Blog Assignment #2

When searching for a visual representation of Jamaica, I did the simplest thing I could have probably done. I simply typed in "Jamaica" into my google search bar. Immediately my screen was bombarded with images of lush green islands, beautiful sparkling waters, exotic fish, and many elaborate resorts and vacations spots on the island. I am extremely hesitant to classify any of these images as a representation of the people, culture, and government of Jamaica as a whole, but I choose to use these popular images of the island as my representation. To someone such as myself who has no cultural immersion outside of the United States these images make the people of Jamaica seem lucky. I instantly assume a population of relaxed and problem free people. With so many beautiful works of God right there in your backyard how could living on this island be anything short of another day in paradise? These images represent relaxation. I imagine a culture with little to no problems where time passes slow and the people enjoy each and every second of the day. A government that faces little to no problems and has everything "figured out". Will this be true? Hopefully my visit will support many of these representations and help to uncover the areas in which these beautiful representations fall short.

My ideas and preconceptions of Jamaica seem pretty standard. The first thing that comes to my mind is the climate and scenery of Jamaica. Like the pictures discussed in my visual representation, when I close my eyes I think of sunny beaches with sparkling water. Tropical smells and a perfect climate. These are the preconceptions you get from postcards. The ones that find the optimal images to portray a nearly perfect paradise. I realize that Jamaica, like any country, or even city or town, has its less than perfect aspects. However, when I choose to think about Jamaica the beauty alone is portrayed. My ideas of the perfect climate have most likely evolved from being absolutely disgusted by cold snowy winters. I hate cold weather, plain and simple. That's the main reason why I find it so easy to develop such preconceptions based upon weather, beaches, and other aspects of the island. I'm from an extremely small town that to me is the slowest place on earth. Can Jamaica possibly be any slower? 

Finally I would like to address my expectations, assumptions, and fears. My biggest fear is not that of leaving the country, traveling to a new strange land to meet people who are culturally different from me. No, my biggest fear is that my experience will prove to be too overwhelming. That the shock of a new culture, new ideas, new people and places will be too much for me to comprehend and handle in only a week. I feel that I am truly taking part in a one of a kind experience with this trip, and it terrifies me to think that I could fall short in reaching the feeling that I, as an individual and as a group, didn't make the difference I hope to make. I expect the people of Jamaica to be extremely welcoming and more than eager to greet us and treat us as guest in their town and easily assume that this will be one of the most rewarding and beneficial weeks of my life to date. Only time will tell.....

Assignment 1

I love the opening sentence of this short reading. “ We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.” After reading this I couldn’t get to the rest of the article quick enough, but this opening sentence also list two of my five ways that travel affects the self 5 ways travel affects the self • To lose ourselves- The initial travel opportunity is a chance to jump into the unknown, explore new waters, and possibly even conquer fears. We lose our intentions in search for the unknown and in essence lose ourselves. We also want to lose ourselves in a place far far away from the comfort zone associated with the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. • To find ourselves- After the initial process of losing yourself, you in essence find yourself, hopefully stronger and better equipped for what life has to offer than you started. Pico feels you are able to dig back down to your roots, your absolute true beliefs, and spark compassion. The new finding will be guided toward a sense of self with a better balance a clarity or what we see and feel. • Leave all your beliefs and certainties at home, and see everything in a different light from a crooked angle- Pico goes in depth in ways such as actors and restaurants that traveling and meeting people from around the world affects the self. Wages, lifestyles, and anything that can be easily overlooked in our lifestyles can bring about a new way of critical thinking. The new angle you take separates tourists from travelers. • To search for both self and anonymity- If we find one we can apprehend the other according to Pico. Abroad you are “tag less”. This allows us to have the opportunity to contact more with essential parts of ourselves, the reason we feel so alive far away from home. • To embark in a quest for the unknown, but as well the unknowing- Pico describes this as a search of an innocent eye returning to an innocent self. To remake yourself for the better, and even then for the worse. I chose this as my last way to discuss to just reiterate the fact that a positive experience isn’t required from traveling abroad. I hope for one, but in hopefully finding a little piece of myself, what I discover will make the trip worth while. The quest into the unknowing with nobody knowing what the future holds. In my opinion Benedek’s essay can be summed up as don’t make assumptions regarding your beliefs are true everyone. This can at first sounds extremely simple, but the statement is much more complex with deeper underlying meaning. The ladies providing the gifts to the Navajo ladies truly seem to have the best of intentions. However they’re good intentions are nothing more than a few improvisational props and unnecessary supplies to the ladies of the reservation. Can this be considered as a cross-cultural miscommunication? When examining the context of class I would say yes. It wasn’t that the gifts weren’t appropriate, they just didn’t fit into the class scheme of the Navajo ladies. The gifts, such as the coat, were too nice to be appreciated. Illich implores Americans not to come to Mexico to help because they “aren’t needed.” To him the Americans are nothing more than middle class tourist whose so called good deeds are nothing more than an extension of their own selfishness. The people that the Americans are able to communicate with aren’t even the ones in need of the most critical help. These citizens will never be reached by the Americans. His speech forces me to look into my own reasons for traveling abroad. I am forced to question whether I truly feel that I am making a difference, or will I be viewed by the Jamaican’s in the same way that Illich views the aids. The speech motivates me. I don’t agree with Illich, and while I feel that my situation isn’t quite the same, I now feel compelled to prove that what I’m doing is beneficial.