Diversity refers to the state of being different. Throughout my life experience, I have been able to come across people of different cultures, from various parts of the world (Foley, 2011). Such interaction o rather experience with such individuals is both at a personal level and an academic level. In the process of my growth, I had the opportunity of mixing with various cultures (Foley, 2011). This is because my parents originate from different places that have or rather that practiced different cultures. My mother is a Korean while my father is an American.
I spent most of my early years of life in America where my dad originated. While in America, I was able to learn how to speak in American English. Apart from that, I was also introduced to American cuisine, where I was able to eat various types of foods (Foley, 2011). Besides that, I was able to interact with people from different parts of the world in school. Some came from South Africa, China, among other countries (Foley, 2011). In the process of my interaction with them, I realized that all of us had very different accent. For instance, the Chinese spoke in a manner that I could not understand. On the other hand, I was able to communicate with the South African whom we could get each other though there were some differences in tonal variation on some words (Foley, 2011).
Besides the difference in accent, I also noted that all of us had different cuisines. For instance, the South Africans had a very different way of dressing (Foley, 2011). They dressed in a very traditional way, with the aim of instilling their culture. This made me think that they were yet to be civilized. After some time, I realized that the South Africans value their culture more than anything else (Foley, 2011). As per this diversity among the South Africans, Chinese and me as an American; I was invisible to the Americans, while the two other groups were too visible, since they were a new trait in a foreign land (Foley, 2011).
In my late years of study, I was transferred to Korea where my mother originated. There was still a mix of diversity here in Korea (Foley, 2011). The difference between diversity in Korea and America is that, there was some element of racial segregation in Korea. In this regard, some schools were set for the blacks and others for the whites (Foley, 2011). I managed to secure admission in a school that had a high mix of diversity. While in Korea, I learned Korean language, and also familiarized with their various customs (Foley, 2011). In the school that I was in, there were no racial issues among those people who were around me. This is because; I could freely interact with other students. In addition, I also had the opportunity of interacting with people from various religious backgrounds, along with individuals of different sexual orientation (Foley, 2011).
In conclusion, my opinion is that diversity exists everywhere in the world (Foley, 2011). Such differences may not necessarily be among people from different origins but may also be in a single culture (Foley, 2011). For instance, one may originate from America, but he or she is either a Muslim or a Christian, among other religious groups that are professed by other people (Foley, 2011). Apart from that, diversity may also be in terms of people's culture along with language use, with the accent being the most common criteria for differentiating among individuals.
Reference
Foley, E. (2011). Religions, Diversity and Conflict. Münster, Westf: LIT.
