off to nature

Tomorrow morning I'm headed to Santa Marta, from there to Parque Tayrona, and from there to Ciudad Perdida. It's a five day trek through the jungle to Ciudad Perdida, and I'm very excited. Everything is packed: extra socks, rain coat, insect repellent, snake bite remedy, malaria pills, diaherria pills, vitamin B, water purifying solution, and a nifty bandanna.

I won't write too long, because I'm going to bed, but here's some of the past week.

Last Saturday, I marched from the library in Santo Domingo to the futbol field in Granizal (which I think is called 'La Crem'). Part of the march for non-violence went down the same street I use to walk from the bus to Colegio Maria Cano every week. I haven't been to many marches before. I decided to go to this one because it was directly connected to a community I'm working with. I wasn't totally in accord with the symbolic vocabulary of the peace march initially: everyone wearing or holding black and white Gandhi masks with holes in the eyes, and carrying a white candle. The candle was fine. I found the mask creepy and felt although the event was on Gandhi's birthday it maybe wasn't the most fitting unifying symbol for this event marching between two warring barrios in Colombia. I agree with ahimsa as a strategy for a political or social movement, and I am actually especially a fan of Gandhi as a historic figure, but the pieces didn't go together as precisely as I would like. I gave my mask to a young boy I passed. But marching from the library to the futbol field, two locations that are 'neutral ground' in this area of conflict, I found appropriate. There were people standing on the streets, running to their windows, to watch the march. One older woman was weeping, with her hands on her heart, nodding her head to every passerby. Some group equivalent to the girl scouts was standing at an intersection, repeating a chant of greeting and thanks. In the march there were a multiple groups of soldiers, a couple yoga or maybe hare krishna-ish groups dressed in all white, families, and school groups. Eventually I got over the mask and felt quite moved by the event. At the end, there was a concert/event featuring dance groups, a Reggaetone singer, and a monk.

Then I went to Andrea from Circo Momo's birthday party. Her cousin's baby didn't really like my jokes. I think she actually scowled.

La Guerra, a play at Nuestra Gente, Sunday, was like the Colombian army version of MASH. A glorious farce where the army has lost the enemy and decided to create one, using famous events in Colombia's history, and a lot of great physical comedy. I like this sort of interrogation of armed conflict, unrelentingly calling it out on its arbitrariness. Later that night I found myself listening to a Steven Pinker lecture on youtube where he talked briefly about Hobbes' Leviathan, and maximum security resulting from centralized state power, countering the fear instinct that leads to a lot of unnecessary violence.

That same morning, El Encandilado at Teatro Popular was also entertaining. A kids show with a magical design component and a delightful story of a little boy looking for his kingdom and his love. Think, if Odysseus were a three year old.

I was at a great Salsa concert in El Poblado last Friday. There are positives and negatives to being right in front of the band. Less cowbell, please. I especially enjoyed hearing Buena Vista Social Club's 'Candela, Candela.'

John Alexander, a teacher in my class at Circo Momo, asked me to come in and work with an organization called Centro Diagnostico, where he works full time, with street kids. I taught there Friday and returned Monday. There is so much to say about this experience, I feel odd squeezing it in before going to sleep. The kids live at this transition center before going to somewhere that can continue to help them. I've been told most have substance abuse backgrounds in addition to being utterly alone in the world or utterly discarded. Many are as young as six or seven, up to around twelve or fourteen. I felt totally drained after being there Friday, but I couldn't help but return Monday, and I'll certainly return again after my trip. They were so immediately giving of themselves yet so difficult at the same time. What can I say here without disrespecting the safety of our space together? Ahhh. It tears at my fucking heart.

I returned to APICP, in Popular 2, Monday. I could only squeeze onto the side on a crowded bus in the pouring rain after I transferred on the way.

Another University of Antioquia class Tuesday went even better than the first. A smaller group, more intimate work. We worked for four hours and it still felt like they wanted to stay and do more. Still nobody knows when their University will reopen.

Today class felt really great in both high schools. Little organizational things got in the way, but we decided on extra hours to work on our respective projects, and did some really interesting scene work in both groups.

Goodnight. Off to the jungle.