Other Languages and Cultures

In the process of thinking about my anti-oppression education course and going through the readings, I begin to realize the challenges of being in a school where monolingualism (speaking a dominant language) is encouraged. Is it possible that in the process of watching Youtube videos tonight about what ELL learners face that there is a kind of vicarious "culture shock" transmitted to me? Sometimes I feel that the best way to empathize with such a shock is either to learn a second language oneself, or at least to listen to others who go through such a process.
   There is something quite spiritual about the process of opening up to those whose first language is not my own. I have often taken it for granted, but being a part of a Buddhist organization, for example, has allowed me to see things through different cultural lenses from what I grew up with, and this has allowed me to deepen my perspectives. I don't think I ever noticed this happen, but even in the process of tutoring students who are ESL, something inside of me has shifted over time, and I am much softer because of the experience. I wonder why is that, but sometimes when I see my students mastering a second language over time, I am reminded of the rich inner strengths and resources that the students introduce to me, and how it affects the way I look at life. I am not so persuaded that one culture or way of thinking, such as the one I grew up with, is necessarily the "correct" one or the one which embodies the best values in the world.
   I am also thinking that sometimes in the process of encountering another culture, one also gets a glimpse of a kind of shifting identity that changes with every new thing that is learned or acquired over time. There is less certainty of a single fixed identity, and there is more room to welcome the fluidity of one's own personality. Encounters with others certainly reflects encounters with new parts of oneself which may have been disowned or disallowed in the past.