We are constantly debriefing - receiving information up the wazoo. Yesterday, Tuesday, August 2, was a bit more relaxed. I went on a tour of D.C., via buses - there were 4 to accommodate as many of the 400 grantees that wanted to go. At first I didn't want to go, as I have been to D.C. but then I realized IT'S BEEN 16 YEARS SINCE I WAS HERE!!! Where did those years go?@! The tour was fun and informative. We went up and down the main streets seeing important buildings and monuments. We went up to the Lincoln Memorial and also to the White House.
Later we had an opening dinner and it's so interesting all of the places that Americans will be traveling to and where the counterparts are from - Latvia, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, India, Turkey, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, and more, and of course, Mexico. The National Teacher of the Year spoke - a really young guy from D.C. The keynote address given by Dina Habib Powell, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. She knows first hand what an impact cultural exchanges can make as she was born in Egypt and raised in the United States.
Today, Wednesday, August 3, has been a long day. We began with breakfast around 7:15 - which reminds me to mention the food here, at the Holiday Inn - it's pretty good, actually, really good, especially the desserts.
We have had two sessions of "Homeroom" where an alumni who went to Mexico on a Fulbright grant two years ago spoke with us Americans who are going to Mexico. He addressed topics from telephones to grading to classroom discipline to not throwing toilet paper in - of all places - the toilet.
There was a fantastic session given by Craig Storti, a former Peace Corps trainer, on The Art of Crossing Cultures - he has written a book by the same title. He was funny and enlightening. Each region of the world consulted among themselves on various behaviors and beliefs that the country as a whole demonstrates. This U.S. - Mexico exchange will prove to be at least a bit challenging as the U.S. and Latin America were often on opposite ends of the spectrum. While the U.S. more strongly believes that "what you accomplish in life is up to you" Latin Americans believe that fate also plays a role in how much you achieve. Those from the U.S. "Think first in terms of self and then in terms of the group or team" while those from Latin America think more "about the good of the group or team, and then their own good." It was surprising to me that while the U.S. views students as active participants in class and are encouraged to become involved, almost the same is true of Latin America. The Mexican sitting next to me explained that much has changed more recently. While in the U.S. the management style is more democratic, in Latin America it leans more towards an authoritarian style. Finally, and I think possibly more importantly, in the U.S. people are often fairly direct with one another saying "what they're thinking and meaning what they say." In Latin America it is more common to be indirect as "people don't always say what they're thinking or mean what they say."
Interestingly in this cross-cultural experience, it is the Mexicans who will accompany me this evening to watch our nation's pastime - we're going to see the Washington Nationals take on the Los Angeles Dodges at RFK Stadium - none of the Americans were interested!
