San Cristóbal - Julia Sisson

I find this city to be strange and complex, feelings which are accentuated by the rain and hail storms that rush through with little notice. The juxtaposition of dreaded Europeans opening up bars with the name of Revolución, and indigenous women and children trying to sell bracelets and shawls to indifferent tourists only makes the feelings stronger.

While at CIDECI - Centro Indígena de Capacitación Integral - a man named Ivan talked about the density of San Cristóbal, the energy and mixing of peoples, cultures, modernity, and the post-modern. The complexity, and contradictory nature of the city and the businesses here can be overwhelming to me. CIDECI, an 'anti-school,' where teachers are learners and learners are teachers, and practice and theory are explored together, is an autonomous space where the strangeness of San Cris can melt away.

There is also a cafe in San Cristobal with the name of 'TierAdentro' - within the earth. It claims to support Zapatista communities, but I have heard mixed opinions, like most things here. Many businesses profit off the commodification and commercialization of revolutionary ideals, Zapatismo, and alternative ways of organizing (socially and economically). Cafes, hotels, boutiques, and other businesses have recognized how profitable it is to incorporate anti-neoliberal Zapatismo into neoliberal capitalism so that 'radical,' 'alternative' tourists can buy it up and feel like they are supporting a movement of the people, like they are in solidarity with Zapatista communities in Chiapas.

But walking by TierAdentro almost everyday, has made me think more about this idea of within the land. It is where roots grow and life's foundations are formed, and without your roots, how do you know who you are? How do you sort out your identity? Without your roots how do you know where to go?

My roots are not in this city. And this trip has helped me realize that I want to work in the U.S., where my roots are, because that's where i can push and grow, that is where I'll understand where I want to be going and why.
I want to dig deep into the earth, and understand the soil that my roots are in.