Final Entry: Love my World Relief Family

The experience over the past two months with my family has been AMAZING!  I love the family I was put with and we have formed a unique bond.  Some themes I noticed across my experience with the family include communication barriers, unique reaction to technology, thankfulness, difference in greetings, and difference in time orientation.

First off, there were several barriers in regards to communication.   Although I am fluent in Spanish, it will still difficult as the Spanish in Cuba is slightly different than that of Spain/Mexico type Spanish which I am more familiar with.  To get around the barriers, we used a lot of hand signals, pointing to pictures, and different objects in the room to get our messages across.  This seems to have worked very effectively and we tend to almost always understand each other eventually.  Also, the family has had a unique reaction to technology.  The children and parents thought my iPad and iPhone were marvelous!  They loved interacting with Siri on my iPhone, and exploring all the different functions of the iPad and iPhone.  The family has never seen anything like it.   In addition, the family was overly thankful for all the help, whether teaching English, or just interacting with the family members.  They are blessed to be in America, and for all the help they have received in making the transition easier.  Also, the family greets others differently.  The main difference is the mother, Kati hugs me every time I walk through the door and gives me a kiss on the cheek.  I am more use to this than other people as it is a typical greeting in Spain, where I had lived for three months in 2012, however it is not something you would typically see an American doing to another person.  Lastly, the family has different time orientation than typically found in America.  They seem to be living in the moment and taking life one day at a time.  They are not as concerned about the future at this point, as they know that every thing will be okay.  I can tell they overall feel a lot safer being in America than their own country.

My experience with the Cuban family has helped me understand how to better communicate with others from another culture.  I am now able to better make use of verbal and non verbal gestures to help others understand what is being shared.  I am able to better understand where people are coming from, after working with the family.  Also, I realize I should not be startled if someone acts in a different way when communicating, as communication and gestures are different in all parts of the world.  The key is to understand that cultures around the world are different and practice different gestures and communication techniques.  When meeting families from different cultures I will make sure to listen, help, and guide them into understanding different concepts.

Overall I have had such a great experience with the family, and I will continue to help guide them until I graduate and move back to Wisconsin this semester!

Entry 5: Crazy Kiddos

My time at Luke and I's third service interaction with the Cuban family was very interesting to say the least.  I discovered that in the bathroom the family was reusing disposable diapers that Maykol uses (the 4 year old).  I found this to be pretty gross in all honesty.  I advised Kelly so that she could look into this, however this may be due to the fact that their is a lack of money to buy diapers at this time.  I assumed it also may be due to the fact that they may have done the same in Cuba and see no difference doing the same thing in America.  

In addition, Maykol secretly took one of my markers we were coloring with and colored his whole hand blue!  Oops!  He took it with him in the bathroom and then we were wondering why he was in there for so long.  He had colored his hand, and then was trying really hard to get it off so we wouldn't know.  Unfortunately he was unsuccessful, and the marker was going to take more time to get off with the help of his mom!  I learned, you must guard all supplies with your life, because Maykol will without a doubt find a way to use it in a mischievous way!

Furthermore, Felix, the 9 year old boy acted crazy during this last visit!  He discovered the idea of video recordings on my iPhone.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever!  He loved seeing and hearing himself on the video and the whole family was laughing and having a good time watching Felix be funny!  The boys would definitely put to use an iPad.  If I had the money and resources I would definitely buy the boys an iPad.  They love it and it is a great educational tool, especially as a way for them to practice their English!  

The experience I have had thus far has helped me learn how to better communicate with others from other cultures.  I noticed you need to be really patient and listen closely to the words they are saying.  There was a point in time the other night that I got really confused when trying to interpret what the father was saying.  The family and I were discussing iPad's because the family wants to save up for one for the boys.  While we were talking the father brought up if we would like bread with mayonnaise on it.  I knew what he was saying, but in the context of the situation I made myself confused, because I was focused so much on the other conversation.  Eventually I understood what he was trying to say, just due to the deep conversation we were having, my thoughts and interpretation of the Spanish language seemed to have disappeared for a few moments!

Also tonight I helped the mother, Katia, with understanding an article that was in the newspaper on Omega 3.  Katia has been trying really hard to read in English, although her skills are at an extremely low level at this point.  She focuses on key words that are similar in English and Spanish and looks at the pictures for now.  It is a great start and slowly she will begin to pick up what the articles are trying to say.  

During this service learning adventure thus far, I have learned that one must be patient, open to new ideas and circumstances, and to always keep an eye on the kiddos.  I plan on watching Maykol more carefully next time as he loves to get into trouble and make a mess!  Also, I will continue to bring my iPad as the kids thrive and learn exceptionally on the iPad.  So far I have had a great experience and I truly love the family I have been paired with!

Entry 4: Good Times

The second visit with the Cuban family was a success!  It definitely went way better than our first time with the family last week.  The translator was at our meeting this time and was able to help us understand the story behind the family and why they left Cuba.  Although I am fluent in Spanish, it helped having a translator their as she and the family are very comfortable with one another as she has helped them since day one in America.  After learning why they left Cuba (mainly for political reasons) I was definitely more empathetic for the family and their situation.  To be honest, before learning about their situation, I thought of traveling to Cuba in my future.  After learning more about the situation and violence in Cuba, I would rather not ever go to Cuba.  Especially after meeting a family who had it so bad, that they felt they had to get out of the country in order to have a more relaxed and comfortable life.  I had perceptions in regards to Cuba before meeting the family, and based on my experience with the family, my perceptions have changed once again as shown.

Another great thing about this visit was that Mykahl opened up.  The little boy who I had talked about in my last post.  Mykahl was very shy at first, but after spending a lot of time with him, he began to talk and open up to me.  Mykahl still doesn't answer every question I ask him, but he is easily distracted as he is just a young little boy!  He is definitely making strides in the right direction. In relation to Mykahl, one problem that we had is the fact that we only had one iPad, in which the kids loved.  The problem is that both of the boys did not get the idea of sharing, and Mykahl got extremely jealous whenever it was Felix's turn to use it.  I do have to say, Mykahl and Felix, the little boys just loved the iPad.  They were able to learn about instruments and then play them (on the Garageband app).  Also, I had downloaded some English/Spanish kids learning applications in which they thoroughly enjoyed without question.  Next time, the other volunteer, Maddie plans on bringing her iPad as well so we are able to work with both boys on iPads instead of taking turns.

During this session, I noticed that the mom, Katia, was very comfortable with the translator.  The translator is another women about the same age as her, so she ended up talking to her socially for almost the whole time.  She was more then kind to Luke and I, however I wish she would have interacted with us and wanted to work with us a bit more.  When the translator is not there in the future I feel we will have a better time connecting.

In terms of the stage of Knapp's relationship model, I would say the family and I are in the experimenting stage.  We are still unsure of how each other reacts in different situations and how to communicate the most effectively with one another.  We are not sharing all details of our life, and we are experimenting with what to share and how to interact with each other without question.

We are definitely working towards are hopes of helping the family become more comfortable in America.  Mykahl already considers himself American and is so excited about the fact that he is in such an amazing country.  The others are still adjusting as it is an extreme change from what they were used to, in terms of transportation, technology, living situations, etc.  I have also noticed my Spanish coming back, and noticed the ease of use I am having with Spanish.  Knowing Spanish is definitely helping teach everyone in the family the words in English.  Everyone in the family is improving every day!  In fact, Felix had his first day of school yesterday, so I suspect he will pick up English very very quickly!

During my future interactions with the family, I plan on bringing more game based activities for the kids.  Also, I plan on really trying to connect with each family member on a different level based on their needs, knowledge level, etc.  Also, in the beginning of our sessions is the best time to work with the young boys, as they are tired and restless by the end, although they LOVE to hang out and learn English with Luke and I without question!

Entry 3: First Day with Cuban family

The first day with my refugee family was very interesting.  The day started allowing 15 minutes of extra time to get to their apartment, which apparently was not enough.  Luke and I (Luke is my partner), circled around the area of the apartments location for about 40 minutes.  Unfortunately, there were some communication barriers with the address that was given to us.  Also, once we got to the family, the other volunteer apparently had left, so we had a very interesting experience figuring out the best way to work with the family.  Luckily the fact that I know English definitely helped in this situation as our family has only been in the States for 3 weeks thus far, arriving around January 27th. They speak about 97% Spanish, with the other 3% English in which they have been practicing with the other volunteers.

The family luckily was not offended by the fact we got lost.  It wasn't a big deal.  They were honestly just happy for us to meet with them.  We were a little confused as there were two little boys, instead of a little boy and girl in which we were told.  It is not a problem, however, the first night we had to call Kelly to verify that they were both boys (as one boy had long hair and could have been a girl potentially).  The next time Luke and I work with the family I plan on having a little more structure in relation to what we are teaching them.  I would like to take turns with each family member allowing one on one attention and for every one to learn at their own pace and ability level.  The father seems to know the most English, whereas the little boy, Mychal, did not speak a word to us the entire time.  My goal is to have Mychal warm up to us and be comfortable speaking and beginning to speak English words.

I assumed the family had been in the States for a few months.  I was shocked to find this out.  The first meeting was a time for Luke and I to understand the individual family members English levels and knowledge of simple things around the apartment.  Next time we will be better prepared and will be able to better respond to the needs of the family.  This service experience related to class in relation to communication barriers, and interpersonal communication between those from other cultures.  It is great to be able to connect cultural communication techniques and ideas to the service learning experience!

Entry 2: Pre-Service

I have several hopes for this service learning project.  I will be working with a Cuban family and I hope to learn more about their culture, the food they eat, the traditional clothing of their country, how they communicate, etc.  This experience will help me connect the knowledge we are learning in the classroom to every day life, due to several daily interactions with those from other cultural backgrounds.  I really want to be able to help the family as much as possible so they are more knowledgable about living in our country and feel more comfortable tackling every day life in America.  I will teach them as much as I can and I can't wait to see their improvements week to week.

I assume that World Relief in general is very helpful and makes sure the families are prepared for our arrivals.  They wouldn't put us with a family who didn't want our help.  I assume that the families we will be working with may not live in the nicest living arrangement, but are very excited to be getting help from an American citizen who can help them make a better life for their selves day to day.  Also, the family may feel uncomfortable at first, however I expect to see a significant change from day one to the last in regards to their comfort levels.

I assume that most of the population World Relief serves are going to be very unfamiliar with several items in relation to the American culture.  I expect that their English is not going to be good at all and will require significant work.  In addition, the families will be unfamiliar with what may seem common to a person raised in America, versus someone who spent time in a refugee camp with limited supplies and food.  I expect that sometimes it will be difficult and frustrating to get across something, but I know that the family and I will get through things one step at a time.  The people we are working with came from nothing, and spent time in refugee camps.  It will be a major culture shock but I know I can help the family I am working with get through this difficult time and I will help them become the best that they can be during my time working with them!

I am very glad that I am paired with a Cuban family as I am fluent in Spanish and will be able to teach the English language with guidance from the Spanish language.  I can describe things in Spanish if they do not understand what I am trying to explain to them in English.  I love learning about different cultures and places in which the Spanish language is spoken.  I hope to travel to Cuba some day and other Spanish speaking countries to help improve my Spanish speaking skills and to explore the different cultures.  Also, I am very excited to work with two little ones this semester, because I love working with kids.  Since I was a little girl I have always dreamed of having a big family and I have always loved to play with kids younger than myself.  I love working with kids and I hope to incorporate working with kids in some way in my future career.  Lastly, I love being able to teach other people.  I would love to teach at least one college level class in my future once I get my MBA.

Entry 1: How does service relate to learning?

Service relates to learning in an abundance of ways.  First off, service provides students with real world experience helping others.  In the case of this class, through serving others, we will be able to observe interpersonal interactions.   By observing these interactions, we will be able to better communicate with others in the future.  Although some students may not desire to provide service to others, it is a natural form of learning that will benefit both yourself and those that you are serving.  In addition, during class we will be learning about different aspects of communication that will in turn be visible during our time serving others in the community.    The connections made will only enhance our learning.

Furthermore, one is able to better reflect on their communication when they are helping out others.  Through reflection, one will slowly begin to learn how they communicate in relation to what is learned in the classroom.  Being able to engage with others and putting what you are learning in the classroom to use, is vital in maintaining a solid education.  Lastly, students will learn new things daily while doing their community service.  It is without question important to take things away from a service opportunity.  Providing service to others is a form of learning.