Why Am I Here?

Talya Zemach-Bersin´s article makes an interesting point: that American students abroad can´t be "global citizens." I agree with this to an extent. I also think some programs can offer a better immersion experience than others. Zemach-Bersin explains, "An international education that focuses on American-based discursive ideals rather than experiental realities can hardly be said to position students in this country for successful lives of global understanding." Although I agree that despite the months I´ve spent immersed in Ecuadorian culture and lifestyle, I will never truly be anything but a North American, I believe my program has successfully offered its students an experience that surpasses merely tourism.

After two mothes in Quito, learning about the country by reading, attending lectures, and traveling to tourist sites on the weekend, we moved to our internship sites. At our various internships all throughout the country, we were required to integrate ourselves into the community and work for six weeks. This experience was exactly the "productive discomfort" I needed to cross the barrier between merely touring a country to living in it. I was removed from all my American friends in the program, removed from internet, and far from any urban area. I spent six weeks without traveling. I worked Monday through Friday in the local school, and spent my free time with my family and helping out in the community.

I will never truly be a part of this community nor fully understand the culture and the struggles that the community faces. I will always be most comfortable in the US, speaking my own language, and with poeple who share my culture. However, my experience interning in the indigenous community of San Clemente has offered a more organic view of a culture, a look behind the thick stage curtain that separates the true lives of a people and the face they present to tourists. There are no red carpets nor special priviledges for me here, just the true life of a community that was kind enough to welcome me to learn from and share with them.