ICR: IACA Reflection

This semester, I chose to volunteer for the IACA for the Butler ICR program that was instated within Professor McGrath’s GHS course. As of the beginning of this academic year, I was new to Butler University and really didn’t know the different core requirements within the university. Upon talking to Dr. McGrath and some classmates, I found that taking the ICR could be very beneficial to me both academically and culturally.
Prior to my IACA involvement, I had never been engaged with any type of cultural organization. I was definitely a bit intimidated at the thought of 20 hours of work throughout an already busy semester, but found the whole experience of working with the IACA to be extremely pleasant and beneficial. First off, culture and religious studies are something I am very unfamiliar with, so this was a daunting challenge both being in a class and organization tied very closely to both subjects. Immediately, working with the IACA changed this perspective. We worked with both Benny and Kwan who made us feel comfortable and welcomed into the IACA from the very beginning. Benny took us to the IMA as our first experience with the IACA and this was such a fun experience. We were able to learn about the cultures that surround China and Chinese culture itself amongst the different exhibits and I found this to be very enjoyable. I think the most fun and beneficial event was working the International Festival where we were able to explore all the different cultures brought together under one roof and see different performances, taste different foods, and represent the IACA and Chinese culture at the festival. I learned so much from this experience and seeing all of the different countries and culture represented at this festival, something I definitely wouldn’t have known about or stepped into without the help of the IACA.
I also enjoyed the freedom that this experience provided. All of the events were fascinating and fun to attend and it always provided a great break from our studies. Going to Master Ling’s martial arts studio towards the end of the semester was by far some of the most fun I have had here at Butler so far. We were able to handle a sword and learn one of the many Tai Chi practices they taught and it was such an enjoyable time.
Overall, my experience with the IACA was about as perfect as it could have been. I definitely got out of my comfort zone and this proved to be very beneficial with the knowledge and experience I gained through working with the IACA. I would highly recommend working with the IACA for anyone interested in Chinese culture and taking an ICR option through this course. The benefits of being involved outside of class are monumental, and it provides a perfect distraction from normal classwork and busy work. I want to thank everyone from the IACA, Benny, Kwan, Hanako, and Victoria for making this experience so wonderful here in my first semester at Butler!