Entry 15

Classes are finally over, and exams are two weeks off. I leave tomorrow for New Zealand, and will be there for ten days! This weekend was the Sydney Writers festival so I got the chance to go to three events in Town Hall, and Walsh Bay, featuring internationally acclaimed authors. Hearing people talk about their books was really inspiring. Friday night I heard lectures on topics of normalcy and etiquette, both of which were fueled by excellent wit and humor. Being a writer is about observing, but also about getting on the inside of a topic and fully understanding it. One of the most moving points of the night was a discussion in the first talk about the deaf community. I’ve written a few papers on Cochlear Implants, after taking three years of American Sign Language in high school, and one author spent years interviewing families and researching the threat this new technology poses on deaf culture. Most deaf children are born to hearing parents, who typically choose the route of cochlear implant operation. As more and more children assimilate into the hearing world with this device, the deaf community shrinks. Some people probably believe this is an amazing chance for deaf people to live the way hearing people do, but there is a loss. The Deaf community has a culture totally of its own; a language, theatre, literature… but now it’s losing its next generation. One thing studying abroad has made me more aware of, is how different people are, but also how amazing it is when we work together. My International Business class has taught me a lot about the differences between cultures and their values. Globalization doesn’t always happen smoothly, but it does give us a great opportunity to practice respect and courtesy when we meet people different from ourselves. I think traveling encourages more traveling, and now that I’ve lived for an extended time in another country I’m more eager to see the entire world and meet different people. I have gotten homesick, and miss my family and America a lot. I’m ready to enjoy my last month here, finish exams, and head back home to my side of the world.