After almost a month and a half of being in the global engagment minor I have already grown so much. Down below you can find a reflection from september.
I honestly think that I have already learned and grown from this class. Many of these assignments and class discussions have made me extremely uncomfortable and through discomfort comes growth. The fact that there is so much misunderstanding stood out to me. Many people have not had their story heard nor does anyone know the hardships of certain people in certain situations. When we did the “step forward step back” activity it was really awakening to see how difficult simple things like going to the doctor would be if you were an immigrant. I think that if the world were to take this class, the world would be a better place. The majority of problems come from miscommunication and misunderstanding. I honestly think classes like this should be taught more often, or atleast topics like this, in high schools and universities. When Daria came in and spoke about her struggles as an immigrant it was sort of an aha moment for me. I knew being an international student was difficult but I was never really able to understand to what degree until her talk. I have many international friends at Wesleyan and now I will be much more attentive to see if any of them need help with anything from downloading venmo to figuring out how to pay a parking ticket. Reading the book, so far, has honestly brought more understanding of the world to me. It is hard for me to think of what life would be like in a slum in Africa. Once hearing about Kibera in the book I wanted to see what it looked like so I found a video on youtube. The videos are easier to watch because it is on a screen and you dont really know what it is like to live there. It seems as if it is not even real. We are able to give sympathy but not strong sympathy. Not strong enough to make a change. However, the book is able to bring you into a completely new place. Books have the power of being able to see someone’s life through their shoes. To see a story in a completely different way. To explain how the aroma of the trash stings the back of your throat. To see the sadness in the hungry children. This book has reminded me that I have so many things to be grateful for. I found the readings about the way cultures are to be very interesting. How there are certain traits and ways of life in almost every culture that differ from one another. I think that the ability to understand this will benefit myself and all those around me who can learn this. Being able to get along with others is very important to me and I hope to keep learning about this. I have found certain topics and discussions challenging. Mainly because I am either not educated enough to comment on the topic or I fear mispeaking and offending one of my fellow classmates more than I would like. My views regarding many things have most definitely changed. My perception of international students has changed as well as my ideas of people and their different cultures. I now realize that certain people act certain ways or do certain things because of how they were brought up. That their culture has made them the way they are and how that is a beautiful thing.
