Today’s guest post is written by Melibee’s Risa (Lisa) Zenno.  It provides an excellent lesson on the importance of a name. Should you call her Risa or Lisa?  Read on to know!

November is known for International Education Week, but for me, everyday life is filled with related topics. Take for example, my name.

My name is Risa, but I go by Lisa.  Actually, on paper, Risa 梨沙 in Japanese is pronounced Lisa.  But if you’re like me and English is your native language, how you pronounce Lisa with an “L” and an “R” is completely different.  Am I right?

My parents knew before having me that they wanted an international name for me; one that transcends international barriers, one that everyone can remember and say without difficulty and the final decision was Risa.  My Japanese spelling literally means “pear and sand.”  Pear, like the fruit, and sand that separates pure from evil.  My last name Zenno 善野 means widespread zen or unity.  (My sister’s name is Anna, using Apricot and information gathering).

Another tidbit I can add is that there are legal regulations in naming a child in Japan.  The kanji’s (if you decide to use them) need to be in the approved list the government has issued and the stroke number of the baby’s name is often calculated for fortune telling. 

Kanji is one of Japan’s writing systems, adopted by the Chinese logographics.  Each character has a set stroke number, the order in which a character is written.  The picture shows the stroke order for the character ‘water.’  Water as depicted has 4 strokes.  Since your last name is already a fixed name, parents play with the baby’s potential name, adding x amount of stroke numbers to the whole name.

1183 kanjis are taught through grades 1-6.  This chart shows you 2230 of the most common kanji used in modern Japanese.

There are numerous books on naming a child based on the stroke numbers . For those who would like to research further on this, my whole name has 51 strokes.  I asked my mom if she was superstitious in this regard, and she claims she didn’t want to choose a ‘negative’ name.

Why didn’t my parents use the letter “L” instead of “R”?  Well, that’s because I was born in Japan, and the letter “L” doesn’t exist in the Japanese alphabet.    Confusing, isn’t it?

Japanese writing is syllabary so how you spell is how you read.   There is no equivalent sound of an English “R” found in the Japanese language; instead they have the English “L.”  My name is officially spelled Risa, but phonetically, it isthe equivalent to Lisa.

For example, Ruriko in Japanese would phonetically sound like “Luliko” and Ryan as “Lyan or lion”

Having grown up outside of Japan as a Third Culture Kid, I’ve always spelled my name with an “L.”  School papers, yearbook, and school ID always had me as Lisa.  Official documents including passport, green card, and driver’s license has me as Risa.  I’ve had to redo many forms signing my name to renew my passport since I’ve lived with my name phonetically.  I’ve even had fights with my dad on how I’m incompetent of signing my own given name.  My bank statement clearly states “Risa aka Lisa” since others have questioned my identity.

As an intercultural communicator, language is fascinating.  I love to sit down and teach others the differences between the English and Japanese language.  Although, trying to explain that “Risa” is the same as “Lisa” to a government official isn’t as pleasant.  Usually I get the snarky “suuure” and rolling eyes – sigh.

A name is crucial for one’s identity.  How you decide on a name has many layers: context, family history, imagery, meaning, and let’s not forget phonetics/spelling. What one name means in one language may not mean the same in another.  I can vouch that my name, as complex as it is, gave me nothing but embarrassment through my childhood living in México as my name literally translates to “laughing boob” (Risa=laughter, Zenno phonetically in Spanish is Seno=boob).

Will this push me to go through naturalization and change my name officially to “Lisa”?  That’s another ball game I still have yet to play.

All in all, my name has opened lots of room for intercultural dialogue, and for that I am grateful.

About the Author: Risa Zenno is a Third Culture Kid (TCK) who goes by Lisa.  She works at the Art Institute of Seattle as an enrollment processor.  In her spare time, she loves volunteering time for international education. She tries to help out many ‘challenges’ on www.sparked.com such as creating powerpoints and helping with translations.  She considers herself a life-long learner and hopes to continue expanding her interest within international education.

It was the best visit to a public bathroom in my life!

You’ll understand why when you read the following words from the poster  (which you can purchase here.)

********************************************************************************************************************************************

“How to Build a Global Community”

 Think of no one as “them”

Don’t confuse your comfort with your safety

Talk to strangers

Imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels

Listen to music you don’t understand * Dance to it

Act locally

Notice the workings of power & privilege in your culture

Question consumption

Know how your lettuce and coffee are grown; wake up and smell the exploitation

Look for fair trade and union labels

Help build economies from the bottom up

Acquire few needs

Learn a second (or third) language

Visit people, place and cultures – not tourist attractions

Learn people’s history * Redefine progress

Know physical and political geography

Play games from other cultures * Watch films with subtitles

Know your heritage

Honor everyone’s holidays

Look at the moon and imagine someone else,

someone else, looking at it too

Read the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Understand the global economy in terms of people, land and water

Know where you bank banks

Never believe you have the right to anyone else’s resources

Refuse to wear corporate logos: defy corporate domination

Question military/corporate connections

Don’t confuse money with wealth, or time with money

Have a pen/email pal *Honor indigenous cultures

Judge governance by how well it meets all people’s needs

Be skeptical about what you read

Eat adventurously * Enjoy vegetables,

beans and grains in your diet

Choose curiosity over certainty

Know where your water comes from

and where your waste goes

Pledge allegiance to the earth: question nationalism

Think South, Central and North -

there are many Americans

Assume that many others share your dreams

Know that no one is slient though many are not heard

Work to change this

©2002 Text by Members SCW Community and Illustration by Melinda Levine

A few weeks ago, I googled “shit study abroad students say” after seeing the brilliant “Shit New Yorkers Say” video sensation.  I was hoping someone would do a version of this for study abroad – and today, in my inbox, it magically appeared!

(Side note: The students who made this video did call it “Stuff Study Abroad Students Say.” I am honoring the “Shit People Say” series by renaming this video with the appropriate “bad” word.)

Now watch this clever video! Laugh. Roll your eyes. Be sad. Smile.  Do whatever feels right for you.  Then read the rest of this post:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Did you enjoy that? Was it hard to watch? Did any of this sound familiar?

It sure did to me.  Four colleges under my belt and I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard these statements. They come from the young voices of (US) Americans from an incredibly ethnocentric country (see this previous Melibee post), one that is slapping together study abroad programs faster than many would like to admit.  Many are revenue driven and poorly designed, leading to students belting out statements like the ones in the video.  (Please don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of schools and 3rd party providers that put great care into study abroad program design and learning outcomes.  But many – let’s face it – don’t. )

The timing of this video really struck me. Yesterday I had the honor of facilitating an online workshop with Dr. Eric Hartman on Global Service Learning: Design/Reflection/Connection – and it couldn’t have been more timely.  Dr. Hartman spoke of the importance of partnership, culture, careful learning outcomes, mutual respect, addressing our ethnocentricity prior to departure., etc.  The gap between great global service learning program delivery and the “run of the mill” study abroad experience is clear.  These students, in my opinion, did a remarkable job of capturing that delta in this video.

This video will serve as a beautiful new resource for pre-departure, orientation, re-entry programs, classroom discussions and academic programs (international education administration/intercultural studies.)  It has so many applications!

What are your thoughts about this video?  How might you envision it being utilized? What did you appreciate about it? What frustrated you about it?  Let’s get some dialogue going about this subject.

Let me close by extending my heartfelt thanks to the Amizade students for creating not only this video, but the opportunity for all of us to reflect on how we contribute to the statements you have highlighted.  Once again, students are providing teaching opportunities.  Does it get any better than that?

Melibee speaker, Chris Bashinelli, at the United Nations

I was recently asked about why I put together the Melibee Global speaker roster – a very good question indeed!

When I worked at colleges, I often found that my colleagues relied on their routine “go to” individuals when they needed a speaker.  As a result, unless the person was particularly popular with students, the attendance was often underwhelming.  While the “go to” presenters had much to offer, they didn’t offer the element of surprise – simply put, they weren’t something new.

I thought back to the many incredible people that I’ve met on my journey and started to make some phone calls to inquire  whether my “dream team” had an in interest in speaking publicly.  With each phone call, I learned more about what each speaker had to offer beyond what I already knew, which was already impressive. I was incredibly inspired.

The current roster of global education speakers touch on everything from global citizenship, service learning, sustainability, faith, and study abroad to the simple reminder that sometimes we need to take a big leap and trust that the net will be there to catch us.  Each presenter is what I call “smart phone worthy,” meaning that you and your students will put down your smart phones because you are so engaged by their stories, lessons and insights.

How can a speaker contribute to your organization?  Here are some ideas:

1) Keynote presentation: Offer it to your campus, organization and your community too.

2) Classroom presentation:  Many Melibee speakers can spend an entire day on campus presenting in classrooms, over lunch/dinner and with small groups of student leaders (vs. only offering a presentation.)

3) Staff training: This is a great opportunity to treat your staff to a customized and inspiring training on a subject in the field.

4) Conference presentation: Instead of another presentation by another government officer presenting at your conference bring in a fresh face with an inspiring message, toolkit and/or book.

5) Workshop:Several speakers can present half and full day workshops.

Melibee Speaker Katie Krueger, author of "Give With Gratitude"

6) Human Resources/Multicultural Affairs: Melibee presenters offer a great opportunity to encourage dialogue about diversity.

7) Honors Program: Bring in a speaker to enhance your honors program.

8 ) Guest lecturer: Invite a speaker to co-teach a class.

9) Re-entry:  Several speakers can provide real world stories/create dialogue at re-entry conferences and workshops through specific exercises and activities. This applies to both international students and study abroad students.

10) Study Abroad Fairs:  There is no better way to get students to think seriously about study abroad than to hear from a seasoned traveler who has much to say about the impact of the experience.

11) Create a common read/activity at your organization or campus:  Three Melibee speakers have written books (Katie Krueger, Carrie Wagner and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin), one has a film (Crossing Borders by Arnd Wachter,) while another has a documentary being edited (30 Mosques). One has an assessment tool – the BEVI (Beliefs, Events, Values inventory). Your campus (including faculty and staff) could opt in to take the BEVI and then have Dr. Shealy come to campus to explain the tool and why we believe what we believe!  Another speaker has an online global ed TV show. You could have your campus watch the “Bridge the Gap TV series” online and then bring Chris Bashinelli, the founder, to campus to talk about his work on this project with Ben and Jerry’s corporation.  Include the local community in these events too!

Needless to say, there are many ways to incorporate a Melibee speaker into your organization’s programming.

I am often asked about how to fund a speaker.  I find that people are often afraid to inquire about speakers because they assume the cost will be out of their financial league.  Here are some examples of how schools and organizations have funded speakers:

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

1) Partnering with others:  One college brought in Ibrahim Abdul-Matin to speak, attend a dinner and conduct a book signing.  The student group didn’t think they had the funds, but were able to partner with several other clubs to pool monies together. They also asked their local mayor’s office to contribute (and they did.) Another school is reaching out to the local police department for funds to bring Steve Moore to campus. Partnering with others is the fastest way to find funds for an excellent speaker.

2) Ask your campus’ Foundation for support:  The Foundation is the hot spot for hidden money.  Ask and you often will receive!

3) Campus PR Office: They are always looking for ways to publicize the campus.  Visibility is their middle name!  When you bring someone like Aman Ali or Bassam Tariq from the 30 mosques project to campus, the press will come out to report on in. That is usually worth a donation from your PR office.

4) Create a fundraiser around each event:  Some schools will use book sales for several Melibee speakers as fundraisers for the event.

5) The President’s Office: The President always has some money socked away.  Ask him or her to contribute and to introduce your guest speaker!

6) Find a sponsor:  You work with many 3rd party for profit companies, right?  You give them a lot of business!  Ask them to donate toward a campus event that supports students who FUND their business!  If you don’t ask, you won’t know, right?

7) Visit your Grants Office:  Perhaps there is a grant that would support a global ed speaker coming to your campus or organization?

8 ) When all else fails, charge a $1: Everyone can afford a dollar to be inspired.  Remind them about other things they’d spend a dollar on without thinking twice such as a 16 ounce bottle of soda, a bag of chips or a candy bar.  This will put the request for a dollar in perspective.

What other ideas do you have for speakers and for funding?  Please feel free to comment below!

While the book is enjoyable, playful, informative and engaging, there was one page that really resonated with me. That was page 113.

Page 113 spoke of the phenomenon of realizing, for the first time in your life, that you are a visible minority abroad. This page is a terrific discussion tool for pre-departure and re-entry.  Here is the quote from Ferguson who is attending a popular public event in Japan:

“I wended my way through and the crowds parted like the sea before Moses…Schoolchildren openly gawked, jaws gaping…Men watched my every move as if I might pull out a handgun and start shooting at any moment…

“A foreigner, look!” A flock of high-school girls burst past in a flurry of nervous laughter, and boys, brave after the fact, whispered “Harro!” to the back of my head. “Ah, we have a guest from American here today,” said the disembodied voice of the P.A. system, the voice of a decidedly tinny god. Maybe he will sing a song for us later.”

…That I, so very average and unexceptional, should cause a stir among these bright crowds of costumes gives a new perspective on the idea of exotic. I remember a trip to a Japanese zoo, and how the children turned their backs on the caged wildebeest and watched me instead. ‘More interesting than a wildebeest’ became my personal motto after that.  It was oppressive at times. What I wouldn’t give to be a Japanese-American, to be able to blend in without a ripple, to attend a spectacle without becoming one, to be able to relax.  When your face doesn’t fit the national dimensions you find yourself in an observer-affected universe; your presence alters actions, and the very act of observing changes that which is observed. You cannot slip by unnoticed.  You cannot forget the pigment that you present to the world. If nothing else, Japan has taught me what it is like to be a visible minority, and it is a hard lesson to learn.”

I read this and stopped in my tracks. I was immediately transported back to India, to a day that I had looked forward to for my entire life. I was in Agra, taking time off during a business trip, to see the Taj Mahal.  I started my day at the Red Fort, where I caught my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.  It took my breath away. The light was so soft, the colors so perfect, it almost appeared to be floating.  I was in awe. Speechless.  Gazing.

And then it happened.

A group of school children approached me with cameras.  They were smiling and giggling.  They pointed.  I looked around, wondering what they were pointing at.  Was I missing something? Perhaps there was someone famous here – maybe a Bollywood star or politician? I glanced to my left, to my right.  I looked in the distance, wondering if something was going on at the Taj that I had missed?  And then I realized.

They were looking. At. me. The foreigner.  The lady who wasn’t with a group of children or her husband.  The lady with the light skin and a lavender backpack.

I suddenly became more interesting than the Red Fort or the Taj Mahal.  My presence altered actions.  I could not slip by unnoticed.  It felt strange, unsettling.  And as Ferguson said, it was a hard lesson to learn.

When one is preparing to go abroad to a place where they will stand out, simply because of their skin, hair or eye color, size or shape, how does one truly prepare?  And when one returns home, how does one take that hard lesson and relate it back to the home country? How does this lesson change the lens that one sees the world through?

I hope that this discussion takes place in both pre-departure and re-entry gatherings.  Being more interesting that a wildebeest or the Taj Mahal is a challenge, to say the least.  So today, I ask Melibee readers:  How are you making these visible minority experiences teachable moments? What did you learn when it happened to you the first time?

(If you have a visible minority lesson to share – please click on “comment.” You do not need to register to comment on the blog nor will you be added to a mailing list. But if you do sign up for the Melibee newsletter in the upper right hand column of the home page, you may win a book by one of the Melibee  speakers – Ibrahim Abdul-Matin!)

Here is a link to Will Ferguson’s book about his experience in Japan:

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Short-Term Study Abroad Crossroads: Where Planning Missteps

Meet Cultural Blunders

I’m taking the liberty of copying the following information from Small Planet Studio, Melibee’s partner on this teleworkshop. Cate Brubaker and I hope you’ll join us! Please note the special pricing (today and tomorrow only) at the bottom – and you can register via Small Planet Studio.

Does This Sound Familiar? You…

• currently work with short-term study abroad programs or want to do so
• lose sleep at night thinking about the enormity of planning these programs
• were unable to attend this year’s NAFSA or the Forum on Education Abroad conferences
• want to enhance your students’ learning experiences and maximize efficiency

Yes?

Welcome to the…

Short-Term Study Abroad Crossroads: Where Planning Missteps Meet Cultural Blunders {TeleWorkshop}

It was made just for you.

What we have for you:

• Two 90-minute live sessions chock full of practical solutions to the most pressing problems in short-term study abroad programming
• Opportunities to ask questions (via email and during the live calls)
• Recordings of each live session
• A program planning toolkit
• Bonus web resources
• Backchannel for participant idea exchange

You will gain knowledge of vital planning, logistical, and cultural components that must be considered when exploring short-term study abroad program development. You will receive detailed and specific examples of missteps and blunders that will help you to craft actionable steps required to develop and deliver more safe, sound, and sustainable short-term programs abroad.

In two 90-minute sessions, we’ll cover 4 topics. We know we’ll talk about:

• marketing
• culture
• emergency planning
• budgets

We’ll hold the teleclasses on July 12th & 19th (both Tuesdays) from 3:00-4:30pm Eastern.

Can’t join one or both of the live calls? No worries. We’ll post a recording of each session on the class website for you to listen to at your convenience (you can even download them to your iPod). If you submit questions via email before the sessions, we’ll make sure to answer them on the live call.

This workshop is especially useful for study abroad program administrators, faculty interested leading programs abroad, and graduate students entering the field. If your institution’s faculty handbook needs to be resuscitated, this workshop is appropriate for you.

We’re offering all this for only $79. Why such a low price? In short: we’ve been there. We know what’s it like to be asked to do more with less. To not be able to sleep at night because you’re under pressure to deliver the highest quality programs at the lowest price possible. We want to help you get a good night’s sleep.

CLICK here to register!

Thanks for your interest,

Missy and Cate

Melibee Global/Small Planet Studio

Katie Krueger

Jerejef to Katie Krueger.  Jerejef is a Wolof word for thank you. Wolof is a Senegalese language used by an ethnic group with the same name and it describes how I felt after reading Katie’s book, “Give With Gratitude: Lessons Learned Listening to West Africa.”

I read this book twice in two months. Yes, twice! It sprung so many ideas of how the book could be used in international education that I had to read it a second time to surface all of the intercultural gems and to allow the lessons of West Africa to wash over me. I wanted to soak them all in, bathe in them, ponder them for days and days.

While Katie’s book is about her time in Senegal as a Rotary Scholar, she frames the many highs and lows of a sojourner in “lessons” based on the cultural wisdom of her wise teacher: Senegal. For example, “Lesson 3″ is:

Nit, nit ay garabam

Man is man’s best remedy  (Wolof Proverb)

Within  “Lesson 3″  are chapters that provide examples of how Katie learned and applied ‘Man is man’s best remedy’ during her stay and regional travels.  She writes with incredibly honesty about the loneliness that occurs, at times, when one is far from home.  This lesson reminded me of my time as an intern abroad. I lived in one of the most beautiful places in Switzerland- yet at times, I was moved to tears with loneliness. I felt guilty about being able to intern in such a picturesque city while I recognized how much I missed pieces of my identity from home, where people truly knew me.  Those that I loved were hours away by plane and I did not always understand what was happening around me, despite working in an English speaking office.  Lesson 3 also made me think about the many international and study abroad students I have worked with over the years who have crossed borders and not been able to adequately express the challenges of such a blessing because of pride, cultural differences such as saving face, or simply lacking the intimacy and trust required in a friendship to share such a deep emotional state.

Katie’s writing is important, especially for those who study or earn a degree abroad. Her book will serve as an excellent common read and on-going orientation tool for international students (regardless of national origin or destination,) as it provides readers with an honest human story that all sojourners can relate to. We experience the joys of studying abroad throughout much of her book: the traveling, language, people, humor, her quips of self-reflection and the “a-ha” moments.  Yet, we also traverse Katie’s down times – the challenges of eating different food (especially as a vegetarian), the sense of time, space, privacy, loneliness, confusion, adjustment and denial.

These are the topics that we often have difficulty discussing in an open and easy manner with our students.  Katie’s book serves as a new pre-departure orientation and on-going orientation tool for students who are crossing borders.  It provides a “safe” way to talk about common issues that our students experience as sojourners. Discussion can take place around these issues because we are talking about KATIE having these experiences and feeling the emotions. It creates an opportunity to discuss how Katie addresses these challenges and opens the door for there to be a connection or realization – or perhaps a feeling of trust – to relate them back to the student’s own experiences.

For example, a student coming to the US for an exchange program (or degree program) will quickly relate to Katie’s stories about “teranga” – the Wolof word for “hospitality.”  Senegalese are known for teranga; they take hospitality to an entirely new level and one must adjust to being open to such extreme gestures of kindness and welcoming when one grows up in a culture where privacy is sacred. Students coming to the US will see glimpses of hospitality, but nothing that compares to the teranga of the Senagalese.  This subject becomes an easy discussion point for students who are challenged with the common American greeting: “Hi, how are you?” or an equally common gesture of checking in: “Let’s have lunch” or “Talk soon.”  In the US, most people won’t stick around for an answer beyond “Fine, how are you?” when asked how they are and “let’s have lunch/talk soon” usually doesn’t translate into a firm date on a calendar.  This confuses the sojourner, who does not easily grasp why Americans share such expressions when they aren’t really interested or committed to the statement. This type of comparison between cultures can begin when talking about Katie’s challenge with “teranga.” I believe that this dialogue will take place organically because we initially are not asking the students how they are feeling about their own experiences with cultural adjustment, but rather asking about Katie’s experiences – which will spark ideas about personal encounters with culture.  For those who are not ready or able, emotionally or culturally, to divulge their own challenges across cultures, commentary about Katie’s writing may provide hints about their need for support and need to process/reflect. As educators, we  can then offer experiences, opportunities and programs to acknowledge these.

The study abroad experience is like a white light hitting a prism – suddenly what is in front of you becomes a rainbow of many different colors. Things suddenly are alive – some colors complement each other and some are not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Yet, we are opened to a new color palette and it is worth exploring nevertheless. That is how I felt about Katie’s book – it made me want even more colors in the rainbow to explore, even if I didn’t understand or like all how I felt about all of the shades along the journey.

I hope that you’ll take the time to explore the lessons that Katie shares – and that you’ll consider sharing her book with your students who are in the throes of cultural adjustment.  Katie is also available for speaking engagements.  Her timeless book of lessons for the sojourner is available here (and don’t forget to read Cate Brubaker’s thoughts on this book too!):

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Jessie Little Doe Baird

Language can come home again.  This is the tremendous lesson that I witnessed in the remarkable documentary, “We Still Live Here – Âs Nutayuneânby,” by Director/Producer Anne Makepeace.  The true story of how the Wampanoag language came home recently earned the Full Frame Inspiration Award at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, and it was so very well deserved. Makepeace hands us a gift of an educational tool also;  this film drops lesson after lesson about how culture, language, history and community are deeply intertwined. Here is the trailer (which, in my humble opinion, doesn’t even begin to do the film justice:)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Makepeace documents the story of Jessie Little Doe Baird, a Wampanoag Indian whose dream of her ancestors sparked her to explore her tribe’s native language. The challenge was that no one actually spoke Wampanoag; there was simply no one left to ask. The language had been dead for a century, yet Jessie’s visions of her ancestors trying to tell her something (arriving in her dream with a large book and speaking in a language that she didn’t understand) moved her to seek out what was left of her ancestral language.

The Wampanoag Indians were the first to greet the Pilgrims in 1620 in what is now Massachusetts.  At the time Jessie had her dream about her ancestors, the Wampanoag remaining only spoke English. A determined Jessie sought out documents that had been written in Wampanoag, trying to piece together the language as best she could. Her quest led her to MIT, where she worked with some of the world’s finest linguists, despite never having attended college. (She ultimately went on to earn a master’s degree in Linguistics from MIT – what an inspiration!) Through researching documents, including the Bible – which had been translated into Wampanoag, Jessie began to develop the first Wampanoag dictionary.  When words didn’t exist in historical texts, she pulled words from other native languages and used a formula to develop what the original Wampanoag words may have been. She created new words to define modern items such as backpack and computer.  Her community rallied around her to support her efforts, illustrating that it truly does ‘take a village.’  We experience Jessie’s leadership and also the strength and passion of the Wampanoag community.  Without them, her work would not have been possible.

Jessie’s and her community’s passion for their culture moved them to teach Wampanoag to a new generation. Jessie’s young daughter, Mae, is the first native Wampanoag speaker in SEVEN generations! I literally had chills watching Jessie and Mae speak in Wampanoag and while writing notes during the film, I kept writing MUST BLOG, MUST BLOG. It was the first film that I saw at the festival that moved me to my core and made me feel incredibly empowered!  After all, if a busy mother can resurrect a language and a little girl can learn a completely new language, perhaps we can learn one too.

This film is an exciting new educational tool. It illustrates the power of language and how we can learn about a people’s culture and history through it. For example, the Wampanoag word used to describe how they were losing their land literally can be translated to “fall off your feet.” There are a variety of words to describe water in this language:  lake water, river water, drinking water, etc.  There is plenty of evidence that the Wampanoag people prayed using the Bible simply because they knew it would provide the right to stay on their land, which was vital to their culture.

It is a film that should be shown to students studying languages – any of them – because it shows the power of language and the gift of learning one. I challenge you not to want to pick up a language class after seeing this film.

International students will benefit from this documentary, as it serves as a meaningful history lesson on the realities of what happened to the native peoples when the settlers came to the United States.  Clearly, it is a film that can easily be included in anthropology and history curricula.

The Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project offers information about where language lessons are taught, the status of the project and more.  The film is for sale through Anne Makepeace’s website.  The fee for educational screening rights is incredibly affordable.

Jessie Little Doe Baird was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2010. The Fellowship is a $500,000, no-strings-attached grant for individuals who have shown exceptional creativity in their work and the promise to do more. Here is more information about her work:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I had the pleasure of presenting at NCAIE this past week with Carrie Wagner, Author of Village Wisdom and Bonnie Parker, Study Abroad Director from UNCA.

We crafted a session that was meant to be more interactive and less power point driven, as we all have had near death experiences caused by “too much powerpoint”!

Our session was described as follows:  “Muslim”, “Israeli”, “African”, and “American” – the labels that we use to describe others come with heavy baggage and a tremendous burden. This session will provide resources that can be used in community programming and/or as part of the curriculum to create dialogue that will aid in demystifying and humanizing “the other.”

Note: The “other” in our training meant a person or culture that one did not have first hand experience with, or one that generated stereotypes due to limited first hand experience. It was meant to acknowledge that we each have limited understanding of certain people, places and cultures in this world, and as a result, we often relate to them through stereotypes. These stereotypes create a disconnect between us and “them.

That’s a lot to tackle in 75 minutes, right?  Here was our approach:

Icebreaker: This was designed to create dialogue about “the other” and to help identify our own “others” or that of our students/community. We talked about the importance of setting up a trusting environment before doing this exercise. We had four different photos and asked people to go to the one that intrigued them.  Participants were then asked to write down words that came to mind as a result of viewing the image and to discuss the image and the words. For example, a photo of two young people sitting on the side of a street with a musical instrument garnered words such as “poor” and “talented.”  Then we briefly heard from each group – why did they choose those words?

1st Exercise: We worked in small groups and each read a specific section from Carrie Wagner’s book “Village Wisdom.” The groups each identified which phase of the cultural adjustment the section of the book related to and then discussed how that particular phase contributed to how the sojourner perceived “the other.”

2nd Exercise: We watched a 12 minute clip from the film “Crossing Borders.” In this scene, the students (American and Moroccan) visit the Sidi Moumen slum and met with local Moroccan youth who live there. The film clip illustrated the several layers of “the other” – the Americans experiencing a Muslim country for the first time and a slum for the first time, the Moroccan students meeting their fellow countrymen who live in a slum, which was a new experience for them as locals.  We discussed how “the other” can be people in our own society or people half way around the world, and that often changes over time.

We also spoke about how these two educational tools can be used in schools – for example:

- Instead of a common read, have a common film experience and weave it into the curriculum.  Assess the change in world view as a result of this experience, using a tool like the BEVI.

- Use these tools in orientation, pre-departure and re-entry meetings.

- Weave these tools into an interdisciplinary course.  Push the boundaries of what the items on the list were originally intended for!

- Use these tools for STAFF training and retreats.  We need to be inspired too!

- Create a book/film club and invite students and larger community to participate.

Bonnie, Carrie and I prepared a “toolkit” that is meant to be a living document that we can always update.  What resources would you want to share for those interested in exploring “the other” further?  How can the resource be used?

Free Download: Demystifying the Other Toolkit (PDF, 53.5kb)

Training at NCAIE was very rewarding.  I love to interact with my colleagues and I always learn from each group. I hope that this little training module will inspire you to demystify “the other” on your campus and in your community.

Mark your calendar! On Monday, April 4th, 2011 from 5 – 8 pm, the International Beliefs and Values Institute (IBAVI) and the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement will be presenting “Islam and the West Clashing Beliefs or Common Values?” in the Francis Auditorium at Mary Baldwin College (Staunton, Virginia, USA).  I am humbled to be part of the panel discussion after the screening of “Crossing Borders”, along with Nihad Awad (Executive Director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Dr. David Owusu-Ansah, Professor of African Studies at James Madison University and Arnd Wächter, Director of the film “Crossing Borders.”

Many thanks to Nusayba Hammad, Mary Baldwin College class of 2013, for writing up this excellent description of the event:

“Islam and the West: Clashing Beliefs or Common Values?” seeks to deconstruct both the Middle East’s and America’s conceptions of the “Other” by finding common ground to stand on. Samuel Huntington’s theory of the clash of civilizations has dominated our perceptions of the other side of the world, but we must ask ourselves, is it with good reason? Crossing Borders uses the shared experiences of four American and four Moroccan students to bridge the supposedly vast gap between the Muslim world and the West. During their journey through Morocco, these students find that they are not so different after all.

In this age of globalization, understanding the commonalities and differences between Islam and the West is crucial. World politics, and especially the United States’ role in the Middle East, are proving to be increasingly portrayed as “us (the West) versus them (the Middle East/Islam).” But is it fair to pit Islam and the West against each other, implying that they are incapable of coexistence? Delving into the archives of American history, we find this not to be the case. For instance, Morocco was the first nation to recognize the newly formed United States of America, and the two countries have had bilateral relations ever since. The first Muslims to arrive to America did so in the 17^th century, against their will and on slave ships from Africa. There are accounts of Muslims serving in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and today, there are over 10 million Muslims in the U.S. Islam is not detached and separate from America, and Muslims are not outsiders but an integral part of our society and nation.

History therefore begs a question: Is the perceived conflict between Islam and the West one that can be traced back to irreconcilable differences found in the essence of each, or is it simply the result of the way in which world politics have played out in the last century?

Crossing Borders will be introduced by Arnd Wächter, the film’s director. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Nihad Awad, Dr. David Owusu-Ansah, and Missy Gluckmann. Each will share his or her perspective on the issues presented in the film, framed by unique experiences and expertise in the field.

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