Reflective Essay: A Cross-Cultural Experience In The Classroom

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When I first met Eya in basic writing class in a peer review group setting, I was somewhat intimidated. She was beautiful and tall, with long, curly hair and olive skin. She had great posture and kept a straight face; even when introducing herself, she didn’t smile. She had an air of confidence, almost coming across as arrogant. I was hesitant to interact with her, because she seemed to me the most unfriendly of all the students in the group. I am very sensitive to whether or not others like me, whether they are my students, peers, or superiors. If I sense that someone does not like me, I tend to shy away from interacting with that person.
I introduced myself in the peer review group with only my first name and did not mention anything about my skills or background. In doing so, I was trying to establish peerness with the students. Because I was participating in peer review with the students in the class, I wanted to fit in with them. Also, since I did not have the authority of teacher in this setting, and I wasn’t familiar with the material she was teaching, I felt like I could relate more to the students than to the teacher of the class. If I have the title and authority of teacher bestowed on me, I pretty easily assume that role. But
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It seems that they put me on a pedestal and label me as someone that they cannot relate to, because I am so different from them. I often feel that disclosing my experiences creates distance between me and others. But being unique is something I get tired of. Being different from others becomes really lonely after a while. So I tend to downplay my differences upon meeting others. My background is something I prefer sharing with those I am already close to, people who already value me for who I am as a person and not what I have

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