Joan (Zheng, Yu-Chung)
In the city called BIG APPLE, acting as a learner, I explored and experienced an unfamiliar culture. I practiced seeing and comprehending people, things, and happenings with my heart and mind.
My knowledge of African American culture used to be limited. Before the trip, I read some related materials. However, as I stepped into New York City, I was “forced” to abandon everything I had known about the New World and stopped relying on the information or knowledge I had obtained from books. With EngageAsia’s assistance, I turned back to the primitive state. I appealed to my five senses: seeing hair braiding and extension, tasting traditional soul food and street eats, stepping on the streets developing with the history of the Civic Movement, and feeling the piety through gospel music in an African American church. With these authentic conversations and experiences, I constructed my understanding of African American culture—so free and colorful.
Contact led to understanding, which erased my original fears. With hands-on experience, the strange and unfamiliar culture came close, alive, and friendly. I further opened my mind and heart to embrace more attempts. This is exactly what a good learner must be equipped with -- adjusting mindsets, courageously facing uncertainty, and maintaining flexibility. In this way, I can renew myself and rekindle learning energy. I believe when I am a good learner, I can be a good teacher.
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Rita (Lee, Yi-Tzu)
Twelve days in New York City seems short, but it's long enough to make impact.
During the 12 days, traveling around the uptown, the midtown, Washington Heights and Harlem, I was immersed in American culture, Dominican American culture and African American culture. With my partner teachers, Ivan and Aimee, my understanding of those cultures had a chance to avoid stereotypes and to be based on real-life context. I sincerely appreciate my home-stay mom, Betina, Ivan’s mom, who shared with me her immigrant story: why and how she came to American as well as how she raised her two kids.
Ivan’s encyclopedic knowledge about Washington Heights and views on parenting, family, and relationships ushered me into the world of Dominican Americans. Aimee’s enthusiasm indulged my curiosity about African American culture. The interactions and conversations happening either on Harlem Civil Right Tour or visits to Schomberg Center, the Wallace Arts Gallery, Revolution Books, and Abyssian Baptist Church gradually deepened my understanding of African American culture. On top of that, the discussion we had in the 2-day workshop enlightened me. American teachers and Taiwanese teachers collectively recalled our past, talked about the present and looked into the future together.
America is known as a melting pot. Nowadays, some people expect America to be a salad bowl in which all the vegetables maintain their identity and differences are appreciated. The authentic interactions and conversations with my partner teachers, the lady in the bookstore, and the church-goer in the street afford me a glimpse into both a melting pot and a salad bowl. Some aspire to see America great again while some expect there is no more great America. Diverse voices and perspectives are intertwined and channeled my attention to the beauty of a melting pot and taste of the delicious salad bowl. The exclusive experience is not available to tourists no matter how many times they are in NYC. I can never experience it without EnageAsia's program
EA’s program guided me to review my old impressions, to examine my preconceptions, and finally to reconstruct my own image of New York City. Does my image correspond to the true colors of New York City? I don’t think so. It is still evolving with more information coming in. However, the image formed in the summer of 2019 is vivid, real, related to myself and thus meaningful. This experience leads me further to question myself. Am I really satisfied with successfully transmitting inert knowledge to my students? Can I offer my students a learning experience of deep learning, engagement, challenge and inquiry as what I have experienced in EA’s program? How can I empower my students to construct their own knowledge? These questions are catalyst for change. They are extending the 12-day trip beyond NYC to my classrooms in Taiwan.