Belize Week 2
Since traveling all over Belize this week, I have learned an enormous amount about the people of Belize and it's culture. It was very interesting to see the ways that the people in other parts of Belize such as Punta Gorda were so different than those in San Pedro and San Ignacio. When I am in San Pedro and even in San Ignacio, I did not feel as much as an outsider. The people are very friendly and welcoming, and are not surprised to see someone from another country in their area. When I got to Punta Gorda, however, I felt much more like it was obvious that I was not from there and that people knew it. People were still friendly, however I felt there was more of a division between us and the local people. I really enjoyed getting to travel all over the country and see the different types of people that inhabit Belize that I normally wouldn't get to see if we stayed in San Pedro. Most of our bus rides were full of different people from Belize such as Mennonites and Mayan's which was really interesting to see. Although they are all so different, they are able to get along with each other and live together peacefully.
Traveling through Belize the past week has taught me more about what people who are not from the United States must feel like. In San Pedro, I felt more comfortable and more like my being there was not surprising. When we traveled to Punta Gorda, I wasn't uncomfortable but I felt more like it may have taken me longer to adapt to the culture there than it has living in San Pedro. This made me think about the ways that as Americans, we often find it offensive or insulting whenever someone from a different country comes to the United States and doesn't do everything like we would. We don't always take the time to realize that people who come to the United States grew up with their own culture and values, and that it may be difficult for them to adjust to our way of living, just like it would be for us. We always say it's important to make people and students who are not from the United States feel welcome and like they are part of our community, however I feel like I would not have known how to do that appropriately if I had not had the opportunity to travel through Belize. Until you have been the outsider in someone else's country, you don't know how to make someone feel fully welcome in your country.
This will impact me as a teacher because it is almost certain that I will have multiple student's who are not from the United States. Because of this experience, I will be able to further connect with them on a level much deeper than if I were someone who had not had to adapt to another culture myself. I will be able to understand the concerns that the student may be having and help them find a way to feel as comfortable and included in my classroom as they can be. I will be able to understand the difficulties the student may have feeling like they can't relate to other students in the classroom or that they may have difficulty finding friends because they grew up differently than their peers. I will be able to understand these feelings because I have felt them at times myself while living in Belize. I will be able to cultivate a strong inclusive community within my classroom that embraces all cultures and ethnicities.
Traveling through Belize the past week has taught me more about what people who are not from the United States must feel like. In San Pedro, I felt more comfortable and more like my being there was not surprising. When we traveled to Punta Gorda, I wasn't uncomfortable but I felt more like it may have taken me longer to adapt to the culture there than it has living in San Pedro. This made me think about the ways that as Americans, we often find it offensive or insulting whenever someone from a different country comes to the United States and doesn't do everything like we would. We don't always take the time to realize that people who come to the United States grew up with their own culture and values, and that it may be difficult for them to adjust to our way of living, just like it would be for us. We always say it's important to make people and students who are not from the United States feel welcome and like they are part of our community, however I feel like I would not have known how to do that appropriately if I had not had the opportunity to travel through Belize. Until you have been the outsider in someone else's country, you don't know how to make someone feel fully welcome in your country.
This will impact me as a teacher because it is almost certain that I will have multiple student's who are not from the United States. Because of this experience, I will be able to further connect with them on a level much deeper than if I were someone who had not had to adapt to another culture myself. I will be able to understand the concerns that the student may be having and help them find a way to feel as comfortable and included in my classroom as they can be. I will be able to understand the difficulties the student may have feeling like they can't relate to other students in the classroom or that they may have difficulty finding friends because they grew up differently than their peers. I will be able to understand these feelings because I have felt them at times myself while living in Belize. I will be able to cultivate a strong inclusive community within my classroom that embraces all cultures and ethnicities.
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