Who do I think I will be post-study abroad? -Post-Mérida I will be traveling abroad in the fall and I will be taking what I’ve learned about being a tourist here in Mexico and using that knowledge to be respectful and learn about history of all my future travels.
What did I learn about myself? About my position in America or in the world? – I learned that I am happiest learning and trying new things. I learned that when I put myself in a new situation, such as being here and trying new things, I am always so proud of myself after doing something new which is a goal of mine to give myself credit for what I’ve done and continue to do. I learned that I really do love learning about governments and the historical context of the current issues and socioeconomic differences that arise in other countries and regions. I am intrigued by the varying political issues of each nation and I decided that I want to delve more into that interest, and see what I can do with that in my future. I feel like my current position in this world is being a student because I am learning so much right now and will continue to for the rest of my life. Also as a college student I know how influential I can be in progressive change. As an American traveling to other countries with different norms and/or similar norms and the reactions from some Americans have showed me how disconnected and uneducated Americans are about other countries. In the end, I learned that I want to be knowledgeable of international governance and politics of other countries and educate through film.
What did I learn that I never want to forget? -I really enjoyed noticing how many people greet you by saying goodmorning/afternoon/night and acknowledge you in Mérida. I think it’s really sweet and I want to start being more friendly when I go out-and-about in the states. It just brings more random moments of joy into my day. I learned about Mayan women from Christi Uicab and the push for women leaders to be recognized in school curriculum as well as the non-white side of political history. I never want to forget about Marie Uicab who was a Mayan women who led the Caste War.
