Javier Anleu
The moment I saw my own country differently was the moment I was able to be a newcomer and see new aspects of Guate with my team. There are the things I take for granted, and I really believe that the journalist type questions of Makenzi and the wandering questions about Guatemala from Clark and Davis while we were walking in San Cristobal el Bajo caserios was what opened my eyes to a different Guatemala.
Talking to people about the basic need of having water to wash clothes, dishes, to even have water to drink was eye opening. I knew about the water problem of Guatemala, because even in certain areas inside the city there are water problems, but facing how people try to get water amazed me. Another feeling is a little bit of frustration because after doing some research, the water problem in the places we were exploring is because of corruption.
With this experience I also felt as I grew as a person. My big takeaway is that the whole Textura process was great for being a storyteller, but its major function was to be a full character building process for every team member. I honestly think day 1 Textura team, each one of us wanted to be the star, to prove the others how good we were. And by the end, I felt nobody was thinking about themselves. We were all thinking about the other, how can I help my writer, my designer, these other teams with their stories… So going a little back, as a storyteller I felt a great difference, I felt all the creativity flowing and learning from everybody. As a photographer it was the first time I worked with a team, and having to think about pictures to be the best dance partners for the writers stories.
Trying to wrap up, the moment I feel was the game changer in this experience, was when we had a deep conversation with my story team, Quesos Tigres, and we said what we liked and what we did not. After that honest but necessary meeting, we had the blessing of having to go to the vineyard and spend time as a group. I felt like we went all the way from being a grape, to being a fine wine. We changed there for good, and it really felt as a team. I saw myself as someone being able to work creatively in a team and pursuing stories.