Bendiciones, orgullo y oportunidades...

Keegan Cooke is a 23-year-old international student athlete at the University of Arizona. As a member of the track team, he competes in the ten events that comprise the decathlon. I met Cooke in a religious studies class this semester and have found him to be very interesting. Although he is from another country, Harare, Zimbabwe, he is completely articulate and aware of his surroundings in the United States. Based off his class presentations, I knew I wanted to write an article about experiences at the UA.

This blog post will preview all that you can learn about Cooke through my next Border Beat special project, to be published in April. My classmate, Lauren Sokol, and I will be taking a close look at what it means to be an international athlete, 24/7.

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Although Cooke is from Africa, he did not ride an elephant to school, and yes he drives a car and has a cell phone. In our first interview he joked that these are the questions he's asked when he tells people he meets where he is from.

He said he's also had to face a few stereotypes since moving to the U.S. "I’m white and from Africa," he said. "A lot of people think that all Africans are black."

With generalities aside, Cooke said he has dealt with culture shock. During our conversation in the Lohse room, in the McKale Center, he recalled two stories that truly explain experiences.

"My transition from Zimbabwe to America was a huge culture shock. There were a lot of things I had to learn, like driving on the other side of the road and not jaywalking and things like that. But, my biggest culture experience that happened right after I got here was in California. I was staying with some friends next to the UCLA campus and they’d been talking about this Undie Run that everyone was going to do, and because it was a run I knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of. I didn’t understand the undie part of it and that weekend I found out that it was a run where everyone took their clothes off and went for a long run. It was quite funny, but I knew that was the beginning of learning about how people do things different in another country."

My classmate and I couldn't help but laugh along with Cooke about his experience, but the stories didn't stop there.

"Another culture shock that I had since I’ve been in America was this last weekend, actually, here in Arizona. I got pulled over by a cop. I hadn’t been pulled over by one yet so I was pretty nervous. He pulled up to my window and asked for license and registration. I don’t have a license here in America, so I gave him my Zimbabwe driver’s license, which is like a little metal disc. He kind of laughed at it and thought I was joking, so he had to call another cop to come verify that it was somewhat legitimate. And then I learned about registration and how you have to keep up-to-date with your insurance, and things like that. Obviously I wasn’t quite following the rules, so I learned very quickly that that’s another thing that’s different from Zimbabwe."

Cooke continued to tell us about his daily life as a collegiate athlete, but always made sure to talk about his journey to the U.S. as a blessing and opportunity. Through his interview you can tell he is very proud to be African, and to represent his country as he works towards his goal of competing in the Olympics.

Make sure to check out the Border Beat website to find the full story about Cooke in late April.

Educación durante el viaje...

Last week I spent four days of my spring break in San Diego, Calif. Although I didn't do much schoolwork, I did take time to think about various elements of life. On the drive home I observed and began to count the number of Border Patrol vehicles that were posted along highway. There must have been 10 of them within a 20-mile radius. I began to realize that the people in those white sedans and SUVs are doing their job, and a job of their choice. Those who spend their days watching over the border are people, working to make a living too.

At that moment I remembered that my friend, Courtney, mentioned her 25-year-old brother was applying to become a Border Patrol agent. I was so interested that I sent her a text to get more information. She explained that the application process was, and still is lengthy- her brother is yet to hear a final world from the government agency. She also said he's required the support of family and friends along the way.

Due to short notice, I was unable to get in direct contact with Courtney's brother- I'll call him Mike for the sake of his privacy. But, Courtney was more than willing to share her side of the story.

The 22-year-old Tucson native recently applied to the University of Arizona College of Nursing. If accepted, she will begin nursing classes in the fall, keeping her close to home. Just as Courtney is looking to obtain a job in the field of service, so is her brother.

"Mike does not have a college degree. He has been interested in Border Patrol for several years because friends and family have told him about their experiences with the department. Not only does he want to protect our borders, but he is also interested in a salary, insurance, retirement plans, etc.," she said.

But the application process is more than Courtney said she would Mike has been very dependent upon our family during this long process. He continues to need emotional support when he is frustrated with the process that seems to be never ending.

"Becoming a Border Patrol agent is not an easy task," she explained. "First, he had to fill out an application. This application was several pages long. He had to provide references for each school he attended, job he maintained and residence he lived in. He also had to pass a physical test, a lie detector test, had an interview and had to pass a very extensive background check."

But the investigation and backgrounding did not stop there.

"He also met with a private investigator to question him about anything and everything regarding his past and present. That private investigator has shown up at my grandma's work to question her, my uncle's house, Mike's girlfriend's house, etc.," Courtney said.

With all the work that's gone into the process, one can only imagine amount of time it's taken. Mike first applied for the job in August 2012. Although the determined male is yet to hear back, his sisters says his family and friends will continue to give their support.

"My family is excited for him. Although there is a possibility we would not get to see him as often as we do now, we know this is something he is very interested in," she said. "He could be mandated to live in a couple different locations. As a family, we're obviously rooting for somewhere close to Tucson. Mike, on the other hand, would really like to be living in San Diego, Calif. Although he can ask to work in a specific location, they don't make any guarantees."

Courtney could not help but express how proud she is of her older brother.

"Not everyone would be willing to work in 100-degree weather, chasing illegal immigrants and pursuing drug smugglers, but Mike is excited to do it. He wants to protect our borders, which as a Tucsonan is super important to me and my safety," she said. "I am amazed daily that he still wants to become a Border Patrol Agent even though he has been waiting almost two years. Most people would have already given up out of frustration."

Pictured above is Courtney and her two older brothers, Leland and Mike. She is the youngest child and extremely proud of her brother, Mike [pictured on the right], who is is currently applying to be a Border Patrol agent. I have permission to use this photograph which was taken by Lexi Moody.

Sirvir a través de las fronteras

Emery Hartstein is an interdisciplinary studies senior at the University of Arizona studying Spanish, sociology and public relations. In early February, Hartstein ventured to Cuenca, Ecaudor with a group of doctors and nurses to provide ear, nose and throat healthcare to the underprivileged through an organization called Healing the Children. For two weeks, she acted as a translator to enable communication between the patients and those conducting the surgeries and procedures.

Although this was not a study abroad trip, Hartstein said she learned a lot about the Spanish language, Ecuadorian culture and life. She said the group completed 40 surgeries – each took approximately two hours – which enabled some children to hear and breathe better, and swallow without pain. “The emotional reward from this trip is nearly inexplicable,” she said.

When Hartstein speaks about how experience, it’s obvious that is passionate and thankful for her opportunity to volunteer in South America. She is also zealous about the Spanish language and life abroad. This week I decided there would be no better way “to show, not tell” you about her personal experiences, than with her words.

Here is the text from our question and answer session:

SM: How did your education, both abroad and in the United States, enable you to serve alongside doctors and nurses in Ecuador?

EH: Studying Spanish in the US gave me the basic understandings of the grammatical rules in the language. Living abroad allowed me to speak and understand it. There is without a doubt a difference of learning a language in a classroom setting and immersing yourself in the culture. While I lived abroad, I read Spanish every where I went, I heard it every where I went, I literally lived within the language. I think a person not only learns a language exponentially faster while living in a foreign country, but they learn it so much better. In the classroom setting in the U.S. students learn the grammar rules in a 50 minutes class period and exit the classroom to resume their lifestyle which obviously, includes speaking English. Living abroad, especially with a host family, students are left with no choice but to practice what they just learned in the classroom. Because I lived abroad I had a better familiarity of conversational Spanish, especially colloquialisms which assisted me in helping the doctor’s and nurses in Ecuador. This helped in a major way because if a translator went on this trip not having studied abroad and only having studied from the text book, they slang terms would prove to be difficult to understand, if not impossible, which reiterates the advantage of living like a local in a Spanish-speaking country.

SM: Where have you traveled and used Spanish?

EH: I studied in Viña del Mar, Chile for four months but spent time in Buenos Aires, Argentina and also Peru before and afterward and just recently returned from a trip to Ecuador where I was the designated translator. I utilized Spanish in each of these countries.

SM: Would you consider yourself fluent? If so, how did you learn Spanish? For how many years have you studied it?

EH: I would consider myself fluent in the language. It is difficult to live in an English-speaking country and attempt to maintain my Spanish though. I noticed that when I arrived in Ecuador which was about eight months after having lived in South America, I had lost a lot of my Spanish speaking abilities. I picked them up quickly once I got there, but it was a bit disheartening to remember how much I used to know in comparison to how much I know now. It is a tricky thing consistently switching between countries because on the brink of my confidence to be 100 perfect fluent I return to the U.S. and lose a good amount of it. I have studied Spanish my whole life, but to be quite honest, none of it was as helpful as living my day-to-day life speaking the language.

SM: How did you get involved with traveling to Ecuador?

EH: Our good family friend is an anesthesiologist who has volunteered with this organization before and invited me to go on the trip. I was ecstatic when I received the invitation and without hesitation agreed. I was one of eight team members- the only translator- who volunteered for 12 days’ time. I stayed for five more days on my own for personal travel.

SM: Were your parents and friends supportive of your decision to go?

EH: It was overwhelming how much support I had for this trip. I have never done anything like this, and because the invitation was so abrupt I wasn’t financially able to fund my trip. I was apprehensive and nervous to send out a letter to my friends and family asking for monetary, and good blessings, donations but I did it because I needed the help in order to go. To my surprise, not only did my friends and family send me emotional support and numerous good blessings, but they helped me raised over what I needed to cover my flight, which truly helped me while abroad to indulge in the culture. It was incredible. I remember sitting on the plane ride and absorbing how loved I felt from all of the support, another monumental day in my life.

SM: What was your experience like?

EH: My experience was ideal. Each individual member of the team was essential and brilliant and in their field, and collectively made up for one of the goofiest and kindest group of people to help in the lives of disadvantaged Ecuadorian families. I did the translating the entire time and challenged myself in ways that were at times uncomfortable but always proved to teach me lessons about myself. I loved the challenge, but more than anything, I loved the ability to participate in the lives of these families in ways that the average person can’t. Anyone can help build a home, donate money, cultivate food, or provide clean water. I’m not saying these acts of kindness are anything less than monumental, but it takes a very specific type of person to give help in the field of medicine. And although I have no experience in the medical field, I was able to help based off of another unrelated talent I had. For that, my experience was irreplaceable. The families were so warm and grateful and I was honored to give them the aid they needed. The surgeon even let me help perform one of the surgeries. It was incredible, every moment of my trip.

SM: Is there one moment that made a monumental impact on your life?

EH: To be honest, each day I was there made a different impact on my life. The one that I think will stay with me the longest is when a boy, the one I got to help operate on, gave me his thanks. It was at that moment that I realized that although these doctors and nurses are brilliant, I wouldn’t trade my talent for theirs for anything. I love being able to communicate and was so honored that I was able to internalize their gratitude rather than needing to listen to another person in order to understand. I think we all have an incredible connection as humans and the truth is we don’t have many differences. It just takes the ability to communicate, empathize, and understand to realize the similarities each type of person has with the next. I was so grateful that I was able to talk and create relationships with each of the patients and families we met.

As you now understand, there would have been no better way to share Hartstein's experience than through her own words. My hope is to better captivate her experience by doing a more in-depth story for the Border Beat website later in the semester.