The three months here in Sayula Mexico have been quite interesting...its been one hell of a roller coaster ride of emotions and thoughts. I remember the graph that was shown to us the day of the pre-departure orientation displaying how most most of us would feel during the internship...but to be honest if i were to graph my emotions on a chart, it would look kinda wack with lots of ups and downs...
There is one emotion that has stuck and lingered with me throughout these three months and i Have a feeling it will continue to linger by my side for a while...god knows until when... and that has been fustration. I am a bit fustrated because I feel like i have taken so much from being here and don´t feel like I have truly given enough back. Its crazy how much I´ve learned from being here these three months, everything from ecology, to a deep understanding of how the political systems and civil organizations function, class structures, history, and just everything in between! And I leave Sayula tonight with a little bit of an empty feeling because I see no major impact that I was able to make to better the situation in the town.
I am having a difficult time trying to pinpoint how I have changed or specifically what I am taking away from this experince. I feel with time and by looking back to the experience I will soon start to figure it out...but at the present moment all these mixture of emotions and especially that feeling of fustration is really blocking me from finding out those answers.
One thing for sure is that I have a new found respect, love, and admiration for this country and its people.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Tourist or Tempest???
In july I got the oppurtunity to go to Puerto Vallarta for a week. It was beautiful and relaxing, however, like many other tourist destinations around the world, it has been structured and molded to serve the needs and wants of the average tourist. There was everything from a McDonalds, a Hardrock Cafe, to even big chain like restaurants like Chili´s. And so when I returned to Sayula and people asked me if I liked Puerto Vallarta I coudn´t help but say that I was a little bit dissapointed in the way it has been so ´North Americanized´. My boss just laughed when i exclaimed ´It wasn´t Authentic!´
In contrast to the Puerto Vallarta experience, I got to go on a 20 hour road trip with some friends to the state of Oaxaca. Now that was ´Authentic!´. I got to go to some beautiful beaches that are not spoiled by the monster tourists, and instead you encounter the european backpackers, or the not-so average Loud North american traveller, who all seem to respect the local culture. I did not see one Mcdonalds or big chain restaurant.
I do view myself as a tourist, but with the objective to explore, learn, and understand. When I travel I barely even take pictures. Im so concentrated in viewing the scenery, or taking in the sights and smells and sounds of a certain place and just enjoying it. I am a lousy photographer anyways, so I would rather have that mental image in my head then some lousy picture later on. That´s just me though....
In contrast to the Puerto Vallarta experience, I got to go on a 20 hour road trip with some friends to the state of Oaxaca. Now that was ´Authentic!´. I got to go to some beautiful beaches that are not spoiled by the monster tourists, and instead you encounter the european backpackers, or the not-so average Loud North american traveller, who all seem to respect the local culture. I did not see one Mcdonalds or big chain restaurant.
I do view myself as a tourist, but with the objective to explore, learn, and understand. When I travel I barely even take pictures. Im so concentrated in viewing the scenery, or taking in the sights and smells and sounds of a certain place and just enjoying it. I am a lousy photographer anyways, so I would rather have that mental image in my head then some lousy picture later on. That´s just me though....
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Ay Dios!!- CHANGES
´AY DIOS´ I exclaimed as I stubbed my toe against the concrete sidewalk. ´Why do you keep saying that? and where the Hell did you even get that from?´ was my boyfriend´s response to my now bleeding toe.
My boyfriend came down to Mexico last week and we met up in Sunny (extremely hot) Puerto Vallarta. By the second day that we were together he had noticed that I had kept repeating that phrase of ´Ay dios´ as a response to almost anything- from a stubbed toe to some news or gossip he would tell me from back home. And the thing was I just couldn´t help; by now it came out naturally. And so after thinking about it for a few seconds my only response to his question was: ´I got it from the people of Sayula´.
I have been trying really hard to ´dig down deep´ and ´not reach for the hanging fruit´ but I feel like there hasn´t been any drastic changes I have had to make in order to adapt to Mexico. After the first two weeks here- in which I found to be the hardest- I began to adapt fast. It was almost like putting on a pair of jeans that just came out of the wash- really tight and uncomfortable at first (so tight infact you feel like you can´t even breathe!) to then having them feel comforatble and fitting like a glove.
However, there is one area that I have noticed a change and that is in Language. I have come to adopt many popular phrases that Mexicans use, and more particularly the phrases that are commonly used here in Sayula. In fact, I have even forgotten some words used in Colombia and have replaced them with the Mexican version!!! AY DIOS!- I am turning mexican!
It may not seem like a drastic change, but I feel like I am communicating with my friends on a more personal level- the way one does in Toronto with friends using slang and joking around. I am able to understand jokes and even attempt to say jokes myself. Its a nice feeling; kind of like I am getting integrated. I don´t hold back in anything I want to say and its a comfortable feeling.
Hmmm, after rereading the paragraph above in retrospect then, maybe it is a deeper change than what I thought!
I am one accent away from sounding almost Mexican- But My sort of Colombian accent still gives away that I am not from here!
Some words I have adopted:
The English// The Colombian (or what I have always used)// The Mexican
Beer// Cerveza// Chela
allnighter// Trasnochada// Desbelada
I beg your pardon// Perdon// Mande
Go on// Agale or Dale// Andale
Neighbourhood// Barrio// Colonia
Hungover// Enguayabada// Cruda
Homie// Parce// Cabron
My boyfriend came down to Mexico last week and we met up in Sunny (extremely hot) Puerto Vallarta. By the second day that we were together he had noticed that I had kept repeating that phrase of ´Ay dios´ as a response to almost anything- from a stubbed toe to some news or gossip he would tell me from back home. And the thing was I just couldn´t help; by now it came out naturally. And so after thinking about it for a few seconds my only response to his question was: ´I got it from the people of Sayula´.
I have been trying really hard to ´dig down deep´ and ´not reach for the hanging fruit´ but I feel like there hasn´t been any drastic changes I have had to make in order to adapt to Mexico. After the first two weeks here- in which I found to be the hardest- I began to adapt fast. It was almost like putting on a pair of jeans that just came out of the wash- really tight and uncomfortable at first (so tight infact you feel like you can´t even breathe!) to then having them feel comforatble and fitting like a glove.
However, there is one area that I have noticed a change and that is in Language. I have come to adopt many popular phrases that Mexicans use, and more particularly the phrases that are commonly used here in Sayula. In fact, I have even forgotten some words used in Colombia and have replaced them with the Mexican version!!! AY DIOS!- I am turning mexican!
It may not seem like a drastic change, but I feel like I am communicating with my friends on a more personal level- the way one does in Toronto with friends using slang and joking around. I am able to understand jokes and even attempt to say jokes myself. Its a nice feeling; kind of like I am getting integrated. I don´t hold back in anything I want to say and its a comfortable feeling.
Hmmm, after rereading the paragraph above in retrospect then, maybe it is a deeper change than what I thought!
I am one accent away from sounding almost Mexican- But My sort of Colombian accent still gives away that I am not from here!
Some words I have adopted:
The English// The Colombian (or what I have always used)// The Mexican
Beer// Cerveza// Chela
allnighter// Trasnochada// Desbelada
I beg your pardon// Perdon// Mande
Go on// Agale or Dale// Andale
Neighbourhood// Barrio// Colonia
Hungover// Enguayabada// Cruda
Homie// Parce// Cabron
Thursday, July 9, 2009
WORM-ocology, aka ´LOMBRICULTURA´
Ive never liked worms...In fact I HATED them. I was (and maybe still am, im not too sure yet) one of those people that feared walking in the rain for the sole reason of having to see them lying there on the sidewalk. I´d jump, shriek, squirm, and do all in my power to avoid stepping on one for fear of having worm guts on my shoes...eooowwww.....AND i never could understand how some kids back in elementary school could pick em up and play with them, yuck!
My Boss holding the worms before we did the dissection........
SO..We Just Threw the worm in the Big Tub of Alcohol to finally kill it. He died a very drunk worm. RIP.>>>>
So when two weeks ago my boss asked me if I was interested in taking a week long course on WORMS, in the big city of Guadalajara I was stumped. Conflicting thoughts ran through my head: A week getting to explore the city sounded awfully tempting, but a week dealing with worms not so much!
My mantra this summer has been: ´I Came here to try new and different things´and so I ended up saying yes. I rationalized to myself that there was just no way I was going to turn down a week in the city due to my lifelong fear of the little crawly things. So off we went me and my boss on a monday morning to Guadalajara City (the main capital of the state of Jalisco in Mexico). I was excited, nervous, and yes even a bit sick to my stomach when I thought of what I was getting myself into.
Let me give you a brief background on what exactly the course was about. In spanish it is called ´Lombricultura´, I had no idea of what the name was in English so for almost two weeks i just kept saying ´wormocology´. The real and proper term (i looked this up in wikipedia) is Vermiculture. This is basically the use of worms to produce soil. In simple terms: you have worms, they eat compost or even manure, and from their own excretions they produce some very fine and usuable soil.
That was the simple explanation I just gave you, but in fact it is ALOT more complicated that what both me and my boss had expected; Especially for me who had always seen worms as just slimy little critters that came out in the rain and didn´t know too much about them and their use. My boss on the other hand had attempted himself to have worms and had some background info. and experience with them. Nevertheless we were both amazed at all the things we learned in one week regarding worms.
Let me tell you it was one intensive week long course. After 3 long days of PURE THEORETICAL lectures (oh my god) we were ready for our Labs. We dissected worms, we had to take a population count of worms and their eggs (this meant literally sitting there and counting worm by worm, and there were about 200 of em!) and we even got a fieldtrip to a ranch in which they have a very well laid out worm farm. This was all so new and quite interesting to me.
By the end of the course, I can proudly say, I held one in my hand! Ok, maybe im still not 100% comfortable with them and I am not ready to be picking them up all the time. BUT, I do have a newfound admiration for these little guys. They are more complex that what I thought and their use is quite fantastic. They are also very good for the environment becausee if more people resorted to using the soil produced by worms for crops, it would eliminate all the bad fertilizers and chemicaly sold soil many farmers resort to. So i took some pictures of the course and of the worms. Don´t get squeamish, they are actually not all that bad.....
My Boss holding the worms before we did the dissection........
You have to Kill the worm by swishing it around the dish in rubbing alcohol and a little bit of H2O. We swished our little guy for a good 20 minutes and it still wouldn´t die......I think it was just getting smashed on the alcohol and enjoying it.
Go figure..Mexican Worms....
SO..We Just Threw the worm in the Big Tub of Alcohol to finally kill it. He died a very drunk worm. RIP.>>>>
<<<<<<>
Our trip to the large scale worm farm: These are the rows and rows of beds containing worms>>>
The Evidence that I Held A WORM!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy CaNaDa DaY!!!!!
It´s Canada Day Today and I´m feeling mighty patriotic...Maybe its the fact that I´m away from Canada this Canada Day because I usually don´t feel like this when I´m in Toronto.
Anyways... I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to all my fellow interns and I´m hoping everyone remebers to keep in the Canadian Spirit today and enjoy their CANADA DAY from wherever in the World they may be!! EH?!!!
hmmmmm now where can i find a labatt blue beer here in sayula mexico????
Anyways... I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to all my fellow interns and I´m hoping everyone remebers to keep in the Canadian Spirit today and enjoy their CANADA DAY from wherever in the World they may be!! EH?!!!
hmmmmm now where can i find a labatt blue beer here in sayula mexico????
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Setting the Scene.......
My placement is in a small town called Sayula, In Mexico. I had this idea that it was going to be a very rural town and quite frankly was expecting the worst:no running water and no electricity. To my surprise it is not that rural at all, yes its small but you can still find all your basic amnetities and more (I was even surprised to find a sushi restaurant). It´s one of those towns where everyone knows eachother by their name and knows eachother´s life stories. In my view it can be both a good thing and a bad one. I guess I have internalized the ´culture´of a big city like Toronto where I can walk down the street and enjoy the feeling of anominity- i mean really lets face it...sometimes we just have those days when we want to be an anonymous number in the crowd....well I do anyways.
Besides that Sayula is a bit of a paradox- it contains some elements of a growing progressive ´pueblo´ while at the same time still stuck in some of the older conservative values of the past.
Elections were held yesterday here in Mexico, and so the whole month of June I got to see the political life of Sayula come into action, and to my surprise got to see one of the only female ever candidates of the town rise up to gain much support.... so much for machismo right? So here is a town that was on the verge of having a woman govern yet things like homosexualtiy is still a very big no no. A few of the friends i´ve made here are gay and its very odd to see that they continually have to hide being gay or that they are a couple because of it being a taboo. However, i did get to spend a week in the bigger city of Guadalajara and it was refreshing to see gays and lesbians holding hands in public and kissing, and reading in the newspaper about the Gay pride parade the weekend earlier. It just shows you to the extent that whithin the same country how the ´culture´and attitudes of certain things change and differ because of it being a big city or a ´smaller´town. Oh and about that anominity feeling I was talking about earlier... it was great to feel that in Guadalajara as well!
Now, on where I am staying..... hmmmmm let me just put it this way: the family is super nice and welcoming and have been nothing but a great host family...BUT.... it has been hard to adjust to a more conservative lifestyle and having host parents that are way toooo overprotective. Here´s the skinny: I have been on my own since i was 18 so I am very accustomed to pretty much being able to do whatever I want or go wherever I please. Besides the fact of living on my own, my family ´culture´has always been one that is very liberal and open. So needless to say that when I arrived here to this home and had to accept their very early curfews, the fact that I wasn´t allowed to walk the streets on my own or take a bus to a neighbouring city, or could not openly say I wanted to go out for a few drinks with some pals definitely had me fustrated. It was a world I never had to expereince in my life and one that I thought I wouldn´t have to at the age of 24. Now don´t worry Larissa or Natasha, I am not turning into a rebellious teenager and not adhereing to my hosts , HOWEVER, I am also not one to be quiet or not attempt to alter a few things. After talking to many people of the town I realized that crime is not a big thing and for the most part safety levels in the street (especially in the daytime) are pretty safe. I think in fact that even though its Mexico and their is such a stigma associated with the country because of the crime and dangers seen in the news, there is more of a chance of something happeneing to me in Toronto than Here in Sayula. So i had a talk with my host mother, and using my very diplomatic skills was able to get them to agree on me letting me walk the streets on my own. I cannot tell you how good it felt that day when I went out on my own to explore the town. I felt like I had regianed a little bit of my independence! Little by little I am finding ways to accept the rules of the house, yet bend them just a little to make sure that I get to experience everything that Sayula and mexico has to offer...
The Organization that I am doing my placement at is called ´amigos de la naturaleza en el mundo´ and their aim is to instill an environmental culture throughout the town in where the citizens are conscious and aware of all the environmental problems and of what they can do to better the situation. Besides Amigos de la Naturaleza, there are two other organizations that are also working to do the same, and theses three Orgs. regularly meet to work collectively on the environmental issues. Right now their main project they have been working on for a while now has been to establish a Garbage and Recycling Collection system for the households of Sayula. Its been quite interesting to see this unfold....their pilot plan of this recollection has started in one neighbourhood so far, however it has not been as successful as they hoped. Although the three organizations have gone to inform and teach each and every household of how to properly separate their recycles apart from their garbage, their still exists a problem of many people not separating their garbage and at the same time of the garbage collectors not collecting the garbage. At the same time we are still waiting on the municipality to give the green light for the recycling center so that their is an actual space for the recycling material that could be collected. Its madness I tell you. I had never stopped to realize how efficient our garbage collection program is in Toronto...almost everyone knows to put their garbage out the night before and poof like magic you wake up the next morning to see it gone and just your empty bin lying on the ground. However, i just learned of the strike going on in Toronto by the workers...so much for the efficient system I guess.
Amigos de la Naturaleza is a more grass roots organization. There is no office, no website, or no specific time structured for work (I do not have to be ´INto´ work at ´9 am´ or anything like that. Our meetings are very sporadic and our members all have day jobs they have to work at during the day before they can concentrate on the work for Amigos. Because of this my own work is not fully outlined and I do not have set tasks to carry out- this is something I am not accustomed to as I have always worked at offices where I knew exactly what had to be done. It has also been a bit fustrating in terms of not feeling like I have contributed or have really made an impact with the Org. I have openly expressed these feelings to my boss- the president of the organization and to my co-worker, and they have helped me tremendously in terms of adjusting and making me realize things work a little differently down here.
My Second day here my boss asked me what I would like to have accomplished while being in Sayula this summer, I responded by saying that I wanted to make a difference in the way people thought and acted towards the environment in Sayula and would hope to see some results by the time I left in August. I was surprised when he flat out said: don´t get your hopes up as the results may not be visible by the time you leave. And I wondered then, how could i not see results if i try to work as hard as i could this summer?
I am coming to slowly realize he is right. I know the attidudes and actions of the citizens cannot be changed overnight, in a month nor in three. This is a slow and very ongoing process that will take years for the effects to be seen; its literally changing the environmental culture of a town.
Its been quite the roller coaster ride for sure, nevertheless I am trying to learn and enjoy from every minute of this experience.
Besides that Sayula is a bit of a paradox- it contains some elements of a growing progressive ´pueblo´ while at the same time still stuck in some of the older conservative values of the past.
Elections were held yesterday here in Mexico, and so the whole month of June I got to see the political life of Sayula come into action, and to my surprise got to see one of the only female ever candidates of the town rise up to gain much support.... so much for machismo right? So here is a town that was on the verge of having a woman govern yet things like homosexualtiy is still a very big no no. A few of the friends i´ve made here are gay and its very odd to see that they continually have to hide being gay or that they are a couple because of it being a taboo. However, i did get to spend a week in the bigger city of Guadalajara and it was refreshing to see gays and lesbians holding hands in public and kissing, and reading in the newspaper about the Gay pride parade the weekend earlier. It just shows you to the extent that whithin the same country how the ´culture´and attitudes of certain things change and differ because of it being a big city or a ´smaller´town. Oh and about that anominity feeling I was talking about earlier... it was great to feel that in Guadalajara as well!
Now, on where I am staying..... hmmmmm let me just put it this way: the family is super nice and welcoming and have been nothing but a great host family...BUT.... it has been hard to adjust to a more conservative lifestyle and having host parents that are way toooo overprotective. Here´s the skinny: I have been on my own since i was 18 so I am very accustomed to pretty much being able to do whatever I want or go wherever I please. Besides the fact of living on my own, my family ´culture´has always been one that is very liberal and open. So needless to say that when I arrived here to this home and had to accept their very early curfews, the fact that I wasn´t allowed to walk the streets on my own or take a bus to a neighbouring city, or could not openly say I wanted to go out for a few drinks with some pals definitely had me fustrated. It was a world I never had to expereince in my life and one that I thought I wouldn´t have to at the age of 24. Now don´t worry Larissa or Natasha, I am not turning into a rebellious teenager and not adhereing to my hosts , HOWEVER, I am also not one to be quiet or not attempt to alter a few things. After talking to many people of the town I realized that crime is not a big thing and for the most part safety levels in the street (especially in the daytime) are pretty safe. I think in fact that even though its Mexico and their is such a stigma associated with the country because of the crime and dangers seen in the news, there is more of a chance of something happeneing to me in Toronto than Here in Sayula. So i had a talk with my host mother, and using my very diplomatic skills was able to get them to agree on me letting me walk the streets on my own. I cannot tell you how good it felt that day when I went out on my own to explore the town. I felt like I had regianed a little bit of my independence! Little by little I am finding ways to accept the rules of the house, yet bend them just a little to make sure that I get to experience everything that Sayula and mexico has to offer...
The Organization that I am doing my placement at is called ´amigos de la naturaleza en el mundo´ and their aim is to instill an environmental culture throughout the town in where the citizens are conscious and aware of all the environmental problems and of what they can do to better the situation. Besides Amigos de la Naturaleza, there are two other organizations that are also working to do the same, and theses three Orgs. regularly meet to work collectively on the environmental issues. Right now their main project they have been working on for a while now has been to establish a Garbage and Recycling Collection system for the households of Sayula. Its been quite interesting to see this unfold....their pilot plan of this recollection has started in one neighbourhood so far, however it has not been as successful as they hoped. Although the three organizations have gone to inform and teach each and every household of how to properly separate their recycles apart from their garbage, their still exists a problem of many people not separating their garbage and at the same time of the garbage collectors not collecting the garbage. At the same time we are still waiting on the municipality to give the green light for the recycling center so that their is an actual space for the recycling material that could be collected. Its madness I tell you. I had never stopped to realize how efficient our garbage collection program is in Toronto...almost everyone knows to put their garbage out the night before and poof like magic you wake up the next morning to see it gone and just your empty bin lying on the ground. However, i just learned of the strike going on in Toronto by the workers...so much for the efficient system I guess.
Amigos de la Naturaleza is a more grass roots organization. There is no office, no website, or no specific time structured for work (I do not have to be ´INto´ work at ´9 am´ or anything like that. Our meetings are very sporadic and our members all have day jobs they have to work at during the day before they can concentrate on the work for Amigos. Because of this my own work is not fully outlined and I do not have set tasks to carry out- this is something I am not accustomed to as I have always worked at offices where I knew exactly what had to be done. It has also been a bit fustrating in terms of not feeling like I have contributed or have really made an impact with the Org. I have openly expressed these feelings to my boss- the president of the organization and to my co-worker, and they have helped me tremendously in terms of adjusting and making me realize things work a little differently down here.
My Second day here my boss asked me what I would like to have accomplished while being in Sayula this summer, I responded by saying that I wanted to make a difference in the way people thought and acted towards the environment in Sayula and would hope to see some results by the time I left in August. I was surprised when he flat out said: don´t get your hopes up as the results may not be visible by the time you leave. And I wondered then, how could i not see results if i try to work as hard as i could this summer?
I am coming to slowly realize he is right. I know the attidudes and actions of the citizens cannot be changed overnight, in a month nor in three. This is a slow and very ongoing process that will take years for the effects to be seen; its literally changing the environmental culture of a town.
Its been quite the roller coaster ride for sure, nevertheless I am trying to learn and enjoy from every minute of this experience.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Definig Culture...
Wow, to define my own culture...thats a toughie. I´ve thought about this topic many times before as it has been a personal issue of mine all my life. I find it hard to define my own culture possibly because i suffer a mild identity crisis: i never know when to say I am Canadian or I am Colombian. Needless to say my version of an iceberg is a little messed up.
Let me summarize quickly: Born in Colombia; immigrated to Canada; raised in Canada; still longing for my Colombian roots.
Due to the fact I was brought to Canada at a very tender age of 3, I barely got to enjoy the pleasures of being raised in Colombia. Instead, I was immediately thrown into the Canadian education system where i learned to speak english, socialized with Canadian kids, and was taught Canadian values and customs. However, home was a different story. At home we spoke spanish, still ate beans and rice, and always watched the spanish soap operas religiously at 6:00 pm on the TELELATINO channel. So my culture has been a huge mash up-mix up of diferent customs, traditions, languages, and values. Just to make the story even more interesting, my best friend growing up was Romanian, and after many sleepovers and spending so much time at her house i came to love and accept Cabbage rolls, traditional Orthodox Easter meals that includes this amazing salad called salata de boeuf, and even picked up some romanian phrases.
So to me culture is not only the values, customs and traditions in which you are born into and will most likely carry with you for the rest of your life, but it is also those other customs and traditions that begin to stick with you because of the people and environment that surround you.
I can proudly say I am a Colombian- I was born there, have my family there, and continue to keep the customs of my heritage, I am a Canadian (YES, IAM CANADIAN DAMMIT) and I have an open mind and heart to other cultures- yes I eat romanian salads, love chicken tika masala, enjoy Serbian new years and their amazing meat pies, will wake up sunday mornings for Chinese Dim-Sum, and love my kimchi soups.
If the top of my iceberg contains so much mixture of things, I can barely begin to imagine what lies beneath the surface. The Bottom part of my cultural iceberg most likely contains a mixture and variety as well. The deep features of my culture (aka, the bottom of the iceberg) become more apparent when I am away from home.
Being in Mexico for almost one week now has proven to show me what canadian values I truly carry with me. I love my personal space and enjoy that sense of individual freedom one is accustomed to in North America. It is always this value that I realize is such a big part of me when I also travel to Colombia. I can relate to the Mexicans with never being on time, as I am always late, and as a result I have had no problem with patiently waiting for them for all the meetings, outings, events; I am guessing this is one of my more Latin American values rather than Canadian since Canadian society is so picky regarding timeliness.
But more important than anything else is always to have that open mind and heart to whatever or whoever is surrounding you at the moment.
Let me summarize quickly: Born in Colombia; immigrated to Canada; raised in Canada; still longing for my Colombian roots.
Due to the fact I was brought to Canada at a very tender age of 3, I barely got to enjoy the pleasures of being raised in Colombia. Instead, I was immediately thrown into the Canadian education system where i learned to speak english, socialized with Canadian kids, and was taught Canadian values and customs. However, home was a different story. At home we spoke spanish, still ate beans and rice, and always watched the spanish soap operas religiously at 6:00 pm on the TELELATINO channel. So my culture has been a huge mash up-mix up of diferent customs, traditions, languages, and values. Just to make the story even more interesting, my best friend growing up was Romanian, and after many sleepovers and spending so much time at her house i came to love and accept Cabbage rolls, traditional Orthodox Easter meals that includes this amazing salad called salata de boeuf, and even picked up some romanian phrases.
So to me culture is not only the values, customs and traditions in which you are born into and will most likely carry with you for the rest of your life, but it is also those other customs and traditions that begin to stick with you because of the people and environment that surround you.
I can proudly say I am a Colombian- I was born there, have my family there, and continue to keep the customs of my heritage, I am a Canadian (YES, IAM CANADIAN DAMMIT) and I have an open mind and heart to other cultures- yes I eat romanian salads, love chicken tika masala, enjoy Serbian new years and their amazing meat pies, will wake up sunday mornings for Chinese Dim-Sum, and love my kimchi soups.
If the top of my iceberg contains so much mixture of things, I can barely begin to imagine what lies beneath the surface. The Bottom part of my cultural iceberg most likely contains a mixture and variety as well. The deep features of my culture (aka, the bottom of the iceberg) become more apparent when I am away from home.
Being in Mexico for almost one week now has proven to show me what canadian values I truly carry with me. I love my personal space and enjoy that sense of individual freedom one is accustomed to in North America. It is always this value that I realize is such a big part of me when I also travel to Colombia. I can relate to the Mexicans with never being on time, as I am always late, and as a result I have had no problem with patiently waiting for them for all the meetings, outings, events; I am guessing this is one of my more Latin American values rather than Canadian since Canadian society is so picky regarding timeliness.
But more important than anything else is always to have that open mind and heart to whatever or whoever is surrounding you at the moment.
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