somewhere under the sky

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i forgot to write something about Kapak Raymi which i found very beautiful. during one of the ceremonies, somebody commented that Kapak Raymi is not only to celebrate publicly the new leaders but it celebrates the strength and power inside each of us in the space that corresponds to us. it was simple but profound.

christmas has come and gone here in Saraguro, although this morning i heard once again the parade of Wikis, Ajas, Gigantes, etc. pass my window so maybe it´s not so gone. there is absolutely nothing here that reminds me of christmas where i grew up, so i have been missing the holidays less than i expected, simply because it doesn´t feel at all like the holidays. i have to say that christmas here is much more friendly to the environment - no christmas lights, no yards of wrapping paper and bows only to be thrown away, no plastic wrapping from toys and gadgets, etc. just by way of commentary...

today i had a lengthy discussion about the education system. in Ecuador the system has come from Spain, obviously, although i remember reading somewhere about trying to imitate the French system at some point. in either case, it is a system based on the paradigm of memorization, or "conductivist." which means the professor dictates the class and whether you agree or disagree doesn´t matter, the students stay quiet and seated and to "learn," they memorize. there of course, exist other types of schools. Montessori, etc. have been set up in some places. the fight for bilingual (native language and spanish) has been long and hard. the indigenous here in saraguro have set up their own education centers, since i think around 25 years ago, but these don´t go until high school. i was conversing with an educator of one these centers who was saying they are having a hard time because in the indigenous centers they´ve implemented the system based on the development of motor skills (destrezas). kids learn by playing, is the idea. they´ve had problems because people from the high school claim that the professors are lazy, that they don´t actually do any teaching, that they don´t plan, etc. in fact it´s the other way around. if you are a professor in a high school based on the dictate, memorize system, what planning is necessary? the professors work from 8-1 and that´s it. on the other hand, to implement an alternative system in the centers has taken a lot of work. not only are they constantly planning for the actual school day and discussing what type of education they want, but it´s also inclusive, which means once a month there is a meeting with the parents, etc. and this requires much more work than the salary they receive. it has also required a lot of work on the part of the educators, who themselves were formed in the memorize-dictate system.
it made me think of my own education. my friends from Asia claim that the united states is known for very good education. when i think about our popular society, however, i question this. or Miss North Carolina. or the sad fact that in 2002, 11% of U.S. students ages 18-24 couldn´t identify the United States on a map (88% couldn´t identify Iraq). but on the whole, i do think at least that we are not discouraged to talk, react, question, etc. a lot depends on the professor. as a national system, however, i have heard not so heartening views about no child left behind. well...

i´m very excited for "the old year", as new year´s eve is called here. people form groups and make life-size dolls to burn and with it comes a whole dramatization and the people burned leave "wills" and the imaginary figure that remains is the "widow." i´m pleased to announce we are burning the mayor and the indigenous candidate who ran against him. for all my wanting to see the good in people and wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, i have come to the conclusion that the mayor is a racist, authoritarian jerk. or maybe even a harsher word would fit. he was already a term as mayor and for the new constitution, the country had new elections. he changed political parties to ally himself with Correa (the president), obviously to have more funds, and won the election by a series of fraudulent events. if you are wondering why the indigenous candidate is also being burned, this is because it´s part of the dramatization - in other words they can re-enact the elections and have them insult each other. i´m very excited.

posted by leah v @ 1:39 PM