ABSTRACT
The story of La Llorona, or the crying lady, is one of the best-known stories among children in northern New Mexico. The story is explicitly told to keep children from playing in the many ditches in the area. This chapter concerns ways trainers can learn about their own and other cultures. Two vital aspects related to learning in general, need and precedent, were identified. Humans tend to learn best when there is a felt need. The process of learning is mediated by precedence. Trainers are constantly testing new information or perspectives against what they already know and understand. This process has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is similar in form to the etic/emic distinction talked about by linguists and others interested in intercultural communication. The chapter focuses on forms of communication that are particularly revealing in regards to a community's common sense or culture. Stories that are retold within a community make one of the forms of communication.
