I’ve been reflecting a lot on the meaning of Global citizenship. The term means taking responsibility for global issues. A global citizen is someone who identifies with being part of an emerging world community and whose actions contribute to building this community’s values and practices. Being here in China has made me realize my interests in learning about people and connecting different cultures. After living in many places including Zimbabwe, England, USA, Belize and now China, I have realized that all humans are literally the same. Love and compassion is all that people seek. Thinking, observing and reflecting on my surroundings this week made me question many things, including if majoring in Engineering and dealing with machines is a good idea if I want to work with people. However, after conversing with Christine – a British girl I met this week from the AIESEC program -I came to a realization that these two interests although they sound completely different can be combined. I figured I could still continue with my degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, after which I could use the skills I’ve learned there to impact societies worldwide through partnering with organizations such as the United Nations.
This week has been a very interesting week. The shortest probably! well in terms of the teaching schedule at least but of course my host mom likes to take me to many places, which is truly amazing by the way. So we had the dragon boat festival on Thursday which we celebrated with children at the local autism centre. We made Zhong Zi a traditional dish eaten during the festival. It actually tasted like the Spanish Tamales I once had, once upon a time. I was really touched by one of the autistic children who could play the piano so well. He was really amazing and I have no doubt that his talent will be recognised one day and that he will be a successful pianist.
My classes have been going pretty well, with the students showing more enthusiasm and interest everyday. My social life is also expanding beyond my DukeEngage colleagues. I am still happy here in China and from the smiles of those around me I’m sure my community is happy too!