Spaces

I've been waiting for the right time to do a blog post on this but I have just not been able to come up with a single topic I have wanted to discuss. This semester I have attended a number of meetings of KiUM, essentially a club that discusses some sort of Korean issue each week. What makes the club interesting is that it is mostly attended by Korean international students, so the perspective given is often about the differences between the US and South Korea. Topics have included stereotypes, education, and sexualization of the media. The format consists of someone giving a presentation each week followed by group discussion.

I find myself very interested with the idea of spaces ever since my friend took me to a noraebang she was working at. It was the first time I have ever been in a space that was not predominately white nor was English the predominate language. I am not sure how to put the experience into words because it was uncomfortable but it made me change the way I feel about diversity. Sure at a place like Michigan we get to meet people from many different cultures but it is still a strictly American and very white space. I think the only thing I can relate it to is being in a very queer space(especially when your local gay bar makes a decent Negroni). It's a place that you can be in without everyone and everything around you reminding you how different you are from everyone else.

I love how spaces exist that let nearly anyone find a place to feel at home.