Culture

"Culture is no longer just what some group has; it’s what happens to you when you encounter differences, become aware of something in yourself, and work to figure out why the differences appeared. Culture is an awareness, a consciousness, one that reveals the hidden self and opens paths to other ways of being."

I like this quote from the article "Culture Blends" that we read for class. The idea that culture is awareness and that it "opens paths to other ways of being" is one I resonate with. I think it succinctly expresses my desire to study and live in Ghana. I hope that by developing the ability to ask questions while I'm researching and living in Ghana I will become more aware of the variety of ways one can live life.

I hope this knowledge endows me insight that perpetuates new options and courses I can take in my life. I hope it does "reveal [my] hidden self" because by choosing a major, choosing a career path, and choosing to follow through with opportunities recommended to me by professors and advisers I have become confused by what my true ambitions and desires are. I love dance and dance education of course but I hope that this cross cultural experience will expand the schema of what I see as an acceptable future for a dance education major. The typical career path may not be the perfect option for me but it is all at this moment that I see as acceptable. Studying another culture may help me open my mind to other future paths and help me discover a different way of being.