#CulturalEvents 2ndreflection

[umasspakleaders]

Family is Family

Mohsin Bin Iqbal

Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing. It was a feeling of being at home 🏡 Thank you so much John Hornick and Heather Hornick for their hospitality, care and love to us. Have captured one of the most beautiful moments up here in USA 🇺🇸

Initially meeting each other and introducing we went to Poter Phelps Huntigton House along with it's tour near the Connecticut River "A perfect spot of Tea".

Then chatting with you guys in the kitchen and while seeing you making dinner. Then had a chance to Meet Kitti and Ken for dinner and telling you about Pakistan along with your experiences and expectations.

After dinner, talking and sharing views about Pakistan and then visiting Newyork,helping each other in cleaning Kitchen. Then had a comfortable night at your home.

Waking up in the morning before you guys woke up and roaming around your home was soothing. Heather told us up the different things from their visits to different States with in USA along with your experiences, Then see you making breakfast and chatting on few research related work was wonderful.

[idreeskhan0-blog]

Independence in the US.

4th of July, it is the day when the great super power, celebrates its independence from their British colonizers.The joy that surrounds the nation is very different to that I had experienced all my life, back in Pakistan. Pakistan is a security state that has a bellicose neighbor such as India, furthermore crippled by terrorism. Therefore independence Day in Pakistan is much of a state driven show rather than being a people centric festival.

Another analogy that strikes me the most was the sense of unity that drove people to come out and enjoy the festival. Though the individualism in American society is quite prevalent, but with that, I have observed that the nation, individual in personal life is collectively combined to protect their values and Land. Hence July 4th is a great lesson for me, for the first time I did not watched tanks and jets rolling over, rather it was the local community that enjoyed by praising its policeman and fire department officials.

July the 4th was a great day and it was a privilege to be on such a day in the USA, the fireworks that were held later at the night were again a great show of celebrating the freedom of great land and paying tribute to its founding fathers for crafting such a great Land with such a great political vision for its people.

[sehargul-blog1]

The cultural aspects

"Today is a great day to learn some thing new", that's how I started my journey, I was so excited for the 4th July celebrations and it was something very new for me, a combination of colors and sounds was so exciting that it proved to be one of a rememberable day of my life, there was something for everyone. One of the great thing about that day was the attitude of our mentors, they guided as so well and that element added further beauty to that day, especially our team leader Josh. One thing I observed about the locals is that they care so much about the state laws and follow them by heart. Hoping for a great time ahead.

[dogarhere-blog]

4th july cultural celebrations

It was a cloudy day when we left birch house. I was wearing a red shirt in relation to the colour of the American flag on 4th of july. At start it was just another casual day but when we entered chesterfield , everything was totally different. The roads were marvelously decorated with American flags on both sides of the roads and I witnessed an American flag on every house which rose my enthusiasm.

When we approached the parade avenue , we witnessed a very versatile celebration of the independence day. People from all creeds and races,all countries and continents were holding American flags in their hands, singing American songs at the peak of their voices. We sat at the roadside to view the parade.

To be very honest, I wasnot expecting what I saw there. In a nutshell, I saw the history of US moving infront of me on the road. The developments that automobile industry made were apparent on the road in the form of vehicles being displayed that represented every era of development in US.

The parade included representatives from every department of chesterfield. After that there came the turn of the war veterans. I always feel excited to see war veterans being celebrated. They displayed old model cars and trucks as well. Then came the turn of the biker gangs. At the end their were children on their tricycles that ended the parade in such a lovely way.

[iammadnan1-blog]

Expectations vs Realities

When I first arrived in United States, I was totally unaware of how Americans will be like, for me Americans were people with unsmiling faces and business suits.
But just in a matter of one week all those perceptions proved wrong.
Talking about culture what I have observed is that Americans do love to connect their history with their celebrations, 4th July is the true representations of it, and they do feel proud in celebrating 4th July, where there are events for every age starting from flag raising ceremony, parade, food, games followed by fire works.
Americans love to participate in small talk, where they talk to strangers about non controversial issues such as their favorite food, weather etc
The dressing style is generally very casual, students go to classes in shorts and T-shirts.
Hoping for a great time ahead.

[umasspakleaders]

The culture here is very fascinating and different from Pakistan. When I was coming here so I had a very bad image of U.S culture but the more I know about their culture the more I am loving it. The people are very liberal and straight forward. women are treated equally they are not shut under the four walls of their houses or nt considered as a seperate entity where the other nations consider it as an entity not humans even, When I visited my host family for the home stay I was surprised by so many amazing things, there was a small girl who was talking to her mother and was complaining about the teacher who asked them tht girls should stand in one line and boys in other by hearing that the small girl asked the teacher what do you mean by girls and boys we all are same how come you are distinguishing us on the basis of gender I was so much touched and surprised I wish I could make my country to adopt the culture as it is the only possible way to liberate the women from cruelity and discrimination which they had been facing for centuries..

[umasspakleaders]

Cultural events by Asad Sajid

Since we have not been to any cultural event this week, I am confuse on what to write. Today we are going to six flags. Back in Pakistan, I did not know what six flags is. Hassan told me that its like Aladin park of America. I was pretty excited that we will get to go to an amusement park. Right now, I am heading towards that joyous place. Although with a broken hand, I am still excited about what six flags will offer me. I am here at six flags and I am a bit dissappointed. I am not able to enjoy the rides because of my broken arm. But I guess what Allah does for your fortune is the best. Amna said, '' there is more to life'', and I guess, yes there is. I know selecting six flags trip as a cultural event topic was a bad idea because cultural event is something which you enjoy. Waiting for others in storage room and thinking what would you have done to enjoy makes me sad. But it has been just one hour, lets hope for the best for remaining 7 hours. Its 6 pm. 3 hours remaining. I can't say I did not enjoy since fun is not a relative concept. I enjoyed sitting on a bench at this beach. I enjoyed watching children playing in the water. I enjoyed clicking my pictures. The end. I did not enjoy the fun but felt calmness and self realization. This trip made me realized what it takes to sacrifice for others when you dont have any choice. Also, how much you should be thankful to someone for a favor. One thing is for sure, from now on, I will do what I can by my own and will not ask others. Even if I have to ask for help, I will, but by offering great thank yous.

[umasspakleaders]

Experiencing Freedom!

M.Idrees.Khan 4th of July, it is the day when the great super power, celebrates its independence from the British colony. The joy that surrounds the nation is very different to that I had experienced all my life, back in Pakistan. Pakistan is a security state that has a bellicose neighbor such as India. Therefore the Independence Day in Pakistan is much of a state driven show rather than being a people centric festival. Another analogy that strikes me the most was the sense of unity that drove people to come out and enjoy the festival. Though individualism prevails in the American society, but with that, I have observed that the nation, individual in personal life is collectively combined to protect their values and Land. Hence July 4th is a great lesson for me, for the first time I didn’t watched tanks and jets rolling over, rather it was the local community that enjoyed by praising it policeman and fire department officials. July the 4th was a great day and it was a privilege to be on such a day in the USA, the fireworks that were held later at the night were again a great show of celebrating the great land and paying tribute to its founding fathers for crafting such a great Land with such a great political vision for its people.

[umasspakleaders]

Cultural perception...

“AMNA SIDDIQUE”

A Language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language. (Noam Chomsky)

By attending cultural events, we experience the diverse offerings of culture and artistic expression found in a community. Understanding the culture of a nation, people, or group—the arts, beliefs, customs, practices, values, and social behaviors is the best thing to be observed.

In the above mentioned context, we have explored, seen, observed and felt a lot of different things in a short span of the week worth remembering. These included a few that are mentioned below:

-Scavenger Hunting

-Meeting American People in person -Interacting with the Locals -July 4th, 2017 celebrations in Chesterfield Parade. -BBQ event

-Firework in front of Football stadium

-Visiting Malls like Target, Holyoke, Walmart

-Movie At Hampshire Mall

-Visit to a American Family

So the best part from all of my hangouts was the celebrations that I experienced on 4th of July. I perceive many new things-people are very friendly, always open for conversation, patriotic and stick towards their history. Most importantly I am highly impressed that they respect their culture and the other cultures very much. I got the positive vibes from the local people, they always be there to sort out your problem. So I believe that exposing yourself to various cultures is so vital towards personal growth.

[umasspakleaders]

A life full of colors and joy is what I experienced here in Amherst. Starting from the very first cultural event i.e. 4th of July, I saw some beautiful sights full of zeal, passion and joy. It is somewhat different to the festivities of our Independence Day back home. First I observed that all the American people were participating in this event either directly and indirectly. All were happy and joyful. It might be due to the fact that Americans give so much value and importance to their freedom which is commendable and was seen throughout that day. Being a SUSI participant from Pakistan, it was all new to me including that parade in which all town officials and people who have made remarkable contributions in various fields were involved. However, I got amalgamated into their celebration since I myself started to enjoy it like my country's own Independence Day. It was really good to see people sitting there and welcoming us by giving us a smile. Some of them even asked me where I was from and got really happy on getting to know about my country. The best part of this celebration was the bbq (off course I am a food lover) followed by giving respect and honor to the national anthems of each country's representative present there. This is America. People welcome you in their joys and celebrations. But July 4th was not the only Cultural Event that I experienced. I have been enjoying the night life of Amherst as well by visiting different restaurants and places where you get to listen live music and enjoy dance. It was all really awesome. People just come there to relax by putting aside all the worldly affairs. It is a part of their culture to go to places where they can enjoy on weekends since they work really hard on the week days. So weekend is the only time to relax and they do it pretty well. By accompanying my American friends to such places, I got a chance to interact with the strangers either on the roads or in that places. It was somewhat a good experience to me. I am gonna miss all these things! Looking forward to enjoy the best of it! Lots of love Momin

[umasspakleaders]

Always Strive to Improve

Mohsin Bin Iqbal

The life seems to be changing everyday, while you move a bit further in life. 

People need to strive for a better life. A life will be meaningless if no one strives harshly to prove that it is worth living in his life. History also shows that a man who is always not satisfied with what he possessed often tends to be an influential man. This type of people probably flabbergasts others by spectacular actions. No one in this world can acquire perfection. Everybody always has pros and cons. Otherwise, the primary difference between the winners and the losers is just the way of perceiving their advantages as well as their disadvantages. The winners see their success as a motivation and their failure as a lesson. Thereafter, both of them can apparently enhance the winners to greater steps of success. On the other hand, the losers are truly egotistic with all their achievements and somehow find the ways hide their losses as stealthy as possible. 

Nothing in life is impossible, you need to work for the betterment of yourself and the people around. It solely depends upon the views and actions of one individual. Sometimes there are few hurdles in the life, few problems, few issues! All that you have got to do is to stay patient and strive for betterment.

The more you are striving now, the better you will get in the future. The development of human beings is mainly the development of the society. People should impulse themselves to overcome new obstacles in lieu of allowing themselves to stop and be satisfied. However, they should sometimes accept themselves to avoid unnecessary losses.

[umasspakleaders]

SAHAR Today is a great day to learn some thing new", that's how I started my day, I was so excited for the 4th July celebrations and it was something very new for me, a combination of colors and parade was so exciting that it proved to be one of the memorable experience of my life. There was something for everyone. One of the great thing about that day was the attitude of our mentors, they guided as so well and made our day even more enjoyable & interesting by telling us about all the happenings around and about the culture they have, especially our team leader Josh is so supportive & nice to everyone. Now what I learnt so far from the locals..? I observed about locals that they care so much about the state laws and follow them so well. It surprised me but I think these are the positive things I will learn as a Pakistani being part of different culture having different rules, norms & values . And soon I will be able to be part of the change we looking for, in the future. Hoping for a great time ahead.

[umasspakleaders]

Cultural events by Saira Mehmood

As culture makes people understand each other better so being here in America and attending cultural events is the best opportunity for me to understand and adopt the positive aspects of American culture . The best part I found about the America’s independence day was the love and patriotism the Americans have for their country , giving importance to their history by showing all the old assets in parade and greeting each other warmly. Attending the parade in chesterfield ,feasts,parties and speeches in the professor’s backyard and fireworks in front of football stadium in Amherst was worth watching ,worth remembering and was my best experience in America so far . It made me understand that as a citizen of any country we should support history,cultural heritage and the people of its country . Apart from the events the best things I found about the American culture is their warm welcoming ,greeting and exchanging smiles when you pass by someone,compromising for each other , following the rules and punctuality . All these positive aspects of American culture is making me think about bringing positives changes in my country and become a better citizen.

[umasspakleaders]

Culture day Happy Fourth July 
At 9:00 am on 4th July 2017, we dressed up and went to a place which is very unfamiliar for me, a place where there is a lot of hustle and bustle over there and I asked one of my friend that which place is this? She replied , Chesterfield. Every one were so happy on that day …..Oh my GOD! There was some sort of celebrations over there “INDEPENDENCE DAY the July fourth” it’s a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776….. The US Independence Day start with a parade, some had vintage cars, bikes , cute pets and even the kids were too patriotic.Most of the people dressed up with red and white. For me it was an awesome experience of my life because I met with new people,visit library and the baby pets section as well. After parade we went for the BBQ party, we played games like volleyball, egg throwing game as well ,we all Pakistani students sang our national anthem…. PAK SAR ZAMEN SHADBAD ! Everyone were so kind and loving over there. After that WHAT ???? Hahah yes after that we went for the fireworks display,I really very enjoy that 4th day of 2017 at Amherst …. LUCKY WE SUSI PEOPLE! I am hoping to carry this feel of friendship, peace and joy to my beloved homeland, PAKISTAN.

[umasspakleaders]

Expectations vs Realities by Muhammad Adnan

When I first arrived in United States, I was totally unaware of how Americans will be like, for me Americans were people with unsmiling faces and business suits, But just in a matter of one week all those perceptions proved wrong. Talking about culture what I have observed is that Americans do love to connect their history with their celebrations, 4th July is the true representations of it, and they do feel proud in celebrating 4th July, where there are events for every age starting from flag raising ceremony, parade, food, games followed by fire works.Americans love to participate in small talk, where they talk to strangers about non controversial issues such as their favorite food, weather etc. The dressing style is generally very casual, students go to classes in shorts and T-shirts. Hoping for a great time ahead.

[umasspakleaders]

4th of July!!!

There’s only one thing America loves more than America: fireworks. Many cities compete for the honor of having the best 4th of July fireworks in the U.S. if you wish to witness the epitome of patriotism, go and witness the 4th of July parade anywhere in America. Being part of study of the United States institute has been the wonderful experience to enjoy the real joy of 4th July.

My friends and I were really excited to join the parade of 4th of July as this was the first time we celebrated the independence day of any other country. On the day of 4th July, we went to chesterfield for parade and we were welcomed open heartedly by the organizers of the parade. The vintage car show and band performances were inexplicable.

After coming back from parade, we had Bar-B-Que (somewhere I don’t know the exact place), where people from different countries were invited and that was epitome of diversity and acceptance. Everyone was chanting slogans, singing, dancing, and enjoying the food (the best part about party). And the best part was the anthem singing, we the Pakistanis and our American friends sang our national anthem which was sign of love and patriotism to our land.

Now comes the best part (fireworks), we were taken to a ground near to our residence at UMass Amherst. Everyone in the park was trying to get the best place to witness the amazing fireworks some of them sat on roofs of their homes. We reached and after few minutes the fireworks started and filled the whole ground with lights and colors. The happiness and curiosity on everyone faces because of fabulous firework.

One thing that I liked most up till now that the acceptance, diversity; people from different background coming together and enjoying and greeting everyone with open arms. PEACE!!

#culturalevents

#2ndreflection