I've been thinking a lot about diversity and an individual's responsibility to accept, or I might go so far as to say one's responsibility to discover, other cultures.
The majority of my life was pretty sheltered. Until this past summer, I'd never left the continental U.S. I spent last summer studying at an Italian language school in Taormina, Italy. To say it was a culture shock would be the understatement of the century.
Studying at a language school means exposure to many cultures. We had classes with people from Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia and England. It was fascinating to see the differences between the American students and the other English-speaking students. Even our cultures were vastly different.
I took a class here in Auburn before the trip called Italy in Black and White. It was a film class designed to exhibit the racial prejudices in Italy. Here's the breakdown: Italians hate Sicilians for bringing in Africans, who they hate even more. Throughout history, Italians have idolized the idea of being "white" and considered themselves to be "white." The irony is that many Americans would probably disagree.
The Italian prejudice against Africans has a long history that still resides today in a very real, tangible way. While there, I witnessed the struggles of minorities in Italy. Thinking about it now, it resonates with me how far our own country has moved to overcome similar prejudices.
I bought a pair of sunglasses in Taormina from a man who was from Ghana. He sold his sunglasses on the side of the road. We struck up a long conversation with him, and he was very interested in our life in America. When we asked him if he missed his home he just laughed and shrugged.
I bought a purse from another street vender in Florence. Venders lined the streets with purses laid out on trash bags. I saw him and his friends shortly after, frantically shoving purses into the trash bags as the polizia drove by.
The purpose of this column isn't simply to be an expose of the racial issues of some far off land. It's to highlight the leaps and bounds I think our own country had made. Studying abroad was an amazing experience that taught me to recognize the strengths and struggles of another culture and in turn recognize them in my own.
Diversity ought to be in the definition of American. I've seen a nation of people who truly look alike. I stood out like a sore thumb. That doesn't happen as often here.
One of the locals in Taormina told me about the money he was saving for a trip to "America." He wanted to fly into Atlanta and see "the big fish tank." I remember laughing and telling him he was sure to be disappointed in the city. To me, it's not all that great.
"Your life is a dream," he said, quite seriously. "America is a dream."
I think he taught me one of the biggest lessons I learned studying abroad. I spent the summer in wide-eyed wonder at their culture, but I also learned to value my own. If you don't care about experiencing new people and places, that's fine. But don't undervalue your own culture while you neglect others'. This is a dream.
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