Social Identity - Amrit

     One aspect of my identity that has played a large role in shaping my previous experiences and made me the person I am today is my religion. I was born and raised Hindu and while I am not very devout, I still say a daily prayer and believe in the religious teachings my parents instilled in me when I was younger. I never really questioned my faith until coming to college when I was able to delve deeper into the beliefs and practices of other religions through classes or clubs. Yet, upon reflection, I found that what appeals to me about Hinduism is the openness and freedom it allows as well as the specific deities it offers. Hinduism I feel is a good mix of the characteristics of other faiths – tolerance for other faiths, monotheistic as well as polytheistic elements, and certain rituals or prayers. While I do not expect to encounter many other Hindus in Zambia, I believe my background in Hinduism will allow me to better understand and connect with people of other faiths during my time abroad. I don’t anticipate that my adherence to Hinduism will be any more or less apparent in Zambia yet I will be more aware of it as I look for similarities and differences with local faiths and traditions.
      Another crucial aspect of my identity, and one that I often take for granted in my everyday life, is that I am a college student in the United States. In my daily life, I am surrounded by other American college students and as the majority of my time during the year is spent on campus or around other students, I don’t think much of this part of my identity. I am extremely privileged to be in such a position but I rarely recognize my good fortune to be able to attend a university and a great one at that. Yet, I believe this aspect of my identity will be much more prominent when I am in Zambia. Not only will this difference be clear on a physical level, it also will be salient on a mental level too as this part of my identity brings with it a different mindset and outlook. As said in class before, service in many instances is a mutually beneficial interaction. During my time in Zambia, I hope to use my experiences as an American college student as well that all I have learned in my courses in my research and policy analysis and I also look forward to bringing ideas and strategies from Zambia back with me when I return to Cornell. Being and American college student will likely cause people to look at me very differently than the locals and even other foreigners that are in Zambia but this only serves to provide the context in which I will do my work as a global citizen. It will be one of many factors that influences my interactions with native Zambians and will shape how effective my work will ultimately be.   

     Overall, I expect multiple aspects of my identity, such as gender, native language, and race, that I usually do not think too much about to be more prevalent in Zambia. Within a new context, certain aspects of my identity will stand out more than they do in the United States and some will likely stoa out less. Thus, while who were are as people remains unchanging just by changing location, the context within which we view our identity has a major impact on which aspects we focus on and which we tend to overlook for the most past. Thus, I believe in any scenario, context is key in how we view ourselves and describe ourselves to others.