This is beautifully written and through these few paragraphs I feel like I've gotten to know you at an oddly (but wonderfully) esoteric degree. Your thoughts are keenly introspective in a way that channels vulnerability. I think what you say about footprints, both digital and physical, rings very true... it's something I've been thinking about as well, but you formed it into words much better than I could've. It will be interesting to discover and navigate some of these 'dissonances' that you speak about, perhaps both alongside one another and individually. I'm excited to read more of your writing/thoughts in the very near future!
This is beautiful and deeply intimidating. You are an incredible thinker and an incredible writer, and that intimidates me. I relate very much to the internal conflict of being here as a tourist and therefore part of the problem, and being here to develop a deeper understanding of Indigeneity so that we may make connections to communities back home. Thank you for so honestly sharing who you are as a person, it is so inspiring and I can't wait to read everything else that you write!
I appreciate the frank way that you ask whether ''these six weeks might be better spent at home''. There is something about sticking our noses in the middle of a political situation that isn't our own that seems to warrant caution. Moreover, intellectual activities don't necessarily have tangible ethical payoffs. Because of this, I also experience some of the pessimism that you entertain. My own response to this pessimism has been to shift attitudes, away from the mindset of anything resembling an activist and towards as open an intellectual mindset as possible. This can entail a sort of hypocrisy, but in my opinion learning necessarily requires hypocrisy. We all have our own ways of dealing with the political complexity of being a tourist, making informed career choices, and all those themes that you touch on. I'm excited to learn more about your attitude towards this and the attitudes of others in the seminar!
What a comprehensive introduction! Thanks for this. I look forward to more "existential cultural identity place-based crises." It seems they are productive... :)
This is beautifully written and through these few paragraphs I feel like I've gotten to know you at an oddly (but wonderfully) esoteric degree. Your thoughts are keenly introspective in a way that channels vulnerability. I think what you say about footprints, both digital and physical, rings very true... it's something I've been thinking about as well, but you formed it into words much better than I could've. It will be interesting to discover and navigate some of these 'dissonances' that you speak about, perhaps both alongside one another and individually. I'm excited to read more of your writing/thoughts in the very near future!
- jasmine
Hi Annie,
This is beautiful and deeply intimidating. You are an incredible thinker and an incredible writer, and that intimidates me. I relate very much to the internal conflict of being here as a tourist and therefore part of the problem, and being here to develop a deeper understanding of Indigeneity so that we may make connections to communities back home. Thank you for so honestly sharing who you are as a person, it is so inspiring and I can't wait to read everything else that you write!
Cissy
Hi Annie,
I appreciate the frank way that you ask whether ''these six weeks might be better spent at home''. There is something about sticking our noses in the middle of a political situation that isn't our own that seems to warrant caution. Moreover, intellectual activities don't necessarily have tangible ethical payoffs. Because of this, I also experience some of the pessimism that you entertain. My own response to this pessimism has been to shift attitudes, away from the mindset of anything resembling an activist and towards as open an intellectual mindset as possible. This can entail a sort of hypocrisy, but in my opinion learning necessarily requires hypocrisy. We all have our own ways of dealing with the political complexity of being a tourist, making informed career choices, and all those themes that you touch on. I'm excited to learn more about your attitude towards this and the attitudes of others in the seminar!
What a comprehensive introduction! Thanks for this. I look forward to more "existential cultural identity place-based crises." It seems they are productive... :)