Ayesha

The Laurier International Cultural Conversations (LICC) was a learning experience I wish every Laurier student would experience. When starting off the LICC conversations Thursday to Thursday, I was afraid, nervous and shy, not because I was afraid of the task but more nervous about jumping back into school mode and interacting with my peers in an in-person setting after the pandemic.

The first LICC conversation I had with my group members was an outright learning experience not knowing what outcome to expect, I left the first LICC conversation ecstatic and thrilled to learn some more about the international student volunteers and my group members as well. I soon became fond of the Thursday meetings and looked forward to each week as we unravelled more and more about each other as students from different backgrounds.

The LICC conversations allowed us, students, a safe place to communicate and discuss topics not many of us may touch in our day-to-day lives as well as permitting us to meet individuals outside of our cultures, especially after the pandemic where human connection and interaction were fairly limited.

This experience has highlighted many learning opportunities for me but one that specifically sparked my interest was learning about the hurdles and obstacles the international student volunteers face when they come abroad to study and pursue their education and the hardships they face when coming to a foreign country and leaving behind their values and cultural norms.

The conversations sparked many ideologies and helped us reflect on Canadian culture in both a positive and negative way. We acknowledged the white supremacy and privilege this country possesses when looking at its history and current state of events, even as far as connecting it to our university itself and dating back to the racist and traumatic events caused. This sparked a conversation and had us thinking about whether our institution is capable of acceptance and can strive to be all-inclusive with all cultures and backgrounds. We came to each LICC conversation with an open mind and room for discussion ensuring we touch all sensitive and insensitive topics.

One thing I have taken away from these conversations is to be accepting and empathetic when it comes to learning about one’s lifestyle and culture, I feel we as individuals are very quick to judge and have an opinion when we hear something out of the norm whether it is intentional or unintentional, specifically when learning about new cultures, it is important to be patient and allow yourself to broaden your learning and experiences. Nonetheless, the LICC conversations have helped us grow together and create a bond with complete strangers and helped us build a foundation we can carry in both our personal and academic lives.