Tabasco, Mexico - Disaster Shakti

Tabasco, Mexico - Disaster Shakti - Team Journals

Disaster Shakti - Shakti's Journey to Tabasco, Mexico - Team Journals

May 12, 2008
Brian Denietolis and Gargi Roysircar

Our car journey into Mexico from McAllen, TX, began with a brief search by the Mexican military. As we passed through the border separating Texas and Mexico, four young men, possibly younger than I, dressed in military uniform waved us to pull aside. The men were carrying semi-automatic weapons, loaded and ready for use. One soldier politely explained to our cultural consultant/translator that he would search our bags. He quickly and cautiously searched through one small bag in the trunk of our van, while we stood aside and watched. I experienced a multitude of emotions. I was nervous for our safety. Like Gargi said, "What if we get caught in a cross-fire with another car, possibly belonging to some drug cartel?" I was nervous for the safety of the four young men in front of me. Their job was dangerous, and their lives could be stolen in an instant because they chose to prevent drug trafficking. I also felt a bit of shame because I recognized that it was my country's addiction to drugs and monetary prosperity that fosters such trafficking, thereby placing these young soldiers' lives at risk.

After journeying by plane and car from New England, we were received at Villa Hermosa airport by Professor Martin Aguilar of the University of Juarez, Tabasco. Professor Aguilar is a gracious and humble man who has single-handedly organized for us to join his community in its educational efforts on flood-recovery. Christina, a business woman well-connected with local government circles and a family friend of our cultural consultant, also received us. She filled her huge, impressive van with our suitcases and bags of school supplies and toys.

As we began conversing about the host of activities in store for us, it became quite clear that my Spanish 'proficiency' (i.e., Spanglish) would not be enough to communicate as effectively as I would like. I have since made it my ambition to place myself in linguistically vulnerable situations, whereby I might improve my Spanish speaking abilities. Admittedly, fumbling over words is humbling, but I openly recognize that much character growth occurs in moments of humility, vulnerability, and discomfort. Gargi, on the other hand, is perfectly at ease speaking in English, and she connects and reaches out, somehow. She uses her hands, eyes, and facial expressions, and calls this "affective communication."

The citizens of Tabasco embody resilience and perseverance, as evidenced by their persistent efforts to repair their damaged city. As Professor Aguilar drove us through the major parts of the city, he clearly held the tension of mourning what was lost while celebrating his city's quick recovery efforts. I was able to join in this diunital tension, as I witnessed first-hand some of the devastation. Rows of sandbags tightly lodged on slopes, seven months after the floods, descended into the streets, a bleak reminder of the waters that flooded homes and businesses of Villa Hermosa. The most prominent and reputable library was flooded so severely that it will remain closed for at least one year; so is the city's museum. There were also noticeable six-foot high watermarks on the houses and buildings in the lower part of Villa Hermosa, which received the brunt of the floods. But many buildings have been re-painted with vibrant colors of green, yellow, blue, and orange. The citizens of Tabasco have mustered much strength and energy to face destruction. This is a bustling city with people going about their daily work, lively pastimes, and hospitality.

On our way to our hotel, we kept our first appointment, already arranged for by Professor Aguilar. We met the director of orphanages and foster care in Villa Hermosa, a woman of German heritage but of Mexican citizenship like her parents. The director is dynamic, powerful, and very organized. She described the orphanage where we'll work and warmly welcomed us to do our play and educational activities with the orphans under her care. She was surprised and grateful that we had brought large amounts school supplies, toys, and art and crafts--all donations from Antioch New England; and she was impressed that in our previous international Disaster Shakti relief work, we had done play activities with tsunami-affected orphans in Southern India; with school children upon their return to New Orleans a year after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and with HIV/AIDS-affected and infected children and women in South Africa and Botswana. Our productive exchange with the director made us believe that we would have a full schedule of outreach work during our stay at Villa Hermosa. Even though it's very, very hot here, we have no problems waiting in reception areas for our appointments and to be entrusted with tasks.

May 13, 2008: Disaster Shakti's Efforts to Join Villa Hermosa
Brian Denietolis and Gargi Roysircar

Our first full day in Villa Hermosa began with a breakfast meeting with a powerful political leader. Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna is the president of one of the most influential political parties within the state of Tabasco (The National Organization of Women). Because of Gargi's political leanings and feminism, she was thrilled to be with a like-minded and -spirited Mexican feminist politician. Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna discussed the recurrent and pervasive oppression of Mexican women. She shared with us her own courageous efforts to continually address these oppressive experiences for the sake of all women in Tabasco. I was absolutely honored to be in her presence, though I was also ashamed of what my male status represented. On some level, I represent the oppressor. As a man, I have clearly profited by society's selective displacement of its aggression, and this pains me. Still, I was accepted by Mrs. Herrera de la Cerna with warmth and sincerity. Professor Aguilar said that even though he was a man, he gave his full support to Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna. The back-and-forth exchanges between Gargi, Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna, and the two Shakti women team members showed differences in views about feminism by age and generation lines.

Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna was accompanied by press reporters and photographers, whose flash bulbs clicked away, and who asked Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna questions about who we were and what we planned on doing in Villa Hermosa. Mrs. Gloria Herrera de la Cerna also asked Gargi to hold discussions on empowerment and work stress coping strategies with a women's political forum. Gargi is in hog heaven (Villa Hermosa also means Heavenly City). Our schedule is filling up nicely.

Our first day we traveled to a middle school where over 60 children were awaiting our arrival. This is a school for troubled children. But the children gave us no trouble. Gargi said that while some boys were initially active and exuberant, they settled down, got focused, and followed our play directions. These children were, in fact, self-reflective, bright, and future-oriented when they described their career aspirations as well as their brightly-colored flood drawings--clear indicators of their resilience to a recent disaster. This was a group exercise designed to instill hope and ambition. The children were eager to share their plans to achieve career goals. We also encouraged them to form small groups, where they drew pictures that represented their impressions/experiences of the flooding in Villa Hermosa and they talked about these pictures among themselves. The children eagerly participated in this activity. The explanations they provided about their respective drawings were moving. Many children spoke of experiences of waiting to be rescued by helicopters, while their families were forced to leave all that they owned behind. Every drawing had similar themes of destruction and rescue and of mourning and hope. The drawings were bright and not grey or bleak.

After spending the early afternoon with these middle school children, we drove to a popular radio station where we were invited for an on-air interview. Once we explained the mission of Disaster Shakti and the purpose of our trip, the radio hosts asked some provocative questions. In particular, they were curious to know what Villa Hermosa's quick recovery says about its citizens. Through these questions, Shakti members were able to share with hundreds of listeners their observations of the strength, perseverance, and resilience of the people of Villa Hermosa. Gargi was asked to compare United States' slow response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to Tabasco's quick and effective response to their floods. Gargi said that disasters have similar psychological and environmental effects across the world, but societies and individuals respond differently because of cultural and political contexts. Here at Villa Hermosa, she noticed, people seem to be cohesive and collaborative in their energy, focus, forward-moving plans, and happy pastimes. The radio announcers were very pleased with this understanding of the people of Villa Hermosa. This was a challenging cross-cultural comparison to consider, as I was reminded yet again of the weaknesses of a society that is both individualistic and at war--like the United States. However, it was extremely beneficial for me to consider the argument that economic privilege, power, and individual responsibility and/or control cannot replace the benefits of collectivism and social-sharing and recovery, especially in the face of disasters.

May 14, 2008: Lectures at the University of Tabasco
Gargi Roysircar and Brian Denietolis

It's almost indescribable how 70 undergraduate psychology students of the University of Juarez, Tabasco crammed themselves in a poorly air-conditioned auditorium with an equally poor sound system to listen to a two-and-a-half lecture by Gargi. There were two sessions, one in the morning and one late afternoon; the second lecture was for students who attend the afternoon class-shift. Gargi cannot recall teaching 150 college students in one day. Each lecture was meant to be for 3 hours, but the students and faculty arrived half-an-hour late, which appears to be the general process regarding how meetings and appointments, whether social or institutional, begin-about half an hour late. The official translator did not show up, but a psychology student, who also teaches in the law school, volunteered to do the translation. Gargi learned to pause after phrases and short sentences, and the translator did near-perfect translation. The translator was vivacious, dynamic, loud, clear, and intellectually curious. Sometimes, members of the audience helped the translator with words when she got stuck. The way Gargi and the translator were in tune with each other, one would think they had worked together previously, but that was not the case at all. While sweaty and crowded in 100 degrees temperature indoors, the students listened quietly, read Gargi's powerpoint slides carefully, wrote notes, and asked questions through the translator. The faculty did the same. Sometimes, the translator spoke back to Gargi in Spanish, giving questions from the audience, when Gargi had to remind her that she needed to hear in English. This led to hearty laughter. The audience laughed with Gargi and the translator when they joked around. Hardly any one left the auditorium and the students were okay with a short five-minute break. Not having the privilege of access to current knowledge in professional psychology in the United States through state-of-the-art libraries, the internet, and Spanish translations may make students in Mexico eager to listen to a lecturer. Or maybe students in Mexico are respectful of teachers and the knowledge they impart. Perhaps it's a combination of both. State education is completely free in Mexico, which leads to attendance by diverse students who come from far and wide eager to learn. In Mexico, after a bachelor's degree, one can do therapy, but under supervision for five years, after which one is certified as a psychologist. Perhaps the students can see themselves practicing in the near future and, therefore, want to learn as much as they can. We are making various hypotheses about students' interest in education in Mexico. Even the middle school students in the school for troubled children that we worked with yesterday were responsive and engaged with us.

Gargi was introduced by the dean of social sciences and was presented with a "thank you" certificate. Disaster Shakti also made certificates for the students who attended the lecture, and the students eagerly signed up for these. Gargi spoke about the recent developments in culturally sensitive psychological treatments in the United States. The students said that they are receiving classical training in client-centered therapy or in psychoanalysis, with some introduction to cognitive approaches. The students wanted to get information on how to adapt their theory with cultural responsiveness. Some wanted to know whether they can get Gargi's powerpoint in Spanish. We'll need to work on this possibility when we return our school. Did we say it's very, very hot here? But we are happy too.

5-19-08: Giving a Lecture on Self-Care and Resilience to Human Service Providers in
Villahermosa, Mexico
Gargi Roysircar

Villahermosa community leaders and university professors invite us to join them for lunch around 4.00 p.m., which is when people have lunch here. At this time of the afternoon, we either have some work activity still scheduled or have finished a Shakti project. I am exhausted in 110 degrees humid weather and would love a quiet late afternoon. But work, sweat, and having breakfast some 7 hours ago make me hungry. I join the lunch party. The lunch is sumptuous with meats, corn tortillas, taco fillings, bean soup, guacamole, corn chips, all kinds of pepper and tamarind sauces, and flan. The meal lasts an hour and a half in animated company, with Spanish conversations translated in English, so that we can all understand each other to some extent. We have great fun, but are late for work by at least half-an-hour. And we have eaten so much that surely dinner will have to be very late, like after 10.00 p.m., or maybe we'll have no dinner.

However, I declined meal invitations on May19th. I was going to give an all-day workshop, "Self-Care and Resilience for Disaster Response Workers," and requested a lunch break from 12.00-1.00 p.m., when I hoped to eat in the university cafeteria. I needed to conserve my energy and remain focused. The workshop participants, about 75 individuals, comprised mostly of professionals: emergency room doctors, EMT's, rehabilitation specialists, social workers, psychologists, nurses, experienced volunteers, and university faculty. I saw a few students from my lectures a couple of days ago to university classes. This audience was quite different from the women's political group to whom I was asked to give the same talk.

Those were about 150 women. They responded the best when given the opportunity to give testimonials about personally suffering the floods, saving themselves and their family and friends, and surviving flooded homes and streets. In their cathartic expressions, some women shed tears or sobbed, as well as gave testimony to their resilience. Of pragmatic interest to the women was being prepared for future disasters. So I discussed with them my last module, Safety and Security Self-Care. I addressed how developing in advance action plans and contingency plans (in case the action plans falls through), for a potential disaster may create feelings of security and competence. Engagement in deliberate organization may prevent gossip- and fear-mongering that some women in the audience complained about. I told them about tsunami-affected South Indian women, whose preparedness strategies changed their lifestyle as mothers and wives. They were building temporary shelters on higher grounds for future use, starting arts and crafts cooperatives with the help of government-sponsored "gramin banks," learning how to use computers as well as sewing machines, and having group meetings to discuss their progress, challenges, and finances. The leaders of the women's political group were happy that I used "dynamic" (their words) interactions with the audience. The meeting closed very formally, with speeches of recognition and certificates for all four Shakti team members. I also had to sign 150 certificates that the political party gave its members who attended the meeting. Because this is a political group, reporters showed up and interviewed the party leaders and me. I felt like a celebrity because so many microphones were thrust towards me as the reporters asked questions, and their photographers took pictures of me, Josefina Irigoyen (our Shakti Spanish translator from Antioch and 5th year clinical psychology doctoral student), and the two women political leaders.

Presenting to the helping professionals on May 19th, on the other hand, was a different experience. The conceptualization of resilience to withstand trauma and a survivor's internal and external resources of resilience made personal as well as professional meaning to the caregivers. On the basis of the literature that I presented to them, all members of the audience were able to identify their own use of resilience factors. We had a great discussion about the conceptual and application differences between denial of trauma effects and resilience, a question raised by a psychiatrist. After briefly describing each self-care function, among the seven self-care modules in my workshop, I requested one volunteer to come to the front of the auditorium for each module and report how he or she may be practicing that particular self-care method after the Villahermosa floods. There were many volunteers from the audience and this type of participation made the presentation interactive, with audience members owning the information-exchange. The professional knowledge and experience of the participants in disaster and crisis situations enabled me to reduce the number of slides I showed, and yet there was a comprehensive learning and teaching experience for all. After the workshop, some individuals wanted to me to copy my slide show in their respective flash drives, which became a professional dilemma for me. I also feared my computer acquiring viruses from their flash drives. I am still thinking about how to respond to requests for electronic copies of my work when I have already provided summarized handouts of my slides. My Antioch students also want me to copy them electronically my powerpoint presentations.

I cannot thank enough the translator, Sonia, for the self-care and resilience workshop for the professionals. Sonia is energetic, indefatigable, confident, earnest, and open. She was both my translator as well as a member of the audience as she would present her own views about the topic under consideration and ask questions of me. We were a great match, which happened just by chance. Sonia also brought her beautiful little daughter to the workshop and her daughter watched closely our back-and-forth exchanges.

The workshop for the professionals was scheduled to be from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. In real time it was from 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. The air-conditioning did not work for a couple of hours. But no one minded the heat and humidity, including me, because we were absorbed in our discussions. Hand fans and newspapers came out to provide air circulation. At lunch time the electricity went off, but returned in time for the afternoon session. After the formal closing of the workshop, when I was given another certificate of recognition, the university's continuing education officer gave certificates to each participant, and I signed every one of them. When the auditorium emptied, a doctor volunteered to give me a ride to our hotel. It was so gracious of the doctor to think that the visitor needed to get back to the hotel and had no mode of transportation. Graciousness, civility, and extreme politeness characterize the communication style here. Our cultural consultant, who accompanied me, gave him a box of chocolates from the United States. Here at Villahermosa, chocolates are rare and expensive. So an appropriate thank you gift to the doctor was a box of chocolates.

We are leaving tomorrow. Our disaster outreach project has ended. From Mexico's 110 degrees heat and humidity, I will go into New England's 50-60 degrees cool temperature. I will keep a sweater in my bag in case I need to keep warm. The food in NH will surely taste bland after I have gotten used to the spice and heat of authentic Mexican food. But I am very happy to be retuning home. I will be able to read an English newspaper in the Houston airport and will hear the English Language spoken around me. I have loved the vast variety of hibiscus, bird of paradise, and bougainvillea blooming gloriously in Mexico; but I am also looking forward to one last glimpse of the daffodils, tulips, and creeping flocks in my yard. One good project ends and another, hopefully, begins.