Summer Language Abroad 2023

Hola a todxs!

For this blog post, I’m going to share my experience of asking a Mexican friend, who we’ll call Ana, what she thinks about Americans. Because I do interviews as a core part of my research, here’s a disclaimer: this is not a research interview, and it’s coded to be anonymous. I met Ana for a cafecito and asked her some questions about her impressions of Americans. For context, we had this conversation in Oaxaca Centro. Ana is originally from CDMX (Ciudad de Mexico), and has worked in hospitality for many years. Ana has met many Americans, primarily in tourism settings.

Ana shared with me some familiar impressions of Americans that I have heard before: we are loud, demanding, and sometimes inconsiderate travelers. One of the examples she gave me was really interesting: she noticed that often Americans don’t move for locals on the sidewalk, even when locals are carrying heavy things such as carts or water jarras (jugs) (which is often!). Having been raised by immigrant parents, I have for much of my life been keenly aware of these American stereotypes, and have tried to avoid embodying them. I’m sure I haven’t done that perfectly; I inhabit many spaces and identities, and being American is one of them.

As Ana and I kept talking, she shared with me some positive thoughts about Americans, including that we’re more open minded. This surprised me, especially in the wake of the U.S.’s political conditions for the last few years, and the increasing tensions and issues arising with the U.S.’s foreign policy that directly affects the lives of many Mexicans. I think this heterostereotype of open-mindedness contrasts Mexican and American culture in a specifically gendered way; in Mexico, the culture (especially for women) has more intense expectations for modesty and traditional roles in domestic life. In general, I would agree with Ana’s assessments of Americans, while maintaining my perspective of curiosity that wants to know more about how these dynamics, and perceptions of these dynamics, develop and change over time.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Was I prepared for my summer in Jordan in any way? Absolutely not. There were extremely tough days, my classes were hard, and the culture was strange. However, I got more out of this trip than I could have ever imagined. At the beginning of the summer, I was annoyed and scared by the call to prayer blasting throughout my neighborhood. By the end of the summer, I saw the beauty, dedication, and devoutness of this ritual. 

Every week I was there, the strangeness of the Jordanian culture turned to beauty in my eyes. I not only learned the language, but I was able to experience a culture of religion, history, and pride. I shared funny moments with my classmates trying to navigate the city, order food, and just survive in this unfamiliar place. What was arguably more powerful was what I learned about myself and my culture. In America, many people see our culture as burgers, beer, and football. However, Jordanian culture is anchored heavily to family and religion. In the US family sizes have shrunk and Sunday is no longer a day of rest. High achievement, innovation, and money lead the lives of many Americans, yet these themes were not present at all in Jordan. While I was shocked initially, I learned that sharing a meal with family and devoting your entire Friday to prayer was far more important to the Jordanians than anything else. The family unit truly was a unit here, and people did not leave their houses until they were starting a family of their own. Along these lines, many Jordanians took us Americans in as a family. They said that because we are far from our families, we could be a part of theirs. This to me was beautiful. My professor and a lady we met at Church both said that I could call them “Om”, the word for mother in Arabic. 

On the other hand, I learned the not-so-beautiful parts of the culture. I saw firsthand, how the lives of women can be hard due to the obligations within the family structure. Also, the lack of a robust government structure meant public transportation and social services were scarce. Like the US, Jordan is not perfect, but being able to live there and experience the good and bad was critical to my formation as a human being. Despite cultural and especially religious differences, I was able to conclude that the thing that unites us all is our humanity. While some people did not like us because of our religion or the fact we were Americans, there were many who acknowledged this difference and accepted the beauty of it. Words cannot describe my experience this summer, but it was the most formative experience of my life. This experience has allowed me to think about what it means to be a better global citizen for others, how differences in culture can affect everything, and how how to appreciate something that is so different.

This summer I spent roughly seven weeks in Georgia from the largess of the Notre Dame SLA grant, the Nanovic institute, and the Russian department. Georgia is an ancient land. It was one of the first countries to christianize, and has been at the crossroad between larger empires for millennia. Nestled amidst the foothills and valleys of the Caucuses, Georgia has preserved its unique culture amidst a tempestuous past. Some speculate that it was here amidst the verdant foothills and sloping broad valleys of the Caucuses that fermented grape juice would be first processed and drank. Wine has become central to Georgian culture, and this sense of merriment continues through piquant Georgian cuisine and all palatable potables.

During an initial three day sojourn in Tbilisi, I was met with breathtaking views, lavish dining, and an unforgettable wine tour in Georga’s Kakheti region. By train I carried on towards the black sea coast and arrived in the subtropical port of Batumi, where I met my wonderful host family. There were eight people living in the three bedroom modest Brezhnevka apartment, and while sharing one bathroom was hard they were all very hospitable, friendly, and warm to my stay.

Georgian cuisine was impeccable (especially for somebody who loves warm bread, cheeses, and meats) and I was made two meals a day from my lovely host Babushka named Leila. I was further regaled with the homemade “cha cha” (Georgian moonshine) many a night. In Batumi I partook in a Russian language immersion program that was both a part of my academic plan and of immense personal interest. Class met four hours each weekday, supplemented by language partner practice. My partner was a married woman fleeing Kherson, Ukraine and working in Batumi while her husband was a sailor. My linguistic skills have greatly increased. Moving into a completely non-English speaking environment was a shock therapeutic experience for bolstering my language skills, but upon reflection I have improved my Russian alot.I was taught by primarily Ukrainian teachers and the class was quite rigorous, but I have come off with a much better grasp on conversational Russian. After class each day I would also take time to explore the city. It helped that the numerous cafes I frequented were run by either young Russian or Ukrainian emigres to Batumi who have come since the war’s inception, as I got great practice. Although I did adjust culturally and grow, there was little need to as the hospitality of Georgia was so resplendent and welcoming I always felt at home. 

The streets of Batumi were always vibrant, with babushkas vending old items and old men gambling at backgammon on the sidewalk. Georgia is also very safe and children would play on the streets until 2am at night. I was very surprised by the quantity of American products in this small caucasian country that held the world away. The Republic of Georgia does not host the teeming throngs of American tourists that crowd the cities of Western Europe every Summer. Few Americans visit Georgia, and it is much more frequented by Russians, Turks and other tourists coming from regional caucasian countries and the Middle East. Moreover, few Georgians have ever been to America, and even less emigrate to America. However, many of our ubiquitous products and brands reach across the ocean and sea and find themselves in many family homes.  I was also interested in the cultural and political circumstances I heard about through the talk of locals, in particular about the future of Georgia. Georgia has been pursuing greater ties with the west and in many street corners the EU flag is flown beside the Georgian flag. This orientation towards the west is reflected by the hopes among the country’s young and progressive voters to pursue greater ties with Europe and join the EU, and many young people are more curious about America and American culture. Talking with so many emigres from the War was really eye opening and led me to value the stories of these people I met much more than the news reports of the conflict that are constantly discussed back home.

The excursions were also amazing. Georgian nature is breathtaking, and the program I took part in offered extrusions to Svaneti high in the caucasus mountains, the botanical gardens of Batumi, and cooking/dancing courses. Reflecting on my time there I would say I did meet my goals of reaching a more proficient comprehension and speaking level of the Russian language. I would highly recommend going to Georgia for anybody who enjoys: Food, culture, hearty conversation, nature, the post Soviet world and more. Georgia has something for everyone, and I will never forget my seven weeks there.