mrwinnieteaches

[mrwinnieteaches]

When you realize that you bout to put in work cuz now you teaching college! #adjunctinstructor #spring2016 #luc #leadershipstudies

[mrwinnieteaches]

I made this mac n cheese with Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions for my students tomorrow, one with bacon and one without. This is by far the best dish I make. #thanksmom for teaching me how to mac n cheese. #bouttosmashsomefood #smash #educatorscare #macncheese #dedicatedteacher

[mrwinnieteaches]

Took this really #nervousselfie with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings who gave me life today. She reminded me that she's here today because of our #ancestors who paved the way through slavery, sharecropping, and Jim Crow just so we could stand together to try to actually educate and liberate. #humbled #glorialadsonbillings #courageousconversations

[mrwinnieteaches]

When there's a Supermoon outside and it looks like a tablet of Motrin...your pain reliever for the day is in the sky... #supermoon #motrin #sundayblues #startoftheweek #nightsky #nightcalm

[mrwinnieteaches]

#ETHS #hitthequan #winniehitsthequan #ilovemyjob #newskool #educationisliberating #teachers

[mrwinnieteaches]

This "dislike" button is about to be something else. We shall see how this goes and if it changes the game. I wonder if social media can handle it, more importantly all those who might turn this dislike thing into an offensive fad. I feel like this might be a way for people to hide more of their true feelings. #facebookispetty #facebook #facebookdislike

[mrwinnieteaches]

I guess this is the face of a stressed out teacher, we do so much but I don't even know #stressedoutteacher #stress #fun @teacherface

[mrwinnieteaches]

What is intersectionality?

I get this one a lot, so here it is straight from my FAQ:

      Intersectionality is a system of thought rooted in early black feminism. It refers to the understanding that no person experiences their identities individually and additively (i.e. woman + black + lesbian + able-bodied…); instead, identities are inseparable and intimately intertwined.       In terms of feminism, this means that not all women experience sexism in the same way. It means that we can’t just talk about gender without acknowledging how other identities are connected to the experience of living a gendered life. Unfortunately the feminist movement doesn’t have a great history with this… And when we talk about gender without accounting for its intersectional identities, we end up whitewashing the movement and leaving the “unsaid” assumed as dominant: meaning, white/straight/wealthy/cis/etc… Which ultimately promotes oppression instead of eliminating it.       In academia, intersectionality a heuristic approach dedicated to contesting dominant narratives, ideologies, and understandings. It’s about discussing gaps, and acknowledging the voices of “illegitimate knowers” (aka women of color, those with disabilities, queer folks, etc.) as powerful and important. It emphasizes social justice through analyzing and embracing nontraditional forms of sharing academic information about identity-based experiences. Some of these forms include–but are certainly not limited to–slam poetry, fiction writing, performance art, embodied acts of resistance, story-sharing, and music.

[mrwinnieteaches]

[mrwinnieteaches]

Last of the food pictures. Lots of wonderful seafood in Peru! Ceviche, Arroz con mariscos, Appetizers, Aji de Gallina, amazingness. #foodporn #fulbright15lbs #fulbright2015 #guapalops #gymtime #peru #SEEfood

[mrwinnieteaches]

In the Amazon! #Amazon #pilcopata #fulbright2015 #peru (at Pilcopata )

[mrwinnieteaches]

Had my Sex Ed class finally and learned a thing or two #sexed #larcomuseum #lima (at Museo Larco)

[mrwinnieteaches]

Chapter 10: Sail Away #therevolutionwillnotbetelevised

I am actually dreading returning home back to the United States. After the death of Sandra Bland and other continued affirmations of what the US of A stands for, I think I should just "Sail Away," not like Styx did, but like Enya does, cuz Enya calms me down (she's my jam). In any case, there has been a lot of stuff that I've missed while I was away, and in that same breath so much stuff that I've gained while I was here in Bolivia and Peru. Before I recap, I should probably update.

Being in Lima for the last week of my journey provided me with a nice chance to transition back to the life and stuff I'm used to. Let me give an example; as soon as we left the airport, one of my friends pointed out the Dunkin Donuts in the corner. Y'all should have seen the smile on my face. The first question I asked was is there a Papa Johns here in Lima. Little did I know, there were about 30, including 2 in the neighborhood where we stayed, Miraflores. Papa Johns is my guilty pleasure, comfort food and something I'm used to from the long nights in college, even though Papa John, the owner, is really problematic. In any case, after traveling in a suitcase for the last 5 weeks surrounded with 13 other people 24/7 and not having a permanent place to call your own, I really was looking for something that just reminded me of home (and because food is amazing).

Lima is the biggest city I've ever been in. There are 10 million people who call this place home. It's the capital of Peru and has a rich history of Spanish colonialism and remnants of pre-colonial societies, ones whose existence I had no idea of. Lima is also a fairly international city, with people identify as Inca, native Quechua and Aymara speakers, mestizos who speak Spanish, Afro-Peruvians whose ancestors came via the Middle Passage, people from the US, Chile, China, Japan, Germany, and all over the world. You see signs of it, all over (like Dunkin Donuts and Papa Johns for example), but others like European banks, McDonalds, and Coke, not to mention casinos with names like Atlantic City, the Luxor, New York, and Casino Royale. I definitely felt like Lima was familiar, just everybody here spoke Spanish instead of English. During a tour of Lima, we learned that it's 100KM long (62 miles) and 14KM (8 miles) wide. It's a huge city and as more indigenous people are moving here looking for opportunity, the more the development of shantytowns and impoverished ghettos increases. And while I finally indulged in all of the conveniences of the infamous "first world" that I'm used to like consistent WIFI, malls, and fast food, there's still a lot that has to change here so that all those in Lima, not to mention all of Peru and Bolivia can enjoy those same things that I take for granted back home. 

To be honest, this leg of the trip was very low key, and was the most commercial and laid back given the busy schedule we've had in the previous 4 weeks; however, we did have a few chances to learn a thing or two. In addition to visiting the Larco Museum, which included so much of the Inca and pre-Incan societies' artifacts, (including their exotic collection, which I'll share a few pix of because they're amazing!), and Caral, the 2nd oldest civilization in the world (one I had never heard of before - thanks Eurocentrism), we heard from Sociologist Mario Zolezzi who filled us in on many of the issues plaguing the indigenous community here, some of which I spoke to earlier. 

I think in general though, there's been so much that I've had to process during this trip and I don't know if I've done enough throughout the entirety of this experience; that’s going to take a lifetime to be honest. When I first started blogging, the question that I posed was "Was does it mean to be an American, a black one at that?" It's kind of amazing how much being out of the country has informed me of this, especially with every news story I've heard. Being Black in the United States is a threat to white people; it's what white people fear. It's the group that white people want to continue to suppress and subjugate; however, we won't be stopped. Black people are a resilient group of people and we will overcome through any means! Black people are beautiful, intelligent, wise, ingenious, attractive and I'm appreciative that I know my/our greatness. And from my trip here to Bolivia and Peru, and from the indigenous people who speak Quechua and Aymara, and all of the other 50+ groups of people who have gone through their own battles with knowing their greatness, I've appreciated sharing in the common struggles we both have. I've appreciated the exchange of information and knowledge and I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be here! Now my task is to make it back home and continue to fight in the struggle. #therevolutionwillnotbetelevised

Thanks for reading the blog! Share, ask questions, and continue to challenge!

[mrwinnieteaches]

Chapter 9: Jungle Boogie

As I near the end of this trip, I get to start to draw some closure on this experience and I’ll tell you it’s been a wild ride. Since the last update, I had a chance to visit a really great school that provided the students who are privileged enough to attend a hands-on, authentic, community-based, learning experience at the Asociacion Pukllasunchis. It literally was a utopia of an environment where all the kids were happy, and it’s an inclusive environment for students who have special needs. It’s unlike what’s present in the States and is even rarer for people who live in Peru. It’s my hope that everybody has an opportunity to have something like this in the future. But to avoid the education conversation because that one is always a problematic work in progress, I wanted to talk about my experience going to the Amazon very briefly. 

I suppose this is the part of the experience where I reflect on how “green” I need to be. The neighborhood I grew up in Philly, Southwest, is one of the neighborhoods with the least amount of trees in the city. My block had one tree on it for like 15 years, then it was gone and my block has no trees. The environment and caring about it was a sad and non-existent reality for me. So, when I found out that I had a chance to go to the rain forest, and not just any rain forest, the Amazon, I kind of had no idea what to expect. 

As we went from Cusco to Pilcopata and made the 7 hour trek from the high mountains, over 13,000 feet, to the Amazon, about 2,000 feet, I was simply amazed by how amazing Earth was. For a moment, I was feeling like I was on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic combined. I watched Life one night in HD on a Friday night to relax and enjoyed that, and I’ll tell you, the Amazon is just like what it was on TV. The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle’s teaching about the water cycle all made sense. I saw small trees and big trees, round trees and fig trees (I tried my best at a Dr. Seuss; there’s probably no fig trees in the jungle). In any case, it was a sight to see. 

Not only was it a sight to see, it was a roller coaster of a ride. Going from 13,000 feet to 2,000 feet requires several important aspects: 1.) Faith in Jesus (or your spiritual beliefs - I just shared mine) 2.) A great driver 3.) Great breaks on your vehicle 4.) Patience. If you’ve had an opportunity to watch Ice Road Truckers, my trip was like this. There were cliffs we drove past that I thought death was eminent if we were a foot or 6 inches closer to the edge. In any case, we did make it. As much as I built up the drive, that wasn’t the highlight of the trip; what was particularly important was what I learned from the communities living there.

The purpose of our excursion was not to be tourists and simply boogie on down to the jungle, it was to learn about indigenous communities there. In 2015, believe it or not, there are still communities of individuals living in the Amazon who have had no human contact. With the help of an anthropologist here, Waldo Maldonado, we learned so much about the impact of globalization, capitalism, climate change, political change, and various forms of human interaction on these communities. Without going into all those details, and to keep this post relatively short, these communities have to deal with the fact that the rest of the world is putting their existence in danger. When I asked Waldo what he looked hopes and fears were for these communities which which he works and often lives, he said, and I paraphrase, that the earth continues to exist; if we destroy the planet, we destroy their livelihood and existence. This became increasingly real as we visited the Huachipaeri community, after a 5 mile hike into the Amazon from Pilcopata. 

In all, I think this was an eye-opening check for me to remember that what I do in Chicago or Philly impacts my fellow brothers and sisters all over the world, from Cusco to Pisac and Pilcopata. We live in a vulnerable time and there’s lots of crazy shit going on. For the most part, I focus on the intangibles about human existence, like making sure people feel safe in the skin that they’re in with the constructions of identities we have, like race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. One of the areas that I don’t do as great of a job, is thinking about the earth, Pacha Mama, as it’s referred to in Quechua. Many indigenous populations have had a great respect for the earth and that’s something I learned from them that our current and “modern” society lacks greatly. If we don’t learn to respect the Earth, there won’t be a home for us to live and that’s a sad truth. 

Since the jungle excursion, I’ve made it to Lima for the last leg of the journey and have since contributed more to globalization and such by eating Papa Johns my first night here. It was so good, but I know it was so bad. My last journal entry will chronicle my time in Lima and try to bring some closure to my experience with this Fulbright! 

[mrwinnieteaches]

More #foodporn #peru #cusco: There's too much to name here, but I'm going to step my cooking game up real quick. There's Palta de la Reina, Chebiche, and #guapalops of food here!

[mrwinnieteaches]

This is my #nationalgeographic (mail me the check) video that I made while in the Amazon. These are leaf cutting ants preparing their meals! Quite an experience and gave me a new appreciation for nature. About to watch #Life when I get back home on binge #fulbright2015 #peru #amazon

[mrwinnieteaches]

#machupicchu #waynapicchu #whenearthmakesyoufeelsmall #peru #cusco #inca #quechua #fulbright2015