In the “Danger of a Single Story”, Chimamanda Ngozi conveys her story of how being only aware of one narrative or perspective is damaging as it allows bias and some sort of prejudice, whether it is intentional or not. Just like many others, this story resonated with me. Even though I was born and raised in the Philippines, I was lucky enough to have less ‘traditional’ parents as my dad is Chinese-Filipino whilst my mom is Thai-Vietnamese. They worked hard to ensure I kept an open mind and to be accepting of any culture, religions or beliefs of other people. This was a complete contrast to my actual environment as Chinese-Filipinos tend to be very conservative and traditional in their beliefs, often frowning upon others who are different from them.
Moreover, moving into an international school, I realised how my life in the Philippines is extremely distinct compared to the rest of the world. As I grew older, my curiosity for other cultures and perspectives only swelled. As such, this is probably why NYU Shanghai’s branding of being a very international, diverse school gained my attention.
Looking back on it all now, if I would have stayed in the Philippines for university, I would have been stuck in constantly meeting the same kind of people with the same exact beliefs and perspectives. Hence, I’m extremely glad I got this opportunity to gain different insights outside from what I’ve always grown up with. Although these beliefs within cultures and nations are only natural as it has been practiced and taught for generations. Despite this, as Ngozi stresses, it’s important to do as much as we can to educate ourselves to look beyond our cultural societal norms, especially in our increasingly globalised world.