It has been almost a month since I returned from my IFE in Colombia. I purposefully stepped away from posting, because of several reasons. First, I wanted to take time to reconnect with my family. I had never been away from my family this long, and with my older daughter going to college this year, I wanted to take time to make memories and love on her a little bit more before she left. Second, I wanted to see how I would feel after being back in my regular life and work world. I wanted to see in what ways my view of the world changed and if my job focus changed. Third, I wanted to see if the way people responded to me changed in my regular and work world.
Well, let me start with my guiding question, "What role does storytelling play in Colombian culture and education?" Due to the shorter school days and the many planned activities in my host school, I had to work a little harder to find the answer to this question. I was with high school students, so storytelling looks differently than when you are with elementary students. I did find storytelling to be important in the way that students expressed themselves in class during discussions, the way they completed research, artwork, proudly wore traditional dress during presentations, prepared food, and worked so hard to speak English during their presentations. I also found it to be important in dance. There was dancing in every presentation, assembly, cultural activity, and even class change in one school!
Did I see traditional story times with an adult gathering children to read and libraries and classrooms filled with books? No. School classroom libraries are not a big deal in Colombia. In the many schools that we visited, I only met one librarian. In my host school, the few books that they had were mostly religious books behind a glass. I did learned from my host teacher about Rafael Pombo who was a poet and children's author from the early 20th century. Unfortunately,I have not been able to find his work in English.
What I saw in places from the school to the mall was the celebration of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Nobel Prize winning work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, in the form of yellow butterflies suspended from the ceilings. I saw the importance of storytelling in the National Gold Museum's way of chronicling the history of the Colombian people through their use of gold. I saw the importance of story in the interactive Santander Monument on a high precipice in the Chicamocha National Park. I saw the importance of storytelling in the beautiful Catholic churches that we visited. I also saw its importance in the time and pride that was taken to make the meals down to the juice that was always freshly prepared.
So with the time that has past, what are my takeaways from experiencing Colombia? Where do I go from here? First, although I believe that the written word is important for expression, gaining knowledge, and enjoyment. Storytelling in the many other forms that I experienced it, is powerful and easily translates cultures. Second, I did not have some great educational or personal epiphany about people or the importance of global education. What this experience did was confirm form me the importance of connecting with people and the universal experiences that we all share. Third, the way that people react to me has changed. There has been a lot of interest in my school community and growing PLN about my experiences. The Fulbright name carries a lot of weight and prestige.
I have found that some of the longest lasting and most important changes that have happened to me took time. It took being aware and willing and prepared. That's the way I think most growth happens. I look forward to seeing what new discoveries and connections I will make due to this experience and how I will continue to grow as an educator and as a person.
The visual for this blog post is from the soundtrack of a very thoughtful animated film, Zootopia. I refuse to say it's for kids because the messages about acceptance, equality, and perseverance resonate with lots of people- kids and adults.
