Learn by Living: The Ultimate Intercultural Experience

There he is again. Moving along with his diminutive yet charismatic four-pawed trot. Communication studies Professor Jnan Blau and geography Professor Ben Timms smile at the familiar sight of the quirky black dog with the red bandana tied around his neck in place of a collar. His name would be Pescito, they decided, as they saw a similarity in his build and demeanor to that of actor Joe Pesci. The two Cal Poly professors grew accustomed to seeing Pescito roaming the streets of Cusco, Peru, during their 2011 summer quarter abroad with Cal Poly students. 

Days after their initial encounter with Pescito, the two professors shuffled onto a bus loaded with eager students, ready to immerse themselves in the culture of the open market in Pisac. The market would serve as one of countless yet invaluable opportunities the students would be afforded during their time in Peru. The students hop off of the bus and, once again, Professor Blau is awestruck with the image of his students “learning by living,” as their interactions, observations and experiences instill and deepen the lessons of intercultural communication that are part of, but may not always be translated out of, the classroom lecture. As Blau watches learning and culture flow into one beautiful combination, Pescito works himself into the mix.

Amazed and bewildered at the sight of the familiar red-bandana-wearing dog, the two Cal Poly professors can’t help but wonder how their four-legged friend found himself in the village of Pisac, nearly an hour away from Cusco, where they were used to seeing him. They followed the dog and found themselves meeting, and being captivated by, a travelling Andean musician who claimed the dog as his own. Indigenous to Peru, Shanty, as he calls himself, shared his stories of travel around the globe and his passion for Andean folk music with Blau and Timms.

Enchanted with the serendipitous, seemingly fated nature of the whole interaction, Blau couldn’t help but feel excited as his passion for performance, especially culturally-packed performance, came to surface. After further conversation, and a knowing glance with his colleague Timms, it was decided, on the spot, that Shanty would become a part of the year’s curriculum.

Nearing the end of their time abroad, during the last class session, students enthusiastically awaited a surprise promised by Blau. The first part of class was used to discuss and provide an overview of Latin American music. As a scholar of music from a critical cultural perspective, and simply as a long-time fan who had spent his formative years in Chile, Blau was delighted to be able to share with his students some biographical facts and historical perspective, and to actually have them listen to key figures and songs from Rock en Español and other genres, such as Nueva Cancion, Vallenato, Afro-Peruvian and Garifuna. He had even, over the course of the last few weeks, been uploading carefully curated playlists onto the iPods of his students, so that they could take in the sounds of the region as they traveled about.

As the class took its break after Blau’s lecture, there was a palpable buzz in the air. What surprise did he have in store, they wondered? They prodded him, but were only met by a sly smile in return. But, right on time (thankfully, as one never knows about punctuality in a polychromic culture), Shanty arrived. He proceeded to lay out a panoply of instruments on the table in front of the class, from a charango to various zampoñas and quenas (pan pipe and pan flutes), and seed shakers to goat-hide drums. As Shanty lectured and demonstrated how to use each unfamiliar instrument to the students, Blau found himself, once again, grateful for the ability to watch the indescribable energy of students learning an unadulterated lesson in and of and with culture itself.

There are few stories that can capture the full spectrum of what Blau references as “one of the most deeply rewarding teaching experiences” of his career, but this story exemplifies the serendipitous and unforeseen lessons that can only come from studying abroad. The knowledge acquired from Shanty’s lecture represents the infinite lessons that can be found around each corner in new places. Unplanned, and at times unforeseen, lessons like these break the bounds of a structured lesson plan.

Although there is no true equivalent to studying abroad, Blau aims to outline many of these lessons in the syllabi of his culture and performance-focused classes at Cal Poly. He recognizes that he can only be the vessel that brings these lessons back to students, but the value of this material is brought into every class taught.

Blau’s Intercultural Communication class incorporates the lessons learned abroad and emphasizes the importance of understanding human differences as cultural differences. As diversified, intercultural and international relations become much more familiar with mediated communication and a globalized world stage, the significance of these lessons cannot be overstated. Both the study abroad program and the Intercultural Communication course Blau teaches each quarter, instill the instrumental practice of understanding, acceptance and, ultimately, appreciation for all cultures.