{Author’s note; In my Global 102 New York: Art class we were asked to write a reflection of what we would consider our biggest challenge as we become mindful travelers. This means that we need to address areas that we need the most growth as we encounter new experiences, viewpoints and new ways of thinking on our journey}
As an International student, I still struggle to adopt to a new culture in some aspects especially when they are contradictions involved. One of the things I still struggle with is calling people older than me by their names something I would never do when I am at home. Not only that, there are some topics that are considered taboos in my home country Tanzania therefore you can never fully address them out in the open, these topics include ones that are talking about sexual identity or any form of art that portrays sexuality. As a mindful traveler I need new experiences on how to address things such as these, I need to accept that I am in a different country therefore I need to continue learning and adopt to their cultures.
Another area that I need the most growth as I become a mindful traveler is to understand the language used by most artists and how to interpret their art work. I have never taken art classes before, and honestly, I do not know anything about art. To address this problem, I need to take extra time to learn more about the artists’ history and work we will see in New York so I can get some background in each one of them. I always find that the language used by most artist is more sophisticated for me therefore I need to realize that I might need extra help from my professor. Learning special skills of how to interpret an art piece is very important because most art works are a representation of the society around.
I grew up in a very small town in Morogoro, Tanzania therefore I have never been in a big city in the United States. I am excited to explore a big city but also scared that I might say something or start a conversation that is considered a taboo in New York City. Most importantly a way to communicate with people in New York city in a way that does not come offensive or too polite. In my class discussions I realized that people in New York city talk very fast and do their work very fast too. I am a very slow talker therefore I need to practice my speaking skills when ordering food or saying something to someone in the street. I am also not very fast in walking, being a mindful traveler, I need to start working out to keep my self in a good pace. For example, in my first week at Agnes Scott College I went to Mollies to order food. In my head I had an idea if what I was getting and that was a chicken burger, I did not know that I was going to be bombarded by so many questions about what type of cheese I need whose choices I never even heard or the different varieties of bread and toppings I had to choose. I was shocked and I could not even speak loud enough for them to hear. The next days I kept taking the same thing because I did not know what other choices tastes like so the lady proposed to me I try something else like a wrap and that has been my favorite thing to order from mollies since then. Talking about this experience, I know I will encounter it again in New York and when I do I already know that I should ask for help.
(Word count : 578 words)
