Any trip to a different country will be filled with new and educational experiences. Some of these experiences will be completely unexpected and different than anything you may have imagined.
When we were going to visit Berlin’s ZDF, I knew we were going to have a conference with morning show anchor, Wulf Schmiese. What I didn’t know, was that there would also be a group from Palestine. To be more clear, Palestinian students studying to be diplomats. I, like many Americans, have never had experience with Palestinians, but have some knowledge of conflicts involving them in the middle east. Today, what really hit me, was the fact that I realized most Americans do not have much knowledge of these events. Germans, along with most Europeans, even ones with less education, are somewhat familiar with this topic.
Today, marks the 65th anniversary of the creation of Israel and the displacement of Palestinians. This was discussed in our meeting with the foreign group, if not for that, I would not have no knowledge of this day in history. I consider myself a history buff, spending much time studying the subject. The fact that I had no knowledge of this surprised me. I have known that many Americans are not up to date on current world events, but I never considered myself to be one of them.
Today really opened my eyes to the ignorance of myself and many others. I would like to see us at a much higher level of understanding when it comes to current events. There is no excuse not to be, we have the technology and resources available. We, including myself, need to make sure to take advantage of what we have.
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