Why get an education?

I have this fear that in rural Mexico a student, frustrated from the stress of his academics, is going to ask me, “Why do I need an education? My father is an uneducated famer and I know I will become a farmer, how is any of this stuff I’m learning going to help me?

As one seeking to improve the process of learning for Latino students, I feel I should have a strong conviction of why all youth should receive a full education.  To evaluate the importance of education I want to divide the answer into two parts: the reasons of the world and the reasons provided by God and his prophets.

The world’s view

To be Successful – To be able to own a nice house and a nice car and all the stuff that comes with living a upper-class life style. Those with money are thought of to be happier with a more comfortable life. They have more toys and more time to vacation and relax. Now, I don’t think it’s accurate to correlate money with happiness, but I do feel that money can help life me more comfortable and less stressful.

Support a family – If one plans on raising a family, a higher paying job sure makes it a lot easier to cover the costs of food, health insurance, housing and all other fees required to support a family. 

Money is required to keep bread on the table and an education can help with that.

From the list above I still don’t think isn’t enough to convince a frustrated student why he should get an education, he may think of his father as successful person and capable of raising a family. So why else should one get educated?

To have cultural literacy –Have you ever with been in a conversation with a group but unexpectedly the conversation switch over to health insurance, or the new research being done on stem cells and you all the sudden feel very much out of the loop? This is called cultural literacy and it’s the ability to understand the media around you.   If one is uneducated they can often feel left out, dumb, and unable to contribute to significant conversations.

Key to opportunity- when one is educated they understand the systems around them. Laws, rights and benefits are more easily understood and therefore they are able to use them to their advantage. Educated people are more capable of achieving their dreams because they understand how to use the resources around them.

Other reasons I have found are:

-          Will make you live longer

-          Increase the number of interesting people you meet.

-          Make you happier

-          Make you more attractive

God’s view

By the own words of Christ we read “Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) From this scripture we understand the education has eternal benefits as well.

Education increases ones eternal potential. With the understanding of us as eternal beings, the character we develop in this life goes with us to the next. It then makes sense that by training ourselves to be problem solvers and experienced thinkers is not only important for this life that also for the eternities to come.

Example to others: Gaining an education allows one to contribute to society and set an example to others as a righteous and intelligent person.  Respect often follows the appearance on intelligence, and leaders must first earn the respect of their followers, thus education is typically a requirement for righteous leaders.

Ability to serve: An education enables you to better know how to serve God and his children.  Doctors, teachers and professional occupations are great opportunities to serve others with special needs.

Provide for your family now and forever: It’s clear that God also promotes education to provide for our family because family relations are considered eternal. This support is not only for physical needs but as an educated example and leader in the home parents, parents are better prepared to guide their children correctly through life.

In conclusion, if I was to encounter a student doubting the importance of an education, I would encourage him by saying: Yes, you will earn more money and be more equipped to contribute to society, but more importantly, it is only by achieving an educated mind that one can truly reach their full potential. Learning about the world around us causes us to understand the bigger picture and thus enabling us to make wiser decision and empowering us to accomplish our goals. A lack in education limits one’s destiny.

What am I expecting from a Mentor?

I understand that my expectations are high, but I would like to envision the qualities of a perfect mentor so that I understand how to explain myself when he/she asks how to best support me and my project.

Before arriving at Mexico

My Mentor should  be interested in my research.  He shouldn't feel that working with me is busy work, but he should be excited about my results.  I hope he is interested enough to check my blog periodically to evaluate my progress.  I hope he is willing to listen to my ideas and aspirations for my research project and offer some research ideas or articles to aid me in my preparations.  When we plan out my course syllabus, I would expect him to assign me reading that would be beneficial for my project.  I also feel it would be important that he reviews my proposal and methods and adds advice to how my project could be improved.

During my field study

Our conversation will definitely be limited in the field, but that does not mean I do not expect comments and suggestions via email.  I hope that whenever I run into roadblock we have a good enough relationship that I can ask for advice.  It would be useful to ask for guidance on interviewing tactics, or evaluation methods. 

Afterwards

I understand that the field study program requires that we have an oral report or a debriefing session.  It would be helpful if my mentor and I talked about ways my research and how it could be continued or transformed into something useful to the Latino community.  My greatest fear is that my research all ends up to nothing with no application. I want my efforts to aid Latino student in some way or another. I hope my mentor understands that and contributes to my efforts in the application of my research.

What would I expect at a Mexican High school?

I realized a clear way to rewrite my question would be based on expectations. Latino students and parents become accustomed to the educational support in their native country and want to know in what way is Provo meeting, exceeding or failing to meet their expectations.  Expectations meaning: Government programs, parent-teacher relations, school programs and the quality of teaching within the classroom.

Thinking about my question in that way I thought: what would I expect if I were a high school student transferring to a school in Mexico?

To do this blog I listed out a five categories to reflect on what I have become accustom to from my own education and why it might be different in Mexico.

Grading

I would expect periodic assessments of my learning.  These not only serve to measure my learning, but to send to my parents as a report card so they know of my progress and difficulties.  At least once a semester parents should be given the opportunity to meet my teachers and talk with them about my learning condition compared to the other students.  This way parents can judge if any extra help is needed to improve academic success of their children.

It was because of report cards and parent teacher conferences that my parents went through so much extra effort to get me tutored and up to level in my literacy in my elementary schooling. I believe parent teacher communication is very important and I’m interested to see how my expectations compare to what is the norm in rural Mexico. From my understanding our parent-teacher relationship is foreign to them.

Classroom management

I am accustom to a time management system that requires all student to be with in their class rooms no later than five minutes after the bell or penalties are issued. I know that if I receive too many “tardies” I will have to go to a lunch detention or an after school detention as a consequence. If I skip school without parental consent my parents will be notified and unexcused absences can also affect my grades. Bathroom breaks and water breaks were normally permitted with permission from the teacher. At my high school, unless with parental consent, leaving campus was not allowed, and I was expected to remain in school to the last class. I know that the Latin culture is much more lax on time management because their culture works more with polychromic time, so it will be interesting to observe how it plays out in the schools

Assignments

Homework is always despised but I understand how it plays a crucial role in the learning process. Teacher can’t provide too much mastery time in class, because that time is dedicated to discovery and explanation. I expected daily math and science assignments along with papers and reports from my other classes.  I was also common to have large projects requiring multiple weeks of work in most of the subjects. Many times large projects required internet research and the use of other advanced technology to complete them.  I am interested how rural Mexico with limited resources will compensate for these learning experiences.

Clubs and sports

I could not count the number of clubs and extra-curricular activities available at my high school. We had everything from hoarse back riding to golf for sports, ceramics to science clubs for educational based clubs, and even clubs such as breakdancing, debate team and ethnicity clubs.  Most students were involved in some out of class activity they choose based on their personal interest. I have a hard time imagining that rural high schools in Mexico will provide such a diverse selection of extra-curricular activities. I wonder what they consider to be the fundamental clubs that are most beneficial to the students.

Learning outside the classroom

I have a clear recollection of many field trips and outside learning experiences that contributed to my education. I remember visiting a cadaver lab at a local university for my biology class, or a museum of art or history for other classes. Often in physics we would go outside to do experiments or have class in the gym to test catapults. My point is that class was not just confined to the classroom and that contributed my excitement about learning. I wonder if in Mexico they take advantage of learning opportunities outside the class room as was common to me.  They may not have the resources of huge school busses, but maybe they capitalize on local excursions. 

Why should I learn this?

I feel like that question can be asked often in a boring class or while learning a principle that seems inapplicable.  The more I learn about how we learn and different teaching tactics, the more I look forward to investigating the common Hispanic methods of teaching in Mexico.  I had the chance to observe an elementary school science fait today and it blew my mind the kind of experiments these ten year old students had done.  What really hit me it the concept of motivation. I feel like whenever I study the learning presses, it always boils down to the underlining motivation factors.  It they are there, students will push through the learning process despite the difficulty, and if they are not there, well, teachers can try to force-feed knowledge but it is very ineffective.

In this entry I want to focus on one of the most powerful motivation factors that I plan to keep an eye on when observing schools in Mexico.  It is the factor of showing-off or publicizing your effort. This is probably the number one reason why some students are so passionate about sports and so indifferent about their schooling.  A high school football team works themselves to death just because every Friday half the school with be watching them and critiquing their skills. I was a wrestler in High school and let me tell you, I can’t think about anything more motivating than a one on one duel under a spotlight surrounded by a crowed of my friends and schoolmates.  I pushed myself farther than ever so I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.  But on the other side, when my performance was exceptional, there was no better reward than the public approval.   

Now I say this because at the science fair today I interviewed some ten year olds that were explaining principles in physics that I didn’t learn until my senior year at high school.  I saw kids who otherwise had little interest in science telling me about the science behind their favorite activities.  One young girl explained the importance of each ingredient in a chocolate cookie recipe. Another about the best type of protection to use to protect yourself from the UV rays when playing at the beach.  One boy tested all his model airplanes and explained why some flew better than others.  Not only were the subject matters focused on something they cared about, but as I approached each project board, the students were extremely giddy and anxious to explain to me what they had tested.  One team of young girls, all dressed in homemade matching shirts with the title of their project written across them, could not stop interrupting each other because they were so excited to explain to me what they had discovered about avalanches.

In Mexico I eager to see what are the motivation factors the schools used to promote learning. It’s possible that I find a lack of effective motivation, even still, that would be an important observation to report. 

Ideal Living location, Irapuato vs Aldama

In this blog I want to talk about the pros and cons about living in the city (Irapuato) verse living out in the country (Aldama.)

Aldama

PROs

Aldama is a great location because BYU already has good contacts there and from what I understand the town is accustomed to BYU students.  It’s a safe place with low criminal activity.  If I wanted to interview parents about their involvement in their children’s education, I’m confident the people there will be very willing to participate in my interviews because of their previous experiences with BYU students. I will also get a full experience of a rural community and to better understand the challenges these students face to achieve their education. If I choose to study about rural schools, it would be important to live the part; but currently is appears that that will not be one of my main variables of study.

CONs

There are no High Schools in Aldama and I would have to travel daily to do my observations.  Daily travel time will take away over an hour each day from my research.  Also I will be very limited to the bus schedule to go and return to Aldama.  According to Google maps the closest High School is in Irapuato, and it would not be very convenient to travel there daily.  Because students have to travel far to a high school, I can assume a lower amount of parent with kids in high school. 

Irapuato

PROs

Irapuato has over six high schools, and some are public and others are private and higher quality.  I will be able to easily visit multiple high schools and work with different teacher who have diverse teaching styles. My sample size can be much greater because of the greater density of people. There will be plenty of parents with children in high school that I can interview for my research.  I will be able to travel with a much more flexible schedule.

CONs

Locals in the city are probably are more hesitant to participate in my research because they are less familiar with BYU students.  I would not be able to experience the country life and will understand less the life of rural students.  The city environment will also be a bit more dangerous than the rural environment.

From the variable I have considered, I think that it would be most convenient to live in the city where there are more schools and more people to interview.  Also travel is much more convenient in the city. 

The challenge of interviewing

Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to have a lot unstructured interviews with faulty members from the local schools. I have discovered that interviewing can be a lot harder than I had originally anticipated.  This is especially true using the unstructured interviewing format.  I have found the hardest variable to control it the image of the interview.

What I mean by the image of the interview is the perception or feeling of the interview, which can range between a casual conversation and a formal interview.  Thus far most of my interviews have been spontaneous, when teacher or students have an available moment.  When this occurs, I tend to ride a line between casual conversation and formal interviewing depending on my focus in recording their words. I believe that one is more open and willing to reveal their personal opinion in a conversation than in a formal interview.  This is because one is much more aware of his speech when he knows it will be recorded and documented. 

Note taking is a tricky skill because I feel if too much of my attention goes into the writing down notes and the interview becomes more formal and the person I am interviewing feels less comfortable. Also I feel note taking takes away from my ability to show respect from eye-contact and listening tactics.  I feel an important communication skill is active listening and it allows people of feel more open and willing to answer your questions, but when I have to take notes I feel I’m less of an active listener.

This brings me to the idea of using a voice recorder. I like the idea because I don’t have to worry about note taking and I can be an active listener, but it’s impossible to deny that when you are being recorded the thought of it is always in the back of your mind and it can affect reactivity.  But if I were to compare the reactivity of both methods I actually think using a voice recorder would cause less of it.  The only problem is that spontaneous and unstructured interviewing if often not the ideal or most comfortable situation to stop the interviewee and ask permission to use a voice recorder.

I have settled with the plan to use a voice recorder when the interviews are planned, but in spontaneous conversations, it is best to stick with the note taking.  

Worries about my question

Current question: How do the efforts in Irapuato Mexico made by government, teachers and parents to support their high school Latino students in promoting advanced education compare with previous researched data of what is being done in the Utah county high schools. 

I doubt this will be my final question, but after many modifications, I feel content with what is stated above. The following are my ideas of how I plan to answer my question. I plan to compare the government educational programs being implemented in Irapuato and compare and contrast them with what is found here in the Provo/Orem area.  This part of my project will be mostly research and maybe a few interviews of the faculty to record their opinion on these programs.  To investigate teacher support I will record observations of teaching styles, local programs, and resources within the schools to aid the Latino students.  Last the parental support will be a measure of parental involvement and the value they put on their child’s education. This will be done by interviewing parents of High school students in Mexico and the teachers to understand the Parent-teacher efforts to promote an advanced education.

A few worries about my question:

The comparison aspect: I feel like I am putting a lot on my plate to compare all my research with what is being done in the Utah Country.  That will add a lot of research in my preparations to go to Mexico, but I feel it is necessary to the application of my research.  I hope that upon finishing my research it can be presented to teachers as a resource in for transferring Hispanic students.   If a Hispanic family was to move to Provo Utah and enroll their son or daughter into a public school, they would already have an expectation of the support their child should receive; but most likely it will be different from  what will actually occur. If teachers first understood what the Hispanic parents are accustomed to, they can better explain the differences between the two systems so that parents can understand how it works and more fully participate in their child’s education. 

Defining “promoting”: My main variable is this idea of promoting an advanced education; which is a bit vague. What I mean by that is what efforts are made to instill a desire and to facilitate the path to a college degree.  Are students able to envision themselves in a future career that requires a degree? Do teachers make an extra effort to make learning engaging and interactive?  What are the expectations of parents for their child’s future career?  These are a few of the questions I hope to answer, but I feel the idea is still open ended. As I continue to refine my research I hope my methods become more defined and precise. 

What do the teachers say is the problem?

As I have talked with different teachers about the common struggles they have seen among their Latino student, I have noticed a trend in their answers.  Speaking with Mr. Mayntz, who teaches physics at Provo High, he said that it’s not ethnicity that correlates with learning challenges but the financial status of the parents. He explained that the students who have good grades are normally the ones with parents who have professional employment or a full education. The parents understand the education system very well because they were once students and went through it. So when their child says, “I don’t have any homework” they know he or she is lying and they can apply the necessary measures to insure their child does his/her school work.  When I spoke with Mr. McIlmoil earlier today at Timpview High he gave me a similar response. He said that when a transfer student, even with language barriers, arrives at his class, if they and their parents value education, he/she does every bit as well as the rest of the students. Both teacher seem to imply that the most important factor in a student success is the value the family places on education.

This is huge for my research in Mexico.  It is contrary to my original hypothesis, which was that Latino students were less successful because of the lower quality of education found within their native country. I was then planning of identifying said limitations and design a system to help improve what their original education system failed to teach. I now understand that there is a greater need to be studied; that for those families that do not fully understand the value of higher education, how can one help parents and student jointly adopt a greater value for their education?

To answer this by my field study research in Mexico, my focus will be on parent-teacher-student relations and what they are doing to encourage further education.  I would like to study the success stories of rural students who do achieve a higher education and the reasons why others do not.  My research would include a lot of interactions with parents and interviews with high school and college graduates who developed a value for their education. 

*Side note. The more and more I research and talk with high school teachers, the more my research question changes.  This has been stressful to me, but I am finding that with every change, my project is becoming more and more relevant to the Hispanic community and more meaningful to me. 

Latinos in Action- What works?

Latinos in Action

What works?

I had the chance to visit a program called Latinos in Action this past Monday, which allows bilingual Latino students to tutor elementary kids in the local elementary schools.  According to their website, they have a 100% graduation rate for all the Latinos that go through the program. They also claim that 85% go on to college.  The numbers are miraculous when compared to the national graduation average for Latino student at 67 percent.  I would like to explain from what I observed three reasons why this program seems to be so successful.

1.       Unity. The class consisted of about 30 students, all Latinos and all bilingual. The class environment was very social but still under the control of the teacher.  The students interacted well with each other and friendships were evident.  The unity that existed among them became very apparent to me after exiting the class and seeing that even after class, all of them were still hanging out in the hallway socializing. The unity is also fortified by the fact that most of the class participates in the Latinos in Action dance team that performs at various occasions.  Unity is a key for success because those students that are less motivated to attend a university or graduate are motivated by the fact that most of their friends are graduating and going to college, and by themselves they raise their own standard of expectation.

2.       Service. The goal to seek higher education can often seem self-centered and a lot of hard work.  The service they render puts a new light on the importance of seeking a higher education.  One can quickly see through tutoring others that education is a tool to serve.  Without at least a high school diploma, such meaningful employment is almost impossible to obtain.  Along with this new perspective, the Latino students often tutor ESL kids, and these younger Latino student look up to the high school students as examples. The feeling of being looked up can motivate the high schools to play the part and be the best students they can.

3.       Accomplishment. Goal setting is a difficult attribute to develop, but everyone enjoys the feeling of achieving goals.  The teacher may not explicitly tell the students the goals of the class, but whether the students label them as goals or not, they have them and they commit to them. For example, their dance performances, they diligently prepare and practice their routines.  They also prepare to go to college and being accepted by a university is a huge achievement.  The achievement they probably witness the most frequent it the progress of “their student” at the elementary school.  All three of these example are important motivating factors that contribute to the success of the Latino students. 

    

       I focused on the learning what is working for Latinos in Actions so that if I were to modify or create a Latino aid program I would understand some key fundamentals to incorporate to my design.  As I continue to research these types of programs I will develop a more developed list of what works and what doesn’t.  For Latinos in Action I have yet to find out what could be improved. 

What is my goal for my research?

I have been worried a lot about how and what I will be studying in Mexico. I have the general idea, but my methods are unclear and I feel I have not yet fully concreted the variables I want to study.  For this blog I want to give a summary of what I know and then think about what I want to expect as an outcome of my research.

What I know:

From many studies it’s undeniable that the Latino students on average are below the national norm for reading, writing, math and science.  I’m a strong advocate that it’s not due to some learning handicap built into their genetics, but in their expectations they have for themselves and the expectations others have for them.  Programs have been designed to aid ESL students in the public schools, including tutoring help, and service opportunities for bilingual students to help out their peers. 

Many of these programs do a wonderful job motivating the Latino students and helping them gain a greater vision of their potential.  One program specifically is called Latinos in Action, which started in 2001 my Jose Enriquez, the vice-principle at Mountain View High school in Orem Utah. The national average for Hispanic high school graduates is 64%acording to the NAEP, but all Latino students that go through Latinos in Action, graduate, and 85% go on to college. Jose Enriquez found a way to fuel an aspiration for academic success. 

The program allows for each High school student to be assigned to an elementary classroom or to a student to aid in all their studies. These elementary students don’t necessarily have to be ESL students, but they are the first ones helped. The High school students spend 2.5 hours a week tutoring and when they are in class, the material is focused on motivating the students to achieve a higher education.  Also, most of the students in Latinos in Action class participate in a Latin dance team that performs a various events.

My goal

My end goal is to improve programs like that of Latinos in Action, and diversify the positive effects it has on the Latino students.  For instance, Latinos in Action attracts ESL graduates, or English speaking Latinos to help Elementary students, but not all Latino students participate. For example those that don’t speak English are not eligible to tutor or be in the program.   I worry that it may be those students that are struggling the most and need the most help.

I propose that adjustments or similar programs can be designed that will also promote a greater variety of service activities in all fields, such as doing service activities as in the science labs at universities, or in businesses.  The students will gain the satisfaction of service and witness first hand career opportunities in all fields. This could attract Latino students and also take away the requirement for only bilingual students.  This is all just an idea, but it may be worth more thought. 

Interview questions

15 Questions to ask Latinos in the local school in Provo?

·         How long have you lived in the US?

·         Do you find school here difficult? Why?

·         What are some of the main differences from this school and your schools back in your native  country?

·         What do you like better about American schools?

·         How do you find American culture different from your own?

·         Do you feel the teachers accommodate well to your needs as an E.S.L student?

·         What do you think they could do better?

·         What do you find most challenging about being Latin in an American school?

·         Are you a part of any programs with tutor help?

·         What is your hardest class? Why?

·         Do you feel comfortable and accepted at school?

·         Do you feel like teachers treat you differently than the American students?

·         Do you feel like you classmates treat you differently than the others?

·         Do you have plans for higher education?

o   If no, why? If yes, what motivates you?

·         How do your parents support you in with your school work?

   

    15 questions to ask the students in Mexico

·         What do you like most about your science classes?

·         What science topic do you find most interesting?

·         What would you suggest to your teacher so that your class was better?

·         How much homework do you do every night?

·         How do you learn the best?

·         What have been the most beneficial experiences you’ve had in you school?

·         What do you find difficult in school?

·         Do you plan on going to college?

·         What motivates you to receive an education?

·         How do your parents support you in your schooling?

·         Do your parents having meetings with your teachers?

·         Where do you see yourself in twenty years?

·         Do you hold a current job?

·         If you were to rank the importance of school 1-10, what would it be?

·         If you were to rank the importance of work 1-10, what would it be?

    Spanish translation

·         Qué le gusta más de sus clases de ciencia?

·         Qué tema de la ciencia le interese más que todos?

·         Qué sugerencias diría a su profe para hacer del clase mejor?

·         Qué es la cantidad de terea hace cada noche?

·         Cuál es la mejor manera en que aprende en su escuela?

·         Cuál ha sido la experiencia más memorable  que ha tenido en sus años de colegio?

·         Que encuentra más difícil in colegio

·         Tiene planes ir a la universidad?

·         Cuál son su motivaciones para seguir en su educación?

·         Como le apoyen sus padres en su educación?

·         Sus padres se reúnen con su profesores a veces para hablar de su progreso en su educación?

·         Cómo se imagina a si mismo en vente años?

·         Está trabajando?

·         Si tuviera que dar una nota, uno a diez, a la importancia de su educación, que nota la daría?

·         Si tuviera que dar una nota, uno a diez, a la importancia de su trabajo, que nota la daría?

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Why have I been successful in school?

If my end goal is to help the Latino youth population do better in academics, what was done for my own success?

I started out my education very behind and handicapped. In my elementary years I was observed to have a minor case of dyslexia, a brain disorder that restricts communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. I struggled significantly with the ability to correctly read and write.  It was only after eight years of private tutoring that I managed to sufficiently overcome my learning disability.  I remember in first and second grade my teacher staying after class to work with me one on one as I read five to ten page books.  Teachers teamed up with my parents to help mi overcome my dyslexia and improve my reading.  In middle school I worked hard because my grades meant very much to my parents and their encouragement, rewards as well as discipline motivated my success.  I can’t remember a time when my parents were not eagerly involved in my academics. Also contributing to my motivation was the fact that both my parents complete degrees at Brigham Young University and exemplify the importance of an advanced education.

So why is it that according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 14% of Latino fourth graders are reading at a proficient reading level in English or Spanish? Why would only 64% of Hispanic teenagers complete high school?  What is going wrong? 

The answer seems obvious; it must be parental involvement, which is the reason why I managed to succeed.  But I don’t think the school system can put all the blame on the parents.  It seems that cultural differences play a huge part in their involvement.  From the research I’ve done, the Latino education system is not set up so that teachers and parents work as co-partners in their student’s education. That is a very American style system.  Our parent-teacher relationship is very foreign to their culture. With the language barrier on top of that, one might begin to understand the missing puzzle piece in what to our culture is a working system. 

I not going to monolog on about what has been researched in parent-teacher communications with Hispanic parents, but I do realize parental involvement will be essential to all programs seeking to aid Latino students.  If my research leads me to design or improve such programs, it might be beneficial to investigate in Mexico their natural parental involvement so that it can be instigated more effectually in these programs.  This is only an Idea, because I’m in the process of simplifying the variables of my research and not adding more, this does seem like an important one as I consider the focus of my research. 

Worries about my Host Family

What am I excited about?

I love the Latin culture and I think living with a host family will allow me to get a full dose of the cultural experience.  In Chile I got a limited perspective, I never lived with a family and my role as a missionary caused boundaries that prevented me from experiencing all the aspects of their culture.  For example the reactivity to me as a church representative was very different from what it will be as a student. 

The idea of full immersion in their culture is exciting to me. For example I like the idea of only having the option of eating Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I look forward to having long conversations with my host family about their lives and their day to day experiences. I know in the Latin culture they say thinks more bluntly and more openly express their feelings, and I’m excited to in kind of society. Also America has a formal etiquette that is different than that of Mexico; for example, you don’t need to take off your shoes before entering a house and entering front door of a small store it’s curious to greet the store owner. Mexico has its own rules of etiquette and those rules are always interesting to learn about and follow.  

What worries me?

Of all the things that could worry me, danger or theft are the farthest down my list. What really scares me is adapting to their culture of homemaking. On my mission in Chile, we were in charge of our own houses, but with a host family I must respect their culture. I like tidiness and deep cleaning doesn’t bother me. I don’t not mind cleaning our under the frig or scrubbing the floor with a sponge, I like to clean. I know that I have to be careful there not to offend my host mother. I’m nervous I will cross the bounds of what is appropriate for guests. 

I learned in class I follow a very monochromic time system, while the Latin culture is very polychromic. I like to schedule thing out and judge the success of my day but how well I completed my to-do list. I am scared at times my personal habit of sticking to a schedule will clash with their people focused system. It I look through their eyes, I can see how it can be offensive for someone to place activities or plans over people, but sometimes that’s what we do. One example that comes to mind is that I’m sure they will want me there for their big lunches in the afternoon, but I might have to travel a lot to visit the high schools and it might be very impractical to return to eat with my host family.  I guess my greatest fear is offending my host family after they do so much to serve and care for me.