Personifying
Charlottesville
I
always say that deciding to come to UVA was the one choice I ever
made that was right for me. I first came to the University in
1997 for the Young Writers Workshop. At the age of 17, I decided
that this was going to be my school. I did not look at any other
colleges in the US, and I applied early decision to UVA.
As
a fourth year student at the University, I find myself in a period
of heavy reflection. My love affair with Charlottesville has been
one of the most constant and stable aspects of my life. The lessons
I have been taught spill themselves shamelessly across grounds,
and the city itself. I can point to exactly where on the Corner
I learned to balance my checkbook, where I had my first Lamb Souvlaki,
and where I felt the closeness of home in a place so foreign from
my native country- Bangladesh.
Over the past few months, I have asked myself a lot about what
this university has taught me, and what I am taking away from
this school. I think as an international student, you have a dual
experience not only because you grow from your academic education,
but also from the education which takes place from just being
in the US. Before I arrived in this country, I did not know about
catalog ordering or online banking. I had never eaten a hot tamale
and I thought "plus dollars" were a present from the
university! Living in America has taught me first hand what it
is like to have systems that work. My major taught me about the
gifts which rest between the pages of your textbooks. And the
cultural organizations I have joined prove that you do not have
to be from a region to appreciate and participate in its culture.
Eventually, I felt confident enough to start my own organization
at UVA- The International Women's Organization (IWO) which is
a discussion group focusing on how our cultures contribute to
create a different definition of feminism for us. The idea was
to create a non-extremist organization that centered around one
question: how do our ethnicity and culture impact our definition
of ourselves as people, and as women? This organization was really
just me taking something out of a personal sphere and into a public
one. My girlfriends and I often engaged in lengthy conversations
about the role multiculturalism plays in our lives. I found that
in the process, we often would answer each other's questions just
by talking about the issue. This notion really served as a basis
for IWO, but it was one of my best friends, Lena Tashjian, who
really advocated starting IWO. Dean Parke Muth and Professor Richard
Barnett were incredibly supportive, and the students' response
was really encouraging from the very beginning.
I have to come to the conclusion that the UVA experience does
not end when you graduate. You can extend it however you like.
Because the truth is, I cannot imagine UVA not being a part of
my life. Every professor I have had for a class, every Dean with
whom I spoke, and every person who decided to be my friend has
contributed to the way I grew up in the past four years. In many
aspects, they have raised me. And if I could personify Charlottesville,
I would never let her go.
-Anushay
Hossain, Class of 2002, Bangladesh
