By I’m guessing my blog will have a slightly different take than ones previously posted. I lived for a year in the Philippines, a year in Nepal and about 8 months combined between Ethiopia and Mexico. So for me, I really don’t feel very anxious about hitting the road, I’ve already gotten most of that out of my system from previous travel. But I’m very excited to be involved in the journey of discovery which my class is about to embark on. The process of becoming a world citizen starts with a curiosity for the unknown, and I have been very impressed with how the momentum of our curiosity is building as we interact through class, our professors and each other’s personal expectations and experiences; we haven’t left yet and it’s already been a sweet adventure.
I really have appreciated the in-depth experience of our Professors, especially Frank Byrne, who is teaching the cultural studies course. It might be difficult from the classroom for students to appreciate his experience and resulting insight and wisdom, as they have yet to test their own limits when in comes to cultural adaptation. But from my experience, once the honeymoon phase of international travel has passed it really can become hard work. It takes a lot of time, patience and good humor to really appreciate and function within a cultural which will run against your common sense and everything you thought was basic human intuition. I really admire the respect Frank holds for the differences within cultures. Nothing ever happens for no reason, it’s the same with culture, customs and religion; they developed as generations have looked to establish boundaries and norms that serve to protect what is valuable to them. We would be fools to go to Asia and not make it a priority to extract as much accumulated knowledge and insight as possible. I just have so much respect for people who have learned that life is so much larger than our own limited experiences, and that there is no end to what we can learn to wrap our fingers around. To get to that place it seems to me humbleness, an open mind and curiosity are the required tools of the day. Based on my experiences I think SSU has given a valiant effort to equip its students for the adventure that lies ahead.
And besides from all the wisdom to be gained, the Philippines have the best mangoes in the world.
Yours truly,
Johno