Wendy introduction (teacher)
I have been teaching French at the Hotchkiss School for the past eleven years. I live on campus, in an apartment adjacent to a girls’ dormitory, with my husband and our four year old son. I was drawn to teaching language by my own early experiences of foreign language as a vehicle for vital personal and cultural exchange. I love the “aha!” moments of language learning. I also love the thrill of catching wisps of insight into the humor, passions, and trials of a different culture that language can convey, especially through direct human discourse, even when the exchange relies on a lot of gesturing and guessing. The “we are in this communication together” contract is one that draws out compassion, respect, and self-discovery.
It has been many years since I went on an adventure such as the one promised by our approaching journey to Morocco. From traveling to Québec and different areas of France, I know that even cultures that have much in common often judge and misinterpret one another. In this case, my fellow student travelers and I are well aware of our ignorance of our host culture and of our privilege at being able to participate in this cultural tour, service and home-stay opportunity. I hope that this trip will open our Western eyes in an immediate way to the riches of Morocco, Islam and the Arab world. I am eager for us to begin to learn and convey the political and cultural sensitivities of which I believe the rising generation of the United States to be capable. I know I will be challenged in so many ways, and my excitement is building!