I
had my last meeting with Vera today. We met in the bluu yet again. I have
learned so much from Vera this semester (and used some of my bluu swipes along
the way). I have learned the basics of personal facts about her and her family.
I have learned about China and it's environment and economy.
The
biggest thing I have take away, however, wasn't taught by Vera. I learned to
broaden my horizons when it comes to relationships at TCU. Before this I
probably never would have approached Vera and talked to her. This experience
has opened my eyes to the people around me. I will look in the future to
diversify my friend group. I believe this is such an important core belief to
have.
I
am a scientist and like looking at scientific data. One study I saw this
semester looked at the diversity of people that wrote scientific paper and then
compared them to the times they were cited (a common way to see how successful
a paper was). They found that the more diverse the background of scientists
writing the paper was, the more acclamation that paper obtained. So this skill
of wanting/being comfortable with people different than yourself isn't just the
right thing, it can also lead to more success in your career.
I will miss these conversations with Vera. She has become a good
friend and I plan on staying in contact with her next semester as she starts on
her path to be a graphic designer. I am sure she will be very successful.
It's good to see that someone else felt the same way about diversifying the types of people they interact with. My conversations with Hussain had a similar effect on me. Like you said, I would have probably never interacted with someone like Hussain before I started this venture.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your comments on how this experience will affect you in your career pursuit. I want to be a journalist, and this broadened perception and outlook on the world will help me become a better writer and communicator when it comes to reaching all types of people.
I found that when I was writing my responses to our conversations, I came across similar conclusions as you. I learned the most not from my conversation partner telling me about life in his country, but rather, from learning who my conversation partner is as a person. I'm glad that someone else was able to come to similar conclusions; it's a great feeling to realize these things about ourselves and the world