Why do we have to take the dreaded two years of Foreign Language?
I sometimes cringe at the thought of taking a foreign language class, but then I think back past the hard work of my high school French class and remember how fun it was learning about a different culture. In French class we learned about French culture and it made me wish we learned about kids our own age in every culture.
I recently read an article by CNN, about young adults in Iran and it really made me see Iran in a different light. I'm not the kind of person that gets annoyed when immigrants come to America because I believe we are all immigrants. And though I'm not that kind of person, I was afraid of Iran. I don't think I realized it until I read that article, but I was. After I saw that their young people were just like me I wasn't afraid anymore. Why was I afraid in the first place? Then it hit me.
We paint everyone else in a bad light.
I knew this already, but I really began to see it when I read that article. They are just like us.
I've been on a pen-pal website since the beginning of high school. After reading this article I went back on to find more friends. I searched in Iran. One friend actually put in his bio: "No, I am not a terrorist! The Iranians don't live in a tent in a desert." I thought it was crazy that he put it but then I thought. Oh. My. Gosh, this is what we have done. We have victimized ourselves. Making them the scary, bad guys. But that's simply not true. They have amazing dance parties, hang out with friends, go to movies, play sports and go to school just like we do.
Making friends from different lands made this shy girl really happy. Which is why I think it's so important that we take these foreign language classes to learn not only another way to communicate but to feel more connect to one another through culture.
I don't know why we make life scarier than it already is, but I know I'm now a little less afraid.
Here is the CNN report: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/middleeast/iran-elec...
My new friend also sent me a link to a very sarcastic list of reasons not to go to Iran which you should check out here: http://pulptastic.com/17-reasons-never-visit-iran/
Happy learning!
