Humanities at School

Humanities is a subject that probably isn't taught in other schools, and I had only recently heard of it when I moved to my new school. It's also a subject that probably hasn't been taught in the past and might have only been recently introduced to schools these days. However, it's an important subject that should probably have been introduced earlier to to students all around the world and has the potential to be life-changing.

When I was in grade 3 (the first time Humanities was introduced to me), Humanities sounded like a really difficult subject and sounded like university level material. At my old school, there had been no mention of such a subject and my friends from other schools never talked about anything of the sort when it came to such a subject. But as soon as we started learning, Humanities to me became a subject that just taught me about the other people in the world and didn't involve hard maths or difficult vocabulary. It was an eye-opener to me and my teachers went into depth (but not too deep for a third grader) about what other people in the world were like and how they lived their lives. Humanities wasn't like any other subjects, like English or Maths where we studied to gain knowledge to prepare for things such as future jobs, it felt like it was there to teach us about the people around us, to show us about ourselves as people. There are similar subjects such as law, politics, philosophy and history-but teaching things like those to someone who just came out of 2nd grade would be too confusing, and humanities was basically a subject that could sum all of that up-while being easy enough to understand.

The humans in this world are all different. Living in different conditions, being raised by different people and seeing different things give us all different perspectives on our own lives and how we see others. Humanities was a factual way learn about others in the world without added opinions to twist the way we learned about them. Asking people like parents or friends about others in the world would result in different opinions, and maybe sometimes even some misinformation due to the experiences they had and what they saw. If you asked someone the amount of Spanish people in their neighbourhood, there is a chance they might respond with how many Spanish people they'd seen in the neighbourhood they lived in- but there's a lot of flaws that come with their statement. You couldn't then be able to learn properly. When learning about Humanities with facts and detail going into peoples' lives, you can then make your own opinion based on what you learn. Things like this can really change humanity and change how people see others, and might even do more for how the humans interact with each other than something like Maths might do.

Humanities also is a subject that employs others in it. Maths is often used for percentages and populations, science can be used for how human beings have improved in science and what parts of the world have contributed more to science than others, and other things such as fine arts are all part of humanities-because they have all been created and developed by humans as time went on. It doesn't only teach you the facts, but it's also about people's personal lives and how they have grown and changed. Learning humanities makes you more understanding of the people around you, and you can also understand more about not only the people on this planet, but the planet itself and how we have affected it, therefore being more environmentally aware. Humanities might even make you a better person.

In conclusion, even though Humanities isn't a common subject in most schools, even though it should be because it would clearly benefit us all and teach us more about people in other countries. It has the potential to teach young children about people in other countries and how different they all are, which to me is a special thing because they'll retain that knowledge and it'll change the way they speak to and interact with others in the future. And for me, that's one of the most important things.

My identity

Since I was young, too young to even remember my life back then or merely speak, my parents brought me around the world and I lived in several countries, including Vietnam and Singapore. When they finally came to Australia, bought a decent home near the school I'd be going to, that was when I started learning how to read and write. And the more I grew up, I started learning more and more about my identity and began asking questions about all the places I had lived in. But what sort of identity do I have? Is it English, Vietnamese or Australian? The place I was born, the place my parents came from or the place I live in?

I was born in Norwich, England. I have no memories from the few years that I spent there, and ended up moving to other countries. However, when I returned after a few years of living in other countries, I immediately connected with the country as I travelled around it and hadn't ever found myself happier in any other country. The huge history behind the country (I'm a pretty big fan of history, specifically England and its kings and queens), the cultures and the personalities of the people I befriended when I went there captivated me, and I still long to go back one day. The country just seemed like the perfect place for me-the people were so nice, the weather was exactly the type of weather that I enjoyed (I've never minded rain, and I've always wanted to see snow once again), the country was filled with tourist sites and intriguing places filled with history and going to London especially was a wonderful experience, even if it was short-lived. So if I could say I came from a certain place, England would be my pick.

Vietnam was the place that both of my parents had come from. We returned there frequently, about every 1/2 years to visit my family, and I loved the country and its culture. Vietnam had always been a different experience compared to England or Australia, as the food was unique and tasted much better, sightseeing in Vietnam was always a joy and each place we travelled to was different from the other and offered some amazing sights. Another special thing about being in Vietnam was meeting the different people in my family, both from my mother's and my father's side, and seeing us all grow up and change. They reminded me of the life I would have been living if my parents had never moved to other countries. Of course it would be different. Of course my only identity would have been Vietnamese, and I'd probably never have the chance to go to other countries and experience different cultures and meet all sorts of people. And of course when people meet me, the first thing they typically think (apart from thinking that I'm Chinese) is that I am Vietnamese, not Australian or anything else. But I haven't gotten the chance to properly live in the country. To people in Vietnam, I'm more like a foreigner and Australian is more of my identity, since I can't fluently speak Vietnamese, eat Vietnamese food or the fact that I grew up in different conditions compared to them.

Australia was the place that I had the most memories from. I was taught in an environment that a majority of the other kids in Australia that I knew had the same experience. I had a lot of fun in a public school, and lived in a much better condition than other kids back in Vietnam. When I was in third grade, I chose to move to a private girls school that was much further away from my old school. When I moved, life was much different, even if it was in the same city. And even then, it was hard to choose where I belonged-with my old friends, or with my new friends?  I was different in both places now-my new private school, because I came when everyone had decided on their own friend groups already and life was different, or my old school, where I had left for another school and didn't have anything back then to keep in touch with my old friends. But in Australia, in general there were a lot of cultures and diversity, so I was never quite alone when it came to being Vietnamese, or living in other countries, or being someone who had lived in England for a little bit.

I think my identity consists of all the places I've been to-the places where I've made many friends and seen many beautiful sights. Of course to specific people from specific places, my identity is different and I'm a different person to each person I meet. But there's one thing, and that is even if I've lived in so many places, each place has made an impact on me and made me into the person I am today.

How COVID-19 has affected my life

The Corona virus has, in some way, affected everyone's lives and changed some for the worse. However, the measures the government has taken to save the lives of others could have prevented ruining some other peoples' lives before they even knew it. This is how my life has changed since the first day word got around on social media that there was a virus originating from China.

When I had first heard about the virus, nothing like this had ever occurred in my life until now, so I somewhat brushed it off. I lived in Australia, an island in the middle of the sea, and whenever I had heard about viruses the previous years leading up to that moment, those viruses typically remained in the countries they originated from. Of course I was concerned for the sick people who had caught the virus and hoped they would get better and it would all calm down in a few weeks or months. What could possibly happen to me, or the rest of the world?

I didn't keep in touch with the media too much, so I went on with my business at school, having fun with my friends and going to the park, or to the shops occasionally. A few weeks later, sitting at an art class and sketching out a toy, I overheard a conversation between my art teacher and one of my classmates. I tried to focus on my drawing, but phrases and words coming from their conversation reached my ears and my curiosity grew. Small phrases such as 'staying at home', 'school closes down' and 'corona virus' were repeated in their conversation and my classmates had long forgotten their art projects and were chattering to the teacher about their concerns. I silently paid attention to their conversation. This was so sudden. Had the virus from a few weeks ago become so serious that something like this had to happen? Would I really be getting a longer holiday? I focused on my drawing and ended up finishing, unlike my other classmates that began to converse about what they'd be doing if school closed early. And as I left the classroom, travelling down the stairs, the thought of what the virus had been doing to other people after all this time.

Slowly, I started hearing more and more about this virus the more time passed. It was inevitable to not hear about it. At school, many of my classmates began to disappear, one by one, until there were barely enough students to form a decent class. On the internet, it was all people could talk about and warnings began popping up everywhere. The news barely talked about anything but the virus, and who had died and who hadn't. All the shops that I had been going to before the pandemic all had closed down suddenly. I couldn't even go online without Corona virus warnings screaming in my ears in my music app (I'm listening to one right now as I write this). The cases grew and grew, while more people panicked and began to prepare for when the virus really hit. The more the virus spread, so did racism towards asians, which infuriated me because those attacking others weren't doing really anything to help and only further increased my concerns.

Once we were called in for an emergency assembly at my school (of course, every person sat a seat/

two seats apart), where my principal announced that we would be beginning online school a week before the holidays and a week after. I didn't think much of it, and my classmates began bringing all their folders home in their backpacks, looking like turtles with the heavy weight on their backs. Before I knew it, online school started, and while I managed with it decently it was still a super new experience. And according to the adults that I knew, it was likely I wouldn't be experiencing a situation like this for possibly the rest of my life.

Staying inside all the time started to get boring, and many of my friends agreed with me. I started doing things I thought I'd never be doing, like playing my favourite old video games (which had certainly changed since the last time I played them, which must have been years ago), or watching my old favourite shows (I'm rewatching Total Drama Island, and I recently watched a few episodes of Camp Lakebottom, which of course you might be aquainted with if you've read my blog). It gave me more time to do things, but the huge number of people internationally that had been negatively affected by the virus remained in my mind. Of course, a cure hadn't been found yet and I still had to be very careful when going outside for a walk, but I still was trying to make the most of it as much as possible.

Of course, the virus still exists as of right now and it is impossible to ignore the numbers of people being diagnosed with it/the amount of people that have died because of it, but keeping our heads up in this sort of situation really helps us have a more positive outlook on this situation. I really do think that all of us who have been keeping each other safe and even just washing our hands should get a pat on the back, because it all eventually adds up.