Natalie Robles
I learned and experienced a new
form of love; a new form of interaction. I want the people I know to understand
that there are so many different perspectives on life other than their own, and
that the people I met in Colombia have preconceived notions about us. I was put
into a city that didn’t understand me, or maybe had little understanding of me,
and judged me on the spot. I questioned myself when I was there. Am I really
all those things you think about me? Am I a selfish North American who doesn’t
give a damn about anything or anyone else in the world? The most jarring
experience I had that reflected this was when I met my compañeros for the first
time. The four of us sat down at a restaurant, and we all ordered pizza. Alejandro
and I had spoken on Facebook beforehand, so we’d gotten to know one another
somewhat. Esteban seemed disconnected from the whole program, and only asked me
a couple questions, but it was Laura, a compañera that had been around for a
few years, who was intent on interrogating me. I was relatively new at this
whole speaking-with-native-speakers-in-Spanish thing. So when Laura started
firing of the names of capitals around the world and what was going on
politically within those cities and countries, I felt pushed up against the
wall. Everyone was smiling and laughing, but it was very uncomfortable. I
didn’t know the names of most of these places, and after she began to get
frustrated with me, she said, “You Americans never think about anyone besides
yourselves. You don’t even know what’s going on in the world around you!”
Alejandro sympathized with me, but Laura persisted:
“Why is it
that everyone else has to know American history, but you don’t learn anything
about us?”
I sat
there, turning very red, unable to say anything to defend myself, especially in
Spanish. Laura threw her hands up in frustration and changed the subject. I
thought to myself, I have nothing to say
because I feel like I represent everything bad about the United States. I
was ashamed of my naivety. I was ashamed of my unwillingness to learn about
other countries and their cultures.
So when I
came back and spoke with my family, I felt that same fiery passion Laura had. They
needed to know, I needed to know, that we weren’t completely alone in this
world. I had felt a mother’s love through my host mom; I had become somewhat a
part of the Carlos E. community; I had hung out with local college students; I
had experienced everything in the same way I would have if I were in the U.S.
The word “culture” seems to divide everyone up these days, but I say there’s no
divide. There just needs to be more perceptiveness and a keen awareness for others,
whether they’re thousands of miles away or right next door. It’s all very
elementary, but it seems most of us refuse to accept it.
Gideon Rosenthal
The one thing I would want people to understand about
Medellin is how normal it is, for lack of a better word. The similarities with
the U.S. are striking, and I was never remotely culture shocked. Additionally,
when describing our companeros, I was hesitant to use the word locals as I felt it had some negative
connotations and misrepresented them. Instead, I try to describe them as local
college students. That way, I can convey how similar I am to the companeros. Hopefully
these sentiments would translate to people understanding the importance of
cultures outside of the U.S. I realize now that I’ve been going on a rant about
American culture, but once again I feel as if its something we lack. Most
Americans have very little interest in what is going on outside our borders or
that there are other cultures out there, or that these cultures and people are
equally as important.
Jessica David
·
Everyone
has a story. Some may be filled with more trials and others with more triumphs
but that doesn’t add, nor detract from their importance and value. Everyone has
a story. So I guess when considering what I would really want others to
understand about my trip, I would want them to grasp the magnitude of the
project in its entirety—that I was afforded the privilege of hearing and seeing
the personal stories of failure and success; that as an outsider, I was invited
into the homes of strangers and that they entrusted me with their personal
histories. I had very little to offer the families that I sat down with
throughout the duration of the trip but the fact that I was willing to listen
and document the remarkable facts of their lives was enough for them. They were
excited to share with us some of their most valuable possessions—their stories.
Cassidy Fleck
If there was one thing I want people to understand about my
time in Medellin, it’s that the community I experienced both in Carlos E. and
with the cogistores should serve as a model for building community at home.
There is so much that can be learned from Medellin, and the strength and
attitude of its residents. Too often, people try to impress their systems on a
community in need rather than assist and learn from the systems the community
already has in place.
Gabriela Arredondo-Santisteban
I would
like people to understand that Medellín is a city represented by the amazing
people who live there, not the violence and stigma many outsiders have attached
to it. If I could show people how welcomed and at home I felt after only one
day in Medellín, I am positive it would change their perspective completely.
Never in my life have I grown close with this many people, the compañeros and
my fellow DukeEngagers, in such a short span of time.
