Although most of my research has taken place gazing out of my Harmony Hall single, I have also discovered a great deal of insight roaming around the streets of Chinatown to deeply contemplate the concepts regarding forgiveness. As a Chinese American, my first instinct in this project was to study my own culture, one I was already deeply familiar with. However, as I began exploring literature and laboratory studies, I found myself captivated by sources centered on Korean Americans connected to forgiveness. In conversations with other Laidlaw scholars (Sebastian, Liza, Sciana, and Hannah) and my Graduate mentor (Nox), we spoke of an overlooked aspect of research: time spent within the contemplation and outside of dissecting literature. Walking these familiar streets allowed me to engage with the unfamiliar. On these walks, I considered and processed the connections between ideas within the research studies I have consistently been engaging with.
Over this month alone, I could not have done my research without my peers, my faculty mentor Professor Son, my graduate mentor Nox, my librarian Kae, and especially not without exploring the unfamiliar.