The Story of Barbra

At the beginning of this article I could relate to Barbra according to her background. I am also a white female whom grew up in an all white community. A community such as this is strong and proud of its members. However, it is close minded as to what is outside it's little bubble. There are stereotypes within, as there are in any sort of group, but it does not allow members to see from different perspectives.  I am thankful that I had a strong desire to see the world and would have done anything to get such an experience. My study abroad experience is one that changed my life because I was able to squirm outside the fence that had restricted me from knowing what was always on the other side. 

I dove head first into another culture. By moving outside of what I always knew, I had to continue developing language skills; at a faster rate than I ever had before. If the first time I had ever gone to a Mexican restaurant and I had an epiphany that my whole life now had meaning, my parents would have saved a lot of money. A trip to taco bell was not going to make me 'see the light' that culture is not just one dimension. I understand where Barbra came from in the comparing and contrasting of what was American vs. 'their country's traditions.' We found ourselves often discussing this in our Spanish classes at the Universidad, but as time went by it was not so easy. Things I experienced were not just Spanish or American anymore, I found myself relating more or less to certain moments. I was not raised to believe or follow my parents beliefs, they gave me room to grow and explore on my own. As Barbra did not want to continue learning about other cultures because of a negative experience, I feel like culture is much like that. This country, this world being such a melting pot, we live by different moments that define us. Some are good, some are bad; some are fulfilling and some are disappointing. Never does one have to leave their own roots, but they should have the room to grow without feeling as if they are abandoning what 'should' define them. 

My roommate and I became good friends with the two gentlemen who ran the cafe next door to our apartment. We went there on a daily basis to talk, eat, drink, or do homework. Being two locals, who were not near the university so didn't often get the chance to meet Americans, they were fascinated with Chicago trivia. They asked us about Obama, the Chicago Bulls, and about where the actual location of Chicago was (they thought it was near California). As we got to know each other, conversations were more about daily interactions or events versus something so generic. I found it interesting that Barbra had discovered that students had specific characteristics coming from different cultures. I found it even more interesting that she made this observation to David. As Jose & Alex go to know us, they grew to know our mannerisms. They did not associate things as 'American' they associated them to our own identities. David's take on the 'politics of difference' seems its according to whom is looking at the situation and how they are doing so. I enjoy where Barbra states that groups try to connect positive attributes to their heritage and that a thin line exists in teaching. We as teachers must both acknowledge the cultures that grace our classrooms, but we must also make sure that we are not stereotyping, we must make sure that we are not limiting our students to just being 'one' version of themselves.