Cultural Diversity in America

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This assignment increased my understanding of diversity as I interviewed Amara Bello. Since America is known as a “melting pot of cultures,” this interview allowed me to get to know another person who attends the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, but who is from a different country. Through this assignment, I was pushed out of my comfort zone to meet and converse with someone who is not like me in some ways, but with whom I also share some commonalities. As I culminated my interview with Amara, I walked away knowing that there are many advantages in being a part of a diverse culture.

The first semester of my freshman year, I took a class called International Enrichment Seminar. This class introduced me to the lifestyles and customs of different countries. In this class, I met Amara Bello, who was also a freshman. A key difference between Amara and I was that I am a Jamaican and she is a Nigerian. I enjoy talking to people from different countries because I gain new insights into their culture and I get to compare my experiences in America with theirs, and so I chose to interview Amara.

Through the questions below I learned a lot about Amara Bello.

Question: What is your gender?

Answer: “I am a female.”

Question: How old are you?

Answer: “I am 19 years old.”

Question: Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Answer: “I was born in Abuja, Nigeria. My parents stayed there until I was 12 years old, then we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.”

Question: What is special about Abuja?

Answer: “Abuja is the capital of Nigeria. It has a central bank headquarters, a mosque, an airport, and other main attractions.”

Question: What is your race?

Answer: “I always love this question because I get to say that I ...

... middle of paper ...

... America would always be culture shock; whether it is food, the people, or, just the place on a whole. This interview strengthened my belief that it is necessary to develop a global awareness to better understand people who are from different cultures. If I had to choose a thread that unites humanity, I would say that we all share the same feelings about loved ones and places that are dear to us. The animation on Amara’s face as she spoke about Abuja, and Nigeria on a whole, made me want to visit. Between questions she talked about her friends who are back home, her family, and the types of things they would do together. Abuja sounds like an amazing place, which has now been added on the list of places I want to see before I die. I ended the interview convicted that within diversity there are advantages with endless opportunities to explore the unexplored.

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