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According to Human Rights Watch, "in the last two and a half years after regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban, have created the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis." Jennifer Hall Lee, with the help of Afghan university students, aims to ameliorate the poor situation of thousands affected. What I was most impressed with from this event was Lee's unwavering bravery, traveling to a village that was only a few miles away from a Taliban camp. When asked if she was afraid of the risk, Lee replied while she understood the danger, she wasn't going to let it stop her from spreading advocacy for what she cares about. Lastly, what I was very pleased to see yet again from a GIP event, was how similar we are to people all around the world. through language barriers, religious barriers, and geographical barriers, I have continued to see the breaking of these barriers, and from them, the similarities between us all. While our thoughts can differ at times, we argue for the same ideas and wish for every voice to be heard. A great example of these barriers coming down was when Lee shared with us her memory of introducing Afghan Muslim feminists to America, specifically, Los Angeles. As they drove around and began experiencing our culture, Lee remembered how the women began to see that the stereotypes they believed in Afghanistan were not true at all; the people here were very alike to them. Sources: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/06/taliban-and-global-backlash-against-womens-rights https://wwb.org/

In the later 1970’s Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime overtook Cambodia, renaming the country to Kampuchea, and creating an authoritarian state of fear, pain, and death. Pol Pot’s regime would capture anyone they deemed as “new” (anybody who they deemed educated, or Western in any way, artists, teachers, doctors, lawyers, people with glasses and soft hands) and murder them in their infamous killing fields. The rest of the population, farmers and laborers, were rounded up and sent to work in rice fields for up to 20 hours a day, working the men, women, and children to death. In 4 years, 2 million people were killed, including 90% of Cambodia’s artist population. Arn Chorn Pond, a master flutist, aims to revive the arts lost during this horrible period in his country's history. An ex-child soldier and survivor of the labor camps, he resonates with the pain of those affected by the genocide. Most interestingly, Arn’s talent for the flute, specifically the piccolo, saved his life. He volunteered to play for the Khmer Rouge, giving him more food, and privilege, which would be a key factor in helping him pull through. Over the years, Arn has created his nonprofit organization, Cambodian Living Arts, to revitalize the art scene that once flourished. On my GIP trip this year to Cambodia, I had the pleasure of meeting graduates from his program, a player of the Chapei dang veng, a two-string instrument, most similar to a banjo, and a player of the Khmer Harp. I was truly impressed with their ability to master instruments that almost completely disappeared less than half a century ago. As the Chapei dang veng was played, the musician began singing, and although I cannot understand the Khmer language that well, the meaning and emotion behind his voice were enough for me to understand the impact of Cambodian Living Arts. They are not just teaching music, they are changing lives. Sources: https://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/en/ https://www.britannica.com/event/Cambodian-Genocide

Deep in Cambodian mangroves, fishermen and women live off their land. They catch fish, crabs, snails, and more, and because of this deep connection, they have come to love their land. Unfortunately, due to dredging, millions of acres of land (around 59 million tons in 2020 alone) have been taken from these people; as a result, fish and crabs have scattered, forcing people to go farther and farther every day, sometimes coming back empty-handed. Not only does the dredging make work harder, but after some searching I also learned that people's huts have collapsed in on themselves due to sand dredging affecting the landscape so poorly. Another eye-opening story that Mam told us is how Ka Min (the person whom this documentary follows) used to travel to an island to be alone at night. However, due to the insane amounts of dredging that occur, her island has disappeared. In this story, land is not just a place where people live, it is a part of their identities as well. the horrific dredging has forced people to move and caused them to earn less as a result of fewer fish to catch. As I watched this documentary, I realized how important it is that we educate ourselves on these issues; nothing can happen if we don't speak about it. Sources: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/ https://www.mekongeye.com/2023/05/01/cambodias-appetite-sand/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk6_XjUR1mQ

As of 2022, Germany hosts almost 1 million Syrian refugees. A Step Without Feet illustrates the daily life of these displaced people through interviews and videography. Around 8 different refugees speak about their situation and story. While this does not speak for the entire refugee population, it does give us a glimpse into average daily life. What I loved most about this documentary was how it differed from other films about refugee journeys. Instead of focusing on the horrible situations that the refugees had to experience and the hard journey they made to get into Germany, the film centered on daily life and the way immigrants settled into daily life. This new perspective felt more vulnerable and a great deal more personal. In turn, when the documentary unveiled the sadness many refugees had kept in, such as the grief of losing a friend or family member, I felt more connected as it invoked an actual sadness in me that I had not been expecting. In addition to how intertwined the film made me feel with the people, I also noted the stark contrast between the two living environments that these people had been through. On one hand is their first home in Syria which they described as full of sun and warmth. On the other hand, is Germany, cold and gloomy. What seems like such a small detail to us can be a massive difference for someone else. Overall, I thought that this documentary not only met, but also exceeded my expectations. The storytelling and videography were excellent. However, I do wish that I would have had the opportunity to speak to the refugees themselves instead of just the director, Jeremy Glaholt. Sources: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Tabellen/rohdaten-auslaendische-bevoelkerung-zeitreihe.html https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2023.1100446/full#:~:text=Hosting%20over%201%20million%20refugees,Syrians%20(UNHCR%2C%202021). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAta4QeR5_4 (to be clear I went to the GIP event, this is just a link to the documentary I found on youtube so I can cite it)

What experiences have awakened your interest and will help you contribute to and lead the Global Initiatives Program at Poly? Two experiences last year left a deep impression on me. The first one was the GIP event where we listened to the testimonies of the Uyghur people. This experience made me realize that we live in a very safe and privileged world, and it really made me want to explore other countries and cultures. While it is a very heavy topic, one that caused speakers to break down in front of the audience, I was inspired to learn more about the horrible mistreatment of Uyghurs. The second really meaningful experience was my trip to Kazakhstan. There was so much to learn and so many discoveries (big and little) throughout my short stay there. I kept comparing my world with the world I was visiting, and this comparison brought up such interesting realizations and questions. I am really inspired by the opportunity to engage with other cultures and learn from them. In what ways do you hope that the Global Scholars program will expand and deepen your global perspectives? I think that this program will allow me to learn more about other countries and different cultures. Each GIP event is an opportunity to go towards something that I don’t really know very much about–my hope is that I will take in these experiences and learn from them. I am thinking specifically of speakers that the GIP program hosts. If accepted, I will also be working on a specific topic of my own choice, which is yet another way to learn deeply and engage with respect and empathy. Finally, how do you hope to develop as a global citizen through this program? While I know that teaching others is a cornerstone of the program, I also hope to learn. I love meeting others who come from backgrounds very different from mine and connecting with them on a human level. I truly loved meeting the people in Kazakhstan. I was able to connect with the French and Italian exchange students last year, and these encounters were really enlightening–we watched each other speak, eat, joke, and thoroughly enjoyed each others’ company. I hope to become more educated about other people, but most of all, I would like to be able to build friendships through the many connections and opportunities that Poly has offered me. These small connections can become the foundation for the big changes we need in the world.