When in Rome, Haga Como Roman

(do as Roman does)

Today I met again with my friend Roman and we helped each other practice our languages. I like studying with Roman because he is in a similar situation to the one I will be in in a few months. He is the one from a different country, el extranjero, trying to learn to speak the language, and so I can relate to him. And though none of us has ever been to Rome, we both realized that sometimes it's hard to do as the Romans, especially when it comes to something as "simple" as conversation.

Roman explained to me about the vocab tests that he has to take to learn English, and the difficulty he had when asking some Americans what some of the words meant. They knew what the words were and what they meant, but they had difficulty trying to explain them, even in their own language. Our conversation has become so much of a second nature to us, that we can't even explain it, and so when someone wants to learn why things are done or said that we, even if we are willing we have to be able to explain it.

There is so much to learn when you visit another country, and, try as you might, you can't learn without proper communication. Without you having the ability to ask, and they having the ability to explain. I was trying to explain to Roman today about how I wore a beanie today because I had hat hair. From this I learned that a "sombrero" is only a Mexican or cowboy hat, but that a "gorro" is most other types of hats and the "gorra" is the baseball cap. I was trying to help pronounce some words and as I looked at them on the screen I couldn't believe that that was how we pronounced that random sampling of letters. I mean how come "accepted" and "accused" don't rhyme?

Sometimes we learn the most about our culture while trying to explain it to others.

El Desconocido: Or A Sketch of The Unknown

So I've discovered that planning for my project is a rather interesting challenge. I know so little about what is actually going to happen that sometimes I feel like I am shooting in the dark. I have discovered, however, that I can sort of map out what I do know and get an idea of what where I am headed. It's kind of like being given a blank canvas and being told to create a masterpiece. Where do you even start? But I suppose that if I start sketching some ideas in pencil that something will come to me. I mean, I don't have to fill in all of the shading and color until I am there in the field right? So here's a rough sketch...

I kind of have two halves of my painting that I have started sketching, the first is my look into the interest that I have, which I will discuss more in another post. The second aspect of my parameters and requirements though I have thought through a little more, so here goes a quick dumping of my mind art into black and white letters on this blog.

First I must first ask myself if I am bound by the interview techniques and specified outcome that my Mentor Señor Grover uses in his research. Will my findings be in collaboration with his work, or just tailored after that manner? If I do follow his structure completely then that gives me a greater sense of direction and I am not shooting in the dark as much. On the other hand, I don't even know to a full extent what the finished outcome of his work looks like. I may have to adjust my plans and my interests.

If I do work in tandem with Grover's work, then what do I have to work with? I do not yet know what the structure of his work looks like, nor have I seen an example of the finished product. He is currently on sabbatical leave right now, but should be coming back soon in February and I will be able to get a clearer idea of his work. But for now I only can speculate, which doesn't always provide accurate results.

If I mentor with Grover, but do a work separate in style and function from his, then I also need to consider my options. However with more options to consider it may be harder to decide on matters. I will also have the challenge of making sure that my project retains academic experience and fits within the requirements for the ORCA scholarship (which I have applied for and am hoping to receive).

As you can see there is a lot to think through, and so far this is just considering what I may or may not be required to do. I still need to consider what I would like to do, and the practicality of those views. But instead of starting with oil paint or pastels on the canvas, I have definitely found it helpful to create a few rough sketches on some scratch paper and see what I like.

Ahhh, art. :)

Statement of Intent

I will collect and compile historical data and short stories concerning the beginnings of the LDS community within Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. I will then write a history of the LDS church within that area that I will submit for publication in the BYU Studies Journal. If time permits I hope to write a simplified version of this history in Spanish as a gift to the members in that area. It will be on display at the History of Mormons in Mexico Museum in Mexico City.

I hope that through the conducting of interviews and other oral research that I complete in the field that I will enhance my skills with the Spanish language. This immersion into the Spanish and Mexican culture will hopefully provide me with such skills, which will come in useful to me in my career as a high school teacher.

My purpose in this field study is to discover the cultural, spiritual, and historical significance of the historical experiences of the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints within the area of Irapuato, Guanajuato Mexico, and to discover what affect this history has upon the current members of the church in that area. This will bring a sense of unity to the current members within Irapuato, and will provide an academic look into a particular part of Mexican history.

Amigos y Ánimo

Amigos

I just got back from a "study buddy" program tonight which connects people trying to learn English with people trying to learn their respective languages. I got to make several friends like Roman, Carlos, y Gabriel while I was there. They are from different parts of southern Mexico y ellos me cayeron muy bién/we got along really well.

We were only supposed to talk for a few minutes tonight but I stayed and talked with them for over an hour. It was so much fun for me to practice my Spanish with nativohablantes/native speakers. I asked them a lot about the different words that they use in México and had tons of fun learning about little things that they say.

For instance, I learned the difference between tal vez (maybe) and quizás (perhaps). I learned how to say "Yo medo dos metros aun cuatro centímetros." (I am 6 feet, 8 inches tall [2.04 meters] ). I also learned the difference between chiste (joke) and broma (prank), and that "padre" and "chido" are the most common ways to say cool. Needless to say ya estamos buenos amigos/we are already good friends.

Ánimo

Ánimo is an interesting word in Spanish, there is not an exact word for it in English, but it basically means Excitement, excitement mixed with faith and hope and courage and all good things (or so is my faulty understanding). But while talking with my new friends I grew more and more excited about going to Mexico, I gained ánimo. One of the people I talked to served his mission in the area of Guanajuato and told me that I would be eating a lot of strawberries in Irapuato. Several of them said that my Spanish was pretty good (though I know I still have a lot to work on). But it was just the fact that I spent an hour talking in Spanish with some native speakers, and that we got a long well that got me so excited. I was practically skipping on my way home and had I started I may not have stopped until I got to Mexico.

I am now good friends with Roman and the others, and we are going to spend a lot of time together this semester. I can think of no better way to prepare for my trip to Mexico than to pasar tiempo/hang out with some Méxican nativohablantes. Y tengo ánimo por eso.

Benjamín

Al Principio

¡Hola mis amigos!

Bién venidos al primer blog de "Altísimo: A Muse of Mexio" Usualmente este blog será en inglés, pero, a causa del gran "chido" de español, no puedo evitarlo (ní lo quiero). Entónces, a veces este blog será en "espanglish" que es muy mal escrito.

Well, first off, I am very excited to officially begin my Field Study with the prep course that is provided. I hope that as I go along in this course I will learn more of what I can do to maximize my experience in Mexico this summer.

Let me explain my research project. During my three month stay in Irapuato, Mexico this summer I will interview many long time members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints within the area of Irapuato, and I will compile a History of the LDS church within the Irapuato area.

In the past there have been some broader histories published concerning the Church in Mexico as a whole, but very few research has been done on the spread of the LDS faith within a smaller, more localized area of Mexico.

I will be working under the direction of Librarian Mark Grover, who has completed many similar histories in different parts of Latin America. He will teach me how to conduct the necessary interviews and transcribe them so that they may be used in my history of Irapuato.

That is my project, insofar as it is yet developed, in a nutshell. I have several questions concerning what I can do each day towards my project while I am in Mexico, as well as what type of things that I can do to get to know the people and the culture better. I also am concerned with enhancing my language skills and what in field methods will prove the most effective.

I hope that as this blog goes on through the semester, and is carried on in Irapuato, that both you and I will discover a little more about what it means to be an LDS member in Mexico, what it is like to be "the tallest," and what wonderful things we can learn of our brethren in Mexico from this upcoming cultural sojourn.

With Love,

Benjamín