what i learned
On the final day of class, I thought to myself. I was wondering what we were going to do, although I knew that we were going over the book Street of Hopes, which I enjoyed reading during Thanksgiving break. The book was different than any other book, in a sense that it brought a much needed hope. As we were discussing some of the important aspects of the book, I thought about saying something. It was strange because normally I don’t speak in class - not because I don’t know the issue we are discussing about, but because I am not comfortable speaking in public. Speaking in public is one of my biggest fears. But that day I had an urge to say something… something that I had learned from the book. But again it was my fear that won the battle; I didn’t say anything. Although I was disappointed at myself for not saying anything, I knew I could always write about my thoughts in my blog. That consoled me for a while. However, when Dr. Howard then asked about what we have learned through our experience this semester, I once again wanted to say something. I was just waiting for someone else to start, but when everyone started talking, I had already decided that I couldn’t talk. “But why not?” I thought to myself. But the answer was always the same: I am not comfortable speaking in front of everyone. Because of this, I was resisting it until everyone was done and there were only couple of us left. At that point, I felt as if Dr. Howard was looking at me and expecting me to talk. Maybe that is the reason I decided to say something, but whatever the reason was, I was finally able to speak. I remember talking about how I analyze Nepal and America constantly. This class has offered me a unique way at looking at the American society. It has provided me with so much knowledge on society and community that I constantly find myself analyzing how I grew up in Nepal and how people grow up here. In the process, I constantly ask Dominique about German society and find myself talking about different aspects. Although I admit that I disliked the long readings we had to do, finding it sometimes to be so boring that I would come close to giving up, when I look back today I realize how much I have gained from this class. I have gained an immense knowledge about the history of American society and also the structure of it. Now I feel as if I am aware of many problems in the society. Before, I constantly found myself criticizing the society for not being able to do well, but after taking this class I realized how difficult of a process it is to do something. I have also learned a valuable lesson through this class. If you want change, you have to dedicate your time towards it, as a society can be better if the people living in the society are well informed. That is when people can take action.