A little bit about my project and continuing to get adjusted to Mexico City

I've been talking about my project for the past several months but have never quite perfected the "elevator speech" about it--you know, how you describe your research in the time it takes an elevator to get you where you are going at a conference or whatever.  My explanation has always been a little long-winded and vague (no comments here about whether this is my usual presentation style) and I think that's in part because I proposed the project almost one year ago and more or less in a vacuum.  Of course, there has always been an "out" clause built in as I described the "emergent design" of the project and the participatory nature of it.  In other words, although I laid out plans and a timeline, I built in enough wiggle room to get input from the people on the ground here as to what would be useful.  I'm beginning to get a sense of that, but probably have a long way to go in nailing down details.  And, I tried to write about it in Spanish today, which is something I'm going to need to be able to do (write AND talk).  Doug and I decided that we really needed to be taking Spanish classes, so we enrolled and started yesterday in a class just for the two of us.  Hence, my immediate need to write about the project in Spanish.

Here's what I tried to say, in a nutshell:
My project for the Fulbright-Garcia Robles fellowship is research in programs in Mexico City that try to help with youth development.  The programs are for youth who are at risk because of poverty, drugs and violence in their neighborhoods. There are various types of programs, some of which are run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others that are run by the government or civil society.  I plan to study the methods being used and the impacts of the programs and to make comparisons between these programs and similar ones that are taking place in other countries.  I think that some of the programs in Mexico City are very innovative because the youth are highly engaged.  Programs where youth are truly engaged should have better outcomes than ones where youth are less engaged.

There's also a philosophical/theoretical approach to the work, which I'll write more about another time.  Essentially, the idea is that when youth are engaged/involved in activites that identify needed change and help to bring it about, they learn they have the power to bring about changes in their lives and the lives of others.  This should enable them to withstand some of the negative aspects of their lives and communities.

The plan that Eli, my collaborator, and I discussed last week was for him to put me in contact with people who run at least eight different programs here in D.F. (very much like D.C. in the US--it's a city that is considered a federal district and the capital of the country; like D.C., it is very urban.  However, it is MUCH larger, being one of the largest cities in the world.).  I will learn about the programs through talking to people, reading materials they might have, and ultimately visiting and doing some interviews, once I have IRB approval for that.  I hope to write an integrative, comparative review of the programs here and ultimately to be able to make comparison to programs elsewhere.  Eli's idea is to get the school of social work here to put on a couple of forums during the time that I'm here, the first focusing on the views of the youth themselves and the second with researchers, focusing on youth development internationally.  Of course, I also have ideas about possibly developing some measures that might help with program evaluation and impact research, if it seems like the people at the program level are interested. 

Now if I can only say all of this in Spanish!

As for getting adjusted to Mexico City, that continues to go well.  As I mentioned, we decided we need to keep studying Spanish, so we are doing just that.  Doug found a Spanish language school, by way of the internet, which is only 4 or 5 blocks from our apartment.  We showed up when they opened yesterday morning to express interest and see if we could arrange classes.  Of course, they made us take a written test on the spot.  I was in no way prepared to do that.  Doug reads a lot more in Spanish than I do and has studied much more (okay, I'm saying I'm lazy--it's the truth).  He always does way better on these tests than I do, although I typically understand more of what's said to me.  We have strengths in different areas.  So, of course, they tell him he's at an advanced level; me, not so much.  However, it was clear, even to the receptionist, that my understanding and speaking is well beyond what the multiple choice test indicated, so they let us arrange a class together.

So other than the Spanish test, our next biggest issue is that the mealtimes are a bit of a challenge.  We want lunch around 12 or 1.  Lunch here is the biggest meal of the day, and most restaurants start serving it at 2.  (What?  You don't think we're eating at home!)  Dinner, then, isn't usually eaten until 9 or so, although restaurants are typically serving food earlier than that.  It's not really a big deal, but we do have to think about what time it is in relation to where we might be able to eat.  Oh yeah, and wine is really more expensive here.  That's not exactly stopping us from drinking it, of course.

As I write, Doug has gotten Spanish stuff to study.  I better stop this and drag him away from it so he doesn't show me up too much!  Besides, we can watch the Daily Show now--last night's, via the web, of course.  It's one of the adjustments.