Reflections from Far, Far Away 1

When you're eight thousand miles from home, email becomes a fantastic interactive journal. Here, I have cut excerpts from an email exchange between me and my partner, Corrine Calice. I have edited at will, because these are personal documents and because I wanted to piece together a couple of themes/threads here. Though you might want to know how we bought our house, what our kids were doing on any given day and where Corrine was eating dinner each night, I considered those exchanges a bit less relevant for this purpose. As a pastiche, don't worry if you can't follow every thought; we were confused at times as well. Try and let the exchange wash over you as an experience, as a peek into a private conversation where two people are working hard to figure out what another is observing far away, in another context. I often think about the ways we use journals and diaries and then make conclusions about folks and their lives without having them there to speak with. What could or might happen if such a text were reproduced when the writers are accessible? What is the larger context for this small, basic, personal conversation? How does it fit in with the other Sharing Cultures Project texts you are reading on this website?

As you read, understand that these writings were initially only intended for private viewing and are therefore naïve and basic in places. However, both Corrine and I wanted to "go public" with some of this as my sharing of my South African experience opened up another whole dialogue for us, one that I think could further generate conversation for others. Even more, I have been thinking about the ways that my email with Corrine is similar to the exchange that our students have on the discussion boards. Ideas are put out and then someone responds. The difference, of course, is that our exchange has not yet been read by others and was never meant to be read by others. Even so, I know that Corrine and I were honestly and purposefully working on and through political ideas and global considerations.

I believe that because we are all guided and formed by our own master/grand narrative, it is important to reveal what you "really think" at times so that others have the opportunity to reflect, respond, and help you revise your own thinking. We cannot be asked to address our misunderstandings if we are not willing to have our impressions be heard.