Post #2

I stumbled upon this website culturecrossing.net, and it gave me a pretty good view of Jamaican life and how to act when visiting. It talked about many things, from how to act when first meeting Jamaicans to student life to interpersonal relationships. One thing that really struck me was the taboo section of the website. It said to not talk about politics and homosexuality. I don't know, that's an interesting aspect of the culture that I never though of. It also talked about perceptions of time. I am interested to see how "island time" is going to work - I am excited for the laid back nature of the Jamaicans. To me, the website paints the Jamaicans as relaxed people that enjoy the great things about life. The government seems to be strict, which could also be why people are so relaxed.

My first impression of Jamaica is of course, the beach, reggae, and rasta culture. I know that's not exactly an accurate view of the culture, but it's what I know. I probably have gotten this view through popular American culture. I also know that Jamaica has root in the sugar trade and that current Jamaican culture is formed from the slavery and trade of the past. I honestly have made an active effort to not form any preconceptions of the country. I did this so that I can form my own first-hand opinions of Jamaica. I honestly am so ecstatic to travel to a new country and have a whole new experience.

Honestly, I am not afraid to learn about a new culture. I love trying new things and meeting new people. I cannot wait for my first experience abroad in Jamaica. The only thing I am a little apprehensive about is the airport, of course. However, that really has no effect on the experience in Jamaica. I feel like that goes with the normal happenings of traveling abroad for the first time. I look forward to this incredible experience and complete immersion in another culture.

Before the trip... Post #1

Iyer lists many reasons why we travel. The first one he mentions is that we travel "to become young fools again." This reminds me of the wild adventures that you dream about as a kid. Traveling the world is a grown-up version of the games you imagine when you are young.

Another reason Iyer states to travel is in search of hardship. To me, this means that we travel to gain understanding of how good we have it. Seeing others' hardships gives us a deepened world view and a sense of wisdom. 

We also travel to leave our lives at home behind, to create a whole new version of ourselves. Actually, I don't even think we create a new version of oureslves. Rather, we discover a whole side of ourselves that we didn't even know about. 

Another reason we travel is to "shake up our complacencies," or to "fill in the gaps left by tomorrow's headlines." By experiencing the Earth and its people, we become more aware of the problems we face. For example, the international water crisis is a lot more urgent when we are in poor countries, seeing children ill from drinking bad water. 

A final reason to travel, according to Iyer is to share ourselves with the world. Our customs, values, and beliefs are just as important as the people we meet. Iyer says that when we travel, "we become walking video screens and living newspapers...of our homelands."

Benedick's story is filled with different types of communication and miscommunication. It explores the different interactions between a Navajo family living on a reservation-type setting and the white people that they deal with. It explores each member of Ella's family and their differing views of white people. Some people, like Jack, are forced to deal with white people more. Jack worked as a custodian, and is grateful for the opportunities white people have "given him," such as a TV. However, he is not completely dependent on them. Bessie, however, doesn't like white people. She thinks doctors make people sicker and her children need not learn about the white man's history. Then again, she hasn't had as much contact with white people as Jack. While the Navajo have many reasons to be resentful of white people, there are miscommunications here. The story also discusses how the family gets things such as aspirin and cloth from reservation workers, so, they do get valuable resources from the white people. Likewise, the white people misunderstand the Navajos. There is a part which talks about how the white women cannot understand why Ella's mother only needs a yarn for her hair, or simple tennis shoes from K-Mart. The point of this story is to in order to understand and truly get to know someone, you must genuinely see from their perspective and way of seeing first.

Illich tells Americans not to come do mission work in Mexico because it's essentially pointless. He says that we are basically tampering with the natural ecosystem of Mexican culture. First, by coming to do mission work, we automatically assume that our Americanized lifestyle is the nest way to live, and that everyone should want to live like us. Next, most American imports deal with the middle class; a language barrier and fear of liability of Americans getting harmed keeps us primarily from dealing with the poorest of the poor. Finally, Illich says that our "development" allows for the perfect concoction of disorder to cause violence and turmoil when we leave. Dictators eat this stuff up. This really opens my eyes. Rather than blindly jumping into Petersfield and Americanizing all of the poor Jamaicans, I will go in with a wiser and more respectful view of these people and their culture and how they live. I think all mission workers should read this before heading abroad, so that the culture they serve may be respected and helped stably.

Even though we've gone over our introductions, I'll put one again. My name is Cori Lucotch, and I'm a sophomore here at WVU. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, PA. I'm majoring in visual journalism, and yes, I did switch my major from TV journalism since my last introduction. Eventually, I want to perhaps go to a film or an art school and travel the world, doing films or some multimedia form for PBS, Nat Geo, or another organization. On campus, I am the Vice President of the WVU chapter of RTDNA (Radio, Television, and Digital News Association), and I DJ and work on the News Staff at U92-FM, the campus radio station. I am an active member of the WVU Newman Club (the Catholic club) and I am in the student choir there. I also work at the cafe in the downtown bookstore, which is where I meet a lot of interesting and diverse people. I really enjoy art and music (anything from broadway show scores to college radio music), and I actually have played guitar since I was ten. I'm so excited to travel outside of the country for the first time on my very first airplane...and see the beach for the first time! I really enjoy serving others and cannot wait to take that love of service to an international level. I'm sure next week will be filled with great memories and good friends!