Understanding and Mexico

As I just returned from Mexico, one word really sticks out: understanding.

Language was the most observable. I understood most of the Spanish and by the end of the week I was able to hold a basic conversation. But communication went beyond language; understanding the communicators was equally important. Furthermore, beyond the communicators, understanding the environment, history and culture.

This trip increased my understanding on several levels. First, on a personal level. During traveling I finished Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father, a memoir about understanding his identity, and in the last part, Obama journeys to Kenya to meet his family. This narrative couldn’t have come at a better time, as I was meeting my wife’s family in Mexico for the first time. I drew a vague parallel of understanding identities.

Second, on a cultural and societal level. Perhaps, on this level, I have observed more than I have understood, but Mexico is a very different country from the United States and Uruapan is a very different city from Guadalajara. I believe to have bettered my understanding—not to understand completely—of matters such as family, generosity, opportunity, immigration, society, rich and poor, rural and urban, and much more.

Understanding sometimes means agreeing, sometimes it means disagreeing. The most important part of understanding is that you can put to use the information, knowledge and experience you gained in that particular, a similar or a different situation.

10 July 2006 | Cultural Affairs, International Affairs, Stories from the Road | Comments