Looking Back at this Semester....

This semester was exactly what I expected: crazy. But in all the hectic days filled with deadlines, a job and an internship, I learned something about myself. I actually owe that to this class. 


I was so overwhelmed at the thought of choosing a listening post for the entire semester. I was prepared to visit some random place during the course of seven weeks (like the class used to be,) but I wasn't prepared for a semester's worth of uncomfortable encounters and documenting everything via the blog. 


I chose to visit a botanica because I knew it would push me into those uncomfortable situations. As I contemplated what I might encounter in a botanica, I kept hearing two voices in my head: that of my father and grandmother. Both were telling me to be extremely careful, that I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Despite this inner struggle, I promised myself to take on this challenge wholeheartedly. 

In doing so, I learned that santeria isn't just about animal sacrifices, chants and drums. Though sometimes animals are offered to the saints during secret ritual ceremonies, santeria has given countless people a kind of spiritual salvation. Some people even say they owe their lives to the religion, and in turn, devote themselves to it for the rest of their lives, i.e. Eva, the card reader and Luis, the botanica owner. 


I learned that I do have the guts to go somewhere completely unknown and befriend the people there. I am brave enough to ask questions that might make me look foolish to some, but are nonetheless important.

I also learned that we all have biases, even if we think we don't. And believe it or not, these biases come from our homes. We are taught to lock our doors in "dangerous," (i.e. urban) neighborhoods and that all Muslims are terrorists. We are taught that all Cubans came on rafts, all Colombians are drug dealers and all Nicaraguans are Indians. We all have this inner "racism," but it's what we do about it that counts. As long as we make an honest effort to acknowledge these biases and to give everyone the chance to tell us their stories, then we will ultimately make some kind of difference in the world. 


Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn about different communities and the way I view them. Thank you for teaching me how to approach different situations as open minded as possible. I know we all benefited greatly from this course.