23-Mar-2003
Biography
My roommate, Santiago Xol, was born on a Guatemalan coffee and cardomom
plantation 28 years ago. The plantation owner didn’t want his workers
to study, so there was no school on the plantation. When he was 8
years-old, Santiago began to cut coffee and cardomom in the plantation
fields; but a few years later his desire to read and write (in his native
language, Q´eqchi´) led him to walk half an hour after work each day to
the home of a man who agreed to teach him. He studied there until a
teacher came to a nearby plantation, at which time he enrolled in school,
but after just two months, the teacher left. By now, he was able to
read the Bible and songbook which he used to practice, while continuing
to work hard on the plantation.
In 1991, when Santiago was 16, his father had a falling out with the
plantation owner, so the family moved to San Luis, Peten, where his
parents continue to live in a wood panel house with dirt floor and
corrugated steel roof. Santiago went to live and work with an uncle nearby.
There, in Poptun, Peten, he had an experience that pushed him in his
desire to study once again.
He decided to have his picture taken in town, but because he couldn’t
speak any Spanish, he took along an acquaintance who knew a little bit
of Spanish. He got his picture taken, but the incident left him feeling
badly because of his need for an interpreter. Shortly thereafter, his
internal crisis over the direction of his life reached its climax, and
one day while working in a bean field, he climbed on top of a boulder
and cried to heaven, "Lord, what do I do?" He could continue to work,
trying to collect a little money, he could marry, or he could begin
studying. Working as a laborer, he could not hope to make more than $3-$5
per day. Marrying young would insure poverty for the rest of his life.
His mom didn’t want him to study, but she told him to ask his father.
After explaining to his father his desire to study, he was given
permission and a small amount of money. So it was that at 18 years-old,
Santiago Xol left home in search of a school.
He found one in Carcha, Alta Verapaz, and began elementary, while
working part-time to support himself. After completing elementary, Santiago
came to Centro Faustino Villanueva to continue in junior high and high
school, a path that his younger brother, Felipe, would follow a couple
years later. By now, his older sisters were married and had their own
families, but Santiago and his two brothers remained single. The
family’s land wouldn’t support all three boys with their wives and children,
so their father agreed to pay for the education of Santiago and Felipe,
but give the land to their younger brother who had never attended
school.
While at Centro Villanueva, Santiago was chosen from among the students
to be the "coordinator", requiring him to delegate work, act as
go-between with the parents of the boarding students, handle any problems
that came up among the boarding students, and generally assure that things
ran smoothly. In 2002, Santiago graduated from "magisterio", the
equivalent of high school, but with additional technical training as a
bilingual elementary teacher. His experience as the student coordinator has
helped him to resolve issues with students and parents in his new job,
teaching grades 1-3 in the rural school of Sepac.
Santiago leaves home at 6:00 each morning and rides his worn out
bicycle for an hour over gravel roads to arrive at Sepac, where one of the
women has breakfast waiting for him. From 7:30 to 12:30 he teaches, but
often stays in the village longer to help where needed. Because few
people in rural areas can read or write, the teacher is often asked to
aid the community on his own time, for example, by petitioning the
government for assistance. After returning home in the afternoon, he eats
supper at Centro Villanueva, and then from 8:00 to 10:30 attends the
school’s library.
Santiago tells me that "Some people say ‘I’d like to study, but I’m too
old.’" He does not agree with that perspective, of course. He hopes
to continue studying, preferably law school, but at the moment cannot
afford to pay the $120 per month for tuition and other expenses.
Responding to critics who say that the educational system damages the
indigenous culture, he maintains that studying is a way to amplify his
culture, not change it. If he is able to follow his dream, I’m certain it will benefit both him and his culture.
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