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| August 19th, 2012
This past month I attended a two-part "intercambio" between two radio stations- La X Musical and Doble Via. The idea of the intercambio was implemented by Cultural Survival, a non profit in the states that works with various stations, helping to get... -
| August 10th, 2012
Last week I travelled to Tacaná, going there and back in one day, which totalled about 12 hours in many crowded chicken buses. The latter leg was spent standing, which turned out to be a lot more comfortable than sitting three to a seat, though the... -
| July 30th, 2012
Here is a compilation of some footage I got on one of my visits to La X Musical in Cajolá. This is the program of Don Cruz Ramirez, which discusses Mayan Mam history and broadcasts marimba music from the region. The Mam portion doesn't... -
| July 22nd, 2012
Two weeks ago I attended a community radio workshop at Mujb'ab'lyol in San Mateo, Xela. Around 25 radio station programmers from around the country boarded chicken buses for the monthly workshop, which has topics varying from environmental awareness... -
| July 14th, 2012
I am now finally adjusting to time and planning as it exists here, and the consequential theme of waiting that seems to pervade the entire system. At first I thought that perhaps, as a foreigner, I was experiencing a particularly unfortunate and... -
| July 6th, 2012
Above is a short compilation of some footage I recorded from the Mayan ceremony for the documentary about indigenous community radio that I will be filming throughout my time here. The night I arrived in Guatemala I prepared my camera bag, took a... -
| June 30th, 2012
I am ending my first, very long day in Guatemala, which began at 4:45 this morning, when I caught a chicken bus to Cajolá, a Mayan town in the mountains on the outskirts of Xela. Yesterday I was in Providence, this morning I left a Mayan Mam... -
| August 25th, 2011
Goodbyes Last Saturday I said goodbye to the children of Semillero, my homestay, and the friends I met traveling through Guatemala this summer. I was eager to see family back home and definitely exhausted by the obstacles of navigating a... -
| August 15th, 2011
Update 1: Last week we screened the Semillero Video for the kids of Semillero themselves. They loved seeing their classmates and teachers on TV and each time someone new came on the screen they turned to giggle to each other. Here's a photo of them... -
| August 10th, 2011
On Saturday we made a successful trip to a children's music festival sponsored by the Guatemalan NGO Casasito in the Spanish Embassy of Antigua. This being my last week, it was nice to interact with the students outside the small confines of... -
| August 3rd, 2011
After a 4 hour ride being jostled around in multiple chicken buses through the winding mountains of the country side, Daniel and I arrived in Xela (also known as Quetzaltenango) to explore the second largest city in Guatemala and utilize our weekend... -
| July 30th, 2011
After 8 weeks of collecting and editing footage and interviews while simultaneously tutoring at Semillero, the video for their website is complete! As the director sends out newsletters to solicit donations to purchase a new house before their... -
| July 21st, 2011
I successfully transitioned back to the routine of tutoring after a brief hiatus to film an introductory film about Semillero for their website (which is coming along very well now! I have a rough cut but still need to add subtitles, which will... -
| July 13th, 2011
I've wrapped up my interviews and now am on to editing! However, the weekdays have been pretty busy so I will probably do most my editing this weekend. I anticipate the introductory movie will be about 4-5 minutes long. Though I'm fearful to work... -
| July 5th, 2011
At the end of last week I began interviewing the students and filming the daily activities at Semillero for their web video. From piñatas to songs to drawing to sports I think the film footage will give a comprehensive glimpse at the creative... -
| June 28th, 2011
If there's one thing I've learned from my years of babysitting it is that candy has the supernatural power of engaging any child. And today, that was definitely the case as all 23 kids present at Semillero today clambered their way to the piñata... -
| June 20th, 2011
Here's a video, bloopers included, of Laisa and Luis' first class as they learn to speak and read English. They were really fun to work with and kept a very light hearted approach, as you can tell! Today I walked to Semillero and was greeted by the... -
| June 20th, 2011
I celebrated the weekend on one of the many crowded chicken buses honking their way through the city, visiting a local carnival and a trip to Monterrico beach with a friend of our host mom here in Antigua. Here is a video from my bumper car-- I... -
| June 16th, 2011
Yesterday Esther and I met with the teacher of Semillero, Jorge, to plan private classes and a "guest tutor" position for my 2 months remaining. To be able to work more frequently with each kid, we decided to arrange the kids into pairs or groups of... -
| June 14th, 2011
After a week or so of volunteering I now have a better grasp on how Semillero works. Marta, the director and founder, is the boss. She isn't always working directly with the kids, but doing administrative things, lining up volunteers, and... -
| June 10th, 2011
It's been an exhausting and unexpected past few days because my friend Esther, who is travelling with me and taking Spanish classes in Antigua, fell victim to the notorious traveller's sickness. We think that it was from a glass of water she drank... -
| June 10th, 2011
After multiple restless nights of waking to buzzing mosquitoes and itchy picaduras I finally decided to make a wonderful investment in a mosquito net. It has solved my sleeping problems and restored my spirit, which was gradually being sucked out of... -
| June 8th, 2011
There's no way I would continue to be a volunteer tutor and babysitter year after year if I didn't enjoy kids. But of course I am used to reminding them to say their please's and thank you's. However, the kids of Semillero proved to be an exception... -
| June 6th, 2011
¡Por fin, he llegado en Guatemala! After a very early departure from the states at 4 am this past Saturday, I have now settled in to my homestay in Antigua and explored the town for the past few days. I've seen some museums and tourist sites nearby...
Maia Chao
Profile
I am a senior concentrating in Cultural Anthropology. This summer I am beginning my thesis research on indigenous rights in Guatemala, examining the impact of Mayan community radio on the local level, and efforts toward its legalization.
