Learning More About New Cultures: Celebrating Eid
Two attributes from the IB learner profile that I demonstrate are being open-minded and a communicator. To me being open-minded means trying new things or thinking of new ideas. For example, trying new foods or clothes. Being a communicator means giving information or knowledge to others. I show this through my love for culture, traveling, and music.
Learning more about new cultures and why they’re important is a great way to learn how to be open-minded and a great communicator. Each culture celebrates different holidays and believes in different things. In my culture, I speak Arabic to my family because they don’t understand English in Morocco. One of the holidays I celebrate is Eid. Eid al Fitr occurs once a year where Muslims end the month of Ramadan,the Islamic holy month of fasting. This religious Eid is the first and only day in the month where Muslims are not able to fast. I teach others about this if they don’t know anything about it. I like celebrating Eid because it brings families together and we have a great time enjoying the holiday. Non-Muslims also try fasting to understand what it’s like.
Traveling to new places means you must try new things and accept the differences. For example, when I visit family out of the country we have to speak Arabic.Experiencing new things and learning about different places taught me stuff I never knew. On my trip to France, we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel tower.I’ve learned so much more history about those two monuments. I noticed that France is a lot more different than the United States. The people speak another language, the food is different, more people travel with bikes instead of cars, and the streets, in general, are cleaner. Most things are not the same and I had to adapt to the changes.
Music has no language.Orchestra has no lyrics so it’s the same around the world. There is a different meaning to every song. Orchestra allowed me to have more thoughts and feelings about other genres in music. I used to think classical or any type of instrumental song was boring and not interesting, but when I heard my teacher play a mixture of songs I realized I wasn’t being open-minded. This is a good experience to help me become open-minded and a good communicator.
This is how I demonstrate being open-minded and a good communicator in my life. Every culture is unique in its own way, like mine. Traveling helped me see how every place is different. My orchestra classes helped me be more open to all genres of music. In conclusion, both of these attributes are used in my daily life.
