Where I live; where they live

 Welcome to my blog! 

What is home to me? 

I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota is called "The Land of Ten
Thousand Lakes", but there are actually more like 15,000 lakes in the state! There are several lakes in the city of Minneapolis as well, so for me home feels like a mix of city and nature. 



Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) translates to "White Earth Lake", which is the original Dakota name for the lake

The Mississippi River also starts in northern Minnesota and runs right through downtown Minneapolis. 



Downtown Minneapolis and the Mississippi

The Mingle 

As part of our virtual exchange with university students in Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, I got to know a few people well! I was in a group discussion with a student in Sharjah, as well as another student in the US. When we discussed our homes, my exchange partner said that although he goes to school in Sharjah, he grew up in Dubai. I have very briefly been to Dubai, so we talked a bit about the city and some cool landmarks. 

One super famous feature is the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world! 


Burj Khalifa, Dubai


My exchange partner shared that although he was raised in Dubai, he is originally from a small fishing village in Oman (which I can't remember the name of!). To him, both places are home. I think it is cool that 'home' does not have to be just one place, and that people have such varied ideas about what home is: whether that is a location, a certain group of people, or somewhere you have a cultural connection with. 


The conversation flowed easily, and it was interesting to see some of the similarities and differences between my life in the US and that of my exchange partner in the UAE. We discussed things such as soccer, the weather, and pets. It turns out that all three of us have pet cats! A lot of the conversation actually revolved around cats: my exchange partner told us that in Islam, cats are considered to be clean. Because the UAE is a predominantly Muslim country, it is very common for households to have a cat. It was very cool to learn more about Islam while just talking about our pets! 


I had a great time getting to know some of the students in Sharjah. I feel like I have developed a slightly stronger global perspective, and I am excited for the rest of the semester!




Image Citations

Bde Maka Ska image from https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/articles/park-and-rec-board-votes-change-park-name-bde-maka-ska-park 

Downtown Minneapolis image from https://www.pods.com/blog/2021/08/minneapolis-neighborhoods/ 

Burj Khalifa image from https://www.pexels.com/search/burj%20khalifa/ 

Comments

  1. internationalgalSeptember 22, 2022 at 10:36 PM

    Hi Georgia! I've always wanted to go to Minnesota, it looks like a beautiful state. I had no idea it had so many lakes!! That makes me want to visit even more. In my virtual exchange breakout room we also talked a lot about the idea of "home" and it was really interesting to hear about the different experiences these people have had and how it has shaped their ideas and what is home to them. It was also interesting how although our experiences may have differed a lot, we were all still able to connect on different levels and have a good time speaking with one another! Also, I didn't know cats were considered clean in Islam so many people in the UAE have pet cats. That's super cool. I can't wait to read your next post, Georgia!

    -Margie Winter

    ReplyDelete
  2. JacobSeptember 28, 2022 at 1:18 PM

    Greetings Georgia! I found your information on your home to be quite interesting! I found your discussion with your exchange room to be quite interesting. In my exchange room, we discussed our different perceptions of home. Something that was fascinating to me was the sheer number of differences that we all hold when defining home for ourselves. I think that it is interesting that based on our individual experiences, we define a place, location, or even a feeling as home! I look forward to further discussion throughout the semester!

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