Here's a little article I wrote about the history of La Fiesta.
Last weekend went to a regional TESOL conference in Richmond, VA and presented about the immigrant guide. Many people showed interest, everyone loved the workshop, and hopefully I can keep the good momentum going. In the past month I've sold/had promises to buy around 11,000 guides!
We've been giving cultural trainings weekly, which I still love and learn more each time. This morning we did one for the Community Foundation's Leadership Fellows, which was a very diverse and engaging group. The one we did with the Center for People with Disabilities two weeks ago really impacted me, and I realized that physically disabled are a cultural group that many assumptions are made about. The woman with a severe speech impediment and cerebral palsy who also has a master's degree and had amazing things to say made me reflect on some assumptions I was making.
The one we did for Mental Health workers was also incredible, hearing stories about challenges of dealing with depression when many Latinos still view mental health issues as witchcraft or punishments from God. We have a ways to go with that one.
However, I did read in a book about cultural differences that it's a very U.S. American value to think we can fix/control everything. If one medicine doesn't work we try another. If the elevator is broken we let someone know immediately. In some other cultures it is natural and okay to suffer a little, and when things don't work they live with it until it is fixed. Again, neither of these are better or worse but different and interesting to think about. I actually met the author of the book I'm talking about in Richmond on Saturday. Small world.
