For me this experience has reshaped how I look at my community. There are so many aspects to the community that I was not aware of. I have found that the area I live in is way more diverse in cultures and languages. Vietnamese is one of the top languages spoken in the area that I live in and therefore much of what is produced must be in Vietnamese. I never realized how prominent the culture was in my area until I had to start interacting with community members who spoke vietnamese. My understanding of the makeup of my community has changed considerably.
Within emergency management, I feel like I have joined a community of people who are involved in the emergency management. This ranges from first responders to emergency managers to nurses and doctors in hospitals and those who provide resources to supply emergency efforts. Though every role is very different and there may not be much understanding of what others do, everyone seems to understand that they are a part of a crucial network. It’s been very interesting and fun to learn the language of the emergency management community and change the way that they approach situations in the community.
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