During one of our class discussions in GRS, we talked about the various cultural contexts and ideas. To start, I remember Roxana explaining how she came to Canada and how she had limited financial support initially. Looking at how for she has come from that time is truly admirable. On the other hand, it also reminds me of many others who want to chase the, “American dream.” Those often in less economically developed regions see North America or Europe from the lenses of commercial movies or music, often only considering one side of the storyline. Rarely do people see both the good and bad aspects, blinded by the golden dream where it is believed everyone lives a perfectly affluent life, without any forms of corruption in the government and no people suffering or living without basic needs. I find it so difficult and heartbreaking when people are set on the belief because often times, people leave their family and home to be in a harsher environment where they feel in order to belong, they must rid themselves of their own culture. The fact that globalization has increased rapidly over the past few years does not help the issue.

At the same time, I realize that this is not always the case. Both my parents came to Canada from a country far away, China and Poland, yet managed to settle in Canada happily and are living relatively well currently. Throughout the process of settling in Canada however, they have never forgotten about their roots or where they came from. Both often still carry out many of the same traditions they held at home which I find to be a huge blessing. I think that everyone should remember where they have come from and where their family are from; it is an important piece that shapes who you are. It is also important to consider a dynamic interaction with one’s past; not simply just remembering, but acting in response to it. There is so much traditional, cultural and rural knowledge that many of us often overlook and once generations pass, it may be too late to recover them. Addressing these issues is something I hope to be able to work on in my future career. I myself am still learning about my own family history and I hope no one ever loses that passion.

In one of our GRS classes, an alumnus of UBC came in as a guest speaker to talk about his experiences so far after university. Although I do not remember his name, I remember the topics and ideas of discussion, many of which have really stuck with me. The speaker talked about how he has visited multiple countries in Africa, but he always tried to make it a point to use the country’s name rather than simply saying he had visited Africa since every country is different. I never really thought about the importance of this point previously but when he brought it up, it made a lot of sense to me. Context is always changing, whether it be continents or countries, especially over time. In that sense, it is important to be specific and consider the cultural, temporal, and geographic implications of each situation.

Another point he brought up was how important it is to stick with your values and hold onto your integrity. I also strongly believe in this idea and really appreciated when he said that when you go to work, you should always remember why you went initially and if you do not, it may be time to finish up your career there. One should always be one hundred percent committed and dedicated to their job, not any less. The cost can often be your income or even your life and in that sense, it is important that you believe in what you are doing all the way through. Otherwise, the outcome goals of your work and your own well-being or accomplishments may not reach its full potential.

One of the most significant things I took away from the discussion was when he said that if we are in a position to serve, we are in a place of privilege. Many people are not in a position where they are able to help others, not having the means to do so. This message really spoke to me and I hope to always be humbled and remember how I have always lived fortunately; I have never been without a home, I have never been hungry, I have never been unable to meet my needs, which is something many in the world cannot easily say. He also talked about how we should forget about the large corporate logos and just remember that it is about serving others. A large brand name holds no meaning if its only goal is financial profit rather than truly caring for others and the world. Moreover, he brought up the point that there is always room for improvement in your work – the people you are serving deserve it. When put this way, how can you not push yourself to do better, to try harder? At the end of the day, it should always be about the people you serve.

With all the meaningful points brought up in the discussion, I really enjoyed the class. It was a great reminder of the importance of context, sticking to your values, and most importantly, how our work should ultimately be about serving others before yourself.

Many of the classes I take in GRS give me something new to think about or challenge old ways. One of the most interesting, challenging classes for me was the class we worked on the water stress case study. I have thought about the ethics behind some development projects but I have never thought about it in such great detail. I never thought about all the implications and possible situations that could arise from a development project which seemed so straightforward! However, it made me critically think about my own actions and what I think is ethical or moral, which was an amazing experience. It was also great in the way that I was able to compare and discuss my own thoughts on each part of the case study with others whenever I was confused or unsure, which happened pretty frequently!

In part one, the case study was introduced where we were described as volunteers participating in a development project when suddenly, there is an electricity outage. Normally, electricity pumps water, which is an essential need for everyone. The development group has funds however to spend the money to rent a generator to pump the water for our team’s use – but is this ethical when the rest of the community does not have access? In my opinion, I don’t think it’s fair that the community does not have access to water, especially since we are trying to better and help this particular community. As well, it is especially hard considering we have built strong relations with the people within the community, according to the case study. If we have the generator, the community members may not believe we are truly there to help them and in this way, we may lose their trust and our privilege to be in the area. At the same time, in order for us to effectively help them, we also need water. However, I think it would be fair to be stringent, not wasteful, of the water we would use. As well we would try to help the community get access to water as soon as possible. How we would help them though would be run by the community themselves, though we would help them in whatever way they needed us. We would also need to consider the short and long term effects, as well our impacts on their community. Once we left the community, we would need to ensure that they would still be self-sufficient. If our team or I ended up disagreeing with the community’s choice on how to handle the situation, I would not simply pack up and leave. I would still try to help them achieve their needs, and not simply abandon them during a difficult situation. The direct course of action would depend on what aspect we disagreed upon though, but ultimately, we would need to consider their views since we are the ones intruding.

As for the second part, the case study questions what we would do if a child from the community asked us directly for water. I found this question really hard to answer, especially considering that we built strong relational ties with the community, making it difficult to turn down others. However ultimately, I would not give water to them because it would not be fair if I did not give water to all the others in need as well. Moreover, if we continued doing so, they might become dependent on our help. In this case, our intruding would be more detrimental than helpful. Instead, we would consider how the community normally handles the situation and try to apply traditional methods to help the situation. As well, would consider if our project goals are truly more important than the water crisis. How we would go about any changes would be up for discussion with the community.

In terms of part three where I disagreed with our team leader, I would probably feel discouraged, although I would not leave the project. I came to help the community and I will not leave the project because of a disagreement in ideas. Moreover, the other volunteers may be depending on me to do a certain job. If I left, it may prove more detrimental than beneficial. As well, I would not want to cause a large argument in which case I may jeopardize the whole group working in the community. Instead, I would try to compromise and discuss with the community. If the community views were also against our officer’s views, I would consider talking to the other volunteers and our volunteer leader again. I would also try to consider again our long term goals and if they were really effective at helping the community.

Overall, the class was a very thought provoking. It really challenged my views. I am still unsure of how I would go about the situations in person though, which is a little unnerving. I hope that I will not have to make these types of decisions in the future, although I am glad that I have at least been exposed to the situation and had the opportunity to discuss the issue with others in my class.

Although I have only been in GRS for one semester now, I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in it so far. I was attracted by the program initially because it seems to be the only program in UBC which allows me to specialize in food security. Moreover, I am able to specialize in specific regions of my choice. Because there have been so few prerequisites required to complete the major, I have found it exciting to try many courses that I am interested in. In the past semester, I have taken up an introductory anthropology as well as a social geography course, both of which I have found truly fascinating. I honestly believe I have learned more in this past semester because of these courses than I did all of my first year in university. Moreover, because I have thoroughly enjoyed myself within the classes, I have found myself doing better in my courses too.

While it is exciting that I am able to choose essentially all of my own courses and build my own major, it is also a daunting task. I often worry whether I will be able to find a valid career that will align with my studies. Specifically, I wonder if I will be able to find one close to home. In this way, I sometimes worry whether following GRS is the right major for me. At the end of the day however, I know that I am currently following what I am truly passionate about. I could not be happier of the all opportunities to come and for once, I actually look forward to school. I am also excited for all the different people I may meet and the different resources I may use. Even after just one semester in GRS, I am head over heels in love with the major and excited to build my future with it!

Coming into GRS, I knew that I wanted to follow what I was passionate about: food security. Initially, I wanted to specialize in Africa because I wanted to help where help was most needed but currently limited. However, as I started to learn more about myself as well as the issues surrounding food security, I felt that if I was seriously considering working in Africa, I would be the most help if I travelled to different regions within Africa to truly understand the complexities of food security at hand. Specifically, I feel that I should travel to the region frequently to analyze the situation as time passes in order to implement meaningful, long-lasting changes. At the same time, I also learned through various personal situations that I do not enjoy travelling for extensive periods of time. I often feel homesick and do not enjoy being away from family and friends for too long. Although I still remain passionate about helping others with food security issues, I would not be able to handle the emotional stress that would come with the travelling.

After realizing this however, I feel as though I must go back to the drawing board. I am not sure what region I want to specialize in currently, however I feel that specializing in North America for the time being would be a good idea since I would be studying about my own home. Moreover, after attending the Truth and Reconciliation Event this September and focussing several projects on the issue this term, I have gained a lot of interest in Aboriginal food security. In particular, I am interested in learning more about what happened in the Indian Residential School nutrition-wise, and the lasting impacts they still have on Aboriginal peoples today. Learning about the issue this year has sparked a new interest within me which may potentially help me figure out which region I would like to specialize in. For the time being though, I will continue learning more about different issues related to food security and the regions in relation to them.

One of the reasons why I decided to go into GRS was because students are given the flexibility to choose what resource and region they want to specialize in. After learning this, I was ecstatic that I could have the opportunity to specialize in food security. Food security is something I have recently grown a passion in. It grew after I started to realize that I really want to help others and create positive change in the world, however small my actions may be. I was drawn to food security specifically because I find food to be an essential, integral aspect of life that unites every one worldwide.

After attending the 4-H Youth Agriculture Summit in Calgary this summer, which focused on how to feed a hungry planet with nine billion people, I learned that food security issues are much more complicated than they seem. In fact, many people are involved. For instance, those who work in food policy are involved in the way that certain policies may be in place that hinder or encourage food security. As well, state governments at each level are involved too. Others that are involved include various farmers and producers or manufacturers.

Not only are many people involved but also many different issues. Gender issues are an important issue to consider when researching food security in the way that often times, families are not able to obtain enough food because women are devalued and may not be prioritized. Furthermore, land entitlement is another important topic to consider. Many women in developing countries are the ones in the family that actually farm and sustain their family. However, many women also are not entitled to the land they farm. Problems frequently arise because of this fact since they lose their right to farm and obtain access to food when they lose their right to the land. In this way, it is important to consider the effect of land entitlement on families trying to achieve stable food security. Other significant issues include racial issues, farming practices, consumer demand, and water scarcity.

After learning about all the different issues involved with food security, I have grown more excited to pursue it as a career. Learning that food security involves so many different people and issues is daunting, however I am still extremely passionate about helping communities achieve food security. I hope to continue learning about all these different issues in my university life as well as afterwards in order to tackle the issue.