My own Wall

Today was the first meeting for our Berlin group. We all participated in an icebreaker that involved a mock speed dating exercise. The set up was very similar to planets orbiting the sun. Half of the group remained seated in a circle while the other half rotated around to meet a new person with each turn. We were to discuss with each other the “personal walls” in our lives.

The “wall” that I discussed during this activity is one between a small conservative town and a large liberal city. I spent most of my life living in small communities. The first eight years of my life was spent living in Vietnam. My family and I resided in a small town outside the city of Saigon. Then, we immigrated to the United States and I grew up in Longview, Washington. These two small towns have their similarities and differences. They are alike due to their limited access to entertainment and lack of diversity. However, the atmosphere of the community in Vietnam was different than the one in Longview in the sense that there is more privacy and reserve in Longview. For instance, in Vietnam, houses are literally cemented together and you would expect to see everybody’s door completely opened wide in the morning and kept that way throughout the day. The doors are essentially large glass windows. Ultimately, you would be able to see everything that goes on in your neighbors house and likewise, they will see yours. This would never exist in Longview. Most people’s doors are small wooden ones that are kept closed and locked. Thus, when I moved to a big city such as Seattle and began my life at the University of Washington, I could definitely see an obvious wall forming between large city and small town lifestyle. In a thriving metropolis, everything is available if you just take one step outside. There is so much diversity in the people and the activities to enjoy.