Mexico and Other Intercultural Endeavors

¡Hola!  

This post began in Matamoros, Mexico.  It's a small-ish town right on the other side of Brownsville, Texas, and it's where a good friend of mine will be living for the next two years.

A few weeks ago, he asked me to travel with him to his new home, and I gladly obliged.  I left Union and traveled to Birmingham where I met up with a few friends for dinner before heading out for Mexico.  We left Birmingham and drove to Mississippi where we stopped for the night.


The next day we traveled for over 12 hours, making stops in New Orleans and several smaller towns in Texas.  


On the next day, we finally made it to Brownsville where we took care of some business and crossed the border.  Technically, this was my second time in Mexico, so I knew a little bit of what to expect.  This time around, however, I was a little bit more comfortable with the language.  Go back and read that again, I said a little.  


We arrived at his fantastic house and met several people.  Naturally, everyone around me spoke fluent Spanish.  Though at times this was frustrating, I did my best to listen and pick up as much as possible.  There were only minor mishaps due to language such as the waiter boxing up the tiny morsels of steak that I hadn't eaten rather than just taking my plate.  No big.  


All in all, I was honored to accompany my friend on this journey and had a great time doing it and experiencing a fairly new culture all at the same time.


Since I've been back at Union, I've been searching for opportunities to both learn languages and interact with people from other cultures.  I know they are here.  I just have to find them.


Last week, I helped with an ESL program at Andrew Jackson Middle School.  Essentially, it's helping kids with homework, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The kids think it's super cool that I know even what little bit of Spanish I can speak, and I think it's LEGIT that they can speak both Spanish and English.


I also found a multinational ministry at church that seeks to teach English, as well as share the gospel, with internationals in the Jackson community.  There were Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish speakers there, all seeking to master English.  It was really cool to help them learn about simple things like weather and clothing items, and it made me recognize how important it is that you really practice when learning a language.  The cultural interactions were so interesting to watch.  Such a mix.  


Furthermore, through this program, I was able to meet a man from Seoul, South Korea, which is where I will be headed ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!  Talking to him and learning even just a little bit about my destination made me stoked about my trip.  I can't wait to immersed in a culture and language about which I know literally nothing.  

The next post will probably be written outside the United States.  Can't wait for that.