Arrival

A week has passed and Warwick has been amazing. I expected university to be an educational hub, uniting people from all over the world and walks of life- How true that was. Even where I am staying in Rootes, my flat mates come from all over the world- Italy, China, India, Philippines, Zimbabwe and more. Getting to know each other over meals is a constant in our daily routines that never fails to cheer me up. Meals have always been a communal experience and it is often while eating that topics, both difficult and amusing, are broached. I am always intrigued to hear different people’s opinions on an issue, whether it is how Europe is handling the refugee crisis or something more personal. I am in awe that just within our living space, we get to interact with people studying a range of subjects and are passionate about different causes. Yet, we all share this yearning to discover more about the world and how we position ourselves within it.

I believe there is always something you can learn from a person, even when their culture feels so far removed from your own. Recently, I went for a talk on ‘Cultural Appropriation VS Cultural Appreciation’ with a fellow friend of African-American origin. I have always seen university as a safe, inclusive space to have mature discussions about such topics and my experience listening to the speakers affirmed that. Although their lived experience of being from a minority group would not be the same as mine, I did find parallels. My greatest take-away would definitely be the fact that we should educate ourselves of our cultural origins and question what is taken for granted today. Knowledge is contingent on context and geography so what we take to be true today may not be so in the future. Walking back from the talk, I commented to my friend that the very reason why both of us, being female and from different backgrounds, were able to go to university was due to the resistance and efforts of people before us. In that moment, I felt immensely grateful for everything that happened that allowed me to be here.

Iffah

Iffah Azman : 08 Oct 2016 14:09 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem