Posts by: "Missy Gluckmann"

How to Meet People Abroad: Córdoba, Argentina

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playadito

CordobaArgentinaThe fourth installment in the How to Meet People Abroad series comes from Melibee’s Carrie Niesen, who worked at a nonprofit organization focused on social justice issues in Córdoba, Argentina.

Over the course of our How to Meet People Abroad series, we’ve taken you to the England to break through a Londoner’s compartments, to Central America to try out your Spanish skills while connecting with the locals in the small town of Lake Yojoa, Honduras, then back to Europe to learn how to avoid making a silly mistake in Dublin.  Today, our tour stops in South America to help you find your place in the community in Córdoba, Argentina.  Córdoba is both a province and a city, and this post highlights how to meet locals in the city, Córdoba Capital.

Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina with about 1.3 million people, is smack dab in the middle of the country and is vibrant cultural center.  By sleeper bus, it’s about an eight hour ride from Buenos Aires (and a comfortable one at that!).  While people in Argentina are very friendly and open to foreigners, I would strongly recommend making a social connection with a local before you go.  If you’re going to study Spanish, ask your university or provider for an intercambio (language exchange partner) for an easy social ‘in’.  Before I went, a college classmate of mine connected me with his family, so I met his sister and her friends when I was in country.  I got even luckier still–I became very close with my co-workers and they introduced me to their friends!  I never thought I’d be singing Argentine karaoke at a birthday party and learning the proper way to make chimichurri (typical meat, bread, chicken, tastes-great-on-anything sauce made with herbs, spices, and olive oil) at my farewell celebration with my co-workers.  So once you have one connection, you’ll have many!  Argentines enjoy meeting new people and are open to foreigners.  Know that being approachable by smiling, being aware of your body language, walking with purpose, and greeting store owners all go a long way.  Just as there are many Argentines more than willing to get to know you, there are equally as many that want to take advantage of you, too.  It doesn’t mean you have to be on edge and assume people are out to ‘get you’, but use good common sense and trust your gut.

Once you have your social ‘in’, it’ll be far easier to make connections and adopt el acento cordobés (a Cordobese accent), fooling locals that you’ve been around longer than they think!  Try out these five tips I offer from my experience as a temporary cordobesa with your new circle of friends to make the most of connecting with others.playadito

1. Mate.  I would be remiss to talk about anything related to Argentina and not mention mate.  With the connection you make before you go, chances are the first thing you do with that contact is chat over mate.  Even though it’s a typical Argentine staple, it’s most popular in Córdoba.  Porteños (folks in Buenos Aires) typically catch up with friends over coffee or a beer, and cordobeses prefer mate.  You will see folks mateando in parks, plazas, cafés, taking a leisurely stroll around the city, at home, at parties…you name it.  Cordobeses love, love, love their mate and they take their mate essentials with them wherever they go.  Mate, simply put, is a tea.  However, it’s much more than that to Argentines.  To matear is to connect, talk, share, laugh, joke, and enjoy the company of friends and family while sharing a beverage together…literally.  Everyone participating in the mate experience drinks out of the same cup (typically out of a hollowed out gourd) with the same metal straw (called a bombilla).  One person sets up the mate (called el cebador) by placing the straw in the gourd, adding the mate, filling it with water, and testing to see if it’s ready to be enjoyed by fellow mate mates.  The cebador makes sure to refill the gourd with water from a thermos when it runs out.  Depending on yours and the group’s taste, you can add honey or sugar to take it dulce (sweet), or go the traditional route and enjoy it amargo (unsweetened, bitter).  However, be mindful of good mate etiquette: don’t slurp, pass it to the next person after a few sips, don’t stir it, and never touch the end of the metal straw.  If you hang on to it for too long, someone may ask, “Are you teaching it to speak?” to poke fun at the fact that you’ve had it for too long!

2. El Paseo de Buen Pastor.  Once you’ve mastered your mate technique, a fantastic place for people of all ages to matear is El Paseo de Buen Pastor.  What used to be a women’s prison is now a place of cultural connection in the heart of downtown.  It’s two blocks from the megamall Patio Olmos on Avenida Hipólito Yrigoyen in the Nueva Córdoba elpaseodebuenpastorneighborhood and it’s a similar concept to plazas in Spain.  Here, you’ll not only find folks mateando, but you might be able to catch an outdoor concert, an art show, book readings, dance/theater performances, and much more.  This is a great place to strike up conversations—ask about what’s happening for the night, what people are up to, where the hot spots are for the night, etc.  You’ll find club promoters here as well passing out flyers on the top nightly deals.  They could very well direct you to one of these boliches (night clubs) in La Zona Cerro de las Rosas.  Don’t be shy!  People expect to chat there.  If you’re the planning type, you can review their schedule of events on their Facebook page.  Otherwise, in true Latino style, the spontaneity of conversation could lead you to some great connections with not only people, but things going on in the city. (Photo credit: flickr, Pablo Flores)

3.   Ciudad Universitaria.  Not too far from El Paseo de Buen Pastor is an area called Ciudad Universitaria.  This is where you’ll find the National University of Córdoba, the second largest university in Argentina where over 107,000 students are pursuing 250+ types of degrees.  Since the surrounding campus area is so large, it’s often considered its own city, hence its namesake translating to ‘University City’.  Most of the students live in the next neighborhood over, Nueva Córdoba.  This neighborhood is chock full of things to do and explore, including over 16 museums, 25 libraries, and two planetariums to tap into your intellectual side, as well as trendy bars, cute boutiques, and fantastic restaurants to appease your social side.  Take a day to explore this area, and don’t hesitate to stop passersby and ask a question.  Argentines love to talk and give advice, so ask them for directions or ask about what they would recommend to do that night.  Parque Sarmiento is also in this area, which includes a zoo, man-made lake, and a flower garden.

4.   Cuarteto.  Cuarteto (meaning quartet) is a musical genre born right in Córdoba, and going to a baile, a cuarteto concert, is a great place to mingle and meet locals.  Córdoba’s cultural identity would be incomplete without mention of the passion and deep pride for cuarteto.  Originally just piano, accordion, bass, and violin, it now cuarterosometimes includes percussion and brass instruments.  It’s similar to merengue with its fast, uplifting beat, but the lyrics set it apart.  Merengue typically has repetitive lyrics, whereas cuarteto songs weave stories about love, heartache, passion, betrayal, or even simply about who drank the last of the wine.  One of the most popular artists that appeals to all ages is Carlos ‘La Mona’ Jiménez.  Just as Michael Jordan is to basketball, La Mona Jiménez is to cuarteto.  Bailes are typically well attended and are not for the faint of heart—you’ll find 8,000-12,000 people at each one!  These are every Friday, every Saturday, and every Sunday…and you don’t just go to listen to music, but you dance, enjoy the typical drink, fernet con Coca (Coke mixed with Argentina’s staple liquor akin to black licorice), and chat.  If you’re pressed for conversation topics, ask someone to show you the dance for ‘Quien Ha Tomado Todo El Vino?’!  (Photo credit: flickr, Damian Zanini)

5.   Paseo de las Artes.  You’ve hit the jackpot with this place if you love food, people, art, and great conversation!  Literally translating to ‘A Stroll with the Arts’, it’s an excellent way to take your time checking out the gamut of goodies ranging from sweaters, shoes, jewelry boxes, paintings, earrings/necklaces/bracelets, weavings, baskets, plants, caricatures, antiques…you name it!  I was lucky to live a mere two blocks from the Paseo in Nueva Córdoba.  My host mom, Patricia, is a prominent painter in the community and encouraged me to spend multiple evenings walking through the numbers upon numbers of merchants displaying and selling their work.  Her suggestion certainly didn’t disappoint and I spent many evenings taking advantage of such a wonderful paseodelasartesmarket!  If it’s handcrafted and well made, you’ll find it here.  The Paseo has been part of Córdoba’s Saturday and Sunday lineup of activities since 1981 and you’ll soon discover one evening isn’t enough to peruse over 300 artists’ work.  A typical paseo includes a leisurely stroll, perhaps an empanada (stuffed savory pastry with cheese and meat) for a snack, and maybe even ending with a copa (drink) to replenish after an evening of supporting Córdoba’s local economy.  You can find out about its upcoming events, view photos of artists’ work, and more on their Facebook page. (Photo credit: Sarah Kelly)

As you can see, community, friendship, and gathering with others are key components of Argentine culture.  Argentines are far from shy!  They want to engage with you, get to know the real you (and not just what you do for a living!), and teach you about Córdoba and Argentina.  If you do find yourself alone as I did when touring Buenos Aires, look for other tourists.  A simple, “Would you mind taking my picture?” sparked a friendship with two porteños that I’m still in touch with to this day.  Be observant of your surroundings, don’t be flashy with your gadgets and fancy jewelry, but don’t be shy to reach out, either—you may never know what types of connections you’ll make!

Special thanks to local cordobeses, Paul Carpintero and Jonathan Molina, for their insights on this post.

Carrie NiesenAbout the Author: Carrie Niesen is a communication studies instructor by day and a Melibee hive member by night.  Armed with a master’s degree in intercultural communication, Carrie is an adamant international education advocate and is insatiably curious about the world.  She is a Spanish speaker, adorer of Spanish dialects, and will always have a space in her heart for Argentina.




The Inspiration of Malala Yousafzai

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Malala

MalalaToday’s guest post is by a friend of the hive  – Tom Millington.  We deeply appreciate Tom’s voice and are delighted that he has written a guest post about such an inspiring  young woman, Malala Yousafzai.

Like many people around the world I was horrified to learn that Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head on October 9, 2012 by a member of the Taliban. This young woman embodies the spirit and ambition that international educators would like to see in the global citizens that we purport to manufacture through ‘intervention’ and other pedagogies and methodologies in study abroad. I thought that it was only natural that the international education community would issue a statement condemning the attack, expressing solidarity with Malala and her community and serving as light or beacon of hope in the darkness to guide other advocates of education around the world.

According to the latest research, thirty two million girls around the world are not in school. This is tragic and unacceptable.  While we in the international community may disagree in choosing how to advocate for education for all people, we should all be in complete agreement that at the very least we can stress the positive and emphasize the symbolism of figures like Malala. Immediately after the shooting the world reacted.  With this in mind I created a petition asking NAFSA: Association of International Educators to take some action to recognize Malala and everything she stands for. I also contacted NAFSA on several occasions, but with no positive responses. After submitting the petition to NAFSA last week, I realized that it is very likely that nothing will be done.  This is sad. Many organizations, even those not even remotely associated with education have publicly recognized the bravery of this young woman. Why will NAFSA not do the same thing?  I am not sure, but I can’t help but think that we have missed a wonderful opportunity here. Time magazine has named Malala one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” and Vital Voices set up a fund in Malala’s name. Newsweek called her the “Bravest Girl in the World.” Clearly, the word is getting out. It is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration with different organizations and entrepreneurs for a very worthy cause, a cause that I believe is an essential part of international education. If not, then we run the risk of promoting an international education that suits American interests. I see no better way to promote education for all people than by recognizing what Malala has done and what she represents.

More importantly, I think inviting Malala or someone who works closely with her to speak at NAFSA would resonate much more with international educators than paying huge sums of money to have former world leaders or politicians speak at the annual conference. Kofi Annan is a great individual and he will deliver a reasonable message, but he will present, like many past keynote speakers, the tired point that we should pat ourselves on the back for the work that we do, ‘that we should always support student exchanges,” etc. Wouldn’t it be nice to listen to someone much younger than us, but who has had much more life experience? We can learn a lot from our youth, if we would only allow ourselves to listen.

There are other ways to promote Malala and her cause. I already mentioned the Malala Fund started by Vital Voices (link above). Another excellent program is to work with an organization based in New York City called 10 x 10. It has promoted a film titled “Girl Rising” (www.girlrising.com) that features the stories of nine girls around the world and their struggles to receive an education. The organizers are looking for people to arrange screenings around the country. This is a perfect opportunity for study abroad returnees to work on a project where they can reflect on their own international experiences and what it means to have an education in the US and abroad. To learn more about 10 x 10, visit its website at: http://10x10act.org/. Another project promoted by UN Special Envoy on Global Education, Gordon Brown, seeks protection for pupils and teachers in Pakistan. You may learn more about it by clicking on this link: www.educationenvoy.org.

Malala Yousafzai continues to do her work advocating for education for all girls around the world. Although we might not be able to publicly recognize her efforts we can each work with the Malala Fund and 10 x 10 to make sure more people and communities are aware of the challenges facing girls around the world today. If we are unable to do this, then I fear we have failed as international educators.

TomMillingtonAbout the Author: Tom has worked for nearly 15 years in international education beginning with BCA, a program provider based in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. While there he was involved with the Pennsylvania Council on Education Abroad (PaCIE). He has also worked as Director of International Programs at Emmanuel College in Boston and as Director of Study Abroad and Global Learning at Western Kentucky University, where he worked closely with the Kentucky Council on Education Abroad (KCEA). His interests focus on issues of peace and justice, social thought, positive psychology, philosophy of international education, resilience and semiotics. He comments on issues related to study abroad through his blog at www.abroadia.com. He is working on a book to be published in late 2014 and has accepted a position to be resident director in Havana, Cuba for Spanish Studies Abroad in the fall.




Better Abroad is Coming

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betterabroad_final(3)We’ve been hinting about a new project here at Melibee for several months and today we’re sharing the video to introduce Better Abroad:  An Education Abroad (R)Evolution!

Pop over to Better Abroad’s home page to learn more!  If you want to be part of the (r)evolution, please help us spread the word by sharing this post or the home page for Better Abroad.

Heartfelt thanks to the Melibees for their countless hours preparing for the official launch and to our partner in (r)evolution, Amizade Global Service-Learning!

 




The Real Deal: Secrets of the NAFSA National Conference

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Carrie and Jessica at the NAFSA conference

Carrie and Jessica at the NAFSA conferenceToday’s guest blog is by Carrie Niesen (she’s on the left in the photo), who I consider an expert on the subject of how to tackle the NAFSA national conference!  Here are some of her tips for how to approach St. Louis at NAFSA 2013!

You’ve been abroad.  Perhaps multiple times as a student and intern.  Those experiences have been paramount in shaping your life’s path.  You completed a master’s program, spent countless hours in the collegiate classroom teaching, have work experience in a variety of different sectors…but you want something more.  You yearn for a rewarding career related to global exchange and fostering intercultural awareness.  You want to correct the ever-present stereotypes running amuck on your generation because you *do* care.  You love learning, you love people, and you want to pay it forward by helping to create the same transformative experiences for others.  You’re creative, innovative, and are dead-set on making a difference in this world.

However…your Excel sheet is getting longer and longer in tracking the jobs you’ve been applying for over the years, all while you continue to work your behind off for that first break into the field.  You’ve enthusiastically applied for the gamut of positions and can officially dominate the competition at trivia night on international education job titles.  The positions have been enticing, exciting, enthralling…study abroad advisor, international admissions counselor, global program manager, cross cultural experience coordinator…but you haven’t had much response beyond, “Thank you for your interest in X position, but we have selected another candidate.  We wish you the best of luck in your employment search!”.  You start to lose hope.

Yet, amidst the growing number of rejection emails and countless drafts of your resume, you meet a kind, wonderful soul that recommends this conference you’d never heard of called NAFSA.  She suggests how helpful it’d be to learn about the intricacies and subsets of the international education field all while connecting with seasoned professionals.  You’re intrigued, and without much convincing, you’re registered for your first national NAFSA conference.  The ‘I’m-so-excited-I-might-be-sick’ butterflies start to kick in.  What now?

If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re exactly where I was last year preparing for my first NAFSA conference experience in Houston, Texas (US).  Luckily for me, I had five conferences under my belt from graduate school and taking students to conferences, so I understood the basic structure…but I knew this time would be different.  I had to be more strategic and plan carefully.  I wanted to make the most of my (expensive!!!) experience and figure out what I was doing ‘wrong’ in my enthusiastic attempts to break into the field.  Below are three key lessons I learned as I navigated the Career Center and wore my bright red NAFSA VOLUNTEER sash in hopes of networking and discovering what I wasn’t doing to break into the field.

Career Center

1      Know your audience. I beelined it for the Career Center on NAFSA Day #1.  I was the *first* to get my resume reviewed at 8 AM sharp, and boy, was I thankful for that!  I showed up with a 13 page teaching CV and one of the reviewers asked, “What, did you start when you were 14 years old or something!?”  From their guidance and coaching, I learned the fine art of international education resume writing.  This is where I learned I was marketing myself in all the wrong ways.

2      Plan ahead.  Once I trimmed my 13 page CV down, I stopped by the on-site Kinko’s (yes, you read that correctly…NAFSA has their own Kinko’s!) to print out copies of my new one.  I intended to have my resume reviewed again, but little did I know the entire resume reviewing sessions would fill up for the ENTIRE WEEK by Day #2!  Now, you can sign up in advance to book your reviewing appointments to avoid making my mistake.

3      Take a risk.  While I was waiting (read: hoping someone wouldn’t show up for their appointment so I could get my new resume reviewed), I perused the center to see what employers were hosting round table information sessions.  I wanted to be productive with my time and avoid coming off as a circling vulture.  I sat in on a session that I wasn’t all that interested in initially, but grew more so after meeting the employer, learning about the position, and getting to know the director.  As a result of my risk…I landed a job interview later on in the week.

Volunteering

1      Get involved.  Volunteering was crucial because it helped ease the financial burden of such an expensive conference.  Without the volunteer opportunities, I wouldn’t have been able to go at all.  Because of the 25+ hours I put in, I got half of my conference registration fee back, and it helped me learn the behind-the-scenes aspects of a large scale, well known conference.  Don’t forget—volunteering at the conference is something you can put on that resume, too!

2      Be strategic.  Study the sessions and attend ones where you want to make connections—your volunteer status gives you the perfect excuse to strike up a conversation.  Volunteer based on your conference goals as well as personality.  If you would prefer to do behind the scenes types of tasks, then work in the Local Arrangements Team Office on evaluations quality control.  Social butterfly?  Then work the hospitality, registration, or bookstore.  Read more about the volunteer positions from the link above and sign up for your shifts using NAFSA’s volunteer scheduling system, Shiftboard.  And yes, there’s an iPhone and Android app for that!

3      Wear that red ‘NAFSA VOLUNTEER’ sash with pride!  It’s a great way to spark a conversation with any attendee and to offer assistance.  I went well out of my way to ensure what I was doing in my various volunteer posts exceeded expectations.  Some volunteers are clearly just there to get reimbursed, while others (like myself) gladly took initiative to go above and beyond.  Folks of all professional levels volunteer, so it’s not just a newcomer thing to do.  It’s a great way to make friends, too. (See the photo above of me proudly showing off my NAFSA volunteer sash and nametag swag with my new friend, Jessica.)

Want to hear more of my experience and advice?  Do you have specific questions you want answered?  Want to network with other first timers before the conference?  Join me and Melibee founder, Missy Gluckmann, for the newest MelibeeU course on NAFSA Conference Tips.  We’ll share our seasoned and former newbie perspectives on navigating and capitalizing on your NAFSA experience to help you achieve your conference goals.  Join us this Friday, May 10 at 1 PM EST for our authentic, real-deal, information packed session with plenty of time for Q&A.

Carrie NiesenAbout the author: Carrie Niesen is an Innovation Associate with Melibee Global.  She has taught public speaking courses and served as an academic advisor at the university level for five years, both at Winona State University (Minnesota) and The University of New Mexico.  She holds an MA in Intercultural Communication from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where her thesis focused on re-entry and how it impacts students’ lives individually, interpersonally, and professionally.  Previously, Carrie worked in nonprofit, security management, and finance sectors.  She is a Spanish speaker that has lived in Spain, Argentina, and Ecuador, and has been to nearly 10 countries. She’ll be returning to NAFSA as a second timer and a more informed job seeker.  Want to meet her at NAFSA?  Connect with her on Twitter, or reach out through the NAFSA Conference Connection tool!

 




Interview with Rye Barcott: Re-Entry

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RyeBarcott

Moving to North Carolina has created some unexpected opportunities. I have crossed paths with author Rye Barcott three times over the past two years and this past time I was able to grab him for a quick interview. Rye’s story is incredibly compelling and entirely too complex for me to describe in a blog post. The short version is that Rye served in the Marines and co-founded Carolina for Kibera (Kenya). He wrote about his experiences serving in both capacities in a brilliant book called “It Happened on the Way to War.” Our conversation focused on re-entry, which is especially complex when one returns from war.

(If you haven’t heard of Rye Barcott yet, please don’t fret. NAFSA’s national conference in St. Louis will be featuring him as a speaker. I cannot emphasize enough how important that it is that you attend if you’ll be in St. Louis! You’ll walk away with a new perspective on the military, service, volunteer abroad and re-entry.)

Here is an excerpt of the conversation that Rye and I had in a busy little coffee shop on a very rainy day in Winston Salem, North Carolina last year. We spoke about the art of coming home from war while also serving as co-founder of an NGO in one of the largest slums in the world in Kibera, Kenya. This is where I hit the record button:

RB: With time you have some ribbons on your chest. Napoleon once said it’s amazing how many people will give their lives for a tiny piece of ribbon. So the ribbons are respected, but they also tell a story and show where somebody’s been over time. The positive attribute of that is that it reinforces the culture of doing and serving. The largest source of post traumatic stress syndrome is not seen as devastation or losing people that you know. It is the regret from the decisions that you made that you can’t go back by and if you don’t have some way of processing that preferably with some person, then it becomes an albatross and you live with it for decades of time and that’s part of what many still go through. That’s one of the reasons why, you know, therapy can be such an effective tool for folks. I mean, I was fortunate because I had graduate school and I had my mom (to discuss this with).

Melibee: Your mom was an anthropologist, right?

RB: Yes, my mom’s an anthropologist. I had my wife who’s a psychologist. And I also had all these people I trusted kind of gradually helped me get there by saying things in ways that I could hear because if you don’t there’s a moment where you have to go gradual and really be you know, thoughtful and deliberate with it. That’s why the word that you’re embarking on (re-entry) is actually having a structured period of reflection with some concrete objectives and outcomes from this experience is really vital for actually having it mean something. The quote that you hear ad nauseum from some of these study abroad programs is that it will change your perspective forever; I don’t think that that will necessarily happen unless the person finds a deliberate way to reflect on it and find meaning from it and that doesn’t, it doesn’t just happen on face value.

Melibee: And I think it’s just that feeling of being misunderstood, unless you have that ability to process it with other people who understand it to some extent.

RB: Yeah, and your peers are not necessarily the best….it’s helpful to have a support network for when you’re traveling for the first time and if you’re traveling in a group of five folks but, if all of them are also traveling to the same place and having a shared experience it’s very, very useful that somebody has helped them process it thats outside of that group and asking you the kind of questions that you wouldn’t necessarily ask yourself.

Melibee: Would you say that your experience returning from Kibera and your experience returning from the war were similar in that sort of trauma – that post traumatic stress syndrome – or do you feel that they were different?

RB: They were different because frankly the stakes were higher in combat for me because I was directly responsible. You know, one of the nice things about participatory development (regarding Kibera) is that it offers an escape. Somebody asks what your strategy is for the organization; my response is “That’s gotta be determined by the ground.” Somebody asks what’s the long term view of this, how does the organization sustain itself? I respond, “Well, our team on the ground needs to figure that out and I’m here to support it and I have some ideas on it but it’s not my responsibility,” whereas when you’re twenty-two years old and you’re a first lieutenant in the Marines, every life is your responsibility. And if one of your men doesn’t come back, God forbid, you are the one that’s answering for it and you are the one that has to write the letter to their parents, that mother….

Melibee: It is hard for me to even imagine trying to process.

RB: Were you there when I told the story about the ….

Melibee: mother?

RB: (Rye had told a story that day about how he was included in a group of veterans who were pulled on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, USA). Yeah, it was an amazing moment at the DNC with this video with a stunning poem that a mother wrote about a deceased soldier. Right when she concludes, the lights came up and we were on stage. The lights in the convention center turned on and everybody in the room held out the signs that we didn’t know they were going to do, and the signs said “thank you.” thankyousigns

Melibee: When you left the military, when you were preparing to leave the military, did they have any sort of program to help you think about how to process it?

RB: No….I mean at that time, it wasn’t done. We were still a mess with all of this; I think we are getting better now but it wasn’t.

Melibee: (Speaking about Beyond Abroad: Innovative Re-Entry Exercises) One of the exercises is about using different audiences to understand how you can get that elevator speech for re-entry down. We suggest practicing it with different people in mind, for example how would the re-entry elevator speech change if I’m talking to you versus talking to a colleague versus talking to a friend’s mom…you have to process the experiences abroad to understand what it all means. So the military didn’t do that with you?

RB: No. I mean on that note, I try to emphasize in the book without showing and not telling that…you should feel guilt, I mean you should feel some sense of guilt that as a student you are there (he is referencing Kibera’s volunteer abroad experience), you are participating, if you are going to a hard place that’s wrapped by cycles of violence and poverty that you’re going there, you’re getting the learning experience and then there’s really nothing else that tangibly comes from your participation. But, you have to have a way of actually making sense of it and wrestling with it in a group or structured program helps with that. The guilt itself is something that’s healthy only if you acknowledge it and think through it – how am I going to make that matter and carry it forward in some way?

Melibee: When you think of the people who are serving in Kibera now, the American students, or international students that are going to the University of North Carolina (partners in Carolina for Kibera), what lessons do you observe about re-entry? What do they teach you, touching back to their lives and the program’s life? What are you reminded of?

RB: The biggest lessons we learned tactically was that we just don’t have the capacity to handle large numbers of volunteers – it’s not good for them, it’s not good for the organization, so we do very small numbers. It’s not written commitment but it’s an expressed, verbal commitment that they will continue to volunteer with the organization for at least a year afterwards. Many of them volunteer ten years afterwards and so that’s a way that we kind of keep them engaged. We work with them beforehand to really structure exactly what it is that they’re going to be doing and why and make sure that’s clear to them as well as the team on the ground, and those are all the lessons that I learned over the course of the decade. The other piece on that is just a piece of advice for students I think, which is, there’s no shortage of things to care about so find one and commit yourself to it, and when you’re studying abroad there are multiple different ways of doing it. You can try and go to every continent, go to many continents as you want but if you really want to make an impact in the places you go, and if you don’t then that’s fine, but make it a deliberate decision, but if you want to make an impact in a place you have to commit over a long period of time; that means going back, that means, you know, passing on the spring break to Mexico to go back and keep those relationships fresh and healthy.

Rye Barcott will be speaking at NAFSA on Thursday, May 30th. I’d recommend that you grab his book ahead of time and read more of his wisdom prior to hearing him present live. His incredible story of how Carolina in Kibera was founded will move you to tears. It is particularly jarring in that is happened WHILE Rye was serving in the Marines. Now that’s service – redefined.

(Heading to the NAFSA conference? Join us on May 10th for this exclusive session on conference tips!)




Perks (and Questions) for a Cinco de Mayo Birthday

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cincodemayo

cincodemayoCinco de Mayo is often an excuse for a “cerveza-fest”. In this guest post, Melibee’s Kate Kirk asks some important questions about what Cinco de Mayo and other celebrated days REALLY mean.

Growing up in the United States, I’ve always experienced a lot of festivities surrounding my May 5th birthday. Regardless of my location, be it East or West coast, my work and school would often have Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and local restaurants and bars would host festivities as well. I know … I Ioved it! This year’s work-related festivities include a party complete with fresh salsa, guacamole, sangria, and even a piñata! I admit, sometimes I feel a bit special with all the extraneous fun activities happening on my birthday. After a while I learned that this cultural tradition is not always so mindfully used.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates a victory of the Mexican Army in 1862 against French forces in the state of Puebla. Historians agree that Mexicans and Latinos living in California at the time of the American Civil War first commemorated the day in opposition to French occupation in Mexico. Interestingly, modern U.S. popular culture often mislabels it as Mexico’s Independence Day! However, Cinco de Mayo actually isn’t a national holiday. It’s only celebrated in the state of  Puebla. Quite a contrast to it’s widespread recognition in the United States!

As fun as it is having festivities in the United States on Cinco de Mayo, I question our intentions with celebrating another culture’s holiday. As with holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, I often see it as an excuse for people to consume mass quantities of alcohol, make fools of themselves in public, and even get DUIs. What’s worse, U.S. companies seem to capitalize on this holiday in an effort to make easy sales. Little of the celebration feels like a true homage to cultural heritage. I fully promote celebrating Mexican heritage and identity, but I honestly do not see that as an integral part of many U.S. festivities on cinco de Mayo.

What can be done about this attitude? As I’ve mentioned, schools often organize Cinco de Mayo events. Perhaps a greater effort can be made to explore the history surrounding the event. Schools and organizations could create events that foster dialogue as well, inviting individuals and historians of Mexican heritage to speak and entertain questions. On an individual level, we can be more self-aware. What exactly are we celebrating? Why is it important and worth commemorating? Through cross-cultural dialogue, research, and self-reflection we can become more thoughtful, globally conscious individuals, which enhances our appreciation of celebrations all the more!

katekirkAbout the Author: Kate Kirk works at the Language Institute at Georgia Tech and is one of the Melibee team members. In the past she has worked in international education and student services across the US. She is a perpetual learner and enjoys elective studies in various subjects including global education, music, and philosophy.




Update from the Melibee Global Hive

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light bulbs melibee updates

light bulbs melibee updatesYou may have noticed that we haven’t been blogging as much as we normally do this time of year.  This is because we have been diligently working behind the scenes on some major changes and new ideas here at Melibee Global.  Let me give you a quick idea of what is happening behind the scenes in our very busy, buzzy hive!

<<< Brief interruption for applause here please:  The work that we’re doing would not be possible without the incredible team we have on board – so here is a quick shout out to Kyle, Lisa, Maria, Ashley, Kate K, Carrie, Katy R, Gerry, Tara, Diana and Sarah!  Props to the Melibee street team who are doing a great job of spreading the honey too! >>>

Drum roll, please…

  • The Melibee webpage:  Our web page will be undergoing a MAJOR overhaul this summer.  We are in the planning stages and I’m ridiculously excited about what we have in store for you.  While this process will take months to complete, please know that the site will include better navigation about WHO we are and WHAT we actually do!  A new logo will better represent the mission of Melibee also!
  • MelibeeU:  We are in the planning stages, focusing on the fall schedule.  This includes not only determining which new webinars to add, but how often and at what price point.  MelibeeU is known for delivering quality, unique webinars that cost 25-30% less than other international education organizations  (and that don’t require a costly “membership”) AND offering full time student rates for many of our sessions.  We expect to add some inspiring new sessions,  including an offering by David Comp of IHEC and TaNesha Barnes of the Beyond the Surface Critical Thinking and Social Justice Academy.  melibee-U-logo-250x5611
  • Melibee speakers:  This service is one that is near and dear to my heart as I’ve hand selected each of our speakers because they have personally inspired me.  We are adding new speakers for the fall, including Daniela Papi, a forward thinking social entrepreneur and educator.  We are making an effort to add more diverse speakers also. After all, the world is not made up only of inspiring, white men, is it?
  • Projects:  Melibee hit a milestone this year when it launched our first re-entry tool, Beyond Abroad: Innovative Re-entry Exercises.  re-entry exercisesThis year we are working on several new projects that focus on pre-departure as well as improving the quality of education abroad experience.  The latter project will result in a FREE website that is expected to launch pre-NAFSA’s national conference in St. Louis!  There are other projects underway too, but these are the two that are consuming the incredible positive energy of our hive these days.
  • The blog:  Perhaps what attracts most people to our site is our blog.  We will be continuing our “How to Meet People Abroad” series each month as part of our commitment to encouraging immersion experiences outside of one’s home country.  In addition, the Melibees will continue guest blogging on a variety of subjects in the coming months.  We will have a more regular blogging schedule, once the new Melibee Global site launches in late summer.
  • Video:  You’ll begin to notice an increase in video thanks to our digital media whiz, Tara Nygaard.  As the younger folks say, “she’s got skillz!”  I just say she is a talented bee that is adding even more honey to our already sweet hive.  I warn you though – you will DROP when you see our first video.  It is VERY Melibee in its style and approach. We are confident that our field is VERY ready for this kind of message!

The Melibees and I are looking forward to sharing more details with you soon.  Meanwhile, thanks for dropping by the Melibee hive! If you can help us spread the word about what we do, please feel free to share this post with your colleagues, friends and family.  Social media is the easiest way to spread the “buzz”, so click on the Facebook and other buttons at the top of this post.  Many thanks!

As we say at the hive, buzz on!

 

 

 




GoAbroad Innovation Awards

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go abroad innovation awards finalists 2013 melibee global

go abroad innovation awards finalists 2013 melibee globalMelibee is about inspiring innovative international ideas.  Today, we learned that GoAbroad.com selected Melibee Global’s re-entry tool, Beyond Abroad:  Innovative Re-entry Exercises beyond abroad innovative re-entry exercisesas a finalist in their Innovative Technology category. (Here are all the categories and finalists!)

My response:  I am proud and I am humbled.  I’m also waggling.  (Yes, that is a bee dance! We’re slightly obsessed with bees around here, especially how they take from beautiful flowers and do no harm.)

Ok, back to being proud and humble!  Can one really be BOTH at the same time?

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

I am incredibly proud of the team that worked on this project.  During the creative process we knew it was going to be an innovative product. We strove to create ongoing dialogue about re-entry in an effort to make it easier for our colleagues to enhance dialogue about culture and re-entry on campuses and in 3rd party partner organizations.  This tool was designed to encourage re-entry dialogue to continue over months and even years. We achieved this through a re-entry forum AND by incorporating the use of technology into appropriate re-entry exercises.

This team’s ability to be willing to completely ignore “the box” that we’re so often told to “think outside of ” and instead explore the possibilities in a limitless, expansive fashion makes me this Queen Bee incredibly proud. we only think outside the box

I am humbled too.  In my wildest dreams I never imagined that my colleagues would give Melibee the opportunity to engage innovative ideas, which at times border on outlandish, in an effort to contribute something original to our field.

As we are big believers in the power of collaboration, we’d  like to congratulate all of the other organizations that also landed on this incredible list!  Well done!

The Melibees and I would also like to congratulate the people not on the list too – those who work tirelessly every day to move our field forward an inch or a mile.

Let’s keep going!  As we say here at Melibee, BUZZ ON!

 




Green Planet Series: Interview with Ibrahim Abdul-Matin (Part 2)

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ibrahim-abdul-matin

ibrahim-abdul-matinSpeaker, author and environmental commentator Ibrahim Abdul-Matin shared his green wisdom with Melibee’s Kate Kirk in Part 1 of our Green Planet Series.  Be sure to read it before you move on to today’s question and answer session!

You have a very interesting background, being raised Muslim by your converted parents. How has living being raised as a Muslim American shaped your world view and goals?

I think being a Muslim and an African American gives me a unique perspective. America hasn’t been very kind to my people, so there’s a deep relationship of some time of distrust and it’s forced me to think outside of the box per se, to think that there’s not even a box, to not even think of a box. There’s also a constant challenge of where do I fit in, where do we fit in as a people into this larger narrative of America.

Have you made your hajj yet? If so, could you talk about that experience a bit? How has the re-entry experience in the US been for you? Have you experienced reverse culture shock of some kind?

I have not made hajj. I’ve made a lesser pilgrimage called umrah, which is basically a mini hajj to Mecca. I’ve done that twice. Regarding reverse culture shock, I think the United States is very bizarre. We don’t take off our shoes when we come indoors. Americans don’t have the same bathroom etiquette as people in other places. We’re not as clean. We don’t have bidets. Like, how do you not have a bidet? That’s civilized. The biggest shock has been the fact that there are no places built in for reflection. You walk into a mall in Malaysia, and there’s a prayer room. There are signs to tell you where you can go pray. You can go to the Burj Khalifa, one of the tallest buildings on planet Earth in Dubai and you can find prayer areas. You go into Jordan and there are prayer areas. You hear the adhan all over Saudi Arabia. You have a constant reminder, which is what used to be here when you’d hear church bells. You don’t even hear church bells anymore. Growing up I used to hear church bells every hour, and it was almost reassuring. Like OK, that comes from the church. It’s sending a message, “Don’t forget about God and it’s 5 o’clock.” I think we’ve missed some of that ceremony and ritual, that’s my reaction to coming back. And also, for a Muslim, being abroad you have more freedom about what you eat. When you come back, you’re all of a sudden forced to say “Oh, I can’t eat there.” Because of the pork obsession. You never know what’s going on in people’s kitchens. You never know how they cook, what forks and knives they’re using, and what cutting board they’re putting things on.

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, author of "Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet"

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, author of “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet” speaks at UNC Chapel Hill (USA)

So much of international education and environmental work relies on air travel and we end up with the unfortunate irony of contributing to global warming (via the huge carbon footprint of long distance flights) while trying to promote green ideas and awareness of global issues. What can we do in this predicament?

There’s not a lot we can do, given the context that we’re in right now. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to do it. I don’t know if my son will be able to travel as much as I’m traveling now. I don’t know if his son, God willing, will be able to travel that much. This is a unique moment in human history when we’ve had this ability and I don’t think it’s going to last very long, because it requires you to have an incredible amount of unlimited oil. We’ll do better things, create better technologies, but I don’t know if we’ll be going up in the air that way. It’s hard to say when will be that next thing.

In interviews for Melibee Global and the ANT Bookstore’s Foot Note a few years ago you gave readers tips on how to effect change in the environment. Do you have any additional tips that you tell people these days?

The first you can do is to de-hoard. Start throwing away and giving away and getting rid of your stuff. Personally go through your house stuff and if you haven’t used it in three to six months, figure out someone who can use it. Let go of stuff. Get rid of things. Or if you’re going to keep things, keep them really well. Hold onto them and keep them in good condition. The second thing I tell people all the time is create less trash by buying less things or buy things that have more value and hold on to them. Your goal should be to have zero trash coming out of your house, and start by doing less trash each day. This a meditation, a deep meditation, an over time meditation. You’ll find that after a year or two you’ve created less waste. For example, my wife and I spent some time with her sister, and they don’t actually create a lot of waste, but they had a garbage can, a traditional one that most Americans have. You open it up, and it has a big, black garbage bag. You pull it out and take it to the garbage disposal. We haven’t used a garbage can and bag that size in about three years. It felt foreign to me to actually be doing that. I was like, “How do I do this again?” So it’s like retraining ourselves, our relationship with waste. Nothing gets thrown away. There’s no such place as “Away.” So we have to really start getting into a rhythm, almost a meditative rhythm, to understand our human behavior as it relates to trash and to not assume that we’re going make changes overnight. No spiritual path has ever come and transformed people within a day. People have evolved and have had to understand themselves first before that can happen.

What have you found best motivates people to follow through on these tips?

We’ve had trouble. I think everyone has trouble with it. I think for motivation some healthy competition is good. I’m always a believer of some good, healthy competition. In Islam we say you can’t be jealous of anything other than someone’s knowledge or practice. If I see someone being more frugal and practical, I’m jealous of them because I want to be the most frugal. I want to do dishes every night, but me and my wife made a deal that we would never wash dishes at night. Stuff like that that motivates you. With the lack of clutter you’ll find that you have a clearer mind and can think better when there’s less stuff.

Can you describe your speaking presentations with Melibee? What is it that you like about having these dialogues?     

I’ve had some fun conversations at some of the best campuses across the United States. Some of the premier institutions in the Big Ten, the SCC, the Big Twelve, just being able to go to places and be welcomed and have really insightful conversations. To speak, to sell books, and get to ask tough questions and respond to them as well. My role is to make sure that I’m saying something that’s true and accurate, smart and clever. I think it fits well with what Melibee is doing.  

Many thanks again to Melibee’s Kate Kirk for posing such thoughtful questions!  You can read one of Kate’s own posts and read her bio here.




La Camioneta

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lacamioneta

lacamionetaI have the great pleasure of participating in the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina this year and am excited to be able to report on some fantastic international films that can be used as teaching tools.  Here is my first film RiverRun film review!

When you were a kid in the US, you likely got on a big yellow bus every morning to get to school.  Your biggest worry of the day might have been about who to play kickball with at lunch or whether your homework was done on time.

But did you ever wonder what happens to many of those big yellow buses once they’re put into retirement? The documentary, La Camioneta, covers the tale of just one of those ubiquitous yellow buses as it makes its way from an auction in Tennessee (US) to the streets of Quetzal City, Guatemala.  It also teaches the viewer why getting on that same bus in a place like Nicaragua may mean wondering if you’ll make it home alive.

We watch as a man drives from Guatemala to the auction and purchases the bus.  Then he drives it through Mexico, where he is often subjected to police abusing their power and stealing his money.  (This was fascinating to hear him talk about, as I have friends who drove their personal vehicle from the US to Ecuador and had to pay significant bribes to police in Mexico, more than once, simply to be able to get to their home in South America.)  Nevertheless, the Guatemalan man arrives home eventually and we begin to see how the bus exchanges hands in the local community.

We are invited into the life of the new bus owner and learn of his childhood dream to own a bus.  This is also where we begin to see the radical transformation of the yellow bus into a work of art, as well as begin to understand the dangers in owning, driving and riding a bus in Quetzal City.lacamionetas2

The bus undergoes a extreme make over.  Craftsmen brand it with an elaborate paint job, refurbished windows and stylish metals to set it apart from other fleets in the area.  Recall that the previous US owner had seen this same bus as not worthy of public use and sold it as a “retired, worn out” bus to a man from Guatemala, who recognized it as a vehicle with a long life ahead of it, ultimately treating it as an object of beauty.  Perspective is always relevant when crossing cultures.  One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure and in this case a sustainable one.  The viewer gets the sense that items from the scrapyard are creatively reworked to add not only value, but an aesthetic quality to “la camioneta.”

The craft work quickly becomes secondary to the misery of extortion that takes place in the city.  Bus drivers are targeted . If the bus company doesn’t pay up, they risk being attacked by gangs who kill drivers and set off explosives.  One hundred and thirty drivers were killed in bus bombings in 2010 in this region. We hear about widows and children left without fathers, murdered by the local gangs.  We witness a poignant scene where an young child who has lost his father plays on his mother’s lap as the community testifies to the local government about the crimes taking places on las camionetas and the impact on families.

Culture again becomes abundantly apparent as las camionetas are decorated and parked in front of a church where prayers are made to St. Christopher, asking for protection for the drivers and all passengers.

La Camioneta is an excellent documentary to be shared in Spanish and Latin American studies classes, as well as criminal justice and political science classes.  It would also be appropriate for anyone studying sustainability issues, as the first half of the film highlights the differences in how cultures view waste.

Here is the trailer of “La Camioneta”:YouTube Preview Image