I am sure that I will learn more about the co-existence of Guatemalan cultures, and am looking forward to that. The very rich colonial and imperial history of the country certainly leaves behind many traces that are quite present today, and since we will be travelling all around the country and being exposed to/immersed in all sorts of cultural diversity, I am excited to learn more about the co-existence of the different peoples (ex. Spanish descendants vs. indigenous, or American/white expats and how they are received by the local population), if/where there is tension and where there is harmony between peoples.
I am very excited and a bit nervous for this travel abroad experience. I am excited to witness a new environment, form new relationships and connections, and to learn together. I am a little nervous about traveling internationally (since I have not before) and about how I will form connections and lead interaction. However, I believe the music making that we are going to do together will be the key to establishing and fostering relationship. The meetings and readings up to this point have given me a contextual sense of Guatemala. As well, I think they have set me up for success on this study abroad.
I am extremely excited to meet different young professionals like ourselves that are preparing to be music educators from Guatemala and am looking forward to hearing about their experiences with teaching and music. I think it is extremely important to learn about other cultures when becoming a teacher of any kind and I am looking forward to becoming a part of a different culture.
I hope to interact with as many individuals as possible! Whether that be students in the classrooms, fellow university students, professors or people from the community. It is always great to listen to other people's experiences and share in a new experience with them as well. Another hope of mine is that I will go into this trip with a very neutral mindset, limiting my notion of "white supremacy" and "cultural hierarchies"; learning together is a top priority for me. Through these various interactions and engagements, I hope to increase my global awareness and understanding of intercultural teaching. I want to feel more connected to the global community and feel more confident in incorporating various, different cultural aspects in the music classroom.
I am very excited to embark on this trip however I am nervous as this will be the first time that I will be traveling alone. My preparation for this trip has helped me feel more secure and confident that everything will run smoothly.
During the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking about the exciting opportunity I will have to embrace and take in new cultures within Guatemala. For me, I believe that it is important to keep an open-mind and stay humble in order to fully engage not only with the people from Guatemala, but with our own team. This will allow me to hopefully gain knowledge and insight on different cultures and lifestyles.
Like many people in our group, I am equal parts excited and anxious. My anxiety mostly revolves around the unknown; what will the people be like, what if I can't communicate, what if I get sick, what if I don't succeed like I want to, etc. I really hope my time in Guatemala pushes me out of my comfort zone.
I can’t wait for us to get there!! I think this trip will show me whether or not I am ready to work over-seas full-time after school. It will put into perspective how well I can deal with language barriers, weather conditions and cultural norms that are different from my own. I hope that I will have the opportunity to learn with students in Guatemala and understand what they experience as students in a developing country.
I am not quite certain what I will learn in Guatemala or what to expect when in Guatemala, but that makes me excited. The purpose of participating in this trip was to explore what is not known to me and to learn from new experiences and to come to my own conclusions after having experiences to reflect on. I think I will learn about music that I am not familiar with or have not studied in my undergraduate degree. I am hoping to learn to communicate through music and gestures because of language barriers. I am hoping that by gaining this new experience I will continue to grow, expand my knowledge and become a more confident and capable educator (which I will never stop doing I hope).
I look forward to seeing some new places around the country and learning more about the culture itself. I hope to learn as much as I can from the people we talk to, and bring back some music I can use in my own classroom. In return I hope to give those we meet a positive experience with myself, sharing my culture and songs.
I look forward to learning the history of Guatemala, specifically about colonialism, and see in person how this has effected Guatemalan culture. I am interested to hear how they interpret colonialism from their perspective, especially how it effects their political views, and their educational practices. I expect that decolonization will be a topic discussed at the university, but I am interested to see how the average person feels they are affected by it, perhaps it may be normalized or internalized.
I hope to leave those in Guatemala with a fond memory of me, of being a nice honest and open person. I hope to make the people laugh and smile there and leave them with memory of the passion I shared with them for music. As a teacher I am always trying to share that passion with my students and this is no different. I hope to also learn new teaching methods and see how I can integrate the culture I learn into my teachings. For this experience I will try to keep as open mind as possible and put forward a positive attitude like I have in the past with my students. This allows me to connect with the people I meet and absorb as much information as possible.
OUR FIRST DAY OF TRAVEL- some of us going through El Salvador, Panama City, Mexico City - Miami and Atlanta. Two of us have already arrived (the hotel lobby below). (This is Melissa's first trip by airplane - she got wings, but you can't see them)