Caring for the needy putting smiles on faces: For the Future

Akua Newton Start Date: Mar 11, 2018 - End Date: Jun 18, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Malaysia

My Travel Story

by: Akua Newton Start Date: Mar 11, 2018 - End Date: Jun 18, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
A few hundred years ago, it wasn't unusual for a a person to live and die in a single twenty-mile stretch of land. there are places on earth where the same is true today. About two thirds of Ghanaians do not have passports, indicating no immediate ability or desire to travel beyond their borders. The symbolism is easy to see. "Thinking outside the box" is a common idiom used to express the idea of breaking free of old ways of thinking. In a real sense, the walls of the box are the boarders of thought. Moving past those barriers is not only considered a a good thing but an incredibly necessary thing. Yet the same is not true of travel. I could have decided to stay in my home country and better myself, but i chose to accept to internationally participate in this this leadership conference basically to broaden my scope of knowledge and use it to better my country. I wanted not to think only outside the box, but exist entirely outside it. This is a vital frame of reference for an increasingly global world. That we exist in a global society, connected by the internet. For many, it is an excuse to stay put. After all, you can play video games with your friends in the U.K or work out a business deal with your partner in India in the same day. There is no substitute for full immersion. Language is an important part of who we are as a species. Though verbal communication is not unique to us, the depth and breadth of it certainly is. Numerous studies have pointed to the benefits of studying other languages and various forms of culture. I was fortunate to be born into a culture of more than one and have made efforts to learn more. Still, speaking daily, with native speakers is the only way to true fluency. Language helps introduce others to a new culture. Immersion in culture gives you a true immersion in language. It is the difference between seeing a tool in a book and using the same tool to craft a piece of furniture. To continue the metaphor, every culture will have a slightly different way of crafting that chair. There might be a different way than the one I have seen, but only through experiencing all the different ways of performing the task will I know for sure. Thus, immersing myself in as many cultures as I can will give me the breadth of experience to make me the most effective thinker. I get to experience an entirely new way of thinking, doing and solving to say nothing more of the great food, art and music. This alone would make it matter to me, though there are so many more reasons this point defines me. Looking in these nooks and crannies teaches you more about the world, and about yourself. Most people on this earth do not come from your country, wherever that might be. By confirming yourself to it, you are missing out some of the most rewarding interactions out there. I want to know the world, and to do that, I want to go everywhere. For me, there is no box.
  • Malaysia