Gratitude and Generosity in Cross-Cultural Exchanges-Revision2

7/31/2019 Gratitude and Generosity in Cross-Cultural Exchanges-Revision2

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B E A R I N G W I T N E S S

A C T I N G I N S O L I D A R I T Y

B U I L D I N G C O M M U N I T Y

Gratitude & Generosity in

Cross-Cultural Exchanges


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My context


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My power

We (first world, privileged) and I (white male, firstworld, privileged) carry inherent power.

It cannot be set aside going native is a

comforting myth. The question is how do we employ this power?


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I can look on a tree


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encounter

Travel, whether crosstown or international, isencounter.

Each encounter is a callevoking a response.

Each response is basedin, and reveals, thetravelers intent.


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Exploring

intent

We are intentional,rarely accidental, in ourcross culturalencounters.

We go somewhere for areason which may beclear or obscure to us.

Understanding ourintentions can bechallenging

And may span a rangeof intention


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Mistaken intentions & false generosities

To hell with good intentions

I am here to entreat you to use your money, your status andyour education to travel in Latin America. Come to look, cometo climb our mountains, to enjoy our flowers. Come to study.

But do not come to help. Ivan Illich, 1968

Service?

Service has a tendency to emphasize a focalized view ofproblems and issues .


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Student trips

2011 and 2012 learningexchanges toNicaragua.

Small student groupsengage in experientiallearning decidedlynot service learning.


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Receiving

generosity

In my experience, we the privileged fromNorth America aremost often the

recipients of truegenerosity.


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Returning

gratitude

Encountering thisgenerosity, we canreturn only honestgratitude to our hosts.


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Now what?


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Dialogue

'Dialogue is theencounter between men,mediated by the world, inorder to name the

world'.


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Hope

dialogue cannot existwithout hope. Hope isrooted in men'sincompletion, from

which they move out inconstant search-a search

which can be carried outonly in communion with

others"


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W E A L W A Y S ( E V E N T U A L L Y ) C O M E H O M E

Returning home


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Solidarity

Solidarity deepens andtransform service,creating a lens throughwhich what has been

seen and experiencedcreates a bridge. Thereis no other world, noplace to go to there isonly the struggle ofhumans workingtogether to build a

world


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Community

Building a communityof truth which can bearwitness and act insolidarity to sustain

hope, support dialogueand transform theworld.


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In gratitude

Don Teofilo unknowing mentor formuch of my work onthis subject


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Thank you.

C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N :

P A U L T R E A D W E L LP T 3 6 @ C O R N E L L . E D U

P A U L . T R E A D W E L L @ G M A I L . C O M

H T T P : / / W W W . P A U L T R E A D W E L L . C O M
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Gratitude and Generosity in Cross-Cultural Exchanges-Revision2

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