We've only had 2 classes in 2 days, but the discussions and activities in that span has already allowed for a lot of self-discovery. What I find most interesting amongst the nuggets of revelations is that while I have always thought of myself as a pretty open-minded, culturally sensitive sort of person, the reality is that I am not. I've discovered that I shut down and withdraw in unfamiliar/uncomfortable social situations (X-ians, anyone?), and that I have a communications superiority complex (i.e. I have the strong urge to believe that western modes of communication are superior to eastern, and can even find some choice negative terms for some characteristically eastern behaviors). The point of the exercise here, though, is that I have become aware of these aspects of myself (even if the jury is still out on how OK I am about my tendency towards arrogance). Regarding my potential as a global leader...I will simply say that I know my potential can only improve as I work my way through this class.
I found my Globesmart Assessment survey results rather compelling--I predicted that I would register as a fully red-blooded American because I was raised in a predominantly white community where my only ties to my Chinese heritage were my racial appearance (1. which itself was regularly questioned, and 2. I don't think I fully realized I wasn't Caucasian until I was about 11) and my mother (who is unusually assimilation-focused). The result was almost half and half.
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