Q and A with Nola Pastor

This week's Q and A is with Nola Pastor ('14), who studied abroad through Augsburg College's Center for Global Education in Central America!

1.) Where are you from?
Madison, Wisconsin

2.) What is your Major/Minor?
I am majoring in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies with minors in Hispanic Studies and English. 

3.) What is the name of your program, and how did you first hear about it?
My program is through Augsburg College's Center for Global Education, and it's called Social Change in Central America: Exploring Peace, Justice & Community Engagement. I heard about it through my study abroad adviser Rachel when I first went in to talk about study abroad.

4.) Why did you choose the program you went on?
I was amazed by the opportunity to travel in three different countries (Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua), and I already knew I was interested in Central America and the opportunity to use Spanish. In addition, the social justice focus of the program and the breadth of speakers and experiences just seemed too good to pass up. 

5.) What were your accommodations abroad? Did you have a roommates(s) or host family?
In Guatemala, we stayed for three weeks with urban host families and a little less than a week with rural families. In El Salvador, we spent the majority of time in a guest house, where we shared rooms in pairs or small groups, but also went on multiple shorter visits where we stayed with families. In Nicaragua, we again had a long main family stay and one rural one that was much briefer. We were also in and out of hotels occasionally as we traveled from place to place. For many but not all of our home stays, I paired up with another student.

6.) What do you think was the most rewarding aspect of your time abroad?
Honestly, I think the most rewarding aspect was the other people. I loved the group I traveled with. I got really lucky with my longer home stays too, and had a blast with the Nicaragua family in particular. But I also really enjoyed the classes and was completely taken with the chance to hear from so many different perspectives about life in each of these countries. In general, I feel very changed by this program as a person. I emerged with a more personal idea of social change and a much deeper sense of my own beliefs.

 7.) Were you able to travel at all while abroad? Where to?
Yes, we traveled quite a lot, to many different urban and rural communities in each of the three countries. There was also the chance to do some individual and small group traveling, particularly over our week-long fall break. My dad came to visit and we traveled together to the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, where he lived and worked many years ago.

 8.) Was your programs atmosphere similar to life at Mac?
In some ways, yes. I think this program more or less attracts a group of people already interested and invested in social change and social justice, which is similar to my perception of Macalester. But I would also say this group seemed a little more diverse in their experience and a little more low-key than I usually think of the Macalester community. The program overall felt a lot more experiential and less academic than my experience of Mac. The pedagogy was more holistic, relationship-based and personal.
 

9.) What is one of your favorite stories about your time abroad?

While we were in Nicaragua, we got the chance to participate in processions at dawn in honor of the Virgin (called La Purisima). The mom of the host family I stayed with was particularly involved in these celebrations - she was the one who first advocated for the Virgin, who travels in the form of a statue from neighborhood to neighborhood each day during a certain period, to be brought to our area. I will never forget leaving the house at four in the morning to walk down dark streets painted with white words and pictures and small plastic banners hanging above. At the church, everyone congregated around the platform with the Virgin on it, adorned with flowers. Being part of this huge crowd walking back to our house, watching the light come up surrounded with singing and the chants, "Quien causa tanta alegria? La concepcion de Maria" and "Maria de Nicaragua, Nicaragua de Maria!" spoken from a megaphone was powerful and surreal.  

10.) Would you recommend this program to other prospective study abroad students, why?

 I would absolutely recommend this program. The coordinators and faculty were great and so supportive. The range of places we went and people we listened to was just indescribably varied and meaningful. I had a really good experience, and while I don't know if it would be such a great fit for other people, I would love for others to experience some of the learning and relationships that made my semester so great.