“We want the freedom and pleasure of walking without fear—without others’ fear—wherever we choose.” (Cadogan, “Walking While Black”)
Cadogan has been seeking his identity as a black man in the process of walking in different spaces. He has experienced racial discrimination, street violence, identity query during his growth. In the end, he came to realize that inner peace and pleasure is of vital significance and critical wherever he were. More importantly, no matter what the environment we are in changes, we always have an effect on the surroundings.
Generally speaking, human beings and the environment interact all the time. Environment provides space for human survival and development, and people also rely on environment to shape their lifestyle and values.
When we stay in a space for a long time, we will form fixed interpersonal relationships, living habits, and ways of thinking, and produce emotional links to the space.
Before coming to America, I have lived in China for over ten years. There is a deep emotion with the familiar environment, where my interpersonal relationships, education and the society have impacted and helped me form a overall outlook and basic judgement ability. For example, I have been educated that being modest in any situation is important. Besides, studying is a critical and most effective way to change one’s destiny and future. Those who do not care about studying would often be labeled as idle or good-for-nothing. Moreover, our parents always teach us the importance of saving. Such ideas have been deeply imprinted in my minds before I enter the University and society, and affect and determine my behaviors.
However, when the space we live in changes (means when we move to a different space), we being away from the familiar living environment, our living habits, consumption habits, values will also change with the impact.
WHERE WE ARE HEAVILY INFLUENCES WHO WE CAN BE.
There has to be a certain reason or purpose when someone chooses to enter a new space. It is of much importance to construct cultural identity no matter what kind of environment we are in.
With the purpose of broadening my eyes and further study, I applied to the University. To be honest, many aspects of my life have changed a lot, covering the fixed interpersonal relationship strategies, consumption habit, as well as the question to the education ideas instilled by my parents and schools.
When I was invited to attend a party, I seemed to be at a loss in the beginning. Standing in the corner of the house, I observed others objectively, who scattered around the room chatting and laughing in a relax way. While I felt a little awkward and unnatural to walk to someone and start a talk in the closed space. In my eyes, this party is not only totally different from what I joined in China, but also does not have a certain purpose. Then my friend, a local American told me to relax and introduced me to another lonely girl. After a few minutes’ talk, I realized we have walked out of the room to the yard, and continued to talk happily. I received pleasure and freedom in my heart while walking in a strange space.
Then the sentence in the beginning came into my mind all of a sudden, and I had great empathy with Cadogan. Besides the party culture, the local students’ serious and rigorous attitude towards study in University, and their relations with parents are much different from that in China. I reflect on my situation and growing experience, and realize my recognition and outlook have changed accordingly. However, while building cultural identity, it is also crucial to objectively examine one’s own role and position.
“… a walker’s point of view might be the perfect perspective from which to speak and see in curiosity, flexibility, responsiveness, bound by the body, but not by the view.” (Solnit, “Footwork”)
As far as I am concerned, we usually pull out ourselves from the space we are as walking. Then we would start examining the surroundings, the present situation, the passers-by (such as their ways of walking, states, clothing, etc.), as well as our own characters and state of thinking and so on from objective and curious perspective without limit.
Though an objective point of view would be helpful to examine ourselves, the limit in knowledge, profession, and judgement ability would bring uncertainties and queries to me.
It is natural to pull out one’s thinking as walking in a space, especially a new one. Take myself as an example. Entering an unfamiliar country and start study and life is a great challenge. I have to admit that my lifestyle, consumption, way of thinking and interrelations have altered a lot, which takes place naturally and smoothly. I have held the view that a different space must have its existing law and I have to try to adapt to it as soon as possible.
Studying in a university of America changed my fixed educational view that studying is always the foremost in life. However, as I saw my classmates have great performances in both classrooms and other spots, I thought of the most Chinese students’ constrained high school life. Moreover, a great number students’ interests are curbed by their parents curb. Gradually, I began to spend spare time to try new interesting things and plan to develop a hobby, to enlarge my friend circle and adapt to the life here.
However, it appears that I have played a role in influencing the space, too. The most obvious change happens on the way I get along with my classmates and friends. They are much interested in Chinese diet and makeup in that I have introduced a lot to them. Besides, they do want to travel in China and live there for a while. I guess I have contributed to making them move to a new space.
Note: This blog is about a further thinking about walking based on Cadogan’s “Walking While Black” and Solnit’s “Footwork”, and share my personal experience of living and studying in America. I hope my peers can share with me about their experiences and feelings, so as to make a summary.
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