Rebecca Peters is currently a professor in the Humanities department specializing in pre-History and the Renaissance. She teaches Multicultural Dimensions of Hollywood Film, as well as Introduction to Bollywood off-campus. She also advises for the FSU organization, Students for Real Beauty.
HC: What first sparked your interest in other cultures?
RP: My father was in the military when I was young. We moved a lot, and even lived in Germany for several years. Because of this, I have always been interested in learning about different people and cultures. Even in the US, there are stark differences in cultures between North Carolina, Texas, and Florida (3 places I have spent a great deal of time in). I am always looking to meet people with a different point of view than myself.
HC: You traveled abroad to Europe and India. What kinds of things did you do there?
RP: I don’t think much of it, but it always surprises everyone, so I guess I should start by saying that I traveled alone on my trip. As I made friends, I would travel to this destination or that with them, but overall, my entire 9 month trip was only mine. I was not scared or nervous to travel alone, and I never felt unsafe. One of the great things about India is that the people are very friendly. While you have to be careful to watch out for the scammers, mostly people wanted to meet you and help you. So, if I was ever unsure about what to do or where to go, I asked. If I didn’t trust the information, I asked someone else. This is how I made a lot of my friends.
In India, I studied Hindi for 3 months in the foothills of the Himalayas (still 7000 ft. above sea level). While there, I visited several pilgrimage cities to see some of the most beautiful temples and places of worship. After my studies, I traveled south all the way down to the tip of India in Kerala and stayed on the beach for a week. Then I spent most of the rest of my time in Mumbai. Everywhere I went, I visited ancient and current holy sites. The history in India is fascinating and humbling. I saw as many Bollywood movies as I could. They were a lot of fun to see. Even though they weren’t subtitled, I could still follow the stories really well. I also did a couple of background voice dubbings for 2 films (you can hear me laugh in one.) Mostly, though, I just met people and talked with them. I became friends with many Indians. But I also made some good friends with some Europeans and Australians (and a few Americans.) Because of these relationships, I was able to take my trip to Europe.
While in Europe, I stayed for 2 weeks in Zurich, Switzerland. A friend of mine lives there and he took me to the Alps, a glacier, the Matterhorn and a few other sites around the country. This was really the one time I had a culture shock. I went from spending 6 months in India, where everything is old, dirty, runs late, and packed with people (though immensely colorful) to Switzerland, where everything is modern, clean, timely, and sparsely populated (they only have 7 million people in the whole country!) It really did feel like I had walked into a different world. I had been in Switzerland once before as a young child, but one of the most remarkable things I discovered was that everyone carries chocolate. They are the single biggest consumer of Swiss chocolate, and they have the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption in the world. It was AWESOME! Because it really is the best chocolate in the world as, well. Everything is creamy and delicious! After Switzerland, I went to Italy, Germany, England, and France. I spent about 2 weeks in each country, except France – that was only a couple of days. I stayed with friends and traveled alone. It was amazing. Europe was purely a personal improvement/indulgence trip. I had no specific purpose while I was there. I was there to simply absorb as many great cultures as I could. And as soon as I can travel again, I will.
HC: How did that affect you? What did you learn?
RP: One of the greatest things I learned from my trip was to really just go wherever I happen to find myself. I am a planner, but I am also really flexible. If something doesn’t work out as planned, I just adjust. But I must admit, India really stretched my flexibility to a much greater degree. Almost nothing goes as planned or in the time frame you want. But everything is always “all right.” Every time I let myself get stressed, I ended up doing something or going somewhere I didn’t want to and spending much more money than I needed to. But every time I just let the trip go where it would, it was nice and easy (though at least 4 hours behind). I feel that I am much more patient now because of India. I also really appreciate their religious traditions more. When you see an entire culture incorporate religion into their daily life, but in a way that is natural and not forced (or forceful to others), it is inspiring. Even if you don’t believe what they do, it is clear how important their beliefs are. This is also humbling. In America, too often religion is something you do apart from society; in India, it is an essential part of society, regardless of the religion (Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, etc.). The other great thing I learned was how little activity I (and most Americans) have in my life. In India and Europe, I walked everywhere, or rode the public transportation. I felt so much better at the end of my trip (even carrying a 75 pound bag on my back) than I ever did in America. But it is very difficult to keep up this activity level here, which is very frustrating.
HC: Did your travels motivate you to teach multiculturalism?
RP: Yes and no. My travels before FSU motivated me to teach multiculturalism, as well as my interest in meeting and understanding many different cultures. However, I would also say my multiculturalism class also motivated me to travel. I have always loved traveling, and will go anywhere whenever I have the money and opportunity. However, really studying other cultural groups definitely makes me want to go there. And if I hadn’t studied about India, I don’t think I would have dedicated so much time to this trip. So, it’s really a cyclical.
HC: What brought you to FSU?
RP: I came to FSU to get my Master’s degree in Humanities. My undergraduate degree is from Baylor University in Waco TX, in Classical Greek. I debated studying Classics or Humanities, but Humanities gave me more money. And I haven’t regretted it yet. I LOVE studying in an Interdisciplinary field. This has given me the opportunity to study film, India, Classics, art and literature. And because of that, I am now planning on studying Film for my PhD.
HC: Do you encourage students to enter FSU’s study abroad programs?
RP: I definitely encourage students to study abroad. I think everyone should have the opportunity to see cultures and societies that are different from his/her own. I find that few things enlighten and broaden minds as effectively as going into some place he/she has never been and have to live in that environment. Suddenly, things that are taken for granted are strange and unusual, or completely absent (There are no turkeys in India. Thanksgiving consisted of BBQ Chicken). And you have to “learn” what is acceptable. It makes you a better person. I absolutely believe the reason I have the empathy and understanding I have today is because as a young child I lived abroad.