MULTICULTURAL

In the past, when I thought about other cultures, I focused on their food, art, and physical characteristics. However, my travels revealed something deeper. Different countries gave me a new perspective on how culture can shape a person's values. Moreover, just because something is considered the status quo in one country doesn't mean it is the norm in another. This highlights the opportunity to learn from and implement positive changes observed in other countries into our own. I provide some examples of reflections I had while travelling below.

To start off this summative reflection about studying abroad, I have something embarrassing to admit. Prior to college, I had the opportunity to travel extensively during my gap year. I first traveled to Spokane, WA, to install solar panels on a fish hatchery within a reservation. Then, I spent four weeks in Taos, NM, learning about and building sustainable housing with Earthship Academy. In the fall, I spent five weeks in three different areas of France working on organic farms. Finally, I spent five months working and traveling around New Zealand. Starting college after these experiences, I felt like I had learned a lot about the world and different groups of people. My perspective had expanded to include different ways of living and approaches to sustainability. These experiences made me realize that just because there is a "typical" way of living in the U.S., that standard is shaped by culture, and other groups may not follow our standard (for better or worse).

Now, the embarrassing part: when I started college, I thought I had already come to understand different cultures and perspectives. I still wanted to travel, but I believed my personal growth was complete. I ignorantly thought my perspective had fully developed at 19. By continuing to travel—especially through a study abroad program in South Korea—I was reminded of how complex this planet truly is. People come from diverse cultures, practices, religions, and ways of life, but humanity is shared among us all. It became obvious that this interplay cannot be fully understood in a single lifetime, let alone by the age of 19. 

People need to experience living in another (or multiple) countries. Doing so can provide an entirely new perspective on reality. Broadening perspectives is necessary for addressing the grand challenges we face today. Although a solution may seem feasible within one country, effective sustainable solutions must be implemented by the majority. It is ignorant to develop a solution and present it to another country without regard for their culture, beliefs, or way of life. Moreover, a solution developed from a single perspective is unlikely to be sustainable or widely accepted. Considering this, solution development must be both collaborative and exploratory. Collaboration among people from different backgrounds is essential to solving the pressing issues facing humanity. We must actively seek new ways to learn from—and about—people from backgrounds that are not our own.