The summer has been busy here at the Peace House.   We welcomed five new volunteers, coordinated a Global Exchange Delegation, witnessed the Mexican presidential elections and the local and national ramifications, and trained in two new staff.   Diana Denham, after two months of intense training here in Chiapas, has launched Casa Chapulin, the new Peace House initiative in Oaxaca.  We are excited to see this project moving ahead and look forward to the new opportunities for volunteers and for organizations that we will be able to facilitate.   Chris Thomas, a volunteer with the Peace House for the last 8 months, will be taking over the coordination of the Chiapas House from September to January.   Chris has been working principally in communities and we are excited about the vision and experience he will bring to the position. 

I wanted to write a farewell letter of sorts as I close my time as coordinator of the Chiapas Peace House, however between workshops, meetings and training, I've barely been able to collect my thoughts.   Returning to the US to work on immigration and border issues has been a decision long in the making, that does not however, make the departure easy. It will be difficult to re-enter Gringolandia, but I look forward to seeking out and connecting with the organizing and alternatives that are bubbling all over the country. 

I am deeply grateful for all the opportunities and experiences working with the Peace House these last 2   years has given me.  I have been profoundly changed as a person and as an activist and I give sincere thanks to every volunteer I picked up at the bus station, every compa I shared jungle dawn truck rides with, to every chiapaneco, chilango, oaxaqueño, basquo, sueco, gringo, who has come to Chiapas with a sense of justice in their hearts, ready to add their grain of sand to the struggle, and figure out how to make revolution in their own communities.   I have learned so much from all of you. 

As I'm preparing to leave Mexico, I remember a time while riding the metro in Mexico City 3 years ago, having just arrived with indefinite plans for indeterminate amount of time.   I was terrified, buoying myself with pep talks and a blind faith.  Melissa, I whispered, no matter what happens, when this is all over, you will be changed.   I had no notion of all the richness and beauty, the people, places and experiences I would find along the way.  So it is with some sadness and fear that I leave Chiapas, but also with a heart full of hope, humility and inspiration.  Thank you.  

Melissa Mundt

Coordinator

Chiapas Peace House