“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.”
Marianne Williamson
I am very privileged in that I have been exposed to a variety of diverse experiences from a very young age. They have ranged from journeys abroad to hosting exchange students from outside the United States. As a student at George Mason University, one of the most diverse universities in Virginia, my exposure to those different from me has only grown more profound.
When interacting with people who are different from me or engaging in an unfamiliar situation, my strategy is to, at first, observe. As a person with a more reserved personality, my instinct in new situations is to think, think again, and then to act. New places and new people can be intimidating, even more so if there is the element of cultural differences. For that reason, I approach situations of that kind with caution, courtesy, and curiosity.
As I mentioned before, I have been fortunate enough to have had a variety of different experiences. In high school, I traveled to the Andaluz region of Spain. While there, I learned of the diversity that shaped the region into what it is today. In Sevilla, Granada, and other parts of Southern Spain, communities from different religious backgrounds lived during the Golden Age in convivencia. A Spanish word that refers to the period in Spain’s history where people with all sorts of cultural differences were able to bring their strengths together and enrich Spanish culture and economy. While on this trip, I also saw how all of my classmates were faring in our new environment. I was able to see how our group progressed through the various stages of culture shock. This experience helped me to gain a better understanding of what some international students may feel when they come to study at Mason.
Last summer, my mother and I traveled to Costa Rica to visit my stepfather’s family. It was a shock being in a house high in the mountains surrounded by forest and with only one person to speak English with. In time, I grew accustomed to the cold showers, the new food, and the new sights. When engaging in new experiences, whether abroad or at home, it is important to keep an open mind.
Last semester, I planned a Brown Bag Lunch Series event called “Confronting the Phobia”. This event, done in collaboration with Mason’s Access Islam, was an opportunity to start a conversation on Islamophobia, discrimination, and profiling. At the event, we discussed the basics of Islam, famous Muslims, and recent events. “Confronting the Phobia” brought students and faculty from a variety of religious backgrounds. It’s conversations like these that foster understanding and appreciation across different communities and identities.