Hablas espanol?

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As I leave Guatemala, I have to take a moment to reflect on this experience of traveling in a Spanish speaking country with a group of 15...of whom only 2 speak spanish.

I am travelling as part of a group led by GAP Adventures. GAP as in Great Adventure People, not the clothing store. I chose this provider for a number of reasons: first because it is an organization dedicated to sustainable tourism. They maintain small groups and tours are designed so that they benefit the local community as well as the traveller. They market to adventure travelers who want a unique experience but also aim to respect the culture they will be visiting.

They say,"We strive to show you the real world by taking you off the beaten track to the heart of the destination, and to meet the locals who call it home." In fact, their evaluations ask if you got to experience something outside of the normal tourist experience. Unfortunately, my answer was not really. That being said, I would do it again, with some more planning on my end up front.

I chose a route through Guatemala, Belize and Mexico because of the emphasis on Mayan Culture, and because 80% of the trip would be in Spanish speaking countries. I wanted to re-immerse myself in the Spanish language and learn a little mayan where possible. I chose a tour where I could do what I wanted during the day and have a place to stay and way to get to my next destination without having to worry about it. My initial mistake was relying a little too much on our GAP leaders connections for cool off-the-beaten track experiences.

Here is the thing. As an educator I believe that intercultural experiences and language are intricately tied together. I think that you can learn a lot about a culture through language, and without language you can entirely miss a chunk of the culture. I watch some people on this tour do everything in their power to not only absorb the culture, but to participate in the culture by using the limited Spanish they had at every opportunity. On the other hand I watched other people do some cool things, and not even try to speak spanish, even when it was clear that the other person had no English, and they knew the necessary words in Spanish. I honestly am at a loss to understand why people travel with zero attempt to learn or use a few words in another language. How hard is it to read a few words off a menu? How hard is it to make up a cue card of a few necessary phrases? I understand that there are many people who do not have the ability to learn languages easily. I do not have the ability to learn math easily, so I get it. But does that mean that I avoid math at all costs? Unfortunately, currency conversion requires that I do it fairly regularly when I travel.

There were several moments in Guatemala where I was struck by the importance of language in relation to culture. Language allowed us to explore Chichicastenango and converse with locals we may never have met otherwise. We went on a race through the market to find a handmade shirt from Coban. Yes, Marla, it felt like the Amazing Race. We also ate among locals in the market, eavesdropped on a Spanish tour of the pagan church tour learn what the different colored candles meant, and got bargain prices on everything. Language also brought us face to face with a Shaman in Santiago Atitlan. This experience was only more remarkable because it wasn't perfect communication. Those who were willing to use a little Spanish got insight into a world we might not have seen otherwise, but I also made mistakes in translation and comprehension along the way, which led to deeper learning.

Language also got me a free dinner. When our guide left to do his own thing one night, I ended up translating for about 13 people. The restaurant didn't charge me, assuming I was the guide. On one hand, I was happy not to have paid for my dinner. On the other hand I was less than thrilled to have been presumed the leader of a group that wouldn't even try to communicate on their own. To give some credit where due, there were several people who did make an effort that night, and at other times.

This experience has made me realize that language is an integral part of an experience abroad...either through its' absence (lack of knowledge) or presence (understanding). I truly think it is impossible to experience a culture fully without a knowledge of the host culture language. In my current role, it makes me realize that study abroad programs need to ensure that certain elements are present. One being language instruction in the host language: even if the program of study is conducted in English, there ought to be a language course available (and required?) of students. I also think that short-term programs would benefit from incorporating some language instruction even if the subject matter is not language. Secondly, programs should have some required element of interaction with people from the host country. The assumption is that students studying at overseas institutions will have to come into contact with host nationals, but the reality is that it could be quite easy to only have superficial experiences.

Well, enough rambling out of me...more to come...

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