Nimo, 9th Grader Boston Latin Academy
Fun Fact: I almost fell off one of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Ever since I was young I loved to travel. My family has traveled to various places and these opportunities have expanded my understanding of differences between people. It forced me to consider why people have certain views and how my perspective is not universal. I grasp at any chance to broaden my views and it is important that Yawkey Club of Roxbury teens have the chance to go to India to experience life through the eyes of others. It is also essential if Boston teens wish to be competitive in the new global economy to know how other countries operate.
I have observed how foreign countries and people are portrayed based on what others see on the surface. For example, whenever I go to a new place I meet new friends. Conversations about ethnicity or nationality always comes up. Whenever I tell people I am Jamaican they try to somehow relate to me by acting how they believe all Jamaicans act. They bob their heads, saying things like “wagwan or what’s up mon!” This was amusing when I was younger but has become irritating as I mature. I always wondered why people generalized Jamaicans based on their image of a few. But I realized that you do not truly know a place until you have been there for a period of time. Having the opportunity to travel to India will impact the way I see my life and increase my understanding of others living in this world.
