Book Discussion #2 Summary- Mindful Travel Abroad

Thanks to all who attended our second DEI Initiative book discussion on March 3, 2021. In this session, we discussed chapters 5 and 7 of Dr. Anu’s inspiring book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World.

While in small break out groups, we explored the following set of pre-posed questions together:

1. Based on who we are and how we are perceived, we must differently navigate our similarities, differences, and the broader power structures like racism, patriarchy, and homophobia. But take a moment to reflect on why and how both white travelers and travelers of color may experience similar feelings of surprise, guilty delight, or having-to-represent-our-entire-group during parts of their trips abroad. How may this reflection help us make better sense of our experiences and of the actions and reactions of those traveling with us?

2. One of the trickiest skills to develop when we’re interacting with others abroad is the capacity to know if something is happening because we’re an outsider and a representative of the West, or if this same interaction would have happened regardless of any identifiable feature of our foreignness and/or appearance. What are ways we might develop and deepen this skill?

3. What are strategies for making moments of inequity during travel less about you and your feelings of guilt and more about the context and the people who inhabit it?

4. Chapter 7 discusses the importance of staying present and breathing through moments of discomfort as a way to better understand what’s going on without getting flooded with guilt when faced with inequities during travels. How can we facilitate this strategy for travelers while abroad?

Key highlights from our conversations have been summarized below.

Key Highlights for Chapters 5-7:

Question: Based on who we are and how we are perceived, we must differently navigate our similarities, differences, and the broader power structures like racism, patriarchy, and homophobia. But take a moment to reflect on why and how both white travelers and travelers of color may experience similar feelings of surprise, guilty delight, or having-to-represent-our-entire-group during parts of their trips abroad. How may this reflection help us make better sense of our experiences and of the actions and reactions of those traveling with us?

-Through introspection, we can recognize that any experience has the potential of having a polarizing impact to each individual.

-The increase in nationalist rhetoric and polarized politics creates more segregation and stereotyping.

-Reading through the stories in the book and listening to stories of other people’s experiences helps us recognize that some of the reactions to us when traveling are not personal.

-Notice and understand the complex context (historical, cultural, etc.) as we travel through different spaces. To do this we can explore a place beyond the surface of tourist/destination highlights. This will influence our interactions with people we meet when traveling.

Question: One of the trickiest skills to develop when we’re interacting with others abroad is the capacity to know if something is happening because we’re an outsider and a representative of the West, or if this same interaction would have happened regardless of any identifiable feature of our foreignness and appearance. What are ways we might develop and deepen this skill?

-Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a moment where far too often we associate things with certain political agendas without acknowledging and appreciating the deeper meaning and diversity of identities.

-It’s challenging to combat stereotypes perpetuated by media and news outlets. Sadly, people can be seen as flat and one-dimensional. Imagine summing up a person with a glance, without really thinking about their total life experience.

-Approach a situation with curiosity versus judgment
◦When possible, ask clarifying questions of the person or someone who might be able to provide some insight into a cultural context.
◦Do your research before you travel – learn the history, be aware of cultural norms, power dynamics.
◦Accept non-closure- we may never know the reason behind an experience.
◦Understand the social dynamics of traveling independently or with a larger group.

Question: What are strategies for making moments of inequity during travel less about you and your feelings of guilt and more about the context and the people who inhabit it?

-The act of radical listening creates space to observe and absorb while resisting the urge to correct and interrupt. It’s okay to notice without “fixing” or “saving”.

-Initial reactions are colored by implicit or explicit biases. Cognitive biases are learned naturally through individual experiences. Which means we have the agency to educate and train ourselves to notice what these biases may be. The act of “naming it to tame it” allows us to manage biases in the moment and decide how we chose to engage with others.

-Slowing down is key. Practice is vital. Give yourself a goal of addressing one experience/conversation/interaction differently in your travels. Start with one thing and build your comfort level around this.

-Leverage curiosity. Travel creates a natural state of vulnerability, humility, and discernment. This is precisely the moment when travelers are perhaps at their most curious state when deep or observational conversations could deepen the experiential learning beyond the program highlights.

-Consider the social dynamics of traveling independently or as a group. Here are some brainstorms that we can do to create space for reflection:

▫PRE-TOUR:
◦To prepare travelers prior to departure, communicate that ‘mindful travel/reflection/discussion’ is an important way to deepen your experience and that it’s part of the journey
◦Set expectations and intention of mindful travel to recognize and process moments of discomfort and move past guilt
◦Add Anu’s book to the reading list

▫ON TOUR:
◦During free time, invite travelers to be mindful during their experience:
◦Provide a few questions for them to think about throughout their travels.
◦Meal debrief: Invite them to debrief their experience over a meal. Create an optional breakfast table at a certain time to literally hold space for discussion.
◦Fireside chat: Revisit an experience as a group. Invite travelers to actively listen to reactions to on-tour experiences. Consider using these prompts to initiate sharing:
—What was this experience like for you?
—This was what I felt (name the emotion).
◦Excursions & “Experiences”: Host meal example
—Conversations over local home-cooked meals could be enhanced by inviting travelers to explore questions about participating in cultural interchanges.

▫Consider using these prompts to initiate sharing:
—What did you glean from this cultural interchange experience?
—How does this experience impact you for the future?
—Does this experience illuminate new observations about your positionality?
—How would you retell the story of this experience to an outsider?
—Know your intent and ask the “why”. This helps the operator or TD understand the larger purpose (i.e to connect with “real people” or “locals”) and to tailor an authentic experience that is not exploiting local populations.

▫Remember: Part of our journey is talking about the experience.

Question: Chapter 7 discusses the importance of staying present and breathing through moments of discomfort as a way to better understand what’s going on without getting flooded with guilt when faced with inequities during travels. How can we facilitate this strategy for travelers while abroad?

-It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by systems of oppression. Remember to slow down, breathe, and repeat. As mentioned in the previous section, give yourself a goal of addressing one experience/conversation/interaction differently in your travels. Start with one thing and build your comfort level around this.

-Ask questions and avoid assumptions. This is the only way to learn about what people need and want.

-Set expectations. As mentioned in the previous question, pre-trip info and on-tour communications can help prepare travelers for how to process feelings of guilt or discomfort and acknowledge stereotypes while on tour. One key might be to raise consciousness and anticipation with the intent of each traveler maintaining a willingness and openness to learning.

-Book discussion: Add this book to a recommended reading list.

-Observing is critical. Observing then creating and holding space. When you see signs of people emotionally reacting, consider these prompts to communicate care and to create a brave space for reflection and sharing:
—“Do you need to talk?”
—“Are you okay?”
—If that person is unable to talk about their reaction, you can remind them that the space remains open for unpacking the experience if and when they feel comfortable. To keep the lines of communication open, you might say, “Sometimes it is hard to process things in the moment; if you ever want to talk about anything you are experiencing on this tour, I’m here for you.”

-Be more sensitive to people struggling with their emotions in the moment.

-Debrief opportunities need to be built-in. Where does it fit in? Do you plan for it or do you let it happen spontaneously? See the previous question about a few brainstormed ideas that came for the different breakout sessions.

-Practice self-care. It’s important not to internalize the weight of these feelings, but to open up space for dialogue to discuss our feelings. This helps us shape the complex context through which everyone is experiencing which is multifaceted and widely intersectional. This is one way to learn across differences.

Key terms & tools for discussion–

Radical listening: “emphasizes listening without judgment, keeping silent and giving your full attention so that the speaker will continue sharing. Radical listening means quieting your brain and resisting the instinct to respond with your own thoughts.” (https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/radical-listening/)

Here are some aids to support you as you continue learning more about practicing radical listening:
–https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/radical-listening/

-TEDxJIBC: “The Radical Listening Project: Healing Social and Political Divides” by Kathryn Thomson (https://youtu.be/wlDYBw6gzW4)

–Guide for Practicing Radical Listening (Beta)
“We are not expecting people to cast away their experiences and adhere to a particular agenda. What we need are people who acknowledge what they don’t know, and do something about it. Radical listening is a necessary step to affecting change in our interactions. When we listen radically, we enable learning that can grow empathy, compassion, and understanding. When we listen radically, we begin the process of radical change, radical inclusion, and radical equity. We can make our world feel less icky. We can do this.” (page 13)

Addressing Guilt, Shame, and Vulnerability: “Shame thrives on the belief that I’m alone.”–Dr. Brené Brown

Here is a resource to better understand the daily impacts of experiencing guilt, shame, and vulnerability:
-Shame is Lethal: Dr. Brené Brown (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEBjNv5M784)
Synopsis: “Shame and vulnerability researcher Dr. Brené Brown says shame is the intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love and belonging. It’s the most primitive human emotion we all feel—and the one no one wants to talk about. If left to its own devices, Dr. Brown says, shame can destroy lives. Watch as she reveals the three things shame requires to grow—and the one thing that can stop shame in its tracks.”

Lingering questions–
As we continue to explore the book themes, here are some questions that surfaced during the latest discussion. We pose them here on the forum to the ETC community. Perhaps together we can find ways to tackle these sticky conversations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

1. Can we find a space within ETC to have a conversation about experiences leading groups to share challenging situations and get help for how we could have better dealt with them in the moment or at other points during the trip or afterward?
2. How messages are packaged makes a big difference – how can we position educational opportunities in ways that people might be more receptive to?
3. How does one attempt to create an honest authentic connection (or experience) with locals when traveling independently versus a group?
4. How do we create space for reflection in our post-tour engagement with travelers?

Join us next time!
We invite you to join Session 3: Mindful Travel Abroad – Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 2 – 3 PM Eastern. Discussion questions will be based on chapter 9: The Coming-Home Process. This chapter focuses on the importance of coming back home and creating time and space to meaningfully unpack experiences and complex feelings from travel abroad and highlights opportunities to find the intersections between our travels abroad and our local lives.

Click https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/933PTDY to register for Session 3.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Ellis0115.
• This topic was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Ellis0115.