Meeting with some fellow Loewenstern's last week was insightful as we found common themes and gaps reflected in each of our blogs. I also enjoyed getting the chance to hear more about each person's experience beyond what was written in their blogs. We all agreed that the blog was certainly not all encompassing, and lacked details--the day-to-day. For me this includes the seemingly trivial aspects of my environment that I'd internalized as the norm, as well as the personal. Nevertheless, this didn't mean that I didn't reflect on these components any less--I did, just in my own personal journal. When talking with the other LW fellows, we also agreed that the envelope prompts were not conducive towards sharing the personal, but rather focused more on the academic, the growth from service. When abroad, growth occurs through a myriad of other channels, such as daily communication, cultural experiences, etc.
Additionally, while related to service, I didn't include much about the people I worked with on a daily basis in the CURA office. I think this was primarily out of respect for them and not posting about them on a public domain without their knowledge. But I will say they are some of the most incredible people I have had the honor of knowing and the privilege of working with. They've supported me but have also given me the space to learn and grow. They've graciously forgiven me when I was late or was the culprit of a miscommunication. They've also been such great role models at showing me through action how to truly engage a community, how to raise awareness, how to be organized, even how to make a few dishes. Though not included in the context of this blog, they're definitely near to me. One more topic left out of this blog would be the bad that I've seen or heard in China, again out of respect for the country, not to mention the fact that I am only one perspective. Publicizing it may make it a generalization to others who read it, which wouldn't accurately reflect the country or society.
Regarding overall themes, reflection itself was an obvious one, in addition to communication, connections, environmentalism, sustainable service, cultural identity and exchange, learning, cuisine and discovery. While this blog didn't encompass all of my personal experiences, it did still provide a structure to capture one aspect of my personal growth. In volunteering with CURA and helping to develop and implement the health survey, I learned more about myself. The new environment shed light on both my strengths and weaknesses and the prompts facilitated my reflection of them. Also common to the entries are themes specific to my service, environmentalism. My ISP was focused specifically on it. Additional information I learned prior to the trip and during my time in China then funneled into my entries, such as the first trip out to Anlong village shortly after my arrival. Paired with this theme are the themes of discovery and learning, as prior to my fellowship, I knew relatively little about environmentalism but was eager to learn more. The theme of learning also carried over to the social environment I was immersed in upon arriving in Chengdu, such as plaza-dancing. The theme of connections emerged as a reflection of Chinese society, where connections are key even in the workplace. As mentioned in another post--the social media conduit WeChat is commonly favored over email. Business deals depend on connections at least as much as merit, if not more so (note: this is more a generalization, thus the lack of a source citation).
No comments:
Post a Comment