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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula November 5, 2001 Text and Photos © 2001 Michele Anderson

Guatemalan visitors offer Copper Country cultural exchange

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Page 2: Family visits Powwow, community groups

Another former Fronterizo accompanier, Nelle Herbert of Duluth, Minn., joined Aurelia, Remigio and Jorgito later last week and attended the Michigan Tech Spirit of the Harvest Powwow with them and Kingsley on Saturday, Nov. 3. Herbert said she spent three months of her four-month Guatemala stay in Fronterizo and "loved it."

At the MTU Spirit of the Harvest Powwow on Nov. 3, in the Gates Tennis Center, former CCGAP accompanier Nelle Herbert of Duluth, Minn., and Aurelia enjoy reminiscing about Herbert’s stay in Fronterizo.

Herbert has also spent time in the Dominican Republic and has traveled in Central America and Cuba. She said the issue of improving the standard of living is an issue both in the Dominican Republic and in Guatemala. The land ownership issue in Fronterizo was one difference she noted, as well as a difference in attitude towards American foreign policy.

"In Guatemala, more people know how U.S. foreign policy affects them negatively," Herbert said.

Herbert presently does volunteer work with the Colombia Support Network in Duluth.

In addition to speaking at the First United Methodist Church, during their two-week visit to the Copper Country the Guatemalan family also visited Michigan Tech, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Houghton, E.B. Holman School in Stanton Township, a group of Peace Corps trainees and volunteers in the Michigan Tech Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master's International Program, the Hancock Middle School and High School, International Neighbors, the Delta Kappa Gamma women educators, Keweenaw Home Nursing, and Quakers. They also made quite a few home visits to Copper Country families for meals.

Sue Ellen Kingsley, who, with her husband Terry Kinzel, hosted the family in their Hancock home, said the visit has been an "unforgettable" experience.

During the presentation at the First United Church in Hancock, Sue Ellen Kingsley translates Aurelia’s humorous comments on men and women’s relationships in Guatemala.

"Their courage and good humor in confronting cultural differences has amazed me," Kingsley said. "I also found myself trying to hide how rich we are, feeling pretty embarrassed. We have been impressed with their ability to speak to widely varied audiences with poise and dignity. I would say that they have been very warmly received by people in the Copper Country, who have shared their homes, meals, toys, clothes and experiences such as the Powwow and going fishing, snow, a birthday party and Halloween trick-or-treating."

Aurelia recounted one memorable cultural exchange that occurred at Hancock Middle School, where students stared wide-eyed as she publicly nursed Jorge, who is almost two years old. She said she had to explain this custom to them.

Both Aurelia and Remigio commented that the school children showed interest in learning Spanish words and asked many questions about Guatemala, including several questions on women's roles there.

To a compliment from the audience at the Methodist Church, concerning the couple's ease in speaking before groups, Aurelia replied, "Why would we be afraid to speak in front of people when we've been afraid for our lives?"

Sue Ellen Kingsley presents a peace banner and certificate to Remigio for the people of Fronterizo 10 de Mayo from the First United Methodist Church in Hancock. A twin banner hangs in the church as a reminder of the sister city relationship through CCGAP.

A committee of women from the church presented the family with a peace banner to take to Fronterizo. It has a twin banner here in Hancock.

"We made two of them -- a matched pair so one would be in the First Methodist Church in Hancock and one will hang in Fronterizo 10 de Mayo," said Fran Passerello, a member of the banner committee, which also included Teddy Smith, Mary Jean Westcott, Barbara Kendall and Nancy Bird.

For more information on CCGAP, email Sue Ellen Kingsley at sekingsley@pasty.com.

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