A Place to Call Home

Intro:
When I was very young, I remember gathering in my parents room with my siblings at night. We would sit on the ground with so much curiosity paying attention to every detailed story my parents had of the Nigerian civil war. There was one evening when my aunt happened to visit. As you would expect, we swarmed her like bees eagerly waiting to hear a different version of the same stories. The stories of war, famine, death, refugees and immigration.

What:
Last week, I got opportunity of listening to three individuals share their own stories about their journey (or parent's journey) to the United States. They represented the largest migrant communities in Minnesota (Hmong, Somali and Latino). The three guest speakers shared stories of their lives in the United States and also the cultures of their individual communities. The guest speakers were also able to shed some light on the process of gaining refugee status in the America. One of the stories that I found very interesting was a story on Hmong marriages. The speaker representing the Hmong community explained how the Hmong societies are arranged into clans with each clan having a distinct last name. He said that it appears puzzling that he can't get married a Hmong girl he never met or has no known family relationships with him. However, he could be allowed to marry his first cousin who has a different last name from him. I found this quite interesting because in my culture (Ibo, Nigeria), it is the exact opposite. When asked about stereotypes about his community, the speaker representing the Hmong community mentioned that some Asians did not appreciate the stereotype that "Asians are generally smart". I found this very interesting because in my culture, we take pride in all "positive" stereotypes and would try to reinforce them even if these "positive" stereotypes are untrue or didn't apply to everyone in the group.

So What:
I observed a lot similarities between the Somali culture and my culture. In general, I was again reminded that there isn't a single immigrant story and that I should be careful not to make certain assumptions about immigrants. Some of stories shared by the guest speakers reminded me of the stories that my parents told me. What I have come to understand is sometimes I might be so engrossed with the "immigrant story" that I forget to pay attention to the  individual telling the story. The presence of different cultures in Minnesota and the entire United States shows the importance of pluralism. The presence of diversity around us calls for a proper understanding culture. Not a passive form of cultural understanding but one that entails active engagement. This definition of cultural understanding perfectly aligns with the concept of pluralism. As an international college student studying in the united states, I came with already established beliefs, likes , dislikes and biases. I constitute a part of the diversity in the United States. A thorough understanding of myself in comparison to the different cultures around me is a great step in achieving pluralism. I can then utilize this understanding to serve other different cultures equally and just. This thorough understanding is described in level 4 of  "Self Awareness" in the global citizenship rubric.

Now What:
To progress to this level of culture understanding, I will participate in deeper conversations with my classmates. I also attend a weekly french conversation table and will use this opportunity to understand my beliefs in comparison to the general beliefs of the French people. I plan to utilize this understanding to create an environment in Nigeria where cultures can peacefully interact. I will start by sharing my understanding of pluralism with my family and close friends. 

End Note:
People migrate for different reasons. 

His Story, Her Story 

What

A good way to learn about someone's culture is by "actively" listening to that person speak. By doing so, you do not only get to experience the visible part of that culture but also experience the deeper beliefs that make up that culture. In my first semester in college, I was fortunate to read Strength In What Remains, a book about the life experiences of an African immigrant in the United States. I am currently reading I am Malala, another book on the life of a Pakistani girl (Malala) who stood against the Taliban in Pakistan. The stories in the two books have given me an opportunity to learn about the individual and collective cultures of the main characters in the book. Malala is a young girl raised by parents who value education and religion. However, she grows up in a region where some groups are strongly against education, especially education dealing with Muslim girls. She tells stories of her young days in school, her friends, her successes, her failures and her fears. The fact I could relate to most of her stories brought a smile to my face. I was again reminded that not only was she (Malala) a Nobel prize recipient and an advocate but  also an individual like myself and everyone else. I was also astonished that she acknowledged the beauty and significance of some Buddha statues in her region and her disapproval with the Taliban for destroying them. The book also got me thinking about my purpose of education with quotes such as "Teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat" and "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes". 

So What

In my previous blog post, I explained why I was found it important to understand "deeper" aspects of culture. Well, the culture discussed in I am Malala has further given me a reason to do so. Malala explained that it is very rare for a Pashtun to say "Thank you" as they strongly believe every good deed deserves another instead of just a mere expression like "Thank you". This is important to note as I have observed that in the Minnesotan culture and my Nigerian culture, it is very important to say "Thank you" after a good deed has been done to you. It is therefore likely that a Nigerian could get mad at a  Pashtun because of a two word expression (Thank you). Even though a Nigerian might understand the dressing , language and religious beliefs of a Pashtun, there are chances that conflicts may still arise between both parties. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the deepers aspects of both cultures, is required for the two cultures to peacefully co-exist (Pluralism). Malala also shows an example of pluralism as she was totally opposed to the destruction of the Buddha statues in Afghanistan and Pakistan even though she was Muslim. Finally, both "I am Malala" and "Strength in What Remains" dew my attention to the individual stories of immigrants. Sometimes, I find it easy to just mentally classify immigrants into a category and treat them similarly . However, I again was reminded that there is more to just "the immigrant story". Behind the general immigrant story that might include war, death and a corrupt government, there is story of an individual. It is this story that I have to understand to better interact with culturally diverse people. This fits with levels 4 of both the "Knowledge and Understanding" and "Communication" sections of the global citizenship rubric. 

Now What

In order to achieve this level of competency, I will take opportunity of the Immigrants panel that will be coming to class and also my service learning at the Minnesota Literacy Council for adult education. I hope to use this level of competency to serve my patients as a medical doctor. I will also use it to better understand and seek for solutions to the various conflicts in African nations. 

Extra Note: I was quite impressed by the attitudes that Malala and her father have towards education. It reminded of how much (sometimes) I am interested in getting an "A" in a class than actually understanding the content of that class. 

Observing Culture with "Foreign" Eyes

What 
          "That is definitely weird", "Why are they doing that" and "I can't believe they just did that". These are some statements I ,perhaps, made while watching some TV series about culture  on Discovery channel. I was only a young boy who found it interesting to learn about cultures around the world. Well, I mean the "interesting" aspects of culture. As a young  boy, I was mainly interested in the exotic languages, elaborate dances, bizarre cuisines and striking traditions of other cultures around the world. I was so engrossed in the visible aspects of culture that I missed the hidden and important parts. I will clearly discuss these "hidden parts" later in this blog post.
          Last week I attended an Ice-Breaker/Game events hosted by the Kearny International Center. In this events, I was able to share my stories as Nigerian and also listen to others share their about their lives in their individual countries. One of the interesting stories I heard was a story of an international student from Pakistan who worked extremely hard in school just to make his mother happy. According to him, one of his top reasons of living was to put a smile on his mothers face. This story of this student is an example of a "hidden" part of culture I am now learning to focus on. This is related to the concept of pluralism as it is necessary to understand the deep values and communication styles of other cultures in order to peacefully co-exist.

So What
          It has become quite difficult to see my own "hidden" cultural values. This might be because I have lived in the United States for 3 years and have slowly absorbed the American (Minnesotan) culture that it no longer seems foreign to me. However, I could still see some differences and similarities in my cultural values and those of other students at the event.  For example, the culture I grew up in valued family to some extent (especially parents) so I could somewhat relate to the Pakistani student. However, some other international students said that their individual cultures did not place so much value on family. The story of the Pakistani student was also similar to the stories described by Malala in her book, I Am Malala. Attending this event has made me very interested in the "hidden" cultural differences between the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. Are there certain "hidden" values in the ethnic groups? Do these "hidden" value contribute to conflict between the groups? I believe understanding the deeper parts of culture contributes to that "energetic engagement" needed for pluralism (Pluralism.org). This deep understanding of culture aligns with level 4 of "Knowledge and Understanding. I currently see myself in level 3 and would work hard to achieve level 4.

Now What
One way I could achieve level 4 is to have deeper conversations with students of different cultures. I could arrange to talk to a fellow student in the class in order to ask these questions. Understanding culture at a deeper level will be very important in any future roles as a leader. Since I plan to be a medical doctor, understanding culture will enable me serve diverse colleagues and patients better.

Pluralism vs Tolerance

Pluralism vs Tolerance 

What:

I grew up in Nigeria, a country on the west coast of Africa. Like many other African countries, Nigeria is home to different ethnic groups, cultures and religion. How did I cope with this diversity? I tolerated. I would rather say that I was taught to tolerate. Although I had my personal bias against other ethnic groups and religions, I never voiced out this bias. I would occasionally hear my parents talk about how "wicked" certain tribes were and why these tribes should never be trusted. But like me, my parents would never openly voice out their beliefs. I ended up growing up to believe my ethnic group were the "good guys" and victims who were oppressed by the other ethnic groups. Before I met someone from a different ethnic group, I developed a negative preconception against him/her. I was introduced to the concept of global citizenship when I began studying at the United States. Since then, I have striven to understand cultural differences. This week, I learned about pluralism. I find "pluralism" very interesting because it involves deeply understanding differences through active engagement. What stuck out to me was how the concept of pluralism was greatly connected to the book "I Am Malala" and reading on human rights.

So What:
How does all this relate to me? One of the greatest problem in my home country , Nigeria, is religious  and ethnic conflict. Since our independence, Muslims and Christians hardly get along. The presence of different ethnic groups and languages also compounded the problem. Like I mentioned earlier, I had prejudice against other religious and ethnic groups before I even interacted with them. When I listened to the audio book "I Am Malala", I was again reminded that everyone is searching for basic human rights and peace. In the book, Malala describes her life in Pakistan during the reign of the Taliban. She also describes her father's life before she was born. From the book, I was exposed to a story of a Muslim (Malala) from her own perspective. This was greatly tied to pluralism as I am no longer seeking to tolerate but to understand and coexist with different religions and opinions. What exactly is pluralism? Pluralism involves deeply understanding differences through interaction. Pluralism isn't tolerance. Unlike tolerance, pluralism involves active engagement between two different sides with the major aim of peacefully coexisting. The book, I Am Malala was also strongly connected to human rights as all Malala discussed in the book were basic human rights she deserved. I am beginning to view pluralism as a backbone of human rights. In the global competency rubric, I now seek to achieve level 3 in knowledge and understanding. Although I believe I could initiate deeper questions about different cultures (level 3), I always try to avoid deep questions about other religions.

Now What: 
How do I plan to deeply understand religious differences? I plan to attend events provided by the Muslim Students Association such as the Hijab Awareness day and the Islam Awareness Day. I also hope to find a muslim friend who feels comfortable in discussing religious differences. I strongly believe that religious and ethnic understanding is necessary for a stable society. If I could create a change in Nigeria, I would start by introducing intercultural classes into our educational system to promote unity among the different cultures and religions.