Response To Guatemala

775 Words4 Pages
Response Paper #2 It is intriguing how when we look at something or someone, we immediately form a good or bad opinion about that person or thing. As humans, this is natural but too many times the perception we have of someone ends up being wrong. I remember my first year here at this university, I took a Multiculturalism class with Professor Covert and the first day of class he said, “What comes to your mind when you look at me?” I never thought such words would come out of my professor’s mouth and many students thought that it was a joke, but to play along with Professor Covert, we participated in the activity. “Hippie,” “homeless,” “weird/different” and “poor” were some of the words that came out of my classmates’ mouths. At first I was…show more content…
If I am to go to Guatemala one day, I will have to make a lot of observations, not assumptions; I would have to figure out what the community is thinking and not what I am thinking. In class, someone said that it is good to know your own biases and I agree with that. When trying to help others, it is not about you trying to look good or thinking that you already have a solution to the problem without knowing the perspective of those you are trying to help; there are many perspectives--not just our own. Because my group is dealing with educating the community of Tzunania about the bacteria and viruses that can be found in their drinking water, we have to keep the perspective of the community in mind, especially if we plan on partnering with them later on in the future about other projects. Communication is the key. My group, in time, will interview the members of the community, and the article “Gathering Data in the Field” will be valuable information to keep in mind. It is important for us to see that “conducting a rich, informative interview requires strong questioning and listening skills as well as finely honed observation skills” (pg.116). If we plan on making a difference in the Tzunania community, we should make sure that we are well-rounded interviewers. In order to understand someone you have to see that person’s perspective and when trying to interview one person or a large group of people, that can only be done if the interview is in-depth. As the article says, “Often, deeper understandings are developed through the dialogue of long, in-depth interviews, as interviewer and participant ‘coconstruct’ meaning” (pg. 124). I really enjoyed how this article went into full detail about the many types of

More about Response To Guatemala

Open Document