Meta Reality in a Business Analogy

These past few weeks seem to really have been flying by.  They've been filled with interviews completed, surveys passed out, YSA activities, and surveys never returned (sort of the frustrating part) but the project is moving forward.  I have just a few more interviews to do, but I'm hoping to start planning the final project this week.  I want to get my introduction written and have an outline for the rest of it, that way I can simply fill in the stories of the members as they come.  I hope to be able to get this project enough underway that the members will be able to continue it after I leave. It is, after all, their project and not mine; I am just the initiator of it.  I also have this crazy idea that I will upload my project to the internet, that way the members here can all get online and write their own stories and it can become a virtual database of inspiring, personal, and local stories about members of the Irapuato stake.

It's hard to believe that I already have been in Mexico for 2 months, and during this time I have learned a lot.  I have learned, mostly, about the difficulties of undertaking a field study.  Working alone in a foreign country with a language that you are still learning has its many challenges.  I know that I'm not supposed to come home from my field study and talk about what I learned about myself, but I definitely have been learning a lot about how important it is to know yourself in order to work well and productively.  I think that we sometimes forget that when we work alone we don't really work alone, but with ourselves, and it is important to remember to treat ourselves well as we work towards our goals.  In our daily field journals we kind of need to be Sherlock Holmes in order to view not just those around us, but the reasons and patterns that we ourselves follow.  I think I explained this concept well in my field notes the other day by comparing my field study to a business:

Today I realized something interesting, and that is that a field study
is like a one-man company.  Not only am I all the workers in all the
different departments (office boy, interviewer, clerk, etc) but I am
also in charge of planning for the future, of productivity, of HR,
employee morale, and customer satisfaction.  I am every employee and every
boss.  The trick is being a good boss to yourself, and giving your
best work as an employee.  Just as a good boss needs to treat his
employees well and show that he or she loves them, so I need to do so
with myself, and, in like kind, I need to reciprocate that by being a
good, hard-working and dependable employee.  It really is a rather
interesting analogy which, if I can master, can bring me light years
ahead of where I currently am not only in productivity, but also in
understanding myself and how I work with myself and others.  Hmm, if I
can learn how to teach myself, then I will be much better at teaching
others.  If I can love and lead myself, then I will have so much more
of an understanding and a preparation to be able to do so with others.

Now to apply some of these findings and get to work getting to know better the language and the people here.  My next blog post should incorporate some of what I have learned from the application of this knowledge, and, hopefully, talk a little more about the actual progress of the project that I came here to do.

Teaching and Transcribing

I discovered an amazing source today about the use of transcribing techniques to teach English to non-native speakers.  The article, entitled "Learning from the Transcripts of an Oral Communication Task" by T. Lynch,  talked about the practicality and effectiveness of using transcribing activities in classrooms.  The reason I am dedicating a whole post to this article is because of how it answers so many questions I have recently asked (and should have asked) about my project.

The article analyzes a study completed concerning the effectiveness of using recorded oral practice in classrooms and having the students later transcribe the recorded conversations.  This is exciting for me because the study showed that having students transcribe their own conversations greatly increased the attention that they gave to the language and how it works.  In other words, transcribing is a wonderfully effective strategy for language acquisition.

This is splendid news!  That means that the thing that I was dreading as taking up the most time (transcribing) will actually help me to achieve the thing that I wanted most out of my trip to Mexico (that is, bettering my Spanish skills).  Not only that, but the two methods that were tested gave me some great ideas about how I can be more accurate, and get the most language learning, out of my transcribing time.

The study was conducted to measure (in part) the difference in effectiveness between two methods of transcribing.  For both of the methods the students will complete a first-time transcript of the oral practice, but for the first method the students will come back to their transcript and edit it along with their peers, paying special attention to words and sections that were problematic during the first attempt.  This methods is intended to greatly increase the attention that the students will give to the language and require them to look more closely at words at familiar to them.  The second methods requires more teacher involvement, meaning that the teachers would provide their version of the transcripts for the students to learn from.

The study showed that the first, peer-review method, provided more long-term learning for the students.  Which is great, because it gave me the great idea to find a friend that I can have help work with me through the tricky sections of the audio recordings.  This article has taught me things that will help me to not only improve my Spanish, but the methods therein will provide assistance during my transcribing periods, granting relief during some of the most challenging portions of my project.

Fears

I've been meaning to do this post for a little while, and I hope that I can do so in the right way.  You see, it is important sometimes to acknowledge our fears so that we can take a closer look at them and realize that they may not be that scary after all.  Fear all really stems from one thing: the unknown, think about it and you will recognize that most of your fears will come from, at least in part, the fact that you don't know how things will be.

What are some of my fears in going to Mexico?  First of all one of my major fears is not being able to communicate well.  I am still learning the language and I don't want to be stuck inside my head surrounded by people that I don't understand.  I am practicing Spanish everyday, and I am overall not too concerned, however I do sometimes wonder what hinderences will bar my path because of my inability to express myself fluently or understand others completely.

I suppose this stems from not know the full extent of my Spanish abilities, coupled with me not know how well I will be able to understand the native speakers there.  There are a few things I can do about this: first, I need to get a better understanding of my speaking level.  This is tied to the idea that I need to create a better study plan to acquire the Spanish language.  Second I need to practice my ability to understand native speakers.

Both of these problems are primarily solved by practicing speaking with people from Mexico, and I am lucky that I have a few Mexican friends.  But I can also practice comprehension by watching movies in Spanish and practice speaking by setting a certain amount of time each day that I will speak Spanish with my roommate or class mates or others.  Lastly, I can always ask for help and advice from a large group of friends that served foreign language missions and have more skills and experience in language acquisition than myself.

So... that's the plan (rule the world).  It's simple right?

Benjamin

Individualism: Ser, o no ser.

Reading about the Ophelia Syndrome (accepting the framework of being told how to think/act or what is important to learn) really made me think a lot about my education and everything that I am learning in school.  Quite fittingly I heard today that Mark Twain, among his many other witty words, said "Don't let school interfere with your education." I think there is a lot of truth in that. He also said "If God had meant for us to be naked, we'd have been born that way," but that seems a little less relevant.

But seriously, there are the things that we are going to college, and paying tuition, to learn, and then there are the hoops that we need to jump through in order to get the grade we need.  Usually they are unrelated.  It is unfortunate that so much of our time is spent jumping through these hoops that we don't learn the truly valuable lessons like what type of people we are and what is important to us.

Now I understand that my field study is not supposed to be this amazing "self-realization" experience, and I will be focusing outward and seeking to learn about the culture that surrounds me, but I think that overcoming the Ophelia Syndrome for field studies is completely applicable.  In order for me, or anyone, to be successful in learning about others and their culture they must first understand themselves.

We have talked a lot in class about recognizing "the water that we swim in" or the cultural views that we take for granted and then trying to compensate for them.  But it is also important for us to understand who we are personally so that we can see where we are coming from that personal standpoint.  And the better that I understand myself and what I want to learn, and how I can best learn, the better I will be at learning those things and completing a successful and meaningful field study.

 Sometimes the most difficult search we will conduct as Sherlock is trying to find out who we really are.  It's as Ezra Taft Benson has said: "Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul."

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

Thesis Question [o, la necesidad de preguntar]

There is this song by Jack Johnson called Questions which has been on my mind and my speakers lately. The further I get into my project the more questions I have about it, and the more I realize I don't know what to do yet. Like Jack says in his song: "Please tell me that there's time to make this work for all intents and purposes--and what are your intentions. Will you try...?" And though I don't know all of the answers and outcomes yet--I will try.

So here goes. What are my intentions? First, before I give my "working" thesis, I'm going to put a few questions before you, my wonderful readers, that have been on my thoughts concerning this work and my intentions, as Jack puts it.

Q. What, with my given parameters, can my history of the LDS Church in Irapuato be? and what possibilities lie before me for what I can do with my project?

This answer must be prefaced with a little background. As I was looking into a field study I had no idea what type of project I wanted to do. I heard of the ORCA grant, which motivated me to find a mentor to help me on my project. I was lucky to find Librarian Mark Grover, who has done a lot of work collecting and compiling histories of units of the Church within South America. I was (and am) excited about doing a project connected with the Church, and especially one that focuses on communication like the interview based research of this project. I gladly signed up!

The problem here arises that I don't know exactly what the finished product will look like. I will be using the interview rubric that Mark Gover has used in his research, so I feel as if I need to be working towards a specific end, one that I am not familiar with. Entonces...

A. As my first order of business I need to get a better idea of what I can do with what I have chosen. I have had a few ideas like compiling a history of the Church with an analysis in patterns in growth and compiling a collection of short inspiration stories from early Mexican members of the church to name a few. But I will need to get a better look at what options are really available to me with the path that I have set out upon.

Q. What do I want my project to do? or What influence do I want it to make?

Answering this question will provide valuable insight that will shape everything I do with my project including the way in which I approach it.

A. I want my project to be meaningful to the members currently living in Mexico. I want it to be valuable to them in some way, whether it be a collection of inspirational stories from their fore bearers, or if it will provide an insight into what they can do to develop a rich environment for growth in localized membership.

All these things taken into consideration I have learned that I still need to think a lot more about what I want my project to be, in collaboration with my mentor of course. Because of this I feel as if I can at this time only present a working thesis question.

Thesis Q.

What is 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 (optionally) what affect does this history have upon the current members of the church in that area?

A. ... ?

Yo vaya a mostrarles cuando la descubro.

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