In part funded by:
3M Company
Diego says...
If you want to be understood, listen!!
BABEL (The movie)I am speechless. I am surprised. I am astonished. But upon all the above I am really grateful to the MIC and my life for having given this fantastic opportunity to me.
Two weeks ago, I never imagined I would be playing a Nepali guy at Ping-Pong at the same time I listened to a Dutch guy who was in Vietnam while that war took place; and later, when trying to get some rest I find myself in a Russian-styled bedroom. Is that Globalization? No, it is not, because there was not space for stereotypes in this story, but there was space for listening to each other at the time more and more questions came up in our minds.
The result: An epic mutual understanding among people from more than 20 countries by same number of English accents trying to share as much of our cultures as possible. Beforehand, only because we got to their small community away from any international and even national contact, they thought our goal had been achieved already.
Undoubtedly, we got to open their eyes at least a little by showing them a huge world out there, where indeed, there are more ethnic wealth than only Caucasians, just to mention an example. On the other hand, every minute out of these two days carved an unforgettable experience into our minds.
The minds of these students, who already took the risk of getting out of their countries in order to study or work, but sometimes unconsciously, become the best ambassadors of their native nations. What else is world peace about rather than listening to one another regardless our beliefs?
By Diego Luis Zapata — An ICC speaker from Colombia and an Amity exchange intern working at the Kaposia Education Center in South Saint Paul
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This story is a personal essay authored by Diego Luis Zapata, an ICC international speaker. The Minnesota International Center is not responsible for any and/or all parts of its content. The opinions and comments expressed in this article are not the opinions and comments of the Minnesota International Center or its staff.
Copyright 2007. Minnesota International Center | www.micglobe.org
Founded in 1953 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Minnesota International Center is dedicated to supporting Minnesota’s growing interest and involvement in the world. Our mission is to inspire our community to understand global issues and cultures in an ever changing world.
MIC does this by providing international education opportunities to open global doors for our community, allowing the people of Minnesota and visitors from around the world to meet - both formally and informally - and learn about and from one another.
Each of MIC’s four program areas endeavors to organize and facilitate learning experiences for children and adults alike. Activities range from formal lectures to small group discussions to mealtime conversation, and occur on-site in K-12 classrooms, the workplace, homes and the community.
In 2006-07, MIC organized in excess of 1,700 activities involving more than 35,000 participants from 120 countries.
Online at www.micglobe.org.