AmericaLatina

My Best Friend’s Birthday

A few days ago my best friend Karen turned 25 years old. Karen was born in a little town called Sabanagrande, which is located in the southern region of Honduras. Sabanagrande is a beautiful town with cobble stone roads and little houses, it is surrounded by mountains and everybody seems to know everybody. Although Karen lives in Honduras with her family, she decided to come to Madison to celebrate her birthday; however, she didn’t know I had my own plans for her birthday.

As soon as Karen arrived to Madison, the pachanga (party) started. We went to my house right after leaving the airport. I spent the whole day cooking traditional food from Honduras, such as baleadas, which are flour tortillas filled with fried beans, mantequilla (something like sour cream, but better) and melted cheese. I also made ceviche, which is raw shrimp ‘cooked’ in lime juice with onions, tomato, cilantro and some spices, and just in case that wasn’t enough, I made rice, tuna dip and many other things. She was happy to see many of my friends and family in my house waiting for her; she had already met many of them.

After we ate, my gift to Karen came out of my garage; five mariachis singing “Las Mañanitas,” which is a typical and very old song that people sing to other people in their birthday. Having mariachis singing for you “Las Mañanitas” is something really special in Honduras and many other Latin American countries. Karen was very happy and surprised because she thought there were no mariachis in Madison. The mariachis played a few other songs and my friends sang with them. It looked like they were having fun.

After eating, drinking and singing for a couple of hours, we all went to “The Cardinal,” which was my last surprise for Karen. The Cardinal is basically the only disco-bar in Madison where they play salsa, merengue and other Latin music. Again, Karen was surprised because she never imagined there were bars that play Latin music in Madison.

When we got to the Cardinal, there were many people dancing and there was little space to dance, the dance floor was fully occupied the whole night. Everybody was dancing and having fun. Karen told me she could tell that most people in the Cardinal haven’t danced in years, because they wouldn’t leave the dance floor.

It was a long day, but it was a pachanga day, and more especially, it was my best friend’s birthday. We all had fun celebrating Karen’s birthday.

On Sunday December 11 I attended Mass at St. Patrick’s. On this day a bilingual mass was held in celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe”. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a very significant figure in Latin American Catholic tradition. The story goes that on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was visited by a young women while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac Desert, near Mexico City. This woman to build a Church exactly where she was standing, but when he told the Bishop, the Bishop was not convinced and demanded proof. When Juan Diego went back, he again had a vision and the woman told him to cut roses from the bush behind him and bring them to the bishop as proof. Diego did this, put the roses in his poncho,  and when he opened his poncho to show the bishop there was an image of the lady in the vision. This woman became known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and this day in history has been celebrated and honored every year since.

When I entered the Church, I sat down in the middle of the pew, but was soon forced to the other end as people crowded in by the dozens. As I was praying and quietly reflecting, a loud “BOOM boom boom BOOM boom boom” made me jump. Eight people, men and women, processed into the Church dancing and hollering, and carrying a statue of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. They were wearing hats that resembled sombreros only made out of brightly colored feathers, each about 2 feet long. They were dressed in blue sparkly clothing, and shook maraca-like instruments as the leader pounded on his snare drum. I had never heard this much noise in a Catholic church in my life! They sang and danced at the front of the Church before kneeling down in the aisle where they stayed for the remainder of the service. Once my attention had been grabbed, the cantor (lead singer) welcomed the congregation in both Spanish and English, then sang Ave Maria as the guitarists and bells played along. Children processed down the aisle with roses and carnations in their hands to place at the feet of the statue. They had on brightly colored dresses and scarves and outfits from their native culture. Throughout the mass, the priest spoke in both Spanish and English. He gave two homilies, and would sometimes get confused and forget to say something in both languages, which in turn confused the congregation, but overall it was a beautiful experience. So many people came to celebrate this occasion that some had to stand in the back. What surprised me the most was that I was clearly the minority, with about 75% of the congregation of Latin American heritage. But it was so inspiring to see how closely they held this faith to their hearts. We have discussed the importance of religion, specifically Catholicism, in the lives of Latin Americans, and oh, how true this is.They responded throughout the mass with excitement and sang without reservation. They were dressed as if the president was coming to Church, and even the babies had on dresses and ties. They all looked amazing! As I sat and participated in this celebration, I was moved to see how excited and joyous the children were. They sang, giggled, and actually enjoyed themselves! That is more than I can say of my childhood experience growing up in a Catholic Church. This mass was a beautiful experience, and I was moved by the joy and interest expressed by the congregation.

One question that I asked myself throughout the mass is, “Are these costumes worn every year, and is this traditionally how Latin Americans celebrate the day of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe? When I went home and did research online, I found that yes, there is always a procession of the statue, children always bear flowers, and there is percussion and dancing involved as well as bright, unique costumes. What a learning experience this was, and I plan on attending the celebration again next year!

After being encouraged by one of my professors to be involved and attend various presentations, I became incredibly intrigued with the Latino heritage lecture series. I was very interested in first getting a feel for how Latinos are living after migration so I decided to attend “Latinos in the United States: History & Culture” by Salvador Carranza.

Salvador began by explaining all of the various boards he is a part of, mainly Latino oriented, with President of Latinos United for Change and Advancement (LUCHA) being the most prestigious. This requires him to learn and aid in helping migrated Latinos adjust and succeed in the not so friendly American economy. In earlier years, it was very rough for Latinos to fit in due to the limited amount of minorities surrounding them. As the population of minorities grows however, Latinos are not afraid to share their culture and customs. He continued by explaining specifically about their rich culture and how it is rubbing off in the United States making it popular by displaying a power point of examples. For instance, when driving through a town it’s common to see Mexican restaurants now. Salvador explained how this expanding of Latino culture makes it more appealing for other citizens to come out of their shell. He reassured that in coming years, Latinos’ will strive for higher paid jobs and a higher education. He emphasized the importance for migrants to get an education in order to not simply live in the United States, but be successful; many of his organizations entail giving these opportunities to these migrants.

Salvador’s lecture directly correlates to previous discussions that we have had in class referring to migrants and how they adjust. We have learned that often migrants do anything they can to make it to the United States; however, once they get here they aren’t prepared for what they encounter. Sometimes it leads to low-paying jobs and isolation that makes adjusting to this lifestyle horrendous. A previous guest speaker, Pilar Melero, explained how Latinos would have to share a house with countless other friends and family which perfectly exhibits the struggle that Salvador talked about. This makes me wonder, do migrants ever return back to their native land empty handed after not being able to adapt to life in the United States?

Overall, the presentation by Salvador Carranza was very intellectually pleasing as he taught me a side of Latinos that I was unaware of before. Knowing that their struggle is slowly dissipating is satisfying as he continues in his efforts to make their life more successful and enjoyable. Salvador is a very influential individual who is making a difference to countless Latinos in the United States.

 The legacies of the civil war in El Salvador from the late 1970s to the early 1990s are still visible to Professor Winship in the work that he is carrying out. Those times of trouble were also one of the few times when U.S. citizens paid attention to the country, one of the smallest in the Western Hemisphere. There are still resources available about the country and the period of war, such as this Web page by the Public Broadcasting System.

The Latin American music series sponsored by Latino Arts in Milwaukee welcomes the Pedrito Martinez Quartet on Friday evening. Martinez, a vocalist and percussionist, is a native of Cuba and well-known collaborator with major artists.

His regular show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Latino Arts auditorium, which is in South Milwaukee. There is a discount ticket price for students, and also matinee performances Thursday and Friday for a reduced rate.

More information is here.

Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey brings the reader deep in to the challenges facing the tens of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. As she claims as its intent, Nazario’s book puts a human face on the numbers. Both in the experience of Enrique and his mother Lourdes we see the living conditions, instability, poverty, and exploitation that many immigrants face. Here are some productive questions to answer as one studies the final four chapters and afterword of the book:

1. On page 199 where conflicts with Enrique are described, Lourdes feels resentment because her son does not appreciate the poverty and humiliation she has undergone after she left him in Honduras. What are examples of the poverty and humiliating circumstances that Lourdes lives through?

2. Based on the experiences in this book, describe the living conditions, level of income and expenses that immigrants face in the U.S.?

3. Based on the afterword, what are the effects that large-scale emigration to the U.S. on Latin American societies?

This site contains interactive maps that help you track the various attempts that Enrique makes to get to his mother.

The first life of the book Enrique’s Journey was as a series of articles in the Los Angeles Times newspaper.  Both in the paper and in the book were accompanying photographs by Don Bartletti. In my opinion as a former reporter, this work is outstanding. To view a gallery of  this work on the Web, go here.

            Although it is disguised as a suspenseful page-turner, Enrique’s Journey is also a serious book about the burning real-world issues of immigration from Latin America to the U.S.  The contribution the book makes to the issue is to burrow deep inside one particular kind of immigration that has so far escaped notice. Hidden in the wider flow of close to a million illegal immigrants per  year is the arrival of almost 50,000 children to the U.S., most following a mother who already left them behind. For as loud and as long that the arguments about immigration have been in the U.S., this type of immigration has not been acknowledged or understood.

            The book is a compelling and powerful one to read for all the reasons that journeys have always made for good literature, from the book of Exodus to Hunter S. Thompson.  There is also the tension between two powerful opposing forces: the genetic bond attracting children to their mothers versus the war on illegal immigrants waged by both the world’s most powerful government and by desperate and evil predators.

The author Sonia Nazario focused on one boy and his mother, which pumps up the suspense by launching one single narrative in motion and placing real flesh-and-blood people on this ride. This is not just a gimmick; Nazario announces her main intent was to “humanize” the issue. In other words, this book is deliberately neither scholarly nor analytical, yet it is nonetheless worthwhile given how unknown is the type of immigration peopled by the abandoned children of single-mother immigrants. The lengths to which the professional reporter went to experience this journey, and the access she gains to the damaged lives and dangerous underworld the journey traces, are other sources of the wonder the book rewards its readers.

            The prologue of the book focuses more on the author Nazario and her own immigration history (all our families have them), and how she came to see that there was a story about the single-mother immigrants that had not been told. She also hints at what she concludes is the result or effect of this under-reported type of immigration. Although the book is not constructed overtly as an argument, Nazario betrays a point of view.

            The first chapter tells of the mother’s journey and the life of children left behind, and does so through the story of one child named Enrique. This part of the book provides the best view of the impoverished lives in the home country, weaving the attendant problems of hopelessness, violence, corruption, and malfunctioning civil society.  In other words, this is the story of what immigration scholars call the “push factors” in explaining the causes of any current of human flowing across borders.

            The second and third chapter narrate the early parts of Enrique’s quest to reach the U.S. and his mother. This is set in another foreign land—Mexico. Problems of poverty, violence, and corruption are also vivid here. I assume most Americans, if they consider the suffering of immigrants to the U.S. at all, know only of the challenge of crossing the U.S. border and very little of the treatment of migrants deeper within Mexico itself. Some active opponents in the U.S. of illegal immigration portray Mexican authorities as tougher on their immigrants than is the U.S. Enrique’s Journey provides a ground-level view from within Mexico of this shameful treatment by officials and gang. However, the book also complicates the premise that all Mexicans are rougher than those in the U.S. on immigrants who are, as they say in Spanish, sin papeles.

The following are some questions I askk of students regarding the book from the prologure through chapters 3:

1. What does the author seem to conclude about the result or effect of the child immigration to the U.S. to re-unite with mothers? What is ultimately her take or point?

2. Although the lives of Enrique and Lourdes are separated for many years, what is similar about their lives and experiences? What do they share in common?

3. Chapter titles refer to beasts and mercy. Give two examples each of the merciful and the beastly behavior of Mexicans toward Central American migrants. Be specific.

from pbs.org

Professor Ellie Schemenauer from the UW–Whitewater Department of Womens Studies spoke to our Latin American Studies class on Oct. 17.

Professor Schemenauer researches women and narcotics trafficking in Latin American and the Caribbean area. Some of her research was conducted in South Florida with the cooperation of drug enforcement officers. In the her doctoral thesis, Professor Schemenauer argued that notions of what it means to be a woman figure into the way the so-called “War on Drugs” is both conducted and talked about by the personnel engaged in this so-called war.  Her interviews also shed light on the lives of the women transporting drugs, which is a flesh-and-blood aspect of this problem that more visible policy discussions and crime data have overlooked.