Name: Aminatou Gueye
Intended Major: International Studies
Pronoun: She/her
After reading the syllabus and attending the first class, my first impression is that this course is going to make me look at everyday life in a new way. I like how this class focuses on watching people and understanding their cultures, which fits perfectly with my International Studies major. I also like how we’ll do real observation, not just read books or search online.
Back when I was in Senegal, I used to watch and think to understand people around me, especially at the mosque. I noticed how people greet each other, who starts conversations and how they switch from Wolof to French to sometimes Arabic or other languages. This showed me how religion, age and culture affect how people act, even in the same community, which is kinda the case in New York.
Recently I started noticing people around campus and also in the streets. The halal carts near school always be having people from different backgrounds lining up. And he always be remembering orders and sometimes he be cracking jokes in different languages and personally i find it very fascinating how food can turn strangers into friends just like that.
I am excited for the cultural profile essay, so that I can interview someone from a different background and get to know my classmates better. The portfolio at the end sounds useful too, it’ll show how my writing improves over time.
I went to the halal food cart the other day and I also noticed how the guy in the food truck was remembering orders even with it being more than 4 people. It’s funny you bring that up. Balancing that with upkeeping a feel-good environment for customers doesn’t come easy to all as it can be overwhelming.
Good point that the carts are halal! Shows how they are inclusive of the cultures/religions in our school
Hey! I think I know exactly who you are talking about. I agree with you; food IS a good way to make friends and to get to know new people. I honestly don’t know anyone from Senegal, so it will be fun and interesting to learn while having the opportunity of sharing a class with you.
I also think food is a good way to make friends except when i went last time to the halal cart it was empty
that observation is very interesting, and I didn’t even realize why the people there were laughing.