Diversity Essay
I am Saudi Arabian with Malaysian ethnicity. Both cultures were part of my upbringing and linger on with me even today. I am proud of my origins, of my family, of my country, and both my cultures. I have never lost touch with my roots, though. I have instead enhanced and fortifying my connections with my origin. During all these years abroad, I have continuously visited my relatives in Malaysia. Each visit is perhaps more interesting than the last. My visits help me reconnect with my past relatives, and with the traditions, they carried into Saudi Arabia and my life. During my visits, I share with the family things I have learned, and I ask for advice. It is always good for the heart and the soul to confide in your loved ones and sharing with them what makes you happy or what worries you.
It is part of who and what I am as a person. This includes my desire of travelling and experiencing the world. My first diverse experience was working as an organizer for the pilgrims during Hajj at Mecca (in Saudi Arabia). It was incredible and fulfilling for me to be part of that experience. I learned quite a deal about myself and other people helping such a diverse group.
A big part of me as a person has a huge desire and love for travelling the world, respectfully experience new cultures, and learning from beliefs and traditions that are different than mine. I had the opportunity to study in the United States after I get sponsored by Saudi Arabia. I was excited and grateful that I had the opportunity to obtain a great life experience through living and communicating in a one of the most diverse countries in the world.
When I moved to the United States, I lived in a family house for about a year. It was my first year in the USA. This family was native of Ecuador, a small country in South America. It was a very interesting experience. I was living in a country so far away from home, enbibed in not one but two cultures that were so very different from mine. Even though they share a continent, it seems to be that Latin-American people are very different from people from North America. During my stay with the Ecuadorian family, I learned several things about their country and their language. Charles Darwin’s Evolution Theory found its inflex point in Islas Galápagos (Galapagos Islands). These islands are famous for their many endemic species. Darwin studied them from 1831 to 1836, during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. Darwin’s observations made him conclude that evolution depended on natural selection. Many interesting chats surged between my hosts and me during that year at their house.
During my time in the United State I worked with international students at Drexel and San Joseph English language centers. I loved talking to them and listening about their homelands, traditions, and beliefs. I also shared about my culture and traditions with them. I made several good friends during my time there.
I feel very fortunate for the life I can live, and I wouldn’t change it for anything