As part of the Social Work Program, some of us were required to have an internship. I have been interning at a school called Colegio Williams De Cuernavaca in the fourth grade (a bilingual class in both Spanish and English). As we head into the last week of our internship, I was fortunate to have been able to partake in another student’s (Amanda) practicum. She has been interning at an organization called CGCIP. Twice a week, she has been participating in a traditional dance class in Santa Catarina. Our professor Lizz, a couple students, and I were invited to join her as we learned traditional Mexican dances from various states across Mexico (bailes regionales). The dance we learned involved long, beautiful traditional skirts that flowed effortlessly as we tried to find our way to coordinate and dance cohesively alongside the children and staff. Personally, I loved it! It was challenging but it was an honor to have been given the chance to be part of their community as we danced under the sunset.

As for my internship at Colegio Williams, it was my pleasure to have been part of such a well-rounded school. They focused their system on the best possible way to make sure that every student’s needs are meet. To physically be part of this powerful system, taught me more than just the basics of education. They put matters in areas that are often invisible in most systems, and made it a priority to broaden or narrow the perspective when needed to cultivate for their student’s growth. They have created a space for all to flourish in and I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to connect personally with the environment, staff, teachers, and most importantly the students. It is without a doubt that these students will be successful.

With all of my experiences here in Mexico, I have learned that I have a lot to learn and that is the most exciting part because my journey doesn’t stop here. What I have learned here won’t stop here, it won’t be the end of my learning as it will aid me in becoming the best possible version of myself in both my career and my personal actualization. That’s the beauty of education and these experiences will reside in me as I continue this journey.

Our week at UNAM was amazing. I learned so much about the social work program. I also learned a lot about the history. United States social work schools are a lot different than UNAM. I can only speak to the Augsburg program because that is the school I attend. Augsburg and UNAM both provide good ways of training to be social worker, though there are differences in regards to the price, class sizes and practicums.

First the price comparison between each school. At UNAM students only have to pay 25 cents a semester, but other than that it is free and none of them will graduate with loans. For Augsburg, if you live off campus, which most students do, without the FASFA and any loans the cost is 46,000 dollars a year. Most students will graduate with loans and lots of debt.

Next, class sizes at UNAM are 25-30 per class and have a social work department size of 205,000 students. Compared to Augsburg, where we have an average 12-15 students per class and a total of 30-45 people in the program.

My friends and I are joining UNAM students in their class discussion

Finishing with the practicums. In my program at Augsburg you do your practicums individually, but UNAM students do them in groups. They also have an hour to an hour a half commute each time. They only spend two to three hours, three times a week. In the United States often the commutes aren’t as long. We also have to only spend eight to ten hours a week and we can pick our days.

UNAM and Augsburg are different in their own way. They are both great schools and any student would be lucky to study social work at them. There is a lot of value to seeing the difference in these two schools. The methods are both very different, but are still building the future social workers and changers of the world. The price, class size and also practicums are all different.

As the semester is coming to a close, there are innumerable discussions, experiences, and interpersonal interactions that will forever be in my heart as I finish up my social work degree while preparing to enter the profession. From the moment I stepped off the Delta flight to casually roaming the streets of Cuernavaca, there have been different occasions when I truly felt the feeling of being the “other” or conscientiously feeling profoundly different. However, during these experiences, I also have to admit that I wasn’t fully aware of the physical sensations or emotions in the moment. Thankfully, throughout the program, I have had the opportunity to reflect, analyze, and contextualize some of these experiences in classes, presentations, and discussions. I hope to effectively communicate some of these reflections throughout this blog post. I would also like to say that I am truly thankful for all the presenters, professors, and colleagues who have accompanied me along the way while invaluably contributing to this journey.

My friends and I are meeting our counterparts from UNAM

One very specific, influential example from my time here is reading Pilar Hernandez – Wolfe’s book, A Borderlands View on Latinos, Latin Americans, and Decolonization: Rethinking Mental Health. We use this book for our Groups & Families Practice course. Hernandez – Wolfe describes many different aspects of one’s identity, marginalization, oppression, and positionality that were quite foreign to me but also became invaluable throughout our time here in Mexico. She really digs into the construction of the “other” and how individuals can confront, influence, or impose it throughout society. I enjoy how she calls out liberal identity politics while delivering a call to action for those who experience different privileges to dismantle or confront the systems that may benefit themselves over others. Additionally, in one of our groups and family class sessions, we visually identified our privileges and non-privileges by using different colored sticky notes on our desk. Many different thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations came out of this activity while considering my own privileges and non-privileges. I was able to contextualize and reflect upon these different scenarios mentioned above while also acknowledging the ways I have inherited many unearned privileges. Thus, I hope to embody Hernandez – Wolfe’s call to action by realizing my own identity and positionality within the context of my future social work practice and as a global citizen to avoid perpetuating colonialism and the construction of the “other.”

Our first day of meeting iHouse students. Together we would organize many meetings and sessions that focus on topics of race, privileges, and identities.

Finally, I do admittedly ask the question where do I go from here or what now? However, I find some comfort in holding all of these experiences, discussions, classes, interactions, and presentations in such a way that they will not only profoundly influence my social work practice but also the individuals I hope to work with in the future. Overall, my time here in Cuernavaca has really reframed identity, positionality, and cultural context to such an extent that will be invaluable moving forward to collaborate across differences with the hope of enacting positive, equitable change.

During a group discussion this week on leadership and dynamics, an activity was facilitated around recognizing our privileges and rank within ourselves and in relation with our families. The activity was called “Power Shuffle” and its goal was to raise a liberation critical consciousness of our positionality. Doing these techniques allowed us to understand the impacts of marginalization, oppression, and exclusion that have affected each of our lives. This exercise personally impacted my own development and viewpoints on how I choose to identify and on what I choose to share or not share about my past/present. Being able to internalize and externalize how we felt to embrace our resilience, strengths, and capabilities is a great exercise to use in the field of social work.

Our Power Shuffle activity

As a future social worker, it is very important to know how to take the role as a leader. Being able to give direction and purpose, but also understanding with that privilege is our duty to empower others as well. During this week, I have observed and learned ways to build a comfortable space to enable and encourage others to share their stories and experiences. At my internship, Caminando Unidos, the staff and children had a group meeting to discuss any differences or instances that have occurred during the week. Sitting in a circle, each person says either a “congrats” or “critique” about someone aloud in order to give positive feedback and solve any issues. This provides a space for everyone in the program to handle conflict effectively and also accept compliments. This population is made up of children from ages one to twenty years old coming from families who have encountered violence in various forms and also addictions. As social workers, it is very important to acknowledge the diversity in clients, groups, and in cross-cultural settings. Both exercises are very effective and may have seemed simple to me at first, but really left a lasting impression on me and it is something I do not want to forget especially for my field of practice.

This past week Augsburg and Ihouse delivered presentations about the spread of English and Spanish through Imperialism. Students played a game of telephone to demonstrate the importance of communication. Students were told to translate from English to Spanish and vice versa to make the game more difficult. This made students think about the many ways our understanding of a language can affect our ability to connect with others. Some students didn’t understand what was being said and had a hard time translating into another language, others didn’t have any problem. This led into a discussion about how language is important to both Ihouse and Augsburg students.

Students discussed reasons why speaking another language is important to them. Students from Augsburg spoke about the possibilities of learning Spanish; Spanish may open doors in their professions and the ability to communicate with more people around the world. Ihouse students spoke very similarly about the possibilities of learning English. You are also able to learn more about your own language when you learn another language. Learning a new language can open doors to learning about a new culture and you are able to connect with more people.

Palace of Hernan Cortes in Cuernavaca. Nothing represents the spread of imperialism more vividly than the imposing summer house of the first conqueror of the Americas.

Students also talked about English spreading and how many languages are being wiped out. Many languages are on the verge of being extinct. Some languages have fewer than five people that speak them, and when languages are wiped out so are cultures that go along with them. Some of these languages are thousands of years old and all the stories passed down from generation will not be communicable if there aren’t people that speak them. Various people in a video shown about languages dying spoke about how they were punished in their schools when they spoke their native tongue and were expected to speak another language. Many of these languages have been used even throughout the effects of imperialism and colonialism and it would be tragic if they died out. This led into a discussion about the spread of English being problematic. Although the spread of English isn’t inherently bad, people being punished for not using English is. The majority of scientists and business people are expected to know English, and may have a hard time getting ahead if they don’t know it, which is unfair. The spread of English isn’t necessarily a negative phenomenon but could hold people back. This makes me question, how do we create a national dialogue on stopping the extinction of languages?