IYA BAKARE writes:
Who knew that four days in a state I never fathomed of traveling to before this class would turn into such an adventure? Let's face it: when the average person decides to plan a trip in this great country, Iowa doesn't appear in most people's top three choices, let alone, I dare say, top five choices (unless he plays the pick-a- place-without-looking game). Whatever the case may be, I was destined to be in that place, at that time, with those people.
I left my box of "Politics is Corrupt" and "I'm Staying Away From It" that I was comfortable in and realized how oblivious I was to the political world around me. Silly and foolish of me to think I could avoid politics for the rest of my life and truly consider myself an educated, well-rounded individual. Even within politics, there are several facets about politicians as individuals and the parties they represent.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of my adventure in Iowa was at Bennigan's the night before we left Iowa. Friday night, I was engaged in a conversation with one of my classmates. As we were discussing diversity, one of the bartenders interjected in our conversation. My classmate politely enlightened her about her culture, and the bartender gave us a sense of the history of the cultural makeup of Bettendorf, Iowa. It was refreshing to have a philosophical discussion in an area where diversity is sparse. I think we all walked away learning from each other.
This class turned out to be such a learning experience for me. I was expecting it to be one on the political aspect, but it was also a revelation personally. I learned from my professors, who taught an excellent and well-planned curriculum for this course. I learned from my classmates, who I have no doubt have a radiant future in journalism.
Iya Bakare is a graduate student in journalism from McComb, Mississippi.
