Chapter 8 –
I could relate to
many aspects of this chapter; however, it was the first couple of pages that
really stood out to me. It began by discussing a professor at a Christian
college and how whatever he believed was “right,” was “right.” This stood out
to me on a unique level. I not only came from a public school to Dordt but I
also have only ever known what it means to be Lutheran or Baptist. The Reformed
religion at Dordt College was a big step for me. I was not quite sure what to
expect but the first couple of months were extremely difficult. There was one
course in particular that really got my gears grinding and made me wonder who
was really “right” in the given situations. The professor made themselves out
to be correct and then would finish everything with “if you’re Reformed.” This
irritated me as a Lutheran because I knew a few differences were there but
never saw them as major and this professor made it out to be right verses wrong
and not something that could go either one way or another. Just as Cleveland
stated, “consider the theological differences.” This is extremely important,
especially in my case as I was on the edge, calling my parents and pastor
weekly and considered transferring throughout that semester. When it comes to
many things including theology, assumptions should not simply be made but
rather acknowledged and discussed properly.
Chapter 9 –
I had many
thoughts passing through my mind as I read through this chapter. Cross cultural
contact can be awkward or difficult for some people to come by as it is
instinct to categorize each other. However, it can be extremely beneficial for
all individuals involved. The summer before my freshman year at Dordt, I
constantly checked online to see who my roommates would be and if I could get
in contact with them prior to school starting. Once I was in contact with two
of them for over a month, another student was added to our room. This student
was from South Korea. While I had interacted with my exchange students in my
high school, I had never met a student from South Korea. This scared me and
made me wonder who I could compare her to. Then, I got here and I met her. It
was great, we became very good friends and I spent a lot of time with many of
the students from South Korea and the Philippines. I was thanked many times for
helping them learn about the American culture and give them that support as they
found there way around a place that is so unknown and confusing to their culture.
For me it was just as well a whole new world and learning experience. I believe
this diversified cultural interaction helped me grow as an individual and view those
with unique backgrounds and cultures much differently.
I wish that I could say that when I came here to Dordt I had the same problem as you. Unfortunately, being reformed helped me in that case. But hearing stories like this makes me irritated that professor can not realize that not everyone grew up reformed before coming to Dordt, and it is okay if they are not. Honestly, like you said that there are maybe just a little difference between the two. I had that with my friends from high school. I went to a reformed church and they went to a Christian reformed church. They just couldn't believe I didn't go to a Christian Reformed when really there is only a couple differences between the two.
ReplyDeleteThen when you talk about your cross cultural contact, I two had a roommate my freshman year that was from the Philippines. I am going to be honest, I wasn't too excited about it, but I told myself that it would be a good opportunity to learn about a different culture and to keeping my mind open about it. Unfortunately, my situation we did not get along very well, but I was able to learn some things about that culture. But on the bright side, I can still talk to that roommate even though living together did not work out.