Blog 26: Emani

During our question-writing reflection day, I wrote in my journal, “How can I use the term ‘culture’ appropriately?” Before this trip, culture has always been a word I used loosely, without much thought. A lot of us have mentioned how excited we were to learn about Moroccan culture during this trip. It wasn’t until our conversation of comparing Moroccan vs. American culture when I was faced with the complexities of the word. How can I even define Moroccan culture with so little knowledge of the country? I cannot classify all of Morocco under one term, when I have only visited 3 primary locations, all with notable differences. I had the opportunity to talk with Melissa about how complex Moroccan culture is, and how one must acknowledge the Amazigh origins and France’s colonial influence. I’ve become aware of how often our group mentions how beautiful Moroccan culture is, but what facets of the region are we actually referring to?

This reflection has made me question how I define American culture. There is so much variety from state to state, city to city. Personally, I believe the beauty of American culture is the culmination of different people, experiences, and backgrounds. Even my own household is a blend of Filipino, Irish, and German heritage. Can you ever successfully define culture when it is created by such diversity?


Even with this new question in my mind, there is something so beautiful about the broadness of the term “culture”. Because of the world we live in, so many aspects of identity create division. Due to the natural overarching element of culture, I have loved being able to connect with random people through shared cultures.


I am thankful to this trip for making me more aware of the complexities of culture. Moving forward, I plan to be more conscious of who I’m representing when I talk about culture, and how to accurately represent people without oversimplifying. I hope to encourage everyone to take a step back and think about how to be knowledgeable, observant, and appreciative when regarding culture. Culture is such a beautiful thing, and it must be approached in a delicate manner.

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