This trip has formed how I see myself in the world. Remember, before I boarded the plane, I was very critical of service learning and its effects. This class and course has given me the community to unpack what I truly think about global-service learning. In the spring, I will be boarding an even longer plane ride to Stellenbosch, South Africa. Without this course, I would have had to wrestle with these questions by myself, many, many miles away. Now, I have the skills needed to be critical of service and global engagement and my participation in it. One outcome that I did not expect, is a new appreciation for art as a vehicle for social justice. Although I am not particularly artistic, I have seen the power of art as a way to express truth. In Chicano Park and on the border, I witnessed the most vulnerable, bare and honest art I may ever seen. I will never forget that. That truth will stay will me as a symbol of why I cannot forget this trip. The people I met in Tijuana, Rosa, Esperanza, Eduardo and Sister Olga, to name a few, each gave me a responsibility. This responsibility is their story. I was given the incredible honor of listening to their stories and now I have to both grasp unto these stories and let them free. With privilege, comes responsibility. I have learned an incredible amount about a subject I knew nothing about: immigration. There are many conversations going on in the U.S. centered on this topic. I have the responsibility to hold those stories in my heart as I speak the truth I have learned. When I talk, fight and take action about the injustices surrounding migration, I will be fueled by the stories I have heard.
Although there have been significant impacts, such as learning about immigration theory and policies, there have also been more subtle changes. For example, I have developed the capacity to analyze the intention of language that one uses. The implications of words and phrases have serious consequences. Words, such as illegal and alien, morph how people perceive others and themselves. Other words may reveal the inner working of someone's heart. I saw this especially in the translation of Spanish words to English with intense care and intention. Although language can serve as a barrier, it can also unify people over the beauty of linguistics.
Although this experience has been incredible, it has also reminded me about the value of my more immediate community. One reading in particular, "The Reductive Seduction of Other Peoples' Problems" made me question why exactly I believed that I needed to go to another country to "do service". This took me aback and shook me to my core. Why was it that I chose to leave my country rather than addressing the many problems within it? After deep reflection and self-evaluation, I still have no found an answer. It may be for a sense of control or to avoid the overwhelming issues around me. Either way, I do have a desire to run. This realization has made me where I will go in the future and how to look at the problems that surround me at every turn rather than those I can pack neatly away in a box labeled "Tijuana". Going forward, I will never forget the people, perspective and empowerment I saw in TJ. However, I will also look to those to my right and left and strive to learn more about those people, perspectives and opportunities for empowerment and justice.
Although there have been significant impacts, such as learning about immigration theory and policies, there have also been more subtle changes. For example, I have developed the capacity to analyze the intention of language that one uses. The implications of words and phrases have serious consequences. Words, such as illegal and alien, morph how people perceive others and themselves. Other words may reveal the inner working of someone's heart. I saw this especially in the translation of Spanish words to English with intense care and intention. Although language can serve as a barrier, it can also unify people over the beauty of linguistics.
Although this experience has been incredible, it has also reminded me about the value of my more immediate community. One reading in particular, "The Reductive Seduction of Other Peoples' Problems" made me question why exactly I believed that I needed to go to another country to "do service". This took me aback and shook me to my core. Why was it that I chose to leave my country rather than addressing the many problems within it? After deep reflection and self-evaluation, I still have no found an answer. It may be for a sense of control or to avoid the overwhelming issues around me. Either way, I do have a desire to run. This realization has made me where I will go in the future and how to look at the problems that surround me at every turn rather than those I can pack neatly away in a box labeled "Tijuana". Going forward, I will never forget the people, perspective and empowerment I saw in TJ. However, I will also look to those to my right and left and strive to learn more about those people, perspectives and opportunities for empowerment and justice.