Latin Christmas Music

In the mood for some Latin Christmas music? AccuRadio has the answer. Check out their Navidad station. Warning - you may find yourself dancing across the kitchen and/or at getting down at your cubicle. Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/6k6hll

[]

State Dept's New Website

The State Department has launched a new website for Intercountry Adoptions. It contains a lot of information about the Hague. Here's the link:

http://adoption.state.gov/adoption.homepage.html

[]

Shopping Links

The season of giving is upon us. Below is a compilation of shopping links from the blog archives:

Need a hostess gift for Thanksgiving? How about a coffee made to pair with Thanksgiving foods? Pick up a pound of Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend (Guatemalan and Sumatran coffee).

http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=153788

Fair trade goods from Guatemala are just a click away:

http://www.gxonlinestore.org/all-guatemala.html

Looking for something more sentimental? Stay where you are:

http://shop.manyheartsonebeat.com/main.sc

For the super stylish person in your life Check out LAMA designs:

http://www.lamadesigns.com/

Mayan Treasures sells traditional Guatemalan clothing, worry dolls, hacky sacks etc...

www.mayan-treasures.com

Berhorst Partners for Development, an organization that works to strengthen communities in the Guatemalan Highlands, has made giving back easy and painless. They teamed up with the Buy for Charity website. Buy for Charity links to popular shopping sites like Target, Macys, KB Toys etc...and then donates up to 35% of your purchase to Berhorst (or another participating charity you choose). So Shop til you drop! Here's the link:

www.buyforcharity.com

Looking for a way to instill some Guatemalan pride in your doll playing kiddo? The website Terra Experience sells traditional Mayan clothing that fits American Girl. So cute! Here's the link:

http://www.terraexperience.com/

The Maya artists from the highlands of Guatemala have a website. The site has everything from large oil paintings to 2009 calendars. It is a beautiful website that is definitely worth a visit:

http://www.artemaya.com/

Don't forget stamps for all those Holiday cards. Show how proud you are of your family's Latino heritage with this USPS Latino stamp.

http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=11834&productId=40101&langId=-1

What are we missing? Do you have a shopping link our group would appreciate? Please post in the comment section!

[]

Maryland's Guatemala House

Guatemala House is the first project being tackled in Heifer International's Global Village in Sharpsburg, MD. Heifer is trying to make the home as authentic as possible. A four hour program including Guatemalan games, folktales, clothing, and food has been developed for school age children. To learn more about this unique opportunity to learn click here:

http://www.shepherdsspring.org/heifer.php

To learn about Heifer's 15 different programs in Guatemala check out there website:

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.2665753/

[]

Read Any Good Books Lately?

We want your opinion! The BRAG book club is looking for good book suggestions. We have already read:

A Euro-American on a Korean Tour at a Thai Restaurant in China by Chris Winston

Butterflies in the Wind: The Truth about Latin American Adoptions by Jean Erichsen

Titles we are considering:

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Elise Schein

The Long Night of White Chickens by Francisco Goldman

Do you have any feedback about these books? Is there another book that you would recommend? We try to find books that either relate to adoption or Central America. Please leave feedback in the comment section below. Thanks!

P.S. - if you would like to join us (in person or virtually) please send an email to bragphiladelphia@gmail.com. We gather together 4x a year.

[]

Birthmother Loss and the Adopted Child

Loss is an issue adopted children have to tackle. In the article Dancing with Ghosts: Birthmother Loss and the Adopted Child Jean MacLeod writes, "Some adopted children will manage to cope with their adoption losses equably, but some will need a parent’s help to sort out the pain they feel from the ultimate rejection, and from the aching sense of missing an unknown mother." MacLeod talks about 8 emotional tools parents can utilize to help their child.
Here's a link to the article:

http://www.emkpress.com/dancingwithghosts.html

Have you used some of these techniques? Do you disagree with the author? How have you helped your child cope? Please feel free to respond in the comments section.

c

Baby Views Race

One mom is confronted with the ugly truth when her toddler embarrasses her in public. Her idea that she is committed to participating in a multi-cultural society doesn't match her actions. What to do? Check out Baby Bigot: Is My Child Racist? :

http://www.babble.com/Am-I-raising-a-racist-baby-bigot-Erin-K-Blakeley/

c

Brainstorming About Latino Organizations

Last Friday a small group of BRAG members met for a book club discussion. One of the topics discussed was connecting with the local Latino community. There does not seem to be a clear path to make connections. Below are a few community organizations for Latinos in our area. If you know of any Latino organizations or if you have ideas how BRAG members might make connections please post it in the comments section.

Here are some organizations that we know about:

Taller Puertorriqueno is a an arts organization based in North Kensington http://www.tallerpr.org/

The Latin American Center of Wilmington, DE promotes lifelong learning and life empowerment with a focus on the needs of Latin Americans http://thelatincenter.org/

The Latino Leadership Alliance of Bucks County strives to develop and implement programs that address those preventative health, education, and social issues identified by Latino residents as critical to their future and the future of their children http://www.llabc.org/

Saint Patrick's Catholic Church (don't be fooled by the name) attracts over 1,000 people every week to their 2 Spanish speaking masses http://www.saintpatrick-norristown.net/schedule.htm

According to Al Dia (Philly's Latino Newspaper) The University of Pennsylvania has over 23 Hispanic organizations. Here is an article that discusses them http://www.pontealdia.com/local/penn-the-other-hispanic-community.html

c

Cultural Expressions

In early November all over Guatemala the deceased are honored. Take a look at the various ways this tradition is expressed in different parts of the country.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/11/03/guatemala-the-fiambre-and-other-foods-for-day-of-the-dead/

c

Obama and Racism in the Family

It's hard to think of anything but the new president-elect today. Barak Obama, the product of a transracial family, has made history! Last March Obama talked about the racism in his home growing up.

"... my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe..."

(to read entire speech click here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/obama.transcript/index.html )

If you have experienced similar attitudes in your own family and you want to see change check out The Southern Poverty Law Center's program Speak Up! . They respond to the question "What Can I do About Parental Attitudes?" here:

http://www.tolerance.org/speakup/family_parental.html

c

Worry Dolls

Guatemalan legend has it if you tell a worry doll your troubles she will take away your worries during the night. There are many places online to buy worry dolls including Mayan-Treasures.com. One mom decided to have her daughter's girl scout troop make their own. Check out the adorable result and the simple tutorial here:

http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2008/10/no-more-worry.html

c