I’ve learned a lot on this trip and through my research about how a country’s history and culture influences it’s actions and emotions towards immigrants and refugees. I’ve been able e to see all sides of the refugee crisis in Germany, the good and the bad, and I’ve been able to witness the beginning of a change in Berlin’s culture that seems to be leading them towards deeper consideration and discussion of race and citizenship issues in Berlin. I’ve also learned a lot about the culture of activism and art that comes from this city and how it’s affected actual policy and change within communities. Berlin is in a very exciting stage of change and it was amazing to be able to witness a part of it.
I’m hoping to take this experience and what I have learned to help me in my future studies. For example, in the next quarter I will be taking Introduction to International Relations and a international human rights law class. I think what I have seen in Germany provides an interesting background for me to jump off of. This trip has also sparked an even deeper interest in human rights law for me, specifically immigration and migration law. I’m hoping to get more experience through internships within the US so I can learn more about our system here, as I think this may be something I want to focus on in the future. Navigating the intricacies of immigration and migration can be very difficult, as we all saw in our trip to Berlin. There are cultural barriers and language barriers that people have to overcome, and in a crisis like this, there is a lot of political back lash people have to push through. In seeing how the people who worked with the refugees were able to help ease the transition in a difficult situation I learned how this work can help make these people’s lives easier. It’s a hard job and often times a very stressful one. It can be emotionally taxing and can be hard on those who are trying to help these people but it is worth it to help those who are going through so much worse. That was the feeling of those who worked there and our feelings as well. I want to be able to have a career where I can help in situations like this which is why I am thinking about pursuing immigration law. In doing my research I saw how learning about a countries history of immigration and migration can lend an inside into how they deal with migration and refugees. In learning the intricacies of the culture one can find ways to solve issues that may come up. German citizen in Berlin are using their history of activism through art and civil protests to move forward the discussion of race and migration in Germany, which will in time, help those who are trying to live in Germany and obtain citizenship. In the US, the narrative of an immigrant made country helps push forward a more accepting narrative through mean of demonstrations and protests. In both countries, it was the citizens who pushed forward change and who found ways to make their voices heard. This continues on in both countries today as the discussion of the refugee crisis has widened to discussion of race. This is still what is on my mind two weeks later. There are a lot of nuances involved in navigating the influx of that many people into a country. Germany is facing those nuances now, and learning how to overcome these barriers whether they be cultural or legal. I’m excited to learn more about how these nuances function in our country with the difference in immigrant history and difference in narrative. There are many similarities and I think by looking at how Germany has handled this issue we can learn a lot about what to do and how to navigate our own nuances.
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An eye-opening tripI believe this trip truly gave me an opportunity to see how the stories that are told in political areans have (or don't have) an affect on ouublic perception and actions... this was something I was eager to expand on going forward Archives
August 2017
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