are not even there yet! U R flipping amazing dude. I hope you are having an awesome time packing all your stuff in order to get ready for Central America.
Wow, Jake, your enthusiasm is a little bit scary. I am almost done with a pre-pack test. I think I can get all that I want into one large hiking bag, another medium size hiking bag, and my miniature green backpack.I could probably leave in 30 minutes and have everything I needed. SO I'm pretty happy about that. I'm bringing more nice clothes than I ever had in Kansas because, as a teacher, I will need to look semi-sharp. Right now I think I only have four T-shirts packed (3 being Run for Relief shirts), which is probably a record low for me. I literally have a dresser drawer and another medium sized duffel bag full of T-shirts here at home... and that's after giving away many T-Shirts back at school. I will usually pack 4 T-Shirts for a weekend trip. However, they say that there are lots of cheap clothes shops in Guatemala, so I figure I'll buy some shirts there and save space in my bags here. The main concern is really that I have enough underwear that I have 100% confidence in.
Peter the Great (1682-1725) from Russia writes:
Jordan, I see you are going on some travels of your own there, from the so called "United States" to a region of Spanish America which you call "Guatemala." Now as I recall, the captaincy of Guatemala (1609) was (in the Spanish administrative ladder) at the southernmost point of the vast territory designated a part of the viceroyalty New Spain. Beneath that began the viceroyalty of Peru, where I hear you have also spent a fair amount of time in the capital of Quito. Now I can understand Quito, being a center for Spanish administration, but I mean, you've gotta be kidding about Guatemala! That place is a backwater, I hear the Spanish have hardly conquered this area and even just to the North, in the Yucatan, the descendants of the ancient Mayan civilization is resisting religious and political domination (see Ambivalent Conquest)... no matter how many heathen ancient Mayan texts the Spanish burn.
In my own secretive journey through Europe I hit all the major centers learning and technology in order to help my backward Russia westernize. Now from your use of English, I gather your "United States" must be some part of the ever growing English empire. As a side note, in my day, I helped along Russia's dreams for empire by finally gaining a warm water port from which our great ships could begin to take part in the long distance trade that was driving the advance of capitalism throughout Europe. Long distance trade was very important, being a major factor in the advancement of banks, credit, bills of exchange, industry, investment, joint-stock companies, stock-exchanges etc etc. see The Wheels of Commerce v. 2 by Braudel. Anyways, in my journey through Europe I learned many great ways to improve my home country of Russia. I instituted a Table or Ranks to gain absolute control of the stupid aristocracy (kind of like Louis XIV in France) and instituted a tax on beards... all to push us towards Westernization. I may have had to, shall we say, crack a few heads to do it, but seriously, before I took over, you couldn't swing a dead cat in Russia without hitting someone with a beard.
So my question to you is, why go to a backwater of the Spanish empire? I mean Spain is already in decline, we all know about the English defeat of the "Armada Invencible" in 1598... I mean, read the writing on the wall, Spain is out! How are you going to learn to make your "United States" a great and powerful nation from an uncivilized speck within the failing Spanish Empire? I mean coooooome on!
Well Peter, first of all I have to say that I was supremely shocked and excited to get your email. That was really great. The United States is actually already a pretty powerful place, so, unlike you, I'm actually not going on a quest to learn from Guatemala in order to make the United States more powerful. Still, I think that there is a lot that we Westerners can learn from "backwater" and "uncivilized" places like Guatemala. Just because western society has come to dominate the world with a combination of military might and economic control doesn't mean that our ideas and cultural assumptions are somehow right, or truthful. I believe I can learn a lot from these people, descended (at least in part) from the Maya. You might not believe it, but in the year 2008, your enlightenment ideal of progress has been sort of debunked. Most don't believe that all civilizations must advance on one straight and arrow path in order to reach an elusive goal of perfection. Those ideas were built upon a racist ideology (like the one that you obviously hold) that placed western civilization as the pinnacle of development. Today, we'd call you a "racist" and a "ruthless dictator" and nations like the United States might invade you in order to save your people (and take control of your vast oil reserves). "Cracking heads" is not acceptable anymore... wait a second...wellll that's what they say anyways...
well, we can continue this conversation later... I got kind of carried away there. Thank you for your fan mail Peter the Great.
thanks to all the fans,
Jordan
*names, places, and questions in "FAN MAIL" posts may be changed or simply made up for the safety of the fans or to keep up the exciting nature of this blog.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Anatomy of a blog
To be quite honest, I have rather mixed feelings about starting a blog. My brother Elijah says it is "out of character," Kevin Neufeld wrote back pseudo-derisively to me, "What's next Jordan, a cell phone?" Well, perhaps. I do not think however, that somehow beginning a blog is some sort of turn around for me in regards to the negative feelings I sometimes hold towards things like cell phones and facebook. First of all I have never claimed to be totally against these things (though it seems like sometimes it comes off that way). What I do think, is that we should all be more aware of some negative effects I think these new forms of communication can potentially have:
1. the replacement of face to face communication/relationships with digital ones. What Shane Hipps equivocated with cotton candy.
2. The fostering of insecurity in our relationships
3. wasting my time
4. Making it far to easy to look towards the "then and there" rather than take advantage of the "here and now" (ie. always wanting to know what's going on somewhere else (in case a friend is doing something more fun than you) instead of focusing on what you're doing at the present.
etc.
ok enough of that soap box.
I am beginning this blog for both selfish and unselfish reasons. This blog work kind of like a journal for me (I hope) and will later in life serve as something to help spark my memories of my time in Guatemala. I hope that it will foster real connections and communications with friends of mine. I really like email communication with people. I hope that this blog will sometimes inspire people to write me emails about what and how they are doing. I don't want people to think that somehow comments on this blog can replace personal communication via email. I can be the kind of person who needs positive feedback, so if one enjoys reading what I have to say, I hope they tell me so every now and then, and respond with something about themself. Also I hope everyone understands that I will try to make sure that, no matter how much I miss home, I will always try to make sure that I keep my heart and mind in Guatemala. I do not want to be physically in Guatemala and mentally in the states. Ok, so maybe my reasons are mostly selfish. WEll, I mean, I suppose the enlightening of the ignorant masses is pretty much the height of self-sacrifice... but you know, I guess that's just part of being a servant-leader and "champion of character."
I have really enjoyed reading other peoples blogs and I think it can be a good way to keep up with people who are close to you.
The weird thing about blogging is that, like mass emails, they are generally 100% about the writer. It can start to feel really egocentric (my experience with mass-emails). ANd I guess basically is. The reason is that the only thing that all the people this blog puts me in conversation with have 100% in common... is me. Which means, basically, that me is all I can write about. So, again if you want more personal contact, I suggest emails.
The blog is good because nobody is forced to read it, and so only people who are genuinely interested will read it.
ok, I'm gonna go buy a watermelon with my dad.
Jordan
ps. I am not in Guatemala yet
pps. WHen I was a kid I was really good at picking out watermelons. Right now, I have self-doubt.
1. the replacement of face to face communication/relationships with digital ones. What Shane Hipps equivocated with cotton candy.
2. The fostering of insecurity in our relationships
3. wasting my time
4. Making it far to easy to look towards the "then and there" rather than take advantage of the "here and now" (ie. always wanting to know what's going on somewhere else (in case a friend is doing something more fun than you) instead of focusing on what you're doing at the present.
etc.
ok enough of that soap box.
I am beginning this blog for both selfish and unselfish reasons. This blog work kind of like a journal for me (I hope) and will later in life serve as something to help spark my memories of my time in Guatemala. I hope that it will foster real connections and communications with friends of mine. I really like email communication with people. I hope that this blog will sometimes inspire people to write me emails about what and how they are doing. I don't want people to think that somehow comments on this blog can replace personal communication via email. I can be the kind of person who needs positive feedback, so if one enjoys reading what I have to say, I hope they tell me so every now and then, and respond with something about themself. Also I hope everyone understands that I will try to make sure that, no matter how much I miss home, I will always try to make sure that I keep my heart and mind in Guatemala. I do not want to be physically in Guatemala and mentally in the states. Ok, so maybe my reasons are mostly selfish. WEll, I mean, I suppose the enlightening of the ignorant masses is pretty much the height of self-sacrifice... but you know, I guess that's just part of being a servant-leader and "champion of character."
I have really enjoyed reading other peoples blogs and I think it can be a good way to keep up with people who are close to you.
The weird thing about blogging is that, like mass emails, they are generally 100% about the writer. It can start to feel really egocentric (my experience with mass-emails). ANd I guess basically is. The reason is that the only thing that all the people this blog puts me in conversation with have 100% in common... is me. Which means, basically, that me is all I can write about. So, again if you want more personal contact, I suggest emails.
The blog is good because nobody is forced to read it, and so only people who are genuinely interested will read it.
ok, I'm gonna go buy a watermelon with my dad.
Jordan
ps. I am not in Guatemala yet
pps. WHen I was a kid I was really good at picking out watermelons. Right now, I have self-doubt.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Alternative title
I was just listening to the song "Bold as Love" by Jimi Hendrix... a song that has slowly become one of my favorites. Maybe even top ten. It's only big detraction is that I still don't really know what it means, but I think that's ok. Anyways, inspired by the song, I actually made a blog entitled Bold as Love, but then I thought, "wait a second... what if that means something that I don't want it to mean, and I don't even really know what I would want it to mean, and I am just being seduced by a song right now. I should not name a blog I am already embarrassed about making by a name that might be further embarrassing." So I used the handy back button on my computer and created this blog using a boring yet safe title. I think the other blog actually still exists though. oh well.
YOu know, I've noticed that I use the phrase "oh well" a lot and that also happens to be a title of a good Fiona Apple song... hmmmm, do I smell another blog coming on... just kidding. But seriously, might be a good title.
Anyways, three separate people have told me to make a blog (without my asking them if I should) and since then I have brought it up with a few people and they all seem encouraging. I think this is good because now I don't have to write mass emails, which are kind of an interesting genre of letter-writing, but rather difficult. Adam Gaeddert tells me that he simply can't right mass emails. So anyways, this is a good solution that isn't offensive to anybody, and will probably be kind of fun for me. so here goes.
YOu know, I've noticed that I use the phrase "oh well" a lot and that also happens to be a title of a good Fiona Apple song... hmmmm, do I smell another blog coming on... just kidding. But seriously, might be a good title.
Anyways, three separate people have told me to make a blog (without my asking them if I should) and since then I have brought it up with a few people and they all seem encouraging. I think this is good because now I don't have to write mass emails, which are kind of an interesting genre of letter-writing, but rather difficult. Adam Gaeddert tells me that he simply can't right mass emails. So anyways, this is a good solution that isn't offensive to anybody, and will probably be kind of fun for me. so here goes.
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