Wednesday, September 22, 2010
"A Rich Tapestry of Diversity"
As Maya Angelou once said, "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." This seems to be quite true when looking at the student body of our school. Ranked the most ethnically diverse school in the country, Baruch is a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds who all have the same goal, to be successful in whichever path they end up. Going to school in New York City opens my eyes to all different kinds of people from all walks of life. There is never a dull moment in the city and we see this everyday. Though I haven't really traveled out of the country, I don't have to go far to explore the different types of ways in which people live. I attended school upstate for a year at the University at Albany and was able to live amongst people from different cities, states and even countries. While at Albany I became good friends with an international student from France. Though she spoke English fairly well, we noticed quite a few cultural differences between life in France and life in America. I also met a number of other people from countries such as Mexico and other Europe countries such as Holland who also said that the American culture was very different from their home countries. I currently reside in the Ludlow dorms and have a suitemate who is from the Dominican Republic. I never realized how completely different life could be living in another country. Upon talking to my suitemate and getting to know her better, I was amazed to learn that she had never seen snow before and didn't know what a skunk was. While riding the subway she pointed out that Americans don't like being very close to each other but in the Dominican Republic, this is not true. Americans value personal space but in other countries personal space seems to be a lot less. Living in the city has so far given me a chance to meet with people from different cultures who have different values and beliefs. It's an exciting way to get to get to know other cultures and learn new things. I learn something new everyday and the diversity in which I live amongst opens my mind and has given me a wealth of knowledge.
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Dear Ashley,
ReplyDeleteIt wonderful to hear that you’re an open minded individual who enjoys learning about new places like the Dominican Republic. I too used to go to school upstate and found going to school in NYC very different from going to school in Buffalo. I would bet we share the same sentiments towards snow and can agree that NYC is so much more of an awesome place even though Albany has a better softball team!
I also wanted to mention that while Baruch College is the most diverse school in this country it happens to also be one of the most disconnected schools that I’ve ever seen. Fundamentally, it lacks a sense of community that unties college students on other campuses.
All the best,
Juelz
Hey,
ReplyDeletevisiting several countries myself I too have noticed how much we emphasize our personal space. Whether, its on a public transit, or sharing an office space/living space, in the land of a melting pot, it wouldn't be America if we didn't declare our personal space.
Great Post,
-David
Hey -
ReplyDeleteWe are very lucky to be going to a school thats located in a city that is so rich in different cultures. I like the fact that a class in Baruch can be compared to a UN meeting since its most likely that no two students are from the same place.
I agree with Denisse. I learned Italian in high school but learning a language in the classroom is very different from learning it when you're in the country of origin. It's also all about practice. Because we are a very diverse group, both in Baruch and in New York City, I made some Italian friends who I always practice with. I wanted to brush up on it after high school and I told them to text me and speak to me in Italian and I was able to use what I know and learn what i don't know. I learned a lot of idiomatic expressions that you can't get from books. A lot of my friends are spanish speaking too. My best friend is Brazilian but she speaks Spanish in addition to Portugese, my friend Lucy is Colombian and Cindy is Ecuadorian so I learned a lot of Spanish from them. Knowing a fair amount of Italian made it easier to learn Spanish because a lot of words are either interchangeable or very similar.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your mindset on how you are open minded to all cultures and customs and willing to learn more each day. I am the same way and agree how it is important to be exposed to a culturally diverse environment as we learn to accept differences amongst each other that way.
ReplyDelete