When we contemplate why we don’t do many things in life, the fear of the unknown is at the top of our lists. Sadly, this fear is also seen when it comes to recognizing other ethnic groups. To be honest, I was nervous about this assignment because it was something new and feeling out of place is difficult at first. It’s unfortunate to realize I may be missing out on that experience because fear sets in. Has my environment shaped these fears, was I sheltered in a way? Thankfully, this assignment helped me realized how flawed it was, to be nervous about experiencing a new cultural experience. What did I need be afraid of…nothing. For my first cultural experience I went to the Fox Valley Flea Market in Elgin, IL and my second experience was a Buddhist Temple in Woodstock, IL. …show more content…
The Buddhist temple was my back up plan in case the market didn’t work out. It to, was a very new experience that was again nerve racking, but welcoming experience. It was very different to see four real life monks. I had not seen one up until this experience. Nor did I know that a woman could be a monk. Even though I won’t be analyzing this experience (this paper would be 10 pages long), it’s wonderful that I was more inclined to go somewhere new with some nervous feelings, but overall excitement to try a new experience. These two experiences helped initiate my need to go try new things, and learn more about the world that I live