Anyways... Sorry I haven't been updating this as much! I initially stopped because nothing new or interesting happened; but of course when something that was worth mentioning happened, I was too busy or exhausted to even think about forming words and sentences.
About four days ago, I met a really great group of students who are here from Singapore, doing service work. I participated with them on Friday and learned more about what service learning means and what it entails. I spotted two hijabis in the group and naturally had the urge to get to know them. I am REALLY glad I decided not to go on a day trip with the exchange students from America and instead decided to attend the lecture with the Singapore group. That day started off really crummy because I felt more and more like I did not belong anywhere. Once I socialized with the Singapore group, I felt like I had a community not only to fit in with, but also to learn from.
The next day, the IWU group went to the history museum and Avenue of Stars with the Singapore group. It felt great to be able to just walk in and know they are accepting of me. For the first time in a very long time, I was able to let down my guard and talk to strangers without feeling self-conscious. I am the type of person who needs to feel welcomed before I let myself walk into a vulnerable situation. I am the type of person who needs to be invited in order to know this is a safe place. I am the type of person who needs to see a person's body language matches their words of kindness. I am very intuitive. I haven't felt this much kindness in some time and I am genuinely happy.
The next day, we went to Tai O, which is an island in Hong Kong. Oh my God, it was HOT! I seriously did not know how we kept walking. I guess being surrounded by amazing people helps a lot. We took a lot of pictures there. Hanna was our rockstar photographer but I swear, we need to get her into the pictures, too!
Lunch and dinner has become a lot easier. The girls knew that halal food would be almost impossible to find here so they stocked up and brought a ton of food from Singapore. They have been very generous and invited me to eat meals with them. Thank God no more McDonalds! We have laughed and shared so many stories and exchanged cultural knowledge from each other. I found myself questioning why I don't live in Singapore. My values match closely with their values. But then I realized it isn't the country I live in that has shaped who I am (completely), it is the culture I was raised in. Although I am always going to be an American, I also will always consider myself to be Indian. I have never been to India but hearing stories from my family and embracing the culture that has been passed down to me is beautiful. I will listen to Bollywood over American music any day and until this day, I still cannot tell you what Brad Pitt looks like but I can tell you all of the famous and popular Indian actors and actresses.
I questioned why I fit in with ease within the Singapore group but yet have always had a hard time mixing in with Americans. I used to think it was just me and my personality, but I discovered that is not at all true. It is in my Asian blood to be someone who lives in a high-context culture. Words, word choice, and body language are all very important to me. American culture is a low-context culture, which creates a challenge. I am very willing to continue my journey in learning how to combine two very different cultures into one because I do identify with two cultures that clash.
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