Journal Entry #3

[bethany marcelle]

I loved thinking about the concepts in Figuring Out Foreigners because understanding other cultures is something very important to me. I think that there is good and bad in every culture and that the key to understanding and embracing another culture is to find what is best and most beautiful in that culture. In learning a language it's important to love the culture otherwise you'll end up resenting the work because you won't want to connect with the people and the collective that you'll encounter through the language. I used to go to VCU and when I was there I would use the prayer room in the commons. I'm a Christian and from an Italian family. The majority of the people who used the prayer room were Muslim from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It was very interesting observing their interactions with one another and with me in such a scared sippet of life. Through those observations I was able to form some initial understandings of them (some of which changed upon talking with them, some of which were confirmed) While asking people about their culture is wonderful I think it's very respectful to observe and attempt to understand before you engage in dialogue.