Thursday, May 29, 2008

I Want To Break Free...

So to continue on...

I have been thinking about this cultural baggage that we have and how we bring it with us where ever we go, and how in one culture our habits might not be right and my friend asked me then, "What is right?" I paused and thought for a second and responded, "Nothing is right, and nothing is wrong." I think that Hobbes was right. Going into social contract theory we see that Hobbes claimed that in nature that right and wrong do not exist. It is however through selfish compromise and agreements, or in other words social contracts, that we create what is right and what is wrong. The easiest way to show this is through an example.

For instance, a man is walking through a forest and comes across another man. Both men have the capability of doing whatever one wants to the other with out it being right or wrong, this even includes possibly killing the other. Therefore one man approaches the other, and out of his own selfish interest he is willing to give up his ability to kill the other man for the same compromise in return. This compromise gives birth to right and wrong because if one of them does not honor the contract made and kills the other, he is therefore in the wrong. If he would have never made that agreement he would not have been in the wrong for killing him looking at this from a Hobbsian view.

I thought therefore that if there is no such thing as right or wrong that I, as a foreigner to this country and culture, cannot pass judgement or view things, like language, customs, or actions, as being right or wrong. Their culture is their own, and it is how they live their lives. It might not be how I live my life because i was brought up in another culture and because of that, i am not capable of making a judgment call on whether another culture is right or wrong in what they do culturally. Its important to be accepting and understanding of other cultures and try to see the things from the way they do. Its important to understand why another culture does something and for me and learning Spanish i felt like i had to change my perspective a little. Instead of thinking that "this is how you say it in Spanish," i changed my perspective to "this is how it is said." This helped me understand better why it was said that way and it took away a barrier in my learning.

Looking at the world i see conflict, and it's conflict occurs when someone is the victim and someone else is the perpetrator . I feel like if we were to stop and think for just a second about the other person could possibly be different in their understanding of the world, or in their own "personal culture", and try to make an agreement that transcends the two understandings there could possibly be a change. If we were to have an understanding that other people are different and they have their own way about living life, be it on the personal or cultural level, and that that is OK, I feel like a lot of conflict could be avoided.

Obviously its not a perfect world and no one can possibly see things exactly as another person, but we should at least try to understand how someone else lives and know that even if we can understand why they live a certain way, they understand why.

My train of thought has gone now and im late for lunch so i gotta run.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Good Bye My Lover...

Last night was a pretty intense night. It poured rain like i have never seen before. The whole street was a little river! The thunder was really cool and all but the lightning actually scared me because it sounded like it struck right by the pizza place i was eating at. There was a flash and then a crack of a whip at the same time and the sound that followed was so loud. Recently i found this really cool little Italian place that is across the street from where I'm living that makes some really good pizza! I really miss pizza.. and sadly Panda Express.. I've had enough Mexican food i think for a while.

Some of my room mates moved out and a new guy moved in from Detroit moved in. He's not too bad at Spanish but thankfully lower than i am because now i am no longer the one who knows the least! That sounds worse than it really is.. just think. I can help him learn Spanish, while practicing my own now.

I really want to know who likes papaya? It has such an interesting taste, its not really sweet, it tastes more like it lacks a flavor than has its own big and bold one. Nonetheless, i don't really care much for it. My host mom cuts Courtney and I a fresh one every morning but i never have the chance to tell her that i don't want any because she always makes breakfast before i wake up. I also wouldn't want to insult her or make her do anything extra to try and accommodate me here, after all I'm living in their culture and her house, i should at least put up with papaya, its not too bad.

I sometimes wonder in classes whether or not ill ever understand Spanish. Its not like its difficult or maybe I'm making it more difficult on myself, i don't know, yet its hard. Imagine restarting everything from a clean slate, learning a language, what things you can and cannot say, what things you should do when you great someone and should not do, whats acceptable behavior and not. Its like trying to grow up again and re-learn the world in a different way. Now coming from a clean slate is would be easy because you wouldn't have any preconceptions, prenotions or learned any patterns of behavior, customs, cultures, or religions. We however are not as fortunate as the clean slate thought experiment, and we do come with all the "cultural baggage" that we have learned for our entire lives. It is entirely possible that we have grown up in a way learning things that are completely unacceptable in another culture. For this, we need to see that we have this cultural baggage that leads to cultural ignorance. I'm being poked to leave for lunch now so i cant finish thins but just think about it.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Bienvenidos a Mêxico


Hola todas,

Im here is wonderful Cuernavaca, Mêxico sitting in the compúter lab typing away. Its really hard for me to type is english because my mind is always working in spanish. I arriaved here safely on Friday night and the adventure started from there. The first night there was two sipders in my room and Courtney and I freaked out! They were huge and it was insane! I know that the spiders are going to be fun in Ecuador!




After killing 3 spiders our group went to Teotihûcan and saw the pyramides of the sun and moon. They were Huge! Imagine that massive amount of effort would have had to go into the building of the pyramides especially 2 thousand years ago. The pyramides were painted red and yellow during their height and the red paint was made from the eggs of an insect and the yellow from a plant that is found at the site. I climbed both of the pryamides and took a lot of photos. It was a really nice day yesterday, it was mostly cloudy and all last night it rained. Even though it was clouding i got the worst farmers tan ever! The pyramde of the moon which is behind me in the picture to the right was the smaller of the two pyramdes and it was only open half was because of excivations going on. At the top of the pryamide of the sun there was a place where it is said that if you touch it the energy from the sun will re-engergize you and you'll feel better. The view from the top was amazing and i was a little afraid of the trip up. They steps were not as big as one would like and they are really tall too. Not to mention that there are maybe 300 people in line climing them all so if one person slips and falls that could be a disaster.


Im really liking Mêxico and the people, its suprising how much i am learning here and how fast i'm picking the language up. Im really excited for the coming weeks and was actually suprised a lot by how the cities are here. They are more dirty than i expected, but not in a bad way, but in a way of their own. I would have to say that the one thing that i can notice the most about other places i travel to is the smell and Mêxico has a definate distinct smell to it! Not bad, just something im really not accustomed too. Anyways i have to start walking to my host familie's house for lunch now, its really close to the university! Ill post again soon! Hasta pronto!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Pre-Travel Thoughts..

Hey Guys,

I thought i would put this all together so that you can keep up with what's going on in my life and where I'm headed here in the near future. As most of you should know, I'm attending Gonzaga here is Spokane for my BA in International Relations. Its my Junior year already and I'm preparing for graduation for next Spring. Gonzaga has been an awesome school, and for sure a great pick for me personally. Fall semester was not too challenging of a semester, but the course-work was different from what i am accustomed to. This spring semester has been an amazing personal journey and its great to see how far i have come in only one year at college and the amazing people I've met. I recently found an old journal of mine that i only wrote in once on the first day of school this year and i was pleasantly surprised to see that the questions i asked were answered.

As far as my educational goals go i am leaving the country here in only 5 days for Cuernavaca, Mexico. Ill be studying Spanish at the International University there for a month and a half and also be getting direct credit for Gonzaga in doing so. After that I'm headed down to Ecuador to meet up with Becky and experience what Ecuador is all about! But my traveling doesn't stop there, oh no... I'm leaving for the Netherlands on August 28Th for 4 months to study Political Science in Rotterdam at Erasmus University. I'm hoping that i will be able to use this blog as a means of keeping in contact with everyone back at home as well as the rest of the family. Ill upload photos as much as possible and post a new blog when i get the chance.

Now enough with that, since travel day is slowing creeping upon me i figured i would post a few thoughts about what i expect to see and experience, as well as some fears and concerns i have. First off, I'm nervous. I'll be honest. Its my first time traveling internationally, or domestically for that matter, alone. I'm also nervous because I'm going to have to depend on my own Spanish skills in real life situations now that my survival is absolutely dependent on, well sort of. All in all, the cultural submersion is going to be a changing experience i am sure and its more of the technical stuff like changing flights and dealing with baggage that worry me.

I'm excited at the same time. I requested window seats so ill be able to look out the window and see La Ciudad de Mexico and Quito when I'm flying in. While in Cuernavaca i am planning on volunteering twice a week at a local orphanage that one of GU's clubs, Aiding Children Abroad, helps by needed commodities such as toiletries for the girls and larger projects such as a van and new mattresses for the children. One of my good friends founded that club and she'll be in contact with me while I'm down there as well. The thing that is most exciting about helping out at the orphanage is going to be showing the children there that people in the world that do care about them and playing futbol with them I'm sure. I expect the social aspects to be difficult at first but i hope the kids will come to like me and my friends.

While living in Cuernavaca ill be staying at a home stay all 6 weeks. My family's house looks rather close to the University and my roommate and i are planning on walking to classes in the morning. My host-mom is a Spanish teacher which will be nice for my grammar I'm sure and she has one son whose older, somewhere around his 30's. My class schedule while down there is going to be grammar and conversation courses from 8am-12pm and from 12-2pm i have cultural courses such as cooking classes, dance classes, or Hispanic cinema to take. I'm going with a group of only 12 students from GU, 2 of which are only going to be down there for 3 weeks instead of six. We're going to have 3 planned weekend trips, the first one on the first Sunday we're down there is going to be to the ancient pyramids, and the next week to La Ciudad de Mexico, and the third week to Pueblo. Pueblo is a small town about an hour east of La Ciudad and if my memory is working right, it has a church chapel for every day of the year or something like that.

I must say that this summer is going to be awesome, but I'm going to be out of the country for my birthday, actually flying from Mexico to Ecuador entire day, but if anyone was planning on giving me anything for my birthday feel free to still do so. My parents will be able to deposit any checks into my bank account. So don't hesitate, I'm just kidding... kind of... ; ) Well i must say that I'm getting more and more excited as each day passes and before you know it, ill be on my way typing to you from Mexico! Thanks for all the support that you have given me in the past, one of the most important realizations that i have recently come to is what really matters the most in life and that is family and the relationships we build and keep. Life is amazing and i don't want to miss a second of it! I hope everyone keeps in touch and reads this, and I'll apologize in advance for writing a lot, but i have an excuse. When i traveled to the UK and Ireland in 05 i had to keep a personal journal that i hated doing because it took so much time and effort but when i look at it and re-read it, if feel like i could have done so much better and remembered a lot more if i put a little more detail into what I'm writing, so ill attempt that this time around. Wish me luck guys! Love you all.

-Johnathan