I was born and raised in Canada as was most of my family so growing up that is what I was used to. I hadn’t done much international travel and the only place outside of Canada I had been was the United States. Most of my global learning was done in school which can be a difficult way to really understand it. In elementary school we did a project on Egypt and my friend’s grandma has been there recently so she was able to tell me personal stories about the trip. This helped my learning and understanding of the place because it was real lived experiences rather than just pictures. We learned a bit about Geography in school but not enough to fully understand places.
In highschool, I had more exposure to other places around the world from social studies classes. This was my favourite subject so I tried to learn as much as I could about other places. I took a social justice class which focused on global issues and helped my understanding of issues happening around the world. My highschool also hosted exchange students for the year and I became good friends with someone from Germany and someone from Spain. The three of us became pretty good friends over the school year and I got to show them around Kamloops which I really enjoyed. They both taught me about the places they were from and even some language as well. I really enjoyed learning about their culture and their homes but saying goodbye was really difficult.
In university I have had the opportunity for global exposure in a few different ways. Being a Sociology and Geography student I have learned about global issues in many classes which has widened my knowledge. Learning from professors has been really beneficial because they have all been so passionate to share what they know and educate us students. I have also had the opportunity to participate in two field courses taking me to Japan and Belize. Japan really shifted my views because it was my first time leaving North America and it was a place I didn’t know much about. Throughout the course I learned a lot about traditions and Japan in general; however, learning about a place and experiencing it are so different. In Japan I felt safe everywhere I went, which is a shift from Canada. Some of the etiquette there was different as well like wearing special house shoes and always taking off your shoes before walking on tatami mats.
Exactly one year later I participated in a field school in Belize. This was a much different place from both Japan and Canada. We stayed at a field station for the first week which had a water filter system but in other places we had to be careful what we ate and drank. This was such a shift from Canada, specifically Kamloops because our water treatment system here works really well. Another big difference I noticed was with the population as most people we met with were from Belize and their families were originally from there. Canada has a very diverse population with people coming from places all across the world. Having this history can help teach future generations their traditions and practices which is important for preserving culture. A similarity I noticed between Japan and Belize is they both have a rich history of castles and Maya ruins.
Another great opportunity for my global learning has been volunteering at Kamloops Immigrant Services. I help out with craft workshops there and I have met so many people of all ages from many places. One session we had a conversion about traditional breakfast from where everyone is from. It was interesting to learn about similarities and differences between places. Some foods I may have not considered to be for breakfast are standard somewhere else, which I feel like is something most people don’t really think about.
To further my global learning I plan to do more travel but to make sure to learn about the culture prior to travelling there so I can have a deeper understanding of the place. I have an interest for historical places so I plan on going to as many as I can so I can learn on my trip. While I may not be learning in the traditional class style after this semester I still want to keep learning as much as I can. I also plan to continue volunteering at Kamloops Immigrant Services because I have had a very valuable experience here and love meeting the people that come. We are all made up of so many different things including experiences so I want to take advantage of every opportunity I can so I can continue my learning about global competency.