Hi everyone. My name is Feba Reji George and I was born in India. My parents and I immigrated to Staten Island, New York when I was two years old. What I love about my life and what has in turn definitely shaped my life is that our travels didn’t stop there. I have traveled to Bahrain, Australia, Israel, France, England, and Switzerland. I learned something new each time like the fact that button down dress shirts and shorts were a trend in Europe. I know, weird right? But it was fascinating to see how each country had different languages, cultures, cuisines, music, etc. While I had never really paid attention to assimilation I am highly against it now. Each and every culture has something special to bring to the table and for people to try to hide it and fit into the mold of another culture, as is common in the United States, is just a shame. This topic is exemplary of how my travels have defined if not completely transformed some of my values and beliefs.
As a college student, I expect to continue establishing my values and beliefs while also challenging them. For example, I don’t know if music is considered a “value” but until I came to Baruch and learned that there was no opportunity to play instruments here I realized how important it is to me. I am currently trying to start a club that very purpose now (Lexington Music). I guess that growing musically has been as much as an expectation that I had as it is a core part of me. I also expect to have classes that are difficult but engaging. Beyond that, I also hope to make friends of different origins and cultures. My new appreciation for differences among people has made me want to branch out in terms of who I even surround myself with. In fact, one of my friends here at Baruch is a student from Greece who has already gotten his bachelors in Physics but thinking of pursuing a degree in International Business to further his own family business. Isn’t that amazing? Anyway, for this semester I hope that I do well and make friends that will last beyond the next four years of my life. I am concerned that Lexington Music might not work out so if you know any musicians, please tell me!!
The part about not assimilating is something I always hear from my godfather. “Never forget that you are Chinese”, is something he would tell me. Being Chinese though, comes with a lot of cultures and ways of thinking the old Chinese people had. Some I agree with but, others I do not agree with. I like it that you say that you appreciate the differences among people. I feel that many people tend to hate or ridicule others because, of those differences. What events do you plan on having for your Lexington music club?
It is truly inspiring how you hold on to your culture after all these years and after all the traveling and adjusting that you’ve been through. You refuse to budge and let the “American-ized” culture get the best of you and your core values and beliefs, and that’s something exceptional. As you stated, traveling from all around the world and seeing how different cultures play out in different parts of the world is interesting to see and also compare to how those same cultures manifest themselves within our own country only leads me to have more respect for you and you cling onto your heritage and culture, while others try to forget it and “blend in”. On that same note, you also make a note of how important music is to you, which is also a major factor in self-image, in this case. All-in-all, nicely written piece and it really helps not only me, but others, understand where you come from (culturally and such), and how it has affected you and who you’ve become today.
I love and agree with your emphasis on people’s differences. We are all different and these differences are what make us amazing people.