Cultural Diversity

I did not really have my first taste of diversity until this paste summer-- I spent my summer studying in England.  I lived in a dorm with individuals from all over the world:  China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Canada, Puerto Rico, amongst many other countries.  Prior to leaving the United States, I was warned about culture shock and being uncomfortable immersing myself into a completely different culture.  While I found England to be the adventure of a life time, I have to admit, it was difficult to live in in a place so different and amongst so many other people with completely different backgrounds. 

Last Wednesday's class got me to thinking about the diversity I experienced this past summer.  It was a summer I would die for to live again.  I think what made it so great was the many memories and friendships I made with people from all around the world.  Had I not kept an open mind and taken the time to get to know and learn about these people's cultures and life back home, my experience would not have been so rich.  I believe there was something to learn from every person there-- the further away their home, the more there was to learn.  Of coarse, I did not like or agree with every thing I discovered about the places or customs of my new friends, but I kept an open mind.  I realized that those things were a part of their lives, and perhaps they did not agree with all of my or the American ways either. 

As a peer mentor, it is important to realize just how cultural diversity is going to affect us.  While we may not all be coming together from China, Germany, or Puerto Rico, we are all still coming from a different place.  Even being tied together by Iowan roots, we still experienced a different upbringing, a different home life, a different community.  We will all have different talents and different struggles or areas of needed improvement.  It is vital that we all keep open minds, not be judgmental, and improve our diversity awareness-- we never know just what kind of obstacle we will be faced with next year.