Born Not in the USA - TASK STATEMENT
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you were born or raised somewhere else? If you had different parents? If you lived in another state? In New York City? In another country? If you grew up speaking a different language? Practicing a different religion? Living in a different socio-economic class?
What would be different? The same? Why? How would you be different?
Merriam Webster defines culture as "The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time <popular culture> <southern culture>." Cumbersome as it may seem, cultural identity has many pieces, both abstract (values, worldview, social norms) and concrete (food, daily routines, clothing, lifestyle, hobbies). Your cultural identity is shaped by forces outside of your control: by your friends, by where you live, by local, national, and federal politics, by choices your parents have made and opinions they've expressed, by experiences. Your cultural identity is also a product of decisions and choices you have made: of the activities you've decided to pursue, of friends you have made, of lessons you have learned.
Imagining yourself born into OTHERNESS requires perspective. This perspective requires:
- A deep understanding of yourself and your own cultural identity.
- A detailed awareness about another culture.
Your task is to delve into the lifestyle, foods, social/family structures, school systems, hobbies, careers, traditions, and other details of daily life that shape your own cultural identity and those of a culture of the Latin American country of your choosing (see the list of countries from which you can choose below) to write two, side-by-side children's stories en español (¡Por supuesto!/Of course!):
Cuento 1: Un día en mi vida en Durango -- A day in my life in Durango
Cuento 2: Un día en mi vida en __pueblo/ciudad__, ___país____ (town/city, country)
Países de los cuales puedes escoger:
- Bolivia
- Guatemala
- Chile
