Final Thoughts

            As the semester ends, and I think about the ways I have changed over the past few months, I realize that perhaps not much has changed at all since I wrote my self-assessment in January.  I had to talk about culture, which is always a slightly awkward topic for me, as I was raised with the belief that as a White person, I do not have a race or culture.  At one point, I found myself trying to talk to a woman who seemed like she was actively ignoring me, and I was frustrated because I thought I was doing something wrong.  It took me a few minutes to realize that the reason she was trying to ignore me was because she did not speak English.  I had just assumed that she did. 

Full of little moments like that, the festival was an excellent learning opportunity for me.  I believe I have fine-tuned some of my people skills and I do feel more confident engaging in topics of culture with strangers.  I believe this will be useful as I work to create moments for cultural exchange and understanding in my future career as a higher education professional.  I know there is much more for me to learn, but I feel that I am off to a good start.