Contrasts

Throughout these whirlwind State visits, I have had the most amazing opportunities that one can only wish for. There have been many unbelievable experiences in the past few days, including meeting the presidents of both Mexico and Guatemala as well as those countries’ ambassadors. It has also been an enjoyable visit to Costa Rica, to meet with hard-working staff, to listen to stories of community members and to experience a landscape unlike Canada’s, not to mention a climate that is contrary to the snowfalls in Ottawa that I heard passed through over the past few days. I can’t say that I’m prepared to go back to Ottawa with all that snow, but thankfully I have an amazing boyfriend willing to hold up the igloo while I’m away.

Speaking of not being prepared, I had an experience that I wanted to share with all of the blog readers out there. It’s an experience that is important to share because of the contrast of my reality in Canada with the very different reality of these three countries. The most startling visual I have had on my journey so far had to do with a car ride an hour from Guatemala City to visit a youth project that Canada is assisting called CEIBA. Driving from the centre of the city towards its outskirts was like time travel. That’s what happened; I felt like I had time travelled from one period to another. The big beautiful lights and clean roads disappeared and were replaced by shanty houses, unrefined roads, gang infestation, and street sides that doubled as garbage collection. The buildings were small; the building spaces were cramped and continuous. At first, I didn’t know that the patchwork of materials were places where people lived. This was my ignorance. Many shanty spaces were built on slopes where one drastic downpour would surely wipe out their living space. In the heart of this image is where we finally found CEIBA.

When we arrived at the two small, two-story buildings, we were greeted with beautiful smiling faces and with curiosity by the children who attend the CEIBA project. An articulate little girl of about 10 years of age explained the “after-school” type of experience that all of the children engaged in at the centre. We all introduced ourselves to each other with the help of an interpreter and the kids bravely shared their “dreams” with me and other members of Her Excellency’s delegation. I was honoured to hear these children’s stories and dreams of wanting to become a police officer, doctor or community programmer. I realized how hard it would be for them, but as another delegate member shared with the young people, if it’s not hard, it’s probably not worth having. I shared some of my personal experiences as an Aboriginal youth in my community and told them that I never thought I would be doing what I am doing now. My message was that if you want it, you’ll find a way to get it. The problem is that for them, finding a way includes no, or practically inaccessible, opportunities for study. It includes barriers of impoverished communities and of discrimination, given the fact they are Indigenous. What inspired me about the kids there is that the CEIBA project was giving them a chance to articulate their dreams. It was giving the youth an opportunity to think beyond their circumstances. In an area that is run by gangs and gang violence, where youth can easily be picked up as pawns in the drug-trafficking trade, they had dreams. Their dreams were validated and their gifts were shared with us. I saw true faces of courage and a place where a head start in their circumstances is possible.