Last Friday, members of the Class of 2016 had the opportunity to meet the Latina women of the Burlington community for an afternoon of Mexican cuisine, storytelling, and laying the groundwork for profound, cross-cultural relationships.   As anticipation builds for the 2016’s to implement their plans to sustain the legacy project of the Class of 2013, Hogares Sanos, this lunch served as the springboard for a world of opportunities and the foundation of what we hope will become a strong, lasting connection.  Keeping in mind the fundamental roles of collaboration, trust, and continuity in this pursuit to sustain—and even evolve—the Hogares Sanos program, our Class will be able to move forward from this experience, taking what we have learned to nourish the relationship that has been created between the Periclean Scholars and the Burlington community.

When we arrived at Mex-Am, we were able to meet Dr. Nienhaus, the mentor for the Class of 2013, along with his wife, Blanca.  Professor Post also joined us at the restaurant, in addition to a representative from Wake Forest who is in the midst of carrying out research regarding immigration and public health.   With such a diversity of attendees at the lunch, it was gratifying to know that there were members of the outside community who showed an express interest in both the Periclean Scholars program and the focal groups to which this program has extended its efforts.

Having met some of the guests at our lunch, we sat ourselves among the women and their children.  The room was alive with conversation as we met the women’s families, exchanged personal histories, and shared our love for food.  All of the women we met were from Mexico; nevertheless, each of their stories, experiences, and perspectives showed a clear richness and diversity that is intrinsic to this small community with which we intend to work over the coming years.   By the end of the lunch, simply talking to the women and having the chance to meet their families hugely amplified our eagerness to take on this project and get to know them better through Hogares Sanos.  Especially after hearing the women’s input on authentic Mexican cooking, we look forward to hopefully getting the chance to try some of their favorite recipes!

As one of the first of many cross-cultural connections we will make as Pericleans, this first meeting with the women of Hogares Sanos exemplified the integral part that personal interaction and cultural awareness fulfills in the process of civic engagement.  Despite any cultural or language barriers that may have existed between the students and the women at the beginning of the meeting, it was clear that through forging positive, holistic, and authentic connections, we began to transcend these barriers.   As we move forward in this project with new perspectives and a stronger sense of enthusiasm, the 2016’s must keep in mind not only the goals and mission of our predecessors, but also the role that we have in moving this program towards new horizons for future sustainability.  What an honor it is to be able to have the chance to fill this role and stand on the shoulders of the members of the Class of 2013!

Also, a special thanks to Dr. Nienhaus, Blanca, Professor Post, our special representative from Wake Forest and all of the women for joining us and sharing your wisdom! ¡Mil gracias!

Follow

Share on Tumblr

Today during class (11/4) we broke up into our small groups to talk about our op-ed assignments about why US citizens should care about Honduras. We peer-reviewed each others drafts and wrote what we thought they did well, not so well, and what we had questions about. This feedback is going to be used for our final papers later on in the semester. We also received Periclean pins for our bags! They are a great way to spread Periclean awareness and spirit, and could maybe become pan-Periclean swag!
Next the mission statement committee (Drew and Sydney) presented their draft of the mission statement and we as a class discussed our edits and what we believed our mission statement should say about us as a class. They are going to present our revised mission statement in the next class.
The consensus committee talked to us about what they had come up with in terms of different ways of structuring our class discussion. The consensus model allows a facilitator of the discussion, a note taker, and a feelings checker among various other roles. There was much discussion among the class about the effectiveness of this method, as well as changes people feel should be made.

During our 11/6 class, Drew and Sydney presented the second draft of our mission statement, which we have since edited some more. While it is very broad right now to encompass the work we are doing to decide on a project, it will get narrower as we move forward. Using tools from the transformative summit, we did another team-building activity to enhance our communication skills while becoming more comfortable with our classmates. Lastly, we are examining several different potential partners and ideas for future projects to narrow down our focus. As of right now, we have 12 ideas/partners, and that list could either grow or shrink depending on what we find in the coming weeks.
The class’ Cookies to Go-Go project has moved forward because we chose our top secret cookie recipe. The project involves delivering cookies to dorm rooms around campus to raise money for our class’ future project in Honduras. Cookie delivery dates will be in the middle of this week.

Professor Post has been sharing a few quotes with us recently, and one of my favorites that seems to encompass our goals as Periclean Scholars is:
“When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.'” -Lao Tzu

Follow

Share on Tumblr