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Pre-departure thoughts!

As I embark on this exciting journey of the SLA programme, I find myself brimming with both anticipation and curiosity. However, to truly take full advantage of what is about to come, I want to take this opportunity to delve into my own cultural background, explore my intercultural goals, and set the stage for the transformative journey that lies ahead. I believe that it’s important to acknowledge the profound influence of my cultural groups on my values, assumptions, and experiences. Growing up, I have been shaped by a mainly monocultural background made up of cultural conflict and strict customs passed down through generations. However, my lack of exposure to other cultures instilled in me a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives and an eagerness to engage with new cultures. Recognizing this, I enter the SLA experience with a desire to expand my cultural horizons, challenge my preconceived notions, and foster a greater understanding of the world around me.

The decision to immerse myself in a foreign culture stems from a deep longing (almost obsession) to expand my worldview, embrace new perspectives, and challenge myself in ways that can only be achieved through firsthand experiences. I believe that this journey will foster personal growth, enhance my intercultural competence, and shape me into a more empathetic, adaptable, and globally aware individual. I anticipate that this SLA experience will be transformative, pushing me outside my comfort zone and exposing me to unfamiliar environments, customs, and ideas. I am eager to witness firsthand the interplay between culture and daily life, to engage in meaningful cross-cultural exchanges, and to learn from the diverse individuals I will encounter along the way. Through this adventure, I anticipate that I will not only gain a deeper understanding of the world but also uncover new facets of myself.

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Pre-Departure Goals

Through my SLA, I am ecstatic to return to Cuenca, Ecuador to study Spanish. My first experience came through the gap year program Global Citizen Year, where I spent the 2019-2020 academic year living outside of Cuenca in a town called Paute, teaching English and living with my host family. I have dreamed of returning after the Covid pandemic ended the program early, and I pounced at the opportunity to return through SLA.

I am also using my SLA experience to prepare for my independent research project for my International Development Studies minor, exploring ways to reduce tension between Venezuelan migrants and their host population in Quito, Ecuador. My plans after my SLA have played a large role in shaping my goals while I am here. Through my previous experience in Ecuador, I gained a beginner level of Spanish abilities and dipped my toes in the water of Ecuadorian culture, but I lacked depth in my cultural engagement. With this in mind, I am hoping to use my in-class assignments and private tutoring sessions at my Spanish school to focus on engaging with these more complex aspects of Ecuador, and due to the broader political climate in Ecuador and the controversial President Lasso’s move to institute a “muerte cruzada“, politics currently plays an integral role of weekly conversations in Ecuador.

Informed by my previous experience in Ecuador, I am also keenly aware of the toll that being abroad in a non-English speaking country can take, and so I am making plans to ensure that I have time to rest and recuperate without fully removing myself from Spanish engagement. Without a proper self-care regimen, I will quickly burn out, despite my familiarity with Cuenca. Because of this, I am hoping to find Spanish bookstores, and Spanish TV and movies that will give me an avenue to rest without fully walling myself off from cultural engagement. While keeping this habit may be difficult, it will pay dividends the longer I am in country, making my classes and daily Spanish interactions much easier as I resist the urge to fall back into English.

While I am unsure exactly what this experience may bring, I am beyond excited to challenge my Spanish abilities, deeply engage in Ecuadorian culture, and reconnect with a city and host family that I have missed dearly.

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Cam before the Storm

The SLA has been an interesting experience so far. I am an American-Israeli, who has lived on multiple continents. I have always considered myself a fairly open minded person. Discussing the IDI with other SLA students, it appears that “open minded” might mean different things to different people. While some believe being open minded simply amounts to “live and let live,” it seems to me that one must actively try to understand the prespective of others.

This leads to the uncomfortable understanding that we are not, in fact, all the same. Different cultures truly are different, and they don’t have the same social norms and customs. Sometimes, a new social norm can feel completely bizarre. We have to acknowledge our differences before we can start learning from each other.

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Lost in Japan (1): The Fool

View from Mexico City's Torre Latinoamericana

Hello, I’m Daniel Miranda-Pereyra. I’m majoring in Accountancy and Economics with a minor in Japanese. 

I am a bookkeeper on my family’s farm, so I picked up accountancy; I’m afraid of AI taking my accounting job away, so I picked up economics; and my siblings studied Mandarin Chinese and Korean, so I decided to study Japanese without having a clear image of using it in the future. And now, I find myself fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to live in Japan for a little over 2 months. I actually have a bit of research taking place in Eastern Japan and a language program in Nagoya. Thus, this super-trip came to be! 

And well… I’m not quite lost in Japan. At least not yet. But I enjoy getting lost. It’s actually one of my goals! Ideally, it won’t be stressful or last more than 16 hours, but that’s the thrill and purpose of traveling: to step out of your comfort zone. Being lost presents you with the perfect opportunity to grow one’s mindset. And that is the whole purpose of traveling abroad, right? We wish to view a different part of the world and adopt a new perspective. Something along those lines, at least. So, what should we call adventurous people like us?

The Fool

I view the Fool as someone not necessarily reckless through ignorance, but rather inept and naive. One would think that our potential is limitless, but I believe that the one thing restraining us is our worldview. It narrows our vision and restricts our ability to consider new ideas. Before arriving at Notre Dame, I was just your average Mexican-American in rural South Carolina. I never explored beyond the South. And look at me now! In Asia of all places. Since coming to Notre Dame, I’ve gotten lost in Chicago, London, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City. And I can’t wait to add Tokyo and Nagoya to that list.  I’d like to think I have the mindset of an “experienced” traveler, but I’ve never really felt out of place even though I was “lost” on these excursions. Knowledge of the language in a host country greatly enhances the cultural experience. 

Within the context of this trip, I am rife with cultural illiteracy. My Japanese is at a baby’s level. I know very little about Japan’s history. And the only culture I am aware of is Netflix’s anime section that I’ve never touched. 

But I am full of curiosity, too. I want to ride the trains! I want to wait for the green at the crosswalk! I want to go to a 7-Eleven! Riveting stuff! And I am not kidding. Those are some of my objectives. 

I’ve established myself as a fool, but at least I’m aware of the bubble. Step one- the first step-  is complete. The second and last step is acknowledging the unknown entropy outside of our walls and traversing it. We each have our own ambitions in life. But we also have the responsibility to actively grow and provide that opportunity for others. I’m a lucky fool. I get to travel this summer. But I have friends and family in the South that have not had that privilege. I’ve grown alongside them and have seen each of them branch out into the adults that they are today. Some with open-minded hearts and others with cynicism. It makes me wonder what my outcome would have been without leaving South Carolina. 

I most definitely want to learn the language. But I see this trip as a chance to understand the people of Japan a bit more. Empathy has and will always be the most valuable skill in this world. And in a few months, I will have the responsibility to reflect on my experiences to help bridge that gap, not just for myself but for others as well. That’s kind of the purpose of this blog, too, right? There is no right way to live one’s life, but there certainly are bad ways. Letting experiences in our mind atrophy is such a case. 

Cheers,

Daniel