This past Monday we got a chance to sit down as a class and discuss our responses and reactions to the book, The Middle of Everywhere. Every time we have class discussions I end up getting much more out of it then if I had only my personal thoughts to go by. Everyone has different points of view and has had different experiences which bring something new to the table. It was very interesting to hear how others interpreted different stories and how similar and/or different our experiences are compared to those in the book. Through the questions provided we each got to learn more about others in the class and their backgrounds. It was interesting to see all of the similarities and differences between everyone in the class.
While reading this book I found myself inadvertently stopping and reflecting on what my life is like compared to those in the book. Many times, however, things were so different that I could not even fathom what it would be like to experience so much of what these immigrants had to endure. I had never realized how different things could be, it is so easy to just assume that everyone has it just as good as I do, but the truth is so far from that. In our discussion it was nice to hear that others feel the same way. It was also a very nice feeling to hear that so many people value family as much as I do, and I loved getting to hear about how unique every family is.
I went through a lot of self reflection reading this book. I have always been very appreciative of how blessed I am, but now I want to be sure that I am always expressing my gratitude. I am so lucky to have all that I have, and it could be all gone tomorrow, so I don't want to take anything for granted. I had a very small perspective on what life is like in other cultures, but this book has opened my eyes and shown a light on what feels like a completely different world. It all seems like something that you only read about, something that couldn't possibly be true, but it is. It has created in me a yearning for more knowledge of other cultures because the more I learn about other people, the more I seem to learn about myself.
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