(no subject)

[phineasjones]

i just read an article in a little... i don't know what to call it, small publication from my alma mater about a program they now offer where they take students on a two week trip to dakar, senegal in january. one of the participants talked about how comfortable she was there after her two weeks and said, "i gradually began to understand life there."

come on. i find it incredibly annoying that there is no acknowledgement that two weeks is nowhere near enough time to 'understand life' in a completely different culture. i was in dakar for six months and i would never make that claim. though, i can see that after 2 weeks, it probably all still seems exciting and fun. i went through a cycle in my six months - ooh! exciting and fun, so much to see and learn! mangi jang wolof! -> omg, what am i doing here? there's so much pain and poverty. i will never understand this place and constantly being an outsider sucks. -> whoo! dancing is fun! when's the next party?

there was one woman on our program who, after nine months there, declared herself 'assimilated.' it was so far from the truth, it astounds me to this day.

i don't know. this article is clearly intended to be promotional and only states the goal of giving students a more international perspective. but that one woman's quotes just irk me.

Comments

[camillafarfalla.livejournal.com]

yes! (also, I'm not the only one who keeps Vista lying around and only just read it!) omg that really annoyed me too. I mean, it seems like a really great program - I feel like two weeks in Senagal is better than none - but, yeah, it's a trip, or a vacation, even, so clearly not long enough to know much of anything. Two years in Italy and I'm comfortable there and have my niche, but I don't really know that I'd call myself assimilated. Some acknowledgement would have been nice. Yes.

[phineasjones.livejournal.com]

vista? hmm? what?

exactly, the acknowledgement, that's all it needed.