On the night of Friday, November 4, Diversity Studies teacher Todd Manninen took ten of his Diversity Studies students on a field trip down to the Mid-Town Global Market, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The point of taking a trip with some his students to Mid-Town was so that they could smell, hear, and taste diversity by expeirencing all the different cultures close to home.
“It’s one thing to learn about a different culture by reading books about it, or watching a movie or slide show. You know, the boring stuff, but this trip gave the students a real life perspective at what diversity looks like,” said Manninen.
The class drove right down through Hennipen Avenue and went to a deli in a Muslem community. The Pumphouse Creamery on Chicago Avenue was a popular place for the students to eat at because it’s a local buisness who only use natural, organic ingredients in their ice cream. Shelvy Santoso, A foreign exchange student from Indonesia experienced the Twin Cities for her first time in the three months since she has been living here in the United States.
“My first sight at seeing the cities was incredible, and once I got to explore the city all I could say is how diverse it really is here,” said Santoso.
This trip with students down to the cities was a first for Manninen. He wanted the students to feel like it wasn’t a project for class, but a personal experience for themselves. Some of the cultures the students expierenced were Latino, Somali, Asian, and Muslem/Middle-Eastern.
“The class really enjoyed the whole expierence, especially all the different types of food they got to eat,”said Manninen. “I plan on going on another trip because we live so close to the cities and a lot of the students have never ever experienced different cultures before. The true goal is to get the real experience.”
Story by Joe Neumann and Chandler Engle
