What's Our Story?

So, I' m officially a traveling teacher, not just a teacher who travels. I'm writing this post from a hotel in the Miraflores district of Lima, Peru where I'm attending workshops and taking tours that will prepare me for my field experience teaching assignment in Huancavelica, Peru which is starting in a few days.

I...AM...FREAKING...OUT!

Why? I'm close to panic because after pinning a Peruvian & American flag label pin on my suit jacket and visiting Peru's U.S. Embassy today for a meeting, it dawned on me that I am here as a representative of the United States of America. It also didn't help that the nice lady at the embassy called us unofficial ambassadors. Okay so maybe that reality seems like it should have been obvious to me but honestly,  my focus has been more on making sure I don't misrepresent myself or even worse, the school where I teach full time in the states. It's almost a sure thing that I'm the only educator from my school that these selected Peruvian teachers and students  will meet, but what if I am the only American citizen that they meet? What will be the impression I leave? Will I help or hurt our image? What stereotypes or prejudices will I dismantle or reinforce?

What story am I about to tell them that they may either fortunately or unfortunately never forget? As an American......no......an African-American, female, North Carolinian teacher, there's no doubt that I have a new narrative to offer them. I want the story I offer to be honest, but gracious, Before coming here I had a horribly narrow view about what it means to be Peruvian, but every day I'm here, I learn so much! 

I asked my students before leaving to share their stories on handmade bookmarks and through letters. They mainly discussed their favorite past times or even their countries of origin. I look forward to sharing these with the students and teachers here. Some of the letters were more candid than I expected, discussing poverty and racism in our country. I instinctively wanted to leave those behind to protect the pristine image that some Peruvians may mistakenly hold for the US, but what good would that do? I would be censoring my students and cheating their students out of factual information that could help make an international connection between teenagers trying to find their place in the world. A world that is teaching me that we are more alike than we think, but I'll get to that later. In case you're wondering, I brought all the letters, and I plan to share my story as well, not just the good parts. 

As I prep to present my story, feel free to comment below. I want to know what you would say if you had the chance to reveal another side of American life & culture. How far would you go into the darker sides of your truth, our truth?

When you have the time, check out the TED talk below given by respected author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the trouble with viewing a nation or a people based on one limited perspective. I look forward to sharing how this all turns out from nation to nation as I travel, teach, and learn.