Dear Self,
What does global learning mean to you?
Well, I believe that global learning is accepting diversity. Diversity is about understanding and accepting both the similarities and the differences of all the people that we encounter everyday in our lives. We come across people from different backgrounds, different races, religions, cultures, ect. It is up to us to not be ignorant of these people and their traditions and cultures. Global learning is also about coming together with others to see how we affect the world around us and how the world, in turn, affects us as well. We all are different and have different encounters with our surroundings. It is our culture and our experiences in the world that make us into who we are and how we see the world. Every culture form all around the world sees the world differently and has different perspectives of their experiences in the world. It is up to us to make sure that we are respectful toward those other cultures and their different experiences.
What do you hope to learn from this Global course?
I would like to experience and learn about the different culture. Although Atlanta is a very diverse place, in order to delve into, or to experience other cultures, one must recognize where these cultures are within the city. There are very specific places where the specific cultures are concentrated. We also see these cultures in a very Westernized setting, and sometimes these cultures are influenced by our Western culture. Whenever cultures and traditions are taken out of their specific setting, people start to gravitate towards and adapt to the new cultures that they face in their everyday lives, and many people lose their culture altogether, and adopt this new, “normal” culture that is in this specific setting. For example, my family is form Bangladesh. We continue to practice our tradition and culture from Bangladesh, however, there are some parts of American culture which is mixed into our culture as well. My family is one of many which I see that has kept most of our culture such as our clothes, our food, our holidays, ect. Some of my Bangladeshi friends in Atlanta, and around america, have adapted to a more Westernized culture, and lost some of their own culture with the adaptation. When taking this course, I would like to see how different cultures and traditions are influenced depending on where the culture originates, and where the people of those cultures spread around the world. It is fascinating to see how cultures can change in some aspects, and remain the same in others.
What kind of experience would you like to have on your Journeys trip?
I have travelled outside of the country twice in my life, and both of these times I had travelled to Bangladesh. When my family and I had travelled to Bangladesh, I had a vague idea of what my idea would be like. I knew that Bangladesh was a third world country, and all of my expectations for when we visited had come from the stories that my parents had told me and the news and movies that I have seen on t.v. I feel that going to Bangladesh was such an amazing experience for me. I got to see where my culture originated from, and how much of my culture, or what I consider my culture with a Western influence, was different from the raw culture of Bangladesh. I was not too surprised to see that we had retained most of our culture despite being influenced by Western influences and experiences. It was a bit insulting to see how my relatives there thought that I would not know Bangla, my native language, or know my own culture. However, my whole experience in Bangladesh was so amazing and I can’t wait to go again. During the Journeys trip, I hope to experience the “raw culture” of Martinique. I hope to see how the culture is different from mine, and the Western culture as well.
