Wow! I can’t believe I only have 6 weeks left until I return to Portsmouth. The month of April was busy with visitors, trips and lots of school visits. I was asked to give a presentation to the School of Education and Pedagogy at the Universidad del Valle this coming Monday. In preparation for that, I was asked to have data showing what I have done so far. Here’s what I have calculated:
- I have interviewed and recorded 45 students and 10 adults
- I have edited and posted 20 podcasts in Colombia and 16 in the US
- 365 students have exchanged pen pal letters with Spanish students in the US
- I have organized 6 Zoom calls between students in the US and students and adults in Colombia (with 3 more happening this coming week)
- I made 4 slideshow and posted to website to be used in Spanish classes
- I made 5 worksheets to be used along with certain podcast episodes
- I have interviewed over 40 students and teachers in 4 different schools on my research questions (more below)
- I have spent countless hours figuring out how my website works (with a lot of help from a friend)
But beyond the numbers, I have learned countless things from my experience here. I have learned to be patient. I have learned that accomplishing one task a day is an accomplishment. I have learned that Colombia is a large and diverse country (geographically, environmentally, economically, politically and racially). I have learned that Colombians are extremely friendly and proud of where they come from, and happy to share that with me. I have learned that the effects of Spanish colonialism still exists today – over 500 years later. I have learned that all teenagers are the same, so matter where they are from, what their economic background is, or what they look like. I learned that if you give a kid a microphone, they are happy to talk. I have learned that you can get a lot of good information from an Uber driver. I have learned that there are many more good people than bad people and to remember to be cautious but not paranoid. I have learned that Colombia is much more than Pablo Escobar and Narcos (well, I already knew that, but now I can prove it!)
My original research project as presented in my Fulbright application was to look at Diversity and Inclusion in Schools. Fulbright placed me in Cali, because it is the most diverse area of Colombia. As part of that research, I decided to interview students and teachers of different economic and racial backgrounds, on the below questions. Under each question, I’ve written some of the answers from students, and I have not included their race or economic status on purpose. Do you notice more similarities or differences?
Diversity
A. What is your definition of diversity? To differentiate different cultures within our country, to accept and live without judging others, differences among people, a variation of ethnicity or culture, there are many kinds – skin color, gender, religion and culture
B. Is there discrimination in your town or neighborhood? Most said Yes.
C. Is there discrimination in your school? Most said No.
D. Have you ever felt discriminated against? My friends make fun of my teeth or my nose, but really no. My friends call me tall and say I have big feet. Yes, people have called me black on the streets because my skin is darker than theirs. I am a happy person and some people don’t like that and make fun of me for it.
Education
A. Do you think education is important? Why or why not? Everyone said YES! Some reasons included…because it will help me get a good job in the future, because it’s important to be a contributing member of society, because it will help me get ahead in the future, it’s important to learn a specialty, to give aspirations, it gives us a better quality of life
B. What does your school do well? The teachers teach us well, the academics are good, the teachers are dedicated, we have everything we need, there is staff that helps us if we need social help, teachers help us outside the classroom, everyone gets along
C. How could your school improve? The infrastructure, more tables, air conditioning, more class options, better food, some teachers are bad but there are more good ones than bad so it’s ok
Future
A. What do you want to do in your future? I want to be…an engineer, a computer programmer, a flight attendant, a doctor, an architect, in the military, a famous soccer player, psychologist, go to the university, go to the United States, a history teacher
B. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? I would…Invest, help my family, buy a house for me and my mother, start a business, donate to a worthy cause, travel, create a foundation to help children, open a chain of hairdressers
In conclusion, I have learned a lot in my 4+ months here and there is still more to learn. In my final 6 weeks, I plan to visit more schools, edit all the podcasts I’ve already recorded, record more podcasts on topics not yet covered (I want to do more on environment and biodiversity), travel to the Amazon (next week), and connect more people across cultures, whether via Zoom, pen pal letters, my website or my stories…because Stories Unite Us!