My identity impacts how I see the world. I identify as a biracial liberal woman and these aspects of myself definitely change the way I look at the world. I see racism and colorism, I fight for equal rights for all sexualities and I understand the discrimination women face. I also see the amazing in roads we are making in America towards equality. I have advantages because of my light skin and as a liberal I believe I have the advantage of being aware of problems in our country others don’t notice. However, as a woman I am disadvantaged as I am seen as less competent than men in the workplace as well as in my classes. I expect to be met by a very conservative culture with conservative values about equality in Japan. We were informed that the gender spectrum is not as celebrated or accepted in Japan as it is in America. Japan is a very homogenous country so I expect to meet people who have never seen a brown person with curly hair. I also expect to meet people who have an immense cultural experiences to offer me, not just from Japan but other countries as well. I expect to learn a lot about other countries through my interactions with the international students with whom I’ll be living with in the dorms on campus. The people I meet abroad might experience the world through different lenses. They might have never flown an airplane, experienced racism, been to America or speak English. To be a citizen of Japan and never have flown a plane might give them the advantage of having belonged in their country wholly. If they have never experienced racism then they have the advantage of being accepted for their skin color, even of they’re not accepted for another aspect of their identity. If they have never been to America or speak English they might be disadvantaged in that they’ve never experienced American culture or had New York pizza. They may not have the advantage of knowing multiple languages fluently.I am excited to go on this journey and have new experiences with new people. I hope this adventure will help me grow and evolve into a better version of me.
