Journal Entry 16- Self and peer evaluation summary and reflection

The following is Alex Dawson’s peer evaluation of me:

Umika is an enthusiastic participator on this and a key part of our group. She always has an upbeat attitude, whether we are lounging around the dining room of the Flower Street Villa, or if it's 8 a.m. and we're getting ready to go on a long bus ride. She spends most of her time with her closest friends on the trip, but she also goes out of her way to interact with everyone. She can frequently be found in the kitchen, and is always more than willing to share what she makes with other people on the trip. She also strikes me as very well organized, and regularly offers ideas and plans about what we can do on a given day. This is definitely beneficial for the group, because without that kind of attitude and initiative, I and others in our group likely would have missed out on some great experiences.

Umika is naturally somewhat shy at first. I think some of this might be due to the fact that she comes from a very different cultural background than most of us. I've talked with her about both her boarding school in India and life in Dubai was like, and adolescent life was nothing like mine. The school was incredibly strict, and many aspects of the culture were nothing like going to an American high school. I think this may be part of the reason she is not as immediately outgoing at first. However, I wouldn't say that this at all hampered her ability to significantly contribute to the group. She is actually very outgoing and insightful in conversation, and I got to see this as I get have seen this throughout the course of the trip.

When our group introduces ourselves to someone, we're always introduced as a group of Americans. This isn't technically true, because Umika is not from the United States, and didn't live there until less than two years ago. I think that this type of interaction may cause her to feel a bit uncomfortable, or at least conscious that she, along with Dion, is different from the rest of our group in that respect.

I barely knew Umika before this trip began, and now that it's almost over I certainly know her better, but I still wouldn't say I know her that well. It seems to me that she has become more outgoing and talkative in group situations. I think this type of setting, where we were free living together, frequently went out and in some ways forced to bond was a unique experience, compared to life back home, or even at Emory. She speaks, laughs, and seems to be more comfortable, and as a result adds more to the group.

I unfortunately was never able to visit Umika at her internship at Bush Radio, but from what she has told me and the clips I have heard, she is doing great work. From what I can tell, she put a great deal of effort into her internship, particularly the show she produced each week about technology. I'm not really the most qualified person to talk about her work, but she seems to take it as seriously and work as hard as anyone on the trip.

In terms of the question about race and the group dynamic, it is true that her closest friend on the trip happened to be Shalani. They were some of the only people to be close friends before the trip, and that certainly didn't prevent Umika from interacting with others in the group. I guess one could say that the groups dynamic reflects racial realities in America, because many of the people of the same race live with and are closest with others of the same race. But I think part of this is coincidence, and as the trip went on people, including Umika, became closer with more and more people on the trip, and from what I can tell, race didn't really play a factor in this. (I might take this part out. It was one of the questions, but it seems pretty stupid)

During our group meetings, while Umika wasn't one of the people who spoke a ton, she still offered insights, and was an active listener. In more informal interactions, I can honestly say I can't remember Umika saying something negative to anyone in the group (except maybe Shalani to correct a cooking mistake) and she always had a positive attitude. Traveling to a foreign country always presents challenges, and some inconveniences are inevitable, but Umika always struck me as strong willed, and able to take things in stride and remain upbeat.


My thoughts about the conversation:
Alex and I have known each other throughout the trip but have never truly had such an in-depth conversation with only the two of us. In this scenario we were able to focus on each other’s experiences alone and not just collective group feelings. Peer evaluations, in my opinion, are very important in terms of getting to know members in the group. The fact that I was paired up with Alex gave me the opportunity to understand his perspective. When we were having the conversation it did feel slightly uncomfortable since this was the first time we were divulging such personal information to each other. But soon, we got used to the pace and started opening up more. The conversation lasted less than an hour and took place during a long bus ride to one of our activities. The reason behind talking on the bus was because of our conflicting schedules during weekdays.

My response to the evaluation:
I thought Alex presented a fairly accurate picture of me especially in terms of me taking time to open up to people. Alex was also right about me torn between feeling or acting American in our group. In South Africa, I was often clumped that way and it made me think that maybe I have adopted some of the mannerisms that make me seem that way. While I may be organized, there were a lot of times when I would end up staying 4 or 5 hours extra at Bush Radio finishing up my work. Balancing work and play has always been a challenge for me, even at Emory. And yes I do feel more close to everyone in the group and am more comfortable with just being myself rather than keeping up appearances. I think during our group meetings, there were so many different opinions and thoughts that sometimes I could not completely understand so I would opt to listen more and only contribute where I felt it would make sense. There was of course that pressure to participate and be active, but I feel that it need not be vocal and can be about gaining a fresh perspective and displaying it.


My evaluation of the conversation:
There was an initial struggle with words at first during the conversation between Alex and I but we eventually got around it and were able to talk freely. I think for one thing, we should be let known about our peers at the very beginning so that we may observe them better and view their progress from the start. Also the conversations that take place in the future should be a series or in continuous intervals so that we may also understand their experiences and thoughts as they grow and develop. It will also help ease the tension and allow each person to trust the other. And I also like the idea of evaluating a peer that you may not have interacted with before.These are just some suggestions but peer evaluations are sensitive processes that can end in a disaster if we are not careful with our partners and their informations.