Social Identity and Privilege in a Global Setting

I think that my family and the culture in which I grew up has really shaped my identity and lived experiences. I grew up in a very liberal household (my parents lived in Ithaca for many years before I was born) and I was always encouraged to keep an open mind and look at various controversies from a liberal perspective. This aspect of my life has shaped me to be an open-minded and liberal thinker. My parents also taught be to embracing of all differences rather than being judgmental. Growing up, our family activities included going to Gay Pride rallies and church services, even though we were Hindus. My parents wanted to expose me and my sister to a variety of people different than ourselves so that we would learn how to accept and embrace differences among people, rather than reject them. One of the biggest lived experiences that my upbringing has shaped is actually my college experience. The liberal and open-minded spirit that my parents instilled in me from a young age, prompted me to choose Cornell, when I was deciding on which college to attend during my senior year of high school. I loved the diverse student body at Cornell and I also really appreciated the liberal atmosphere and the attitude of the student body to embrace all differences. This open-minded attitude has also shaped many of my academic interests because it has gotten me very interested in learning about different cultures, which is one of the main aspects of global health. One of the main reasons that I am so interested in global health and anthropology is because I want to learn about and experience different cultures, while looking at how traditional practices effect the overall health of a population. I am very excited to experience Zambian culture, firsthand, which will allow me to maybe develop some connections between certain health issues and cultural traditions in Zambia. Due to my upbringing, I think that I would be very excited and willing to dive into every aspect of Zambian culture, whether it is trying a new food or learning Nyanja.

I think that from a broader sense, being an American citizen from an upper-middle class family is also a part of my identity, which gives me certain privileges, such as the ability to receive a good education, have a say in my government, travel to almost any country in the world, and to be treated with respect by most people of different cultures. I think that this aspect of my identity combined with my open-minded attitude makes it easier for me to adapt to new situations because I am open and flexible to change. I also sometimes feel like my citizenship and socioeconomic status sometimes obligate others, especially from lower socioeconomic statuses, to make change easier for me to handle. For example, when I travel to India, seeing that I am from the United States, most relatives and family friends from my village will keep boiled water ready for me when I visit them because they know that I cannot drink the regular water. I could easily just bring a water bottle with me, but my family and friends feel obligated to make it easier for me to adapt because of my citizenship. Like in India, I think that the citizenship and socioeconomic status aspects of my identity would be very apparent in Zambia, however, I hope that I am able to lessen the impact of this identity so that I can experience Zambia like a local, and not as a privileged tourist.