This past Winter break I was fortunate enough to venture into the ultimate realm of perspective: traveling to Japan. After a semester of interning for La Peña and working in an environment that all about expanding the mind, I was excited to further expand my mind with this travel opportunity.
As expected, things were different; everything about being in a bustling and overwhelming city where you don’t speak the language called for me to take on a new role as an observer, there wasn’t much else I could do. Despite my background as a city person, the new energy, pace and culture of Tokyo was one I was clearly not a part of. It was one of the most interesting positions I’ve ever been in; walking around the city by myself without knowing the language, my only job and obligation was to appreciate, notice and learn. My mind was expanded in a different way. I saw and felt the overarching principle of respect that the country embodied in Tokyo and beyond (I also got to venture to the quaint town of Kyoto). I always felt respected, especially through service, where it was never a question of bad or good. It was always good, down to the convenience stores. This ever present principle of respect expanded further to the metro and subways, where people were silent and reserved, a small assimilation challenge for my naturally loud personality.
Most importantly, this role of observer in a place so foreign to me brought me to think about and try to understand the lives of people in other places, like this one. Different culture, different mind sets, different goals, and different language. For some reason I have found this thought process to be an imperative part of my personal growth, because it is routed in thinking beyond the walls of just your own upbringing and society. My beliefs and norms were challenged. At it’s best, La Peña can be a space where we can give this level of intense perspective through exploring our differences. Traveling to Japan gave me the opportunity to feel this at full throttle, and as I return back to the bay area to continue my work at La Peña, I now have a better idea of its mission statement, to expand minds through culture.
Andrea Granera
Programming Intern
