Last night we had our farewell dinner at Miramare Gardens. Our dinner was delicious, and we all enjoyed the chance to say our goodbyes and exchange contact information. After dinner, it was time for our “cultural presentations.”
Each delegation had planned a presentation for the group. The Japanese students made every delegation a banner with their country’s name written in Japanese calligraphy. The Indonesian and Vietnamese delegations wore traditional clothing from their countries and demonstrated ceremonial dances. Then the Mexican delegation danced and sang and danced and sang. (They were definitely the most energetic delegation in the program). Finally, Pete, Elizabeth, Anna, and I rapped about the USA to the beat of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Pete prefaced the rap by saying that because the United States always gets a bad rap, we wanted to give our country a good rap.
As we did some last minute exploring in Sydney today, we shared stories about our interactions this week. I never thought that I would form such close relationships with so many of the students. One of our new Vietnamese friends, Trung, spent a lot of time with us this week, and he has decided that he wants to come to Furman to study.
I also enjoyed hearing the perspectives of my new Australian friend, Cassie. She and I discussed a wide range of issues this week from Iraq to global warming. While we had different perspectives, we found that we certainly had common ground on which to stand. As I reflected upon our discussions, I realized the importance of organizations like APEC. It is only when we come together in one place to discuss the issues, to eat meals together, and to laugh together, that we can truly began to work together toward a common goal. If we want to be a global community and not simply a group of globalized nations, then we must continue to engage one another and most importantly we must continue to listen to every voice.
Alli
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