Word of the week: “Equalidad“ or Equality.
Today marks the end of the 10th week of the Drexel school quarter. As I reflect on my time here, I believe there was one key component that allowed for optimal enjoyment of this trip. Keeping an open mind at all times. An open mind to the culture, food, locals and even the people I traveled with. Unlike when traveling for personal pleasure, I traveled with individuals I was unfamiliar with prior to leaving with Drexel. These individuals were diverse in the backgrounds they came from, languages they spoke, religions, sexual orientations and even their ideas shared in classroom/community ventures. Diversification is essential in all aspects of life. It not only helps to spice things up in everyday travel but also helps to spread awareness. Not all individuals, speak, think or act the same and it is ideal to broaden the mind with real-life exposure. What better way to do that, than in sharing once in a lifetime travel experiences?
Conflict in Diversity
Inevitably, conflicts arise as it is human nature to agree to disagree. Assuring a common denominator of an overall peaceful social environment in any group setting is essential. Should a conflict arise, what should you do? Personal de-escalation methods are the best non-evasive, self-controlled methods in preventing social fires. With all respect and fairness, it is fair to acknowledge the wills of others and even offer to make alternative considerate plans. Through the weeks here with language barriers and differing opinions, I have had plenty of time to work on the idea of collaborative team efforts.
Diversity in thinking styles and personalities keeps things interesting for all, but it does create conflict. In talking about healthcare and topics such as politics that influence decisions regarding health can be tricky. Many of my peers here in my classes do not have the same religious or even cultural beliefs ,but respectfully we convene to discuss potential plans that may one day work for the United States health system. We have many different mindsets, however one common goal: Making Healthcare Accessible for all. Admittedly it will never be free for anyone, but collectively we concluded that it should be a fundamental right. Costa Rica is a country where this right is essentially written in the constitution. As ten’s of millions of Americans die yearly due to inaccessible care , we continue to standby. Through this program with Drexel it has truly been a treasure and surreal experience to observe, absorb and eventually one day take part in a system that has so much diversity and plenty of conflicts within.
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