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Anastasia White

Bio Summary
Cohort Year: 
2017
Home Institution: 
Carlow University
Heinz Programming Area: 
Arts & Culture
Study Abroad Country: 
India
International Experience

Anastasia White is an African American and LGBT affiliated woman from Miramar, Florida that spent seven weeks in Bangalore, India. In India, Anastasia studied Human Rights, Gender Studies, and Bollywood Dance Monday through Friday at Christ University. When she was not studying, she travelled to various parts of India including Agra, Jaipur, Goa, Mumbai, Coorg, Mysore, and New Delhi during the weekends. Also, in her spare time, she had partaken in volunteer opportunities such as touring at a local village and donating toys to children in impoverished areas. During her journey, Anastasia made the effort to assimilate into the culture and fully grasp the concept of the caste system. Through interactions with locals and learning how to adapt to her environment, Anastasia was able to gain new knowledge and learn new skills including bargaining, navigating, and listening in-depth. Anastasia was surprised to learn that the caste system is no existent in modern-day India, but people are still aware of what caste they would belong to if it was still legal. Spending seven weeks in India allowed Anastasia observe another culture and reevaluate her values as an American citizen. By combining the culture she adopted India and her American culture, Anastasia she has plans to develop as a global citizen. Anastasia hopes to share her experience with others and encourage others to have an amazing journey their own abroad.

 

 

 

 

Community Engagement Experience
CEE Title: 
You See What You Say Exploring Language Internationally

You See What You Say Exploring Language Internationally was an event aimed at getting people to understand different cultures and making them feel uncomfortable though different facets of language. The event was a combination of a fair and a dance workshop. During the fair portion, attendees got to hear all of the cohorts experiences with language during their study abroad adventure by going table by table through an organized rotation. After the fair portion, the dance workshop commenced where attendees learned a traditional Indian dance and learned the background of the dance before we practiced it. Attendees found the dance to be challenging, but thoroughly enjoyed learning the dance and learning a new way to express themselves through their bodies. Overall, You See What You Say Exploring Language Internationally was an excellent way for people to learn that it is okay to be vulnerable and that cultural competence is an important skill to have.

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