Social Identity - Lexi Farina

            As a student in both the IDP class and the Zambia seminar, I participated in the social identity conversation twice. However, I had two very different experiences with this activity. Since my IDP class is focused on the topic of sexuality, I thought a lot about my identity as a cis-gender female. Additionally, I had to think a lot about my religious identity as a Catholic and how this affects my views on different sexual identities. However, when having this same activity and discussion in the Zambia pre-departure seminar, I thought about my identity very differently.
            In this discussion, I was mainly focused on my race. I know that in Zambia I will stand out due to my skin color, which is something I have never experienced before. As a White American, I have always been in the majority group whether that be in my home community or at Cornell. When asked to identify myself, I would never include my race because it is a privilege that I have and often take for granted. However, I know that in Zambia, this will be the first thing that is noticed about me. I will be known as a white tourist. I know with this label there will be also many assumptions made about me.
            Such assumptions will be based on the stereotype that I am a rich American who thinks I can solve all of the problems in Zambia. My goal as a global citizen is to hopefully prove that this stereotype is not true. Especially coming from a prestigious university, I do not want to portray this privilege as something that makes me better than others. I do not believe that I am coming to Zambia with solutions. Rather I want to use my knowledge as a global citizen to work with the local residents of Zambia to gain insight into my research topic and create meaningful work.

            I hope to use my identity as an American student to my advantage in Zambia. By this, I mean that I want to learn from others as an outsider. I want to learn from my homestay family about the lifestyle and cultures in Zambia. Additionally, I want to learn from the physicians I shadow in the teaching hospital. I hope my age as a student will allow me to learn from others rather than being seen as an educated American who “knows it all”.

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