The term “tropicalizar” graced my ears during my first year in Guatemala when I was working on a research project with a dear former colleague. I’d written up a brief status report about the course of our investigations, evaluating our organization’s impact on education and health measures, and he’d taken a look at it. He said, “Lisa, está muy bien el reporte. ¡Ahora sólo te falta tropicalizarlo!” (This report looks just fine. Now you just need to tropicalize it!) He meant, the content is great, but now you need to make it more like a report a Central American would have written. In jest, he added that to my more direct and succinct writing style, we needed to add a flowery introduction, a bunch of extra words in the middle, and a flowery conclusion. I needed to make a better cultural translation of my work.
These days my husband often points out the ways that I myself have become “tropicalized” since arriving in Guatemala six years ago: I get to meetings 10 minutes late. When I enter a room, I expect everyone to stand up and personally greet me. And my driving has probably gone downhill.
At the same time, there are plenty of ways that I have strongly resisted tropicalization: I smiled for my drivers’ license photo, unlike most chapines (Guatemalans). I like efficiency and don’t like to see much time wasted. And there’s no getting rid of that direct communication style for which we gringos are so well known.
Through this blog, I look forward to exploring issues of cultural and professional adaptation, especially as it applies to those of us who are in it for the long haul. I also hope to share some tips that I’ve learned along my journey.
I look forward to reading your comments or hearing from you at tropicalizandose@yahoo.com.
Latest posts by Lisa Hetzel
- Evaluating Our Impact - December 23rd, 2009
- Educational Exchange with New Hope Teachers - December 15th, 2009
- How to Get Your Home-Culture Fix - December 4th, 2009
- What Are You Thankful For? - November 26th, 2009
- Nonprofit Network Launches Website - November 20th, 2009
- Graduation Season - November 13th, 2009
- Milking Your Tax Dollars from Afar - November 6th, 2009
- Going Green(er) in Guatemala - October 16th, 2009
- The Hidden Benefits of Volunteering - October 9th, 2009
- Secrets to Landing a Volunteer Position - October 2nd, 2009
