HomeHomeOctober 2003
In these politically correct days, a culturally-sensitive traveler might think twice before attempting a comment such as the one above. Yet anyone who has attempted to speak a second language can relate to Twain’s humorous quote. The act of engaging the brain and the mouth to make unnatural sounds and actually have people understand what one is saying is one of life’s pleasures. Ironically, it seems that comprehension always comes faster than the ability to speak a new language. We can get the gist of something that is being said, but being able to respond in a thoughtful way takes a long, long time, as well as a lot of practice, patience, and the willingness to be profoundly embarrassed."In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language."
Mark Twain
The benefits that come with understanding another language are that we can gain deeper insight into another culture, while our world and our ways of thinking open up. Spending time in another country and learning to speak the language mean having our own beliefs and values challenged as well. It can mean learning compassion for a world we don’t fully understand, as well as for ourselves--because a lifetime is not enough time to learn all there is to know about all the cultures on this planet. We can make dreadful mistakes, but we also expand our education as well.
Foreign travel is a wonderful way to learn about the "outside" world, as well as about one’s own culture. However, in the post-9/11 era, not everyone has the luxury of benefitting from travel. Not everyone wants to venture far from home, and that is a shame, because, here in America, we’re living in a rapidly changing culture.
In the last few weeks, two interesting stories have appeared which mirror what is happening in this country and in our little corner of it--Minnesota. The first was a news release from the U.S. Census which indicated that one in five Americans (about 47 million of us) now speaks a second language at home.
The second story, the first in a series, was written by a Minnesotan. G.R. Anderson, Jr. has written a thought-provoking piece for City Pages, a free weekly in the Twin Cities, on the new immigrants in Minnesota.
If we don’t know what it feels like to be a stranger in a different culture, how can we embrace our new American neighbors who have come here to gain political or economic freedom? Will we understand their attempts to grasp a new language, new values, and a new way of life? Will we continue to be empathic and have compassion in a post 9/11 world?
Fifteen years ago, I learned the difference between being a tourist and being a foreigner when I spent the summer in Greece on a study abroad program. I had studied Greek for a year prior to the trip, and had done a lot of reading about the culture. I was determined to better understand my grandfather’s homeland.
Prior to the summer of 1988, I had been to Greece before, and had made horrendous mistakes. One incident occurred when I had visited one of the islands with a group of Greek tourists, few of whom spoke English. I had informed everyone on the tour that my grandfather had come from Greece, though I did not know the language. After that declaration, I noticed that most everyone kept their distance from me. How could this be? I was nice, I was friendly, I was also part Greek. How could they not like me? A kind older man came up and asked me in English what I was trying to say. I repeated my stock phrase. Apparently, I had the wrong word ending, and had informed everyone that my grandfather was a Greek woman, even though I myself spoke little Greek.
The summer of 1988 offered a chance for redemption. I was determined not to relive my past mistakes or to behave like a mere tourist. I was careful to be respectful, to learn about the culture, to dress appropriately, and to get a grip on the language.
The Greeks asked me questions about why I was there. They asked what I did for a living, and how much money I earned, how much our car had cost, and why, since I was married at the time, I did not have children. One gentleman asked me which one of us had "the problem," my husband or me. The Greek people are kind and generous, and very curious. In other cultures, such as the Greece's, it is "permissible" to ask questions that an American would find too personal. It is a society that values human relationships. I asked questions as well, and learned as much as I could during that short summer stay.
After several weeks of living in Athens and learning about life in that city, I learned something new, something unexpected. I began to get a glimpse of what it is like to be a foreigner--to feel at times like a square peg in a round hole. Despite my Greek ancestry, I am ultimately a reflection of the American culture and the times in which I grew up. It is natural that we carry all of our life-long cultural and societal influences with us wherever we go.
This brings us back to the new immigrants to our shores. Will we have empathy as they learn to negotiate a new language, culture, and values? Will we understand that "fitting in" takes time and effort, and sometimes years? Time will tell.
Teresa
tcallies@hotmail.comUpdate from our last WITNE, which was about women and aviation:
We heard from Susie Dunbar, from the Wings Around The World team. Pilot Polly Vacher’s solo flight in a single engine light aircraft will be the first circumnavigation of the globe via both Poles, and therefore, will be a new record for the aviation books! Bravo, Polly!
Are you looking for even more info on women in aviation? Cindy Rousseau of Women Fly, Inc. has a WONDERFUL web site. She presents stories of women pilots on a site that "combines art, inspiration, and humor." It’s fun and educational. Check it out!
Another inspirational pilot is Patty Wagstaff, a three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion and the first woman ever to achieve this title. She’s represented the U.S. in Olympic-level international competition since 1986. She flies airshows throughout the U.S. and Canada. One of her newest ventures is www.aerobaticsource.com, a premiere site for aerobatic enthusiasts.
We also heard from Pauline Cockrill, Curator of the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. She informs us that they are about to launch their Signature Quilt Raffle to raise money for a new building. The two quilts will include autographs of nearly 350 Australian women who were first in their fields, and several female aviation pioneers are among them! Information about the quilt project can be found on their web site at www.pioneerwomen.com.au/sigquilt.htm
Resources, Tidbits and other interesting items:
For the last nineteen years, October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This issue was covered in an earlier WITNE, when I also wrote about the loss of my mother to this dreadful disease. Sadly, breast cancer will still claim about 40,000 women’s lives this year, and an increasing number of men are being diagnosed with the disease as well.
This month, several major corporations offer opportunities to partner with consumers to fight breast cancer: consumers buy products, and companies offer a portion of the proceeds to charities dedicated to the cause of finding a cure. While this is a noble effort, another point of view is offered by the "Think Before You Pink" Campaign, a project of Breast Cancer Action. This organization asks consumers to understand fully where their hard-earned dollars are going before contributing to "cause-related marketing" projects.
Interestingly, in October’s Glamour magazine, Daryl Chen and Wendy Naugle write about another health threat to women--heart disease, which kills more women than breast cancer, 500,000 per year. Glamour intends to update readers on issues related to heart health over the next few months. Glamour’s editors and writers also will update their readers on the Red Dress Project, part of the Heart Truth Campaign spearheaded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Also, Oprah’s O Magazine offers a section on aging well, including some new ads commissioned by the O team, and designed to fight stereotypes about aging. The creative teams from the ad agencies commissioned to do the work for O are each headed by women! This is a terrific start to acknowledge what we all know--that in the U.S., we’re living in a rapidly aging society. Getting older shouldn’t be feared or dreaded, but viewed as a privilege, especially when one considers how many people around the world don’t live to a ripe old age.
By the way, If you need additional inspiration about growing older, check out photographer Joyce Tenneson’s wonderful book, Wise Women, (Bulfinch/Little, Brown & Company, 2002) which features photos and interviews with women who are 65 to 100.
And on the subject of women in advertisements, Ms. Magazine has long carried a section called "no comment" which features examples of shocking ads degrading to women. Ms. continues to provide info on the status of women in the U.S. and around the world. A new feature called "Touching History: More Unforgettable Encounters With Women of Renown" is a must-read.
Sharlene Johnson produced a piece for this month’s More magazine on ten female activists who are fighting for change around the world. The women are from Uganda, the Philippines, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Afghanistan, Mexico, Brazil, India and Russia, and their courage will amaze you. Among those women saluted by the magazine are Angelina Atyam of Uganda, whose daughter was abducted by rebels in 1996. Ms. Ataym chairs the Concerned Parents’ Association, and works to highlight the problem of the more than 20,000 children forced to become solidiers or sex slaves in her country.
A Few Other Newsworthy Tidbits in the month of October
(Thanks To Chase’s 2003 Calendar of Events for the inspiration)October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
The world population reached 6 billion on October 12th, 1999.
On an interesting note, October 18th marked Persons Day in Canada. This day marks the anniversary of the ruling, declared in 1929, that women were persons. The case was brought about by five women from Alberta who fought to overcome the ruling English common law, which claimed that "women were persons in matters of pains and penalties but...not persons in matters of rights and privileges."
October 24th is United Nations Day.
October 25th - On this day in 1972, Joanne C. Pierce and Susan L. Roley were sworn in as the first female F.B.I. agents since 1924. They are mentioned on the Female Frontiers page at the NASA Quest site as well as the White House Project’s list of women’s firsts, another excellent source of information about inspirational women.
October 25 also is Make a Difference Day.
On October 28th, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated. And on October 28th in 1949, the first female U.S. Ambassador was appointed to serve the U.S. in Denmark. Minnesotan Eugenie Moore Anderson was sworn in by President Harry S. Truman.
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