Befriending My Language Exchange Partner

By: Muntaha Islam

At Manna Project International, we have a great program in which we virtually connect with an Ecuadorian who would like to practice English every week. As a Floridian who continuously comes into contact with Hispanic culture, especially Puerto Rican and Cuban peoples, participating in the Language Exchange Program here at Manna has benefited me tremendously. I have benefited from practicing my Spanish-speaking with every meeting. My partner and I have even agreed to meet outside of Manna and visit the other’s country (I live in the United States whilst she resides in Ecuador). I adore our many meetings and we never run out of things to talk about. I have learned so much about her life, as she lives quite an adventurous one going bungee jumping, cycling through the mountain paths, being a honey harvester, and riding horses! My partner and I have a lot in common, as we both enjoy making beaded jewelry, drinking tea with honey, and playing with animals. Our interest in the other’s language allows for us to build our language skills in an incredible way, introducing literature, songs, and other media. 

        In the United States, I have noticed that language learning takes on a role as some sort of an academic necessity rather than a desire to experience another culture. The language exchange program feels like a great friendship, in which you befriend a stranger with the interest of language-learning as a foundation for a strong bond. 

Another benefit to speaking to a friend in the target language is shaping your mind to think in more dynamic ways. As an immigrant, I can tell you that the way in which I think whilst speaking my mother tongue (Bengali) and the way in which I think whilst speaking English is completely different! The language itself is a culture in its own, as it models your thoughts and perceptions. Languages change how you see yourself! In the Kuuk Thaayorre language, spoken by the Thaayorre peoples of Australia, it has sixteen words for absolute cardinal directions rather than words related to the subjective sense such as ahead or left. Such usage moulds the Thaayore people to instinctively recognize their place on the globe simply by how their language programs their very senses! Another interesting note is that in Bengali if you were to bruise your knee, you’d say “আমার হাঁটুতে চোট পড়েছে”, which translates to “my knee bruised itself”. In opposition, in English, you’d declare, “I hurt my knee!”; “my knee hurt itself” doesn’t fit into the grammatical structure. In English, the hurting action gets blamed upon the individual, whereas Bengali blames the knee! 

        In my journey of learning Spanish, I have discovered how descriptive and explicit my thoughts whilst speaking and formatting sentences. It is a very explanatory and sensational language, where how one feels, their opinions, and their perceptions are clearly worded as subjective. The language exchange program at MPI has certainly created an interest in the epistemology behind languages for me!

Ecuadorian Ceviche

By: Linda Dillon

Watch Linda’s video on how to make ceviche here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty8pcrC-2Jk&feature=youtu.be

Ceviche is usually made from fresh raw fish that is cured in citrus juices; however, it can also be made with shrimp and/or octopus. Ceviche is very popular in the Pacific coastal regions of western Latin America and is often eaten as an appetizer. It is served everywhere from street stands to expensive restaurants.

The origin of ceviche is disputed between Peru and Ecuador, as both countries have an amazing variety of fish and shellfish, so it could easily have come from the ancient Inca civilizations of Peru and Ecuador. The technique of macerating raw fish and meat in vinegar, citrus and spices, this process is called escabeche and was brought to the Americas from Spain. It is also linked to the Muslim heritage in Spanish cuisine. However, there have been archeological records which suggest that ceviche may have been consumed in Peru and Ecuador nearly two thousand years ago. 

Every Latin American country makes ceviche a bit differently, placing their own touch of individuality! For example, in Mexico, ceviche is topped with avocado, jalapeno, and hot sauce; Peruvian Ceviche is traditionally drier and served with cooked potato slices; while in Ecuador, ceviche is accompanied with fried green plantains or plantain chips called “chifles”, popcorn, and corn nuts. From experience, I have also noticed that in Ecuadorian ceviche, they include tomato sauce or ketchup for a sweet, tangy flavor and juice from an orange, which is uncommon in other countries when preparing ceviche.

Ingredients

·        1 lb. peeled shrimp

·        7-8 limes

·        1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

·        1 chopped red onion

·        2-3 finely chopped tomatoes

·        2 tsp. finely chopped cilantro

·        ½ cup ketchup

·        2 tsp. olive oil

·        Salt & pepper to taste

Steps

1.     Wash, peel and cook shrimp.

2.     Chop up and mix onions, tomatoes, and cilantro.

3.     Add lime juice, orange juice, ketchup, and olive oil.

4.     Add the shrimp. Add salt & pepper to taste.

5.     Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

6.     Serve cold with plantain chips or popcorn.

Cultural Connections and Immersion Ft. Zoom

By: Elena Walker

March: the month I found out I was being mandated home from study abroad in Costa Rica and my plans to go to Ecuador for five weeks in the summer had also fallen apart. In those first few days, with how hectic it felt trying to pack 3 months of my life up to move back to a United States I was worried would not be the same as I had left it, my mind naturally blocked out any extra stressors or negative thoughts that threatened to bubble to the surface. It wasn’t until I sat alone, in my room, quarantined a few weeks later that I began to fully process what had happened and what was going to happen. The latter of which instilled more fear of the unknown in me than I had ever experienced before. I learned that I had the opportunity to still work with Manna Project for the summer, but it would be on a virtual platform. I figured that it would be better than nothing, considering many of my friends’ internships were severely shortened or cancelled altogether. Although MPI sent various emails over the weeks leading up to the internship with helpful information, I had no idea what to expect (or more importantly what I would be missing out on) for this virtual experience. 

Within the first week, I had met the other 9 interns, grown accustomed to the basic weekly schedule, and learned that we would be receiving a lot of professional development training. Of course I was grateful and recognized that these career trainings and seminars would have been less numerous on-site in Ecuador, but I still longed for the possibility of a deep cultural experience that had drawn me to Manna’s program in the first place. I looked to my language exchange beginning the next week and hoped it would satisfy my desire to travel and have a profound cross-cultural connection. 

By the end of week one, a supervisor gave me my partner’s name (Cynthia) and WhatsApp number. I eagerly reached out to her and was interested to see what her level of English was going to be. From our short text conversation leading up to our first call, I quickly ascertained that Cynthia was fairly proficient in the language. This both excited me and made me a bit nervous as I did not want to frustrate her with my more intermediate level of Spanish. I went into our first call with an open mind and high expectations for how the exchange was going to play out which I realized was probably a dangerous sentiment. I accepted the fact that it would either be a success or I would be left with more regret of not being in Ecuador. 

Our first Zoom call was on the Wednesday of the second week of my internship. I will admit the initial saying “hi” (or “hola”) and getting into the beginning of our conversation was a bit awkward, but that is to be expected when you are meeting someone for the first time over a computer screen. The awkwardness only lasted 5 minutes, and we began to feel comfortable as the conversation progressed into both of us excitedly telling the other about where we grew up. We spoke in Spanish for the first 30 minutes, and for once in my life I felt completely unjudged and at ease speaking my second language even though I knew I was butchering certain tenses and sentence structures.

Cynthia was patient and understanding as she would only correct me or remind me of words when I directly asked for her help. The last half of the call was spent in English as she explained some of her favorite aspects of her community, Sangolquí, and apologized for her lack of mastery of the language. We soon came to realize that we both were at similar language levels, could hold a conversation, but just needed practice speaking and exposure to natives conversing in our respective second languages. I ended the call knowing I had grown in my confidence speaking with natives and gained an inside view into Ecuadorian culture and customs. 

The following calls proceeded in a similar manner, with us both teaching the other about an aspect of our society, swapping funny stories, and just talking about our plans for the weekend. Even though what made us different was starkly apparent, the similarities and shared passions that bound us together were also evident. They might have been harder to see from first glance, but they existed nonetheless. We discovered that we both were in band in high school, are about the same age, believe we have the world’s cutest dogs, and love learning different languages. Food is also a huge part of our lives, and we have bonded over our love of famous dishes in each of our countries. From pollo asado to mac n cheese, we love to eat!

We also have had difficult discussions about race relations in the United States and were able to compare and contrast that with the complex racial identities within Latin American society. She has become someone I can talk candidly with about how I view my country and the struggles it faces as she listens and learns about Americans and American culture. Consequently, she is able to enlighten me about the Latina way of life and how she views the world from her cultural perspective. I have learned a lot about her culture and in return come to know myself and my society better through our interaction and her reactions to American news and our customs.

The expectations of a deep connection and cultural immersion that I had were somehow exceeded. I keep trying to remind myself that it’s still not Ecuador, but I would argue that this experience has been pretty dang close. I look forward to continuing my exchange with Cynthia, even after my internship ends, and hopefully getting to visit the country that I have learned so much about. I already have an invitation to dinner from Cynthia’s mom when I arrive.

A Foreign Language Education Investigation of the United States and Ecuador

By Thomas Joyce

The concept of foreign language instruction in the United States has been a long debated issue. Some believe that proficiency in a foreign language should be a high school graduation requirement; others believe that required language classes hinder the exploration of other subjects by students not interested in languages; and finally some believe that foreign language instruction is not being done early enough in schools. Over the years, the presence of foreign language education in schools nationwide has been declining, and recent reports show that only roughly 20% of students across the country study foreign languages at some point in their K-12 years, and only 7.5% of college students study foreign languages. The result of this has been a population less equipped for this constantly globalizing world in which only 20% of the population speaks English, and the importance of cross-cultural communication continues to grow. 

Having studied a second language for the past seven years, I have always been puzzled by the lack of attention given to foreign language learning, and felt that foreign language classes were not being offered to students early enough. Upon conversing with my language partner, who attended an English Institute High School in Ecuador, he told me about learning English in school from a very young age, taking English classes outside of school, and having to pass an English proficiency test in order to graduate high school. Although these are not the typical requirements of schools in Ecuador, I was amazed by what he was describing. This sparked my interest, and led to my investigation of foreign language teaching in the United States, as well as in Ecuador, and although the prevalence of bilingual individuals in these countries is not starkly different right now, the futures of these countries may look very different based on actions currently being taken. 

In the United States, foreign language requirements depend on the state, and right now only four locations have foreign language study as a graduation requirement. In New Jersey and New York, one year of foreign language study is required to graduate high school, while in Michigan and Washington, DC, two years are required. Aside from these locations, no other states have mandatory requirements, and in fact, only 1 in 5 public school students take a foreign language class prior to entering the college/university level. This lack of educational presence has resulted in the US lagging behind in the world in regards to cross-cultural communication. In fact, only roughly 20% of Americans are bilingual according to the US Census Bureau. For comparison, in Europe, roughly 56% of people are bilingual. In regards to Ecuador, traditionally the percentage of Ecuadorians that speak a foreign language has not been very high, but since the implementation of the US dollar as the official currency in 2000, the conversation surrounding the importance of English fluency has become much more relevant. 

In 2015, The Ministry of Education in Ecuador enacted a bill that required English instruction in public primary schools starting at the age of six, with the goal of proficiency by age eleven. This made it the third country, behind Costa Rica and Colombia, to require English language instruction at such a young age. Ecuador has also implemented a program known as GoTeacher, which is a study abroad program for Ecuadorian teachers which allows them to learn more about the English language and the proper way to instruct it. The current administration cites this bill as one of its main successes, as the importance of languages in our quickly globalizing world has become more clear than ever. 

In the United States, language instruction typically begins in children’s middle school years, which is part of the issue. Studies have shown that the best age for children to begin learning a second language that will maximize chances of achieving fluency, is prior to the age of 10. This means that American schools are beginning foreign language education too late, and when paired with the fact that in the majority of places it is an elective rather than a requirement, it is clear why the United States is behind so many countries in terms of bilingual individuals. Throughout the country, the focus of schools is directed solely toward English, Mathematics, History and Science courses, with language courses wrongly characterized as accessory to this core, rather than a part of it. 

Despite English being the most widely spoken language worldwide, with the world becoming more and more interconnected every day, and with its population growing every year, it is clear that Americans should begin to look at this issue more seriously. With bilingual skills becoming more valuable in the job market and cross-cultural communication becoming more prevalent in day to day life with technological advances, it will be interesting to see if the United States takes steps to combat this largely nationwide tendency toward complacency regarding foreign languages. Ecuador recently took its first steps, and only time will tell if the US will follow its lead. 

Community Exchange Partnership for Virtual Interns

Transcribed By: Elena Walker

One of the highlights of our virtual summer internship has been partnering our interns with community members in Ecuador so that each week they can discuss life and feel a little more connected to someone thousands of miles away. Below is an interview that one of our summer interns, Elena Walker, had with her community partner.

1. What is your name and a little bit about your family

   My name is Cynthia Diaz. I have one sister, Veronica. She is 20 years-old and taller than me. I live with my mother and father. My mother is 54 years-old, and my father is 57 years-old. Her name is Teresa, and my Dad’s name is Carlos. My dad was in the army 14 years ago. I have a dog, and his name is Toby. He’s a schnauzer. I am almost 20. 

2. Where and what do you study? 

   I study in the Central University of Ecuador. I am in my first semester. I am studying to become an OBGYN. I will start classes in one month. My university is in Quito, and I will study for 5 years. I like my career because I love to help other people (especially babies). I think helping women is really important for society. 

3. What is your favorite place in your city (Sangolquí)?

   The San Luis shopping mall. I like it because there are a lot of different stores and arcades. You can hang out with your friends. I also like the waterfalls, but they are very far from where I live. 

4. What is your favorite Ecuadorian food?

   Cariucho. It is grilled chicken with potatoes and an onion and peanut sauce. I also love ceviche.

5. Can you tell me a little about Ecuador’s most famous customs?

   We have a lot of carnivals...each city has their own. There are a lot of people dancing and colorful decorations. We also have a lot of traditional indigenous outfits. 

6. What made you interested in MPI?

   When I was 14 years-old and my mom found MPI, she enrolled me in an English course. I started in the third level. I used to go there each Saturday. I made friends there. They also had a lot of books...I really love books. I used to borrow them. I have read Frankenstein and Crime and Punishment from that library. I used to love going there. It was absolutely perfect. They also had a room with videos games and a ping pong table. The volunteers were so nice! I love that place. That was 5 years ago. It is very important what you guys do. It’s very nice. 

7. What programs did you participate in?

   I participated in the English class and art class. 

8. What was your favorite program?

   English class, but I also really loved the drawing class.

9. Have you recognized a difference in your life because of the MPI programs?

   I think that interacting with and talking with natives from the United States makes it a lot easier to learn English. When I began English classes at the University, it was a lot easier for me because I had already taken lots of English classes with MPI and had the opportunity to speak with native English speakers. 

10. What do you want to achieve with your current participation in MPI’s programs (the language exchange with MPI’s summer interns)?

    I want to not forget my English and have the opportunity to practice with a native speaker. I also like being able to share my language and culture with another person and also learn about theirs.