What does Global Engagement Mean to Me?
Henry Leighton Wesleyan University Class of 2025
What does Global Engagement Mean to Me?
Henry Leighton Wesleyan University Class of 2025
Experiences and reflections broadly pertaining to intercultural interactions that I engage in apart from my academic study.
While touring one of Cuba’s health facilities, I found this poster very fascinating as a physical representation of the Cuban healthcare system and its differences with respect to the American system to which I was accustomed. In the United States I haven’t come across this level of cost transparency, and this representation isn’t intended to …
One day, when walking through Old Havana, my friends and I came across the shop for Clandestina, Cuba’s first private fashion brand. The company references the clandestine operations that characterized the revolution’s resistance to the US-backed Batista dictatorship, but its existence marks the transformation of Cuba’s economy with allowances for more privately-owned businesses. There is …
I completed this reflection as part of an assignment for our CGST305 Capstone Seminar. Students were instructed to select an image from their study abroad experience, and write a reflection analyzing its context. The images were displayed around the classroom, first without the written reflections, and then with that context. We were expected to write …
Adjusting to the academic culture at the University of Havana was challenging in ways I hadn’t expected. At Wesleyan, even if a class is particularly difficult, I understand the general expectations of the university and feel integrated into that framework as a student. However, when I was studying in Cuba, I had re-learn that framework …
As I rode in a cable car in Taipei’s Maokong Gondola route, watching treetops pass by through the glass bottom, my friends decided that we should go around and each say “our type” of person that we find attractive. We ended up talking about dating in high school, touching on a notable cultural difference between …
I hesitated to write about this topic, because I did not want it to be misconstrued or generalized to reflect poorly on Taiwanese culture, or otherwise be understood as anything other than the isolated incident that I perceived it to be. I didn’t encounter anyone in Taiwan who shared the views of my first host …
I was very grateful for the opportunity to study in Taiwan, and the amazing experiences and relationships that I built there. However, I did experience some discomfort surrounding my affiliation with the American State Department through the Critical Language Scholarship program. We were often told that our conduct reflected back on our nation and its …
After having the privilege of studying abroad twice, I’ve come to understand that intercultural learning is a cyclical process. What I learned in Cuba allowed me to better articulate my experience there, but studying a different language and living in a different culture in Taiwan meant that I was frustrated at times by my lack …
Studying abroad in Cuba has made me realize cultural misunderstandings are inevitable, even though I’ve been learning Spanish since kindergarten. Sometimes these interactions may be intimidating, but it’s necessary to take risks to build relationships within your host community. I explored this challenge with a Black classmate at the University of Havana who has lived …
As part of CGST205: Global Engagement Introductory Seminar, we conducted a story circle with students from the American University in Cairo, with an optional interview component where the Egyptian students interviewed GEM students for a project. Because I was sick for the story circle activity, I volunteered to be interviewed, resulting in this reflection. Although …
