View from my window

by LOUISE

I attended this virtual study abroad class while stationed overseas in Poland for the year. Upon hearing of the class, I thought it would be the perfect fit for my schedule, graduation requirements, and fulfilling a desire to "study abroad." Alas, not everything turned out as well as I had hoped, but the beautiful view from my window was a constant. Pictured is a shot I took during a weekend in the quaint town of Drawsko. Cottage homes with beautiful landscaping, fair weather, and kind people left me with a sense of peace -- embodied in this idyllic scene. 

When I consider this, I think about what the view from my window might look like if I were back home in the States versus what a Taiwanese or Brazilian student might see. Living in Poland as an outsider is like viewing things with rose-tinted sunglasses, and the chosen views offer different perspectives. In the United States, I imagine the view from my window would be drab with little escape to offer from the cityscape, or as if the town did not move quickly enough. Perhaps overly romanticized, the view from a window in Taiwan would overlook the skyline, feature decorative architecture,, beautiful lights from buildings and vehicles, and also have a rural vibe with clothes and plants hanging in the balconies. 

Brazil, on the other hand, is such a vast country that it is difficult to surmise what any person might see when they look out their window. A few key scenes in Brazil might be rural, a "concrete jungle" of cityscape and streets, or beachy. The diversity in Brazil is vast as the country has a rich ethnic background. From Poland to Taiwan and Brazil, we bring together a hot pot of cultural backgrounds, high context and low contextual cues in communication that make us unique and aptly suited to work with one another to create greatness.

View From My Window: by Louise